|
 |
The Navagraha Devatas
'Navagraha Devatas' represent the nine different aspects of Isvara or God in the field of our human lives,
as well as 'life-events and life-variables', which are the 'significations' of these various 'Navagrahas' pertaining
to the spheres of the Houses over which they
rule in Vedic
astrology. The term Navagrahas may be taken
to refer to the nine planets of Vedic
astrology. Note that 'Navagrahas' do not always refer to 'planets',
for they include also Ra & Ke, which are not physical planets at all, and the luminaries, the Su & the Mo,
which are also not planets. 'Graha' should be taken
to mean a permanent or temporary
'karmic - influence' in
our lives, which in the mathematical model of astrology is represented by the 'influence' of a particular
planet on our lives.
In Vedic
astronomy, one does not speak of the 'strengths
and weaknesses' of the 'planets', since the law
of conservation of energy of each planet (which
energy is the sum of its potential and kinetic
parts), is always a constant. It is only when we
come to the subtle discipline of Vedic
astrology, that one introduces the new
variables of the 'strengths and weaknesses' of the Navagrahas. This is done since it was empirically found by
studying the mapping of the planetary movements on the one hand and 'the manifesting life-events in a human
life' on the other that these 'strengths and weaknesses' correspond to 'abundance of grace of Isvara' and
'paucity of grace of Isvara',
respectively. In the light of these perceptions,
we are to understand what 'strong and weak
planets' mean in Vedic
astrology.
Role of the
Kavach
There are at least
three ingredients in Vedic
astrology, which are in the nature of meditational-revelations
and certainly not at all the result of some deductive reasoning.
(i) The Vimshottari dasa-bhukti system, governing the unfoldment of an individual's 'destiny' in accordance
with the flow of subjective 'clock-time' is one such meditational-revelation, that must have come to Maharshi
Parasara, who may be taken to be one of the founding fathers of Vedic astrology.
(ii) The introduction of the Nodes of the Moon, namely Rahu and Ketu into the pantheon of
the Navagrahas is another of those meditational-revelations, which is of monumental importance
in this discipline.
(iii) The exact structure of the Jyotisha Yantras of mystical numbers for each of the Navagrahas, is a third
example of revelatory knowledge, which we may not be able to deduce from more primitive principles. Such a
Jyotisha Yantra of a given Navagraha is a matrix of mystical numbers arranged in rows and columns, but in a
definite sequence and obeying some numerical laws w.r.t. their summation.
Such Jyotisha
Yantras when engraved on Copper, Silver or
Gold strips (or tablets), will come to carry,
the 'specific energy' of that particular
Navagraha Devata, provided, the
engraved Jyotisha Yantra is prepared in
a certain auspicious way.
| 
Top