Jyotish Maha Charts

Nakshatra Visakha

Vishakha consists of four stars, which form the left half of the hanging scale shape formed by the constellation Libra. These stars are known in modern astronomy as Alpha-Librae, Beta-Librae, Gamma-Librae and Iota-Librae. Despite the fact that all of these stars are part of the constellation of Libra, a part of this asterism lies in the zodiacal sign of Scorpio. Among these, Alpha-Librae (Zuben el Genubi or the North Scale) and Beta-Librae (Zuben el Haknrabi or the South scale) are the brightest, with visual magnitudes of 2.75 and 2.61 respectively. The easiest way to spot these stars is to locate them below the bright star Spica. Ancient Vedic Seers saw these stars as forming the shape of a forked branch and associated them with the abode of the gods under the rulership of Indra.

«Vishakha», like other Sanskrit terms, evokes a wide variety of English meanings — «forked», «two-branched», «poison vessel». Its alternative name is «Radha», which translates into «the delightful». Radha, as a name, has gained popularity by virtue of being the name of Krishna's beloved consort.

Its main symbol is a 'decorated arch' or 'gateway'. In depictions this gateway is usually decorated with leaves (refer to image). Such gateways are still a norm in marriage ceremonies in India. Consequently, one can infer that Vishakha has a lot to do with marriage. Most of Vishakha lies in the sign governing marriage, Libra. In the ancient times this gateway was symbolic of triumph. It symbolised the ending or attainment of a goal and the beginning of a new one. It was a reminder of the fact that challenges don't end once you pass through the gateway, after achieving your goal.

The challenges begin when one enters the gateway, just like the marriage ceremony is the precursor of the challenges to come in married life. The gateway also suggests that Vishakha always has its eyes fixed upon the final attainment of a goal. This goal can range from triumphing over one's external enemies to triumphing over one's inner demons. In the present day and age, where negative qualities of every nakshatra predominate, Vishakha usually functions as an obssessive, goal-oriented nakshatra with complete disregard for the nature of the means employed to achieve the desired end.

Despite its association with celebrations, Vishakha cannot be seen as a pleasant nakshatra. When striving towards a goal becomes the only objective in life, one is likely to have little peace of mind and will definitely miss the true essence of life. In the words of the contemporary songwriter John Lennon, «Life is what happens while we are busy making other plans.»

Source: «The Book of Nakshatras» by Prash Trivedi

Source: «The Book of Nakshatras» by Prash Trivedi