Understanding Pitra/ Brahma/ Brihaspati

Thanks to my childhood friend Kumar Sanjeet Narayan Deb, and fellow traveler on this long winding astrological journey, I have returned to the original direction of this blog: pending karma, and in my specific case, Pitra Karma, i.e. debts owed to Pitras/ Brahma/ Brihaspati. It was through Sanjeet that I made Astrologer Upadhyay who pointed out the Karmic significance of debilitated, Retrograde Jupiter in my 4th house, house of pleasure, joy, stability, Sukh Bhava! As I am, of restless disposition and nature, I diverted and will divert MANY times from track. Like a runaway train. But ultimately we have to return to track. And for me this track is of Pitra Karma. karmic debts owed to Pitra/ Brahma/ Brihaspati. I have started by donation of Yellow cloth to Brihaspati/ jupiter in a nearby Navagraha (nine planet) temple. And I have felt trickles, prickles of result! Thanks Sanjeet/ Astro Upadhyay and my aunt Bula khuri who organised a telephonic consultation with Astrologer Biren Borah in my hometwon Jorhat, who confirmed my Karmic debts to Brihaspati/ jupiter. am listening to 80's radio, check link : amazing 80's magic net radio!! So, Sukh Bhava is getting activated. by loud, swanky, electric, sexy pop songs of forgotten/ romantic, teenage, heart-crushing, 80's music. Om Brim Brihas-pataye Namah!

Since years I had been exploring deep into the roots of various lifetime issues. But after Naadi readings in Kerala and astrologer Savita Jain's revelation of Pitra Dosh in my horoscope in form of Saturn + Ketu in my 9th house, did a lot of things become clear for me. My perennial vexations of years had their roots in Pitra Karma: pending debts from past lives and dues owed to past ancestors.
WHAT's Pitra Karma/ Pitra Dosha??
Pitras are our own departed ancestors who have been thrown into pretha yoni or any other lokas because of pending karmas. They YEARN to get mukti from that uncomfortable state through the karma of their successors/ descendants. Thus Pitras are considered to be more important to a person than any other devathaas, Gods, planets. ESPECIALLY for those with Pitra Karma. They are considered equal to Gods. As WE ourselves have come into existence SOLELY because of our ancestors. If the pitras are satisfied and happy with us, they can bring joy, prosperity and a clear path to success. However pending Pitra Karma is one of the biggest obstacle on the path to siddhi/ illumination. Material Success is completely not possible if one has Pitra Dosh, pending Pitra Karma...

How To Recognize it in a Birthchart/ Kundali :

9th house in a horoscope is called house of dharma, father. When 9th house is under influence of malefic planets, this shows the indication of Pitra Karma. It also indicates lack of fulfillment of paternal desire. When 9th house, 9th lord, 9th house from the moon or the lord of 9th from the moon is under influence of malefic planets especially Rahu and Ketu, this indicates Pitra Dosh. Such natives are affected by disruption of education, employment, progress, happiness etc. Those who are physically and mentally handicapped have such affliction. MOREOVER if Jupiter is Debilitated/ Retrograde/ under influence of malefics it also indicates Pitra Dosha. As Jupiter is symbolic of placement of Brihaspati/ Brahma/ Pitra in ones chart.

Generally Pitras are defined as ancestors from our current and previous lifetimes. But Pitras are also synonymous with Lord Brahma, the universal Father/ Godhead. I realised that Pitras/ Brahma/ Brihaspati is different names of one Singular Deity. This knowledge came through a chapter "Brihaspati: The Power of the Soul" in the book 'The Secret Of The Veda' by Sri Aurobindo. In this chapter, he decodes the true nature of Brahma/ Brihaspati. He says in the original Vedic conception, Brihaspati, Brahmanspati, Brahma were three different names of the SAME vedic deity. One single god, to whom Rishi Vamadeva addresses his mystic hymns of praise. It's only later, in the Puranic theologies, that Brihaspati and Brahma have become SEPARATE  deities. Brahma is now the Creator, one of the Puranic trinity. And Brihaspati, has become the spiritual Guru/ teacher of the Gods. And the guardian/ reprsentative of the planet Jupiter!
And Brahmanspati, the middle term linking the two, has disappeared.
To Understand the TRUE nature of Brahma/ Brihaspati/ Pitras, we have to Re-Unite what has been disjoined. We have to CORRECT the value of the two separate terms Brahma and Brihaspati in light of the Original vedic conception. My Late guru, astrologer T.N. sarma used to say that only Brihaspati/ Brahma could be worshipped during Pitra Paksha. This defines synonimity of Brahma/ Pitras/ Brihaspati as one deity!

Facts I unravelled about the original Vedic Brihaspati:
1. The original existence out of which all creation is made is sailam, water. This watery subconscient existence is obscure, unstable, fluid, indeterminant. The first need of Creation is to make a stable formation out of this flux. Brihaspati is he, who out of this wayward flux, creates a Stable/ physical manifestation of the world. He does this by firmly establishing  the limits and definitions of Earth/ material reality. Brihaspati does this by applying great force. By imposing a mighty constraint, constriction on the flux/ flow of the subconscient.
2. The energy flow from the 2nd Chakra to the 1st chakra is depictive of this process. The 2nd chakra Swadhistana, is ruled by Vishnu/ Varuna, symbolised by the watery realms of the subconscient. Its ruling animal is Makara, a crocodile like creature inhabiting the watery/ fluid/ indeterminate subconscient realms. However the 1st Chakra, Muladhara, is ruled by Brahma and symbol is a elephant of massive strength, who creates Stability/ formation from thw watery/ flux realms of the  2nd Chakra. By using a great force, constraint. By setting limits, contraction to material reality.

Hence Brahma/ Pitras/ Brihaspati rules the Muladhar/ ROOT chakra, the sources of our Karmic/ Cosmic lineage!! And it is  He, who creates stability / ORDER out of Chaos!

Log 11: Vague trip to Patna

Boundary dissolving Neptune creates vague, ambiguos half becomings, wayward tangents. In this light I landed up with my contractor friend in Patna. There was a building apartment to be executed and I accompanied him. My role was vague/ undefined/ unclear/ OBSCURE. Perfectly Nepunian obscurity!!! Due to extreme cold, fog our train journey of scheduled 12 hrs was delayed by an additional 12 hrs. Cold, foggy Patna was in grasp of deathly cold at 3 degrees. We visited the site briefly and entered our hotel, a surprisignly warm haven. I drowned myself in Herman Hesse's Magister Ludi/ Glass Bead Game. A novel of immense metaphysical proprtions. I had grappled with the intellectual mountains of the immensely LENGHTENED train journey.  Reaching Patna randomly, cooped up in a warm insulated hotel room, I was in perfect non- territory to eschew upon the epical work by Hesse. Morning, my contractor  colleague was up and doing push ups. Somehow crawled out and joined him. It was 'coincidentally' COLDEST day in PATNA at TWO degrees celsius. We set out in the cold morning, visiting the site, markets for local materials. Freezing, hungry till afternoon. It was the perfect Neptunian journey of vague objectives, delays, randomness. WHY  did i have to LAND UP in Patna of all places to freeze my butt, when i was doing it perfectly in freezing New Delhi.  NOW ALL TRAINS ARE DELAYED DUE TO COLD WAVE/ FOG. Perfect Neptune trip. Entrapped in a strange new city with nothing but a copy of Herman Hesse's Magister Ludi/ Glass Bead Game. Odd/ obscure/ vague. PErfectly NEPTUN

Ian.

Log 10: Funda of Letting Go

Todays 3rd Jan, 2013. Delhi's in the grip of chilling cold, deathly winter. The sun seems to have taken a complete vacation. And in the beginning of this New Year, herein, I want to share the Neptunian funda of Letting Go. BEFORE anything NEW comes into our life, we must make ROOM for it. By clearing out OLDER stagnant energies. Everyone's so excited in the beginning of  each New Year, expectant with new promise of NEW things to happen, newer way of doing things, new resolutions, etc. BUT, that can NEVER happen, without us first, LETTING GO. Without us, first sacrificing, letting go of older way of doing things. Once you begin the process of letting go, automatically, you CREATE the cause for Newer energies to move into your life. So the whole New cycle begins with first step. The step of Letting Go..
Now that the chinese, Dragon Year is coming to an end, and Snake year, beginning in Feb'13, I suggest we use the month of January to begin our final cleansing processes of Letting Go, Cleaning and Clearing. Cheers!

Log 09: 2012-2013 in Chinese metaphysics

Neptune gives us the ability to dissolve boundaries, stuckness. And access wisdom by transcending boundaries. In my earlier post, Log 08, I have already discussed my experience of the prior Dragon Year, 2012. In this post I want to shed some light on some analogy between our Vedic Rahu Ketu cycles/ transits and Chinese zodiac. Thanks to Neptune energies I could dissolve my rigid Vaastu viewpoint and access wisdom ACROSS boundaries....

On one post I found that the Dragon year, 2012 preceded by the Serpent year, 2013 earmarks a new unfolding in human development. I cannot but help compare our Rahu (Dragons Head) with the Dragon year, 2012. And compare Ketu (Dragon's Tail) with the Serpent Year, 2013.  The Dragon, the mythical oriental beast, is a Yang, supermasculine creature. Comibination of Uranus, Pluto, Rahu energies. Power and upheaval incarnate. For me it symbolises Dragons Head/ Rahu. And Serpent for is mystical, Yin, Tantric, Occult secret incarnate. Combination of symbo Neptune/ Ketu/ Saturn energies. And the juncture of the Dragon/ Serpent years (2012/2013) for me symbolizes Rahu Ketu., Dragons HEAD- Serpents TAIL,  Urobros, the Cosmic Serpent that is eating it's own tail. The beginning and closure of a cycle! So I repeat below:

Dragon Year 2012: Head/ Super Yang/ Rahu, Uranus, Pluto/ Raudra

Serpent Year 2013: Tail/ Super Yin/ Ketu, Neptune/ Pitras
And since this cycle comes every TWELVE years, it also conjuncts with the MahaKumbh in Allahabad. Which occurs after every TWELVE yaers. I see a lot of analogy/ parrallels between our Vedic cycles and the Chinese Zodiac cycles. especially this Twelve year cycle thingy!
Neptune is the planet that dissolves boundaries and helps us see underlying waves beneath.Thanks to boundary dissolver , Lord Neptune, I'm seeing vaster waves/ cycles of interconnected waves. Though, like Neptune misty view..hazily.. ; )

Log 08: Reviewing 2012: Dragon Year.

Happy New Year, 2013! Today's 1st Jan, 2013. Rather than the usual "may your coming year be.." this and that, I want to pause for a moment and retrospect about 2012. A year full of events, shifts, ruptures, evolutions, movement, eccentricities, etc for me. I'm in Chinese Zodiac: OX (1973). See link: My OX self in Dragon year 2012. THERE was a lot of Breathless action. SO MUCH ruptures and movements. Dragon's a combination of Uranus+ Pluto + Rahu energies, 2012 year. So obviously, my Neptune type energy got razzzled!! We shifted out of our 7 year long stay at GK 2, to move to Vasant Kunj. Then shifting house again within ONE month. Father in laws cancer treatment, continous trips in and out of hospital. Long stays. Then I moved to Guwahati for a loong time. Worked with IIT students Snehal Ghag on my first graphic series on Rahu Ketu. Movie festivals. And full of events, movements, travels, etc. Then AGAIN I returned to Delhi, and we RETURNED to our former place of Seven years residence. sangeeta quit her job, started her own practice. then again, return to Gwhy after shifting, to take take back our adolscent maid, who was going crazy n Delhi. Then again a long stay in Guwahati, roaming with Lueit to Tura, shillong many trips. Then formation of Gravity activity centre. fathers winemaking workshop. Finally AGAIn back to Delhi in Nov, for father in laws treatment. Then staying in New House, converted SUDDENLy into an office. Movement after limitless movement. So that was the year of the Dragon for me. I quote: "2012, Year Of The Water Dragon: Dragon years occur every 12 years but Water Dragon years only occur every 60 years.  The last Water Dragon year was in 1952.  Dragon years are characterized as dramatic, full of lavish and unpredictable events". Very DRAMATIC. Now this year's of the Snake, much better suited for "ox' sign like me. That way, 2013, the year of the Snake is better predicted for me: My OX prediction in Snake year. Cheers to all of you. Neptune is the planet that enables us to dissolves our boundaries, structure in order to access wider insight/ inputs. So I'm being able to understand my past year BEYOND the defined structure of my Vedic astrology calculations. Cos, Neptune's a solvent. Neptune dissolves boundaries! Happy new year, 2013!  Cheers!