aiac life of sages

AIAC – Life of Sages by Pam Rosevear

©Ancient Indian Astrology Classes



Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Paramahamsa Yogananda ............................................................................................................................. 4

Rishi Aurobindo ............................................................................................................................................. 8

Ramana Maharshi ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Sri Ramakrishna .......................................................................................................................................... 16

Swami Vivekananda .................................................................................................................................... 19



Introduction

“It has been unbelievably uplifting.”

~ Pam Rosevear

As a part of the Level 2 completion, every student of AIAC has to submit a mini project. The option that

Pam selected to work on was –

For the below sages of the modern world

a) Ramakrishna Paramhamsa

b) Ramana Maharishi

c) Yogananda Paramhamsa

d) Swami Vivekananda

e) Rishi Aurobindo

Please analyze the following in their charts and deduce how your analysis reflected in their lives

1) Panchanga of birth, please show all calculations. Also, please explain any doshas you see in the

Panchanga

2) Please determine all the special Lagnas and explain how you think it manifested in their human

life

3) Please determine Shadbala of the Grahas and explain the analysis of these strengths in the

person’s life

4) Please determine Yama and Aprakash Grahas of each of the above individuals and explain their

influence in their lives.

5) Please find Yogada and MahaYogada in the charts of the sages and explain how they manifested

in their lives

6) Study their Arudha Lagna and show how their image manifested in this world

7) Study their Upapada Lagna and show how that manifested in this world

8) Study their Navamsa Lagna and trines show what basic traits they carried in this lifetime

From the time I setup the options for the paper, I knew that Pam would select a topic that would have to

do with Spirituality. A Kriya yogan and an immensely wonderful human being in tune with her spiritual

side, she selected a topic which was very close to her heart - A research paper on the Sages, titled Life of

the Sages.

“After seeing your depth in your writing, words fall short for the appreciation of the superb work done on

the character sketch of the Yogis”

~ Amarnath

The above words were my feedback to her.

It gives me immense pleasure to present to you the work of Pam Rosevear on the Life of the Sages.

Please do send your feedback to [email protected]



Paramahamsa Yogananda

The graha ruling the weekday of the birth indicates the energy the native has to accomplish his mission.

In Paramahamsa Yogananda’s case, through a careful examination of his life, we see that he is humble

yogi, protected and carried by his blessed Param Gurus. The Vara lord is Jupiter, in swakeshtra, in rasi in

the 8th house. Yogananda immigrated to America at the behest of his guru. The guru lineage was

instrumental to him in many other respects. When Yogananda was on the ship travelling to Boston, he

gave his first speech. Words in English were escaping him at the time, but Swami Sri Yukteswar

telepathically gave him the words to say that day. Lahiri Mahasaya blessed baby Mukunda in his

mother's arms and told her that her son would be a great guru. He also answered the mother's prayers 8

years later and saved the little boy from cholera. The 8th house placement of the Vara is not strong for

the native's energy but it is wonderful for siddhis, which translated into his seeing gurus in apparitions

and communicating with them. Yogananda himself reiterated many times through his life that he on his

own would have renounced the world, but that the gurus sent him to America. Mars, the yogakaraka for

Leo, is in this house with Jupiter; rulers of houses 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 11 are in, associate with, or

aspect the 8th. This house, along with 4th, carries the chart. Jupiter gains its strength from Sthana Bala

and more particularly from Kaala Bala - temporal strength. Jupiter is a friend to Leo Lagna and is with

the yogakaraka planet Mars; this insures that the best results of the 8th house are produced.

The Prithvi part of the Panchang is the Karana. There are two Karanas per Tithi. One governs from

sunrise to sunset and the other governs from sunset to next sunrise. The Karana represents the "road to

accomplishment". (AIAC slides) Yogananda's Karana is Balava, described as "Brahmanical; good for

worship and worldly acts; able"(AIAC slides). Moon is nicely placed in rasi and navamsa. The Moon is

also ruler of rasi 12th house. Only the nodes, both Mahayogada planets, aspect the Moon. Moon is

particularly strong in Kaala Bala and Naisargik Bala. It is placed nearly exactly on the Lagna Point, thus



incorporating it into the personality and making it the most influential graha in the chart. And it is exalted

in Navamsa Lagna. Serenity, sustenance, calm were his deepest nature. He was well liked.

As per his Karana description, he was uniquely suited to fulfill his mission to bring Kriya Yoga and

meditation to the west. Hence the road to accomplishment of his mission was laid out by destiny. There

were no disturbances or obstacles to direction. Yogananda produced 'How to Live' lessons that were full

of practical suggestions and advice for daily living. He was full of love and emotion. In spite of being

self-realized, Yogananda still suffered at the deaths of his guru, family, disciples; he suffered many slights

in life yet never wavered. He was known to give each person he met undivided special attention. The

strong Moon also made him psychic. In childhood he had morphing capabilities, similar to Ramakrishna.

His psychic ability helped keep many disciples out of trouble. Moon was in Magha, representing lineage,

and the SRF lineage is prominently displayed in every meditation center.

It is interesting that Ketu rules Vayu in Yogananda's Panchang. He started life in the Ketu cycle, per

Vimsottari Dasa and Ketu became imprinted on his mind. The detachment was learned in the

environment, especially when as a child he lost his wonderful mother. Ketu exchanges signs with Venus,

both are strong, and Ketu is 12th from Venus in the rasi. There was a survivor mentality learned through

Ketu in Capricorn, 9th house in Navamsa. For such a strong Ketu though, its effect is remarkably

disguised in literature about Yogananda as compared to another strong Ketu in the chart of Aurobindo. I

believe that Ketu here gives the guru the ability to choose his own death. Yogananda's death was a

Mahasamadhi, typical of a guru or avatar. It's interesting that Ketu is in 3rd bhava, so it is a planet of

energy here. Yogananda worked at extra high capacity to get everything done in setting up his

foundation, as he knew that he did not have that much time. As far as the 3rd, his meditation usually ran

into sleep time and he advocated giving up sleep for it. (This indicates that Mars in Pisces cannot be

equated with the debility of Mars in Cancer.)

Aakash is represented by the yoga, in this case Priti Yoga. It is described as "well liked; attracted to the

opposite sex; enjoys life with contentment" (AIAC slides). The yoga ruler is Venus. It exchanges signs

with Ketu, strengthening both grahas. Its strength in Shadbala comes from its placement in the 4th house.

Marriage pressure was definitely on, especially from the older brother. However marriage was not in

Yogananda's cards - renunciation was. Why? This is no ordinary Venus, for one thing. It is Atmakaraka,

soul indicator; in Navamsa it conjuncts Jupiter, guru indicator, in 10th house. Venus is not the best graha

for Leo, nor is it comfortable in Scorpio. Scorpio is the natural 8th house sign. Moon is 12th house ruler

in the Lagna and in addition is in Sankranti. This brings Moksha as the primary indicator of his life and

in addition, strengthens the moksha/water, 4, 8, and 12 trine. What the yoga did give Yogananda was

popularity. Venus aspects its own house, 10th house Taurus, by graha drishti, giving charisma. More

specifically, with Venus in 4th in the rasi, Yogananda fulfilled his mother's wish that he become a holy

man. Lahiri Mahasaya had assured her that the baby had a destiny. His mother's death directly led to the

orphanage and school for boys that Yogananda founded in Ranchi. It also let to the veneration of Divine

Mother that is thematic in SRF.

I will digress from the Panchang discussion momentarily to cover Venus in Scorpio as the Ghati Lagna.

The AK and Ketu exchange signs. Jupiter casts a 9th house graha drishti aspect on Venus, uplifting the

house. Mars casts an 8th house graha drishti aspect on Libra, energizing that house. The work which has

flowered in the west over a 90-year period was an Avatar group effort, done through the willing soul of



Paramahamsa Yogananda. To him, power was spiritual power and had to mean surrender in the

strongest, most absolute sense.

The Tithi, Krishna Chaturthi, is ruled by Mercury. Tithi tattwa is Jala and its ruler is Ganesh. This

Mercury is in 5th house Sagittarius with Sun; the 5th house lord is in its own sign in the 8th house.

Sagittarian communication will be jovial, straightforward, and inspiring. This indicates his intelligence,

playfulness, humor, and dharma. These qualities are reflected in all SRF lectures and writings. There are

many humorous stories of the guru. Daya Mata and the monastics display much self-deprecating humor,

as did Sri Yukteswar, who also possessed a good healthy dose of common sense. This strong quality of

humor served Yogananda well with 20th century American audiences; Mercury rules the 11th house in

rasi. It was probably a great aid to him in his school years, which were full of difficulties. Yogananda

had no distractions to his path to the monastery and felt that school was a waste of time. It is also

interesting to point out that once someone enters into the guru disciple relationship that Yogananda gives

protection to the devotee for eternity. Here is the influence of Ganesh. Mercury's Shadbala score is 103,

2nd lowest; this just goes to show the strength with which all planetary results would manifest.

Paramahamsa Yogananda’s Arudha Lagna, or AL, is Aries. He lived the image of a creative, headstrong,

revolutionary rebel. It was probably obvious to his family from his earliest childhood that he was not

going to go the conventional route. The AL Lagna lord, Mars, goes to the 12th with Jupiter. Since

these are ruling houses 1 and 9 in AL, once Yogananda entered the ashram, his rise in life began. With a

strong Ketu in the 7th in AL, Yogananda was insistent throughout his life that he only acted at the behest

of the lineage. On his own he would've gone into a secluded ashram. However the energy of Aries

Lagna and Rahu in Lagna was necessary to fulfill his destiny, leading a new ashram in a foreign land.

Self-Realization Fellowship is a meld of Hinduism and Christianity; concepts of Vedanta are simplified

for western minds.

The all-important Moon goes into the 5th house in AL¸ the house of followers. The Moon gives clear

intuition to the organizational heads to follow the guru's wishes implicitly. The legacy is alive and well

and the spiritual presence of the lineage is palpable in every center and in every devotee's life. This

Moon placement also gave Yogananda musical ability. He was self-taught on a number of instruments.

He composed his own chants. Spiritualized chants, prayers, and affirmations poured from his pen.

AL 9th house in Sagittarius shows the notable line of gurus that he came from. Yogananda was less

influenced by his father than by his mother, and yet from here we see that Mr. Ghosh was highly placed in

life. He spent his life as an official in the railway system, tended to 6 motherless children, and was an

ascetic meditator.

UL is in the 2nd house, Virgo with Saturn in the house. It was the family, particularly the oldest brother,

who pressured Yogananda to marry. But with Saturn in this house there would have been some type of

marital separation, even as there was a major lifelong separation from his family. Saturn in Virgo is not

intrinsically bad; the graha is friends with this rasi lord. But Saturn is not a planet friendly to Leo. Notice

that the dual grahas from UL are the kendras. They are full of planets, which mean the spouse would

have been full of desires. And the only trine graha is Saturn in Lagna. The spouse's natural ability in the

marriage chart would be austerity and hard work. I do believe the Ketu in 7 in AL was very helpful to

Yogananda in avoiding marriage. He certainly would have been unable to fill the role that the lineage

asked of him.



Virgo also plays a part in the Hora Lagna's effects in the chart. The HL is Aquarius, house 7. The ruler is

Saturn in Virgo, 2nd house. Money has come plentifully from philosophical devotees who have become

the spiritual family of SRF. Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter give raj yogas in their aspects to each other,

bringing rulers of houses 4, 5, 7, and 9 together across the sustenance/debt line of the chart. Through his

own personal qualities, Yogananda was a Shiva in terms of fundraising. Lagna lord does not participate

here and the money does not go to him personally. It goes to the work.

Dhooma: “negative burning of Sun; destroyer lineage, longevity, knowledge" Taurus 6 33

Vyatipata: "loss, expense; something grown-will cause chaos, havoc, loss of dharma” Aquarius 23 17

Parivesha: "inauspicious environment" Leo 23 27

Indrachapa: "inauspicious results with elders” Scorpio 6 33

Upaketu: "Darkness-absence of light” Scorpio 23 13

Paramahamsa Yogananda seemed to see little difficulty from these upagrahas except for Upaketu. It was

only 1.5 degrees from Venus, which we have seen to be almost the pivotal graha in the chart. It is

through occurrences such as the great trauma that losing his mother caused him, that the soul sinks in

bitterness or rises to the occasion and makes a difference in the world. Each person lives this at some

point. Paramahamsa Yogananda chose the latter path; imagine if he had not! The effects of his life's

work grow stronger every year.



Rishi Aurobindo

There is a bit of confusion concerning Vara, as Aurobindo was born on a Vedic Wednesday, a few

minutes before sunrise Thursday morning. But a quick overview of his life indicates that Jupiter is clearly

the Vara lord. It sees him through the winding and varied pathway of his life. For instance, he was

academically outstanding in his youth, passed up a prestigious opportunity for the Indian Civil Service,

and was hired as a college professor though he never actually completed any degree. Later on through

Jupiterian insight he would intuit the remarkable ideas of A Life Divine. These ideas are, almost a



century later, way ahead of their time. His unique contribution to spirituality is Integral Yoga. A very

brief description of the Integral Yoga concept is that Nature operates to meld two lower energies together

and form a higher product. Look again at the Lagna. Jupiter is the exalted 9th house lord combining

with debilitated 10th lord Mars in an interesting raj yoga- two energies combined to give a higher life

form! He is a living example of the yoga. The grahas also represent the two totally different segments of

his life - the revolutionary and the sage. From seeing God in each man following his own dharma

(Jupiter), such as the thief stealing, Aurobindo tacitly approved of violence toward a regime that would

use violence (Mars). Jupiter and Mars mutually aspect Arudha Lagna and Rahu is in Swa. Thus the

function of a removed and mystical revolutionary is shown.

The Prithvi lord is known as the road to accomplishment. In Aurobindo's chart it is Venus, the ruler of

Vanija karana. Vanija means "starting a business, selling." (AIAC slides) The Sun represents his father

who sent the three Ghose boys to England for a proper western-only education. He wanted the boys to do

well economically and for at least one to enter the profitable Indian Civil Service. Between the Sun and

Venus, two 2nd bhava grahas, the yoga is Ketu-ruled and indicates negative surroundings. It was not

difficult for Aurobindo to discern under noble British words their greed and mismanagement of the

colony and the Indian people's passive, subservient attitude at the time.

In addition, as Prithvi lord, Venus gave the creativity for Aurobindo to write mythic poetry and fiction,

and to produce revolutionary newspaper opinions that enflamed the public. Venus gets help from its

Venus in Gemini navamsa trine placement. Venus in Gemini can be interpreted literally as beauty with

words or expression. He was well known in Britain and at home for his words. He accomplished the

most by the written word.

And his Jala, the Tithi lord, probably fed off of this. It is Mars debilitated in water. Aurobindo was

remarkably passive, distant, was known to lie during his school years, was misunderstood later in life by

his countrymen when he withdrew into permanent seclusion. I also believe that this particular Tithi ruler

had a lot to do with the yoga practices he developed later in life. Yoga is a more positive expression of

emotion and energy then the unenlightened Mars/water energy. (Mars is the yogakaraka for Cancer

Lagna). If it does nothing else, the general rule is, Mars in Cancer sleeps. The Moon aspects this by

Shupta Drishti. This is a mixed blessing; Moon is in 6th bhava and yet associates with the Atmakaraka.

Ketu rules both Vayu and Aakash. The most prominent feature of Aurobindo's personality in The Lives

of Aurobindo by Peter Hees is his detachment. The pages drip with it right from the start. Through the

5th house swa placement it comes naturally to Aurobindo and is very strong. It is more influential than

Mars. Ketu manifests itself in numerous ways. In spite of their shared upbringing and shared sufferings,

Aurobindo was not close to his 2 older brothers. He was not close to the wife at all. It is possible they

never consummated the marriage. She certainly totally lacked any understanding of him and what he was

trying to accomplish in spite of his explanations. Aurobindo was characterized continuously by an

inward gaze. He had friends but after a certain point there was a wall that he put up Aurobindo was

not close with other family members. He seemed to have a real regard for a grandfather that he did not

meet until adulthood. Ketu represents the maternal grandfather. He even seemed indifferent to his

spiritual experiences in spite of the intensity that he described. His descriptions are very dry and terse.

All of these things are due to the mutual rasi drishti between Ketu and the Lagna grahas. The mutual

aspect between Lagna graha(s) and Rahu placed him in the public eye and involved him in the Extremist



movement in 1906. Vishkhumba Yoga is particularly striking in this chart: "prevails over others;

victorious over enemies; obtains property, wealthy." (AIAC slides) It is a negative yoga and particularly

plays itself out in the true nature of British rule over India in cutting off its individuality and livelihoods,

the Indian middle class beginning the uprising in return with all of its violence, and Aurobindo having the

opportunity to side with and prosper by British rule. He of course did not take this opportunity.

Ketu as Vayu lord is the ability (5th house) to choose his mahasamadhi. In general Ketu would be the

opposite of longevity and yet he lived to be 78. Why? A strong Ketu is absolutely necessary to achieve

self-realization. Maya is very very strong. The spiritual path means 2 steps forward and 1.75 steps back

at times. Even with his exalted Jupiter Aurobindo went through periods of great progress, even years'

worth and would indicate he was near completion. Then he would fall back and lose all of it. Ultimately

Self Realization is not only through self-effort and humility but also through God's grace. Aurobindo was

certainly given the tools by destiny, his exalted Jupiter in Lagna, to go all the way. And through his

knowledge of pranayama he could postpone death as long as necessary to cross the finish line. (It would

be a shame not to mention Aurobindo's brilliant collaborator, the Mother. He regarded the Mother as his

spiritual equal. She was extremely influential in the last half of his life. I don't have a birth time but you

can see that at the very least she was a pranayam master. She lived to be 95 years old.)

Ghati Lagna and Hora Lagna give attitudes toward power and wealth. They are both located in Lagna.

For Aurobindo, the source of power and wealth was the homeland. 9th and 10th lords combine in Lagna

and this is clearly a chart indicating the responsibility to the homeland. The Vishkhumbha Yoga

described the situation in England that he intuited perfectly; the Moon, Lagna Lord, in an exchange with

Jupiter, thus links Lagna with bhava 6. And Atmakaraka Saturn is in 6 with Moon, providing Aurobindo

at a soul level with the understanding of the situation he found the country in and the intuitive skill to

begin the requisite pot stirring that the public needed to embrace the cause of their freedom and self-

government. The pot stirring mechanism was writing. Second house bhavas provided the creative spark

for his words.

Jupiter, Mars, Moon, Rahu, and Ketu are all Mahayogadas. Alone and in unison they give their

distinctions in the chart as yogas that are imprinted on the life. Each graha by itself gave its effects in a

marked manner. None of the effects were wasted. The energy in every sense forwarded the dharmic

mission that Aurobindo was assigned to. And the Yogada nature was the icing on the cake that insured

completion and lasting effects. The really fascinating thing is that there was sufficient planetary energy to

cause two lifepaths, one of the influential revolutionary, and one of the Self Realized soul. The first life

was fed somewhat by Navamsa trines in Vayu rasis, while the 2nd was clearly caused by the rasi dharma

bhavas in Jala and Jupiter being almost exactly on the Lagna point.

When you look at Aurobindo's Arudha Lagna the lesson is reiterated that just moving Lagna into a

different house completely changes the tenor of the chart. The AL is the inescapable image that the

native portrays to the world. His was Taurus and right there out front an exalted Rahu sits. This is why

the British police continued to spy on him for years after he retired from public life. Rahu is revolution.

It's exalted and is coruler of AL house 10. Look at AL Leo, house 4. Venus is Lagna Lord along with 5th

Lord Mercury in a Shiva Yoga and Sun in swa accompanies these grahas. The homeland regarded

Aurobino as a Shiva and a leader. It would appear to the British that the powers that be, the Moderates,

represented by sankranti Sun, would also be under his influence. And in rasi, where Jupiter and Mars



present favorable raj yoga, the effect is totally different in Taurus Lagna. Rulers of AL lords 7, 8, 11, and

12 now associate. This exalted Jupiter rules Moon and Saturn in AL bhava 8. He could appear to be

taking the public down a path where he could coerce people out of their hard earned money. A Cancer

Lagna is sensitive and maybe Aurobindo disappeared from view partly because of an image that he could

not escape.

UL represents Aurobindo's wife Mrinalini. Their marriage barely fits the conventional definition of the

word. UL is his 4th bhava Libra; I do believe he was as happy with her as you could expect an introvert

like him to be. I am inclined to think that the reverse was not the case.

In her case, Libra is Lagna. Venus, her Lagna Lord, sits close to the Sun in Sun's own sign in bhava 11.

From this can be surmised that Mrinalini was close to her father and that he was prominent. She did

remain with him for almost her entire married life because Aurobindo never sent for her to live with him.

In Mrinalini's chart Mars represents the husband and he shows up in her 10th house with exalted Jupiter.

Lords of 2, 3, 6, and 7 associate in Cancer. Jupiter is not a great planet for Libra Lagna and the

difficulties she had with marriage are shown in the house rulerships that Jupiter and Mars represent in the

UL chart. These strong 10th and 11th bhavas for her would be very antithetical to him personally.

Aurobindo used his talent to stir the public's thoughts but of hiw own accord he was a detached introvert

and this does not equate with comfort of a strong 10th and 11th bhava. In UL, for Mrinalini, her Moon

and Saturn would associate in the 3rd in Sagittarius. Mula represents getting to the bottom of things. The

3rd bhava would energize this tendency. There might not always be good outcomes here. At any rate, the

picture of Mrinalini remains unclear in Aurobindo's biographical information. She died in the flu

epidemic in 1918. I'm guessing that she would have been about 30 years old.

Dhooma: "negative burning of the Sin; destroyer of lineage, longevity, knowledge" Sagittarius 13 39

Vyatipata: "loss, expense, spreading smoke out. Something that's grown that will cause trouble."

Cancer 16 21

Parivesha: "inauspicious Environment" Capricorn 16 21

Indrachapa: "Inauspicious results with elders" Gemini 13 39

Upaketu: "Darkness - absence of light" Cancer 00 19

This is the Lagna point, in a manner of speaking, of the homeland's rasi. It is actually in the 12th house.

This shows a lack of awareness on Dr. Ghose's part of the rise of India right around the corner. Also,

Mars, the best graha for Cancer rasi, operates in conjunction with this point of no light. Aurobindo

operated completely without ambition for the houses Mars rules, 5 and 10. He sought no fame or

followers. After 1926 he saw literally no one but the Mother for the last 24 years of his life. Even

requests for visits from the likes of Mohandas Gandhi were denied.



Ramana Maharshi

It is ironic that a man who chose not to speak should become world famous. The chart Karana is Taitula,

which means "awards, respect...fame” (AIAC slides), and is ruled by Mercury. Ramana was known for

his taciturn behavior; this is attributed to Mercury in the 3rd in Scorpio rasi. Mercury is Lagna Lord and

exchanges rasis with Ketu. This means that both grahas behave as if swa, and in addition strengthens

bhavas 1, 3, and 10. (It is interesting to note that Mercury is the only planet below strength in Shadbala.

All others are at 100% or higher. This must indicate removal of the egoity or human self. It must have

made the Ketu detachment that much easier as well.) All indicators of the sign and house are given in



spades - energy towards silence. He taught telepathically through siddhis. To me this is what yogada

means; the graha, house, and rasi indicators are all strongly marked in the native, whether in own house

or not, own sign or not, in 10th, 12th, 2nd, anywhere. In addition Venus joins Mercury in the 3rd, putting

9th and 10th lords together and indicating the highest field of action as showing the necessity and method

of deep inner contemplation to spiritual seekers.

The Vara lord is Moon. It is disposited by Mercury, is Atmakaraka, associates with Ketu. This

represents the energy to accomplish his mission; being in the 10th, it enhances fame and popularity. (The

whole concept of Self Enquiry is refraining from normal thoughts to ask 'Who am I?') It is the most

public houses in the chart. Had Moon been in a behind the scenes location Ramana would have appeared

more remote or mysterious. Saturn also enhances the qualities of Karana and Vara by rising up the

Lagna. This represents sages and sadhus living quiet lives and pious everyday people watching the young

boy in wonderment, passing their stories about him on. Saturn is in Sagittarius in Navamsa 5th house and

represents his followers, once again seen as the sages and sadhus living among the people. The Bhagavan

did live a very public life; an online search calls up hundreds of pictures, videos, and newsreels,

especially from the 1940s. Many of the lessons he taught were simply by the way that he chose to live.

He demonstrated detachment from the body by refusing treatment for the sarcoma that ended his life. He

left home and family to follow his Sun/Rahu destiny in spite of a significant amount of Kendra energy to

the Moon, the desires that he had. A major part of his teaching was how he lived equality. All living

creatures were viewed respectfully as part of the One Life that pervades everything. He denied all

attempts at special consideration, for instance eating the same meals as visitors and being fed last. This

part of his life is clearly indicated by the Jupiter/Saturn exchange that makes both grahas strong in bhavas

6 and 7 respectively. The guru and the people are equal.

With Moon being Tithi lord in this chart, we can dispense for all time the notion that Moon/Ketu

detachment indicates a lack of feeling. Moon in a Kendra as an emotional placement is still operative

here. It is the desire for moksha but a number of incidents clearly illustrate Ramana Maharshi's strong

character and emotions. The Moon's contemplation factor gave him a lack of fear, as he was able to sleep

through tormenting by classmates, later sit in meditation despite stings, animal bites, the hot, the cold.

Also he withstood a beating by robbers without batting an eye. They were forgiven instantly. The desire

for Arunachala was buried deep in the psyche from early childhood. There is the famous cow Lakshmi

who befriended him. She and many other creatures came and went as they pleased on the ashram

grounds. When Lakshmi passed in 1948, the Bhagavan, as Ramana was known, gave her liberation. And

he cried. Also, Ramana was drawn to his mother's tomb to the point that he resettled there and the present

day ashram arose at that sight. Ramana laughed at the encroaching cancer on his left arm. In the final

incident of his life, a very moving incident, when the time of death was at hand, the crowd who had

gathered outside began to chant 'Arunachala Shiva.' He heard them and tears rolled down his face.

'Arunachala Shiva' is a haunting chant that can be heard on the excellent official Ramana Maharshi

website.

Vayu shows indicators for longevity. Vayu lord is derived as Moon's Nakshatra ruler. The Vayu graha is

Jupiter. There are several indicators for suffering, although the Bhagavan lived to be 70 years old.

Jupiter is not the best planet for Virgo; it is located in the 6th, the worst graha of the 12. It is in

Aquarius, the poison sign, and in Jupiter's exchange with Saturn, both grahas are strengthened to swa



status, bringing up both 6th house and 6th sign. There is mutual rasi drishti aspect between 8th lord and

occupant Mars, and Jupiter.

The Yoga is Indra, known as "Chief", "interest in education and knowledge; helpful, well off" (AIAC

slides). The Yoga ruler is Saturn. Arunachala represents the yoga. Where does this crucial piece of the

puzzle fit in otherwise? Ramana was drawn to the name from early childhood. Not long after becoming

self-realized he quietly left his family home for good to go to the mountain. And this is where his life

purpose came to fruition. Grahas in the 7th represent 'the gateway to the world.' Name, fame, helpers,

found him quickly. Look at the chart for Ramana's birthplace on July 17 1896, the day of his self-

realization. Saturn is 2nd from Moon at 20 Libra - its highest point of exaltation. And Ketu is 12th from

Moon that day. Remember that Moon is Ramana's Atmakaraka and it is said that Ketu 12th from AK

gives liberation. Once again we refer to the crucial Jupiter/Saturn exchange. Jupiter as guru sits in

Saturn's house of poison. One would ask, why didn't anyone born on July 17 1896 gain liberation?

Ramana got it because he desired it and was ready for it. Look at all the grahas in Kendra to the Moon in

rasi. That is desire-for God. Ramana's life as a guru began on the mountain and there were never any

worries. Everything was provided to him. He himself embodied the yoga meaning "helpful, well off."

The Mercury/Venus association once again is one of the key points in Ramana's Arudha Lagna,

Capricorn. These grahas bring together the rulers of 5, 6, 9, and 10. The taciturn behavior now is in the

11th house, very obvious to all. But there is a great appeal to the public; it is another indicator of the

status that Ramana will achieve. Moon is his mother in house 6 and Mercury's 6th house rulership in 11

shows that he will carry her to fame along with him.

There are no grahas in trine and only Mars in Kendra. Thus Ramana was most well known in childhood,

between this Mars and 3rd house Lagna Lord Saturn, for his athletic ability. The indications for strong

family are the most obvious in this chart. Jupiter is Karaka of many houses and exchanges with Saturn,

making it act as if swa in bhava 2. Its exchange with Saturn also indicates the family's righteous and

pious energy. Loss of the father is unmistakeable. Sun is with Rahu in 12. This is Sun's MKS position.

Saturn's 3rd Shiva aspect on Sun adds to the malefic energy around father. Possibly he emulated or

idolized the father and the father was lost early. He lost a strong older brother. These things might have

deprived him of much human comfort and drove him closer to God. Mars as 4th ruler in 4th bhava

indicates the mother's strength and Ramana's love for her. And any Moon description applies to his

mother as well. So she was humorous and very very detached. She did after all; join the ashram late in

her life and Ramana gave her liberation.

When analyzing UL, similar qualities obviously exist but are expressed differently. Something positive

to the native may be malefic for spouse, and vice versa. Or there may be interesting, unexpected results.

UL Chart showing Ramana's spouse indicates the female version of the Bhagavan. Benefics Mercury,

Venus, and Jupiter aspect both Aries as her Lagna and Libra as her spouse's Lagna. These benefics will

temper any argumentative tendencies that she would possess. Of course Venus and Mercury are in her

8th house and with these aspects to Lagna give siddhis and bring to both spouses a Shiva Yoga combining

7th and 9th rulers, so that they exemplify the highest dharma.

Ghati Lagna and Hora Lagna give rise to Yogada grahas - yogis reckoned that they give power and

wealth; to me they imprint themselves into the native's character and personality. Family by itself would

have have carried Ramana through life. Sun with 6th colord Rahu is the father; he was a 'pleader', a



profession akin to a lawyer. With Jupiter in bhava 6 along with strong 4th house placement, he was

viewed as wise and just.

Moon and Ketu in house 10 represents Ramana's mother. She is renowned today for her part in his life

story. A lot of what the Bhagavan was came from her, as evidenced by the Mercury/Ketu exchange.

Mercury is Ramana himself. He chose a different life path and distinguished himself greatly without

seeking for any fame.

Saturn represents eminent others in his life such as Ganapati Muni. Ganapati was an equal through age

and societal eminence but a follower due to Ramana's superior self-realization. Saturn also represents

Arunachala itself. There is a legend that the mountain is actually Shiva in earth form. Many believed that

Ramana was Arunachala Siva born into a human body.

Dhooma: "negative burning of the Sun; destroyer of lineage, longevity, knowledge"

Aries 28 56

This is close to Mars; this combination in the 16 year old may have keyed off the feat of death that led to

the momentous happenings of July 17 1896.

Vyatipata: "loss, expense, spreading smoke out. Something that's grown that will cause trouble."

Pisces 01 04

This is trines Venus. Venus is a maraka for Ramana Maharshi.

Parivesha: "inauspicious environment" Virgo 01 04

See above.

Indrachapa: "inauspicious results with elders" Libra 28 56

It is in trines to Moon. Ramana left home at 16; would not respond to his mother's pleading to return.

Upaketu: "Darkness-absence of light" Scorpio 15 36

Shupta Drishti with rulers of houses 4, 5, 6, 7. This is one third of the chart where no light gets in.

Ramana left society behind to pursue severe tapas.



Sri Ramakrishna

Jupiter is a key graha in Ramakrishna's rasi chart. It seves 3 different functions; one as Vara lord

governing his Agni, another as Nakshatra lord, governing Vayu, and the third major function is as graha

in Arudha Lagna. Jupiter's Shadbala is 2nd highest of all grahas, closely behind Mercury. (All of the

grahas score high in Shadbala). Its strengths come from Kaala Bala, temporal, and Chesta Bala, its

retrograde motion. This graha is just as important as the 5 Mahayogada grahas. Obviously Jupiter only

receives one set of associations and aspects and those apply in all 3 circumstances but they apply in

different ways depending on the area of Jupiter's rule that we are talking about.

The Vayu and longevity given is easy to see, and it is not promising. Jupiter is retrograde. The only

aspect it receives is from 2nd house exalted Venus. This is very strong for a short life, as the exalted

Venus is an exalted maraka planet. Jupiter is retrograde as a maraka house ruler. In Arudha Lagna,

exalted Mars is in 8th house Capricorn, yet another indication of the lack of longevity.

The only aspect Jupiter and Gemini receive is exalted Venus by rasi drishti. Jupiter Rx in Gemini Arudha

Lagna shows a simple man expounding mystical truths in a humorous and simple manner. The retrograde

Jupiter and retrograde Saturn made him a humble, uneducated person who spoke profound truth in the

vernacular. He used analogies that villagers in the backwater of 19th century India could relate to. And as

Jupiter rules this, he also attracted more educated followers and sophisticated devotees who had the

ability to perceive the avatar quality in him. The previously mentioned exalted Venus, in the 10th in AL,

gives this karma. In regards to AL, this made him all the more wondrous, believable, and lovable.

Throughout the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, the Sage is full of gentle humor. He does tell some people

the way it is but never in any but the kindest tone of voice. For instance, the drinker was not admonished

to stop but advised to look for God while doing so; in time the desire for drinking would subside. Venus,

ruling houses 5 and 12 in AL, gave exalted disciples and an exalted ashram. And very notably, Saturn Rx

in Libra is in the 5th house. Here his reluctant disciple, the champion of the people, Swami Vivekananda,

is represented.



As Vara lord, the significator of the energy to accomplish, 5th house Jupiter indicates, like any trine

planet, energy that comes naturally. The energy is given to him, and retrograde status allowed him the

necessary introversion of energy to achieve self-realization over and over again through practice on many

spiritual paths. Jupiter is given a big hand here by exalted Mars in house 12 in rasi. The retrograde part

of Jupiter cancels the problem of Jupiter being in the 'meet and mate' sign. Both Vivekananda and Swami

Brahmananda were born in the same year and probably had the same Jupiter, in trine to Ramakrishna's; in

this way he acquired two exquisite followers quickly, and maybe this saved his strength somewhat. It

would be interesting to determine the Jupiter signs of his other followers, or the disciples of any of the

gurus, for that matter.

The theme of ordinariness is further amplified in his Karana-Kaulava. Kaulava is defined as traditional;

people who follow; normal society people; villagers who value tradition; good for common people."

(AIAC Slides) In this rasi chart, exalted planetary energy refers to divine energy. Mars as the Prithvi

lord, helped by a very strong 10th house Ketu, gave a spiritual karmic path. Note the extreme strength in

the moksha trine and its prithvi element. He is detached, in spite of his Moon, and the extra energy is

given to moksha matters. Sri Ramakrishna was a temple priest, and no ordinary one at that. The point

being that he lived an anonymous life in the farthest corner of the earth and realized God. He had great

strength to operate in spiritual matters.

Sun rules his yoga, Siddha Yoga. The yoga is Aakash in the Panchang. This represents the totality of his

outward existence, the atmosphere he functioned in. Siddha Yoga is "skilled and accomplished in several

areas; protector and supporter of others." (AIAC Slides) Sun in Lagna casts out light rays from within

that helped him see all people as luminous souls. His environmental circumstances were easily conducive

to letting him do what he needed to do. Authority figures who could control his situation allowed him

free reign.

Sukla Dwitiya, the tithi, is ruled by the Moon. This is very appropriate. Lagna Moon is a very emotional

placement. A perfunctory reading of any part of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna shows a sweet man

constantly alternating between laughter, tears, and childlike tendencies. The Moon is well supported by

Sun and Mercury, in addition to grahas in both 2nd and 12th from it. There is no isolation in this chart.

In fact, 2nd and 12th planets are exalted-Ramakrishna's Moon is supported by God all around him. Sukla

Dwitiya is ruled by Brahma the creator. Sun associates with Moon in Lagna and these, along with

Mercury, represent his ingenuous nature and humor, as Lagna grahas are integral to the self.

Since Sun, Moon, and Lagna are identical, Sri Ramakrishna's chart is fixed and straightforward. With

Moon in Lagna he was sensitive, even able to morph; when he dressed as a woman with a group of

women, noone knew the difference. And very mercurial, he was childlike in his communication with

Divine Mother. The Raj Yoga by Sun (7L) and Mercury RX (5L) made him very unbiased and

revolutionary in religion. Ramakrishna was able to prove for the generations to come that all paths lead

to the same goal of self-realization.

UL as Ramakrishna's spouse is also accurate. UL is in Aries. Mars is exalted in house 12 of

Ramakrishna's rasi chart. The spouse would be young, as Aries is the 1st sign and an exalted personage

herself who would remain the background. In addition, UL receives only the aspects of grahas that

represent him, Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter. The spouse would be strongly molded by him and

devoted. This is in fact the case. Sarada Devi was a saint in her own right. She filled in the gaps in the



background as the story of Ramakrishna and his disciples unfolded. She lived in obscurity until

Vivekananda brought notice of her plight out. And Sarada Devi lived in such a way as to appear a

perfectly normal person. She did not possess outward markings of her true nature.

Analyzing Ghati Lagna for power or Hora Lagna for wealth means taking each lagna in its turn as a new

Lagna and analyzing accordingly. Both of these are with Ramakrishna's own lagna. This is in addition to

Sun, Moon, andd Mercury in his own Rasi Lagna representing the body. There is a lot of focus on the

self but it is not selfishness. It is a necessity that a man who desperately wants to realize God should have

so much strength in Lagna. Aquarius is the last step prior to Pisces; it represents humanity ridding itself

of its toxins helped by the Aquarian water of consciousness. This gives extreme power to his Lagna

grahas as indicators in his life. Mercury, a Mahayogada, indicates money in this instance. It is retrograde

and Aquarius represents poison. He spent part of his sadhana mixing money and dirt, trying to make

them indistinguishable. Ultimately money burned his hands to the touch. This is power over the desire

for money.

Sun exemplifies the social justice of the sign. It joins Mercury to create a Shiva Yoga in Lagna (Mercury

5th lord, Sun 7th lord). Ramakrishna is known more than anything else for showing that God can be

realized through all paths. A simple man in a simple time demonstrated to highborn and lowborn alike

that intensity of desire for God is the most important quality that anyone could possess to realize the

Supreme Self. It was revolutionary that direct communication with God superseded all else. This was

totally different than the concepts that Christianity espoused. And the irony to the westerner was that the

evolutionary path was through the world's oldest religion, the Sanatan Dharma. Ramakrishna epitomized

the dharma through his Navamsa Lagna Sun in Sagittarius.

I can't help but make this final connection. Sun, Moon, and Mercury in Lagna represent father, mother,

and child, the human family, in the highest human sign. Ramakrishna was parent, brother, husband, child

to all. His Navamsa Moon in Aries, house 5, represents motherhood! He wasn't only a man. He was

every life form rolled into one. God appeared to humanity in a form that it could relate to.

Dhooma: negative burning of Sun; destroyer of lineage, longevity, knowledge" Gemini 20 13

No blood lineage; nephew Hriday was forced to leave Ramakrishna so that his disciples could come in.

Dhooma associates with Jupiter the Vara lord and guarantees a lack of longevity. As per knowledge, in

the last days of his life, Ramakrishna transferred all of his siddhis, spiritual power, to Vivekananda, and

told the disciple that he was at that point just an ordinary man. Mahasamadhi soon followed.

Vyatipata: “loss, expense, spreading smoke out. Something that's grown and will cause trouble, also

indicates chaos and havoc; indicates loss of dharma" Capricorn 9 47

This is Shupta drishti to Lagna and Venus and represents throat cancer.

Parivesha: inauspicious environment Cancer 9 47

Indrachapa: inauspicious results with elders Sagittarius 20 13

Upaketu: darkness - absence of light Capricorn 6 53



Swami Vivekananda

The Yoga is Atiganda: "difficult life due to numerous obstacles and accidents; revengeful and angry"

(AIAC slides). The key to Swami Vivekananda's chart is clearly Rahu, the Yoga lord. Every other graha

operates in the parameters that this 12th bhava placement indicates.

Swami Vivekananda referred to himself as a "condensed India" and this may have come somewhat from

his Rahu experience. Rahu represents the Yoga and Aakash in the life. It was such a short life that

Swami lived his desires in addition to the hardships that a Rahu 12th house graha would lay out. It was

intense for him; he probably felt that he had lived 3 lives in one. Rahu's significations give the overlying

theme that governed the life. First Rahu gives the reason for rebirth, and there is no doubt that Swami's

destiny was to propagate a spiritual revolution. Through his dramatic life's work he raised the Sanatan

Dharma to great and respected status in the world. Rahu is shock; it took many shocks for this man to

have proven to him the reality of self-realization, and if you think about it, if Swami Vivekananda could

accept all that he'd seen, noone else should have a problem accepting it!

Shocks began with the death of his father, the family's ensuing debt and misfortune, and the character

assassination that he had to endure. Shocks continued with swami's experiencing the touch of

Ramakrishma and the samadhi he experienced. This answered one of his lifelong questions; not only

could God be seen, but he, Narendra, had seen Him himself. It was shocking also to see Ramakrishna

long for his presence and relate to him the great spiritual destiny that Narendra had brought into this life.

And it was shocking that Ramakrishna got sick and would indeed die.

Rahu also represents desires. There was a great desire for the life of a wandering monk. Narendra

disappeared from the monastery and changed his monastic name repeatedly to avoid recognition. Rahu is

3rd colord and represents energy. Add this to the Lagna Sun and 5th house Mars and imagine the intense

desire that fueled his travels from one end of India to the other, in addition to visits to Japan, China, the



U.S., and Europe. I personally believe that Swami wanted to see the world, learn from others, and give

himself the chance to test his wings with prominent people from other cultures. And I believe that he

rushed into this period and lived it to the fullest before his Jupiter destiny settled in. Ultimately Swami

had to turn to his Ketu, which was service to man, to complete his 12th house Rahu experience and

earthly mission.

Saturn represents the Prithvi 'road to accomplishment' (AIAC slides) and Jala, his emotional component

The theme of difficulty in regular life is reinforced when we see the definition of his Vishti karana;

"effort without reward." This is actually very easy to pick out. Saturn rules houses 2 and 3; Venus and

Mercury are in 2nd bhava. He was known for a sonorous singing voice. One of Swami's legacies to us is

primarily the stirring words he used to move people to service. His other legacy is foundation of the

Ramakrishna Mission. Since the nodes aspect Capricorn by rasi dristi and Venus is exalted in navamsa

5th house, the words were from God. And since Saturn, Mercury, and Venus are not the best grahas for

Sagittarius, he didn't always put things in the most diplomatic way. He was outspoken to everyone--

western benefactors, his brother monks, his countrymen. Add the Kendra Moon to the Saturn and Swami

becomes very emotional; he was depressive and teary about the fate of the poor. Others were afraid of

his moods and anger. Saturn represents the people, hence the drive toward karma yoga and service.

Swami's methods were antithetical to some of the more retiring brother monks who wanted quiet

contemplative lives. His constant pushing got many programs established to combat famine and increase

education. Through his efforts the bar was set high for other organizations to follow.

The inclusion of divine force acting on Saturn is stronger due to the rashi drishti between Sun and the

Saturn/Moon association. Sun is on the Lagna point in Sagittarius, making the Agni extremely intense.

Sun is Atmakaraka as well, bringing the soul's purpose into expression. Due to the intensity of Agni and

Saturn's impact on it, Moon acting as Vayu lord doesn't have much of a chance. Moon rules his 8th

house, adding to its weakness. Sister Nivedita might have been the only outside witness to an incident

Swami had as a pilgrim in front of a Shiva ice sculpture. It was an internal occurrence but Swami came

away knowing that he could leave the body when he chose to and that he would not see age 40.

There are many other signs of the Agni manifesting. As a child, he needed 2 nurses to keep up with him.

In adulthood he was sleepless in trying to capture his thoughts on paper. You almost get the feeling that

he was manic. Agni was obvious. As Dr. Wright said, "...asking you for your credentials is like asking

the Sun for its right to shine."

The Leo Arudha Lagna reiterated many themes of Swami's life in the world. The strength of Agni was

patently obvious; the placement of Lagna Lord was in Sagittarius in the 5th, which fortified the natural

5th house Leo quality. Leo indicates the privileged background. He came from an aristocratic family and

possessed a phenomenal intellect. Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Mars aspect AL through rasi dristi and/or

graha dristi; wisdom, wealth, glamor, and energy were all available to him. Saturn and Mercury in

exchange of rasis fortify the wealth, as 6th ruler is in 2nd and vice versa. This ties wealth in with family.

It also indicates that family is the enemy. Swami suffered the indignities of character assassination and

wild accusations behind his back of dissolute lifestyle. This problem began right when his father died and

the family fortune declined. In the chart the character assassination can be attributed to Jupiter in 3rd

bhava. With UL in the same rasi, ascribe similar dharmic intensity and controversy to any suitable spouse

for Swami.



Regarding Hora Lagna and Ghati Lagna, they are both contained in Swami's Lagna and show once again

a powerful reinforcement of dharma. Knowing that Sun is Atmakaraka and a Yogada, we can

confidently say that Swami felt that all power was from God and that God was within him. He probably

knew self-realization well from his earliest ability to understand the concept. The power from God was

the only thing that he was interested in. It gives me the chills looking at the list of Swami's Yogada

planets; Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. Each of these is Yoga unto itself. Not only did Swami realize

his true nature due to this tense Sun in Lagna but the father was Yoga. Not only did Moon and Saturn

combine to create a person who had to have everything proven, shown continually. These also gave a

mother who was Yoga for his life! Remarkable people generally come from remarkable parents. Saturn

represents us, the human race, which Swami saw as individual sparks of the One Life as well. The Agni

grahas are plenty strong in Shadbala - no big surprise. But Jupiter operates at less than 100% strength and

is helped by its presence in Navamsa Lagna. Jupiter as Yogada uplifts the human race represents himself

in the chart, and one absolutely cannot forget that it represents Sri Ramakrishna...

I sit here in awe, seeing all of these individuals in my mind's eye... Now that I am at the end of the

project, all I can say is that there were such people that walked the earth...

~

Pam Rosevear

Ancient Indian Astrology Classes

January 6, 2011

20:00 hrs CST

Chicago, IL

http://www.ancientindianastrologyclasses.com

http://aiaclasses.blogspot.com

aiac life of sages

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