Welcome: This is the recording of our Vedic Astrology Club call which occurred on Saturday July 5, 2014. Thank you to all the participants and to Rani and Bhairavi, our guest speakers.

Call Recording: Avatars of Vishnu and Other Discussion

Mytho-therapy:

The 1st 4 Avatars of Vishnu appeared in the Satya Yuga (or prior Golden Age), the next 3 appeared in the Treta Yuga, the 8th the Dwapara Yuga, and the 10th to defeat the wicked, liberate the virtuous, and initiate a new Satya, or Kalki Yuga. At that time the Supreme Godhead will appear on the earth acting with pure spiritual goodness. He will rescue eternal religion, restoring Dharma. The Supreme Soul of all will take a birth to protect the principles of dharma and to relieve His saintly devotees from the reactions of material work.

1) Matsya, the Fish – Vishnu take the form of a fish to save Manu from the apocalypse, He takes His boat to the new world long with one of every plant and animal gathered in a great cyclone.

2) Kurma, the Tortoise. — When the Devas and Asuras were churning the Ocean of Milk in order to get the Amrita, the nectar of Immortality, the Mt Mandara that they were using as a churning staff, began to sink. Lord Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to support its weight.

3) Varaha, the Boar. – Lord Vishnu appeared to defeat Demon Hiranyaksha who had taken control of earth and carried it to the bottom of the Cosmic Ocean. The battle waged on for a thousand years. Varaha, the victor, then carried earth upwards on his tusks and restored it to its place in the Universe.

4) Narasimha, the Lion-man. – The rakshasa (an evil person), Demon King Hiranyakashippu, (the elder brother of Hiranyaksha who was killed by Varaha), acquired a boon from Brahma that he could not be killed by man or animal, inside or out, neither day nor night, on earth or the stars, nor by a weapon that was either living or inanimate. So Vishnu descended in an anthropomorphic form, with the body of a man and head and claws of a lion. He kills King Hiranyakashippu with his lion’s claws, at the courtyard threshold of his house while lying across his thighs.

5) Vamana, the Dwarf. – Bali, the 4th Hiranyaksha, was able to defeat Indra with devotion and penance. He then extended his authority over the 3 Worlds, and the Deities appealed to Vishnu for help. Vishnu descended as the dwarf, Vamana. During a yagna of King Bali. Bali was pleased to see the diminutive holy man and promised him whatever he wanted. Vamana asked for 3 paces of land. Bali agreed and the dwarf expanded his size to that of a giant. He stepped over Heaven in his first stride, and the Netherworld with the second stride. Bali then realized that Vamana was Vishnu incarnate. In deference, the King offered his head as the third place for Vamana to place his foot. The Avatar did so and granted Bali immortality. Then in appreciation to Bali, and Bali’s grandfather Prahalada, Vamana made Bali the ruler of the Netherworld. Bali is believed to have ruled Kerala and Tulunadu. He is still worshipped there as the King of Prosperity, and honored before the harvest.

6) Parasurama, Warrior with an Axe which he received from Siva. Brahmin-Kshatriya in Hinduism, or warrior-saint. He is the son of Jamadagni (Brahmin) and Renuka (Renuka – Parasurama is the 1st of the Kshatriya clan that ruled Ayodhya and was in the ancestral lineage of Rama). King Kartavirya Suryavenshi visited Jamadagni at his Ashram and the Saint was able to feed them through the Blessings of Kamadehnu, the celestial, wish-fulfilling cow. The King demanded Kamadehnu for himself, and when Jamadagni refused, the King took the celestial cow by force and destroyed the ashram. Parasurama then killed the King at his palace and destroyed the army. The sons of the king then killed Jamadagni. Parasurama vowed to kill the Kshatriyas 21 x’s over, and filled 3 lakes with their blood. Ultimately his grandfather, the great Rucheeka, appeared and made him halt. He is still alive today as a Chiranjivi (meaning no samadhi) at Mahendragiri.

7) Rama, or Ramachandra, the Prince, and King of Ayodhya, is thought of as the ideal heroic man and his story is recounted in the Ramayana. While in exile from his kingdom with his brother Lakshman, the Monkey God hanuman, and his wife Sita. Sita was abducted by the Demon Ravana and taken to Sri Lanka. Rama with the help of Hanuman, and Lakshman, set off to Lanka, killed the Demon King Ravana, and rescued Sita.

8 Krishna was the 8th commonly worshipped Deity in Hinduism. He appeared with his elder brother Balarama (an avatar incarnation of Shesha Naga).

9) Gautama Buddha. The Founder of Buddhism, teacher of ahimsa (non-violence), and The 8 Fold Path to attain Nirvana.

10) Kalki Avatar (meaning Eternity, White horse, and destroyer of evil) is the final incarnation of Vishnu and foretold to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga. He will be atop a white horse with his sword drawn, blazing like a comet. He will destroy all of the unrighteous and evil and usher in the Satya Yuga, the Golden Age of Truth. son of Devaki and Vasudeva and is the most

Jupiter Moved into Cancer in June ~ Watch replay of Google Hangout with Dr. Pillai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r53MmM7iU3o&list=UULzw8opUlMnSA2TQfj34K9w

Rahu and Ketu Transit Occurred July 13th: Rahu moved into Virgo and Ketu moved into Pisces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxspdVUrI6o

Special Announcement: Have you ever wanted to go on a guided trip to experience first hand the incredible spiritual vortexes of the Navagraha (9 planet) temples in southern India?

One of our sister sites, Brindavan Mystic, is launching an incredible trip in Tamil Nadu which will include all 9 planet temples and SO much more! For information on this Inaugural Trip and Best Price Details see www.brindavanmystic.com/vortex_tour Space will be limited to 14 people so please let them know now if you are interested: support@brindavanmystic.com

Website mentioned on call:

• www.AstroVed.com

Suggestion: create a free account at AstroVed and run your own Vedic Birth Chart via the Reports Section and follow along with suggestions in the club session. See previous Vedic Astrology Club recordings for how to run this Report. Please email questions to Valli at valli@pillaicenter.com See information for our call next Saturday on the Events page.

Welcome:

This is the recording of our Vedic Astrology Club call which occurred on Saturday June 28, 2014. Thank you to all the participants and to Rani and Bhairavi, our guest speakers.

Vishnu

Call Recording: Vishnu and Other Discussion

Mytho-therapy:

Vishnu’s Symbolism (Vishnu is the ruler of Mercury)

The 4 hands of Vishnu express dominion over the 4 directions of space.

They also symbolize the 4 stages of human life referred to as the 4 ashrams.

1) The quest for knowledge –Brahmacharaya.

2) Family Life –Grihasta

3) Retreat into the Forest- Vana-Prastha

4) Renunciation – Sannyasa

They also represent the 4 aims of life, the Purushartha:

1) Duty and Virtue – Dharma

2) Material goods, Wealth, Success – Artha

3) Pleasure, Sexuality, Enjoyment – Kama

4) Liberation – Moksha Likewise the 4 arms represent the 4 castes and the 4 Vedas.

Further, Lord Vishnu holds the following implements in his hands:

1) Conch – blowing the conch symbolizes the primordial creative voice and Indian Mysticism relates it to the sacred sound ‘OM’, which is said to be the breath of Vishnu, pervading all space. Its various convolutions are said to represent the rising and setting sun, thus further cementing Vishnu’s solar associations. The conch has the form of a multiple spiral evolving from one point into ever increasing spheres, denoting eternity since it can go on forever.

2) Discus or Chakra – The ancient texts, the Vishnu Purana, ‘identifies the chakra with the human mind, whose thoughts, like the chakra, flow faster than even the mightiest wind.’ When used as a weapon, the distinguishing feature of the chakra is  its ability to  return to the hand that throws it. The only other weapon known to have this ability is the boomerang. Perhaps this is a pointer to the cyclic nature of existence. A parallel with the water wheel, representing the constant and cyclic interplay of irreconcilable activities (duality). The water wheel both empties and fills its vessels, turning without end to bring up water and disgorge it onto the forever parched fields. As life fills and empties due to forces innate in nature. This is the constant and rhythmic turning of the Wheel of Life.

3) The Lotus – When Vishnu contemplated the creation of mankind, a lotus sprang up out of his navel. Seated on this lotus was the four- headed Brahma illuminating all of the directions with his brightness. Vishnu is therefore also known as Padmanabha, or the one with the lotus navel. This lotus lit up the sky with its effulgence and was identified with the sun. As it was the creative matrix from which all of the world eventually evolved. The lotus therefore became a symbol of creation and fertility. By rising from the depths of the ocean, where there are said to dwell impure creatures like demons and serpents, the lotus expresses purity. Likewise does the individual soul, while rooted in an imperfect world, it searches for perfection. The lotus held in his hand, denotes the Goddess Lakshmi, from whom he derives his powers. Lakshmi the Goddess of Prosperity, sits on a lotus and holds lotuses in her hands. Thus the lotus represents the feminine force that activates the creative power of Lord Vishnu.

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The lotus further signifies the yogic ideal of detachment. This is because even though this beautiful flower grows in muddy waters, no water or dirt or are seen sticking to its petals. It portrays Vishnu’s  message of partaking of the pleasures of this world without  becoming ensnared by them.

4) The Mace – There once lived a mighty demon who was intoxicated with his prowess on the battlefield, who wreaked havoc on mankind. Finally Vishnu decided to provide humanity some relief from this demons’ activities. Gada was known for his valor, as well as for his charitable inclination. It was said he would not refuse a a boon to any individual no matter how unreasonable the request might be. Vishnu approached Gada as a Brahmin and asked: ‘If you are so generous as you claim to be can you give me your bones?’ Gada immediately tore open his body and gave him his bones from which the celestial artist, Ribhus, fashioned a mace for Vishnu. Vishnu thus acquired an invincible weapon for himself and relief for humanity. The mace is called ‘Gada’ in honor of this demon.

The mace represents the Power of Time at the metaphysical level. Just as nothing can conquer Time, the Mace too is unconquerable and destroys those who oppose it. As such, the mace is identified with the Goddess Kali, who is the Power of Time. The Krishna Upanishad says: ’The Mace is Kali, the Power of Time, and it destroys all that oppose it.’

Vishnu describes himself: ‘The world rests like the lotus in the palm of my hand, the cosmos revolves around my little finger like a discus. I blow the music of life through my conch, and wield my mace to protect all creatures.’

Jupiter Moved into Cancer in June ~ Watch replay of Google Hangout with Dr. Pillai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r53MmM7iU3o&list=UULzw8opUlMnSA2TQfj34K9w

Rahu and Ketu Transit July 13th: Rahu moves into Virgo and Ketu moves into Pisces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxspdVUrI6o

Special Announcement:

Have you ever wanted to go on a guided trip to experience first hand the incredible spiritual vortexes of the Navagraha (9 planet) temples in southern India? One of our sister sites, Brindavan Mystic, is launching an incredible trip in Tamil Nadu which will include all 9 planet temples and SO much more!

For information on this Inaugural Trip and Best Price Details see www.brindavanmystic.com/vortex_tour Space will be limited to 14 people so please let them know now if you are interested: support@brindavanmystic.com   Website mentioned on call:

• www.AstroVed.com

Suggestion: create a free account at AstroVed and run your own Vedic Birth Chart via the Reports Section and follow along with suggestions in the club session. See previous Vedic Astrology Club recordings for how to run this Report. Please email questions to Valli at valli@pillaicenter.com See information for our call next Saturday on the Events page.