Nathan Naicker Vedic Astrology

In practising reading (and adhoc translating) Sanskrit as part of studying Jyotish, I am reading some astrological traditional texts and contemplating them a bit. Here is a verse from Jātaka Pārijāta describing the effects of Śārada Yoga. स्थ्रिपुत्रबन्धुसुख रूपगुणानुरक्ता  भुपप्रिया गुरुमहीसुरदेव भक्ताः | विध्यविनोद रातिशिल तपोबलाढ्य  जातिः खधर्मनिरत भुवि शारदारव्ये || striputrabhandhusukha rūpaguṇānurakta  bhupapriyā gurumahīsuradeva bhaktāḥ | vidyavinoda ratiśīla tapobalāḍhya  jātiḥ khadharmaniratabhuvi śāradāravye || (Jātaka Pārijāta 7-145) striputrabhandhusukha - happiness of wife, son, kinsmen rūpaguṇānurakta - fond of/possessing beautiful form bhūpapriyā - favored by those who protect beings (ie. rulers) gurumahīsuradeva bhaktāḥ - devoted to (or a devoted) teacher, priest, gods (godlike) vidyavinoda - takes pleasure in knowledge ratiśīla - delightful character tapobalāḍhya - strength from austerity khadharmaniratabhuvi - involved with their whole being in duti...

When we talk about ourselves, we tend to use as reference the titles, relationships, activities, and different personages we have taken on for the sake of experience. But there is so much lack of self-knowledge beyond these things, that it is no wonder it is difficult for people to connect with and feel loved, in and of themselves without needing validation or support from others. For a truly holistic view of ourselves, we have to understand how our being manifests itself in our life. Usually, our being expressing itself in four ways: our physical body, our heart, our mental conceptions, and our energy. So, our being is the sum total of our activities, our feelings, our thoughts, and our energetic will. In this way, we can use any of these four tools to pursue and observe and eventually settle in our being or spirit. The four ways are the traditional four paths of Yoga: through action (Karma yoga), through emotion (Bhakti yoga), through reasoning (Jnana yoga), and through our energetic...