What we desire and do not get, all this we find by going in within ourselves. For here indeed are the true desires within the covering of the false. Just as those who do not know the field, walk again and again over the treasure of gold and do not find it. In the same way most of us go into the world of Brahma and do not find it; for we are carried away by our false desires and fail to recognize the true ones even though they are hidden within. Chandogya Upanishad (chapter 3: verse 2)
Atmakaraka
|
Worldly Desires
|
Spiritual Lesson
|
Sun |
Success, Fame, Power |
Letting go of the ego, humility |
Moon |
Happiness, Love, Satisfaction |
Understanding Unhappiness;
Difference between true and false love
|
Mars |
Passion, Victory, Adventure |
Conceding defeat, patiene, unrequited passions |
Mercury |
Intellectual superiority |
Crossing intellectual barriers, Divine communication, Learning to face the truth |
Jupiter |
Children, Spirituality |
Tolerating other's spirituality, wisdom, putting your children before you, For women, imperfect husbands |
Venus |
Sex, Relationships, Luxury, Sensuality |
Accepting relationships the way they are, avoiding excessive behavior, controlling sensuality |
Saturn |
Democracy, Duty |
Facing harsh truths, loneliness |
Rahu |
Achievment, Experience |
Disappointments, fears, doubts |
Atma means the soul and karaka means significator. Atmakaraka is the significator of the soul’s desire. According to the Vedic philosophy a soul is reborn because it has unfinished desires that were left unfulfilled in the previous lives and it is born again to get another opportunity to satisfy them. What are these desires? Will they be fulfilled or will you struggle with them? This revealed by the Atmakaraka planet. In my view the Atmakaraka is one of the most important planets in the natal chart.
The natural Atmakaraka is the Sun in all charts. The Atmakaraka of this article is the chara Atmakaraka. Usually when we refer to the personal Atmakaraka, we mean the Chara Atmakaraka. Chara means movable and one of eight planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Rahu) can take over the mantle of Atmakaraka depending on its degrees in the natal chart. The planet that has the highest degree, ignoring the signs, is considered the chara Atmakaraka. Due to its perpetual retrograde motion, Rahu Ketu degrees are calculated by subtracting from 30º. (However other retrograde planets are calculated in the usual way) For e.g. if Rahu Ketu are 15º 24’ in a chart, you minus this from 30º and the remaining degrees will be 14º36’. If this degree is greater than of any other planet then Rahu Ketu will be considered the Atmakaraka.
There is a disagreement regarding the use of Rahu as Atmakaraka. Some scholars only use 7 planets excluding Rahu, while others use 8, including Rahu. Ketu as the significator of moksha does not form part of the scheme of chara karakas. Moksha is the destination of the soul, the ultimate aim, it is not important in revealing the on the soul’s more worldly desires. As Rahu and Ketu form part of the karmic axis, Rahu will show Ketu’s desire for spiritual fulfillment. For many years I used 7 karakas only but now I am convinced of the need to include Rahu in this scheme. As Rahu links so strongly to the past lives and unfulfilled desires. Rahu’s role is invaluable in the search for answers in this life and the turmoil this causes as well as the soul’s ability to ultimately triumph over those uncontrollable desires.
The Atmakaraka reflects the spirit within us. But its outer expression does not always appear to be spiritual. We can be taken in by the illusionary natures of the desires and think that the satiation of the worldly desires is all what the soul wants. But it is important to understand that the fulfillment of the worldly desires is part of the process of unveiling of the true soul. The soul is treading the wheel of desire as the fulfillment of one set of material desires can create an ever-increasing appetite for more and more. These desires never become fulfilled. The true desire of the soul is to get off this wheel and find self-realization, peace and eternal happiness. The struggle between the real and the false has to be understood. The false desires are those we search for in the outside world. The true desires are satisfied from within. The basic struggle of the soul is to differentiate between the two and its inability to differentiate is the reason why it takes birth again and again.
Atmakaraka planet personify these struggles but also shows the path through life lessons (usually delivered during Atmakaraka dashas and bhuktis). Identifying with the materialistic goals is essential and we must not underrate these needs. The fact that the soul is born to earth shows that there is a worldly mission for the soul to complete before it is ready to understand the higher self. Experiences teach us to look for our higher self. There cannot be a fast track to moksha or self-realization. So it is important to recognize and complete the material goal- both the pleasant and the unpleasant. Without that achievement, you cannot go into the inner world and find your personal treasure of happiness. Atmakaraka will show you both the soul’s material goals and the spiritual ones. Not all of us can find the ultimate realisation but we can get slowly enlightened.
The truly revelation of the soul has to be a personal experience. Atmakaraka shows us the true desires of the soul, whether we recognize them or not depends on us.
Moon :- Moon is exalted in Krittika Nakshatra. This is the birth star of Moon. Moon gains his power when she enters her Janma Nakshatra and gets exalted in the middle portion of this Nakshatra.