The use of nakshatras is integrated with other aspects of the panchanga. Below are recommendations regarding medicine. According to Muhurta-Chinta-Mani (2.15), the time a person first takes their medicine should be nakshatras of the qualities of Laghu, Mridu, and Chara or the nakshatra of Moola. The best ascendant is that of dual signs with the presence of benefics like Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury. There should be no planets in the twelfth, seventh or eighth houses from the ascendant. Friday, Monday, Thursday, Wednesday and Sunday are auspicious days for starting new medicine [in that order]. Any tithi is good except rikta tithis and amavasya. It is also inauspicious to start medicine in the nakshatra of one’s birth.
Ashwini- taking medicine, making medicine, beginning actions to improve health Bharani- hatha yoga, driving out evil influences, purification like fasting or silence Rohini- taking medicine, massage, longevity and rejuvenation practices, planting Mrigashiras- treatment of disease (convalescence), rasayana therapies, gardening Ardra- phsychological cleansing, exorcism, harsh actions like surgery
Punarvasu- taking medicines and all healing therapies
Pushya- taking medicines, healing therapies, herbal baths, picking herbs Ashlesha- inoculations, surgery
Purva Palguni- illnesses that occur here may be difficult to overcome Uttara Phalguni- healing and disease treatment
Hasta- treatment of disease
Chitra- taking and making medicine, collecting herbs
Swati- disease treatment, planting, gathering, making medicine Vishaka- taking medicine, starting healing therapies
Jyeshta- harsh actions like surgery, not the last quarter of this nakshatra Mula- harsh actions like surgery, gardening
Purva Shadha- preparing medicines Uttara Shadha- treatment of disease
Shravana- taking herbs, medicine and doctors presciptions Dhanishta- learning medicine, treatment of disease
Shatabisha- curative measures started now will be more effective, rasayana Uttara Bhadra- healing and treatment of disease, planting and gardening Revati- healing and treatment of disease
Nakshatras for putting on Gemstones and Remedial measures
Ashwini- (buying new jewelry) and putting on gemstones
Rohini- wearing expensive jewelry for the first time, empowering sacred objects Punarvasu- remedial measures, making or obtaining new jewelry
Pushya- remedial measures, putting on new gems Uttara Phalguni- putting on new jewelry
Hasta- putting on gems
Chitra- spiritual rituals, making and putting on gemstones
Swati- sowing new seeds (physically and metaphysically), putting on new gems Vishaka- (making)
Dhanishta- religious performances, putting on gems Uttara Bhadra- putting on gems
Revati- commission or buying a new piece of jewelry, putting on gems (not the last quarter of this nakshatra)
One is advised to read Muhurta-Chinta-Mani in order to learn more about muhurta and the use of the nakshatras.
Movement of Prana in the Kalachakra
Lecture at the SJC Washington DC Conference, October 2004
“If one wants to get there, he has to walk the true path, renouncing quickly everything. Take shelter at the feet of Vishvanath, burn all ego. Roam in the world with purity. Pay attention to Kalachakra who is giving great knowledge to everybody.” -Babaji
The Kalachakra is an elaborate system of astrology in itself and would take voluminous books to explain fully. This chapter is just introducing the subject and bringing to use certain techniques to show the depth of the use of the nakshatras. It is important for the fuller understanding of the foundations of the nakshatra’s use and categorization. The Kalachakra is an elaborate system of Tantric astrology. Simple uses are mentioned in common texts like Prasna Marga and Jataka Parijata, but there is an entire Tantra written called the “Kalachakra Tantra”. This tantra is composed of five books. The first book is on the outer Kalachakra and has the large amount of Jyotish information. The Kalachakra is a wheel of time, almost a calendar in its self. Literally, Kala means time and Chakra means wheel. The second chapter is related to the inner Kalachakra and related to the nadis (energy channels) and movement of prana relative to Jyotish. The third book deals with tantric initiation into the Kalachakra path and the fourth and fifth books relate more to sadhana and meditation. The Tantra was translated a few hundred years ago into Tibetan and parts of the Tibetan text have been translated into English with Tibetan Buddhist commentary. There has been no direct translations from the original Sanskrit to English as of yet (2004).
There are 722 deities contained in the Kalachakra (720 plus Siva and Durga). These relate to the ‘72,000’ nadis mentioned in the hatha yoga texts, as well as the 720 sashtiamsas of the D-60 regarded as the most important varga according to Parashara. There are 78 deities on lotuses counted twice with their consorts (78 x 2 = 156). And with 6 seal implanting deities there are 162 main deities in the Kalachakra that are said to relate to 162 main channels in the body.
In the same way they also relate to astronomical aspects. In the outer level (body mandala) there are 2 Adityas in each of the 4 directions, and 1 Aditya in each of the intermediate directions. This adds up to the twelve months of the year. Each Aditya is embracing their consort and surrounded by 28 deities, that represent the 30 days in a month, and all added together the 360 degrees of the zodiac and sidereal solar year. Prasna Marga of Harihara teaches some techniques of calculating death with the
Kalachakra and the 8 Yoginis. There are exactly 36 verses listed in Prasna Marga on the Kalachakra. 36 is the maturity of Saturn, the ruler of longevity and death. The life cycle can be broken down into 3 sections of 36 which add up to 108. When jyotish longevity calculations give the result of short, medium or long life, they are referring to these three cycles of 36. There are five techniques for determining which third of life a person will die. These are related to the panchatattvas (5 elements). Once the section of longevity is calculated, the next step is to see when within that frame of time will the person meet their death. This is done with various methods like Shoola dasa, Navtara chakra, and the movement of the Yoginis in the Kalachakra, etc.
The Kalachakra will also show the health of the native and especially times of sickness. It shows how a person uses their pranas (energy) and the directions in life this will lead them. The natal chart is mapped into the Kalachakra to be read. Prasna Marga gives a verse for the drawing of the Kalachakra diagram used in Jyotish.
cturïiÇk< k…yaRdNtmRXye vih> ³mat!, d{fa<ñ cturStiÎkke[ga<ñ³isÏye.82. d{fana< àTyek< cturïsmagme;u mXye c, AaiÉij*u®tStara> SwaPya> Syu> sÝ sÝ g[naw!.83.
d{fa¢adamXm< ingRTyttaeiNtkSwd{fen, @v< pun> àvezae ingRmn< àae®tv½ g[nimh.84. caturaçratrikaà kuryädantarmadhye vahiù kramät| daëòäàçva caturastaddikakeëagäàçvakrasiddhaye||82|| daëòänäà pratyekaà caturaçrasamägameñu madhye ca| äbhijidyukttastäräù sthäpyäù syuù sapta sapta gaëanäth||83||
daëòägrädämadhmaà nirgatyatatontikasthadaëòena| evaà punaù praveço nirgamanaà prokttavacca gaëanamiha||84||
Draw three squares, one inside the other and prepare a Chakra as given in the following diagram. Beginning from the center of the top horizontal line establish the 28 stars (including Abhijit) in the 28 parts in the order shown in the diagram. Starting from No.
1, the count should be done in the order in which the figures are shown in the Chakra. (82-84)
The 1st nakshatra starts at the center of the top horizontal line, in the diagram there is the number one. The Kalachakra has multiple ways to be set up, but for primary purposes use the janma nakshatra called the birth star, which is the natal Moon’s nakshatra. The Kalachakra is a 28 nakshatra system so add 1 to any nakshatra over 21 in the 27 chakra system.
The Moon takes 27 days and 7 3/4 hours to transit the 360 degree zodiac. The 27 nakshatra system averages this to 27 signs each having 13 degrees and 20 minutes of arc. The 28 nakshatra system calculates the remaining 7 hours and 38 minutes into a sign called Abhijit which is 4 degrees 14 minutes and 13 seconds of arc. Abhijit is calculated from 6-40 to 10-53-20 Capricorn (or 276-40’ to 280-54’-13”). There is a diagram at the end of this article if needed.
Human beings are made of three external things: Body, Prana and Mind. This can be seen in the Kalachakra as the external layer, the middle level and the internal level. The outer body layer is often referred to as the Exalted Body Mandala. The middle pranic level is called the Exalted Speech Mandala. The inner Manas level is called Exalted Mind Mandala.
The innermost section of the Kalachakra is called the Fortress of Durga. It can be divided into three main sections. There is the Mandala of Exalted Wisdom and the 16 squares of the Mandala of Pristine Consciousness. Then the inner most center is the Mandala of Great Bliss. In this center Mandala there is a green eight petalled lotus which is the seat of Durga as Vishvamaata who is saffron colored with 4 faces and 8 hands. She is in embrace with Siva as Kaalachakra. Sri Kaalachakra has four faces and twenty-four hands.
What is visible is what is outside, on the outer level. The Moon is always visible, like the conscious mind always seen. So the birth star with the Moon start the Kalachakra. The Moon is placed where you see the number one in the above diagram. Other planets are placed in their respective nakshatras.
There are other techniques than the one I will be demonstrating that use different configurations. The Moon in the East is aligned with the natural Sun and therefore shows the pranas in the body. The moon in the North East shows the manas (as the mind is always under the influence of Rahu). Sometimes the Sun nakshatra is also used
starting the sequence from the North East direction; this is used to see evils in the chart. There is also another system used for receiving knowledge from and about the devas. In this Kalachakra the Nakshatras will go in a counter clockwise order.
Software is not needed as long as one knows the planet nakshatras. For those using Jagannath Hora software which calculates the Kalachakra with the Sun as the base nakshatra. Right click and chose [change base nakshatra]. Then select [use the following star as the base instead]. Then select the jamna nakshatra of the native you are
calculating.
The following is an example using the chart of the Dalai Lama. Dalai Lama
Date: July 6, 1935 Time: 4:38:00 am
Time Zone: 7:00:00 (East of GMT) Place: 101 E 12′ 00″, 36 N 12′ 00″
Body Longitude Nakshatra Pada Rasi Nava Lagna 13 Ge 28′ 53.22″ Ardra 3 Ge Aq Sun 19 Ge 57′ 38.48″ Ardra 4 Ge Pi Moon 16 Le 39′ 55.11″ PPhal 1 Le Le Mars 25 Vi 18′ 31.49″ Chitra 1 Vi Le Mercury 2 Ge 33′ 25.32″ Mriga 3 Ge Li Jupiter (R) 20 Li 30′ 39.83″ Visaka 1 Li Ar Venus 5 Le 16′ 36.18″ Magha 2 Le Ta Saturn (R) 17 Aq 05′ 37.27″ Satabisha 4 Aq Pi Rahu 29 Sg 26′ 48.52″ UShad 1 Sg Sg Ketu 29 Ge 26′ 48.52″ Punarvasu 3 Ge Ge Maandi 5 Ta 33′ 26.60″ Krittika 3 Ta Aq Gulika 24 Ar 23′ 09.29″ Bharani 4 Ar Sc
The Moon is in Purva Phalguni which is the 11th nakshatra. Therefore the Kalachakra starts with 11 and goes from there forward. The Moon is on the top middle horizontal line in Purva Phalguni. The Sun is in Ardra nakshatra, which is the 6 th star and
therefore you see the Sun placed next to number six which represents Ardra. Mars is in Chitra which is the 14 th star and so Mars is placed within the Fortress of Durga by the number 14 representing Chitra nakshatra. Other planets and sphuta (points) are placed accordingly.
Direction
The prana moves in the same way the nakshatras have been placed in the Kalachakra. Energy comes in the Kendras (straight lines) and energy goes out the Konas (diagonal lines). Planets placed in a Kona axis are taking energy out, they need to be
guarded/stopped/regulated. Mantra for planets guarding the fortress will obstruct the loss of energy. If no planet is there then the nakshatra mantra of the fortress axis can be used. If the guard is beneficial for the natal chart then a stone may be used.