Jyotish Maha Charts

Nakshatra Jyeshtha

Jyeshta, the seniormost among the first eighteen asterisms, consists of 'three stars in a row', which were seen by the ancients as forming a shape similar to an ear-ring (or in some cases the top of an umbrella). These three stars are known in modern astronomy as Alpha-Scorpionis (Antares), Sigma-Scorpionisamu Tau-Scorpionis. All of these stars lie in the middle to end portion of the zodiacal constellation of Scorpio. Antares, the star with a reddish hue, is the brightest among these stars with a visual magnitude of 1.07 and was revered by all ancient cultures. It is in fact one of the brightest objects in the night sky, which makes it easy for one to spot this asterism in the night sky.

«Jyeshta» translates simply into the «Eldest» or «Seniormost». As is the case with some other asterisms, Jyeshta's name immediately reveals a lot about its nature and functioning. Jyeshta is considered the eldest among the first eighteen nakshatras. At some point of time in ancient history, only eighteen nakshatras were in use and Jyeshta was the final, the senior most or eldest nakshatra. Since then more nakshatras have been added, but the name has stayed.

Its main symbol is a 'round talisman'. In all the ancient civilizations and legends, one can see that a round talisman is seen as a symbol of divine protection. In many cases, one will find that it is also a symbol of an authoritarian position.

A circular earring is also a sort of round talisman and all the kings of the past were expected to wear big, round earrings. Thus an 'earring' can also be seen as a symbol of this nakshatra.

A round talisman, ring or earring are all considered to be related to the governing forces of the universe. As all wise men have known throughout the ages, everything in nature happens in circles. In ancient times, me king was supposed to be the person who is representative of the higher governing forces on earth. The fact that he used this circle symbolism showed that he was connected to these forces.

One can automatically infer that this nakshatra relates to all those in authority positions. This authority is usually conferred on one for their relative proximity to the governing universal forces. This may be the result of repeated past life efforts in the fields of karma, occult practices and penance.

The most important example of a circular occult symbol is the Ouroboros, a coiled snake swallowing its tail. The serpent symbolism relates to Rahu and Ketu and the kundalini shakti.

An 'umbrella' is an alternative symbol of this nakshatra. The most basic function of an umbrella is to protect one from rain, sun or wind i.e. nature's forces. In the same way this nakshatra is supposed to provide protection against the universal forces. This is the reason why all kings and queens in olden days never went out without an umbrella on top of their head. It was the most visible royal insignia.

This protection usually comes about through a detailed understanding of the occult knowledge of Universal functions. In a way, the priestly class was the protective shield for a king. In today's day and age where most of the masses are totally ignorant of the occult and have little knowledge of Universal functionings, the truly protective aspect of this nakshatra is rarely seen. However the politicians and the ruling class of today do take the aid of occult practices in secret (away from public view), to protect their power and position.

Source: «The Book of Nakshatras» by Prash Trivedi

Source: «The Book of Nakshatras» by Prash Trivedi