Of the Sun’s transit through the 12 signs of Zodiac, Sun is at its weakest while transiting through Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. This is the phase where all forms of afflictions happen with Sun one after the other. As a Luminary and the primary of all the Nav-Grahas, this is the time when Sun enters in Debilitation, transits through the natural 8th House Scorpio and the through Sagittarius which is equally malefic for Sun.
This journey of Sun has a special significance in astrology as well as for life. It marks not just the movement of the physical planet called the Sun and impacts to its strength, but it is also the journey towards debilitation of Sun. Hence, it is of special important to understand the mechanism of this transit and its sustained affliction. For the students of astrology, it sheds light on some important predictive principles and for the average reader it gives insights into behavioral aspects of remedies for Sun.
The Identify and Importance of Sun
With the newfound craze for Rahu/Ketu and Saturn, the identity of the other planets and the true importance of most of the planets has somewhere been lost in astrology. For reasons that really have no theoretical background, it has been assumed that somehow astrology revolves around Rahu and Saturn. But it isn’t the case.
Any discussion on astrology cannot start and end without Sun. The identity of planets, the existence of astrology and any discussion about life and destiny cannot exclude Sun. The others planets do not even compare and Rahu, Ketu and Saturn are far secondary. Sun is the primary among the nine planets and the most important cosmic entity among all of planets, nakshatras, signs and houses put together. Not just in astrological principles, but also in mythological context.
Among the elements of life, Sun is the soul. Among men, he is the King. Among gods, he is form of Vishnu. And among attributes, he is honor. In the Aditya Hrudaya Stotra, while Rishi Agasthya is describing Suryadeva (Sun) to Lord Rama, he says the following:
सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्यं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् ।
चिन्ताशोकप्रशमनमायुर्वर्धनमुत्तमम् ॥५॥He bestows welfare on all, and removes all sins;
He heals worries, griefs and grants long life;रश्मिमन्तं समुद्यन्तं देवासुरनमस्कृतम् ।
पूजयस्व विवस्वन्तं भास्करं भुवनेश्वरम् ॥६॥He is brilliant with rays, shines equally on all, and is revered by Gods and Demons alike;
He is to be worshipped, for he shines forth creating his own light, He is the Lord of the Universe;सर्वदेवात्मको ह्येषः तेजस्वी रश्मिभावनः ।
एष देवासुरगणान् लोकान् पाति गभस्तिभिः ॥७॥He carries the splendour of all the Gods in Himself, He is fierce and manifests as rays;
He protects and sustains all the Gods, Demons and Humans by his rays;एष ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च शिवः स्कन्दः प्रजापतिः ।
माहेन्द्रो धनदः कालो यमस्सोमो ह्यपां पतिः ॥८॥He Himself is Brahma, He is Vishnu, He is Shiva, He is Kartikeya, He is Prajapati;
He Himself is Indra (Gods), He is Kubera (Wealth), He is Kala (Time), He is Yama (Death), He is Soma (Moon), and He Himself is Varuna (Water).पितरो वसवस्साध्याः ह्यश्विनौ मरुतो मनुः ।
वायुर्वह्निः प्रजाप्राणा ऋतुकर्ता प्रभाकरः ॥९॥He is the true creator and ancestor of all beings including the Vasus (elements), Sadhyas (Shiva Gana), Ashwini (Deities), Marutas (Winds) and Manu (the first Man);
He is the Wind and the Fire on the outside, while he is the soul inside; He is the creator of Seasons and the source of all illumination;आदित्यः सविता सूर्यः खगः पूषा गभस्तिमान् ।
सुवर्णसदृशो भानुर्हिरण्यरेतो दिवाकरः ॥१०॥He is the great cosmic object who is the stimulates and nourishes all by spreading His being as the rays of light;
His lustre is like Gold which emanates from his golden center and creates the Day for the world;हरिदश्वस्सहस्रार्चिस्सप्तसप्तिर्मरीचिमान् ।
तिमिरोन्मथनश्शम्भुस्त्वष्टा मार्ताण्ड अंशुमान् ॥११॥He disintegrates himself in thousands of rays as he journeys on his Chariot of Seven Horses (seven colors of rainbow) to spread light through the world;
He removes darkness and brings forth joy; he floats in the sky like a huge bird emitting brilliance;हिरण्यगर्भश्शिशिरस्तपनो भास्करो रविः ।
अग्निगर्भोऽदितेः पुत्रः शङ्खश्शिशिरनाशनः ॥१२॥His Golden Womb burns the cold, making light pierce through darkness of the words;
The Son of Aditi, the Womb of Fire is a conch whose sound destroys inertness and frigidity;व्योमनाथस्तमोभेदी ऋग्यजुस्सामपारगः ।
घनवृष्टिरपां मित्रो विन्ध्यवीथीप्लवङ्गमः ॥१३॥He is the lord of the Sky, who breaks through Darkness; He is the knower of the Rig, Sama and Yajur Vedas;
He is the creator of rains, he is the sustainer of water and humidity; He reins higher than the Vindhya mountains;आतपी मण्डली मृत्युः पिङ्गलस्सर्वतापनः ।
कविर्विश्वो महातेजाः रक्तस्सर्वभवोद्भवः ॥१४॥He is the great orb full of heat, like an incarnation of Death with the power to burn everything in an instant;
He is the Great Poet whos poetry is the word we see, His brilliance has no parallel, and his red brilliance gives rise to the worldly existence;नक्षत्रग्रहताराणामधिपो विश्वभावनः ।
तेजसामपि तेजस्वी द्वादशात्मन्नमोऽस्तु ते ॥१५॥He is the true Lord of the Nakshatras, Grahas (Planets) and the Zodiac; He is the one who conceived and created the universe in his mind;
His brilliance is beyond brilliance, Bow to Him of 12 souls (one each for placement in 12 signs)!
It should be clear to the students of astrology that Sun as a planet is of prime importance. You cannot analyze a horoscope and not look at the position of Sun. You cannot look at a muhurta chart and ignore Sun. You cannot look at a mundane chart and ignore Sun. Whatever be the context of analysis, an analysis is incomplete if it does not include Sun.
It is for this reason that the fall of Sun is of special importance and especially the transit of Sun through the signs Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius holds special significance.
Libra: The Fall of Sun
Sun is the significator of soul. It represents the internal strength, consciousness and the essence of life residing within each person. As per the entire Vedic Philosophy it is the soul that helps create and perceive the world. And then again, it is the soul that puts and end to the world through enlightenment or salvation.
The entire journey of a living being is from creation to salvation. The journey of this world and of each soul individually is to begin with creation of the world and everything within it, to the gradual disassociation and renunciation. It is for this reason, that the Zodiac begins from Aries (Initiation) and ends at Pisces (Losses). And it is for this reason, that Sun is exalted in Aries because creativity or genesis is the realization of the ultimate power that resides within the soul.
While creation is the strength and the initiation, desire is its destruction. Desire, attachment and lust are what bind the soul to the material world and cause it to suffer again and again. Hence, the principle of astrology says that the Sun should get debilitated in the sign of Libra, the sign that signifies desires, attachment and lust.
However, understand that desire is only the beginning of the decline. It is the consequence of this desire and lust that actually creates problems. In itself, desire is never a problem or a concern. Which is why, identifying lust as the real evil is such a complex process. Lust or Desire is just the seed that gives rise to the complex tree of improper thoughts, behaviors and actions. While a man spends his life fighting one branch of the tree at a time, the root is always intact because always the problem seems to be just one thought, one behavior or one action. It is for this reason, Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (2 : 62-63 ):
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंस: सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते |
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते || 62||क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोह: सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रम: |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति || 63||Dwelling on the desires or the object of desire creates attachment with it;
Attachment in turn creates longing and longing creates frustration;Frustration leads to a trance where one doesn’t think clearly, and the trance creates delusion;
Delusion in turn destroys rationality, which in turn destroys the mind. And the one with a destructive mind, destroys himself;
Hence, Sun in Libra is not actually the transit that causes destruction. It is the transit that leads you down a destructive path, not necessarily making you suffer at the moment.
Scorpio: The Destruction of Sun
The 8th house is called the Randhra Bhava in astrology where Randhra means Chasm, Hole or Pit. It is the point of deepest fall or that sucks everything in. If Sun is light, the 8th House is a black hole from which not even light can escape.
The 8th House is the actual house of suffering, of scandals, of miseries and torment. It is the house of death as well as the house of all decline. It is here that the Sun actually is at its worst and creates the most suffering. The soul was diminished already by desires but those desires have now took him on a path of continuous decline. The soul here is falling in an eternal endless pit tormented by one consequence after the other of its desire-fueled endeavors through Libra.
The results of Sun’s debilitation are experienced at its peak while Sun transits through Scorpio. Even what seemed like a non-issue during the time of Sun’s transit to Libra will grow into something more sinister while Sun journeys through Scorpio. Being a water sign, it also mellows down the brilliance of Sun.
Sagittarius: The Restoration of Sun
Healing is always just as painful as injury. Overcoming an obstacle takes even more courage than enduring it. Similarly, the purification through knowledge is the most painful and arduous of all journeys a being can undertake. It is far easy to be corrupted and destroyed than it is to even begin thinking of resurrection. And it is for this reason, that Sun is the most tormented while in Sagittarius. As the soul journeys through desire and suffering, the reincarnation cannot come without repentance and regret.
The journey through Sagittarius is so difficult, that all auspicious activities are prohibited while Sun travels through the sign. While in Sagittarius, while one is not tormented by negative results, mending mistakes and recovering from the events of transit in Scorpio takes a bigger toll on the individual.
Solar Eclipse in Scorpio
This time around, with the eclipse scheduled to happen while Sun stays in Scorpio, the extent of suffering and the depth of fall from character for Sun is going to be far more severe. Negative results, mostly those as a consequence of immoral choices, are going to impact for longer and more than they should. Any action which is a consequence of desire such as actions undertaken in rage, anger, depression, lust, addiction, illicit activity, immoral behavior, indulgence in loss of control due to any physical, mental or spiritual pre-disposition is going to create aggravated results. Disrespecting someone even slightly is going to create a major fallout, minor indulgence is going to create major suffering.
Because of the eclipse, the extent of fall is going to be much more than it normally would have been. Consequently, the duration for recovery is going to be even longer. All problems that surface during the transit of Sun in Scorpio are going to take longer to recover. Minor issues are going to resolve only after Sun journeys out of Scorpio and through the first half of Sagittarius while the major issues can take as long as Sun entering Capricorn to start to resolve.
In Conclusion
In the darkest of time, it is only a small ray of light that can dispel darkness. The remedy for avoiding the negative effects of the eclipse is indeed to pray to the Suryadev or Sun but the prayer is of no meaning unless its light and illumination shines in the heart of the individual. To hold on to your character, your morality and your conscience even in the most difficult of situations is the quality of Sun that needs to be imbibed. Just as the Sun can cut through darkness several millions of miles away from itself, similarly the strength of one’s own character can help one sail through the strongest of afflictions of any planet.
As the Manusmriti (8.15) says:
धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः |
तस्माद्धर्मो न हन्तव्यो मा नो धर्मो हतोऽवधीत् ||
The one who goes against their Dharma is destroys; the one who protects it, is protected by Dharma.
Hence, one should never destroy the Dharma, for the destruction of Dharma in turn will destroy you.
As long as the Dharma (righteousness, moral conduct) is upheld, the current transit cannot produce negative results for an individual. However, given the eclipse, slight deviation from the right path will create major consequences!
