Moksha
My aim in life is moksha as shown in my moon in hasta nakshatra of the Vedic astrology..
What is Moksha?
Moksha, also spelled mokṣa, also called mukti, in Indian philosophy and religion, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara). Derived from the Sanskrit word muc (“to free”), the term moksha literally means freedom from samsara.
Moksha is the end of the death and rebirth cycle and is classed as the fourth and ultimate artha (goal). It is the transcendence of all arthas. It is achieved by overcoming ignorance and desires. It is a paradox in the sense that overcoming desires also includes overcoming the desire for moksha itself. It can be achieved both in this life and after death.
3 Ways to achieve Moksha
There are three ways embraced by Hinduism to achieve moksha: jnana, bhakti, and karma. The jnana way, or Jnana Marga, is the way to achieve moksha through knowledge and study.
According to the Vedic aims of life, a soul must achieve four objectives – #Dharma, #Artha, #Kama and #Moksha. While ‘Dharma’ equates with career, ‘Artha’ with wealth, and ‘Kama’ with enjoyment, nothing is supreme to ‘moksha’, which is spiritual liberation. Without liberation or moksha, the other three goals have no real meaning in life.
Now the first Nakshatra Ashwini is a Dharma Nakshatra, the second Nakshatra Bharani is a Artha Nakshatra, the third Krittika is a Kama Nakshatra and the fourth Rohini is a Moksha Nakshatra.
THE NAKSHATRAS AND THE FOUR AIMS OF LIFE
Life has four aims:
Dharma: doing what you are supposed to do. Fulfilling your soul in daily activities
Artha: generating income and wealth so you can provide shelter and food for your body.
Kama: going after your desires.
Moksha: liberating your soul.
Every Nakshatra represents an energy in which one aim is stressed. By looking at which planets are in which Nakshatras one can find out which aims of life are stressed in the life of a person.
The way the Nakshatras are divided among the aims of life is interesting. At first, the order of the aims is the same as the order of the signs which represents the connected elements in the zodiac
We all know that the first sign in the zodiac is Aries (fire), then Taurus (earth), Gemini (air) and Cancer (water).
Now the first Nakshatra Ashwini is a Dharma Nakshatra, the second Nakshatra Bharani is a Artha Nakshatra, the third Krittika is a Kama Nakshatra and the fourth Rohini is a Moksha Nakshatra.
Then however something different happens. The fifth Nakshatra Mrigashirsha is also a Moksha Nakshatra and from then, the order is going backwards. So the sixth Nakshatra Ardra is a Kama Nakshatra, the seventh Punarvasu is an Artha Nakshatra and the eighth Pushya a Dharma Nakshatra.
Now we have returned at the ‘first aim’ Dharma again. The ninth Nakshatra Ashlesha is still a Dharma Nakshatra. From then, we go onwards: the tenth Nakshatra Magha is Artha, the eleventh Purva Phalguni is Kama, the twelfth Uttara Phalguni is Moksha.
From then, the same thing happens as with Rohini. Again the next Nakshatra Hasta is a Moksha Nakshatra and from then, we go backwards: Chitra is Kama, Swati is Artha and Vishakha is Dharma.
As can be expected there follows another Dharma Nakshatra which is Anuradha, then we have an Artha Nakshatra Jyeshta, a Kama Nakshatra Mula and a Moksha Nakshatra Purvashadha.
At this point, something happens which may surprise us. At first what happens is very much what we would have expected. There comes another Moksha Nakshatra, which is Utturashadha, but then we seem to skip the Kama Nakshatra and go right to an Artha Nakshatra which is Shravana and then we come to a Dharma Nakshatra which is Dhanista.
Of course, it is interesting to know why we skip the Kama Nakshatra. The answer seems to be that in the past there used to be a system of 28 Nakshatras. The 28st Nakshatra is Abhijit. This Nakshatra is located between Purvashadha and Shravana. It is the only Nakshatra of which the main star Vega is located far away from the ecliptic. That is also why it is hard to locate it on the ecliptic and probably one reason why it is skipped.
However, some fifteen thousand years ago Vega used to be the polestar. In the past, this Nakshatra could be very important. The fact that the deity which belongs to this Nakshatra is Brahma, the creator, seems to underline this. Today, this Nakshatra is sometimes used for religious purposes,but is not a standard part of the system
However, let us go back to the order of Nakshatras. We have arrived at Dhanistha, which is a Dharma Nakshatra. Now we will find as expected another Dharma Nakshatra, which is Shatabhishak. Then comes an Artha Nakshatra Purva Bhadrapada, a Kama Nakshatra Uttara Bhadrapada and we end with a Moksha Nakshatra Revati.
It is interesting that we start the sequence of Nakshatras with the Nakshatra Ashwini which is a Dharma Nakshatra (that has to do with finding our purpose in life) and end with a Moksha Nakshatra which is about spiritual liberation
In the diagram of the Nakshatras, which you can see above (in the paragraph about the gunas),
you will also find a column which gives information of which purpose of life belongs to which
Nakshatra. D = Dharma, A = Artha, K=Kama and M = Moksha.
The first Nakshatra Ashwini is Rajas-Rajas-Rajas and is a Dharma Nakshatra.
The Nakshatra Chitra is Tamas-Tamas-Tamas and is a Kama Nakshatra. The last Nakshatra Revati is Sattva-Sattva-Sattva and is a Moksha Nakshatra.
Therefore, there seems to be a connection between Rajas and Dharma, Tamas and Kama and Sattva and Moksha. This connection is logical if you look at the characteristics of the gunas and the purposes of life.
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NAKSHATRAS
The symbolism of the Nakshatras is rich indeed. In addition to a planet, deity, symbol, aim of life and guna each Nakshatra also corresponds with a certain animal, animal type, caste, sex, temperament, dosha, tattva (element) and even winddirection.
The symbolism of the Nakshatras is rich indeed. In addition to a planet, deity, symbol, aim of life and guna each Nakshatra also corresponds with a certain animal, animal type, caste, sex, temperament, dosha, tattva (element) and even wind direction.
SEXES
Male nakshatras are: Ashwini, Bharani, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Uttara Phalguni, Swati, Jyeshta, Mula, Purvashadha, Uttarashadha, Shravana and Purva Bhadrapada
Female Nakshatras are: Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashirsha, Ardra, Punarvasu, Purva Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Vishakha, Anuradha, Dhanistha, Shatabhishak, Uttara Bhadrapada and Revati.
Male Nakshatras are more active than female Nakshatras. It is notable that sometimes male Nakshatras are governed by female deities and the other way around.
TEMPERAMENTS
Deva (godly) nakshatras are Ashwini, Mrigashirsha, Punarvasu, Pushya, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Revati.
Human nakshatras are Bharani, Rohini, Ardra, Shravana and all the Purva and Uttara Nakshatras.
Rakshasa (demon) nakshatras are Krittika, Ashlesha, Magha, Chitra, Vishakha, Jyestha, Mula, Dhanistha, Shatabhishak
People who have many planets in demon Nakshatras maybe more harsh then those who have planets in the deva Nakshatras which are mostly soft.
However we have to keep in mind that devas are not necessarily good and demons are not necessarily bad. In fact they both have their role in creation to play and are equally important.
If there were no demons, it would be impossible to deal with our karmic problems. In that case, we would probably be playing harp all-day and enjoying the sunshine. Not much spiritual growth would result out of that.
ANIMALS
There is a connection between certain animal species and the Nakshatras. This is something that can be interesting to know about. You can look in which Nakshatra you have your ascendant, Moon or Sun and look at the corresponding animals. You may choose one (or more) of these as your ‘totem animal’
You can meditate on this animal. When you see it, you can look at its characteristics. You can read books about the way it lives. When you see a program about this animal do not miss it because by watching the program you will learn more about yourself. Personally, I think it is funny and revealing to learn about yourself just by watching a certain animal.
Sources;
Wikipedia
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/beliefs/moksha.shtml
https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Moksha
About the Writer
Gabriel Comia, Jr is a student of Vedic Astrology.
