The Greatness of Saturn by Robert E. Svoboda Part V

The Greatness of Saturn by Robert E. Svoboda

A Therapeutic Method

(Book review 12/2015)

Krishna and the Syamantaka Gem

“The Sun said, ‘O Satrajit! I am pleased with your penance. If you have any desire then ask for it; I shall grant you any boon you name.’

“Satrajit said, ‘O Lord Sun! I am a poor man. If you are pleased with me, then give me riches.’

“The Sun took the Syamantaka gem from around his neck and giving it to Satrajit said: “Every day this gem will give you eight wagon loads of gold. You must always bathe and do your daily worship before you wear it, though, because whoever wears this gem when he is impure will be destroyed.’ The personified Sun then disappeared.

“Then I entered into Shri Krishna’s house – both His astrological house and His material home – and as soon as His Seven – and –a- Half began, the desire to possess the Syamantaka gem arose in His mind so He called Satrajit to his palace and offered him to keep it safe.

“After leaving Krishna’s palace Satrajit went directly to Prasenjit and told him ‘Purify yourself, and wear this around your neck.’ Prasenjit then began to wear the gem.

“One day not long afterwards Prasenjit went to the forest to hunt, and while he was in impure state a lion caught him, killed him, and carried away the Syamantaka. Jambavan the bear, attracted by the gem’s glow, tracked down that lion, killed him, and carried the gem back home with him.

“When Shri Krishna returned from abroad and entered Dwarka, He found all the children fleeing in terror before Him, shouting, ‘Run from Krishna the thug, who kills even children to grab their ornaments!’ Though this was a rude awakening, Shri Krishna divined the entire situation in an instant.”

“The epic battle in the cave continued for a full twenty-eight days, until both combatants felt that they had their fill of it. Then Shri Krishna displayed His true form, as Lord Vishnu, to Jambvan. Jambvan, realizing that there was no difference between Krishna and Ramchandra, and remembering his promise of aid made ages ago to Lord Ramchandra, spoke: ‘I am very pleased with Your strength, O Lord! Now I offer Syamantaka , and also my daughter to You; please do accept them.’ Shri Krishna accepted the gem and took Janbavati as His wife and left with them for Dwarka.

When Shri Krishna met Satrajit He returned the Syamantaka to him, recounting the entire story in detail. Satrajit fell to His feet, begging His pardon for ever doubting Him, and then gave his daughter Satyabhama to Shri Krishna for His wife. Satrajit also tried to entrust the jewel to Him. Shri Krishna gladly accepted Satyabhama, but requested Satrajit to keep the gem.

“Everyone in Dwarka was ashamed to have believed the rumor about Shri Krishna, but He forgave them. He must have then thought that this chapter in His life is now closed – but I was not through with Him yet! Satyabhama had originally been promised by Satrajit to a Yadava named Shatadhanva, and this Satdhanva became embittered when she married Shri Krishna instead. Shatdhanva killed Satrajit in cold blood and took the Syamantaka for himself.

“When Shri Krishna came to know of this, Shatadhanva deposited the jewel with Akura and fled town to try to save himself. But when they returned to Dwarka, Shri Krishna and his brother Balarama hunted down Satadhanva like a beast of prey and slew him. Now it was Akura’s turn to take fright and flee. To salvage His reputation yet again, for the rumor was bruited about the city that He had plotted the burglary and murder with his relatives, Shri Krishna called Akura back, and induced him to show the gem to everyone. Then He reassured the terrified Akura and allowed him to keep the jewel.

“When finally HE became free from my gaze, Shri Krishna was so immensely relieved that He joined His hands together prayerfully and said to me, ‘O Lord Saturn Your mastery is miraculous. You torment everyone, even the devas and the asuras. Everyone gets misery, more of it or less, as they deserve. You are profoundly astounding.

“This is the way I aggravated even Shri Krishna; if I did not spare Him, who will I spare? Said Saturn in conclusion.

Then King Vikramaditya rose to his feet and prostrated at full length to Lord Saturn, saying, “O Supreme Lord Saturn! Glory to you! You have purified me. Now I seek this boon from you, that you will torment no living being.”

Lord Saturn replied, “O King Vikrama! It is because you are always intent on the welfare of others that you request from me the boon of removing the liabilities of others. I am really at a loss to find comparable benevolence in anyone else.”

The pleased Saturn then offered King Vikrama this boon: “I will not torment anyone who listens to or meditates on this Mahatmya of mine. I will protect day and night anyone who hears or concentrates on this Mahatmya and, installing this book in his house, worships it. If you cannot read or listen to this Mahatmya daily, at lest do so on Saturdays, fasting on that day and worshipping intently. Do this particularly on the Saturdays of the lunar month of Shravana. O King Vikramaditya! Your mind has been purified; it is now free of filth. I shall explain you how to worship me. Pay close attention!” Saturn then explained how to worship him with the hymn known as the Dasharathokta Shani Stotra. King Vikrama was immensely gratified to receive this hymn directly from Saturn’s mouth.

Saturn then said your Seven – and –a- Half is now completely over, and your rise will now occur.”

Vikramaditya prostrated to Saturn and taking that planet’s blessing for long life and prosperity, he said, “Great Lord Saturn! Just as you have showered your grace on me, even so shower it on every being.”

“Let it be so!” said Saturn as he became invisible, leaving Vikramaditya a wiser and much more sober man.

King Vikramaditya returned to Ujjayini with two wives, one the princess and other the merchant’s daughter. The King Chandrasena gifted a village to the oilman for taking care of King Vikramaditya. And King Vikramaditya also gifted a village to the daughter –in-law of the oilman as a gratitude for the help done to him. All was well by the grace of Lord Saturn. Then on an auspicious day, King Vikrama ordered the erection of a temple to Lord Saturn, and the populace began to diligently perform Saturn’s worship.

Anyone who reads or hears this story with full concentration and heartfelt devotion will obtain relief from all miseries.

Your Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide by Swami Kriyananda

Your Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide by Swami Kriyananda

 (6/2015)

The planets exert certain magnetic influences; individually as well as in various combinations, to which people respond accordingly to their own magnetic constitutions.

The Sun’s placement in your solar horoscope, then, determines the way in which you seek to impress your authority on the world around you. The Moon’s placement reflects the attitude. The Mars indicates the quality of energy. The Mercury determines the intellectual filter through which you impress your authority. Venus indicates kind of sensitivity. The sun, moon, Mars, Mercury and Venus – the inner circle, in other words, of our solar family, and the closest of them to our earth – represent your more intimate, personal nature. The outer planets represent more impersonal influences on your nature.

Jupiter’s placement in a solar horoscope indicates a person’s expansive quality – whether, for example, he is altruistic, philosophical, fame-loving, or self indulgent.

Saturn represents the counteractive influence. It affects one’s capacity for getting things together, for concentration on self-discipline, or in a negative sense, one’s inhibitions and sense of restriction.

By plunging deeper into his own nature, man discovers not only his basic identity with universal realities, but also still deeper levels within himself where he can actually divorce himself from those realities, remaining aloof from them as if he were, indeed, greater than they.

The highest purpose of astrology is to assist man on the inward journey. The true goal, then of astrology is not to fascinate people with endless proofs of their subtle kinship to this universe, but to take them from outward theory to inward practices. This is the science of yoga, known since ancient times in India as the science of inner astrology.

The signs of the zodiac represent in a sense an arbitrary beginning, and no real ending at all.

The sun crosses the equator at the vernal equinox on about March 21^st. For the next six months it is in the Northern Hemisphere, reaching a zenith at the summer solstice on about June 21^st. At the autumnal equinox (September 23^rd) it again crosses the equator, and spends the next six months in the Southern Hemisphere, reaching what for us in the north is a nadir on about December 22^nd, the winter solstice.

Now writing about my Zodiac Sign Capricorn

Capricorn is the first of the winter signs. Winter is the time of outward stillness. Winter symbolizes that period in the soul’s growth when the ego, its autumn months of self-questioning finished, seeks fulfillment in relating to broader realities.

Capricorn, the last of the earth signs, represents earth in its last stages of refinement: the rocks, minerals, and gems into which it condenses over eons of time.

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of contraction, of concentration. Saturn’s rulership here suggests great powers of concentration, and an ability to condense amorphous facts into small precious stones of truth.

Capricorn is traditionally represented by a strange creature half goat, half fish. The realism of Capricorn, in other words, when it is developed to perfection, leads to the state of divine self-mastery, a state wherein one finds himself at home equally on the firm “soil” of this world and in the great “ocean” of Spirit.

Capricorn’s influence calls people to scale the peaks of consciousness – to see below them the panorama of reality in all its vastness - if they would fulfill their destiny of balanced outer and inner, temporal and eternal, wisdom.

The key to Capricorn’s influence is its power to awaken in the ego a desire to bring reality into sharp, impersonal focus. A secondary key word for this sign is concentration.

The Sun in Capricorn

The goat is a serious animal, with great powers of endurance.

The more your inner energy and concentration are directed upward, the more clearly you see the shallowness of most human interests.

It is not materialism that marks Capricorn natives, but a power of concentration and single-minded concentration of all of one’s powers is the prime condition for spiritual advancement.

A negative trait that you need to watch, if you are a Capricorn, is a tendency to become over-suspicious of others – a misdirection, merely, of your capacity for realism.

In your meditations, try visualizing your body as a rock, so firm that you can’t move it, so heavy that no one else could move it. Sit perfectly still with a straight spine. After a few minutes you will lose the desire to fidget. Then visualize your mind, too as a rock, so immovably fixed that no thought, no emotion can sway it. The seat of concentration in the body is located at a point midway between the two eyebrows. Your deepening perceptions of reality will expand eventually to embrace the far-flung shores of cosmic consciousness.