Jyotish and the Ishatadevata Part 1, and Jyotish- The Eyes Of The Ved lays the foundation for this discussion on the Ishta, if you care to take a look at these posts.
Lets advance a few more ideas. We talk of the graha's also having the infusion of Vishnu's avatar's. Who are they? They are listed below.
Also a bit more discussion on the Atmakaraka or AK, (we all have one on this planet) is due and how the AK gives us an indication of what we're to learn or advance ourselves while here ( this will be the last post or Jyotish and the Ishtadevata Part 3)
Part A
The avatar's of Visnu represented by the Graha's ( Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya)
Graha----------------- Avatara
Sun ( Surya)----------- Sri Ramachandra
Moon (Chandra)-------- Sri Krsna
Mars ( Mangala) -------- Sri Narasimha
Mercury (Buddha) -------Buddha ( Some call Sri Visnu)
Jupiter (Brihaspati) ------Sri Vamana
Venus (Sukra) ---------- Sri Parasurama
Saturn (Sani) ----------- Kurma
Rahu ------------------- Varaha
Ketu ------------------- Matsya
Ascendent (Lagna) ------Kalki
Part B
The Atmakaraka - atma or atman is the soul of the individual, and karaka is the significator ( some call indicator)…
There is a fundamental principle that needs to be estabished for this part of the conversation to take place. That is, there's 3 types of karaka's or significators in Vedic astrology called the chara karakas.
The 3 types
Naiskargika or the natural/univerally applicable karaka - that applies to all of us. This is owned/ruled by Brahma.
Chara ( or variable/temporary) karaka, and is specific you’re chart for this particular manifestation or time you are here. That suggests it changes with every new birth - that is correct.. Unless this is your last birth and Moksha arises ( this is alo indicated in ones chart), your birth chart will be different for each birth. The Charakaraka's are owned by Visnu.
Sthira ( or fixed) karaka's are owned by Siva.
These karaka's are different tools the Jyotisha can use when viewing ones chart ( like tools in a toolbox that performed different functions).
For the Naiskargika Karaka, there is one for each graha, but lets not get complicated here. The one I want to point out is the Naiskargika atmakaraka, or the natual atma (soul, SELF) significator is Surya,the sun. This is true for all beings on this earth. The sun plays a key role in our lives and for the total planet. If you recall in the first post, Jyotish the eyes of the ved, I pointed out the natural dasa periods for each planet. This is the Naiskargika Dasa system that applies to all. When a dasa period comes to pass , then that planet has influence over the native. So , for the Sun, 6th dasa period from 50- 70 years old, with a 20 year duration, influences ones life.
Now, what does the sun influence? The soul, truth, one's ego, father, and authority ( and all permutations of this). There are other things ( career, change of tastes, etc but for now this will do).
As one enters this time, these things become more important. for me, I am in this time period ( some call it an ashram or one of the 4 stopping points in life) and things of the SELF, truth, ego ( and loosing it), father ( in my case the Supreme Father) etc are of greatest import. For others on this list, is this too true for you? Again, one's chart will suggest how strong, weak, committed to these items one will be.
Charakaraka - this is the temporary condition of this (your) birth - There are 8 charakaraka's ( oh, and by the way there's 9 Naiskargika Karakas).
Again, avoiding complexity here, we are just concerned with the chara atmakaraka. Which one is it? Look to ones chart and the graha that has the highest degree of longitude in a sign. Say, Mercury is 29 degrees in Cancer, and all other planets no matter which sign, have a lesser degree of advancement, then Mercury is the chara atmakaraka. The others are subordinate to the atmakarak. All have a name and an order to them.
Why such importance to this atmakaraka (AK)? Its due to the prevalence it has to ones spiritual development. The AK is considered the king - he agrees with, sustains or abstains the activities of all the other graha's. The atmakaraka forms important unions ( yogas) with other planets , even raj-yogas or royal/kingly yogas , that are beneficial to the native. The atmakaraka can even trump negative influences in ones chart. And the opposite is true.
Ones chart can so great favor, yet if the atmakaraka is blemished, the full potential of the chart (and the native) is not realized… like that the atmakaraka is very important ( you will not find this in western astrology). And because he is the king, he points to the Ishta devata in ones chart.
One's Ishtadevata is found in another divisional chart other then the birth chart ( some call rasi chart or D1) . If you recall from the other posts on Jyotish, there are 16 divisional charts ( or vargas, divisions). The Navamsa or 9th divisional chart is also called the Dharmamsa chart ( or Dharma + amsa or division) - and we have been introduced to this Dharma ( that which upholds) on many other posts on this matter.
What more can matter then ones dharma? And one can look to , to assist with ones dharma, the atmakaraka and the Ishtadevata.
So we look at this Dharmamsa chart, and find the Atmakaraka ( in our example, Mercury) and we count 12 signs from it. The graha that resides in the 12th house from the Atmakaraka is the Ishtadevata. We then can look to the avatar's of Vishnu ( from the list above) and/or to the divinities that Jaimini or Parashara have pointed out in the Jyotish and Ishatadevata Part post. If the sun were in the 12th, then Siva or Ramachandra is indicated as one's Ishta. If mars is there, then we can see Skanda , or Narasimha. Like that, we see the Ishta.
Now, why the 12th house? Many see this as unfavorable bhava. The 12th is noted for punishment, loss, bed pleasure, sleep, donation, and expenditure. Yet for the sadu , it’s a spiritual house for a 'loss of ego', and meditation (owned by Ketu) i.e. the house of self undoing - destruction of the ego. What remains with this destruction? The SELF shines forth. It is a Moksha house ( if you recall the 4th, 8th and 12th are moksha bhava's or houses). Ketu is the graha of Moksha . Ketu is shown as one with no head i.e. no ego. He is also the karaka of the 12th house. When there is a relationship with the sun ( that natural atamakaraka) + Jupiter ( the Guru) and Ketu, you will see natives on the spiritual path.
So, you ask, what if there are no planets in the 12th house from the atmakaraka? Then we look at the strongest aspect of a graha on the 12th house. That is, graha dristi ( or the graha looking at 12th house) or rasi dristi , a graha in another house looking from that house to the 12th house.
There are rules here that we needn't get into and you can find in a Vedic astrology book if you have interest.
Last is Sthira karaka's and they are owned by Siva. Siva presides over completion, destruction, death. These karaka's are accessed to show the destruction of the body ( and bodies).
This is just the tip of the ice berg as they say… What happens during the dasa period of the Chara Atmakaraka? What of the Atmakaraka in a debilitated state? What of the atmakaraka that is in a very high degree in a sign like 29.888 degrees? What does that indicate? Or its going backwards ( regression)?
This is shown in one's chart and all this plays a role for the sadhu.
Lets advance a few more ideas. We talk of the graha's also having the infusion of Vishnu's avatar's. Who are they? They are listed below.
Also a bit more discussion on the Atmakaraka or AK, (we all have one on this planet) is due and how the AK gives us an indication of what we're to learn or advance ourselves while here ( this will be the last post or Jyotish and the Ishtadevata Part 3)
Part A
The avatar's of Visnu represented by the Graha's ( Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya)
Graha----------------- Avatara
Sun ( Surya)----------- Sri Ramachandra
Moon (Chandra)-------- Sri Krsna
Mars ( Mangala) -------- Sri Narasimha
Mercury (Buddha) -------Buddha ( Some call Sri Visnu)
Jupiter (Brihaspati) ------Sri Vamana
Venus (Sukra) ---------- Sri Parasurama
Saturn (Sani) ----------- Kurma
Rahu ------------------- Varaha
Ketu ------------------- Matsya
Ascendent (Lagna) ------Kalki
Part B
The Atmakaraka - atma or atman is the soul of the individual, and karaka is the significator ( some call indicator)…
There is a fundamental principle that needs to be estabished for this part of the conversation to take place. That is, there's 3 types of karaka's or significators in Vedic astrology called the chara karakas.
The 3 types
Naiskargika or the natural/univerally applicable karaka - that applies to all of us. This is owned/ruled by Brahma.
Chara ( or variable/temporary) karaka, and is specific you’re chart for this particular manifestation or time you are here. That suggests it changes with every new birth - that is correct.. Unless this is your last birth and Moksha arises ( this is alo indicated in ones chart), your birth chart will be different for each birth. The Charakaraka's are owned by Visnu.
Sthira ( or fixed) karaka's are owned by Siva.
These karaka's are different tools the Jyotisha can use when viewing ones chart ( like tools in a toolbox that performed different functions).
For the Naiskargika Karaka, there is one for each graha, but lets not get complicated here. The one I want to point out is the Naiskargika atmakaraka, or the natual atma (soul, SELF) significator is Surya,the sun. This is true for all beings on this earth. The sun plays a key role in our lives and for the total planet. If you recall in the first post, Jyotish the eyes of the ved, I pointed out the natural dasa periods for each planet. This is the Naiskargika Dasa system that applies to all. When a dasa period comes to pass , then that planet has influence over the native. So , for the Sun, 6th dasa period from 50- 70 years old, with a 20 year duration, influences ones life.
Now, what does the sun influence? The soul, truth, one's ego, father, and authority ( and all permutations of this). There are other things ( career, change of tastes, etc but for now this will do).
As one enters this time, these things become more important. for me, I am in this time period ( some call it an ashram or one of the 4 stopping points in life) and things of the SELF, truth, ego ( and loosing it), father ( in my case the Supreme Father) etc are of greatest import. For others on this list, is this too true for you? Again, one's chart will suggest how strong, weak, committed to these items one will be.
Charakaraka - this is the temporary condition of this (your) birth - There are 8 charakaraka's ( oh, and by the way there's 9 Naiskargika Karakas).
Again, avoiding complexity here, we are just concerned with the chara atmakaraka. Which one is it? Look to ones chart and the graha that has the highest degree of longitude in a sign. Say, Mercury is 29 degrees in Cancer, and all other planets no matter which sign, have a lesser degree of advancement, then Mercury is the chara atmakaraka. The others are subordinate to the atmakarak. All have a name and an order to them.
Why such importance to this atmakaraka (AK)? Its due to the prevalence it has to ones spiritual development. The AK is considered the king - he agrees with, sustains or abstains the activities of all the other graha's. The atmakaraka forms important unions ( yogas) with other planets , even raj-yogas or royal/kingly yogas , that are beneficial to the native. The atmakaraka can even trump negative influences in ones chart. And the opposite is true.
Ones chart can so great favor, yet if the atmakaraka is blemished, the full potential of the chart (and the native) is not realized… like that the atmakaraka is very important ( you will not find this in western astrology). And because he is the king, he points to the Ishta devata in ones chart.
One's Ishtadevata is found in another divisional chart other then the birth chart ( some call rasi chart or D1) . If you recall from the other posts on Jyotish, there are 16 divisional charts ( or vargas, divisions). The Navamsa or 9th divisional chart is also called the Dharmamsa chart ( or Dharma + amsa or division) - and we have been introduced to this Dharma ( that which upholds) on many other posts on this matter.
What more can matter then ones dharma? And one can look to , to assist with ones dharma, the atmakaraka and the Ishtadevata.
So we look at this Dharmamsa chart, and find the Atmakaraka ( in our example, Mercury) and we count 12 signs from it. The graha that resides in the 12th house from the Atmakaraka is the Ishtadevata. We then can look to the avatar's of Vishnu ( from the list above) and/or to the divinities that Jaimini or Parashara have pointed out in the Jyotish and Ishatadevata Part post. If the sun were in the 12th, then Siva or Ramachandra is indicated as one's Ishta. If mars is there, then we can see Skanda , or Narasimha. Like that, we see the Ishta.
Now, why the 12th house? Many see this as unfavorable bhava. The 12th is noted for punishment, loss, bed pleasure, sleep, donation, and expenditure. Yet for the sadu , it’s a spiritual house for a 'loss of ego', and meditation (owned by Ketu) i.e. the house of self undoing - destruction of the ego. What remains with this destruction? The SELF shines forth. It is a Moksha house ( if you recall the 4th, 8th and 12th are moksha bhava's or houses). Ketu is the graha of Moksha . Ketu is shown as one with no head i.e. no ego. He is also the karaka of the 12th house. When there is a relationship with the sun ( that natural atamakaraka) + Jupiter ( the Guru) and Ketu, you will see natives on the spiritual path.
So, you ask, what if there are no planets in the 12th house from the atmakaraka? Then we look at the strongest aspect of a graha on the 12th house. That is, graha dristi ( or the graha looking at 12th house) or rasi dristi , a graha in another house looking from that house to the 12th house.
There are rules here that we needn't get into and you can find in a Vedic astrology book if you have interest.
Last is Sthira karaka's and they are owned by Siva. Siva presides over completion, destruction, death. These karaka's are accessed to show the destruction of the body ( and bodies).
This is just the tip of the ice berg as they say… What happens during the dasa period of the Chara Atmakaraka? What of the Atmakaraka in a debilitated state? What of the atmakaraka that is in a very high degree in a sign like 29.888 degrees? What does that indicate? Or its going backwards ( regression)?
This is shown in one's chart and all this plays a role for the sadhu.
