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13° 20’ Simha – 26° 40’ Simha In the Sky
Purvaphalguni is represented in night sky by two bright stars in back of constellation of Simha. These stars can be seen forming a part of lion shape, usually associated with constellation Simha. However, ancient Vedic Seers saw these two stars as representing back legs of a cot (or two poles of a swinging hammock). These stars are known in modern astronomy as Delta Leonis (Zosma) & Theta Leonis (Chertan). With a visual magnitude of 2.56, Zosma is brighter one among them. It is very easy to locate these stars in night sky, as Simha is brightest among twelve zodiacal constellations. These stars are located to left of bright star Regulus, where hind legs of lion figure of Simha are supposed to be. Zosma lies on top of Chertan.
Name
Purvaphalguni translates into ”former reddish one”, ”former” or ”little fig tree”. Color red always evokes a wide variety of meanings and feelings, and as we shall see, this Nakshatra has a lot to do with nature, qualities and temperament generally associated with color red. ”Fig tree” translation is a more obscure one and relates to procreative aspect of this asterism.
Symbol
Its main symbol is front legs of a couch or bed. Bed referred to here is not bed we use for sleeping on during night time, but a divan or bed / couch used for a daytime siesta or lounging around. Some astrologers also use a swinging hammock as one of Purvaphalguni’s symbols. It is pretty clear from above symbols that ”comfort” is keyword for this Nakshatra. In cycle of 27 Nakshatras, soul looks for comfort and enjoyment after attaining ”throne” in previous Nakshatra.
Purvaphalguni relates to a time where we look for rest, relaxation and amusement, after fulfilling our worldly duties and responsibilities (activities ruled by previous Nakshatra). Symbolism of front legs of a bed / couch relates to beginning part of this relaxation process. When we are very tired and hop onto a couch or a bed, we usually go into a mode of complete relaxation in beginning (time period varies from individual to individual). Purvaphalguni relates to this beginning period, where we feel like doing no activity and are completely intent upon renewing our energy. Purvaphalguni is thus strongly related with forces of renewal, which ultimately link it to process of creation itself.
It is difficult for some of us to understand how something can be creative without being active. All activity is dependent upon periods of non-activity. Nothing or no one can work all time. It is periods of rest which provide impulse for creative / active periods. A lot of scientists and researchers have found that solution to a problem usually comes to them, not when they are actually working at problem, but in period when they have taken their mind off it, and are in a state of complete relaxation. In fast paced life of modern times, especially in cities, people have forgotten importance of having adequate periods of rest between activities. This is probably root cause for most of physical and psychological traumas, faced by fast paced city dweller. However, one must be careful not to amplify Purvaphalguni energy, which usually results in excessive laziness and indulgence.
Deity
Bhaga, one of twelve Adityas (solar deities), is main ruling deity of this Nakshatra. He is often referred to as ”morning star”, which might be a reference to Sukr. As we shall discover later, Sukr is planetary Lord of this Nakshatra and was seen in ancient times as a Graha representing solar aspect of nature. Bhaga’s name translates roughly into ”delight”. A similar Sanskrit word called ”Bhoga” translates into ”pleasure” or ”indulgence”. Term ”Bhaga” finds use in ”Bhagavan” (full of delight), one of Sanskrit names often used for gods, incarnations and evolved souls. In keeping with his name, Bhaga is known for bestowing rest, relaxation, enjoyment, pleasure, affection, sexual passion and marital felicity. Thus Purvaphalguni is seen to promote all of above indications.
Bhaga’s strong relationship with enjoyment and merriment makes this one of most carefree Nakshatras. Purvaphalguni natives don’t like to worry as long as they are comfortable, especially from a physical point of view. Bhaga’s obsession with physicality often makes Purvaphalguni natives overtly concerned with their bodies. Bhaga’s amorous nature gives Purvaphalguni natives a strong desire to appear beautiful and be appreciated. Bhaga stands for an easy life, full of comfort and luxury, and this is what all Purvaphalguni natives aspire for. Bhaga relates to that solar aspect of nature, which makes life worth living. If one removes pleasure aspect from Universe, not many souls will be willing to take part in game of life.
Bhaga is always usually invoked along with Aryaman, ruling deity of Uttaraphalguni, following Nakshatra.
As we shall discover later, these Nakshatras form a pair in same vein as Mrigashira and Ardra.
Purvaphalguni is directly connected to Shiva Lingam, most commonly worshipped form of Shiva. Fact that Shiva’s penis is worshipped more than Shiva as a whole, relates to penis being a regenerative symbol, representing creation and continuation of life, while Shiva as a whole is god of destruction. Purvaphalguni thus relates to creative and delightful aspect of Shiva, which can be easily understood through stories and legends associated with him. It is interesting to note that penis is most delicate part of male anatomy. This fact brings out essential tender quality of Purvaphalguni.
Nature & Functioning
After victory crown and throne achieved through intense battles in Magha, it is natural that rest, relaxation and enjoyment follow. This is what Purvaphalguni is all about. A period of rest follows every period of activity, just like a sunny calm follows a storm. Amongst all Nakshatras, Purvaphalguni is most related to recreational aspect of nature’s functionings. It offers shelter from vicissitudes of drama of life.
Sense of self having been firmly established in Magha, self-absorption reaches a peak in this Nakshatra. Just like a tired person looking for some place and time to rest, concerns here are me, myself and I. Intensive absorption of this Nakshatra makes it dramatic. Fact that it falls in middle of Rasi of dramatics, Simha, further encourages this tendency, making it most theatrical amongst Nakshatras. Purvaphalguni natives have a strong desire to be noticed for what they are and what they do. This is reason why a lot of Purvaphalguni natives fall prey to pretentious behavior and attitudes. Learning anything, especially new things, becomes very hard for such natives, as they don’t want to look beyond their own little world, no matter how superficial it might be. If it wasn’t for Purvaphalguni, terms like ”vanity” and ”pompousness” wouldn’t exist.
Despite its self-indulgent eccentricity, Purvaphalguni is a social Nakshatra. It likes to function within prevailing social standards. Despite its natural fixed character, it shows amazing flexibility when it comes to fitting prevailing social norms. It likes comfort and safety of blending in, rather than standing out. In its positive aspect, Purvaphalguni can be a warm, sustaining and nourishing influence on those around then. It is one of cornerstone Nakshatras, which keep up pillars of human society.
Having said this, it must be remembered that Purvaphalguni is a naturally cruel Nakshatra and therefore natives under its strong influence can be expected to be capable of carrying out ruthless acts. Purvaphalguni’s cruelty usually comes out when its rest, relaxation or amusement is disturbed by an outside agency. Natives under its influence get easily hurt and get extremely vindictive over small issues. This is especially case if they don’t get requisite amount of attention from others, which they think they deserve in their own minds.
Despite their limitations of pride, jealousy and vindictiveness, these natives are quite delightful creatures to be around when appreciating finer enjoyments in life. They can be most kin to hang around socially, as they radiate their leonine warmth and beneficence from their position on bed or couch. It is very easy to spot a Purvaphalguni native in a crowd, as they will be one in most comfortable spot. They are usually in no hurry to begin day’s activities and like to lead lives of luxury, even if they can’t afford to. They are not overachievers, except in areas where little physical discomfort is demanded of them. They are happy idling about in office, in arts studio, making love or entertaining others with their personality. Most of their efforts go in trying to make themselves comfortable or exploring their own personal feelings, thoughts and emotions. They usually end up having a family but are often not very suited for parental role. Their self-obsessive aspect usually makes them cruel or unnerving for their children.
In universal scheme of things, Purvaphalguni relates to ”Prajanana Shakti” - power to procreate. Its symbolism has female above and male below. It is immediately apparent that Purvaphalguni is all about creation through union of polar natural opposites. Its objective is creation of a family on macrocosmic as well as microcosmic level.
Mode of Functioning
Purvaphalguni is considered to be a balanced Nakshatra. Purvaphalguni balances creativity with relaxation, work with pleasure, aggression with gentleness. Aesthetically refined aspect of this Nakshatra arises out of its ability to find a delicate balance with objects, colors and like. As far as being active is concerned, it is a lazy Nakshatra.
Caste
It belongs to Brahmin caste. Purvaphalguni relays brahminical side of Brahmin Graha Sukr. Shukra Charya, presiding deity of Sukr, is preceptor of demons and has unique distinction of knowing Sanjivinividya (knowledge of bringing dead back to life), which even Brihaspati, preceptor of gods, does not possess. A Brahmin is someone who is supposed to understand secret functionings of Maya, and Sukr’s association with Purvaphalguni relates it to all kinds of occult knowledge.
Gender
It is a female Nakshatra. Even though both of its ruling deities are male, primary impulses of this Nakshatra, like beauty, vanity, love of ease, comfort and luxury, are all primarily feminine concerns. They come about due to this Nakshatra’s strong connection with Sukr, which is seen in Jyotish as a feminine Graha.
Body Parts & Humor
Sex organs, lips and right hand are body parts related to this Nakshatra.
It is a primarily ”Pitta” (fiery) Nakshatra. Its Pitta quality arises out of its connection with Simha, a Pitta Rasi and Surya, a Pitta Graha. Fire is essence of desire.
Direction
It is related primarily to directional arc between South-East and East.
Padas
First Pada of this asterism (13° 20’ - 16° 40’ Simha) falls in Simha Navamsa ruled by Surya. Emphasis here is on just I, I & more I. Evolved souls can use warmth of their soul power to illuminate minds of those around them, whereas for younger souls, Grahas in this Pada just heighten ego. ”Dignity” and ”regality” are keywords here. Surya, Mangal, Guru and Ketu can function strongly here and give some sort of executive ability.
Second Pada of this asterism (16° 40’ - 20° 00’ Simha) falls in Kanya Navamsa ruled by Budh. This is most sober and hardworking amongst all of these naturally pompous and lazy Padas. Emphasis here is on trade and enterprise. A well placed Budh here can give good common sense and heavy gains through trade.
Third Pada of this asterism (20° 00’ - 23° 20’ Simha) falls in Tula Navamsa ruled by Sukr. This Pada brings out indulgent as well as creative venusian aspect of Purvaphalguni. Emphasis here is on travel, harmony, relaxation, refinement, counseling, creation and appreciation of beauty. Since this is Pushkara Navamsa Pada, most Grahas, except Surya, give good results here. Sukr is especially strong in this Pada.
Fourth Pada of this asterism (23° 20’ - 26° 40’ Simha) falls in Vrischika Navamsa ruled by Mangal. Emphasis here is on intensified emotions, home and family life, self-reflection and personal valor. Passions are very strong here and all things in life are approached with a martian spirit. Grahas here usually give rise to a lot of unnecessary strife and complexity. Only a well placed Surya and Guru are capable of utilizing this Pada’s inner positive fashion.
Professions
Animal trainers; government officials; executives; diplomats; dealers in products related to women; gemstone industry; entertainers; beauticians; makeup artists; models; photographers; event managers; art gallery managers; singers, mostly romantic types; musicians (more into harmonies than other aspects of music); creative artists; teaching profession in general; dye makers; physical fitness trainers; interior decorators and designers; all professions connected with marriages, marriage ceremonies & childbirths; nannies; doctors (both naturopaths and allopaths); sex therapists; sleep therapists; masseurs; those involved in dating agencies; biologists; leisure and tourism industry; people connected with production & distribution of incenses, toiletries and related venusian products; goldsmiths & jewelers; wool, cotton and silk industry; secretarial jobs.
Places
Hot tropical landscapes; flowery landscapes; beaches; entertainment halls; exhibition places; bedroom; tourist resorts; spas; living rooms; art galleries; beauty parlors; markets, especially kind related to venusian products; pretty cottages, buildings and homes; all places connected with above mentioned professions.
Guna & Tatva
It is supposed to be a Rajasic Nakshatra. Purvaphalguni is very engrossed on material plane. Its planetary Lord Sukr is supposed to be most Rajasic among Grahas. It represents ”desire” aspect of nature, which breeds life and makes whole process of living exciting and delightful.
It belongs to water element. Purvaphalguni’s connection with Sukr, a watery Graha, would account for this classification. Water breeds life (it is clear that all sentient life began in oceans), and Purvaphalguni is representative of creative potential in nature. Even sperm are carried by a watery fluid known as semen, and mating of sperm with ova takes place in a watery medium.
Gana
It is considered a Manusha (human) Nakshatra. Purvaphalguni’s strong involvement with society, human relationships and procreation make it very concerned with what can be termed as human affairs. It is one of Nakshatras dedicated to sustaining drama of life.
Orientation & Disposition
It is an upward Nakshatra. Purvaphalguni fosters any kind of growth. Seed may lie beneath ground, but plant grows upwards. Purvaphalguni is intimately connected with biological process of cell division, which is responsible for making a tree out of a seed, or a baby out of a sperm. Purvaphalguni natives always look upwards towards sky, gods and creator for its inspiration and answers.
It is an ”Ugra” (fierce) Nakshatra. It comes as a surprise that a soft, pleasure loving and comfort seeking Nakshatra should have a fierce temperament. This relates to Purvaphalguni’s tendency to get overtly disgusted when it does not get what it wants. As we have discussed earlier, Purvaphalguni natives are prepared to go to any lengths in order to secure luxury and comfort, which they think is their right. Disturbing Purvaphalguni’s comfort zone is akin to disturbing a sleeping lion.
Lunar Month & Tithi
It relates to first half of lunar month of Phalguni, which usually falls in late February in solar calendar.
Purva Phalguni is also related to Trayodasi (13th Tithi) of waxing and waning phases of Chandr’s monthly cycle.
Auspicious Activities
Marriage, sex, romance; good for dealing with authorities and all kinds of persuasion; a good Nakshatra for clearing out air in relation to long standing disputes; good for confronting enemies in a gentle appeasing way; rest, relaxation and enjoyment; artistic activities like painting, singing etc.; good for using charisma or personal power for gaining wanted ends; good for buying property; matters relating to property and construction in general.
Inauspicious Activities
Unfavorable for all activities which require lessening down of ego; not good for starting new things; not good for intellectual activities; not good for healing or curing diseases; illnesses which start at this time are hard to overcome.
Lords
Surya and Sukr are two Grahas related to this Nakshatra, Sukr being its main planetary Lord. Sukr’s involvement with this Nakshatra is obvious from fact that main functioning of Purvaphalguni is procreation. Sukr relates to force which produces attraction between opposite sexes, and main focus of Purvaphalguni centres around this attraction. Surya, however, is connected with one’s sense of self and is not very comfortable with idea of losing one’s self to another, something which Sukr naturally stands for. Purvaphalguni is a battleground for conflict between ego, love and harmony. It helps to know that venusian energy is stronger in comparison to solar energy here (in Krittika it was opposite way round).
Fact that Surya and Sukr are natural enemies makes Purvaphalguni a volatile and turbulent Nakshatra. Decision to be made here is how much of self should be sacrificed, in order for love and harmony to find their rightful place. Creativity is only common meeting point between Surya and Sukr. This is reason why Purvaphalguni is able to be creative and constructive despite a plethora of inner rages and tumults.
Surya / Sukr conjunction or exchange in a horoscope carries energies similar to Purvaphalguni. Surya, Mangal and Sukr usually give strong results here but, as always, a lot depends on Pada they occupy.
Vowels & Alphabets
First Pada of this asterism (13° 20’ - 16° 40’ Simha) corresponds to ”Mo” as in Mohicans.
Second Pada of this asterism (16° 40’ - 20° 00’ Simha) corresponds to ”Ta” as in Taina.
Third Pada of this asterism (20° 00’ - 23° 20’ Simha) corresponds to ”Tee” as in Tina.
Fourth Pada of this asterism (23° 20’ - 26° 40’ Simha) corresponds to ”Too” as in Tooth.
In Sanskrit alphabet, Purvaphalguni corresponds to ”Cha”, consequently its Mantra is ”Om Cham”.
Sexual Type & Compatibility
Its sexual animal is a rat, thus its sexual nature is similar to that of Magha, previous Nakshatra. As discussed earlier, rats are highly reproductive animals and produce scores of progeny. They are always busy scurrying around, which makes Purvaphalguni quite indefatigable when it comes to sexual or creative activity. Purvaphalguni is most compatible with other rat Nakshatra, Magha.
For sexual & marital compatibility with other Nakshatras please refer to tables at end of this document.
Esoteric
Purvaphalguni relates to masculine creative spark, which touches upon passive feminine principle and puts it into creative motion. Feminine principle in nature is by itself passive (quality which makes Purvaphalguni lazy), and needs an external force to set it alight. Chandr, which represents feminine principle among Grahas, also needs a male source in form of Surya in order to function.
All Puranic stories relating to Shiva’s phallus and reasons why Shiva is worshipped in phallic form, relate to Purvaphalguni’s functioning.
In a famous story, seven Sages living in a Himalayan pine forest in Krita Yuga (golden age) are tormented by Shiva who visits their hermitage in a wild, naked form and all womenfolk get seduced by his erect hanging phallus. Sages in their puritanical narrow-mindedness curse that Shiva’s phallus should fall off. Shiva respects their wishes and lets his phallus get castrated. As soon as this happens, whole balance of Universe gets unsettled. Brahma intervenes and asks Sages to worship Linga (phallus) they had castrated in their moment of foolishness. Shiva, pleased by their devotion and worship, takes on his Linga again and thus universal balance is restored.
Even in present age, Shiva is still primarily worshipped in a Linga form, to make sure that puritanicalism never steps over male primeval regenerative principle, represented by Linga. Amongst Nakshatras, Purvaphalguni and Uttaraphalguni relate to this important aspect of universal functioning.
Purvaphalguni relates to Bhakti path where devotee likes to see supreme governing entity as ”beloved”. Lives of Bhakti saint figures like Surdas and Meera, who saw Krishna as a playmate and beloved respectively, illustrate Purvaphalguni’s way of encountering eternal divinity.
Gotra
This Nakshatra is related to Sage ”Atri”, one of seven celestial Sages looking after affairs of our galaxy. Name of this Sage translates into ”one who consumes”. As we have discussed in Rohini, Sage Atri seems to have two opposing tendencies, creative and dissoluting. Along with Rohini, Purvaphalguni relates to creative aspect of this Sage.
Remedial
Worship of Lakshmi and other goddesses related to creativity and prosperity; worship of all fertility goddesses; worship of Shiva through his Shiva Lingam - are all good ways to harness creative potential of this Nakshatra.
Repetition of root Mantra of this Nakshatra - ”Om Cham” 108 times when Chandr transits this Nakshatra and in its corresponding lunar month, is sure to reduce suffering and bring enlightenment into a person’s life.
Persons who are benefiting from positive energy of this Nakshatra can also increase good effects through above mentioned ways. It is helpful for them to wear all light, variegated colors and pastel shades, especially yellows, pinks and whites. Predominantly feminine designs and accessories are good. They should use its directions, lunar month and days when Chandr transits Purvaphalguni, to undertake all important actions.
Example
Madonna, famous pop star, has her Chandr and Lagna in this Nakshatra. Even though gaudier side of this Nakshatra is expressed through her music and showmanship, she has profited from utilizing sexual aspect of this Nakshatra.
Miscellaneous
According to Varahamihira, those with Chandr in Purvaphalguni are ”generous in bestowing liberal gifts, have sweet speech, pleasing manners, a habit of wandering and often serve government in one way or other”. Even though our example doesn’t seem to be directly related to government functionings, truth is that she is one of many pawns who are used by ruling elite for directing mass trends and tastes.
