Satabhisha nakshatra in Libra: is it possible?

Saptarishis used a tropical zodiac with sidereal nakshatras; I have established this conclusively in another article. In a tropical zodiac, the nakshatras are not fixed to the zodiac signs. Consequently, the nakshatras can fall under any sign. But, can Satabhisha nakshatra be placed in Libra? References to this effect are indeed found in Saptarishi Nadi. Let’s explore further.

Saptarishi Nadi

Saptarishi Nadi is a collection of books containing discussions of horoscopes by the seven sages (saptarishis) and the consort of Lord Siva, Devi Parvati, herself. It is written in poetic form in the Tamil language. These books were compiled from palm manuscripts found in various parts of Tamilnadu, India, and published by the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras. Most importantly, they are a treasure house for those who want to analyze the predictions of the horoscopes by the ancient sages. I have discussed at length about this collection in the Saptarishi Nadi section. I have compiled the portions where the saptarishis put forth their arguments in favor of/against some of their predictions in the form of an eBook titled, “Elucidation of astrological predictions by saptarishis: Saptarishi Nadi, Aries ascendant collection.”

Satabhisha nakshatra in Libra

In Saptarishi Nadi, Virgo ascendant collection, the sages describe the birth of a jataki’s husband thus:

செக்குநாள் கோலாம்ராசி 

Satabhisha nakshatra in the sign of Libra.

Horoscope 87, verse 29

In sidereal zodiac, Satabhisha nakshatra (சதயம்) falls in Aquarius. But the sage places the nakshatra in Libra, which is very far off. Is it even possible? Did the sage err?

Tropical zodiac

On the other hand, let us evaluate this possibility under a tropical zodiac. To clarify, in a tropical zodiac, the nakshatras slowly move with respect to the zodiac owing to the precession of the equinoxes. Therefore, the nakshatras are not fixed to the signs. As a result, we have to entertain the possibility that if Satabhisha nakshatra had moved to Libra, then the other nakshatras too would have moved outside of their sidereal locations. So, let us confirm the possibility of this planetary position.

Planetary dasa during the birth of the jataki

In verse 46, the sage describes the remaining dasa period at the birth of the jataki to be 5 years and 3 months of Moon dasa. The jataki’s Moon is in Virgo. However, there is no mention of the nakshatra. So, the obvious choice of the nakshatra, as per sidereal zodiac, would be Hasta (அஸ்தம்); this makes perfect sense, indeed! But wait… The Moon dasa can also occur if the nakshatra happens to be Rohini or Shravana (திருவோணம்).

If Satabhisha nakshatra had moved to Libra then, naturally, Shravana too would have moved to Virgo. Consequently, the jataki’s Moon could have been in Shravana, and that would explain the moon dasa at birth.

Probable nakshatra wheel for this horoscope

To make things clear, the snapshot of the starry cosmos for this position has been illustrated below. The nakshatras are in the outer ring and the zodiac signs in the inner ring. Note that both Satabhisha and Shravana nakshatras are coloured in pink in this image.

This particular astronomical position could have occurred approximately 8000 – 10,000 yrs ago. Did the sages, then, explain a horoscope of a person belonging to that age?

According to the Hindu way of life, that is not impossible at all. In other words, saptarishis are said to have existed thousands and thousands of years before, and it is indeed possible for them to have described a horoscope belonging to that period.

Our level of evolution limits our perception of the truth

In a similar vein, at one period of time, people believed in a flat Earth; therefore, they wouldn’t even consider any other possibility. But now, even a child knows that the Earth is spherical. Likewise, humanity once thought that men can fly only in their dreams. As people evolved, their capacity to understand the complexities of nature evolved too. Consequently, magic for our ancestors is but technology now.

Also, humanity lost its divinity and wisdom during Kali yuga, and therefore it is natural that we don’t remember much about humanity’s past. If we can open our minds a bit, we will realize that tropical zodiac is a distinct possibility, and our saptarishis employed it to cast horoscopes.

And… the answer is yes! Satabhisha nakshatra in Libra is definitely possible!