Shukracharya in the Horoscopes of Devotees Abhaya Mudra Dasi Shukracharya is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

He is great soul although he is often disregarded simply because he is the guru of the asuras. Shukracharya is not a simple character; his e alted !ualities are hidden. "ften he acts in a t#isted manner because it is not easy to direct his demonic disciples to#ards the path of devotion. Still on so many occasions$$as verified by shastra$$Shukracharya has been very successful #ith his tactics. %et us look at the story of &amanadeva. 'hen (ali Mahara)a usurped the kingdom of %ord *ndra the demigods re!uired help. +hus &amanadeva appeared as %ord *ndra,s brother seeking )ustice for the demigods. 'hen the Supreme %ord in the form of a d#arf brahmana appeared in front of (ali Mahara)a- the king had no idea about the identity of %ord &amanadeva. +hat information came from Shukracharya. +he guru told his disciple- .+his d#arf is directly the imperishable Supreme Personality of Godhead- %ord &ishnu.../ 0et- in order to play along #ith the other asuras and to demonstrate some concern for their rights- Shukracharya also added- ....After giving everything to &ishnu you #ill have no means of livelihood./ +here have been many misunderstandings about this particular episode of the epic Shri &amandeva avatara-lila. Apparently (ali Mahara)a disregarded the #arning of his guru in such a #ay that he became a mahajana and a great devotee of the Supreme %ord. Scant regard is given to the fact that the credit should go to Shukracharya for informing (ali Mahara)a about the true identity of the Personality of Godhead. 1e# recogni2e Shukracharya for his e ceptional devotion. He is accepted as the deity of the feminine planet &enus. 3atural la# gives credit to the male and not to the subtle female energy. According to the fla#less and perfect order of the 4niverse as ordained by the Supreme Person- the female is considered part of the male foundation. 3onetheless Shuracharya is very much a male and is not a female as #rongly portrayed by #estern astrology. &enus- like all other planets in &edic astrology- is a demigod and not a demi$goddess. Some of the characteristics of Shukracharya are #ell kno#n and others are more obscure. (ut as follo#ers of the Gaudiya &aishnava sampradaya headed by (rahma- #e side #ith the opinions of the demigods.

Shukracharya #as born as son of (righu muni. He is described as beautiful to behold #ith his curly black hair. He has a slender physi!ue and rides a camel. *n his hands he holds beads- a stick and a lotus. He dresses in a neat #hite dhoti. "ne of his daughters is Devayani. Devayani is famous for being cursed by 6acha- the son of (rihaspati. 6acha became a student of Shukracharya to learn the art of mrityu-sanjivani or reviving the dead- a science #ell kno#n to the guru of the demons. As Shrila Prabhupada e plains in the (haktivedanta Purport to S( 7.58.99 Devayani fell in love #ith the handsome 6acha and desired to marry himbut 6acha refused because she #as the daughter of his teacher. She retaliated by cursing him that #hen he needed to employ the art of mrityu-sanjivani, it #ould be ineffective. 6ahca retaliated by cursing the beautiful lady that she #ould never marry a brahmana. As a result of 6acha,s curse- the daughter of Shukracharya eventually married the great 6ing 0ayati. Shukra means #hite li!uid. Another tinge of meaning assigned to the name of Shukracharya is .bright/ or /shiny/. (y connotation- shukra is e!uated #ith semen- the most refined substance in one,s body. Shukra is identified as #ell #ith soma rasa- or the drink of immortality. *t is no #onder that Shukracharya has the ability to revive those among the dead if their bodies are intact. *n &edic astrology- the malefic seven$year period : mahadasha; of 6etu is follo#ed by the benefic t#enty$year period of Shukra. +he intense 6etu mahadasha can leave one torn bet#een life and death or spirit and matter. +herefore #ho #ould not #elcome the reviving touch of the planetary period of &enus< Sometimes the only individuals to #hom one #ho is undergoing 6etu dasha can relate to are those #ho are running the &enus planetary period. +hat is not at all surprising because &enus$$the brahmana Shukracharrya$$is very merciful to all suffering and misdirected souls. *n Bhagavad Gita :5=.>?; Shri 6rishna describes Shri Shukracharya as one of His representatives. *t is not by chance that he is honored in the same verse as the great sage &yasadeva- ....muninam apy aham vyasah kavinam ushana kavih./ *n this verse 6rishna confirms- .Among great thinkers * am 4shana :Shukra;/. *n the purport to the same verse- Shrila Prabhupada is like#ise generous in his glorification of Shukracharya- ....4shana #as the spiritual master of the demons; he #as e tremely intelligent- far$seeing- political and spiritual in every #ay.../ "ften in astrology- @upiter or (rihaspati is called the .greater benefic/ because his portfolio rules such assets as religion- philosophy- banking- progeny and education. Shukracharya is referred to as the .lesser benefic/ because his benefits range from
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dining- lu uries and various pleasures of sense gratification to the arts. (ut- as #e have seen in the Bhagavad Gita, the opinion of Shri 6rishna is that both the Deva Guru :@upiter; and Asura Guru :&enus; represent Him. Soma- the demi$god of the Moon- is another feminine planet. Soma is e!uated #ith the left eye of the 4niversal form of Shri 6rishna. %ike &enus- the Moon also rules li!uids since #ater is the most fertile of all elements. +he Moon also does not get credict from gross materialists for infusing all living entities #ith their individual characteristics. +he movements of the Moon are like#ise mysterious as are the movements of the bright &enus. *n Shrimad Bhagavatam :A.99.59; &enus is described as al#ays moving in pro imity to the Sun. Shukracharya is never seen in opposition to the Sun$$despite the fact that he is considered as one of the Sun,s enemies for technical reasons in astrology. Shukra- #ith his captivating brightnessis the first celestial body to appear upon the hori2on #hile setting in the evening. "r he is the last luminary before sunrise. +he same verse from the 1ifth Banto further describes &enus as being ever beneficial for all universal activities. "ne may #onder #hy it is that in Parashari @yotish- &enus becomes e alted in the house of @upiter. (rihaspati stands in staunch opposition to the policies of Shukracharya. (ut it is his challenge to the guru of the auras to fight or debate over the rights of this universe that makes Shukracharya stand out in his true light. &enus- being imbued #ith feminine passivity- has that sort of character that has to be provoked from outside forces in order to display his real spirit. Shukracharya,s only true e!ual is (rihaspati. "n the battlefield he is often seen fighting #ith (rihaspati. *n order to help the asuras convert to the right path of dharma, Shukracharya hides his true nature and secretly en)oys the rebukes of (rihaspati. *n his heart the guru of the asuras holds a conviction that e!uals the guru of the demigodsC they both #orship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. "nce &enus used his po#ers to revive the slain army of the demon Andhaka. 1or this act he #as s#allo#ed by %ord Shiva. Shukracharya #as not able to free himself for one hundred celestial years. During this time he meditated upon %ord &ishnu,s universal form in the belly of the angry %ord Shiva. (ut #hen Shukra managed to emerge- even Shiva #as ama2ed. +he greatest of the demigods blessed Shukracharya #ith po#ers that no other jiva in this universe can e!ual. &enus can revitali2e the universe or an individual because of these splendid blessings. (ut his position as the asura guru is al#ays tricky and difficut to understand.

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Many great devotees have debilitated &enus in their charts pointing to their renounced spirit. +his is so in the case of Shrila Prabhupada #hose debilitated &enus- though po#erfully neecha-bhanga- indicates a temperament far above any attraction to sense gratification. Still other #orshipers of %ord Shri 6rishna have &enus e alted in their horoscopes- pointing to their desire to employ all beautiful things in life in the service of the Supreme %ord. 'e can find &enus in all different positions in the chart of devotees. *t is @upiter #hose position in the horoscope of a devotee describes the e tent of devotional influence :by emphasi2ing the houses of dharma;- #hile the position of &enus further refines the chart. 'here is &enus in your chart< +he follo#ing brief descriptions of the positions of &enus are for each rising sign. Dach also describes from various angles the multi$ faceted character of Shukracharya. Aries rising- &enus inC 1st house: Dn)oys all pleasures- 2nd houseC Breates his #ealth- 3rd house: +actful in all dealings- 4th house: Eich #ith happiness- 5th house: +he sorro#ful talent6th house: +he thrifty loner- 7th houseC (ound to beautiful relations- 8th house: 'andering pleasure picker- 9th house: Pristine dignity- 10th house: %andlord of #orldly prestige- 11th house: (eautiful surroundings- 12th houseC 1loating in foreign #aters. +aurus rising- &enus inC 1st house: 'restling strength- 2nd houseC *ntelligence for gain- 3rd house: Perpetual motion- 4th house: "rdinary bits from everything- 5th house: Misunderstood- 6th houseC Po#er of the #ind- 7th house: +ricky F handsome8th house: Barried by others- 9th houseC Shaped by good karma- 10th houseC *dealistic persuasion- 11th houseC +hirst for #ealth- 12th house: Mystical loner. Gemini rising- &enus inC 1st house: Dfficient communicator- 2nd houseC Attachment to children- 3rd houseC A nervous string- 4th houseC Pretending to be happy- 5th house: *n!uisitive artist- 6th house: Difficult to grasp- 7th houseC 3ever a loser- never a #inner- 8th houseC Single$minded depth- 9th house: Scientific mind- 10th houseC Progress for society- 11th house: *ntelligent collector- 12th houseC Must accept losses. Bancer rising- &enus inC 1st houseC (eautiful- 2nd houseC Poor aristocrat- 3rd house: %a2y priest- 4th houseC %oved by everyone- 5th houseC S#eet #isdom- 6th house: Bool
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intelligence- 7th house: Dlated pleasures of the #orld- 8th houseC &ery old- 9th houseC Sheltered by God- 10th house: Deserving happiness- 11th houseC 1i ed in s#eetness- 12th houseC Pleasure of being lost. %eo rising- &enus inC 1st houseC Dlegant ambition- 2nd house: An orphan- 3rd houseC (usiness tactician- 4th houseC (eautiful enterprises- 5th houseC +he skill of being right- 6th houseC Avoiding the trap- 7th houseC +andem trust- 8th houseC 'orld traveler- 9th houseC Prosperity and prayers- 10th houseC All$opulent- 11th houseC 6no#ho# advantage- 12th house: Survival through giving. &irgo rising- &enus inC 1st houseC Harvesting the field- 2nd house: Eich philosophy- 3rd houseC D cited belief in God- 4th houseC Eight in the eyes of others- 5th houseC A sense for dharma- 6th houseC Blever politics- 7th houseC D !uisite possessions- 8th houseC Headstrong and careless- 9th house: God given #ealth- 10th houseC Auspicious business- 11th houseC Striking- 12th houseC 1riend of the outcasts. %ibra rising- &enus inC 1st houseC @ourney of self discovery- 2nd houseC Adhere to the tested- 3rd house: 3oticeable endeavor- 4th house: A king of his fortress- 5th house: Deeply spiritual principles- 6th house: Hero of the day- 7th house: Self centered diplomacy- 8th houseC Breative penetration- 9th houseC Bomfortable miss- 10th houseC Proud nobility- 11th house: Almost on top- 12th houseC +he sufferer. Scorpio rising- &enus inC 1st houseC (eautiful #ork- 2nd house: Dn)oyable e penses- 3rd house: 1amily Pleasures- 4th house: Self$made home- 5th house: Butting corners- 6th house: D pelled from home- 7th house: Dmbracing life- 8th houseC 'alking on the edge9th houseC %iving by #hat is given- 10th houseC Setting the target- 11th houseC 'orldly e pressions- 12th houseC Secret pleasures. Sagittarius rising- &enus inC 1st house: Desire to be first- 2nd houseC 'ealthy- 3rd house: Acceleration force4th houseC Home cooked- Fifth house: Monetary friendship- 6th houseC Storage for the rainy days- 7th houseC 1i ed on the spouse- 8th house: A coin flip- 9th house: 4ncomfortable in one,s o#n skin- 10th houseC Mi ing results- 11th houseC Advantages- 12th house: 3othing left. Bapricorn rising- &enus inC
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1st houseC Eespected and respectful- 2nd houseC 6no#ledge of the #orld- 3rd houseC %iked no matter #hat- 4th house: +he grand proprietor- 5th house: Artful politician- 6th houseC 1ight on technicalities- 7th house: Dlegant relations- 8th houseC Dividing tactics- 9th house: +he #ays of the idle- 10th houseC @udge of society- 11th houseC Grasping the value- 12th house: .+here is no use/. A!uarius rising- &enus inC 1st houseC All around happiness- 2nd house: &irtuous- 3rd house: +rue po#er4th houseC (lessings- 5th houseC Artful- 6th houseC Against the norm- 7th house: Strange- 8th houseC %akshmi- 9th houseC Eeligious- 10th houseC Eoyal- 11th house: 'orship for results- 12th house: Homeless. Pisces rising- &enus inC 1st house: Blever courage- 2nd house: Helped hand- 3rd houseC Proud fist- 4th houseC Self$starter- 5th house: Eeversing age- 6th house: Accumulating energy7th houseC Pleasure is bitter- 8th houseC Mystic po#ers- 9th houseC Accumulated merits- 10th houseC (ringing back the old #ays- 11th house: Eeliable strength12th house: Eestless. www.vedicastrologers.org