An Introduction to Spirituality in Jyotish
"That which is the finest essence, this whole world has that as its soul. That is the Real. That is the Self. Thou art That." - Chandogya Upanishad (6:13:3)
I’d like to acknowledge the Sri Achyuta Dasa tradition of Odisha, including Pandit Sanjay Rath and his senior students, to whom I am indebted for sharing their knowledge of jyotish and preserving its rich heritage.
Recently, the topic of spirituality has come up frequently in my conversations with people while analysing their charts—specifically, how spirituality is seen in the chart and what details of the spiritual path can be revealed from it.
I believe spirituality to be the most important aspect of the chart that one can benefit from understanding more deeply, as it sheds light on ones values, world view, and innate strengths and weaknesses which effect every other aspect of life.
Sri Krishna describes the 26 qualities of one endowed with a spiritual nature in verses 1-3 in the 16th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:
1: Fearlessness (abhayam)
2: Purification of one’s existence (sattva samshuddhi)
3: Steadfastness (jnanayogavyavasthithi)
4: Alms-giving (dana)
5: Self-restraint (dama)
6: Performance of sacrifice (yajnas)
7: Right study of the scriptures (swadhyaya)
8: Self-discipline (tapas)
9: Straightforwardness (arjavam)
10: Non-violence (ahimsa)
11: Truth (satya)
12: Absence of anger/cruelty (akrodha)
13: Renunciation (tyaga)
14: Peace (shanthi)
15: Absence of fault-finding (apaishunam)
16: Compassion toward all beings (daya)
17: Non-covetousness, absence of greed (aloluptvam)
18: Gentleness (mardavam)
19: Modesty (hri)
20: Absence of restlessness (achapalam)
21: Radiance of character (tejas)
22: Forgiveness (kshama)
23: Patience or fortitude (dhriti)
24: Cleanness of body and purity of mind (shaucha)
25: Non-hatred (adroha)
26: Lack of conceit (na atimanita)
In the same chapter, Krishna goes on to say that by cultivating these spiritual qualities, one is led towards liberation, or moksha.
Therefore, when we say someone is spiritual, it means (or at least it should mean) they are someone who is trying to cultivate these spiritual qualities in their life while on the pursuit of understanding their true nature, or God, depending on one’s belief system.
By revealing both good and bad tendencies in the chart, we can determine what aspects of the spiritual path are most suited for the person in aiding their spiritual growth, as well as any obstacles or weaknesses that can be a stumbling block for them.
When we consider these spiritual qualities that Krishna laid out above, and what impact they could have if they were cultivated and integrated into the way in which governments, corporations and societies function, it’s fair to say spirituality is key to solving many of the fundamental problems the world faces today. In fact the direct cause for many problems in the world is a lack of these spiritual qualities.
Starting today, I will be posting a series laying out some helpful tools for understanding spirituality in the chart, which have been passed down by the jyotish traditions.
Before getting into details, we should begin by looking at the conditions in the chart for spirituality to arise and be pursued by the individual. At the end, I’ve provided two examples of famous spiritual figures to illustrate the principles given.
9th and 12th house / Sagittarius and Pisces highlighted in North and South Indian charts
First, we need to examine the D1, the main birth chart to see if there is an outward inclination towards spirituality.
The preeminent sages of Jyotish, Parashara and Jaimini, both describe two key points in the chart for spirituality: the 9th house and 12th house, which in the natural zodiac are the signs Sagittarius and Pisces.
Sagittarius is the moolatrikona of Jupiter; this is the sign where Jupiter is most active. Jupiter is the natural significator of the Guru, teachers, knowledge, organised religion, etc., so the 9th house is the domain of these specific aspects of spirituality.
Pisces is the moolatrikona of Ketu, the sign where Ketu is active. Ketu is the natural significator for faith, liberation, meditation, asceticism and spirituality in a non-organised setting etc.
It’s between these two houses that we can learn two distinct aspects of the spiritual path, and their influence on the individual will determine the general nature of their spiritual interests.
The lord of the 1st house signifies the direction of one’s intelligence; whatever it is associated with in the chart will determine where the individual directs their intelligence.
If the 1st lord is associated with the 9th lord in the chart, then the person would be interested in spirituality through a Guru, teacher, or organised religion. At least the initial stages of their spiritual path would begin with a teacher or organisation, and they would have an interest in learning and following the guidelines set out by such a teacher or organisation.
If the 1st lord is associated with the 12th lord in the chart, then the person would be more attracted to a form of God or devata, as the 12th house is more associated with faith in a universal aspect of divinity. The individual may initially be attracted towards prayer, meditation, etc., before they meet a specific teacher or organisation, or even may decide to go on without these specific guiding forces.
Now, of course, there are many cases where one has these combinations in their chart but do not exhibit any spiritual qualities or do not put any effort into nurturing them.
This is often seen when the individual had an inclination towards spirituality, either through the 9th lord or 12th lord in the main birth chart, but the planet that is causing this inclination is poorly placed in the D9/Navamsa, which is the chart showing the fruit of one's karmas. This illustrates the importance of the D9, as it is the deciding factor in determining how the potential indications in the main birth chart are going to manifest.
In a similar manner, many people who do not have a combination between their 1st lord and 9th or 12th lord in the main birth chart may still exhibit spiritual qualities of compassion, kindness, etc. In these cases, we would usually expect the person to not have a specific interest in a spiritual tradition or discipline, as their 1st lord of intelligence hasn’t taken them towards the 9th or 12th lords; however, due to past life tendencies, they naturally exhibited some of these spiritual qualities which can be seen from other areas in the chart.
To see the nature of the person regardless of their interest in spirituality, we should consider some of the following points:
1: the Atmakaraka, which is the planet with the highest degrees in the chart. Study this point to understand the persons fundamental nature and karmas. e.g. a well placed Moon as Atmakaraka can make one outwardly compassionate and motherly in nature, and a debilitated Atmakaraka can make one humble.
2: the 1st house in the D9 to understand ones inner tendencies and how they think. e.g. Rahu in the 1st house of the D9 can make one very philosophical and have a very active mind.
3: the 4th house for purity of heart, the intention behind the actions one performs. e.g. Jupiter in the 4th gives a very clean and pure heart.
4: the 9th house for character and world view. e.g. Mars in the 9th can cause the person to view life as a battle which needs to be won.
5: the 1st lord for the direction of their intelligence. e.g. 1st lord in the 7th house / with the 7th lord may cause one to focus their mental energy on marriage and relationships.
If these areas are severely afflicted, then they may find difficulty in exhibiting spiritual qualities or have to undergo many trials and tribulations before turning towards a more spiritual direction. But it’s important to consider all factors together, rather than in isolation, before coming to a conclusion.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” While showing an interest in spirituality and following a specific spiritual path can increase the likelihood of someone working on their faults and improving their life as well as the lives of those around them, this isn’t always the case.
Conversely, we could mistakenly label someone as “not spiritual” due to their lack of interest or devotion to spirituality, when in actuality they exhibit spiritual qualities in their day-to-day actions.
There are many other important areas to analyse when studying an individuals character and spiritual traits, which I will elaborate on in later posts, but this is a good starting point.
Here are a couple of examples from famous spiritual figures to illustrate some of the initial steps in examining spirituality and its two distinct manifestations in the chart.
Ramana Maharishi
1st lord Venus and 9th/12th lord Mercury conjoined Mercury in 8th house of D9/Navamsa
1st lord Venus is conjoined both 9th and 12th lord Mercury, indicating the potential for both manifestations of spirituality, and that Mercury is the primary planet to analyse in understanding the nature of his spiritual path.
In the D9/Navamsa, Mercury is placed in the 8th house from the ascendant and Moon Atmakaraka. Mercury being in the 8th from the Atmakaraka in the D9, indicates the spiritual path would lead to a life of renunciation. Another interesting point is the 8th house from the D9 ascendant is associated with death, and his initial awakening experience began with a sudden fear of death.
Mercury is lord of the Moon in the D9, supporting the souls path, showing he actively cultivated his interests in spirituality.
Mercury indicates uncles in the family and therefore these figures in the family would have had a strong influence in instigating his spiritual inclinations.
Both his uncle and a great uncle from his paternal side had become sannyasins / renunciates. At the age of 11 he was sent to live with his paternal uncle, during which time his spiritual interests developed greatly and he visited the famous Meenakshi Temple in Madurai regularly. However, despite his temple visits, he later stated that he had little interest in religion and its practices.
Moon and Ketu are conjoined in his 9th house of the birth chart, showing his world view being very detached and advaitic in nature. In the D9 Ketu is placed in Taurus in the 12th house from the Atmakaraka indicating the form Ramana would be devoted towards.
Taurus has two lords, Venus and Moon. Moon dominates as it is the Atmakaraka and placed in the 1st house of the D9. Normally, the Moon would indicate devotion to a form of Devi, but because Moon is the Atmakaraka in his chart, it instead indicates a form of Atma Linga, the soul form of Shiva. Ramana never formally had a Guru or followed an organisation, nor did he initiate others into sannyas. He worshipped Shiva in the form of the famous Arunachala mountain, this shows he favoured the path of the 12th house.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
1st lord Saturn & 9th lord Rahu in the signs of Venus Venus in the 1st house of the D9/Navamsa aspect by AK
1st lord Saturn is placed in the 10th house, exalted. At first glance it’s hard to see a connection between Saturn and either 9th lord Mercury or 12th lord Jupiter.
However, Rahu can also be considered the 9th lord as he co-lords the sign of Virgo. Rahu is placed in the sign of Taurus, and Saturn is in Libra, both signs lorded by Venus, thereby forming a connection to the spiritual path through Venus, which represents a form Devi.
Because this is strictly a 9th house connection, the spiritual path would be instigated by organised teachers and traditions. While he grew up in a family that was devoted to Sri Rama, his duties as a priest at the Dakshineswar Devi temple led him to practice worship of Devi in the form of Kali.
Venus as the primary cause of spirituality in the chart, is placed in the 1st house of the D9, and is aspected by Rahu as the Atmakaraka, confirming Ramakrishna put efforts into cultivating spirituality in his life.
In the year 1861 he met a female ascetic named Bhairavi Brahmani, who initiated Ramakrishna into tantra. Later in 1865 a monk named Tota Puri initiated him into sannyasa after which it is said he attained nirvikalpa samadhi, a state where one enjoys a permanent understanding of their true nature.
In the D9, Ketu is placed with Mars in the sign of Cancer, which would normally give devotion to Hanuman or Kartikeya. However, Moon is in Aries creating an exchange with Mars in Cancer, causing the conjunction in Cancer to act like Moon and Ketu, thereby confirming his devotion to a form of Devi.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa followed a specific tradition with the aid of teachers, underwent formal initiation into sannyas and also later established his own mission which continues to this day. From this we can see the 9th house manifestation of spirituality is more dominant in his life.
In future posts I will elaborate further on the topic of spirituality, and what the chart can show in terms of which aspects of the spiritual path are most suited to the individual and also how to spot the weaknesses that are important to be aware of in this life.
ॐ नमः शिवाय