An article on Shravana Nakshatra by a Student

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Shravana Nakshatra – Symbolism and Metaphorical Interpretations

Shravana is the 22nd nakshatra in the sequence of the 27 nakshatras and it extends from 10 degrees of Capricorn to 23 degrees 20 minutes of Capricorn.


Nakshatra Lord – Moon


Shravana Nakshatra is ruled by moon that governs the mind, enhancing one’s emotional intelligence and sensitivity, and making one extremely empathetic. There is an intuitive understanding of others' needs and desire to nurture and care.


Sign Lord – Saturn


Shravana is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Shru’ which means to hear. So, the meaning of Shravana is ‘acquiring knowledge by hearing.’


Symbolic Representation- Ear, three Footsteps, Trident


Deity – Lord Vishnu


Alternate Deity – Maa Saraswati


Animal – Female monkey


Caste- Mlechha (outcaste)


Their outlook on life in general is very different from majority of other people in the society, people fail to appreciate their viewpoints which leads to non-acceptance


Gana- Deva


This nakshatra is considered sattvic, with a greater emphasis on higher beliefs, devotion, performing one's duties, and serving others through philanthropic pursuits.


Purushartha/Motivation – Artha


They desire to achieve material prosperity through which they can serve others.


Shakti – Samhanana shakti


They have an ability to connect to everyone and bring people together. They can be equally at ease with everyone, the people from the highest and the lowest rungs of the society.



Mythological Story


There is a very interesting mythological story attached with this nakshatra. This story revolves around King Bali, the grandson of Prahlad, who was the devout devotee of Lord Vishnu.


After the churning of the Ocean was over, and all the devas got the Elixir (the potion of immortality, the Amrit) The Devas defeated the Demon army under the leadership of Indra and started behaving in a very autocratic manner. This didn’t go down well with the Asuras. The Asura King Bali then approached Guru Shukracharya, to learn from him, ways to regain his powers and Kingdom.


Even being a king, he listened to all the advice given by Rishi Shukracharya and followed all of his instructions. He even conducted the Vishwajeet Yagna on his advice with utmost devotion. His humility and dedication won Shukracharya’s heart and he decided to help the Asuras. He told King Bali that he had the Sanjeevni Vidya boon and that he would help in the resurrection of the Demon Army, whenever needed. This boosted the morale of the Demons and under the leadership of King Bali; they marched towards the heavens to attack the Devas.


Scared, by their confident demeanour, the devas, ran away from the heaven to seek protection. Seeing this, Aditi, the divine mother of the Devas wasn’t impressed. She decided to practice strict penance and austerity and prayed to Lord Vishnu. When Lord Vishnu came to bless her, she asked him to be born through her, as a sibling to the Devas to protect them. And thus, Lord Vishnu was born as the Vamana Avatar or Trivikarma as the 5th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This is the reason why he is sometimes called Indranuj (younger brother of Indra) and Aditya (born out of Aditi).


The Vamana avatar then, dressed as a young Brahmin boy, approached King Bali in his Kingdom, where King Bali was performing a yagna with Guru Shukracharya. Seeing The young Brahman Boy, King Bali wanted to help him with whatever he wished for. King Bali was known to be a very generous King who was very respectful of scholarly people.


Bali, thus asked the young Brahmin boy to ask for anything he wished for. The young Brahmin boy, thus asked for land that he could cover in his three footsteps. King Bali felt he was asking for too less and he asked him to ask for more, to which the Brahman boy replied


“If you are not happy with three paces of land, then you would not be happy with the three worlds either’


Shukracharya could sense some form of deceit in the young Brahmin boy. He thus tried to warn King Bali. As King Bali was about to take out water from his Kamandal (water pot), to take a vow, Shukracharya, took a diminutive form of an insect and blocked the spout of the water pot. King Bali tried to clean the spout with the help of a blade of grass and ended up injuring the insect’s (Shukracharya’s) eye.


As soon as King Bali took a vow to give the Brahmin boy three paces of land, he assumed his gigantic form. In the first step, he covered, the whole of the earth, in his second step, he covered the whole of the heaven and he had nowhere to keep the third step. Then, King Bali, bound by his promise, offered him his head to keep the third step.


Lord Vishnu, touched by his devotion, promised him that he would be made Indra in his next incarnation. And subsequently, with the pressure of his third step, he pushed him into the Pataal lok, where he would rule.


Esoteric Interpretations of the story

Individuals born under the influence of this Nakshatra may be short in height like the Vamana Avatar of Lord Vishnu but may highly knowledgeable. They tend to be practical and clever.


1. Because the insect’s eye was injured when Bali tried to clean the spout of the water pot, this nakshatra can give eye injuries if connected to the 6th lord/Ghatnikaraka/or during MD/AD of the planet involved.


2. Because the 3 steps taken by the Brahmin boy are uneven steps, this can indicate a limp in the walk, which can indicate towards a leg injury, by birth or an acquired defect in leg that may lead to a limping gait. It may also show the use of an aid or a crutch to walk, which is indicated by the third footstep, because when a normal person walks, there are only two footsteps.


3. This nakshatra being in the ascendant or the ascendant lord being here, can make people very generous, giving, even sacrificing self to care for other’s needs. However, they may be “used” and be pulled into trickery or deceit due to their same nature. They may lose their money trying to help someone. This Nakshatra has the potential to bring a major downfall or major financial losses. (Vijay Mallya has moon in Capricorn-Shravana. He was in his Saturn MD, which activated his moon when all the financial fraud proceedings against him were initiated, with Saturn being in Scorpio in the 10th, with Rahu, it severely damaged his reputation)


4. The trickery may be pulled by someone who looks very innocent and harmless (Child Brahman). This can also indicate that a child like figure may reveal to you the universal truths that may lead to your emancipation.


5. Because King Bali did not pay heed to his Guru’s advice, this may lead to similar life situations where one may end up in a soup because of not listening to the advice of teachers/elders. These people can be very gullible and over trusting,


6. King Bali remained true to his promise, even when he had to sacrifice his own self, this can indicate that these people can be extremely honest, reliable and dependable. They can be devoted to a fault. They can be very polite and respectful of the values and traditions.


7. King Bali underestimated the Brahman boy when he asked for a mere three paces of land, this may indicate that these people can at times be not far sighted and are unable to visualize the future consequences of their actions.


8. Because Lord Vishnu used deceit and trickery to defeat King Bali, people with this nakshatra can resort to cheating and pretence, but for a good cause. They may do things that do not seem righteous on the surface, but are always fair and may try to do seemingly wrong things for a greater good.


9. King Bali didn’t want to go back on his promise even when his own life was in danger, this can indicate extreme devotion and utmost honour to the given word on one hand and it may also indicate extreme concern for reputation, social prestige and being high on egotism, on the other hand.


10. Because Shukracharya’s advice wasn’t paid heed to, Venus does not seem to be very comfortable here. This can indicate problems with the sperm count and motility in males or general relationship issues in both the genders. One of the partners may feel unheard which may lead to differences and difficulties in relationship.


The Symbol Ear


There is a traditional Nursery rhyme-

“A wise old owl,
sat on an oak,
The more he sat, the less he spoke
The less he spoke, the more he heard
Why aren’t we like that wise old bird!”


This is the theme of Shravana. The learning and the soul growth here happen when one learns to listen, with patience; listen to the people around, listen to the advice, listen to the universe, listen to one’s inner voice. Listening can be one of the most humbling experiences, because most of the times we are so focussed on expressing ourselves, speaking, that we do not focus on listening.
They can, with time, develop excellent listening abilities and thus they can thrive well in careers where active listening is required, for example, being counsellors, teachers, speech therapists, language translators, interviewers etc.


They can also have an extraordinary hearing capacity. Hearing sounds of lower frequency easily which other people can’t manage to hear.


If malfunctioning, it can give ear diseases and hearing loss.


Deity of Shravana- Lord Vishnu


Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are known as the trinity of Gods; of which Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer. Shravana Nakshatra lies in the Capricorn sign. Capricorn is the sign of law and order; perseverance and discipline and the same qualities are needed for the efficient running and preservation of the universe. This explains the connection between Lord Vishnu and the zodiac of Capricorn where Shravana lies.


The three foot prints symbolism


The three foot prints are of unequal size, with one he covered the entire earth, with the second he covered the heaven, and the third was put on Bali’s head. Now if we observe, the third footprint is much smaller than the other two. This can indicate an aid/help/crutch that is used by a limping person to walk. So this nakshatra can indicate some kind of leg malfunction, which is by birth or acquired due to some injury.


It can also indicate leaving behind one’s footprints, in the form of a legacy, when one does something path breaking, or like a guidance for others to follow.


The trident symbolism


The trident symbolizes the trinity- Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the sustainer; and Shiva the destroyer. They are not considered separate gods but different aspects of the same ultimate reality. Each deity has unique characteristics and functions, and together they represent the cosmic forces at work in the universe. It’s therefore symbolic of the three Gunas- Sattva, rajas and Tamas. This teaches us to learn to maintain balance between the three energies.


Additional deity- Maa Saraswati


Sara is essence + Swati is related to Vayu (air)
It is considered to be the birth nakshatra of Goddess Saraswati, the wife of Lord Brahma, who represents wisdom. She is the essence of our breath. She gives clear and articulate speech. This can also give a beautiful melodious voice if its in the 2nd house or connected with second lord, or planets of creatuvity like venus or moon. If malfunctioning can lead to speech defects too. Saraswati is also the goddess of learning, knowledge, creativity, and music. She gives a love for everything artistic and related to education. Natives with prominent Shravana in their charts would love to gain education, desire to know the scriptures and will have a deep regard for their teachers and everyone who is knowledgeable (Like King Bali).


Animal Symbol- Monkey


Monkeys are very intelligent, clever and social animals. They are opportunists, greedy and like to remain clean. They are very concerned about their clan and their families, as seen by them removing lice from each other’s bodies. They require their surroundings to be clean and loathe those who are not organized. They are quick, active, good learners and are very good at mimicry.
Like monkeys always try and sit at the highest branch, Shravana natives look for authoritative positions. They shine well in those positions due to their administrative skills, listening ability, kindness generosity and honesty.


Padas of Shravana Nakshatra:


1st pada lies in the Aries Navamsa --

The first pada is ruled by Mars and so it makes the native self-driven, goal-oriented, and focused. They may have a very high ego. They are highly motivated and ambitious, they will meet with challenges head-on and can be very practical. They would like to keep on improving themselves both at professional and personal levels. They would like to preserve the traditional order.


2nd pada lies in Taurus Navamsa --


The second pada is ruled by Venus. These natives are confident and will be well-positioned in life. They will have powerful voices and will be very eloquent. They can be very artistic and good singers. Signified by Shukracharya, they can be good doctors and healers. They can make friends easily especially with high profile people. They will be most learned and will make them serious and hard workers.


3rd pada lies in the Gemini Navamsa –

The third pada is ruled by Mercury. Those born in the third pada will be very good with languages (translators and linguists) communication, and mathematics. They can be excellent mimicry artists and comedians. They will be good at writing poetry or articles. They are very social people and will like to work in groups. They will be very good listeners and hence, can find them to be good friends or counsellors. However, if not functioning well, they can be prone to lower significations like gossip and jealousy. (mercury=green=green with envy)


4th pada lies in the cancer Navamsa –

The fourth pada is ruled by Moon. Those born in the fourth pada will be very sympathetic, kind-hearted, and emotional people. They will be good teachers and guide others easily. They are the ones who love to take part in group activities. They can become addicted to drinks or drugs easily.


Concluding Message

One should try not to be greedy and to remain content. Do not snatch what doesn’t belong to you, like Bali tried to snatch heavens from Indra because that will lead to the unfolding of repercussions. One's devotion will lead to pouring of the divine grace.

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Good detailed writing. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for share.