Sambandha-I

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~Om Sri Gurave Namah~Dear Jyotisha,Those of you who will be attending the weekend workshops in the US will get the detailed material. For others, I will mail to the extent feasible. Hope you find this interesting.----------Chapter 1. IntroductionBefore venturing into delineating relationships between two individuals or group dynamics, we need to understand the meaning of ‘sambandha’ and its various connotations. Thereafter, we shall examine the Jyotiśa principles concerning people and houses, and finally we shall examine the relationships, both natural and temporal as well as its manifestation, meaning and implications. Vedic remedial measures will be touched, if time permits.1.1 Sambandha definedThe word sambandha in Sanskrit means binding or joining, a close connection or union or association, conjunction, inherence, connection with or relation to. It connotes personal connection like a relationship, fellowship, friendship and even intimacy. The word ‘sambandhi’ (or as used ‘samdhi’ refers to a kinsman, a relationship brought about by a marriage or family by birth. In philosophical terms, this relationship is said to be of three kinds:· Samav­­āya: coming together, meeting, congregate, contact, concourse, assemblage, collection, crowd, assemblage are some words that describe this relationship. The individual is in a perpetual (time/daśā defined) co-inherence, be it an inner or intimate relationship or a peripheral relation requiring identification with some symbols and beliefs like an association. It indicates an inseparable concomitance like the relationship between a substance and its qualities like the yarn in cloth. It connotes intimate and constant companionship or relationship like that of birth defining a father and son.· Samyoga: also sayoga, meaning junction, union; it defines the highest sate of a relationship like the last (of the fourteen) stage leading to emancipation from the cycle of rebirth. The word ‘yoga’ has a very wide meaning (see para 1.2). · Svarūpa: having own form or shape like sabda~ which means having the form of sound. It refers to own condition, peculiarity, character or nature like ‘of a kind’. A relationship caused because of an event or occurrence.1.2 YogaYoga has many meanings and implications in astrology. Some of these are listed below for a better understanding of the word. A sambandha caused by any of these can be understood as samyoga.1. It indicates yoking, joining, harnessing or attaching like yoking a team to play a game or yoking horses to pull a carriage. It implies that the individual parts involved in the yoga (yoke) should function in harmony. In Jyotiśa, these are called paraspara-yoga-kāraka or mutual co-workers.2. It indicates and undertaking, business, action, work or employment of some kind for the purpose of earning wealth, acquisition, gains or profit or property. In Jyotiśa, these are called sūrya yoga or more precisely, āditya yoga. 3. It indicates any conjunction, union, combination or contact and indicates mixing or a mixture. In Jyotiśa, these are called Graha yoga and are named based on the number of planets conjoining in a sign.4. It indicates a connection or relationship as a consequence of, or reason or because of something else. The reason or cause is the kāraka (significator) and consequently, these yogas are called Kāraka yoga in Jyotiśa. 5. It indicates putting together or arranging, based on disposition in a regular succession. In Jyotiśa, the longitudes of the individual planets are considered to arrange them in a regular succession of decreasing (longitudinal) hierarchy called ‘Chara kāraka’. These planets then acquire the potential for various generating yogas.6. It indicates zealous endeavor with care and using all of one’s powers to achieve a goal. Such zeal can only come from the individual soul called the ātmakāraka indicating the natives strong inner urges and desires. The yogas, in Jyotiśa are consequently called ātmakāraka yoga or simply kāraka yoga. 7. It indicates abstract contemplation; meditation and such other practices to attain union (yoga) with God and all these are called adhyātma yoga (spirituality) in Jyotiśa. It includes renunciation (sanyāsa yoga), mantra śāstra, Pātanjali’s (samkhya-II) yoga philosophy, rituals (where yoga is personified as the son of Dharma & Kriya) etc.8. It indicates the union of pūruśa (spirit personified as father) and prākritī (nature personified as mother) for the purpose of all creation (samkhya śastra). In Jyotiśa, the Sun indicates the pūruśa and the Moon indicates prākritī. The relationship between these planets indicates the Yoga of birth of which there are 27 types. This leads to yet another meaning for the word yoga as ‘sum’ in arithmetic.9. It indicates the constellation (of the 27 nakśatra), which is conjoined the Moon and is called ‘Candra yoga’. This is extended into other varieties of Candra yoga based on certain planetary positions that influence the health and mind. The nakśatra which do not have the conjunction or association of the Moon are called ‘Kha yoga’ or having the yoga (association) of the sky (kha). This leads to another variety of Jyotiśa combinations called Kha yoga or Nābhasa yoga. In this manner, the various meanings of the word yoga can be studies with a focus on its relevance to Vedic astrology. Suffice is to say that the word has a very deep meaning and any superficial reading will cause a vacuum in our understanding and judging of real life situations.-------------------------------TO BE CONTINUED---------------------------Best wishes,Sanjay Rath -----H-5 B J B Nagar, Bhubaneswar - 751014, India SJC Web pages: http://.orgPersonal Web: http://srath.com -----