The four aims of human life, also known as puruṣārthas in Vedic philosophy, are dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Artha is about prosperity, wealth and the material; Kama is about desire; Moksha is about spiritual liberation; and Dharma is about living in the higher order and virtue, aligned to the higher path and moral and ethical values.
In Vedic astrology, the dharma houses are 1st, 5th and 9th; the kama houses are 3rd, 7th and 11th; the artha houses are 2nd, 6th and 10th, and the moksha houses are 4th, 8th and 12th. And yet dharma isn’t just seen through the 1st, 5th and 9th, or their rulers and nakshatras, nor is it only analyzed through the Navamsa chart – dharma is something that is integral and must be a foundation to all.
Artha, kama and moksha are only possible if one is fully aligned to their dharma – because this is the highest aim in life. And it is all of our planets, all of our constellations, the entire chart and each step we take each day that are all aspects of our dharma. Through each one we can learn something and all of our natal planets and constellations connect us to the higher spiritual lessons for our soul’s evolution. All are aspects of our dharma, so it’s not just about looking at specific houses and rulers – it is everything; and all allows us an opportunity for a deepening.
This is the higher purpose of astrology – allowing for a deepening, self knowledge and alignment to our higher spiritual potential.
Traditionally people have long used, and still use astrology for predictive purposes, but what one needs to understand is that, according to ancient text in astrology and Jyotish, only 70% of predictions will ever be accurate – because as human beings we are meant to learn our own lessons and not rob ourselves of our experience to do so, and sometimes I find that some astrologers just kind of feed their egos by constantly making predictions or making statements such as “it is all in the chart, it is always true, I can predict anything” etc. Prediction based only readings are not beneficial for people, at least this is my opinion, and as a spiritual astrologer I don’t offer them, they don’t align to my ethics and spiritual values and I do not wish to play God in this life.
Our natal chart is a spiritual study of all that has been consumed by time already; the stars, constellations and planets are all only great indicators of time. This is why in Vedic astrology the birth chart is said to reveal the current karmic impulses and imprints from prarabdha karma until the moment of birth. This is another reason why only 70% of predictions may be true because it doesn’t take into account what happens and what is shaped by our hands and actions after the birth.
In other words – predictions are based on your past and conditioning and impulses at the time of your birth. Thereafter, your kriyamana karma, or focused efforts in the present, may alter the flow of your destiny. Also, at times individual karma is overridden by collective forces in the global climate.
Traditional astrologers spend many years mastering the art of astrology and spiritual sciences, and then continue to dedicate and devote to spiritual practices through which to purify their minds and intuitive skills in order to best serve and guide their clients in a wise way. These are higher values and ethics that I align to and why I am a spiritual astrologer i.e. I am here to guide my clients. Astrology is not something to be engineered into smallness in social media posts, nor is it something to just learn along the way online – it is a practice that takes years of dedication and learning to be taken seriously and with responsibility.
When sages like Parashara offered the gift of astrology to humankind, they did so not to make you feel afraid nor fatalistic about your future, but to help you understand your life, karmic account and how to then navigate through with more conscious and wiser choices, as well as how to step into your dharmic path. Your Vedic chart may show, for example, that due to unwise choices in past births, you may tend to attract unhealthy romantic relationships; and so the astrologer may guide you in how to gradually dissolve the samskara, or karmic tendency in your unconscious mind, that keeps driving you into unsatisfying partnerships.
This is the real wealth of astrology, and how it is actually beneficial, because the astrologer can help guide their clients and students towards living a life aligned to their dharma; towards understanding themselves and the role they have in this life, understand their life’s path and purpose.
And so,
when we look at dharma – because dharma is life – it is not just about looking at the 1st, 5th or 9th rulers; understand the dharma of each of your planets’ nakshatras because this will ultimately give you insights and guidance on how to understand yourself, the role you have in this life and how to align to the higher path.
Now let’s dive deeper into the nakshatras Ardra, Rohini and Punarvasu.
Dharma of Ardra
Suppose you have planets in Ardra nakshatra.
Ardra is found in the heart of the Gemini constellation, and is associated with a drop of moisture, and with Rudra and Rahu. Both Rudra and Rahu are fierce and intensely powerful, which essentially help facilitate the growth of consciousness for Ardra people. And then comes the drop of moisture – the teardrop symbol of Ardra – which shows that no matter the storms and thunders, difficulties and obstacles, conflicts and confusions on their paths, the dharma of Ardra that is released is truth and true understanding.
Carrying the teardrop as its symbol, Ardra shows the emotional depth and sensitivity these natives have gained through being able to endure the storms and allow truth to purify them. This shows profound transformation for the purpose of soul growth, and ultimately coming into deep compassion for self, forgiveness and emotional understanding. The rollercoaster of emotional intensity that they might have been through in this life was for the purpose of developing emotional mastery – and even pouring waters of compassion for others also.
Ardra was a Hindu deity who had many extreme emotions, uncontrollable and imbalanced, untamed, wild desires and passions, addicted to base actions, and could get really angry when things didn’t go his way sending the thunders to earth which then caused war and suffering. This is why he is associated with storms, chaos and destruction, and this could be both creative and destructive. Creativity too needs some destruction sometimes.
What Ardra was essentially looking for was forgiveness from all the guilts he felt, and hoping that through the tears of humanity (or rainfalls after thunders and during storms) the ice within him will melt also. And this is why after Ardra comes the purest nakshatra of all the 27 nakshatras: Punarvasu – who symbolizes the renewal of soul and the return of true self.
The dharma of Ardra is powerful – it is about truth. Ardra natives smell and see truth from miles away, despite all veils, they have olfactory senses to smell falseness. They see things and people as they truly are, and their dharma is about authenticity, honesty and integrity; it is about having the clarity after the stormy and cloudy sky, and being thankful for these storms and clouds because these are the paths we learn from.
They’ve seen falseness and cheating in people and in their lives, they’ve been betrayed and diminished and lied to – but they are strong, fierce; they cry their tears and then these same tears are the ones that actually cleanse and purify them, and then they get up and move forward with the blessing of truth, clarity and aligned to higher values.
On the higher expression of their dharma Ardra people can be ethical, moral and compassionate people, because they know what it feels like on the other side and they have made the choice not to do that to others. Most people close off and harden up after storms, and on the lower expression Ardra can be ruthless, mean and speak its “truth” without consideration for others and how they can hurt other people with their words and actions.
Their higher dharma is not to do that – it is to pour the waters of compassion and forgiveness on self, and then to others also. Any storms are essentially teaching Ardra people to humble themselves, keep the Rahu tamed, and to appreciate in a deeper way all in life – because it is only after storms, when clouds clear and we smell the freshness in the air, that we can more truly appreciate that which matters to us most deeply.
Ardra people have the potential to see through everyone’s lower self or falseness – because they have seen these aspects of humanity, they’ve walked these paths, and this makes them very honorable in their actions after. Truth is freeing, powerful and while disillusionment can hurt, it is freedom – and it is the initiation towards spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Spirituality is about authenticity is about truth is about compassion for all of humanity. We all cry our tears, but water is water, is union.
Dharma of Rohini
Suppose you have planets in Rohini nakshatra.
Rohini is known as “the red goddess”, and is considered as the personification of the bright orange-red star Aldebaran, which is the brightest in the Taurus constellation right at the eye of the bull. Rohini is a beautiful nakshatra which has a powerful magnetism, and she deals with beauty, attraction, fulfillment and creation.
For those of you who don’t know – the 27 nakshatras are known as the wives of the god Moon, Chandra. Rohini was his favourite wife and he’d spend longer nights at her bed chambers. This made all the other wives jealous, and eventually Chandra was thrown away from the kingdom to wax and wane in the sky.
Because of this incredible magnetism that Rohini has, the dharmic path for these natives is to be the best they can be, aligned to a right path and higher values – because essentially, others will look up to them, are influenced by them and will usually be devoted to them.
The magnetic energy of Rohini is the karmic one – that’s who she is and how she is, and how she moves and influences all around her; but the dharmic path is the one she needs to choose consciously through her actions and deeds. With power comes responsibility, and here Rohini has power and the choice to choose what kind of influence she’d like to make in this world, how she wants to contribute to those around her and what she’ll do with all that she attracts.
The higher path of Rohini’s dharmic path is what is she choosing to create. If you have this nakshatra in your chart ask yourself – what are you creating? What possible difference in this world would you like to make?
With Rohini in your natal chart, you may attract many things such as wealth, fame, desires and pleasures, and others may be devoted to you or look up to you, just as the god Moon was. You may have even had people jealous of you for no reason. And it is precisely then that your dharmic path may open: what do you choose to do and what kind of person do you choose to be and how do you choose to respond in these situations?
If you get the wealth and fame, great, this is a karma; but the dharma is – what do you choose to create in this world? What do you do with what you have and what do you choose to bring into this world through your creations of words, hands, gestures and actions? What role model are you?
Rohini gives you magnetic power and attractions and perhaps even influencing strangers on the street – but the real dharma and power comes from actually standing in integrity. You have a dharmic responsibility to be a higher version of yourself, because people are looking up to you. And this doesn’t have to be on some global level – you have family attracted to you, friends etc. You have responsibility to these people who love you and look up to you to be someone walking a right path with integrity – this is the dharma.
Rohini always has someone’s eyes on her, and because of her connection to the Moon, which rules devotion, you may have people devote to you. But again, that’s the karma – the dharma is: what are you devoted to? Are you devoted to God, are you devoted to unhealthy patterns and conditions and lower urges? What values do you align to, what morals and ethics? What kind of an example are you giving to others?
When we devote to the right things, when we walk in integrity, we create so much beauty and meaning in this world, touching the lives of others along the way. It doesn’t have to be in some material or physical or obvious way; it is through our embodiment of love through our lips, hands and gestures that love shapes in the lives of others also. There is a lot of potential for good with this nakshatra, but also a lot of not so great and a lot of selfishness – so as most else in life, it is only up to us what we choose to do with the energy.
Dharma of Punarvasu
One of the purest nakshatras of all, Punarvasu means the return of the light, the renewal of soul. From the storms of Ardra the soul is now renewed and returns with purity, empathy and wisdom. Punarvasu is ruled by Aditi, who is the mother of all gods – and she is also the goddess of motherhood, fertility, consciousness, unconsciousness, the past and the future and present, she rules all of nature. As a celestial mother of all, she is associated with space (akasha) and with mystic speech (vac, i.e. divine speech). She is often seen as the feminine form of Brahma, the creator.
Punarvasu is naturally, and powerfully dharmic as it is ruled by lord of dharma himself – Jupiter. This gives these natives depth of intelligence and love for study and higher knowledge, though their dharma is about the wisdom which they will gain and embody in their life – it is truly mystic’s wisdom, which they would have gained through nature also.
They have real potential for spiritual knowledge, wisdom and growth and people will be approaching them for advice and insight. Jupiter here blessed their path in spiritual pursuits and deep insight.
Jupiter is exalted in Cancer and Punarvasu which shows the deep connection to the heart and spirit – because to know to mind of others you must know the heart. They have the potential for truly listening to another person and then being able to give them spot on guidance and insight, which is heart centered, because people connect to them emotionally also, and because the Punarvasu natives intentionally listen, getting to know the other person for who they truly are and what they need.
Because of the association with Aditi, the highest dharma of Punarvasu is to build deep connections to all things in nature, the three kingdoms: the human, the animal and the plant. Often it is precisely through their deep connections to animals and nature that they gain their deepest wisdoms and spiritual insight, because they see the interconnection of everything, the necklace of life, and animals too are attracted to them sensing their open pure auras.
They may have loved animals since young age, or have the ability to interact with wildlife in amazing and profound ways, and they just naturally have the potential for creating, deepening and sustaining meaningful connections with all of life, no matter how small or big, no matter if animal, flower or human. Life offers itself to them and they to it, and a beautiful love romance happens in each and every moment.
Through these deep relationships and experiences with wildlife, they learn the virtues, humility, patience, the various languages of all things and how all is interrelated. Their deep witnessing and noticing of all things and all relationships shows them how spirit is imbued in everything; and they begin to learn the languages of all including those we’ll never hear not understand such as animals. They learn how all moves to speak and express itself, what it needs, what it feels, how it perceives – and they begin to interact with it and learn its movements.
This is profoundly enriching because doorways of spiritual insight open and they deepen their human relationships as well, as they know how to interact and understand all people, no matter the language and backgrounds. They also understand the richness of ordinary simple moments and see how love is found there, how magic is there, how all is there always.
Being grateful is part of their dharma, and being ungrateful is what will show them they are a bit off track. Punarvasu dharma is about gratitude and being in the present moment, just like in nature all is in its present moment; their dharma is also about devotion, and the Bhakti devotional pathway, just like a mother loves her child, just like all is to be loved and devoted to with care, gentleness, dedication and compassion.
The evolution of Punarvasu is tranquility. It is about being in the present moment, being serene and calm, and seeing how all is interconnected in a beautiful love dance. They are to experience this tranquility also, and relax that the storms of the past are now gone – the tree doesn’t worry about the future, the sun doesn’t worry, the sunset kisses the arms of dusk just as the sunrise kisses the arms of dawn. Punarvasu natives are here to feel the breeze on their shoulders, the touch of a loving hand, the feeding of an animal, the looking at the roses. Love is in all of these moments, always and forever.
Being in the present moment happens when we are consumed by love. They are here to be consumed by love in all ways and moments; and being in the present moment is what gives them the strong devotional power and gratitude. And this fills them with even more love, more insight, more mysticism. At its core, Punarvasu is all about love and this is the only path towards humanity’s dharma always.
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