Kethu - The ancient wisdom!
Hello all,
Namaste! I want to let my blog readers know about my new website-swaroopa.net. Very simple id, not the complicated blog id address. Now to the post.
Last week, we discussed how RÄhu and Kethu are the shadow planets and can affect our mind. The energies of these grahas are very subtle and hence these planets don't have a house in the Vedic astrology chart. Even though RÄhu and Kethu don't have a specific place, they are considered the co-lords of two houses. RÄhu is thought to rule Aquarius along with Saturn and Kethu is thought to co-lord Scorpio along with Mars.
Today, we are going to discuss Kethu at more length. As all of you know, Vedic astrology has nine Grahas (planets in loose terms), called Nava (nine) Grahas (planets). While all other seven grahas have specific significant energies, RÄhu and Kethu are considered the head and snake body of a demon called Swayambharu. He was so shrewd, during the time of the Samudra Mathana (Churning of the milky ocean) to get the celestial nectar he went and sat between Sun (Surya) and Moon (Chandra), the Devas. He was cut into two pieces by the God Vishnu as he was not worthy of the divine knowledge or wisdom (Amrit- celestial nectar).
Amrit - Celestial nectar: Until a few years back I was under the impression that the celestial nectar is a liquid the celestial beings Devas used to partake. Nowadays after a lot of contemplation this is what I understand. Amrit is the celestial wisdom where we can understand that we are all part of the One, called Brahman - the Universal intelligence. Most of us humans understand this knowledge intellectually. But we don't understand it experientially.
That makes the huge difference. The mystics and the sages of yesteryear through their deep meditation and contemplation understood this truth with all their innate being. Not every day humans. We keep the divine separate from us. When we see the Gods and Goddesses in paintings, idols and outside matter how can we be deeply aligned with the divine or the Universal fabric, which we are. Trying to ever find the God or Divine outside, after this life, we go behind the curtains from where we came. Even in religions where an idol or an outward symbol of God is not practised, the divine is thought seperate from the human. The human is not thought as part of the fabric, the Divine is made of. Big difference!
Instead, we need to stop searching outside and has to see the divine within. The divine as energy embedded within us. Here that wisdom was being bestowed upon the Devas. The demon Swayambharu was jealous the Devas were getting a chance at it. But not the Asuras (demons). Being very shrewd he was unlike other demons and he tried to get the knowledge his way. He was cut into two pieces by the God Vishnu, another form of Brahman-the Universal source.
This also is a lesson that knowledge that we grab without the permission, never becomes useful to us. Knowledge is not supposed to be grabbed, seized or snatched. Such knowledge never becomes useful to the snatcher. It is supposed to be acquired with great humility, devotion and gratefulness.There is another story in Mahabharatha, the epic. Karna, the young king of Anga, friend of Duryodhana wanted to learn about archery and the associated knowledge. But he knew the teacher he was planning to approach, Parasurama hated the warrior caste, Kshatriya and won't teach him the knowledge. So, Karna being of the warrior caste, lied that he was a Brahmin, a kind of higher caste. Parasurama taught him all the knowledge. But one day Parasurama came to know that Karna was a Kshatriya. He cursed Karna that, "The day and the moment you really need this knowledge, you would forget it and it would become useless'.
So, anything that is not reserved for us, we should not try to grab. Here Swayambharu tried to trick the divine to get the celestial wisdom, and he was cut into two pieces. As Swayambharu in his real form was a snake, the head became the snake head, RÄhu and the body became the snake body, Kethu.
Kethu - The snake body signifying Moksha: But before the divine could kill the demon, he had swallowed the Amrit and the demon became eternal but of two pieces. Out of that the body became Kethu. RÄhu and Kethu are placed seven houses apart in the primary Rasi chart. Kethu doesn't have a head, and it has zero self-awareness. But the planet that embodies the quality of Moksha is Kethu. Now, what is Moksha?
In Vedic knowledge there are four Purusharthas. Purusha means a great being. Even though many people think of Purusha as a man, in depth Purusha is a great being. Artha is wealth. So, the four types of wealth a Purusha, great being can have. They are Dharma- duty, Artha- material wealth, Kama- desire and Moksha- the spiritual bliss. Many times people who don't really know about the esoteric meaning of Purushartha think they are four separate qualities. But, in truth, someone who realizes the true meaning, know that all of them point towards one thing.
Let us explore more. Only a being who is involved in their Dharma, duty can truly work on their innate desires (Kama) that bring all kinds of wealth (Artha) including the spiritual blessings (Moksha). But humans take them as four separate qualities and try to divide each person according to their whims and fancies. But in truth all of them together comprehend the true value called Dharma. So, now from this stand point, think how important it is to do our Dharma.
So, to acquire the spiritual bliss, we have to go thorough the other three previous stages. If we have any Karma related to the other three stages, we can't go towards Moksha. Moksha is the spiritual freedom. But the planet that embodies this is headless. So, as a human it is very difficult for us to know what is the knowledge Kethu brings. As it involves Moksha, many times this knowledge is coming from our own higher Self, the ancestors or the Brahman. Exactly in this fashion, the planet Kethu is signified by three nakshatras, lunar mansions.
In other words, to capture the energy of these three nakshatras, Kethu is needed. Kethu is the transponder that captures the energy of the three nakshatras into the material plane. They are Aswini, ruled by Aswini kumars, Magha ruled by the Pitris (ancestors) and Moola ruled by Nrutti ( a form of the dark Goddess Kali). So, the lords of the three nakshatras show the educating realm of Kethu is in the other planes- planes of the highSelf, ancestors or Kali or Brahman itself.
In a chart wherever Kethu is placed, according to that sign, nakshatra and house, Kethu brings amazing wisdom to the chart holder. This wisdom is very specific to the holder. He/She can use it towards their RÄhu, the duty of specific Dharma in this life. But many times as Kethu does not have a head, the person would have no clue or awareness of the same.
The ancient wisdom: Kethu in any particular chart brings the ancient wisdom of a person as family lineage, ancestral wisdom or the knowledge that comes to the person from other realms. The ancient wisdom. Many times this wisdom would have no relevance to the present day modern conditions of the person. Also, for this particular wisdom lock to open there should be deep grace from the divine. Otherwise, the knowledge or blessing for that lock to be opened won't be provided.
For example in the chart of Abraham Lincoln, Kethu is in the fourth house of the chart. Fourth house is the house of the mother, homeland, comfort. It was in the sign of Aries, in the lunar mansion of Bharani. In Tamil, there is a proverb, "Bharani, dharani aalum'. The star Bharani, would rule (aalum), dharani- the Earth. The energy of the ruler or the emperor.
Accordingly, Lincoln became the President of his home country (fourth house). Aries is the sign of leadership, Kethu brought all the knowledge of leadership, organization and strategy and the fourth house being homeland, he acquired the highest chair he can get of his homeland. Even though before becoming President, he had only legislative experience, the minute he found himself in the highest chair of his homeland, the wisdom of Kethu from other realms started flowing. Above this the nakshatra Bharani is ruled by the God, Yama, the God of ethics, in Hindu mythology.
Lincoln was the most honest and ethical President ever to decorate the Oval Office. The blessing of the nakshatra Bharani, emperor or the King energy that too very ethical. In modern days, the ruler of a country has the same energy as that of a King. President Lincoln had to learn diplomacy and military strategy on the job, in the war front, fast. He himself was not aware of the knowledge and wisdom he embraced, a headless Kethu. But the second he needed the knowledge, it was there, Kethu in the fourth house of homeland. He used this energy towards his RÄhu in the tenth house, the house of public sphere and career.
Like this when we truly realize the energy of Kethu, amazing wisdom, that too very ancient is opened. This wisdom can even span dimensions and can come from spiritual realms. That is why Kethu is considered the most spiritual among the Grahas. A chart which has very strong Kethu can even push the person towards spiritual pursuits of bliss (Moksha). Charts of sages and mystics many times have a very strong Kethu. Kethu is our comfort zone, the wisdom that we have that we don't know that we have. In other words the wisdom of our huge and amazing subconscious mind that has deep connections to the spiritual and other realms.
Without a supporting Kethu, it is very difficult to acquire the spiritual blessings. Even though we may get every other kind of material and Earthly wealth, the spiritual wealth would be kept away from the being. Also as we have discussed before, Moon is the mind in Vedic astrology. If the Moon, mind is conjunct or extremely close or has a deep aspect from Kethu, then that interferes with the acquisition of Divine knowledge. Kethu in esoteric wisdom is a black hole. If the Moon is placed near Kethu, in the black hole, Kethu would even take away the mental energy of the Moon. Without the mind, how can the wisdom be acquired and analyzed? The person due to the effect of the black hole would become even more confused and with a chaotic mind. So, it better to have Kethu placed slightly away from the Moon, our mind. But a strong Kethu is indeed needed for spiritual blessings.
So, Kethu, holds the key to the amazing knowledge that would be opened for each of us- unique, mystical and our very own original kind. May the God Kethu, bless all of us with the key to the ancient wisdom that would unlock the amazing knowledge for each of us. Unique and original! May he bless us all!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! š
Next week: The grace of wisdom!
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Namaste! I want to let my blog readers know about my new website-swaroopa.net. Very simple id, not the complicated blog id address. Now to the post.
Last week, we discussed how RÄhu and Kethu are the shadow planets and can affect our mind. The energies of these grahas are very subtle and hence these planets don't have a house in the Vedic astrology chart. Even though RÄhu and Kethu don't have a specific place, they are considered the co-lords of two houses. RÄhu is thought to rule Aquarius along with Saturn and Kethu is thought to co-lord Scorpio along with Mars.
Today, we are going to discuss Kethu at more length. As all of you know, Vedic astrology has nine Grahas (planets in loose terms), called Nava (nine) Grahas (planets). While all other seven grahas have specific significant energies, RÄhu and Kethu are considered the head and snake body of a demon called Swayambharu. He was so shrewd, during the time of the Samudra Mathana (Churning of the milky ocean) to get the celestial nectar he went and sat between Sun (Surya) and Moon (Chandra), the Devas. He was cut into two pieces by the God Vishnu as he was not worthy of the divine knowledge or wisdom (Amrit- celestial nectar).
 |
| The churning of the milk ocean (Samudra manthanam) in Hindu mythology! Image credits - Wikimedia Commons, Unknown (production) / Public domain |
Amrit - Celestial nectar: Until a few years back I was under the impression that the celestial nectar is a liquid the celestial beings Devas used to partake. Nowadays after a lot of contemplation this is what I understand. Amrit is the celestial wisdom where we can understand that we are all part of the One, called Brahman - the Universal intelligence. Most of us humans understand this knowledge intellectually. But we don't understand it experientially.
That makes the huge difference. The mystics and the sages of yesteryear through their deep meditation and contemplation understood this truth with all their innate being. Not every day humans. We keep the divine separate from us. When we see the Gods and Goddesses in paintings, idols and outside matter how can we be deeply aligned with the divine or the Universal fabric, which we are. Trying to ever find the God or Divine outside, after this life, we go behind the curtains from where we came. Even in religions where an idol or an outward symbol of God is not practised, the divine is thought seperate from the human. The human is not thought as part of the fabric, the Divine is made of. Big difference!
Instead, we need to stop searching outside and has to see the divine within. The divine as energy embedded within us. Here that wisdom was being bestowed upon the Devas. The demon Swayambharu was jealous the Devas were getting a chance at it. But not the Asuras (demons). Being very shrewd he was unlike other demons and he tried to get the knowledge his way. He was cut into two pieces by the God Vishnu, another form of Brahman-the Universal source.
This also is a lesson that knowledge that we grab without the permission, never becomes useful to us. Knowledge is not supposed to be grabbed, seized or snatched. Such knowledge never becomes useful to the snatcher. It is supposed to be acquired with great humility, devotion and gratefulness.There is another story in Mahabharatha, the epic. Karna, the young king of Anga, friend of Duryodhana wanted to learn about archery and the associated knowledge. But he knew the teacher he was planning to approach, Parasurama hated the warrior caste, Kshatriya and won't teach him the knowledge. So, Karna being of the warrior caste, lied that he was a Brahmin, a kind of higher caste. Parasurama taught him all the knowledge. But one day Parasurama came to know that Karna was a Kshatriya. He cursed Karna that, "The day and the moment you really need this knowledge, you would forget it and it would become useless'.
So, anything that is not reserved for us, we should not try to grab. Here Swayambharu tried to trick the divine to get the celestial wisdom, and he was cut into two pieces. As Swayambharu in his real form was a snake, the head became the snake head, RÄhu and the body became the snake body, Kethu.
 |
| Kethu- The planet with a headless snake body! Image credits - Arjuncm3/CC BY-SA |
In Vedic knowledge there are four Purusharthas. Purusha means a great being. Even though many people think of Purusha as a man, in depth Purusha is a great being. Artha is wealth. So, the four types of wealth a Purusha, great being can have. They are Dharma- duty, Artha- material wealth, Kama- desire and Moksha- the spiritual bliss. Many times people who don't really know about the esoteric meaning of Purushartha think they are four separate qualities. But, in truth, someone who realizes the true meaning, know that all of them point towards one thing.
Let us explore more. Only a being who is involved in their Dharma, duty can truly work on their innate desires (Kama) that bring all kinds of wealth (Artha) including the spiritual blessings (Moksha). But humans take them as four separate qualities and try to divide each person according to their whims and fancies. But in truth all of them together comprehend the true value called Dharma. So, now from this stand point, think how important it is to do our Dharma.
So, to acquire the spiritual bliss, we have to go thorough the other three previous stages. If we have any Karma related to the other three stages, we can't go towards Moksha. Moksha is the spiritual freedom. But the planet that embodies this is headless. So, as a human it is very difficult for us to know what is the knowledge Kethu brings. As it involves Moksha, many times this knowledge is coming from our own higher Self, the ancestors or the Brahman. Exactly in this fashion, the planet Kethu is signified by three nakshatras, lunar mansions.
In other words, to capture the energy of these three nakshatras, Kethu is needed. Kethu is the transponder that captures the energy of the three nakshatras into the material plane. They are Aswini, ruled by Aswini kumars, Magha ruled by the Pitris (ancestors) and Moola ruled by Nrutti ( a form of the dark Goddess Kali). So, the lords of the three nakshatras show the educating realm of Kethu is in the other planes- planes of the highSelf, ancestors or Kali or Brahman itself.
In a chart wherever Kethu is placed, according to that sign, nakshatra and house, Kethu brings amazing wisdom to the chart holder. This wisdom is very specific to the holder. He/She can use it towards their RÄhu, the duty of specific Dharma in this life. But many times as Kethu does not have a head, the person would have no clue or awareness of the same.
The ancient wisdom: Kethu in any particular chart brings the ancient wisdom of a person as family lineage, ancestral wisdom or the knowledge that comes to the person from other realms. The ancient wisdom. Many times this wisdom would have no relevance to the present day modern conditions of the person. Also, for this particular wisdom lock to open there should be deep grace from the divine. Otherwise, the knowledge or blessing for that lock to be opened won't be provided.
For example in the chart of Abraham Lincoln, Kethu is in the fourth house of the chart. Fourth house is the house of the mother, homeland, comfort. It was in the sign of Aries, in the lunar mansion of Bharani. In Tamil, there is a proverb, "Bharani, dharani aalum'. The star Bharani, would rule (aalum), dharani- the Earth. The energy of the ruler or the emperor.
Accordingly, Lincoln became the President of his home country (fourth house). Aries is the sign of leadership, Kethu brought all the knowledge of leadership, organization and strategy and the fourth house being homeland, he acquired the highest chair he can get of his homeland. Even though before becoming President, he had only legislative experience, the minute he found himself in the highest chair of his homeland, the wisdom of Kethu from other realms started flowing. Above this the nakshatra Bharani is ruled by the God, Yama, the God of ethics, in Hindu mythology.
 |
| President Abraham Lincoln! Image credits - Alexander Gardner / Public domain |
Like this when we truly realize the energy of Kethu, amazing wisdom, that too very ancient is opened. This wisdom can even span dimensions and can come from spiritual realms. That is why Kethu is considered the most spiritual among the Grahas. A chart which has very strong Kethu can even push the person towards spiritual pursuits of bliss (Moksha). Charts of sages and mystics many times have a very strong Kethu. Kethu is our comfort zone, the wisdom that we have that we don't know that we have. In other words the wisdom of our huge and amazing subconscious mind that has deep connections to the spiritual and other realms.
Without a supporting Kethu, it is very difficult to acquire the spiritual blessings. Even though we may get every other kind of material and Earthly wealth, the spiritual wealth would be kept away from the being. Also as we have discussed before, Moon is the mind in Vedic astrology. If the Moon, mind is conjunct or extremely close or has a deep aspect from Kethu, then that interferes with the acquisition of Divine knowledge. Kethu in esoteric wisdom is a black hole. If the Moon is placed near Kethu, in the black hole, Kethu would even take away the mental energy of the Moon. Without the mind, how can the wisdom be acquired and analyzed? The person due to the effect of the black hole would become even more confused and with a chaotic mind. So, it better to have Kethu placed slightly away from the Moon, our mind. But a strong Kethu is indeed needed for spiritual blessings.
So, Kethu, holds the key to the amazing knowledge that would be opened for each of us- unique, mystical and our very own original kind. May the God Kethu, bless all of us with the key to the ancient wisdom that would unlock the amazing knowledge for each of us. Unique and original! May he bless us all!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! š
Next week: The grace of wisdom!
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
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