By Sricharananda

Greetings to everyone. In today’s episode, let us learn about the significance (Karakatva) of the Moon.

A queen is compared to the status of a mother; therefore, matters related to the mother are understood from the Moon.

According to a mythological story, the Moon god, once intoxicated by his own beauty and due to his mental restlessness, infatuated with Tara, the wife of his divine guru, Brihaspati.

Goddess Tara was an extremely devoted, virtuous, and righteous woman. Therefore, when it became impossible to marry her, the Moon devised a plan.

Using his illusory powers (Maya Shakti), he forcibly took her away with him. He faced great humiliation due to this act. The Moon had committed this mistake on the fourth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha Chaturthi) of the Bhadrapada month.

That is why it is said that when one looks at the Moon on the Shukla Paksha Chaturthi of Bhadrapada, restless thoughts enter the mind. Afterward, other deities intervened and made him return Guru Brihaspati’s wife to him.

From this, when we observe the significance of the Moon, we can identify the mind, the state of mind, restlessness, determination, and artistic creativity from the Moon.

After the above incident occurred, the Moon felt deep remorse. Afterward, he performed penance dedicated to Lord Shankara and Brahma. Brahma, pleased with his penance, washed away the Moon’s sins in the ocean and liberated him from sin.

The Moon’s father, Sage Atri, also bestowed strength upon him, and he was re-established in the form of a deity. Due to this story, we see the ocean, ocean-derived pearls, salt, and the taste of salt in the significance of the Moon.

According to another mythological story, the Moon’s marriage took place with the 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. These 27 daughters are our stars (Nakshatras). All of them were devoted, virtuous, and loved their husband immensely. However, the Moon was deeply interested only in the Rohini star. When the remaining 26 wives complained to Daksha, Daksha came and cursed the Moon to wane (waste away).

Due to this, the Moon became very sorrowful and anxious. To seek liberation from this, he performed severe penance dedicated to Shankara. Shankara appeared and said, “I cannot completely nullify Daksha’s curse; instead, I shall grant you a blessing. That is, on whichever days your body wanes, it will regain its fullness (growth) in the subsequent days.”

The cycle of this process is continuous, and it creates two fortnights: the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) and the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha). During Krishna Paksha, the Moon wanes, and during Shukla Paksha, the Moon grows.

Not only that, the Moon realized his mistake and agreed to dedicate time to each wife individually. That is why the Moon transits with a different star (Nakshatra) every day.

As the Moon was subjected to the curse of wasting away in this story, we look to the Moon for TB disease (Tuberculosis) and wasting diseases.

The Moon is a worshiper of Goddess Parvati; therefore, matters regarding Goddess Parvati’s temples can be known from the Moon.

In the horoscope of the Cosmic Man (Kalapurusha), the Moon is the lord of Cancer (Karka Rashi). Cancer is the 4th sign of the zodiac.

From this fourth house, we look at matters of happiness (Sukha).

We look at matters related to the mother from the fourth house as well.

Additionally, the traits of kindness and compassion can also be understood from the Moon.

The Moon considers the Sun and Mercury as his friends.

Mars, Jupiter (Brihaspati), Venus, and Saturn are neutral planets to him.

Rahu and Ketu are enemies of the Moon. Apart from Rahu and Ketu, the Moon bears no animosity toward any other planet.

We see the significance of the white color, fragrant flowers, and the chest region in the Moon.

Milk, milk-related products, and all matters related to the ocean are indicated by the Moon.