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Dear All:
This email is about Shree Ramas horoscope. Please let me first recall how
this all started so we get the context about why we are into this topic now.
After the discussions on the Cosmology Lessons from chapter 8 of the
Gita, see http://www.scribd.com/doc/89443432/Cosmology-Lessons-fromThe-Bhagavad-Gita , and all the related and interesting digressions, I just
wanted to call attention to why the sun and moon are called planets and
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included in the list of Navagrahas (Nine Planets) in our pooja rituals. The
word graha actually means being held. Something is being held: such as
planet, by the suns force of gravity, or the moon, by the earths force of
gravity. Is the sun itself being held? Is the sun fixed and do the planets orbit
the sun? That is what we think. But, that would be like saying that the earth
is fixed and only the moon is orbiting the earth. May be that is what it might
seem like if we lived on the moon and had no concept of life on earth!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/93068547/Nine-Planets-Navagraha-Quiz
But, it turns out that the sun is only one of hundreds of billions of stars in
our Milky Way galaxy. There are many more stars, more massive stars,
closer to what is known as the galactic center. The sun, with its family of
planets, is moving very very slowly about the galactic center (takes millions
of years for one such complete orbit!) This was the purpose of the
Navagraha document, which soon turned into a discussion of how the
Universe was preparing itself to welcome Baby Krishna.
This is described in Canto 10, chapter 3, verse 1 to 7 of the Srimad
Bhagavatam. Then, the question naturally arose, Did the Universe also
prepare itself to receive Lord Rama?
My response was that the difference in the descriptions of the birth of
Rama (in Valmiki RamayaNam) and Krishna (in Srimad Bhagavatam)
reflects, at least in my humble opinion, the nature of the two avatarams.
Krishna is Bhagavan Himself KrishNas tu Bhagavan swayam (Canto 1,
chapter 3, verse 28 of Srimad Bhagavatam) but Rama is one-half human
and only one-half divine (VishNoraardham, says Valmiki). Hence, Valmiki
describes the divinity of Rama, and also His human nature, by providing us
with a complete description of His divine horoscope. This is stated
beautifully in just a couple of slokas which give all the details. Valmiki also
provides the janma nakshtra for the other three brothers of Rama.
The janma nakshtra for Rama, as many know, is Punarvasu. This is stated
by Valmiki in a coded fashion by naming the adhidevata for the
nakshatram (it is Aditi). But, the nakstram for Bharata is given explicitly as
Pushya, and indirectly again for LakshmaNa and Shatrughna (twin
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ll
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Kauslayaa-janayat Raamam DivyalakshaNa samyutam ll
VishNOrardham Mahaabhaagam putram Aikshvaaku-nandanam l
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Then after three more slokas, we find the following about the three other
babies born to the other queens.
PushyE jaatastu BharatO MeenalagnE prasannadheeh l
SaarpE jaatau tu Sowmitree kuleerEbhyudite ravau ll
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And then (i.e., after the completion of the yajna performed by King Dasharatha
with the specific goal of being blessed with progeny), in the 12th month following,
in the month of Caitra, in the ninth day of the fortnight, with the nakshatra lord
(daivata) being Aditi, with the Ascendant (Lagna) being situated in Cancer
(karkate) in which were placed Jupiter (Vaakpati) and the moon, with all the other
planets being either in their own (swa) or exalted (uccha) positions, the Queen
Kausalya gave birth to Raama. He was embodied with all divine signs. He was
indeed Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe, resplendent in every way, receiving
the obeisances of all the worlds, He was one-half of Vishnu (Kausalya had drank
one-half of the pot filled with paasyasam from the yajna), endowed with all
Great fortunes, the divine son who brought immeasurable joy to the whole dynasty
of Ikshvaaku. Thus, ends the description of the birth of Rama.
Then we are told that Bharata was born to Kaikeyi when the nakshatram was
Pushya. He would be the upholder of truth and a warrior par excellence. He was
verily one-fourth of Vishnu (Kaikeyi had received one-fourth of the paasyasam).
Then were born the twin brothers LakshmaNa and Shatrughna to Sumitra (she had
received the paayasam twice), when the constellation of Aslesha (Kuleera) was
ascendant. (This is the indirect statement of the nakshatrams for these twins.)
What was the exact time of the day when Rama born? If the Sun is
situated in Aries, the time would be sunrise if the ascendant was also Aries.
(Mahatma Gandhi is an example of a famous personality who was born
with the sun and the ascendant in the same sign, of Libra, since he was
born around sunrise time.) The time can be calculated using this
information. Also, since the nakshatram is fixed as Punarvasu, the time can
also be calculated, if one is so inclined.
However, all of these speculations are nave at best, if not downright
foolish. We must remember that we are dealing here with a divine
personality who appeared in a human form. The exalted nature of all the
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planets tells us His divinity. In the Naama RamayaNam that we sing often,
we encounter a line Kaalaatmaka Parameshwara Raam. Time lies in His
control. It cannot act of its own accord without His consent. So, all planets
are in their best possible positions. The time of birth is what He chooses
and whatever it is, it is the most auspicious.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam, we are told that there was a full moon in the
sky when baby Krishna appeared. How could this be, if the tithi was
ashtami, the eighth day of the fortnight? So, arguments such as tithi being
navami and therefore 108 degrees must separate the moon and the sun
(since 360 degrees cover the full 12 houses of the zodiac) are nave, if not
foolish, to say the least. (Such arguments have been made, see later.)
We are told by Valmiki that the month was Caitra (so Sun must be in Aries)
and that the moon was in Cancer (in an exalted position) and so they were.
Our common perceptions of time and how the planets and their satellites
move are totally irrelevant! How can the Sun NOT be in Aries (as some
have argued using the tithi calculations) if the month is Caitra?
VishNorardham Mahaabhaagam He was one-half of Vishnu and
endowned with the greatest of fortunes.
All the pain and suffering that He went through in His life, His marriage and
separation from His lovely wife and eventual permanent separation from
Her, were NOT due to planetary influences. This is a foolish way to look at
the whole story. They are all His divine lilas so that we might learn how to
live the life of the ideal human being.
This is where the RamayaNam begins with the question posed by Valmiki
to the celestial sage Narada. This is how we must interpret Shree Ramas
horoscope. Some of the arguments that I see posted, some even
apparently mocking, are truly sad!
The different lagnas for the four brothers and the different nakshatrams
mentioned, all tell a story. The nakshatram changes often only after the tithi
also changes, especially when we are dealing with three different
nakshatrams. So, a significant time has elapsed between the births. But,
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the unthinkable and decided to abdicate the throne of England and became
a commoner and married the woman he loved. (They did live happily ever
after for many years. Indeed, the Prince died before her. They were
married all his life.)
The year 1936 is unique in the history of the British monarchy it is called
the year of three monarchs. First, King George V died thrusting King
Edward VIII on to the throne, who then abdicated by years end and King
George VI, Queen Elizabeths father, became the King.
Famous photo of the young Princess Elizabeth with her sister, her
grandmother and her parents. H.M. KING GEORGE VI - H.M.
QUEEN ELIZABETH - H.M. QUEEN MARY - H.M. QUEEN
ELIZABETH II.
With the dramatic turn of events in 1936, the young Elizabeth, suddenly
became the next in line to the throne, to succeed her father, who had
become King George VI. He suffered from ill-health and many knew that he
would not live long and that young Elizabeth would become the queen.
Queen Mary, Elizabeths grandmother, was very ambitious and wanted to
re-establish Englands glory. It is said it was Queen Mary who was behind
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the idea of the great coronation ceremony in India when her husband was
http://meerutup.tripod.com/durbarmain.html coronated as the Emperor of
Hindustan. (The Gateway of India, a famous landmark in Mumbai,
overlooking the Taj hotel, was built especially to welcome the King George
V and Queen Mary when they landed on the shores of India. King George
VI was later forced to abandon the title of Emperor of India - the title that
Queen Mary so proudly wanted for her husband King George V after
India and Pakistan became independent nations in August 1947.)
http://www.journalofastrology.com/article.php?article_id=313
and too dashing and he finally found someone he liked, and loved, to
abdicate the throne. That is how Queen Elizabeth came to the throne.
In Elizabeths case, ONLY three planets satisfy conditions 1 or 2 above
(Sun, Moon, and Mars, see notation Exalt or Own made by the
astrologer). In fact, these three planets are placed in a very unique position,
which we will appreciate shortly. Just having these three planets (with
conditions 1 or 2 satisfied) was enough for all this drama in her life.
Princess Elizabeth was very charming, she met the man she loved and
married him in 1947 and became Queen, after her father passed away, in
February 1952. She ascended the throne, in a formal ceremony, the next
year. Queen Mary died ten weeks before the coronation ceremony.
Queen Elizabeths chart may be found at the link given above. The chart on
the left is called the South Indian style. It has simple boxes, 12 in all, with
Aries (the second box going left to right, on the top row) being the first
house of the horoscope. As we see here, the Sun is situated in Aries.
In this position, the Sun is exalted and condition 2 is satisfiedg. The Sun
is in rulership, if it is present in Leo. In Shree Ramas horoscope as
well, the Sun is placed in Aries. This then is the first qualification for
anyone to becoming a monarch, or rise to a high and commanding position
in life (in other words, to be treated like royalty, as they say). The fact that
Jupiter is neither exalted nor in rulership, in Queen Elizabeths chart is
telling. It is, of course, well situated, being in the Ascendant (which is
Capricorn). If Jupiter is in the Ascendant that person has a commanding
public presence, which is true for Elizabeth, but not being in either the
house where it is exalted or the house it owns, reduces the impact of this
yoga (here yoga means good fortune) significantly.
With this background, which we can certainly relate to, we can study Shree
Ramas horoscope. After all, we are living during the times of this Queen.
She is obviously popular in England and also in other countries. When I
was a teenager, I remember her very popular tour of India. I also literally
walked right behind her, with the royal retinue, in 1976, when she visited
Boston for the 200th anniversary of American Independence (somehow
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managed to get past security and all that, and I remember being dressed in
a nice suit too on that day! And, nobody spotted me for a long time. The
Queen was just smiling and waving away.) Let us now take a quick look at
Shree Ramas horoscope.
All good astrologers are filled with awe, although there are also some idiot
astrologers, no doubt, who make disparaging remarks because of the
sufferings that Rama and Sita went through. You can find a few such
idiot discussions of Shree Ramas horoscope as well on the Internet.
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This sloka says that Sri Hayagreeva is the bearer of all (sarva) knowledge
(vidyaanaam). He is the aadharam, the One who supports. All knowledge
is derived from Him since He brought forth the Vedas. He is also described
as Jnana+ananda mayam. It is as if jnana (knowledge) and ananda (bliss,
joy) got fused into one as Hayagreeva. The sandhi could also be broken as
Jnanaanandam ayam means the same but forces one more to think
about Hayagreeva by pointing to Him seated right in front by saying Ayam
Devam This Divine Self. The Lord is also described as Nirmalam,
without any taint, without stains, without any impurities, crystal white, like a
sparkling white sphatika. What radiates from Him shall be pure, shall fill us
with knowledge, blissful knowledge that will fill us also with joy.
Now, we are ready to take at least a cursory look at Shree Ramas
horoscope. The text on page viii includes the well-known slokas from the
Bala Kandam of Valmiki RamayaNam, with some brief comments. Let me
first provide the planetary positions as given in the Sundara Kandam book.
The links to some charts for Shree Ramas horoscope are given below but
they all universally have one problem, which will become obvious soon.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Aries :
Taruus:
Gemini:
Cancer:
10.
11.
12.
Pisces
(9) Aries
Taurus
(11)
Gemini
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Aquarius
(10)
(12)
Ketu
(8)
Cancer
(1)
Lagna
Jupiter
Moon
Capricorn
(7)
Rahu
(2)
Virgo
(3)
Shree Ramas
Raasi Chart
Mars
Sagittarius
Leo
(6) Scorpio
(5) Libra
(4)
Saturn
The above chart is based on the planetary positions in the Sundara Kandam
Book. EXALTED planets in Blue. OWN/RULER planets in Red. The
numbers indicate the house numbers counted from Lagna (1). Hence, Sun is
in the 10th house, a very important house, related to Rajyapadam. The
chart relies on the slokas from Valmiki RamayaNam, cited in the Sundara
Kandam book. Valmikis sloka fixes moon and Jupiter in Cancer and
mentions that all planets were either EXALTED or in OWN/RULER houses.
http://jyothishi-pandit.blogspot.com/2010/03/bhagavan-sri-rama-horoscopeanlysis.html
http://www.astroved.com/freetools/vedic-tutor/nine-planets/
http://www.indastro.com/astrology-articles/rama.php
http://www.planetarypositions.com/notes/2006/11/26/rama-and-krishna/
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While reading an individuals personal horoscope, one looks for the lagna
(Ascendant) and then again goes clockwise, counting from the lagna. The
chart for Shree Rama given here is based on the above list of planetary
positions. The numbers in parenthesis start from Lagna, NOT Aries.
A good astrologer will be able to see a chart like this one and immediately
tell the number of planets which are either EXALTED or in their
OWN/RULER houses.
Let us count for Shree Rama starting with the Sun in Aries. The Sun is
exalted. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer. Saturn is exalted in Libra. We already
counted three. That is all Queen Elizabeth has. Let us continue. Mars is
exalted in Capricorn. Venus is also in exalted in the house of Pisces. This
gives FIVE EXALTED planets out of a total of nine planets.
Let us look at the remaining now. The moon is in its OWN, or RULERSHIP,
sign, in Cancer. This also gives the birth star of Shree Rama as Punarvasu,
since this birth star is associated with the sign of Cancer. Next, we see that.
Hence, out of nine planets, SIX are either EXALTED or OWN/RULER.
Now, we must remember that Sun and Venus are both in the top row. This
is even more beneficial. Also Venus brings the greatest of good fortunes for
any person. We call it Shukra dasa or Shukra dasai in Tamil. When
someone has good fortune we say, Oh, he say Shukra dasai. When
someone is going through a hard time, we also like to point out that wife will
soon have her Shukra dasai, so no need to worry. (This was before the
modern affliction of divorces, the wives good luck was supposed to
transfer to the husband and the family. Likewise, if children are born with
early Shukra dasa, it brings good fortune to the family as a whole how
else will a baby boy or girl have good fortune of its own? )
Now, we can begin to appreciate the uniqueness of Shree Ramas
horoscope. One does NOT have to be a trained astrologer. Out of
the nine planets, SIX are either EXALTED or OWN/RULER mode.
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Only the position of Mercury is left open for debate. Valmiki only
says that ALL Planets were in their highest state (exalted or
ruling). Since the month is Chaitra, the Sun has to be in Aries. So,
position of Mercury cannot be changed at will. It will be dictated
automatically by the position of the Sun.
There are only three choices for Mercury, if the Sun is in Aries,
Mercury can be in Aries, or in the following house (Taurus) or in
the preceding house (Pisces). There is no other choice, since this is
the behavior of the planets in the physical world.
What is the BEST position for Mercury is we understand this logic?
In Aries it will yield the most auspicious Budha-Aditya yoga in the
10th house from the Lagna of Shree Ramas chart.
What is the significance of Rahu and Ketu placement? These two
bodies, it will be recalled have to do with eclipses of the sun and
moon. These eclipses occur at various times during our lifetimes.
The positions of Rahu and Ketu signify the auspicious time for
their occurrence during the time of Ramas sojourn on this earth.
The 10th house of any horoscope is the Rajyapadam house indicating
rise to monarch status and the auspicious time for coronation.
As we saw, Queen Elizabeth has experienced unimaginable good fortune
in her life, first becoming Queen, which she was not supposed to become
at birth, and then having such a long and successful reign as monarch. She
is now the second longest reigning monarch and might surpass Queen
Victoria whose reign on the throne of England is the longest to date.
Perhaps, Queen Elizabeth II is aware of this unique place in history that
she will soon occupy if she does NOT VOLUNTARILY give up her throne,
which some had advocated to allow Prince Charles to become King. The
one born to become King is still waiting his turn and the one who was not
even in line for succession to the throne of England is now ruling and may
soon be the record holder for the longest reign. Long may she live!
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Also, notice that Rahu and Ketu are in the same two houses as in
Shree Ramas horoscope but their positions are flipped. Even so,
Elizabeth has had a successful reign as the Queen of England.
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Pisces
Taurus
AL; UL
Ketu
Venus
Mercury
Sun
(9)
(12)
(11)
Lagna
(8)
Moon
Jupiter
RAASI CHART
Shree Rama of Ayodhya
Mars
(7)
(2)
Rahu
Libra
(5)
(6)
Leo
(3)
Saturn
paksha (waxing Moon), Navami thithi (9th day after new-moon), in Karkaataka lagna
(Cancer is birth house; ascendant) . in Punarvasu star (Moon is in Punarvasu star in
Cancer; so Cancer is also Rasi-lagna (Moon); Cancer is own house for Moon) when 5
planets were in exaltation and when Sun was in Mesha (Aries) Bhagavan Sri Jagannaath
(the Supreme Lord of Universe was born; then sweet-scented flowers rained profusely
for one muhurtha (duration of 12 minutes) from the sky on the castle where Sri Rama
was born. The time of birth was described based on Lunar System of Vedic astrology.
Sun stays in Aries during Mesha month (roughly from April14 to May14 ) of every
year. (My note added here: This position of sun is true only if we do ayanamsa
correction, as does in Vedic astrology. If not, the sun is moved to next house of Taurus in
April, as Western astrologers put it.)
In this chart four planets are exalted in beneficial houses. Sun is in Aries & is exalted.
Moon is in cancer in his own house. Jupiter is in cancer & is exalted. Saturn is in Libra &
is exalted. Mars is in Capricorn & is exalted. Venus is in Pisces & is exalted. Rahu is in
Sagittarius and Ketu is in Gemini. So all these planets possess the highest positional
strengths. So among the Pancha- Maha-Purusha-yogas, three yogas, Ruchaka, Hamsa,
Shashaka, are found in this natal chart. ------
The Shree Rama chart in the North Indian format is also given below for
completeness. Let us read the diamonds or boxes here. There are 12
total, which represent the 12 houses of the zodiac. The box with the
number 1 is the first house of the standard horoscope and so on. The first
house of an individuals horoscope is something else. It is called the
ascendant, as mentioned briefly before.
The most controversial part of Shree Ramas horoscope that I have come
across is the location of the planet Mercury, as we also see here. This has
to do with how the planet Mercury moves in the sky. It moves fast but it
also remains close to the Sun. In what I have come across, I have seen
charts given for Shree Rama in all three possible positions. Here it is given
in the house after Sun.
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http://jyotishavedika.blogspot.com/2005/12/rashi-chakra-of-sri-rama.html
Sun
Mercury
Shree
Ramas
Mars
Raasi Chart
Rahu
Saturn
Kethu
Lagna
Moon
Jupiter
This is the Rashi Chakra or the Vedic Zodiac of Lord Sri Rama, the legendary
incarnation of Hindu God Vishnu on the Earth. Let us analyse it to see what makes
him maryAdA puruShottama (the best among the men).
Why is Mercury in the house next to the Sun? At least one author, see
link below, states that Ubhayaacara yoga results when a planet (other
than the moon) is present in the houses on both sides of the sun.
Hence, the placement of Mercury in Taurus will create this yoga.
http://jyothishi-pandit.blogspot.com/2010/03/bhagavan-sri-ramachandrahoroscope_24.html
Unfortunately, in this context, the author also states that Mercury is in own
house. Mercury is NOT in OWN house, if placed in Taurus. Mercury owns
Gemini (and Virgo.) Some links are given below for those who wish to
pursue this topic further.
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