Bharani, the heralder of Venusian energy, is represented in the celestial firmament by a group of three faint stars forming a triangle in the constellation of Aries. The ancient vedic seers saw these stars as forming the female sexual organ. These stars are known in modern astronomy as 35-Arietes, 39-Arietes and 41-Arietes. 41-Arietes is the brightest among the three, with a visual magnitude of 3.62, which explains the faintness of the stars of this asterism. It is only through being privy to some direct universal (galactic, in this case) knowledge, that the ancient seers were able to attach such importance to these relatively faint group of stars. In order to locate these stars in the night sky, one has to focus in the region between the bright star Alpha-Arietes (belonging to the previous asterism, Ashvini) and the bright group of stars of Pleiades star cluster (belonging to the next asterism, Krittika). It is easier to locate 41-Arietes,while the other two can be seen lying in a straight line on its right hand side.
«Bharani» can be roughly translated into either «Bearing» or «She who Bears». It must be noted, however, that it doesn't necessarily mean bearing a child as in the case of pregnancy, even though we would discover later how this asterism is directly related to the womb. The name, which conveys a major part of this asterism's energy, relates primarily to the feminine side of nature and its capacity to receive, hold, nurture and destroy.
The main symbol of this asterism is a «vagina», the female sexual organ. In effect all the female reproductive organs can be seen as the symbols of this nakshatra. In all ancient cultures these organs as symbols were seen to represent the fertility aspect of nature. In the Egyptian civilization, the vagina is symbolically represented as the Buckle or Isis is seen as the doorway between different worlds. The Vedic point of view also ascribes birth, death, transformation and regeneration to the feminine reproductive symbols. They are ateo seen to represent restraint, caution, jealousy, secrecy, forebearance, struggle, sacrifice, cartharsis, sexuality, nurturing and maternal love. Bharani therefore carries all the above mentioned attributes.
Since a soul finds its entry from the astral plane to the physical world of the living through the female sex organ, it is not very hard to see the ^doorway' connotation associated with this symbolism. As we shall discover later, Yama, the lord of death and one of the eight door keepers between the physical and the other worlds, is the ruling deity of this nakshatra. The womb as we know carries the new life in the form of a foetus for several months, before it finally finds itself manifested in the world. In the same way, Bharani allows things to brew on subtle planes, before they suddenly take outer material forms. In the case of childbirths, it is usually very hard to predict which day the water Is going to break. The same is the case with revolutions, which usually brew within the hearts and minds of people for a while before suddenly erupting. The same is applicable to death as well. This makes Bharani an unpredictable nakshatra, which operates in hidden ways and revels in secrecy.
A «boat» is the alternative symbol of this nakshatra. It again symbolizes transportation between different planes and realms of existence. Bharani is thus a nakshatra directly related to the process of birth, death and regeneration, at least on the earthly plane of existence.
Yama, the lord of death, is considered the main presiding deity of this asterism. He is supposed to be one of the eight celestial gatekeepers, who guard the eight directional doorways or exits through which the souls travel from the earthly plane to other planes of existence, In the Vedic texts, he is mostly seen as the Lord of Dharma. This apparent mixing of the deities of Death and Dharma may not be instantly clear to the western reader. However when seen in the light of the fact it is Yama's duty to assign the life paths for the souls who have left their earthly bodies, it becomes dear that he has to be well versed in the laws of karma and dharma.
Yama, despite being the lord of death, is a very jovial deity. His lightheartedness finds expression through Bharani's play fulness and joyousness. It is up to Yama to weigh our actions in the present life so that we can be assigned an appropriate new life. He is thus a benevolent deity and should not be feared. Yama is only feared by those who fear death and those whose karmas are not good. Yama is privy to many of the secret functionings of Maya. Bharani also holds within itself the complete understanding of the process of life, birth and death.
Kali, the dark and destructive form of Parvati, is one of the three main feminine deities upholding our universe. Just like Yama, Kali is also considered a deity to be feared. Kali's function however is just to kill the demons within and without. Her form has to be terrifying because the entities she deals with are themselves cruel and fierce. Her involvement with this nakshatra implies that Bharani is a sort of battle field between the opposing qualities of nature. It is here where the distinction between right and wrong, good and bad, godly and demonic is made. The process of uprooting the negative side begins. Bharani deals with extremes and in the process becomes the most extreme amongst nakshatras.
'Extreme' is the one word which sums up Bharani's essential nature and functioning. It swings between polar opposites like puritanism and bohemia, naievete and wisdom, maturity and immaturity and life and death. Bharani is representative of the desire aspect of nature. It is thus in a way a lust for life and a fear of death. Bharani is a 16 year old girl on the verge of deflowering, a baby in the womb or a person facing the Yamadutas (celestial angels whose task it is to guide souls through the afterlife process) after one's death. Because of its childlike quality Bharani is one of the most eager nakshatras. Just like a child wants to experience all of its surroundings, Bharani natives have a desire to experience their surroundings to the fullest. There is a primeval innocence in how they experience things, people and places. They might go through instinct rather than reason. Most of their feelings and desires are so overwhelming that very little can be done to restrain or placate them. Once again the evolutionary status of the soul in question comes into picture.
Evolved Bharani types would channel their immense primeval energy into positive and wholesome universal pursuits, while the less evolved types will be akin to a moth madly hopping about from one light source to another. In the present day and age where confusion and chaos reign supreme, Bharani can be a very difficult energy to handle. This can be easily understood through the mental dilemmas and naievetes which young girls and boys go through after puberty. Without proper guidance and understanding, Bharani natives are ready to jump into anything and everything without caution or consideration.
Bharani natives are often strong characters who can withstand the many turbulences which life has to offer. They do get down and moan and cry like infants sometimes, but nothing holds them down for too long. They are often seen to undergo huge transformations and radical changes throughout their lives. This comes about due to their longing for extremes. When they get set on a path, they want to experience every aspect of it until they have exhausted all possibilities and have no option left but to tip over to something completely new. There's no set boundary in 'Bharani universe'.
All Bharani natives have a creative urge inside them. The feminine sex usually expresses this creativity through bearing children, while the male sex tries to be creative on other levels. Bharani is a nakshatra where the interplay between the male and female takes place. This makes it one of the most sexual nakshatras of the zodiac. Bharani is representative of nature's force which creates attraction between the opposites. Bharani natives experience, indulge in, fall prey to and try to understand this force. Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, had prominent Bharani placements and it was no wonder then that he reduced every activity on the earthly plane to sexuality. However the more evolved Bharani types realize that this force of attraction has more to do with love, harmony and conscious unity. Sexuality is just one of its many expressions.
Bharani natives usually have large, expressive eyes, a prominent head, medium sized lips and a spooky deathly smile. Their smile is their most distinguishable feature. It encapsulates all their sexuality, mystery and the processes of life and death itself. Just like the sunset emanates a stillness over nature, Bharani natives have the ability to put up a calm countenance, even if their insides are a raging torment. Their childlikeness is quite helpful when it comes to exploration and learning, but it makes for a distinct type of cruelty and morbidity. Everyone knows how children can be more cruel than grown-ups on many different levels. Bharani's cruelty comes from a lack of responsibility for one's own actions. It is very easy for Bharani natives to move from one action to the next without caring about the longterm implications.
Bharani types are usually enthusiastic and energetic in their approach to life. They have a strong sense of adventure in the fields they pursue. It is seen that they can only achieve their goals if they are under constant guidance from a more mature and wiser source.
Bharani is considered to be a Balanced nakshatra. Bharani is in actuality an extreme nakshatra, but it is classified as 'Balanced' because of its tendency to balance opposing extremes like birth and death. Bharani natives often lead double lives, touching two different extremes. Thus on a whole, their lives can be seen as balanced. Sunrise (conveying a sense of birth) or Sunset (conveying a sense of death), which forms a part of this nakshatra's symbolism (as seen in its image), is the time when nature's energies are very delicately balanced. This is the reason why these times are seen as the best time for occult/spiritual practices. Bharani, as we shall discover, carries a lot of occult potential due to its relationship with the planet Venus.
It belongs to the mleccha (butcaste) nakshatras. It is Bharani's tendency to go towards extremes, which probably made the ancient Vedic seers classify it as an outcaste. Bharani almost always tries to break the social norms or taboos one way or the other. It is a highly explosive energy, which cannot usually be controlled within any societal structure.
It is a Female nakshatra. This comes as absolutely no surprise as Bharani stands for all that is feminine. It is the second nakshatra and the first feminine nakshatra. Just like the number l2' in numerology, it is the initiator of the feminine principle on all levels of existence. It is the beginning of duality and maya, and within it lies the essence of the complex functionings of the feminine principle.
The Head and Bottom Parts of the Feet are the body parts related to this nakshatra. It is interesting to note that in childbirth (a Bharani activity), it is either the head or feet which come out of the womb first.
It is a primarily «pitta» (fiery) nakshatra. Since all of Bharani lies within the pitta sign of Aries, this classification comes as no surprise. Bharani represents the original creative fire, which produces the world of matter. It is its pitta quality which makes it very active on the material plane, despite its earthy bulkiness.
It is related primarily to the arc covering the directions east, south-east and south,
The first pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Leo Navamsa ruled by Sun. The focus here is on creativity and self-immersion. Planets here can be extremely self-centric and can often offend others without meaning to. The drive and will-power inherent in this pada can be used for positive ends if the nativity as a whole allows for it. Sun, Mars and Jupiter are especially strong in this pada.
The second pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Virgo Navamsa ruled by Mercury. The emphasis here is on service and hardwork. Planets here function in an altruistic way. A certain degree of organization is seen even in typically extreme and chaotic Bharani mode. Mercury, Mars and Rahu are better suited for giving good results here.
The third pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Libra Navamsa ruled by Venus. The ability to relate and harmonize opposites characterizes this pada. There is however no sense of any limits here when it comes to sex and relationships, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending upon the evolutionary level of the nativity in question. Being a pushkara navamsa pada it allows for fulfillment of one's desires. Mercury, Venus and Rahu are best suited for utilizing the energies of this pada.
The fourth pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Scorpio Navamsa ruled by Mars. The energy here is extreme in every sense of the word. Planets here work in an uninhibited, primeval fashion. It can be a highly inventive and original pada if its explosive energy can be channeled properly. Sun, Mars and Ketu are strong here but may not always give beneficial results. Only the natural benefics Jupiter and Venus are suited for utilizing the energies of this pada in a wise, non self-destructive way.
Babysitters, Nannies, Nursery School Teachers; All professions involving children; Professions connected with Amusement, Theme Parks; Children's Toys Industry; Gynaecologists; Mjdwives; All professions connected with birth and death; Professions related to Fertility Clinics; Morticians; All those connected with Morgues and Funerals; Coffin Makers; Obituary Writers; Officials handling Birth/Death Records; Homicide Detectives; Dancers from all schools and styles; Tobacco, Coffee and Tea Industry; Cooks, Caterers, Hoteliers; Professions connected to Slaughterhouses; Veteranarians; Fire Fighters; Automobile Industry; Motor Sports; Stuntmen; Coal and Petroleum Industry; Heavy Industries; Surgeons; Film and Entertainment Industry; Photographers; Models; All professions involving the use of sex and glamour; Exotic professions; Strip tease artists; Pornography Industry; Prostitution; Occultists andTantrics using sexual energies; Judges; Those in Elite positions requiring extreme secrecy; Volcanic and Earthquake Experts; Geophysicists; Biologists and Microbiologists; Seed and Fertilizer Industry.
Extreme Exotic Landscapes; Volcanoes; Areas with Volcanic Soil; Volcanic Tropical Islands like Hawaii and Polynesian Islands; Farmlands; Kindergartens, Nurseries, Nursery Schools; Children Parks; Amusement Parks; Morgues; Cemetaries; Funeral Homes; Maternity and Child Wards in Hospitals; Intensive Care Units; Gynaecology Hospitals; Film and Photography Studios; Exotic Nightclubs; High Courts; Fertility Clinics; Streets and roads with busy traffic; All places connected with the above mentioned professions.
It is supposed to be a Rajask nakshatra. This can be easily assessed from Venus's rulership of Bharani. Venus is seen as the most rajasic among planets. Its relation to the terrestrial life processes is very strong. In a way it can be said that it is only Venus which makes life worth living. Since Bharani heralds the Venusian energy, its expression here is primal, highly charged and explosive (all rajasic expressions).
It belongs to the Earth element. Bharani can be said to represent the point in creation where the fire element (spewed forth by Aswini) transmutes into the Earth element. Bharani has everything to do with the process of materialization. It is the force which puts a material sheath around the astral body, so that it can experience the terrestrial plane. The earthy quality of Bharani can be easily understood by the fact that its representative animal, the elephant, is the largest and heaviest land animal.
It is considered a Manusha or Human nakshatra. Bharani relates to the second and seventh houses in a chart. These are the houses which sum up what human life is about for most people. One's partner, family and resources are all what the common man cares about. These are the houses of both life and death (2nd and 7th are the maraka (killer) houses). Venus is the karaka for both these houses and together they convey Bharani's intense involvement in human affairs, whether it be life or death.
It is Downward Looking nakshatra. This classification relates to the hidden aspect of Bharani. As we have discussed earlier, events brewing up under Bharani's influence don't come to the surface until the very last moment. Just like the act of sex or a foetus developing in a womb, Bharani likes to keep its activities hidden from view of others.
It is a Fierce or Severe nakshatra. The intent behind this classification is clear from Bharani's ruling deities. Yama and Kali are both fierce deities interested in jobs requiring fierce actions like cutting the lifeforce of lifeforms against their will. Even the process of childbirth (ruled by Bharani) is a painful process. In fact it is considered to be the most painful experience amongst all natural processes on the earthly plane.
It relates to the second half of the lunar month of Ashwin. This period usually falls in the month of October in the solar calendar.
Bharani is also related to the Chaturti (4th tithi or day) of the waxing and waning phases of the Moon's monthly cycle.
All Creative Activities are favoured; Good for Severe, Cruel, Destructive, Competitive or Warlike activities; Sexual, Amorous and Procreative Activity; Fertility Rites and Agricultural Activities; Beginnings and Endings; Gardening; All type of activities which require use of fire; Good for taking care of postponed or neglected activities; All activities requiring spontaneity; Ascetic activities requiring self-discipline; Fasting and other purificatory rites; Dealing with children.
Most unfavourable for travel (Bharani relates to traffic jams and accidents); Not good forslow and gentle activities requiring calmness or serenity; Not good for Initiations; In the present day and age it is better for endings than beginnings.
The main planets connected with this nakshatra are Mars and Venus. Mars is ruler of the sign Aries, and Venus is the main planetary ruler of this nakshatra. Venus can be said to be born in Bharani. As discussed in the Esoteric Section, Venus is a planet strongly connected with birth and renewal. Venus in Bharani acts as a 'bringer of life'. In combination with Mars,which, being the ruler of the sign Scorpio signifies death, Venus signifies the universal cyclic process of life and death on all levels of existence,especially biological.
According to one school of thought, both Mars and Venus are connected to the outer planet Pluto. Pluto has always been seen as the hidden, creative source and is equated with Shiva. In Greek legends, it is supposed to hide in the underbelly of the earth and is responsible for the fertility of earth. Mars and Venus are the two planets most concerned with fertility and interplay with the sexes. Nowadays,it has become fashionable to associate men with Mars and women with Venus, but the truth is that it is the male who creates the sperm (Venus), while it is women who create and house (Mars) the new born.
Conjunctions of Mars and Venus in a nativity carries an energy similar to that of Bharani, Saturn reaches its maximum debilitation in this nakshatra. Bharani is the warm place of creativity and fertility, while Saturn is a cold planet of obstruction and delay. It is easy to see how they don't go together. Other planets usually do well in Bharani, as long as Venus has a refined placement in the chart.
The first pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Lee» as in Liam.
The second pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Lu» as in Lulu.
The third pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Lay» as in Lay la.
The fourth pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Lo» as in Logan.
In the Sanskrit alphabet Bharani corresponds to «Eem» and consequently its mantra is «Om Eem».
Its sexual animal is an Elephant. Elephants are slow moving and some what sensual creatures. The elephant as a sexual animal represents elephantine appetites in sex. It is very hard for other nakshatras, with the exception of Revati(the other elephant), to satisfy Bharani. Bharani is the most sexual amongst nakshatras and promotes sex in ail its different forms. However in its extreme aspect it can shun sex completely or immerse itself in it to the point of perversion.
Most of Bharani's esoteric understanding can be arrived at from the study of the planet Venus. Besides the Sun (which is a star and thus cannot be seen as a planet), Venus is the only planet which periodically undergoes a process of birth and death.
The Mayan calendar was based on Venus's 584 day cycle, which it makes from being the morning star to being the evening star. Venus illumines the skies as the morning star for a 236 day period. After that Venus disappears for 90 days. It reappears as the evening star for 250 days, and then there is the second relatively brief disappearence of 8 days before it reappears in the east. This makes a total of 584 days.
We can see that just like the Sun, Venus too rises in the in the east, to disappear in the west, to one day reappear in the east. Because it dies and is born again, all ancient cultures saw Venus as representing the rejuvenative principle. Its connection with the well spring of life is the reason why Venus is considered an occult planet.
In Vedic texts Shukracharya, the preceptor of the Daityas (celestial demonic beings) and the presiding deity of Venus, is supposed to be an adept at Sanjivini Vidya, the knowledge to raise the dead to life. Even Brihaspati, the preceptor of the Devas (celestial godly beings) doesn't have this knowledge, a fact which renders the Devas weaker in comparision to Daityas.
All goddesses, especially the fertility goddesses, are connected with Venus. The May Day celebration on 1st of May forms an integral part of the Celtic traditions. The interesting thing to note is that Sun is transiting through Bharani on 1st of May every year. This is why the Celts saw this as an opportune time to practice fertility rites, just like the Mayans chose to do it in the 8 day disappearance of Venus. One must realize that all cultures, which placed strong importance on Venus above all else, had roots in the celestial Daitya lineages. The harsh and cruel behaviour of the Daitya race in Puranic legends can also be understood from the cruel and severe nature of Bharani.
Birth and death are complementary processes, in the sense that every death is a beginning and every birth is an ending. When a balance is achieved between birth and death the soul finds easy evolutionary progress. However if the soul finds it hard to confront one or the other, severe situations and turmoil are the result. Bharani is the nakshatra of karma and reincarnation, one of the least understood concepts in modern times, especially in the western world. Bharani is the name for the stage where the masculine and the feminine, which have come out of a single genderless source, copulate, and in doing so, carry forward the process of creation.
This nakshatra is related to the Sage Vashishta, one of the seven celestial sages looking after the affairs of our galaxy. The name of this sage translates into «possessor of wealth», which is in keeping with this asterism. Bharani has a tendency to be financially well off, as implied by the sage's name. On the other hand, we can infer that this particular sage has a lot to do with life and death processes within our galaxy.