Nakshatra Devatas II

6. Ardra

Mythologically ārdra is ruled by Rudra. There is abundance of references of Rudra in the vedas and puranas and it would not be possible to bring forward all the aspects of rudra in article such as this, however, I shall try to provide pointers which shall help the reader to understand the hidden meaning behind this nakshatra.

In Rigveda, Rudra is often portrayed as the deity of storm, wind and the hunt. The name rudra has many meaning of which the most commonly used is to cry out loud. The root of the word ‘rud’ means ‘to cry’. In earlier scripture Rudra was identified as an independent deity which got merged with one of the aspect of Shiva, an aspect which represents the form of Shiva which is responsible to cause destruction in the scheme of creation, sustenance and destruction. Although the most common belief is that the rudra are the cause of destruction, many others believe that Rudra are the protector of the created world and only when they are decline to support, destruction happens. Either way this can mean that if Rudras are unfavorable to someone or something, destruction is inevitable.

Sages of yores identified the destructive potencies of Rudra and revealed hymns which are used to pacify the rudras and stop them from bringing havoc. The most commonly used among the hymns are the rudra namakam and chamakam and they are also known as rudra prasna. It is said that this is the most effective remedy to the havoc caused by Saturn during its transit or unfavorable dasas. In Jyotish shastras there are 11 rudras identified commonly known as ekadas rudra. The ekadasa rudras are (1) Kapali (2) Pingala (3) Bhima (4) Virupaksha (5) Vilohita (6) Shasta (7) Ajapada (8) Ahirbudhanya (9) Sambhu (10) Chanda (11) Bhava and rule the 11th divisional chart called Rudramsa, which is judged for strife and struggles. Pt. Rath in his book Vedic Remedies in Astrology gives the mantra for the 11 rudras and can be recited by anyone based on the moon’s placement in a specific Rudramsa to save them from various strife and struggles.

Like the Rudras, the natives of this nakshatra are sharp, strong, immovable, obstinate and short tempered. They can be angered even with smallest provocation and it takes a great deal to cool them down. Their great energy and power is complemented by their hunger, which makes them intolerant to hunger and a voracious eater. They are sincere and straightforward and expect the same from others too and thus their face and eyes reflect their mind. They are quite intolerant to diplomacy and thus could be quite blunt in their speech. It is easy to compare the traits of these natives to that of mythological figures such as Hanuman from Ramayana and Bhima from Mahabharata. Their persistence and energy to move any hurdles are their unmatched traits. They do not stop keep trying until they get what they look for and hence they ooze energy, persistence and drive in all their activities. If not tamed well their energy can be very destructive such as that of a hurricane or tsunami, however a controlled ardra person can be great leader and motivator. They can withstand many hardship without losing their composure which is another trait which points toward their patience and persistence.

From mythology we can understand the both rudras Bhima and Hanuman are the son of the god of wind Vayu. Thus they inherit the traits of Vayu and thus love to wander and travel. Their airy trait makes them flexible and open to change. Although it is a positive trait in the world of constant change, however at times shows that they lack strong individuality and are swayed by the opinions of others. The only negative trait is that they do not save for tomorrow and due to their tremendous urge to consume things they spend their resources lavishly and live a lavish lifestyle; due to which occasionally they have to face financial hardship. However, they are not much moved due to such hardships and due to their persistence they regain their lost position. They are good planner which helps them float through the periods of hardship. Another positive side of their trait is that they love humor and they do not hesitate to make themselves part of the humor. However, at times they can be sarcastic with others and also make fun of others. Being predominant in airy element, they are seeker of all form of knowledge and also attain expertise in multiple fields. However, although they are knowledgeable, they have lesser staying power and substance to make others understand and value their depth of knowledge. They are also dexterous in working on multiple fields and professions at the same time and keep changing their line of profession throughout their life. They abhor monotony and like professions which encourage imagination and creativity such as artistic, media and product development.

Due to their lack of commitment to a static life, they do not get drawn towards relationship such as marriage which requires long lasting commitment to home and family. Due to this they usually get married quite late, when they realize that they need support of a soul mate to travel the long journey of life. Many even chose to remain bachelor or having short relationship with many life partners. The ideal person to marry these natives should also have inclination towards traveling and promote creativity at home. The day it becomes monotonous at home, it would be difficult to bind these natives to home and they will travel away from home either with the pretext of profession or something else. To have a enriched marital life such native and the family should devote time in having pastimes such as trekking, adventure sports or just going out regularly during the weekends.

Their belligerent attitude makes them prone to litigations however they are fearless and fight till the end to present their points and convince others. At times their energy and drive reflect in their passion to overpower the members of opposite sex, however given their self restraints many times they like to take up a life of celibacy and chose to overpower their sexual instinct with sheer determination and power. They do not tolerate rules and traditions which hinders positive growth and flow of energy to development of mankind. Since they are known to protect the creation and also cause destruction to old and worn out things, they often have revolutionary ideals and take actively participate in bringing down anything which does not serve the existential purpose. They help in destroying worn out things to pave the way to newer things and rejuvenation.

Due to their sheer physical power, natives of this nakshatras gravitate towards profession which requires physical prowess such as athletics, boxing, wrestling and activities which require raw physical labor. They are not very keen in taking up professions which require mental activities. They are however sincere and responsible and stick to their commitments. In terms of their friendship and enmity, they can go to extremes, thus while they can be extremely generous and forgiving to their friends, their enmity has not boundary.

Om Tat Sat