MYTHOLOGY AND OUR PLANETS

Our forefathers, the Sages devised a unique hierarchical system of

education. The lowest ladder of the hierarchy included education, which was
imparted in the form of simple stories so as to arouse the interest of the
masses. The main aim of education was to impart the complex moral, ethical,
religious, social messages to the masses by means of stories and folklore.
The Panchatantra belongs to this level as it had mass appeal. The second
level in the hierarchy was aimed at imparting education to the householders
and housewives so that they could bring up their children and make them
worthy, moral and good human beings. It included the epics stories of
Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The third level of education was aimed at
the scholars and the preachers, which was imparted by the study of the
religious texts as Puranas and the Upanishads. These scholars and preachers
taught the masses and the householders through Kathas and discourses
explaining the subtleties of the stories. The highest level of the education
hierarchy was aimed at the enlightened souls such as researchers, scholars,
Sages and the Rishis. They studied the Vedas and wrote commentaries on
them in order to explain the logic and intricacies of the philosophy to the
less educated masses.

This hierarchical system of education unfolds itself in all its glory and
elegance in the Puranic explanations of the planets. Here we will try to
understand the subtle meaning of astrology from the Purnanas in order to
understand inter and intra planetary behavior. It will help us gain knowledge
of the legends and stories, which will greatly enhance our understanding of
the significance of planets on our own lives.

THE SUN
The mythology comprises of the trinity of Gods represented by Brahma (the
Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer). According to
legends, Brahma, the prajapati, had a son named Marichi, who had the
famous sage Kashyap as his son. The rishi Kashyap married Daksha's
daughter Aditi, who was the mother of the Gods. Her sons, the Gods, were
completely defeated by the demons, so much so that they lost their power
and respect. She prayed to Sun requesting Him to be born to her and rishi
Kashyap, and wage a war against the demons and defeat them crushingly so
that the Gods could get back their due. Sun heeded to Aditi’s prayers and
was born to her as Aditya. He completely annihilated the demons and got
back the kingdom of Gods. He also taught his brothers the art of
administration and defense of their kingdom.

It is believed that Sun is not malefic but cruel. He was born to Aditi and
Rishi Kashyap in answer to Aditi’s fervent prayers. Sun has Brahma as his
grandfather and Gods as his brothers. He was born with the mission to
destroy the demons and get back the lost glory of the weak but righteous
Gods. Therefore, Sun needs to be cruel not only to destroy the evil forces,
but also to teach his brothers the art of defense of their kingdoms instead
of indulging in self-pity. On the other hand, Sun is a giver of boons and
blessings, an able administrator and a warrior who wins battles.

Sun married Sangaya, who was the daughter of Vishvakarma, the celestial
architect and artisan. They had five children. The first three children were
namely, Manu, the Lawgiver, and the twins Yami (River Yamuna) and Yarna. It
is believed that Sangaya was not happy with the fiery nature of the Sun
since his fiery brightness and heat gave her lot of discomfort. As a result,
she wanted to separate from him. Therefore, Sangaya created a replica of
herself from her shadow, which was called the "Chhaya". She entrusted
“Chhaya” with the task of taking care of her husband and the children during
her absence and also requested Chhaya not to disclose their secret to the
Sun. This unorthodox behavior of Sangaya makes Sun a separative planet.

However, Chhaya was afraid of being cursed if the secret was revealed to
Sun. Therefore, she accepted Sangaya’s request, but with the condition that
she would keep the secret safe until she was faced with a situation where
she could be cursed by an angry Sun. On the other hand, Sun was completely
unaware of the deceit and machinations on the part of Sangaya. In due
course of time, Chhaya gave birth to two sons, namely Manu and Shani
(Shanaishcharya). Sun realized that his wife was discriminating between the
children and felt intrigued that she loved the younger two children, while not
giving the same love and attention to the elder three. The older child, Yarna
rebelled against this partiality and Chhaya cursed him. He then sought
refuge with his father who annulled the curse. But Sun was angry with his
wife as how could a mother curse her own child and be more loving towards
some children while neglecting others. An angry Sun pulled Chhaya by her
hair and was about to curse her when Chhaya revealed the whole story to
him. The Sun was furious to hear it and sought his father-in-law. The wise
Visvakarma calmed his angry son-in-law and told him as how his heat was
scorching the delicate skinned maidens. He further told Sun not to doubt
Sangya's love, which was so strong and abiding that she left her shadow in
her place to take care of her husband and children in her absence. Moreover,
in order to protect herself from the ill intentions of others, Sangaya has
changed herself into a mare and taken abode in the North where the Sun is
less scorching. On hearing it, Sun was filled with remorse. Vishvakarma
further advised Sun to appear more charming and attractive. As a result, his
face was made round and beautiful, and he also acquired glowing red
complexion. He met Sangya in the form of a horse, and wooed her. Their
union led to the birth of Ashvini kumars.

Sun nourishes the world and is the time-keeper as he causes Day and Night,
the Seasons, as well as the time of sowing and harvesting of the grains. He is
the father of Manu, the Lawgiver and Yama, the messenger who is
responsible for our evolution from one form of life to another. Sun is also
the father of Shani or Saturn, who controls the span of our lives, and also
the Ashvini kumars, who are the celestial physicians controlling the illnesses
and promoting healthy growth and well-being. Therefore, Sun's strength in a
horoscope indicates soundness of physical and spiritual health, but it is
cause for separation if it afflicts the 7th house and/or the 7th lord. It is
advised that one should not pull the hair of one’s spouse, as one would lose
one’s own hair since Sun gives scanty or thinning hair. It is natural that as
the Sun scorched his wife with his fiery heat, he would do the same to any
planet that comes too near him. Thus, Planets get combust when they are
close to the fiery Sun.

Here is another interesting story about Sun, according to which Amrit was
produced after the 'Sagar-Manthan', which was the churning of the ocean
done jointly by the Gods and the demons. Lord Vishnu, who had taken the
disguise of the bewitching Mohini, was distributing the Amrit. The demons
were completely charmed by beautiful Mohini, and allowed the Gods to take
the first turn. However, the secretive Asura Swarbhanu, the son of
Viprasiddhi and Simhika, saw through this game plan of the Gods and he
placed himself between the Sun and the Moon. While Mohini was giving
Amrit to Swarbhanu, the Sun pointed him out to Mohini as being a demon and
thus, disrupted his plan getting the drops of Amrit for gaining immortality.
Taking the cue, Mohini delivered a blow to Swarbhanu with her ladle and
beheaded him. However, as the drop of Amrit had gone down his throat,
Swarbhanu did not die and escaped with his severed neck. His head was Rahu
and the body was Ketu. Rahu, the head swallowed Sun every now and then,
which annoyed Sun. The angry Sun said that he had acted for the benefit of
the Gods while he suffers the consequences all alone. In a fit of anger, the
Sun shone in full glory and scorched the world with his heat and brightness
that the world would be destroyed. The Gods were worried over the rage of
Sun, who then sought the help of Brahma. Brahma advised them to seek the
assistance of Aruna, who was also the son of Kashyapa, and brother of Sun.
Aruna then took the position of the charioteer of Sun and drove the chariot
so skillfully that the world escaped being reduced to the ashes.

Thus, for this reason, the Sun and Rahu are considered enemies in Astrology,
and they are indisposed towards each other. Sun needs a beneficial
association in order to have a good influence in a house because by itself its
fiery temperament is generally ruinous to the house.

THE MOON
In Harivansha Purana, there is an interesting account of the birth of Moon.
Lord Brahma, the creator created seven sons by the concentration of his
Manas. These seven sons are called the Manas putras of Brahma. One of the
seven Manas putras was the sage Atri, who desired to have the Moon as his
son. He prayed hard and concentrated so intensely on the Moon god that his
body became like the moon and a moon like creation flowed out of his eyes,
which was accepted by the ten directions (dishas) to be nurtured in their
wombs and be given birth on completion of the conception period. However,
they could not retain this creation and it fell on the Earth as the cool and
lustrous Moon. Lord Brahma picked up this Fallen moon, which was a weak and
premature baby. He put this weak child on his Chariot and directed his
Manas Putras to strengthen the ten dishas by chanting of Vedic Hymns. This
gave Moon a new lease of life.

Brahma took Moon on its chariot for a round of the earth around 21 times,
during which the Moon dropped the seeds for herb and medicinal plants,
which would sprout and become life-giving plants for all types of living
beings. Brahma bequeathed Moon with the lordship of the seeds, herbs
water and the Brahmins, and it is known as the nurturer of living beings.

In Astrology, these legends about Moon are used to understand the

influence of Moon in some House. It is believed that the chanting of proper
Mantras can strengthen a weak Moon in a horoscope. Moreover, Moon is
Manas, which is something abstract to be defined in concrete terms. It is
Mind and much more. While prayers are a universal prescription to calm an
agitated mind, the mind is just not able to focus and concentrate as it
travels in different directions. According to the legend, the mind wanders
because Moon spread to the Ten Dishas/Directions, which is the entire
universe. Even the ten Dishas were not able to contain him, thus, the mind
finds it extremely difficult to concentrate and efforts are required to train
it. This was attained by the Manas putras in the legend. Brahma has given
Moon the lordship over seeds, which is the genetic link between the parents
and the Child.

Moon married the 27 daughters of the Daksha prajapati. The names of

these 27 wives of Moon are the 27 nakshtras of the zodiac. Moon visits each
wife for one day in rotation, which is also believed in astrology where Moon's
stay in a nakshatra is codified, which indicates our festivals, our tithis lunar
months etc.

Legends reveal that Moon committed two major indiscretions. Firstly, he

showered special attention on Rohini, one of the 27 wives. Secondly, he also
abducted Tara, the wife of Devaguru Brihaspati. Both these indiscretions
were handled divinely. For his first indiscretion, his father-in-law, Daksha
cursed Moon to suffer from consumption, a gradual decay, which is termed
as "Kshaya" in Hindi language. “Kshaya” means that the Moon wanes gradually,
decaying each day until it reaches it end on the Amavasya day. Thus,
ailments like TB, pleurisy, chronic chest ailments are caused due to a weak
moon in a horoscope.

The second indiscretion committed by Moon was the abduction of Tara, the
wife of the Devaguru Brihaspati on a Chaturthi day of (4 th Tithi) of Bhadra
month in the shukalpaksha. For this reason, it is believed that that 'Chauth
ka chand' should not be looked at on this day because it may induce improper
thoughts in the Mind and commit misdeeds. According to the legend, Moon,
which signifies the mind, was cleaned by Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma, who
physically took it and dipped it in the Sea. Afterwards, Lord Shiva bisected
the Moon in two parts – one portion containing the bad and evil thoughts
while the other containing good and pure thoughts, and he took the pure half
part of the Moon and placed it on his head. Thus, Lord Shiva is also known by
the title “Chandra Shekhra”. On the other hand, the fallen state of the
Moon was left to wallow in shame and humiliation amongst the fellow Gods.
By now Moon was sufficiently chastened and enlightened and decided to give
up his body. His body was immersed in the sea once again and Lord Brahma
purified the fallen mind while sage Atri strengthened it so that the chaste,
pure and strong Moon took its place of honor in the brotherhood of the
Gods.

In Astrology, as Moon signifies the Mind, it has great importance, in fact, it

may be more important than the ascendant since Mind is the real seat of all
controls and decision-making. It is believed that if a person has a strong
Moon in his horoscope, he will have a strong Mind, and such a person can
perform miracles of recovery from illnesses and also attain great heights of
achievement.

Taittiriya Samhita poses a question - 'who moves alone? Who is born again
and again?' The Samhita provides an apt answer to it 'The Sun moves alone.
Moon is born again and again'. It is Sun's authority, dignity and
steadfastness, which are all encompassed by his aloofness, therefore, any
person who wants to attain the highest position of authority works alone
since authority is to be exercised single-handedly. On the other hand, Mind
like the Moon is so changeable and pliable that it generates an unending
stream of thoughts, which are good as well bad. In Yaksha Prashanas in
Mahabharata, Yaksha poses questions to the Pandava prince Yudhishter, such
as 'what is faster than wind?’ and ‘what is more numerous than grass?’ The
wise Yudhishter answers stoically that the Mind is faster than the wind and
the thoughts are more numerous than grass.

It is suggested by the sages that the inherent instability of the Mind

controlled by Moon can be stabilized by tapas. The Yaksha Prashna examines
the Moon – Mind relationship and the wonder that human mind is. In it,
Yudhishter is asked the profound question, “What is the greatest wonder?”
and Yudhishter’s answer is equally profound when he answers as how day
after day, humans enter the abode Yama, yet those that remain behind go on
believing that they will live forever. Indeed what can be of greater wonder
than this? Indeed it requires great ability of the brilliant minds that can
understand their depth and meaning and simplify it for the benefit of
mankind.

MARS
Mars (Mangal in Hindi) is also known as the "Bhumi-putra" since he is the son
of Prithvi (Earth). There are various legends regarding the birth of Mars.
Aeons ago Prithvi was lying submerged in the vast expanse of the seas, God
in his incarnation of Boar the "Varaha" avatar lifted the earth and brought it
out of the seas. He also placed it in a suitable, stable orbit. (The modern
man-made satellites may be metaphorically called the modern Varahas.) The
earth was grateful to the God and further asked Him a feminine boon for a
child to be borne to her. God obliged and the union between the God and the
rescued Prithvi resulted in the birth of Mars.

According to another legend, Lord Shiva was feeling penitent and sad over
the untimely death of his wife, the Daksha putri Sati. The aggrieved Lord
Shiva was inconsolable, and he went into a Samadhi (meditation) on the
Mount Kailash, which lasted for many years. When his agitated mind felt
quietened, Lord Shiva broke the Samadhi. It is believed that a drop of his
divine sweat fell on Prithvi, which turned into a beautiful child. Prithvi
accepted this gift and as a result, Mars came into the world. Shiva blessed
this child that he will be an active “Doer” of things, and he will be the
personification of action and energy, and that all the earthly gifts will be
granted by him.

Thus, Mars/Mangala denotes good and worthy acts. Mars being a

Bhumiputra, is benefic as it grants the worldly gift of house to man, look
after his shelter. Mars signifies purposeful action, quick execution and self-
confidence bordering on arrogance and despicable vanity. Mars is also the
celestial Commander-in-Chief, who is a winning warrior. Since Mars is man
and Venus is woman, thus, Mars also gives the qualities that separate men
from the women. It plays a significant role in the man-woman relationship, as
it is this planet that starts the attraction, leads to its consummation and
then brings it to an end.
MERCURY
The planet Mercury has an impressive lineage, which includes Moon and
Jupiter. Moon stands for mind; Jupiter for wisdom and Mercury signify
intelligence. When Mind is applied wisely, it denotes an intelligent person; on
the other hand, wise application of the mind defines intelligence.

According to the legends, Brihaspati or Jupiter is the Dev-guru. His wife was
Tara, who was the embodiment of beauty and virtue. The Moon representing
Mind was besotted with her and in a perverse fallen state, abducted the
virtuous Tara. Jupiter/Brihaspati appealed to his fellow Sages and his
student Gods to bring his wife back. They reasoned with Moon, who was,
however, not ready to return Tara. Moon devised a clever plan and sought
refuge with Shukracharya, the guru of Asuras. The Gods appealed to Moon
to let good sense prevail over him. When the Mind controlled by the Moon
regained its equilibrium, it realized the shameful act committed and became
remorseful, and returned back Tara, who was now carrying his child. The
child was duly delivered, and Brihaspati was ecstatic on the birth of such a
beautiful child, who was named Budha or Mercury. When Tara disclosed the
paternity of the child to Brihaspati/Jupiter, he, like a true Brahmin, forgave
accepted the inevitable.

In Astrology, Budha is the celestial prince that represents youthful looks

and intelligence. An intelligent act is a wisely directed mind that involves the
interaction of wisdom and mind. Mercury's lordship and control over logic,
discrimination, wit and speech stem from this wise mind. Mercury is
"Mimansak", who can understand the nuances of intricate matter easily and
then explain it in simple language. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Mercury
treats Moon as his enemy, is neutral to Jupiter and friendly with Venus. The
Moon representing Mind does not treat Mercury representing intelligence as
his enemy, on the other hand, Jupiter representing wisdom is not favorable
to the intelligent and quick acting Mercury and treats him as an enemy.

According to legends, Mercury started the Chandravansh lineage.

Mercury/Budha and his wife, Ila had a son named Pururava, who was a brave
and a just king, and who is Lord Rama’s ancestor. Interestingly astrology
treats Mercury as a eunuch, and its influence in a horoscope is linked to
impotence or as being the cause of debilitation sex. Mercury also has
impressionable nature, since it is one planet that takes the nature of any
planet that is influencing him. But then this is just what intelligence maybe.

JUPITER
Jupiter, also called Brihaspati, is the Guru of the Gods. According to
legends, Jupiter’s father was Mahrishi Angira. It is believed that Angira’s
wife desired for a son, and she was told to perform Vrata by the Sanat
Kumar. She performed the Vrata with great devotion, which appeased the
Gods, who granted her wish for a son. Therefore, Jupiter, the lord of
wisdom, was born to Mahrishi Angira and his wife. Jupiter is the owner of a
chariot called Nitighosh, which has eight horses of a yellowish color. This
chariot travels through the Zodiac in about a year.

The Brihaspati/Jupiter composed the "Brihaspati Samhita", a treatise

dealing with the procedures and the intricacies of various Daans (donations)
and the Dharma (the path of moral righteousness). The Devguru presented
this treatise to Lord lndra. Jupiter is also the father of rishi Bhradwaj.

According to another interesting legend about Jupiter, the Asuras and the
devtas were constantly fighting with each other. Shukracharya, the guru of
Asuras, knew the Sanjeevani Vidya, which was the science of making the
dead come alive, which was zealously guarded by the Asuras. In fact, Kach,
one of the sons of Jupiter, tried to get this knowledge but was not fully
successful. Then the Devguru Jupiter organized Tapas and Yagnas in order
to reduce the effect of the Sanjeevani Vidya, which resulted in a conflict
between the two Gurus - Shukra (Venus) and Brihaspati (Jupiter). It is due
to this reason that these two planets are inimical to one another, but since
they are the Gurus, hence they are benefic too. Jupiter is fattish, yellowish
colored, and his appearance is bright and glowing with the luminescence of
continuous Tapas. Jupiter also exercises control over astrology and its
proper use. The right placement of Jupiter in one’s Ascendant in the
horoscope leads to the cancellation of" Sava-Iakh" (a lakh and a quarter)
doshas in it.
VENUS
Venus, also known as Sage Shukracharya, was the son of the renowned Sage
Bhrigu. Shukracharya was also known as Ushana, and he was the preceptor of
the demons. According to legends, Shukra was the only one who was
considered worthy of being granted the knowledge of Mrit-Sanjivani Vidya
by Lord Shiva. It is believed that Sage Ushana constructed a Shiva-linga and
prayed to Lord Shiva for a long time. Lord Shiva was happy with his devotion
and appeared before him. Sage Ushana greeted the manifestation of Shiva
with a specifically prepared AshJa-MurtyashJakStrotra, meaning that the
steadfastness and the discipline shown by him, his total surrender, faith and
absolute devotion make him an apt devotee who can be given the Mrit-
Sanjivani vidya. This knowledge would permit him to bring the dead to life.
Lord Shiva was very happy with this salutation, and conferred on the sage
the following distinctions:

 Shukra will be the foremost amongst the planets.

 His lustre and shine will surpass even that of the Sun and the fire.

 If men and women commence any task when Shukra is "Sanmukh" or in

front, they will not succeed in completing it. Yen is "sanmukh' in the
East when it is transiting the seven constellations (Nakshtras) -
Krittika to Ashlesha; in the South, when it is transiting Magha to
Vishakha, in the West, the seven constellations are Anuradha to
Shravana, including Abijit nakshatra; and in the North, the
constellations are Ohanista to Bharani. Thus, auspicious tasks, such as
marriages and religious ceremonies would be undertaken only when the
Yen has risen in the skies.

 The Nanda tithis that is 1,6 and 11 will be called auspicious, as they
are associated with Yen.

 Anyone who prays to Yen will become virile and beget lots of children.

 The Shiva lingam to which Yen had prayed would be known as

SHUKRESHA.
  Yen was told that in course of time he would bodily enter the body of
Lord Shiva and released as "Shukra' or semen. He will grow up as Lord
Shiva’s son.

In the course of time, there was another of the periodical wars between the
Devas and the Asuras. In this war, the Asura king, Andhaka was invincible.
He requested Shukracharya to use the Mrit-Sanjivani vidya and bring the
dead Asuras to life. Frightened, the Devas approached the Lord Shiva to
help them, who then sent Nandi, the celestial bull to get Shukra. Nandi
brought Shukra to Lord Shiva, who swallowed him alive so that the slain
asuras would remain dead. Now Shukra was imprisoned in the abdomen of
Shiva, but was released by Lord Shiva, in answer to his fervent prayers.
Shukra was released in a torrent of semen and was accepted by Shiva and
his consort Gauri as their son and they also gave him a boon of immortality.

Yen is a great benefic and he is sophisticated, dignified, luxury loving,

artistic planet of impeccable manners and excellent taste. He is wise and
knowledgeable, and he is a wordsmith of a very rare and high order; with
poetry and musical talents.

SATURN
Saturn is "Surya-putra" as he is the son of Sun. He is also called "Chhaya-
putra" since his mother is Chhaya. In Vedic astrology, Saturn is seen to be
the initiator of all actions that affect human life. He needs to clear a house
by aspect or positioning before that house can give any result, which was the
gift granted to him by the celestial mother, Parvati, who is Lord Shiva's
consort.

According to the legend, Lord Ganesha was born to Shiva and Parvati after
great austerities. Ganesha is the reincarnation of Krishna, the great loving
God in each Manvantara, who along with Manu takes birth as the Son of the
celestial mother Parvati and is called the remover of all obstacles "Vighna-
Nashaka" Ganesha. The birth of Ganesa is a joyous occasion for the whole
universe and all the gods and goddesses came down to Mount Kailash, the
abode of Shiva and Parvati, to bless the young Kapil Lambodara Ohumraketu
Vinayaka Sumukha Ekdanta Gajkarnaka Vikat Ganadhyaksh Bhalachandra
Gajanana the Krishna incarnate Shoor, dhir and Ekamdrastaya Lord Ganesha.
The saintly downcast-eyed Saturn/Shani was also there to bless the child
Ganesha.

Shani was passionate and deeply in love with his wife, and they were a
compatible pair, who could indulge in passion as well as concentrate on
prayers and spiritual upliftment by meditation, with equal ease. However, on
one occasion, their passions mismatched as his wife felt the passionate urge
while Shani failed to read the signals. This made his wife furious, and under
the influence of temper and passion, she cursed her husband that as he
ignored a willing wife, thus, from then on whatever he looked at, would
perish. Although his fault was minor, but the sage tapasvi Shani willingly
accepted his fate and consciously kept his eyes downcast, so that his gaze
did not hurt any one. Thus, the saintly Shani blessed the great and Godly
child Ganesha with his downcast eyes. However, the Celestial Mother Parvati
asked Shani to look at her son and bless him properly a she did not like her
son to be blessed while his eyes were looking elsewhere. Shani narrated the
story of his wife's curse, and told the celestial Mother that the entire
universe was Karma oriented. He spoke profoundly as how it was the Karmas
of Krishna that have resulted in his being born in a God's house as Ganesha.
He told Parvati that he did not want to cause any harm to a living thing by
casting his glance at it. However, all the gathered ladies laughed at it, and as
Parvati was also vain and feminine, she told Shani that his gaze could not
cause any harm to her son since no power in the Universe could harm her son.
She ordered Shani to look at her son. Once cursed, Shani being wary of yet
another curse, looked at Ganesha.

When Shani’s gaze fell on Ganesha, his little head was severed and it just
flew off and could not be found. On seeing a headless infant in her lap,
Parvati was shocked and grief stricken and the whole atmosphere on Mount
Kailash plunged into a disbelieving stupor. Seeing it, Lord Vishnu flew off on
his speedy vehicle Garuda and reached the banks of River Pushapbhadra
where he noticed a herd of elephants. He beheaded the head of the leader
of the herd and grafted it on the body of the infant, lying in her mother’s
lap. Parvati graciously accepted the elephant-headed child.

In that instant, Parvati noticed the mute and downcast Shani, who was
standing there repentant and apprehensive; and she almost involuntarily
cursed him to be crippled. Now the faultless Shani stood cursed for the
second time. The gods protested saying that Shani had looked at the child
only when he had been ordered to do so and moreover, he had forewarned
the celestial mother. In fact, it was Parvati, who had misjudged her powers
and now had unfairly cursed Shani. Parvati, on her part, realized her folly
and tried to make amendments by granting Shani with various boons as the
gift of detachment, concentration on the Lord, the ability to be a Tapasvi
and Yogi, a long life and prime position in the fraternity of the planets. She
also softened her curse and limited it to mild lameness.

According to another legend about Saturn/Shani in "Rohini-Shakata", the

great scion of the famous "Raghuvansh", King Dashratha was a brave and
just ruler. His astrologers warned him that when Saturn enters Rohini then
"Rohini Shakata" would take place, which will cause untold misery on his
subjects in his kingdom brought on by famine and pestilence of
unprecedented scale. Dashratha called a meeting of the wise and learned
Brahmins along with the Sage Vashishtha and requested them to suggest
remedial measures. Sage Vashishtha advised the King Dashratha that Rohini
was the constellation whose lord was Brahma himself, therefore, once this
constellation is pierced; the subjects (praja) have to suffer as there are no
remedial measures. However, King Dashratha was not ready to give up and he
confronted Shani in the skies and requested him to modify his path so that
Rohini Shakata is avoided. He also prayed to Shani with the famous Shani
Strotra of Padam Purana " Namah Krishnaya nilaya kshitikanth nibhaya
cha---". Shani was so impressed with the gutsy performance of the King that
he agreed to the King's request not to cause Shakata yoga while transiting
the constellation Rohini.

Thus, Saturn is an important planet that is required to clear each significant

event of human life by transit and placement. In fact, Saturn/Shani is a
much-wronged planet, which was cursed by his wife and also the celestial
Mother. Even today astrologers spread fear about it. It is a malefic, passion
arousing, and encourages liaison with undesirable persons especially those
belonging to the other sex, and it devalues the quality of whatever comes in
its sphere. Shani grants long life because it is "Ayushkaraka' but the quality
of that life may not be good, and it may cause humiliations specially when
promoted by Mercury. This planet is also melancholy and depressive. It also
guides a person towards spiritual advancement as it grants the strength to
pray and the wisdom of detachment.
RAHU AND KETU
In astronomy Rahu and Ketu are two diametrically opposite points. They are
a set of sensitive points in the zodiac and should be handled as two planets
fully capable of giving their designated results.

Legend theorizes about the broad divisions of Manavas, Asuras and Daityas
or Danavas to the geographical areas as known then. According to this
theory, the Manavas reside in Jambudweep, which coincide with the present
day Asia and Eastern Europe, and the Daityas/Danavas reside in Patala. The
Patalas are universally accepted as the Americas comprising both South and
the North America. Maya Danava was the venerable father of Mandodari,
who was the chief consort of Ravana. This danava came from Mexico and he
gifted Al Nino to his daughter so that Jambudweep had abundant rains and
plentiful food. The Asuras inhabited the Southern areas of Jambudweep and
they were organized by the Devas who lived in Swarga in the areas of
present day Kailash and Mansarovar.

Asuras have an impressive lineage. Hiranyakashayap, the son of the

venerable Sage Kashyapa, was the first asura of his line. In fact, the same
sage Kashyapa was also the father of Sun and this lineage of Asurs came
from his wife Diti. Hiranyakashayap was the father of Simhika and Dhruva.
Simhika married Viprasiddhi and the couple had Swarbhanu as their son. In
those days, one could gain admission into higher order by means of penances
and prayers. The Devtas were of higher order. According to legend,
Swarbhanu had almost got admitted to the order of Devtas when the great
churning of the Ocean was undertaken. When the Amrit was being
distributed, the Devtas maneuvered to keep the Asuras and Danavas. They
got Lord Vishnu to take the form of Mohini, the eternal Charmer or the
Maya deluding the senses. The hypnotic beauty of the eternal female form
ruins the judgment and equipoise of saints, what to say of Asuras! Mohini
planned the seating arrangement in such a way that she gave the drops of
Amrit to the Devtaas first. Swarbhanu saw through this trick of Devtas and
he took the form of a devtaa and positioned himself between Sun and Moon.
When his turn came, he also received Amrit from the disguised Lord Vishnu.
However, before Swarbhanu could swallow the drops of the Amrit, the Sun
and the Moon revealed his true identity. Mohini severed his head with her
ladle, while according to other legends; Mohini changed into the form of
Vishnu and cut off Swarbhanu’s head with his cosmic Sudarshan Chakra.
However, some drops of Amrita had gone down hence the immortality is
guaranteed to the head called Rahu and the body called Ketu. The severed
head was taken by the mother of Asura Swarbhanu and nursed patiently.
Over a period of time, the head got the body of a snake and was named
Rahu. On the other hand, a Brahmin named Mini took the severed body and
he brought it up as his own son. Lord Vishnu granted a serpent's head to this
body named Ketu, who in due course of time became a revered seer.

However, Rahu and Ketu never forgave the Sun and the Moon for their
action in exposing the disguise of the Asura Swarbhanu. In order to take
their revenge, they cause solar and lunar eclipses. Rahu is further classified
as Nitya and Parva Rahu. As Nitya, Rahu keeps tugging at the Moon causing it
to wax and wane, while the Parva Rahu swallows the moon causing the lunar
eclipse. On the other hand, Ketu travels in a chariot that has a flagstaff
higher than that of the seven-horsed Chariot of the Sun. Ketu causes the
Solar eclipse and one of its names is "Dwaja" meaning a flag. Thus, Ketu is
considered Moksha (salvation) giving planet especially when it is in the 12th
house of the horoscope.

In conclusion, it cannot be denied or debated that both Rahu and Ketu are
malefic and their antecedents cannot be denied that Rahu is like Saturn
while Ketu takes after Mars.

In crux, it can be said that the real value of astrology is in gaining strength
to rise above pain and overcome it. Astrology does not imply seeking means
to avoid pain because karmas cannot be avoided and the results are
inevitable.