Purva Phalguni

a Moon, Ascendant or other key point in Purva Phalguni, the eleventh lunar mansion

What the tradition reads

Purva Phalguni is the eleventh of the twenty seven lunar mansions, occupying the middle portion of Leo in the sidereal zodiac. Its ruling planet is Venus, its symbol the front legs of a bed or hammock, and its presiding deity is Bhaga, the Vedic god of fortune and marriage. A Moon, Ascendant or other significant point placed here is read as bringing a strongly artistic temperament, a real love of music and the other fine arts, and a warm, affectionate manner toward whoever the native lets in close. The tradition describes Purva Phalguni natives as intellectually inclined, loyal and honest, naturally attractive and well spoken, with a compassionate and genial regard for people generally rather than only for a chosen few, and a preference for cleanliness, order and peace over conflict of any kind. Where this ease tips out of balance, the same charm is read as overconfidence or a vanity centred on appearance, together with a restlessness and impatience that can undercut the mansion's usual warmth. The bed that gives Purva Phalguni its symbol matches its themes closely, comfort, rest and the pleasures shared between two people rather than achievement pursued alone.

The story

Bhaga is counted among the Adityas, the sons of Aditi, and is invoked throughout the Rigveda as the sustainer of the world and the giver of wealth, approached by worshippers asking for cattle, horses, healthy children and general good fortune, his very name meaning both lord and portion, the wealth or share allotted to a person. He is named alongside his brother Aryaman specifically in connection with marriage, the two gods together standing behind the hope that a match will prosper. A mansion whose symbol is the marriage bed itself, placed under a deity whose own defining role is to preside over exactly this kind of prosperity and partnership, reads its native gifts, affection, comfort, an eye for beauty, as blessings in the oldest and most literal sense the tradition has for the word, portions of good fortune handed out by a god whose entire character is generosity rather than restraint.

Written from

Corpus key nakshatra:Purva-Phalguni.