RASICHAKRA OF ZODIAC—IS THAT VEDIC
ORIGIN OR BABYLONIAN?
(Compilation for a Discourse by N. R.
Srinivasan, Nashville, TN, USA, October 2017)
In Western astrology, astrological
signs are the twelve 30° sectors of the ecliptic, starting at
the vernal equinox (one of the intersections of the ecliptic
with the celestial equator), also known as the First Point of Aries. The
order of the astrological signs is Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
The concept of the zodiac
originated in Babylonian astrology, and was later influenced by Hellenistic culture say the Western Astrologers. According to them, celestial
phenomena relate to human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the signs are held to
represent characteristic modes of expression.
Various approaches to measuring and dividing the sky are currently used by differing systems of astrology, although the tradition of the Zodiac's names and symbols remain consistent. Western astrology measures from Equinox and Solstice points (points relating to equal, longest and shortest days of the tropical year), while Jyotiṣha or Vedic astrology measures along the equatorial plane (sidereal year). Precession results in Western astrology's zodiacal divisions not corresponding in the current era to the constellations that carry similar names, while Jyotiṣha measurements still correspond with the background constellations.
In Western and Indian astrology, the emphasis is on space, and the movement of the Sun, Moon and planets in the sky through each of the zodiac signs. In Chinese astrology, by contrast, the emphasis is on time, with the zodiac operating on cycles of years, months, and hours of the day.
A common feature of all three traditions
however, is the significance of the Ascendant — the zodiac sign that is rising
(due to the rotation of the earth) on the eastern horizon at the moment of a
person's birth.
Skanda Purana says that when Brahman made this whole creation and its living beings, he also created a circle dividing the entire sky. This Chakra is called Rasi-chakra which has twelve Rasis or zodiac signs of 27 constellations. The whole universe pulsates by the influence of these planets, stars and constellations which is also the cause of any creation, birth, sustenance and death. Adepts of the Kalachakra were well aware of perturbations in planetary cycles, in the year and in the month. Consistent with this view is the concept that people are, like the real solar system, subject to fluctuations, perturbations and inequalities. The periods are based on the numbers 27, 54, 108, 360 and 21600. That which is real is the respiration, say Sanskrit texts. A respiration consists of two halves, an inhalation and an exhalation. The meshing of time and astronomy and breath is the Kalachakra. Kalpa= Mahakala = Brahma = Time. Each Nakshtra has four padas (steps) says modern astrology27x4=108. That is how we attach importance to 108.
Ancient sages divided 360 degrees of the ecliptic by 12 to arrive at 30 degrees of the Zodiac. It takes 72 solar years (which is roughly the average human life) for the solstice to shift one degree proportionate to the fixed stars and it will take 72x30=2160 solar years for the shift to proceed through one zodiac. Total cycle will be 2160x 12=25920 years. This is called a Great Year. Surya Siddhanta gives precession (slow rotation of the rotation axis of spinning body) as 54 seconds of arc of a circle, a year. Modern calculations set this at 50 seconds. To shift one degree it would take 71.6 solar years. This adds up to a complete cycle of 25776 years. Of course constant changes are going on in the Cosmos too. It all shows how far advanced were our sages! How could they do it with their naked eyes and mental thinking remains a mystery!
The Cosmic concept of Kaalachakra in influencing time measurement should not be forgotten. Two straight lines of same length intersecting vertically at their mid points produce four right angles which add up to 360 degrees. Their ends when joined in the form of an arc produce the circle circumscribing their end points. The circle has therefore 360 degrees. When this is divided internally into twelve equal segments each segment has an angular movement of 30 degrees. These twelve segments are the 12 Zodiac signs in astrology. Further, each degree can be divided into 60 minutes and each minute to 60 seconds. One minute of the arc in Sanskrit is also known as "Asu". Modern clocks are designed on this model to give a circular moment of the hands through 360 degrees in 12 hours. In Savana Maanam Hindu Calendar one year has 360 days. One month has 30 days and one Paksha 15 days. 360/12 gives 30 (there are 30 Muhurthas in a day). 30 (Muhurthas) x12 (Zodiac signs) =360 (days in year)
Upanishads say human energy body is built up of 72000 Naadis or energy flows (These are not physical nerves as is often translated). There are 3600 Vinadis in a day. When we multiply 3600 with a number 20 we arrive at 72000 which are the energy flows (astral paths) mentioned in Prasna Upanishad.
In one day, a human being breaths 21600 times when normal, according to Yogasaastra of Patanjali. If we multiply 21600 breaths 20 times we get a figure of 432000 which is the number for the total number of years in Kaliyuga. If we multiply 3600 number of Vinadis in a day 20 times we get 72000 which are the number of energy paths in the human being mentioned in Upanishads. The numbers 20, 60, 3600, 21600, 72000 and 432000 have all a common factor 20, the divine mystery number. Probably, 20 represent 5 panchbhootas+5 Jnaanedriyas+5 Karmendriyas+5 Pancha Praanas ruled by Aatman.
With this background let us examine the Brahma chakra described as also Kala chakra in Svetasvataropanishad that speaks of chakra symbolizing “Kaala-atmaka-aniyadhi-tishthaty-ekah” He alone presides over all those causes comprising of Kaala and Aatman. We are concerned with Kaala here. The entire Universe of rhythm and order of cyclic nature is maintained in its strict nature because of Him (Eko-devah) only. Ara iva rathanabhu— As spokes in a wheel (Pr. Up.) Time controls everything.
T
amekanemim trivritam shoedsaantam sataardhaaram vimsatipratyaraabhih |ashtakaih shadbhih visvarupaikapaasam trimaarghabhedam dvinimittaikamoham || (Svetasvatara Up.)
amekanemim trivritam shoedsaantam sataardhaaram vimsatipratyaraabhih |ashtakaih shadbhih visvarupaikapaasam trimaarghabhedam dvinimittaikamoham || (Svetasvatara Up.)
They
realized him to be a form of wheel having one rim (hub with three
constituents) Having fifty spokes, 20 middle spokes,
six groups of eight each, having one bond of the cosmic form, having the
difference of 3 paths and having the illusion that is the path of two.
This Veda Mantra calls for our focus on Brahma Chakra as well as Kala Chakra as it speaks of Kaala and Aatma. In the present context we are concerned with Kala Chakra. A month constitutes 4 weeks. Hence a year 12x4=48. These are contained by two ayanas-Dakshinayana and Uttarayana. That makes it 50 mentioned in the Mantra. Again we have six Ritus of two months each or 8 weeks. That makes six groups of eight each-8x6=48. All these are controlled by one bond of cosmic force that is Kaala Purusha.
“The main God of the Zodiac is the Sun God called Vishnu. Rig Veda I.155.6, says ‘With four times ninety names (chaturbhih sakam navatim cha namabhih), he (Vishnu) sets in motion moving forces like a turning wheel (chakra).’ This suggests that even in Vedic times Vishnu had 360 names or forms, one for each degree of the zodiac. [In Sandhyavandana we chant twelve names of Vishnu. The twelve names that we chant stand for 12 months in a year of cyclic nature (to be chanted round the year)].
Most of the astronomical information occurs in the famous Asya Vamasya Hymn I.164. Much of this hymn can be understood as a description of the zodiac.
The Father with five feet and twelve forms, they say, dwells in the higher half of heaven full of waters. Others say that he is the clear-seeing one who dwells below in a sevenfold wheel that has six spokes.
The five feet of the father or the Sun are the five planets or the five elements that these often refer to (to which Vedic thought associates the five sense organs and five motor organs in the human body). His twelve forms are the twelve signs. The Sun in the higher half of heaven with the waters is the signs Leo with Cancer (ruled by the Moon), with the other five planets being the five feet, each ruling two signs. In Vedic thought, the Sun is the abode of the waters, which we can see in the zodiac by the proximity of the signs Cancer and Leo.
The seven-fold wheel is the zodiac moved by the seven planets. The six spokes are the six double signs through which the planets travel. The same verse occurs in the Prashna Upanishad I.11 as a symbol for the year” says David Frawley
PRASNA UPANISHAD
Panchpaadam pitaram dvaadasaakritim diva aahuh pare ardhe pureeshinaam |
Atheme anya u pare vichakshanam
saptachakre shadara aahurarpitamiti ||
1-11 Prasna||
Some say this sun is having five feet, is the creator of everything
else, is constituted of twelve forms
is having his own abode in the vicinity
of the heaven just above it. But these
some others, more celebrated, say that (the Universe) is fixed safely in the
chariot of the form of Samvatsara, possessing the seven wheels (in the form of Aditya and others) and having six spokes (of
the form of the six seasons).
Five feet here stand for Vatsara, Samvatsara, Parivatsara, Iduvatsara and Idaavastara (anuvatsara). The cycle of sixty years is divided into twelve units of five years, each unit being called a Yuga. Seven horses represent seven colors that constitute white light. The Lord of Time is described as having twelve different forms or attitudes which are expressed differently one by one during the twelve months of the year.
MAHAANAARAAYANA UPANISHAD
MNU says: “yatsaayam praataratti tat-samidham yat praatar-madhyam-dinam saayam cha taani savanani ye ahoraatre te darsapoornamaasau ye ardhamaasaascha te chaaturmaasyaani ya ritavaste pasubandaha ye samvatsaraascha parivatsaraascha te aharaagnaah …. “
When
he eats in the forenoon and afternoon that is his Samit homa;(oblation of
faggots in the fire); The three divisions of the day—forenoon, midday and
evening—relating to him are his Savana sacrifices; the day and night are his
Daspoornamaasa Sacrifices; the half-month and the month are his Chaturmaasya
Sacrifice; the Samvatsaraas, Parivastaraas etc., are his Aharagni sacrifice…
MN Upanishad describes Aaditya Purusha (Self-luminous) as Kaala Purusha thus:
“Sarve nimeshaa jagnire vidyutah purushaadadhi |kalaa muhurtaah kaashthascha aho-raatraascha sarvasah| ardhamaasaa maasaa ritavah samvatsarascha kalpantaam | sa aapah pradudhe ubhe ime antarikshmatho suvah || (MNU)—All Nimeshaas, Kalaas, Muhurtaas, kaashthaas, days, half months (pakshas), and seasons were born from the Self-luminous Person. He milked water and also these two, the firmament and the Heaven. The time measurement started with the winking of the eye (nimesha) all the way up to life span of Brahman that is Kalachakra which is spinning pralayas after pralaya. Milking implies production of the necessary sustenance and enjoyment for the transmigrating souls through the agency of Time (Kalapurusha) on the earth and in the firmament and heaven. 3 paths are the day, twilight zone and night (trikaala) which actually is two twilight being transitory illusion.
Each Kalpa created by the Supreme constitutes 4320000000 years and so he is represented by Kalpa as Kaalpapurusha or that number of years. This is mysteriously hidden in the Veda Mantra:
Chatvaari
sringhaa trayo asya paadau dve seershe sapta hastaaso asya | tridhaabhaddaho
vrishbho, roraveeti maho devo martyaa aavivesa ||
The syllable Om conceived as the Bull possesses four horns, three feet and two heads. He has seven hands. The Bull connected in a threefold manner, eloquently declares the Supreme. The self-luminous Deity has entered the mortals everywhere.
In the figure 4320000000, the first number 4 comes from four horns, the second number 3 comes from 3 feet, the third number 2 comes from 2 heads and the following seven 0s (zeros) from seven oval hands. Mortals everywhere are bound by or watched by the syllable Om which is tied with 3 (tridhaabaddhaa) A, U and M or controlled by Sattva, Rajas and Tamas 3 Gunas.
When Kaliyuga or 432000 years are divided by divine number 20 it reduces to 21600 that is our breathing in a day. Thus the Mantra fully describes Kalachakra.
RAMAYANA
Ramayana
is the first ever literary composition narrating the story of Rama of Tretayuga
in the present Kalpa. Ramayana clearly states Rama was born on Punarvasu
Nakshatra, 4th Quarter in Kataka Rasi presided by the planetary
deity Earth. Thus the zodiacal signs as well as 27 Nakshatras each one with
four quarters were known to all long before Babylonians came with the idea
of zodiac as exaggerated and falsely projected by
Western Scientists. We have innumerable
number of birthday forecasts of deities, personalities and saints in Purnas
like that of Rama and his brothers in Treta Yuga and those that belonged to Dvapara
yuga. Planetary software has also clearly
established the date of Mahabharata War and the birth and ascent of Lord
Krishna. A complete picture as to
Kalachakra and Brahman as Kalapurusha is vividly seen in Adityahrudaya which
was administered to Sri Rama by Agastya on which Rama meditated:
ADITYA HRIDAYA
sarvamangalamaangalyam sarvapa-paapa-pranaasanam | chintaasoka-prasamanam aayur-vardhanamuttamam—5
This holy hymn entitled Aditya Hridaya (which
is intendeds to propitiate Brahman in the cavity of the heart of the Sun which
is orb of the Sun), the blessing of all blessings, by means of that
you will be able to conquer once for all your adversaries on the battle field
and which will bring also victory, root out all sins, allay all anxiety
and griefs once for all and prolong life.
Esha brahmaa cha vishnuscha sivaH skandah prajaapatih | mahendro dhanadah kaalo yamah somo hyapaam patih-- 8.
He is Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Skanda,
Prajapati. He is also Mahendra, Kubera, Kaala, Yama, Soma and Varuna.
Pitaro vasavah saadhyaa hyasvino maruto manuh | vaayur-vahnhih prajaapraana rutukartaa prabhaakarah—9
He is the Pitrus, Vasus, Saadhyas, Asvini
devas, Maruts, Manu, Vayu, Agni, Prana
and, being the source of all energy and light, is the maker of all the six
seasons.
Aadityah savitaa sooryah Khagah pooshaa gabhastimaan | suvarnasadris bhanur-hiranyaretaa divaakarah—10
He is the son of Aditi (Earth), creator of the
universe, inspirer of action, transverse of the heavens. He is the sustainer,
illumination of all directions, the golden hued brilliance and is the maker of
the day.
Haridasvah sahasraarchih saptasaptir-mareechimaan | timironmathanah sambhus-tvashtaa maartaanda amsumaan—11
He is the Omnipresent One who pervades all
with countless rays. He is the power behind the seven sense organs, the
dispeller of darkness, bestowed of happiness and prosperity, the remover of
misfortunes and is the infuser of life.
Hiranyagarbhah sisiras-tapano bhaaskaro ravih | agnigarbho aditeh putrah sankhah sisiranaasanah-- 12.
He is the primordial being manifesting as the
Trinity. He ushers in the Day and is the teacher (of Hiranyagarbha), the fire-womb
born, the son of Aditi, and has a vast and supreme felicity. He is the remover
of intellectual dull-headedness.
Vyomanaathas-tamobhedee Rigyajuh-saamapaaranah | ghana-vrishtir-apaam mitro vindhya-veethee-plavangamah--13
He bears the fire of dissolution in his womb,
is bliss personified and all enveloping like space, destroyer of cold, the lord of the
heavens, the disperser of darkness, a
master of three Vedas, the sender of thick showers and the friend
(giver) of water.
Aatapee mandalee mrityuh pingalah sarvataapanah | kavirvisvo mahaatejaah raktah sarvabhavodbhavah—14
He courses swiftly along his own orbit,
carries in him the resolve to evolve the universe and is adorned with a circle
of rays. He is death itself, tawny in hue and the destroyer of all.
Nakshatra-graha-taaraanaam-adhipo visva-bhaavanah| tejasaamapi tejasvee dvaadasaatman namo'stu te--15.
He is the lord of 27 stars of the 12 zodiac
signs, planets and all constellations that shine in the sky. He is the origin of everything in the
universe and is the cause of the luster of even the brilliant ones (tasya bhaasaa sarvamidam vibhaati—all
shine because of him only including the sun, the moon and the stars). Salutations to Thee who is the One being the manifest in the
twelve forms of the Sun (twelve Adityas)
Jayaaya jayabhadraaya haryasvaaya namo namah | namo namah sahasraamso aadityaaya namo namaH-17.
Salutations to the One who ordains victory and
the prosperity that follows. Salutations to the one possessed of yellow steeds (seven
horses) and to the thousand rayed Lord, and to Aditya.
Brahmesaan-achyutesaaya sooryaayaaditya-varchas |bhaasvate sarvabhakshaaya roudraaya vapushe namaH—19
Salutations to the Lord of Brahma, Siva and
Vishnu (the infalliable); salutations to the powerful and to the effulgence in
the Sun that is both the illuminator and devourer of all and is of a form that
is fierce like Rudra.
Tapta-chameekaraabhaaya vahnaye visvakarmane |namastamo abhiiniGghnaaya ruchaye lokasaakshine--21
Salutations to the Lord shining like molten
gold, to the transcendental fire, the fire of supreme knowledge, the architect
of the universe, destroyer of darkness and salutations again to the effulgence
that is the Cosmic witness.
Nasayatyesha vai bhootam tadeva srujati prabhuh | paayatyesha tapatyesha varshatyesha gabhastibhih--22.
Obeisance to the Lord who destroys
everything and creates them again. Obeisance to Him who by His rays consumes
the waters, heats them up and sends them down as rain.
Esha supteshu jaagarti bhooteshu parinishthitah | esha evaagnihotram cha phalam chaivaagnihotrinaam—23
Obeisance to the Lord who abides in the heart
of all beings keeping awake when they are asleep. He is both the sacrificial
fire and the fruit enjoyed by the worshippers.
Vedaascha kratavaschaiva kratoonaam phalameva cha | yaani rutyaani lokeshu sarva esha ravih prabhuh--24.
The above mentioned Supreme Lord is verily the
Lord of all action in this universe. He is verily the Vedas, the sacrifices
mentioned in them and the fruits obtained by performing the sacrifices.
ZODIAC BELT
In Hindu astrology we speak of Janma Rasi and Janma Nakshatra. Nakshatras are 27 each one having 4 quarters. Hence we have 9 quarters each of different Nakshatras in each zodiac sign. Horoscopes are based on the quarter of the Nakshatra and the Zodiac sign. The segment in which moon lies at the time of birth of a person lies is called Janma Nakshatra or Birth Star. Western astrology does not bother about Nakshatra but are concerned with the Zodiacal constellation when a child is born.
The moon completes a circuit of its path with respect to the earth in about 271/3 days. Hence the zodiacal belt is divided into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 seconds. Therefore each sector is occupied by 3 Nakshatras with full or partial participation as indicated in the table. The first segment longitude of the Moon 0 to 13 degrees and 20 seconds is Asvini. The second from 13 degrees 20 seconds to 26 degrees 40 seconds is Bharani and so on. The last Nakshatra Revati is from 346 degrees 40 seconds to 360 degrees.
The duration of time taken by the Sun to pass through one Nirayana Rasi (zodiacal constellation) to another Niraayana Rasi forms the basis of Rasi. They are called Mesha, Vrishabhha, Mithuna, Kataka, Simha, Kanya, Tula, Vrischika, Dhanur, Makara, Kumbha, Meena. We can find out our Janma Rasi based on Nakshatra from the following table:
Period in which Sun is in
Stars in the Rasi (constellation)
Mesha Rasi Aswini, Bharani and
Krirttrikai (1st Qr.)
Vrishabha Rasi
Krittikai(2/3/4Qrs.), Rohini & Mrigasira (1/2 Qrs.)
Mithuna Rasi Mrigasira (3/4
Qrs.), Ardra, Punarvasu (1/2/3 Qrs.)
Kataka Rasi
Punarvasu (4 Qr.), Pushya, Aslesaha
Simha Rasi
Magha, P. Phalguna, U. Phalguna
(1 Qr.)
Kanyaa Rasi
U. Phalguna (2/3/4 Qrs.), Hastam, Chitra (1/2Qrs.)
TulaaRasi
Chitra (3/4 Qrs.), Swaati, Visakham (1/2/3 Qrs.)
Vrischika
Rasi
Visakham (4Qr.), Anuradah, Jyesahta
Dhanur Rasi
Moola, P. Aashaada, U.Aashada (1Qr.)
Makara Rasi
U. Ashada 2/3/4 Qrs.), Sravana, Shanisahta (1/2 Qrs.)
Kumbha Rasi
Dhanishta (3/4 Qrs.), Satabhisha, P. Bhaadra (1/2/3 Qrs.)
Meena Rasi
P. Bhaadra (4 Qtr.), U. Bhaadra, Revati
From the above study based on Upanishads and
Ramayana it is very clear Vedic
astrology is much more ancient and they had a very clear idea of
Nakshatras, Rasis, stars and planets under the Rule of Supreme Being who is
hailed as Vishnu among the twelve
Vedic deities of Adityas. Dr. David
Frawley is a renowned scholar of Vedic astrology and you will be more
enlightened on the subject going through his article in the Appendix.
What made Westerners to think Zodiac is based on Babylonian? It is our own folly. As you see in Ramayana and Mahabharata no mention is made of the Name of the day on which Rama and Krishna were born. In earlier days people thought only about Tithi (The day in a bright as well as dark fortnight) and Nakshatra. It is only later Hinduism thought of a week (saptah) and also felt the need to name each day in a week. Westerners named 7 days in a week after Roman and Greek Gods—Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Sun Moon and Jupiter are considered as celestial devatas glorified in Vedic astrology. Mars, Mercury, Venus and Saturn are not presiding deities of any Nakshatra in Vedic astrology. Instead of Roman and Greek Gods Hindus could have named days after Uranus (Varuna), Neptune (Indra), Earth (Aditi) and Pluto (Prajapati) that are planets and presiding deities of specific Nakshatras in Vedic astrology besides Sun, the Star, Jupiter, Planet and Moon, satellite of the Earth.
It is strange that a section of Hindus in Temple tradition deified all Greek and Roman Gods, when a Saptah of 7 days of the week was instituted in Hinduism. They not only tried very hard to connect them to Puranic stories, myths and beliefs in creating an altar for them but also added Rahu and Ketu, mutilated and immortalized body parts of a demon to make the number of deities Nine, and also made them look like full perfect bodied deities. Rahu is shown as a man riding a lion with serpent headed crown and Ketu as a man riding a Vulture. I do not know why they did not follow the same concept of later Ganesha icon with mutilated tusk and glorification as Ekadanta moving away from the Ganesha as created by Siva with two tusks? Ramayana describes Nagas as human head and serpent body like Mermaids. Rahu and Ketu could have been also shown like thus!
I believe the concept of Murti Upasana was promoted strongly by Srirama while he advised Vibhishana with the parting advice Aradhya Jagannathm in Ramayana that he himself worshiped in Tiruppullani Adijaganntha Temple. Later people inspired by Adityahridaya prayed by Rama in Ramayana and misunderstanding it as directed to Suryagraha (Sun Deity) wanted to create a Navagrahasa Altar around Sun (like Saguna Brahman and his Astha Dikpalaks). This they did taking the seven deities after whom the Saptah was created and adding two cut off bodies of demon Rahu and Ketu to complete the sacred number of nine. Seven would have been more sacred and gone with Vedic reference if the Saptagraha altar was made with Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Earth. It is unfortunate that the most important Bhoomi-graha hailed as Aditi is neglected or side tracked (seen only in processional deities of Vishnu deities as his consort) in Temple tradition. It is no surprise that people also installed nine poles near Ramesvaram, the famous Saivite pilgrimage center which is equally respected and visited by Vaishnavites, and called it as Navagraha Temple worshiped by Srirama to go with the story of Ramesvaram. It is strange why the nine planets are invariably found in every Saiva temple in South India but not in the North? In North Indian temples they are depicted on the lintels of doors, to protect the temple and all those who enter it similar to Dikpalaks. Ramayana says Aaditya is the Lord of Nakshatra, Grahas and Stars: Nakshatra-graha-taaraanaam-adhipo visva-bhaavanah| tejasaamapi tejasvee dvaadasaatman--He is the lord of 27 stars of the 12 zodiac signs, planets and all constellations that shine in the sky. He is the origin of everything in the Universe and is the cause of the luster of even the most brilliant. Then, is it not enough to pray to Aaditya alone instead of running to Rahu and Ketu or other Grahas and pleading for relief? Of course we are grown with the culture to bribe the peons before seeing the boss as well as bribing the priest before seeing the God or worshiping Nandi or Ganesha before Siva! It would be appropriate to direct all Navagraha Homas and Santis to Aditya alone as the presiding deity, if they still feel the necessity for a Navagraha altar to change their destiny in their horoscopes! It is no wonder the temple authorities in Thiruvaiyaru sacred Siva Temple in India recently removed the Navagraha altars reflecting these thoughts.
"Today, in this scientifically oriented age, God is linked closely to daily lives through the ‘Navagrahas’ (Nine Planets) – who are believed to be the representatives of Indian Gods and who have been precisely delivering due reward to living beings according to his/her balance of Karma. With computerization, the ways the planetary rays act on the human physique and mind have been known in the past few decades. Thus, the mystical aura of God’s divinity has diminished here, as science from abroad gets nearer daily to ‘recreating’ God’s miracles. Astrological remedies have also become commonplace (and mechanical) these days – to the level of “give these items, do these at these temples and the planets will provide you these results in return”.
Moreover,
each planet has its favorite materials or symbolic items, hence the majority of
today’s Indians have become content with remedial measures to set right the
‘defective’ Planets and thus live life at this level – leaving the final
purpose of precious human birth – which is to progress upward toward
spirituality ignored.
Belief
in Karmic consequences is reaching a low at this time – amidst a
temptation-filled, fast life. Fear of
rebirth into lower creatures or in lower castes or difficult circumstances – as
a result of one’s sins – which was an inbuilt “law and order” mechanism for
ages – is getting pushed aside by Indians today. Ironically, the average Indian
has also turned into a “judge” in downgrading others or “exacting revenge” in
his/her personal affairs – which is reported daily by press media.
The
mindset of the average citizen has also become partly atheistic – seeing
developed countries prospering liberally without even believing in a God – let
alone our Indian Gods. This has become pronounced in the last thirty to forty
years of globalization. Incidents of Gods rescuing people, averting accidents
or of genuine miracles have become rarer these days – thereby making God almost
a non-entity in the function and management of today’s ‘real’ world affairs." says Bhareat Kumar in his article Changing Roles of Gods in India Today, IndiaDivine.Org.
References:
1) Ananta
Rangacharya, Principle Upanishads, Bengaluru, India
2) Swami Vimalanannda,
Mahaanaaraayana Upanishad, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India
3) Gita Press,
Vaolmiki Ramayana, Balakanda, Gorakhpur, India
5) David Frawley, The Main God of the Zodiac the Sun
God called Vishnu
6)
Swami Bhaskarananda,
Hindu Gods and Goddesses, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India
7)
Kumar R., North
American Panchangam, Hindu Temple Society of North America, New York, N.Y.
APPENDIX
THE MAIN GOD OF THE ZODIAC THE SUN GOD
CALLED VISHNU
(By David Frawley)
The main God of the Zodiac is the Sun God
called Vishnu. Rig Veda I.155.6, says “With four times ninety names (chaturbhih sakam navatim cha namabhih),
he (Vishnu) sets in motion moving forces like a turning wheel (chakra).” This
suggests that even in Vedic times Vishnu had 360 names or forms, one for each
degree of the zodiac.
Most of the astronomical information occurs in
his famous Asya Vamasya Hymn I.164. Much of this hymn can be understood as a
description of the zodiac. It begins:
1. Of this adorable old invoker (the Sun) is a
middle brother who is pervasive (the Wind or lightning). He has a third
brother, whose back carries ghee (Fire). There I saw the Lord of the people
(the Sun) who has seven children.
This verse is referring to the usual threefold
Vedic division of Gods and worlds as the Fire (Agni) on Earth, the Wind or
Lightning (Vayu) in the Atmosphere and the Sun (Surya) in Heaven. This also may
refer to the three steps or strides of Vishnu through which he measures the
Earth, the Atmosphere and Heaven. The Sun is also a symbol of the supreme light
or the supreme Sun God that is Vishnu. The Sun or supreme light has seven
children, the visible Sun, Moon and five planets.
We should note that the zodiac of twelve signs
is divided into three sections based upon a similar understanding, starting
with Aries or fire (cardinal fire ruled by Mars, who in Vedic thought is the
fire born of the Earth), then with Leo or the Sun (fixed fire ruled by the
Sun), and then with Sagittarius, the atmospheric fire, lightning or wind
(mutable fire ruled by Jupiter, the God of the rains).
2. Seven yoke the chariot that has a single
wheel (chakra). One horse that has seven names carries it. The wheel has three
naves, is un-decaying and never overcome, where all these beings are placed.
The zodiac is the single wheeled-chariot or
circle yoked by the seven planets which are all forms of the Sun or sunlight.
It is the wheel of time on which all beings are placed. The Vedic horse (ashva)
is symbolic of energy or propulsive force.
3. This chariot which the seven have mounted
has seven wheels (chakras) and is carried by seven horses. The seven sisters
sing forth together, where are hidden the seven names of the cows.
The seven planets create their seven rotations
or seven wheels. Each has its horse, its energy or velocity. Each has its
feminine power or sister, its power of expression. It carries its own hidden
name or secret knowledge (symbolically cows or rays). This refers to the
astrological influences of the planets.
11. The wheel of law with twelve spokes does
not decay as it revolves around heaven. Oh Fire, here your 720 sons abide.
The circle of the zodiac has twelve signs. It
has 720 half degrees or twins, making 360 total. The Shatapatha Brahmana X.5.5,
a late Vedic text, also speaks of a wheel of heaven with 720 divisions. “But
indeed that Fire-altar is also the Nakshatras. For there are twenty seven of
these Nakshatras and twenty-seven secondary Nakshatras. This makes 720.”
Twenty-seven times twenty-seven Nakshatras equals 729, with which some overlap
can be related to the 720 half-degrees of the zodiac.
12. The Father with five feet and twelve
forms, they say, dwells in the higher half of heaven full of waters. Others say
that he is the clear-seeing one who dwells below in a sevenfold wheel that has
six spokes.
The five feet of the father or the Sun are the
five planets or the five elements that these often refer to (to which Vedic
thought associates the five sense organs and five motor organs in the human
body). His twelve forms are the twelve signs. The Sun in the higher half of
heaven with the waters is the signs Leo with Cancer (ruled by the Moon), with
the other five planets being the five feet, each ruling two signs. In Vedic
thought, the Sun is the abode of the waters, which we can see in the zodiac by
the proximity of the signs Cancer and Leo.
The sevenfold wheel is the zodiac moved by the
seven planets. The six spokes are the six double signs through which the
planets travel. The same verse occurs in the Prashna Upanishad I.11 as a symbol
for the year.
13. Revolving on this five-spoked wheel all
beings stand. Though it carries a heavy load, its axle over heat. From of old
it does not break its ancient laws.
The five-spoked wheel is again the zodiac
ruled by five planets and five elements and their various internal and external
correspondences.
14. The un-decaying wheel (circle) together
with its felly (circumference), ten yoked to the upward extension carry it. The
eye of the Sun moves encompassing the region. In it are placed all beings.
This may again refer to the ten signs ruled by
the five planets, with each planet ruling two signs. The eye of the Sun may be
the sign Leo through which the solar influence pervades the zodiac or just the
Sun itself. The upward extension may be the polar region.
15. Of those that are born together, the
seventh is born alone. The six are twins (yama), Divine born rishis. The wishes
that they grant are apportioned according to their nature. Diversely made for
their Ordained, they move in different forms.
The six born together or are twins are the
twelve signs, two of which are ruled by one planet (considering the Sun and
Moon as a single planetary influence). The seventh that is singly born is the
single light that illumines all the planets. Elsewhere the Rig Veda X.64.3
speaks of the Sun and Moon as twins (yama) in heaven.
The planets are often associated with the
rishis in Vedic thought, particularly the rishis Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra
(Venus) and Kashyapa (the Sun) which became common names for the planets. Their
ordained or stabilizer may be the pole star (polar point).
48. Twelve are its fellies. The wheel is one.
It has three naves. Who has understood it?
It are held together like spokes the 360, both
moving and non-moving.
This perhaps the clearest verse that refers to
the zodiac of twelve signs and three hundred and sixty degrees. The same verse
also occurs in Atharva Veda (X.8.4). The zodiac has three divisions as fire,
lightning and Sun or Aries, Sagittarius and Leo that represent these three
forms of fire. The 360 spokes are the 360 degrees which revolve in the sky but
remain in the same place in the zodiac.
Yet another verse (43) of this same hymn of
Dirghatamas refers to the Vishuvat, the solstice or equinox, showing that such
astronomical meanings are clearly possible.
If we examine the hymn overall, we see that a
heavenly circle of 360 degrees and 12 signs is known, along with 7 planets. It
also has a threefold division of the signs which can be identified with that of
fire, wind (lightning) and Sun (Aries, Sagittarius, Leo) and a six-fold
division that can be identified with the planets each ruling two signs of the
zodiac. This provides the basis for the main factors of the zodiac and signs as
we have known them historically. We have all the main factors for the
traditional signs of the zodiac except the names and symbols of each individual
sign. This I will address in another article.
Elsewhere in Vedic literature is the idea that
when the Creator created the stars he assigned each an animal of which there
were originally five, the goat, sheep, cow, horse and man (Shatapatha Brahmana
X.2.1). This shows a Vedic tradition of assigning animals to constellations. The
animals mentioned are the man, goat, ram, bull and horse, which contain several
of the zodiacal animals.
The zodiac in Vedic thought is the wheel of
the Sun. It is the circle created by the Sun’s rays. The Shatapatha Brahmana
X.5.4 notes, “But, indeed, the Fire-altar also is the Sun. The regions are its
enclosing stones, and there are 360 of these, because 360 regions encircle the
Sun on all sides. And 360 are the rays of the Sun.”
The Zodiac and the Subtle Body
Clearly this hymn contains a vision of the
zodiac but its purpose is not simply astronomical, nor is the zodiac the sole
subject of its concern. Besides the outer zodiac of time and the stars there is
the inner zodiac or the subtle body and its chakra system. The seven chakras
mentioned are also the seven chakras of the subtle body. In Vedic thought the
Sun that rules time outwardly corresponds inwardly to Prana, the spirit, soul
or life-force (Maitrayani Upanishad VI.1). Prana is the inner Sun that creates
time at a biological level through the process of breathing. It is also the
energy that runs up and down the spine and flows through the seven chakras
strung like lotuses along it.
According to Vedic thought (Shatapatha
Brahmana XII.3.28) we have 10,800 breaths by day and by night or 21,600 a day.
This corresponds to one breath every four seconds. The same text says that we
have as many breaths in one muhurta (1/30 of a day or 48 minutes) as there are
days and nights in the year or 720, so this connection of the outer light and
our inner processes is quite detailed at an early period.
In Vedic thought the subtle body is composed
of the five elements, the five sense organs and five motor organs, which
correspond to different aspects of its five lower chakras .On top of these five
are the mind and intellect (manas and buddhi) which are often compared to the
Moon and the Sun and relate to the two higher chakras. They can be added to
these other five factors, like the five planets, making seven in all. The
chakras of Dirghatamas, though outwardly connected to the zodiac, are inwardly
related to the subtle body, a connection that traditional commentators on the
hymn like Sayana or Atmananda have noted.
This hymn of Dirghatamas contains many other
important and cryptic verses on various spiritual matters that are connected to
but go beyond the issues of the zodiac. It is written in the typical Vedic
mantric and symbolic language to which it provides two keys;
39. The supreme syllable of the chant in the
supreme ether, in which all the Gods reside, those who do not know this, what
can they do with the Veda? Those who know it alone are gathered here.
45. Four are the levels of speech. Those
trained in the knowledge, the wise know them all. Three hidden in secrecy
cannot be do not stir. Mortals speak only with the fourth.
There is clearly a hidden knowledge behind
these verses, which reflect an esoteric tradition of spiritual knowledge that
was mainly accessible for initiates who had the keys to open its veils. We
cannot simply take such verses superficially but must look deeply and see what
they imply. Then the pattern of their inner meaning can come forth. If we do
this, the astronomical and astrological side cannot be ignored.
Pingree’s Views
Western scholars of the history of astronomy
like David Pingree have accepted the astronomical basis of this hymn. In an
article, “Astronomy in India” in Astronomy Before the Telescope, C.
Walker (ed.), St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1996, pps. 123-124, Pingree
suggests that Mul. Apin, Babylonian tablets that date from 687 to 500 BC has
“‘an ideal calendar’ in which one year contains 12 months, each of which has 30
days, and consequently exactly 360 days; a late hymn of the Rigveda refers to
the same ‘ideal calendar’. And Mul.Apin describes the oscillation of the rising-point
of the sun along the eastern horizon between its extremities when it is at the
solstices; the same oscillation is described in the Aitareya Brahmana.'” This
ideal calendar is the basis for the zodiac and its twelve signs at a
mathematical level. Clearly Pingree is referring to Rig Veda I.164 as his
‘late’ hymn of the Rig Veda.
To quote from David Pingree’s “History of
mathematical astronomy in India,” in the Dictionary of Scientific Biography,
C.S. Gillespie (ed.), pp. 533-633, Charles Scribners, New York, 1981, page 534:
“In the case of the priority of the Rigveda to the Brahmanas, it is not always
clear that the views expressed in the latter developed historically after the
composition of the former. All texts that can reasonably be dated before ca. 500
BC are here considered to represent essentially a single body of more or less
uniform material.” The point of his statement is to try to get such Rig Veda
references as those of Dirghatamas later than the Brahmana texts as both
reflect a similar sophisticated astronomy, which is necessary to make it later
than the Babylonian references and a product of a Babylonian influence as he
proposes. This requires reducing all the layers of Vedic literature to a more
or less uniform mass at a very late date, which is contrary to almost every
view of the text.
Clearly this Rig Veda hymn, which has
parallels and developments in the Brahmanas (like the Shatapatha Brahmana
quoted in this chapter), must be earlier and show that such ideas were much
older than the Brahmanas. To maintain his late date for Vedic astrology,
Pingree must assume that this hymn or its particular astronomical verses were
late interpolations to the Rig Veda, around 500 BCE or about the time of the
Buddha. This is rather odd because the Buddha is generally regarded as having
come long after the Vedic period, while the actual text is usually dated well
before 1000 BCE (some have argued even to 3000 BCE).
Even the Brahmanas, like the Upanishads that
come after them, are pre-Buddhist by all accounts. Perhaps the main Vedic
ritual given in the Brahmanas, the Gavamayana, follows the model of a year of
360 days and is divided into two halves based upon the solstices, showing that
such an ‘ideal’ calendar was central to Vedic thought. That such an ideal calendar
has its counterpart in the sky is well reflected in Vedic ideas saying that
equate the days and nights with the Sun’s rays and with the stars (as we have
noted in Shatapatha Brahmana with 720 Upanakshatras)*. The Brahmanas, we should
also note, emphasize the Krittikas or the Pleiades as the first of the
Nakshatras, reflecting an astronomical era of the Taurus equinox. The
Shatapatha Brahmana notes that the Krittikas mark the eastern direction.
In addition, the hymn, its verses and
commentaries on them are found in many places in Vedic literature, along with
support references to Nakshatras. It cannot be reduced to a late addition but
is an integral part of the text.
That being the case, a zodiac of 360 degrees
and its twelvefold division are much older in India than any Greek or even
Babylonian references that he has come up with.
Pingree also tries to reduce the ancient Vedic
calendar work Vedanga Jyotish to 500 BCE or to a Babylonian influence. However,
the internal date of this late Vedic text is of a summer solstice in Aslesha or
1300 BCE, information referenced by Varaha Mihira in his Brihat Samhita
(III.1-2). “There was indeed a time when the Sun’s southerly course (summer
solstice) began from the middle of the Nakshatra Aslesha and the northerly one
(winter solstice) from the beginning of the Nakshatra Dhanishta. For it has
been stated so in ancient works. At present the southerly course of the Sun
starts from the beginning of Cancer and the other from the initial point of the
sign Capricorn.” The middle of Aslesha is 23 20 Cancer, while the beginning of
Dhanishta (Shravishta) is 23 20 Capricorn. Calculating the precession
accordingly, this is obviously a date of around 1300 BCE.
There are yet earlier references in the Vedas
like Atharva Veda XIX.6.2 that starts the Nakshatras with Krittika (the
Pleiades) and places the summer solstice (ayana) in Magha (00 – 13 20 Leo),
showing a date before 1900 BCE. These I have examined in detail in my book
Gods, Sages and Kings (Lotus Press). Clearly the Vedas show the mathematics for
an early date for the zodiac as well as the precession points of these eras
long before the Babylonians or the Greeks supposedly gave them the zodiac.
It is not surprising that India could have
invented the zodiac and circle of 360 degrees. After all, the decimal system
and the use of zero came from India. In this regard, as early as the Yajur
Veda, we find names for numbers starting with one, ten, one hundred and one
thousand ending with one followed by twelve zeros (Shukla Yajur Veda XVII.2).
The Rig Veda has another cryptic verse that
suggests its cosmic numerology. According to it the Cosmic Bull has four horns,
three feet, two heads and seven hands (Rig Veda IV.58.3). This sounds like a
symbolic way of presenting the great kalpa number of 4,320,000,000 years. Such
large numbers for the universe are typical to Indian thought, but scholars such
as Pingree would also ascribe them to a Babylonian origin. However, the
literature suggests the opposite.
