1

Bhavat-Bhavam and the Modern Interpretation of Nakshatras

by Janos Tamas Melocco (Kartikeya), Vedic astrologer (Budapest, Hungary)

The aim of the present article is to explain the direct use of Vedic
nakshatras in chart interpretation and transits on a basis slightly different from
the usual ones encoded in symbols, deities and other attributes, though deeply in
harmony with those. I believe that using nakshatras actively (as in neo-Vedic
astrology) gains tremendously from the application of this element; moreover,
that this way of thinking about nakshatras is deeply encoded into the Vedic
zodiac itself. Additionally, it might throw a different light upon interpreting
Vimsottari Dashas (planetary periods).
Like many discoveries, this finding has a history. My teacher of Vedic
astrology at the time, Maria Csom had been a practicing Western karmic
astrologer in Budapest. On the inspiration of her Yoga master Swamiji
Maheshwarananda, she decided to experiment with using Vedic astrology, then
gradually switched over to using only Indian charts, equal houses, and a sidereal
zodiac. Maria became really intrigued by the nakshatras, these mysterious areas
of the Hindu zodiac, which constitute the basis of the Vimsottari dashas, a
powerful technique of prediction without equivalent in Western astrology. Her
intuition was that if the planetary periods so fundamental in Vedic prediction
are counted from the nakshatra positions of the Moon at the time of birth,
perhaps these obscure divisions of the sky held the real secret of a finer analysis
of birth charts and transits in the Indian way. Starting to study the classic
publications about nakshatras by David Frawley and Dennis Harness, she was
trying to relate the mythological and other properties to the Vedic charts of
clients, friends and famous people. Studying gave rise to a piece of inspiration: at
first, you need to translate the basics of nakshatras to the language of Western
astrologers planets in signs. Then Purva Phalguni could be understood as similar
to a Leo Venus, Bharani to an Aries Venus and so on.
Knowing how lordship has much more significance in the equal house
system of Vedic astrology, Maria began to correlate the nakshatras to the signs
ruled by the nakshatra rulers, gaining additional information from the position of
these signs counted from the sign where the nakshatra is found. Basically, she
was applying the bhavat bhavam principle counting a house from a house
reasoning that if Venuss own signs (Taurus and Libra) are the third and tenth
houses from Leo (where Purva Phalguni is found), Purva Phalguni should display a
general meaning that derives from having a nakshatra ruler which is a third
house lord and a tenth house lord. The third house, among other things, refers to
expression (noted in the charts of famous entertainers), communication, tests
and trials, while the tenth house refers mainly to profession and occupation in the
Vedic analysis. Leo is a sign of self-expression and leadership, while Venus
(Shukra) is the patron of arts, therefore Purva Phalguni could be marked in the
charts of people who use Venusian energy professionally, for example in the arts
music, even psychology, television or marketing. Venus is the ruler of Taurus,
the second sign, thus it is a karaka of money and enterprises in the natural
horoscope (the Indian term for the parallel between houses and signs). The third
house bears a parallel to Gemini, so expression and adapting to the present are

2
among its themes, so TV personalities and business persons could also frequently
have planets or Ascendant (Lagna) there.
In contrast, counting from the Venusian nakshatra of Aries (Bharani),
Venuss own signs, Taurus and Libra fall to the second and the seventh houses.
That means Bharani no matter what planet we have in it would display
second-house themes (possessions, values and attraction) and also seventhhouse themes (e.g. relationships, sex). Thus Bharani relates to relationships, sex,
and possessions, money etc. far more than Purva Phalguni which tends to
emphasize a professional and communicative use of Venusian energy (10 th and
3rd house are Venus-ruled from Leo). So the difference between these two
nakshatras on top of the difference between the themes of the two fire signs
housing them would basically be a difference between a Leo Venus area with
Venuss signs being in the 3rd and 10th house and an Aries Venus area with
Venuss signs being in the 2nd house and the 7th house from the home sign.
We started to study this insight methodically with the Budapest group of
basic Vedic astrology students gathered around Maria Csom around the turn of
the millennium, and went through the whole circle of signs and nakshatras with
various planets in them, trying to correlate the bhavat bhavam characteristics of
nakshatras and came up with far more nuances in the case of ourselves, friends,
relatives, famous people and the charts of clients. And in every case, we found
that the bhavat bhavam explanation of nakshatras bore additional fruits of
interpretation, and that these were very much in harmony with the original intent
coded into the zodiac of India, noting also the traditional symbols, deities as well
as the male-female characteristics, and other classifications, for example the
Rakshasa/Manushya/Devic classification (which can be roughly translated as
active and aggressive; people-centered; or passive and idea-centered).
The parallels of the natural horoscope help interpret the various numbers
where the nakshatra ruler could have its sign(s). The sixth house could signify
sickness and healing, enemies and karma yoga. Thinking about it as a parallel to
the sixth sign, Virgo, helps explain why it is useful to integrate the Western idea
of the sixth house being a house of work, along with the traditional tenth house
of work in Vedic astrology, which is parallel to the tenth sign, Capricorn. It is the
main house of work and occupation, however, it does not carry the additional
meaning of enemies, sickness and healing.
1. Nakshatras of the Nodes; Dashas and Nakshatras
Now we can begin to describe some additional characteristics of nakshatras
based on the bhavat-bhavam logic. Notice that in the picture, I colored the signs
ruled by the same planet as the nakshatras they rule. All nakshatras are arranged
in trines, that is, the same sequence of nine rulers repeats itself three times. The
nakshatras owned by Rahu and Ketu are less interesting from the point of view of
this article, because no sign is owned by either of the shadowy planets. In a birth
chart, you would relate them to the natal placement of Rahu and Ketu.
Experimentally, one could still count the houses from a Rahu nakshatra to the
placement of Rahu in the chart, though. A few points still turn up in analysis,
however. So let us quickly sum up what we can say about nakshatras ruled by
Rahu or Ketu.

3
The nodes are both enemies of the Sun and the Moon. Coded into legend,
this is because it was the two luminaries that betrayed the stealing of the amrita
by the demon cut into two by Vishnus disk. (They remained immortal, though,
having already had a sip of the amrita of immortality). This myth conveys a
practical piece of information for Vedic astrologers: The Sun and the Moon suffer
when being afflicted by the malefic aspect of either Rahu or Ketu, and by
extension, they will suffer in the nakshatras of Rahu or Ketu. In my experience,
Ketu nakshatras are more difficult for a Moon placement; Rahu nakshatras are
more difficult for a Sun placement, but naturally, this is further refined by the
aspects and the lordships of the particular chart. Mula could be the hardest of all
three Ketu-nakshatras for the Moon, since the Moons own sign Cancer is eight
houses away from Sagittarius. (This is also bhavat bhavam thinking applied to
another level, when we place a planet in the nakshatra.
At this point I think it is indispensable to use a graphic representation to be able
to count houses (or signs really, in this case). So here it goes:

5
A Ketu nakshatra placement for the Moon additionally means that the
natives life would start in Ketu dasha, which is a separating and frequently
otherworldly influence not easy for a child. You could say people with a Moon in
a Ketu nakshatra arrives into physical life fully only after Ketu dasha is over, when
the subsequent Venus dasha starts. Literature states that the Moon in the same
sign as Ketu could lead to the loss of the mother. In modern society, I find this is
not necessarily so direct; rather, the natives mother can be a more masculine,
tough person, or someone who suffers hardships, or that the mother-child
relationship is somewhat disturbed by other factors. It is worst, however, when
the Ketu period derives from the Moon being in Mula (Sagittarius). Because the
Moons sign being eight houses from Sagittarius, what we frequently see is that
the natives mother has undergone a painful loss or separation which has an
indirect impact on the early life of the native. Aswini Moon is also placed in a Ketu
nakshatra, but an Aswini Moon native can have a strong mother unless other
aspects spoil that. The sign of Cancer is four houses away from such a Moon,
hence family life is all-important for the mother. With Magha, Cancer falls into the
12th house, which could among other things refer to the natives former life with
the mother, a meditative life or a stay in a confined situation or other 12 th house
significations.
Moon in a Rahu nakshatra means a difficult childhood while Rahu dasha
lasts it is more appropriate for Rahu dasha to start in adulthood when you are
constantly growing and changing yourself, never reaping the results. For a native
with a Moon in Rahu nakshatra, however, life will start with the remaining portion
of Rahu dasha (counted proportionally from how much the Moon has covered out
of the given Rahu nakshatra at the moment of the first breath). Rahu dasha can
be brutal, hard and shocking to a child. No wonder traditional Vedic texts say
Rahu is rough, malefic and brutal, and points at obsessions and sudden changes
though the explanation of more mystical astrologers (more in the West than in
modern India) is that Ketu points at former lives and Rahu points towards future
lives the natives soul wishes to experience in the future.
The themes of the three Rahu nakshatras are different, though: Swati Moon
(in Libra) would show that the mother (and by extension, the father) have major
relationship troubles, divorce, cheating etc. Ardra Moon (Gemini) points at the
mother (and the native) going through rough adaptation to diametrically
opposing environments, or that the native has a younger sibling (Gemini is
parallel to the third house, which is that of younger siblings in the natural
horoscope). Satabhisha Moon (Aquarius) could mean the mother is involved in
some community work, a religious sect, or more prosaically, that she works at a
demanding community site such as a hospital. (Satabhisha means a hundred
physicians, and such mothers frequently have little time or energy for their
child.) I found stories of some quite unbalanced mothers with the native having
Moon in Rahu nakshatra, especially Satabhisha. Traditional teachers maintain a
Rahu-Chandra native (a conjunction of Rahu and the Moon) may be mentally
unbalanced. There is some truth in that, though some of the most balanced,
practical and reliable people I know have exactly that. I would say the native has
to develop along the karmic path shown by the mother not just repeating it but
by improving the same direction. Let us settle at a point in the middle and say
that having the Moon in a Rahu nakshatra may be both rough and upsetting to

6
the native and that they may also point at future development in themes of
reincarnation.
This gives the reader a taste that Vimsottari Dashas can also be
interpreted as periods of planets counted from the Moons nakshatra, in addition
to the standard interpretation based upon the ruling planets placement in the
rashi, aspects etc. My own chart has a Swati Moon (Rahu nakshatra in the sign of
relationships). Thus the fact that I started my life in a Rahu period which went
on until I was seven and a half really means that I was living through a Swati
period, not a Satabhisha period or an Ardra period. The modern Vedic analysis of
a planetary period would first look at the placement of the ruling planet, yet I feel
the three different nakshatras of all the nine planets (including the nodes) are
different, due to the three different signs of the nakshatras counted from the
Moon. Since Rahu and Ketu throw trikona aspects (1, 5 and 9 plus some say a
7th), the influence of their nakshatras can be more mixed than those of three
nakshatras of other planets, for example those of Venus or Saturn, which as
planets do not throw trikona aspects. My second planetary period was Jupiter,
and the second nakshatra from my natal Moon is Vishakha, not Purva Bhadra or
Punarvasu. These are subtle differences, but when I arrived at my Saturn dasha
at the age of 23 (the third nakshatra from my natal Moon), that was markedly a
Saturn dasha with an Anuradha flavor, not Uttara Bhadra or Pushya (the other
two Saturn nakshatras). Anuradha often involves moves abroad, travels or
dislocation on a bhavat bhavam basis (see later). My first wife and I left my
native country exactly in the hour of the starting of the 19-year-long Anuradha
dasha, and I did not return to Hungary until more than a decade later (she still
lives abroad). The nakshatra of Anuradha would fall into my seventh house (my
Swati Moon is in my sixth) and I left with her though I have no planets in my
seventh. No doubt there are other factors traditionally explaining this sudden
change I had my Sade Sati going during that time, which transit made the
starting of my Saturn dasha all-powerful. The very first time in my life when I had
a reading with a Jyotish pandit, he told me the month when I left my home
country for a long stay abroad. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS) also has the
interpretation (actually, an unlucky one from the point of view of Vedic astrology)
that if Saturn dasha starts and Saturn is weak, eclipsed or found in the eighth or
twelfth house, the native could go to live in a different country the worse Saturn
is off, the sooner it happens in the dasha. (Apparently, the pandits ruled that my
Saturn was catastrophic and they did consult the BPHS for a short while). My
Saturn is combusted by the Sun in the eighth, and Sun rules the fourth house.
But all this understanding would come easier if we suppose that if I start
my life with Swati dasha, Vishakha mahadasha was my next one (Jupiter), and
Anuradha mahadasha was the third one (Saturn). If we take the bhavat bhavam
logic, and translate the basic meaning of the area known as Anuradha, it will be
similar to a Scorpio Saturn which rules the third and fourth houses from itself
(Capricorn and Aquarius). That means a changing of mental constitution
thought and communication as well as the unconscious mind and emotions
the fourth house , and possibly the relationship of the two as well. It is the fourth
house placement which signifies the theme of moving and dislocation for
Anuradha, sometimes overseas (water sign). My eldest daughter born in
America with a Scorpio Moon has an Anuradha Moon, so her life started in
Saturn dasha. An Anuradha Moon frequently involves moves, even abroad, long

7
journeys, dislocation and a sense of being alien to the environment. She lived her
life like going to school for a few years in America, then in Hungary again, and
the switch was repeated many times over. I have seen great voyagers and
geographical discoverers with Anuradha placements.
As for the Moon itself, all Scorpio Moons I have seen so far were spiritual in
some way, because by bhavat bhavam, the Moon stands there as the ruler of the
ninth sign (and the ninth house is, among other things, spirituality and
philosophy). So my assertion is that despite the fact that my natal Saturn is not
even near Anuradha (it is in Uttara Shadha nakshatra, Sagittarius, combust by
the Sun, at the last degrees of my eighth house), my Saturn period was really an
Anuradha period, since it is the next one after Swati and Punarvasu. The bhavat
bhavam interpretation adds a further element to my story: Kornelia and I had just
married before we left, and I feel I perhaps would not have made the final
decision to leave my native country without her inspiring and supporting me all
the way. Let me repeat the point that Anuradha is found in my seventh house
(which is otherwise empty). It would be wise to look at the natives mahadashas
as all relating to the 9 nakshatras following his/her Moon, experimenting whether
the mahadashas really have these particular nakshatra flavor, and perhaps in a
future software even name the dashas and bhuktis and so on by the nakshatra
names. It has worked me in every case and yielded new insights, especially after
I considered the bhavat bhavam characteristics of the various nakshatras. I could
even say that proportionality can also be applied. The first three quarters (padas)
of Vishakha dasha would in time make 12 years of my Jupiter dasha (my second
mahadasha from age 7/12 to 23 1/2 were markedly different than the last four
years, because the last pada of Vishakha falls into Scorpio. I fell into an intense
self-searching period during the last years of Jupiter (Vishakha), with psychology,
strongly emotional themes, and I gradually lost touch with the world around me,
transforming, and towards the end, I started to form the idea of moving abroad
as a result, which I did in the very hour when Anuradha dasha kicked in.
These very days, when Saturn was transiting through Anuradha, an
unprecedented wave of migration started in the world, with people trying to
escape from the Middle East war.
If you place a planet with a more specific aspect pattern into a nakshatra,
for example, Mars, you would also have to add its own Parashari aspects to the
standard explanation. Mars throws drishtis at the 1st, 4th, 7th and the 8th sign from
itself. This is the third level of interpreting a planet in a nakshatra, which colors
the fundamental characteristics of the sign and the planet, plus the bhavat
bhavam nakshatra themes. You could also look at which houses the planet itself
rules, and those apply at a different level. So placing a planet in a nakshatra is
actually a complex task I already experimented with going through the
traditional interpretations of planets in signs in jyotish and I could explain every
word quoted from the classics by bhavat bhavam and aspects.
Let me add all this up: if you have Mars in Purva Phalguni, you would first
have to account for the nature and the themes of Leo, those of the fire element
(in excess because Mars is also fiery), and the friendship of Mars and Sun. That is
the first level. Then you would see that Venus, the nakshatra ruler is the owner of
the 3rd and 10th houses from Leo, so you would have strong career and
communications meanings for this Mars, and possibly troubles with younger

8
siblings. Finally, you would add that a Leo Mars would directly aspect the signs of
Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces. That is where its attention turns. I guess a Leo Mars
person would be more than ready to use computers and other innovations, and
would like driving a car, because of Marss aspect on Aquarius. To analyze all that
would go far beyond the scope of this article, so let us restrict ourselves to those
meanings that are derived from the bhavat bhavam relationships of the
nakshatras without planets in them. One last remark is that this way we really
have to examine 36 nakshatra areas in the entire Hindu zodiac, since the bhavat
bhavam counting will differ, say, from the Taurus portion of Krittika nakshatra
than from the Aries portion of the same. There are nine nakshatras divided
between signs and those parts really behave differently though there are
common themes. (Since there are four parts of each nakshatra, pointing to a
different navamsha sign (the padas of nakshatras), the Hindu zodiac really
consists of 108 parts which is not a coincidence. Chanting mantras 108 times
would address the mantra to every small portion of the starry sky of India in your
birth chart)
The second part will examine the main house connections of each
nakshatra ruler planet (we covered Rahu and Ketu) from the point of view of
bhavat bhavam, mentioning just a few specific examples in each case.
2. Bhavat Bhavam Themes in the Nakshatras of Venus
The three nakshatras ruled by Venus are found in the middle of fire signs:
Bharani in Aries, Purva Phalguni in Leo and Purva Shadha in Sagittarius. For the
sake of completeness, I repeat what I said in my starting example: Venus is the
ruler of the second sign (Taurus) and the seventh sign (Libra) from Aries, thus the
themes of Bharani will be, for example, money and sex, and holding on to
relationships, plus important relationships with women (for both genders). Taurus
is doubly significant here because it is both the second sign and the second
house from Aries at the same time, while it is simply the most earthbound and
sensual of all signs, relating to eating, gardens, possessions, money, beauty,
diets and cosmetics. The second house in a chart would also signify speech and
teeth. Bharani is wiring is difficult, because Aries means independence and
spontaneity, while the nakshatra ruler Venus emphasizes relationships, and it
owns the seventh house. Thus Bharani placements could lead to violent swings
between being dependent on relationships and individual spontaneity. I found
that the possessions of Bharani people can fluctuate depending on whether they
have a good partner or without one (Bharani is romantic but passionate it is in
the cardinal fire sign of Mars). That is to say, Mars as self-will and Venus as
relationships (the theme of Libra, an air sign, is adjusting to another person) are
mixed here and they are in a constant seesaw. Venus wants you to adapt to your
partner and make compromises, while Mars as the sign ruler would want you to
go ahead and do what thou wilt and conform to no one.
Purva Phalguni, in contrast to Bharani, has the Venusian signs in the third
house (Libra) and the tenth house (Taurus) from itself. Thus it signifies a more
professional aspect of Venus, such as being a professional artist, entertainer, or
leadership with style. Since the third house can be communications and its
parallel sign in the natural horoscope, Gemini signifies the present and
adaptation in general; other areas can be TV, movies, or communications. A tenth
house relationship could mean that there is actually a lot the native works and

9
chisels things in himself or herself, which can actually be valued in the present,
even sold as a service or a talent. Leo refers to the eternal now its ruler, the
Sun is the karaka of the Higher Self, or Atma.
Purva Shadha naturally relates to the Sagittarian fire of religion, ideals and
idealism. Since Venus (the nakshatra lord) and Jupiter (the sign lord) are enemies
in Vedic astrology, this idealistic nakshatra again conveys a self-contradiction:
Venus rules the present while Jupiter is the future. Venus is the material world
and your desires, while Jupiter is the celestial Guru they are forever at odds, just
like Venus and Mars are in Bharanis case. People with Purva Shadha, however,
desire (Venus) ideals, ideology or a spotless faith, masters (Jupiter). This is not
always good: Hitler had Purva Shadha Moon, Ketu and Jupiter and he certainly
believed in his version of the truth which he had already believed in another life.
He had his enemies, though. Bhavat bhavam would say that the next Venusian
sign is Taurus, the sixth house. While also another house of work, many Venus
significations could be inimical due to the sixth house connection, and the native
could have problems with organs related to Venus e.g. the kidneys or sugar. Libra
is the 11th house from there, thus there is an orientation towards communities
and friends relating to ideas. So Purva Shadha connects faith to communities,
instead of being a lone mystic. My experience with good Purva Shadha clients
says that the natives are truly religious, idealistic and are actually in touch with
the future (a Jupiterian sign connected to the 11 th house), but they frequently
gloss over peoples faults and are thus bound to bitter disappointments. As the
11th house grows in power with age (upachaya), and Saturn is the ruler of the
eleventh sign in the natural horoscope, this aspect can be improved with age
and wisdom. (Not in the case with Hitler, though: the 11 th Venusian sign from
Purva Shadha was his ascendant Libra, the lord of which is found with Mars and
Sun in the sign of war, Aries. Venus was retrograde towards Pisces, so he believed
in war and wanted mass sacrifices of the enemies of his people. The other
Venusian house of his chart, Taurus, was the sixth from Purva Shadha, having
Pluto in it, lying in the eighth from his ascendant so he became really paranoid
and at the same time could influence many people).
3. Bhavat Bhavam Themes in the Nakshatras the Sun
The next nakshatras are solar: Krittika in Aries and Taurus; Uttara Phalguni in
Leo and Virgo, and Uttara Shadha in Sagittarius and Capricorn. The Suns own
sign, Leo is the fifth house from Aries, while the Sun means father and rulership
among other things. The combination of Sun and Mars (the sign lord) leads to
excessive fire, thus while there is a challenge to find personal power and
creativity, the fathers authority could be oppressive and power in general can be
problematic. Sometimes the placement in Aries Krittika is more positive as far as
finding power, leadership and the attitudes of authority figures. Saturn would be
a tragically bad position here, in the last degrees of its debilitation sign. Having
children is a positive influence because of the fifth house connection; a male
offspring is particularly good in a karmic way. I have seen very critical and fiery
people with Aries Krittika placements act very nicely with their sons (while their
daughters can also be very creative and somewhat masculine).
The second part of Krittika is in the cardinal Earth sign of Taurus; this is
where the Moon is exalted according to Vedic tradition and the Suns own sign
falls to the fourth house from there. Thus the real value (Taurus) for this second

10
part of Krittika is his/her family and home adding it all up, it is a breadwinners
role (sometimes alone, whether the native is male or female), and that of
someone who would defend their children (or their creative results) at all costs. I
would say partner relationships are not easy for Taurus significations since the
seventh house is Scorpio meaning change or destroy: divorce is frequent,
especially after the Saturn round of 29 years. In all of Krittika, when the Suns
position is weak, the natives father can actually blackmail the native by
withholding family property, money, power connections, or just doling them out
piecemeal.
The Leo part of Uttara Phalguni is one of the two small areas (amounting to
a quarter nakshatra) in the entire zodiac where the nakshatra ruler (the Sun) is
the same as the sign ruler. In these cases, the bhavat bhavam number is 1.
Naturally, such a position can be about absolute leadership and the fathers
example is very positive here whether he is the head of a company or that of a
country or a famous person. Since the seventh house from Leo belongs to Saturn,
and because we can say the Sun as a planet truly has a shadow, the person may
have a karmic debt towards a community which he or she works on by being a
leader of a different style.
The Virgo part will, however, have the Suns sign in the 12 th house from
itself. Aside from emphasizing Virgo roles such as science, healing, being
methodical, learning and service, we could note that there is an important and
close previous life (it could be the very last one indeed) where the native
experienced leadership and now no longer wants to be the leader, although he or
she can be a really experienced worker, indispensable at times. I have seen
people giving leadership coaching with this placement never having been
company CEOs themselves in this life. Their father is an authority figure. I have
also seen many movie actors and actresses with Virgo Uttara Phalguni planets
which shows that doing movies is hard and methodical work which requires
special tenacity plus detailed, precise operation in the material world, and
submission to the directors, scriptwriters and producers. Virgo Uttara Phalguni
movie actors sometimes direct movies on their own, which shows they also have
leadership qualities.
The Sagittarius part of the solar nakshatra Uttara Shadha will have Leo as
the ninth house. An absolutely Sagittarian importance of a father with very strong
beliefs or ideals, who could be an important person or an inspiring leader in that
front. People with planets like Jupiter or Saturn here could themselves be
religious leaders or pursue a respected therapeutic or esoteric position or
they have been ones in the past (if this placement falls into the eighth or twelfth
house). The Capricorn part of Uttara Shadha is problematic for the native both
regarding the father and authority in general, because bhavat bhavam would find
the Suns sign eight houses away. You could say that both the natives sense of
authority and their image of their father are under transformation. This area
holds part of Abhijit, considered as the 28 th nakshatra, playing a prominent part in
the charts of saints, religious leaders and healers. The native could feel that he or
she has to manifest those leadership qualities in an earthlier, practical and dayto-day manner. I have seen an example where the father was a companys CEO,
while his daughter, the native with a Capricorn Uttara Shadha Sun was
expressing her soul by doing one-to-one healing work.

11
4. Bhavat Bhavam Themes in the Nakshatras of the Moon
The Moon has one sign, Cancer, and there are three lunar nakshatras. In the case
of Rohini, the first lunar nakshatra (Taurus), we would look for its distance from
Cancer. Cancer is the third house from there. Since the Moon is exalted in Taurus
(though deeply in Krittika), and Rohini is the Moons own nakshatra, the meaning
is to be a natural, healing, peaceful person, sensitive, good with plants, animals,
children, even being able to handle disabled people. I have seen Rohini persons
always exude such a natural charm which is actually nourishing people around
them by its very essence, but I have also heard stories that the mother of Rohini
Moons had gone through real stressful times and obstacles, missing precisely
that quality of peace and nature which is inherent in the charts of their native
daughters or sons. A third house bhavat bhavam relationship could mean
obstacles and trials and Gemini, the parallel sign can be pretty hectic. (No
wonder Saturn throws a third aspect among its Parashari aspects.)
Hastha, the next lunar nakshatra in Virgo means hand. Bhavat bhavam
analysis reveals a special role here. The Moons sign of Cancer is found in the 11 th
house from Virgo. Because of this, the native has frequently themes of service or
learning, especially in a community, or karma yoga (Virgo themes). The groups
are somehow connected to the natives mother, communities with roots in the
past (the Moon means the past). The elder brother or sister may have an
important role in the natives life. Hastha is devic, concerned with ideas and not
action plus it is a passive nakshatra. In my book on the nakshatras published in
Hungarian (2012), I lengthily explored this horoscope with a Pluto retrograde in
the Ascendants nakshatra Hastha. The natives elder sister died while she was
still a baby, and that left difficult psychological traces leading to a self-discovery
leading in turn to learning a very deep form of group therapy in the style of Bert
Hellingers Family Constellation. (Pluto is not used by most Hindu astrologers, but
neo-Vedic astrologer Joni Patry also uses outer planets; here it could mean a
depression out of which the only way is healing and deep transformation work).
Additionally, that native has a Capricorn Moon in Shravana, so her horoscope is
doubly lunar, plus Pluto aspects her Moon. Jewish roots are also there to be
explored, though the person considers herself a Buddhist and is involved in both
groups of people. Cancer is the Ascendant of her Navamsha chart, which could
mean that somehow she fills the vacancy left by her sister through her work and
becomes family-oriented (but remains group-oriented) in the second part of her
life.
Shravana has a seventh house bhavat bhavam connection: it is in the
middle of the tough sign of Capricorn, but there are karmic ties to Cancer being
the 7th house. Shravana Moons have many interesting aspects, among them
being a lone shaman, an artist, a saint, a psychologist healing in a one-to-one
relationship, or a social worker who listens to people lower down in society and
helps them, but a karmic relationship is there in all cases between the mother
and the Shravana Moon native his/her mother could have been the natives
partner in a previous life, and unconsciously, she still holds onto the native as a
partner in a subtle way. Additionally, the marriage of the parents and their
divorce is usually a sore spot. Because of the signs Cancer and Capricorn, such
people are often involved in Yoga, meditation, or explore tribal themes.
5. Bhavat Bhavam Themes in the Nakshatras of Mars

12
All Mars nakshatras are cut in the middle between two signs. Mrigarshira is
between Taurus and Gemini. The first part of Mrigashira is like a Taurus Mars,
holding on to traditional values for dear life and very particular about eating; in
some other connections, it may signify martial art practice also. Mars itself here
yields a super-fighter. From Taurus, Scorpio falls into the seventh house. You could
say that partnership transforms the native and that he or she transforms the
partner. There is also a strong energy of holding on, like generally with Taurus
Mars positions. The partner may also be somewhat manipulative or suggestive,
and since the opposing nakshatra is Jyestha, he or she may have extraordinary
intelligence but also aware of the strange negative potentials of codes and
communication, in fact, the partner may be involved in a form of magic.
(Although this may not be the seventh house of the rashi, or from the Moon, I
think all seventh placements in a chart will color the natives relationships.) Aries
is in the 12th house from Taurus, so a Mars theme may be there from a former life,
or a theme that leads to seclusion or faraway places, and a Taurus Mars would
have a weak self-confidence because Aries, the sign of independence and
spontaneity fall to the 12th house from there. To some extent, that theme colors
the attributes of other planets in Taurus Mrigashira. Gemini Mrigashira could be
compared to Mars in Gemini. The numbers here are the 8 th house and the 11th
house, the bridge is Mars. I have seen people with Moon in Gemini Mrigashira
fighting fiercely (Aries is the 11th house) for their political group, then gradually
perceiving that the group in question is changing, transforming into something
else. They can also transform the group, but one could say they have a strange
suggestive power with their words, since Scorpio is the eighth house from the
starting point. Naturally, they have a good gift for speaking and writing (the
planet of will in the sign of speaking and writing), and they worry about having
dual choices in their life such as conflicts between living in two countries or doing
two professions. Gemini Mars aspects both Virgo and Capricorn, two signs related
to work and profession. Thus they usually have dilemmas about their professions.
The fourth aspect can also mean that they are very family-centered and that they
value their roots. But due to Gemini, they sometimes achieve the opposite effect
from what they consciously aim at, and because of the combination of Mars and
Mercury (the sign lord) they can have nervous troubles.
Virgo Chitra has the bhavat bhavam placements of Scorpio as the 3rd sign
and Aries as the 8th sign. I would say, for example, that the communication of
such a person a real workaholic in the first level of analysis would be in
constant transformation and self-transformative itself, a different karma yoga.
The nature of conflict or fighting itself also undergoes a change over the natives
life: obstacles and transformation are found in the field of work, but that makes
them even stronger. Losing a job would also be a deeply transformative
experience for such a person, a deep crisis.
Libra Chitra is just as contradictory as Bharani is: it has Aries as its seventh
house and Scorpio as its second house. I would say that these people are in a
constant struggle with their partners, want to dominate them or to be dominated,
and with strong planets such as Mars itself they may blame their partners
constantly, but will never let go of relationships easily. Sex and money and
earthly values are also important themes as in the case of Bharani, another 2 nd
and 7th dominated nakshatra, but perhaps they see money differently than
Bharani people, since the second house from Libra is Scorpio they look at

13
money as a power to be transformed, while marriage could be simply at best a
place for contention and a chivalrous rivalry. It is a less romantic sky part than
Bharani.
Dhanishtha connects Capricorn then Aquarius with Marss signs. Scorpio is
the 11th house from Capricorn, so a Capricorn Dhanishtha could be a liberator
with special skills, who hones his or her skills alone, like a cowboy hero in the
desert who jumps to help the community when the evil sheriff takes over and
thereby the community is transformed. He or she brings these skills for fighting
instinctively with them, since Aries is found in the fourth house from there (one of
the water houses meaning that it parallels the sign of Cancer in the natural
horoscope so it relates to the past and ancestors). Additionally, this nakshatra
is really powerful for all accomplishments, since Mars is exalted in Capricorn.
Scorpio is the tenth house from the Aquarius part of Dhanishtha, so there is a
strong professional involvement military, sports or other things. The themes of
Aquarius suggest a community and a future-oriented setting anyway. Aries is the
third sign from here, so the person would have to face conflict and struggle.
Modern technology and speed can be important themes.
6. Bhavat Bhavam Themes in the Nakshatras of Jupiter
Jupiter nakshatras always lead from a more mental air sign to the difficult last
quarter in a water sign. Jupiter is the planet of experiencing life. From Gemini
Punarvasu, the signs of Jupiter fall into the 7 th house and the 10th house. Such a
person can have two sets of learning and is a marvelous teacher: one level is at
the intellectual plane, and another a higher, more spiritual plane. This is one
meaning of the returning of the light after the summer thunderstorms the
ancients mention, referring to the season in India when Sun goes though
Punarvasu. A corollary of bhavat bhavam is that this person who could easily
have an intellectual occupation, will profit from their partnership in their
professional field. In other words, the experiences they have in partnership will
be used in the field of occupation. This nakshatra part also has an energy of
creating divisions among people. They will also try to apply the things they
learned in their private lives, however, they tend to be authoritarian (Jupiter),
which is in contradiction to the energy of Gemini (equality) and that makes it
difficult to relate in marriage at the extreme, they can divorce unless they have
a teaching job.
Jupiters signs fall into the 6th and 9th houses from the Cancer part of
Punarvasu, an entirely different cup of tea. This person has a deep karmic task
relating to their mother and maternal ancestors, and is sometimes tempted to
drink. The transition to the water sign of Cancer from the intensely mental
experience of Jupiter can be too much to bear. The sixth house is, among other
things, the house of sickness, healing and enemies. It is one of the more difficult
places on the nakshatra wheel. They are prone towards mysticism and religion of
a self-effacing kind. I imagine this could be all the more challenging to men.
Vishakha has two parts, and the name is branching. No nakshatra in the
entire zodiac is as different in its to sign parts as this one. While the Jupiter-ruled
part in Libra has 3rd and 6th bhavat bhavam connections, and is in an air sign, the
last quarter is in Scorpio, a water sign meaning transformation and even
destruction (a cleansing of the soul en route towards Sagittarius). The first part is

14
a very powerful person with social connections, ruling the family and perhaps
even learning about cooperation and people in general some great
psychologists have this placement. The second part (Scorpio) has the second and
the fifth house from itself ruled by Jupiter, and the fifth is Pisces, meaning
sacrifice. Scorpio Vishakha Moons have an intense emotional effect upon others,
and they are special people but their mothers usually lose property and children
one finds that the mother has had tragic losses and even the natives brothers of
sisters may have died, and property also lost. (Despite all that, the mothers of
Scorpio Vishakha Moons I have analyzed usually had a very long life.)
Purva Bhadra extends from Aquarius to Pisces. The first part has 2 nd and
11 house bhavat bhavam connections. Such people can be leaders of a
community, examples to be followed, and are interested in philosophy but their
finances fluctuate greatly. Pisces is not the sign of successful earthly possessions.
The Pisces part is the only other small part apart from Leo Uttara Phalguni which
has a 1 bhavat bhavam number here there is another one though, the 10 th
being Sagittarius. This part connects to voluntary sacrifice, transcending the ego,
and hard experiences in case the native does not perceive this karmic pattern.
They can be teachers, psychologists, religious leaders, hippies leading a
commune etc.
th

7. Bhavat Bhavam themes in the Nakshatras of Saturn

All the Saturn nakshatras are in the water signs which mean emotions and the
past while Saturn means discipline so they can be related to suppression in the
psychological sense. Pushya has the seventh and the eighth signs ruled by
Saturn, and the seventh one is Capricorn. Partnership is note easy for the native
or her parents, additionally, Capricorn may mean the mother has to work and has
less time for the child. Frequently there is a challenge to integrate work with
family life, and community entanglements may be an important force of change.
With a Pushyami Moon, the mother may have an important job relating to
communal causes and the future and she does not divorce the natives father. Yet
simple emotional need may be suppressed.
We have discussed Anuradha above: the summary is that moving, being
uprooted is a frequent experience even moving abroad. The third house and the
fourth are involved: such people are interested in learning about the unconscious.
Travel or moving also plays a role to change the relationship of conscious thinking
and the unconscious mind and emotions. Since Scorpio means change, change is
inevitable and Anuradha Moons sometimes have a philosophy about fate and
karma. They can be marvelous friends and counsellors with Maitri being the God
of Anuradha. The nakshatra is related to taboos and secrets otherwise which
reinforce its Scorpio Saturn analogy (ruling the house from a sing meaning
inevitable change, of the conscious mind (3 rd house) as well as the unconscious
4th house.
Uttara Bhadra is the hardest of all: Saturn forcing us to succumb to the
ego-annihilating force of Pisces. People with planets in this nakshatra can be very
tough, and it takes hardships for them to find the egoless inner power. Cruel
experiences may be there, in reincarnation as well some may have been
tortured to death for their beliefs. Fate wants them to sacrifice but resistance is
really high. The natives this part may be really closed in his/her soul. Uttara

15
Bhadra relates to a specific former life and a community Saturn rules the 12th
house and the 11th house. Despite that, U. Bhadra Moons can be affluent at times
and they can be very family-oriented the Moons own sign is the 5 th from there,
meaning purva punya, good karma or sacrifices done in former lives.
8. Bhavat Bhavam themes in the Nakshatras of Mercury
The first nakshatra in the wheel is Ashlesha in Cancer. That has a bhavat
bhavam connection of the 12th house and the 6th house being Mercurial houses.
Because of the 12th house, the native may have to develop an ability, a
philosophy or a talent he or she had in a former life or one which he/she was
opposed to in other former lives. It can be anything from a keen business sense
to world-class dancing or a particular philosophy of the sciences. If Moon is there,
the mother is unstable mentally (Mercury does not comfort the changeable
Moon), but they can both access a primeval female power which is not to be
vanquished. That does not mean they are spiritual I have seen tough
businessmen with Ashlesha Moons. The nagas as symbols come here definitely
to embrace.
Jyeshtha is deeply tied with genius and magic. Firstly, it is in Scorpio, which
is the sign of transformation. Jyeshtha people are usually above intelligence,
especially in verbal fields and codes like mantras and computers. Magic comes
from the Mercurial knowledge (which comes from the past, being in a water sign)
in Scorpio, the Eighth Sign, plus the fact that Gemini lies exactly to the eighth
house from the eighth sign. With Jyeshtha Moons, I have seen the mothers of the
natives showing a curious power of suggestion some of the things they say are
almost like curses. They can insult people with a simple side remark. Yet the
native may be very aware of the negative potentiality of mental constructs. They
can be geniuses in their own field; Beethoven had a Jyeshtha Moon with an
Anuradha Rahu (he was restless too.) There are great actresses too with a
magnetic power. They have a special affinity towards communities (11 th house is
Virgo) but they are sensitive to being manipulated.
Revati in Jupiters sign has a 7th house connection and a 4th house
connection. These people are special sometimes they speak a language with no
effort, sometimes they speak a different home language with their mother. At
other times they may have difficulty with the slightest normal communication as
Mercury is fallen in Pisces. One thing is certain: they want to have an impact on
their partners, because of the 7th house bhavat-bhavam connection. Partnership
and one-to-one relationships are supremely important and they may have
psychic powers as well as autism.
9. Conclusion
You can draw your own conclusions when relating the nakshatras to the entire
zodiac, especially the bhavat bhavam connections. These were my
interpretations. The main thing I suggest with this article is that extra meanings
can be gleaned by using them, and generally from relating the particular
nakshatra and sign to the entire zodiac based on the bhavat bhavam principle. A
Purva Phalguni Suns life philosophy can really be related to power and force
since the ninth house is Aries and so on. Experiment with the Vimsottari as being
nakshatra periods rather than merely planetary periods and you will see
interesting results.