SHATABHISHA

Shatabhisha, which extends from 306° 40' to 320° 00' (6° 40' to 20° 00' Aquarius), has the quality of producing ultimate harmony in spite of trials and tribulations. Its central purpose is to achieve and protect natural harmony.

Saturn is the ruler of Aquarius within which the nakshatra lies, whereas Rahu is the ruler of the asterism itself. The combined influence of Saturn and Rahu makes Shatabhisha very acute. The one hundred stars constituting the constellation symbolize a thousand-petaled flower, furthering its intensity. Sattwa pervades the asterism at its primary and tertiary levels while the secondary attribute is tamas. Pracheta, a synonym for the asterism, signifies Manu, Daksha, and Valmiki, which are the names of mighty progenitors of the human race, at different levels and in different realms of its evolution. From all these significators, it is evident that Shatabhisha is concerned with very important aspects of human development.

Varuna, who presides over the asterism, is one of the earliest Vedic deities. vested with illimitable cosmic knowledge. This knowledge, however, is aimed at producing practical results. Varuna directs the mysterious power of wisdom and activities to the world so that individuals under Shatabhisha are radically transformed and a new ray of light shines through their lives. These persons will be guided in their actions by a new approach to life. They will be able to throw a radically different light on various worldly problems.

Rahu, as the planetary lord of the asterism, and Saturn, the planet under whose sign the asterism falls, produce trials and purification of the ego. Under the combined influence of these planets, the individual consciousness linked to materialism becomes lonely and depressed under the stress of purification. Shatabhisha people are rarely happy with themselves, Life to them is a duty, not an experience of personal gratification.

The asterism leads to a blending of the individual consciousness with the universal: it leads to the experiencing of Infinity, the limitable. A mystic feeling of the sea enters the picture. Such an experience entails immense psychological expansion, sacrifice and pain. The asterism is categorized as a butcher, suggesting that only with the ruthlessness of a butcher and the strength of a demon can the expanding consciousness of Shatabhisha be borne. Shatabhisha makes one's life idealistic and almost dreamy because only under such conditions may the universal cosmic bloom take place.