the Moon is awash with large basalt basins, undulating hills and pockmarked craters. Its so-called dark-side consists largely of heavily cratered highlands broken only by a few small maria (seas). Being our nearest and dearest celestial overseer, it has been gazed upon intently for millennia. The celebrated astronomer Johann Hieronymus Schröter (1745–1816) once conjectured the existence of a great city on her east side, just north of the equator, with fields of vegetation and extensive canal networks!
4.2 PRIMARY KĀRAKAS OF THE MOON
| Primary Kārakas |
| Mother, women, mind, femininity, fertility, longevity, intelligence, infancy, nursing, convalescence, herbal medicines, eating, memory retention, fickle-mindedness, the colour white, silver, bronze, crystals, beads, glass, moonstone, pearls, contentment, salt, honey, curd, milk, ghee, sweet fruits, sticky substances, plants residing in water, oily plants, creepers and vines, sense of humour, personality, sattvic temperament, fame, beauty, romance, strength during the night, north-west direction, fair-faced, softness, radiance, immoral pleasures, inventive minds, lethargy, laziness, the senses, rain, oceans, new clothes, fine clothes, Mondays, wealth, affluence, sleep, happiness, midnight, liquids, fish, fermented foods, Cancer (sign), the Nakshatras Rohini, Hastā and Śravana, Buddhism, popularity, general public, advertising, comforts, moodiness, fear of death, hypochondria, maternal instincts, healing sanctuaries, welfare, meritorious deeds, looking squarely ahead, a protective canopy, patronage and favours, pale complexion, white umbrellas, scents and fragrances, jasmine, rice, sandalwood, gardenia, lotus and lily, house boats, fair seas, rotting wood, beaches, aquariums, salty foods, monsoon (rainy season), inns, public houses, opium dens, breweries, hospitals, aquatic creatures, born of water, tourism, photography, Durga (goddess), occult studies, pilgrimages, over-expenditure, faith, journeys to distant lands, ten-year dasha period |
| Physical and Medical Kārakas |
| Breasts, blood, lungs, chest and respiratory conditions, asthma, lymph, glands, kidneys, uterus, ovaries, bladder, hernia, loss of taste, water retention, diabetes, enlargement of the spleen, jaundice, appendicitis, mouth ulcers, neurological disorders, cancer, memory loss, child-birth, phlegmatic conditions, consumption, stomach, ulcers, left eye,6 lubrication of eyes (tears), lunacy, mental instability, over-acidity, stout build, facial lustre, circulation, injury to shoulders, anaemia |
NOTES
1.Merchant caste.
2.Moon legends describe Chandra as being born from the mind of the cosmic Puruṣa.
3.The Moon’s action upon the tide and oceans was noted from great antiquity; the ocean (like the Moon) was considered both feminine and capricious, often referred to as ‘she’.
4.Sasa-Jātaka relates the tale of the selfless hare (in reality an incarnation of the bodhisattva) whose residence at the foot of the mountain was shared by three other friends: an otter, a monkey and a jackal. Noting the current lunar phase, a hare realised that feast-day was almost upon them and reminded his friends to prepare food lest some beggar should come their way. The four set out to find food. The otter, monkey and jackal all procured food with ease; the hare, however, found nothing and resolved to offer up his body if someone should be in need of food. Sakka (lord of heaven) was watching the hare and decided to test him by incarnating as a beggar asking for food. True to his word, the hare leapt into the cooking flames so that the stranger might eat. To his amazement he did not burn but was instead honoured by Sakka, who embracing the mountain squeezed forth its essence and daubed the Moon with an image of the hare.
5.Minor but periodic variations in the Moon’s spin axis.
6.See Sarvarth Chintamani of Vyankatesh Sharma.
Budha (Mercury): I pay respects to Budha, offspring of Chandra and Tārā, born of intelligence and unrivalled in form. Dark like phalapriya and adorned in akṣamālā, he is quiet of nature and charming.
5
BUDHA (Mercury)
Śrī Laṅkān Budha Vishnu Mandala Yantra deemed effective for the propitiation of Mercury warding off childhood illness, skin disease, speech and learning difficulties. This yantra appeases Lord Budha, granting wisdom, health, youthfulness and longevity, granting one success in scriptural study, education, business and public speaking.
Mercury’s colour is like that of Durva or panic grass. He has a distinct articulation, is spare and thin. He is both sovereign and sage of those that are endowed with the quality of Rajas (passion). He delights in damage and fun, having a wealth of energy; he is of mixed constitution having equal amounts of bile, wind and phlegm.
Jātaka Pārijāta by Vaidyanātha Dīkṣita
Mercury1 is yuvaraja, ‘of royal blood’. He rides a chariot fashioned from fire and air, pulled by eight horses, deep yellow in colour. Vaiśya2 by caste and neuter in sex, his complexion is likened to the colour of panic grass. His dosha is an equal apportionment of dosha,3 his taste shad-rasa (six tastes). Mercury’s element is earth. Mercury dresses in fine black silks and gains strength in air signs. Exalted in the sign of Virgo (specifically 15°), he is in his fall at the same degree of Pisces. Mercury is representative of Buddhi (intellect). His guna is Rajasic.4 The effects of Mercury mature in the 32nd year of life. Mercury also rules Ritu (seasons) for a period of two solar months. Having a youthful appearance and mannerism, he is fond of word play and witticism. If well-positioned, he indicates a strong intellect and analytical disposition. Healthy of skin with quick dexterous movements, Mercury prospers in the 1st, 4th and 10th houses. His metal is pārada (quicksilver).
Mercury represents the learned student, apprenticing himself to any would-be instructor.5 As an artful negotiator, investigator and magician, Mercury is equally skilled in the theft of knowledge (espionage, etc.). Specifically he relates to speech patterns and timing. Mercury is said to rule Atharva Veda.
A powerful Mercury will lift the chart toward quick thinking, sharp talking (in sales or trading), global communication and profiteering. Mercury may enter all places – holding the key to every room in the palace!
Mercury’s strength is reflexed by the body’s ability to irrigate and connect bodily systems, from the electrical activity of its neurons and synapses to the plasma content of blood, constantly readjusting the suspension of materials carried in the many fluidic mediums. Other significations of Mercury include: reflexes (agility/speed) of the nervous system and the body’s ability to recover from injury. Mercury is symbolically the planet of healing; its relatively small planetary body was thought to emit a powerful green healing ray.
In the ancient world his metallic namesake and element Hg6 was considered of paramount importance in the quest for life-extension. Even today, Mercury is the foundation of many Rasa medicines used in Rasa Shāstra (Vedic Alchemy).
Favourable Budha: If well disposed, Budha maintains a youthful appearance and keen intellect as well as an inquisitive and questioning mind. Those benefiting from Mercury are aided by Brahmins and trustworthy advisors,