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The Twelve Zodiac Signs as Warriors in the Bhagavad Gita |
| By Kashiraja (Massimo Barbagallo) "Several astrologers believe there is a connection between the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Somewhat similarly, I want to show a connection between twelve 'apostles' of Krishna and the twelve signs. It should not be surprising to find such similarities, as God does not distinguish between spiritual masters of different religions. The fact that 'Christ' and 'Krishna' have similar sounds is because they represent the same state of being one with God" The Bhagavad Gita is a spiritual text of India, framed as a dialogue between two warriors, Krishna and Arjuna, who have paused between two opposing armies ready for battle. Arjuna is one of five brother princes, rightful heirs to the throne of a kingdom. Krishna is his advisor in the coming battle against the usurpers of the throne. The Gita is a metaphor for the battle between good and evil tendencies to win the kingdom of the soul, and Krishna is the voice of God instructing the spiritual seeker. A short and condensed sanskrit text, the Gita contains a lot of information that can be grasped only with the helpful interpretation of a spiritual master. Paramhansa Yogananda, a spiritual master author of the worldwide bestseller Autobiography of a Yogi, has provided a fascinating interpretation of the Gita, with several concepts directly tied to Vedic astrology. Yogananda has explained that Arjuna and his four brother princes of the Gita embody spiritual qualities which are characteristic of five planets. For example, Arjuna, the most skilled warrior in the war, embodies the qualities of Mars. Based on his teachings, I believe that twelve of the warriors mentioned in one stanza of the Gita represent each of the twelve astrological signs:
Aries � Kuntibhoja In the book God Talks to Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita, Yogananda has given a metaphorical meaning for each of the twelve warriors, based on the sanskrit roots of their names. Kuntibhoja represents asana, self-control. Asana is a spiritual quality known to yoga practitioners, as it is one of eight important concepts explained by Patanjali, the renowned teacher in the yoga tradition. Asana is the physical and mental self-discipline necessary to hold a yoga posture, and to hold the body immobile during meditation. Yogananda has explained that asana is centered at the third chakra. Chakras are energy centers found at different locations in the human body, along the spine. The third chakra is in the navel area. Yogananda has also explained that the third chakra is related to Mars and its two signs, Aries and Scorpio. The highest expression of Aries is disciplined mental and physical willpower. In fact, an unbalanced Aries will display lack of self-control, anger, and impulsive actions. From the above associations, Kuntibhoja seems to signify the highest expression of Aries, the positive independence and willpower gained from asana, self-control. Kuntibhoja represents dispassion towards the unreasonable requests of the body, a warrior fiercely fighting against laziness, restlessness and sense-attachment. Taurus � Yudhamanyu The meaning of Yudhamanyu, according to Yogananda, is pranayama, control of prana, or life force. Like asana, pranayama is one of the eight fundamental concepts of Patanjali. Yogananda associates it with the heart chakra of Venus, Taurus and Libra. Yudhamanyu means to fight with great zeal and determination. Similarly,Taurus represents sustaining energy and determination. As the earthy sign of Venus, Taurus is sensitive to material beauty. In this respect, lack of pranayama may lead Taurus into excessive involvement with the material world, causing our life force to be drawn outwardly into material attachments. Yudhamanyu represents the highest expression of Taurus, the sustained determination needed to resist the allure of the material world, by collecting our life force inwardly as calmness and joy. Gemini � Chekitana Chekitana is smriti, spiritual memory, and its name means 'intelligent'. Gemini, as the air sign of Mercury, seems to be the natural association for this warrior. Spiritual memory is the ability to remember our true soul nature. Yogananda said that Mercury's two signs are in the ether chakra (in the throat area), and ether is where patterns of energy are stored, like blueprints to be used for material manifestation. In this sense ether acts like a place to store information, a spiritual memory. The more we remember our true, spiritual nature, the more we perceive the innate presence of Spirit in everyone, in fact Gemini is a sociable sign. Chekitana represents the highest expression of Gemini, using the intellect to remember our true identity with Spirit. Cancer � Saubhadra Saubhadra represents samyama, which means holding together. Samyama groups together the three concepts of concentration, meditation and samadhi as expressed by Patanjali� it represents an intense state of absorption on the object of concentration. Perhaps Cancer is not the first sign to come to an astrologer's mind when thinking of concentration, but samyama does not so much indicate intellectual concentration, but a deeper kind of concentration, with one's own being. In this sense, the similarities with Cancer become apparent, as Cancer has the capacity to become fully absorbed on what interests it. In fact, Cancer can be the most personal and attached sign of the zodiac, but also the most caring and attentive, like a mother. Saubhadra represents the highest expression of Cancer, when it has learnt to see the whole universe as its own, just like in samadhi. Leo � Kashiraja Kashiraja represents prajna, discriminative intelligence. Kashi means shining and raj means to shine and to rule. Kashi is a name for Varanasi, or Benares, the most ancient holy city in India, so Kashiraja in a way also means King of Kashi. The metaphorical meaning, though, derived by Yogananda, is �shining, causing other things to shine and be revealed� � in other words, insight. Kashiraja can also be taken to mean �to reign with light, in a brilliant way�. All these associations clearly indicate a royal character, such as Leo, the royal fire sign of the zodiac. Kashiraja indicates the highest expression of Leo, when it uses its charismatic light to guide others towards wisdom, just like Yogananda who had Leo ascendant. Virgo � Purujit Purujit is, according to Yogananda, pratyahara, interiorization. Pratyahara is associated with the fifth chakra, the throat chakra, in turn associated with Mercury, Virgo and Gemini. The fifth chakra is etheric, more subtle than the lower four chakras � in fact Mercury is a subtle planet, representing agility of intellect. In a way, we can then see Virgo as an etheric-earth sign, and Gemini as an etheric-air sign. The enquiring character of Mercury can become restless if not balanced by a certain stability of mind. Perhaps that is the reason why Mercury is exalted in the etheric-earth stability of Virgo, rather than in etheric-air adaptability of Gemini. The interiorization of mind and life-force, pratyahara, brings a steady mental calmness, as our energy flows inside, towards the spiritual peace of the inner world, rather than outside, towards the duality and restlessness of the outside world. This interiorization brings purity of mind, as in the symbol of this sign, the virgin. As an example,Yogananda had Saturn, the ruler of his 6th house of obstacles, in Virgo. When living in Los Angeles he had a few physical accidents that would have incapacitated a normal man. In such occasions he demonstrated perfect control of his life-force: when he�d let it flow outwardly, he�d grimace in pain; when he directws it inwardly, he was innerly free of any discomfort. He was able to face the obstacle with the interiorization of Virgo. Another example is Lahiri Mahasaya, another spiritual master and Guru of the Guru of Yogananda. Lahiri Mahasaya had Rahu and Sun in his 12th house, Virgo. After working the whole day as an accountant, he was known to remain in samadhi all night, undisturbed by the surrounding disciples. He was visible (Sun) and surrounded by disciples (Rahu), and yet he was interiorized (pratyahara and Virgo) in samadhi (12th house). Purujit represents the strength and calmness found in pratyahara. Libra � Yuyudhana Yuyudhana represents shraddha, divine devotion. Yudh means to fight, and Sri Yukteswar, spiritual master and guru of Yogananda, describes Yuyudhana as the desire to practice Kriya yoga, a meditative yogic technique taught by Yogananda and other spiritual masters, which actively uplifts the life-force in our energetic spine. We have seen above that Yudhamanyu represents Taurus. Sri Yukteswar refers both Yuyudhana and Yudhamanyu to Kriya yoga and the expansion of consciousness into infinity, suggesting that Yuyudhana and Yudhamanyu are linked to the same chakra, the hearth chakra, and are therefore both signs of Venus. Yuyudhana would then be Libra. In fact, Libra is an active air sign with a strong desire for inner and outer harmony. Libra's desire to see the world in harmony is, in its highest expression, the divine devotion of seeing God as the underlying essence of everything. Scorpio � Virata Virata represents samadhi. The meaning of Virata is �to be immersed in the inner Self.� Virata was a king who ruled in the Matsya kingdom in India, and matsya means fish, suggesting that Virata is a water sign. Matsya was the first avatar of Vishnu, who in the form of a giant fish saved the progenitor of mankind, Manu, from a great flood. Of all the water signs, Scorpio is the one that is naturally most self-possessed and strong. Scorpio is also a fixed sign and fixed signs have a Vishnu quality to them. Before the events narrated in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna and his four brothers spend a year hidden in disguise at the court of King Virata. Of all the signs of the zodiac, Scorpio is certainly the most secretive. A primary trait of Scorpio is intensity of feeling. In the search for inner happiness, Virata represents the highest expression of that intensity, the inner bliss of samadhi. Sagittarius � Uttamaujas Uttamaujas represents virya, vital celibacy, referring to the use of our life-force for spiritual rather than sensual purposes. Yogananda has explained that the 2nd chakra, the chakra linked to the reproductive organs, is the chakra of Jupiter, Pisces and Sagittarius; he has also stated that the 2nd chakra is closely related to Shakti, a deity personification of spiritual power. Similarly, the two spiritual masters introduced earlier in this article, Lahiri Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswar, refer to Uttamaujas as 'Shakti' and 'fiery vigor', respectively. Considering that ojas, a word part of Uttamaujas� name, means energy and power, Uttamaujas seems to clearly relate to Sagittarius, the fire sign of Jupiter. In fact, in the book The Holy Science, Sri Yukteswar says virya is moral courage, a parallel meaning to vital celibacy, as we need courage to resist sensual habits; courage is a quality that can be considered associated with the fire element. Uttamaujas represents the highest expression of the fiery expansive energy of Sagittarius, redirected from sensual enjoyment to spiritual upliftment. Capricorn � Drupada Drupada represents tivra-samvega, extreme dispassion. Just from that meaning, we can surely associate it with a sign of Saturn, the planet of detachment. Pada means step, and the whole name of Drupada means 'stepping swiftly'. Kriyananda, a disciple of Yogananda, commented in his book The Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide how the symbol of Capricorn is a strange animal, half goat and half fish; the goat in India is substituted for an antelope but both animals indicate sure-footedness. To step swiftly, metaphorically, means to be detached and not be side-tracked by various passing interests. Of the two signs of Saturn, then, Capricorn is the best fit for Drupada as it is an active sign while Aquarius is fixed. Also, stepping is done of the ground and Capricorn is an earth sign. Capricorn is a sign that can be skeptical in an overly practical way. Drupada represents the highest expression of that skepticism: extreme dispassion towards the material world. Aquarius � Dhristaketu Dhristaketu represents yama, the power of mental resistance. Yama is associated with the 1st chakra of Saturn, Capricorn and Aquarius. Dhristaketu�s name means to uphold dharma and overcome adversities through discriminative intellect, so Aquarius, an air sign, is a good fit. Swami Sri Yukteswar, guru of Yogananda, had Jupiter and Moon in Aquarius. The perfect example of an expansive Aquarian nature, he was impersonal yet kind. Dhristaketu represents the highest expression of impersonal Aquarius: to behave in a dharmic way through self-control. Pisces � Shaibya Shaibya represents niyama, the power of mental adherence. Niyama is associated with the 2nd chakra of Jupiter, Sagittarius and Pisces. The root of Shaibya's name is the same as that of Shiva: it means �in whom all things lie.� In fact, Pisces is a water sign that can be very open to outer influences, good or bad. Yogananda explains that the metaphorical meaning of �Shaibya� is �adherence to what is beneficial� � the spiritual prescriptions of niyama. �Shiva� also means �auspicious� and �happy.� In fact, one of the five concepts of niyamas is �contentment.� Shaibya represents the highest expression of Pisces: receptivity to inspiration coming from the practice of niyama, such as contentment, introspection, and spiritual devotion. God has made the Gita available to humanity as a source of wisdom. The text is deeply layered with multiple meanings. As Yogananda showed, some of the main characters of the Gita has metaphorical and astrological meanings. Some represent qualities, good and bad, present in our consciousnes. Some of these qualities are associated with astrological entities, like the planets, which are understood by astrologers as symbols to deepen our knowledge of human consciousness. I think the fact that twelve of these warriors are mentioned together in the same stanza of the Gita could be taken as an hint. The above associations seem reasonable to me and I believe them to be true. Whether you agree or not, I hope you'll find them worth your time as a reflection on some higher spiritual aspects of the twelve signs. Kashiraja Biography:
You can see his book, Astrology for a yogi on Amazon.com |
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| Jyotish Star Copyright 2014 C. C. Collins - All Rights Reserved |