The Second Step of the Zodiac
Bharani sits in the middle of Aries (13 degree 20 minutes — 26 degrees 40 minutes), carrying Mars’s active, straightforward energy. But beneath that fire is the influence of Venus, which brings attention to how we handle resources, trust, and the give-and-take of relationships.
The deity is Yama, who quietly holds balance. Nothing dramatic — just an inner sense that what is left unfinished eventually returns for completion. Bharani’s shakti is to carry things away. It removes what is out of balance and clears space for things to settle naturally.
Because of this blend of Mars, Venus, and Yama, Bharani often deals with:
- Responsibility
- The effect of our actions on others
- Reciprocity
- Emotional balance
- Unfinished exchanges
- And quiet consequences that return through relationships
This is the backdrop for Neelkanth’s story.
Bharani Nakshatra — Pada 1
The Story, as Bholenath Spoke It
In Kakutstha lived a Brahmin named Neelkanth, who no longer followed his duties. He spent his time trading goods with Vaishya (a person earning through business). In the same town lived an old Brahmin woman with no husband or son. She lent Neelkanth gold for his business, but he never returned it.
After many years, he died and, due to this lapse in dharma, fell into hell. After that, he was born as a snake, then as a donkey, and finally as a human in Madhyadesh. In this human birth he had wealth but no children.
The woman he once borrowed from was born as his daughter. She grew up, married, and became dear to him. Later she became a widow, she returned home, bringing quiet sorrow with her.
To resolve this, Bholenath prescribed:
- Surya mantra (100,000 times)
- Worship of an earthen Shivalinga
- Maha Mrityunjaya mantra (100,000 times)
- Homa
- Feeding Brahmins with kheer and sugar
- Building wells, ponds, and stepwells on long roads
Only then would the family line continue.
Human Meaning of the Story
Neelkanth borrowed from someone who had no one else. For the old woman, that gold wasn’t just a resource — it was security, trust, and a sense of being supported.
In jyotish symbolism:
- An old woman reflects the Moon — emotional safety.
- Her gold reflects Venus — resource, value, and stability.
Neelkanth used her resources (gold) to fuel (Mars) his business(Mercury) while overlooking her emotional reality (Moon). Nothing dramatic happened outwardly, but the emotional impact on her was real. Sometimes a small action for one person becomes a turning point for another.
The snake and donkey births reflect the weight of unattended responsibility. And then, life returned the emotional thread in a very human way: through a daughter who needed him in ways he once overlooked. Her widowhood and losses echoed what the old woman may have felt — not out of punishment, but because unfinished emotions tend to find their way back into familiar spaces.
Modern Interpretation
This story resembles situations many people encounter today:
- Borrowing from someone who trusts us and forgetting to repay
- Leaning on someone’s support without realizing how much it costs them
- Using another’s kindness as a stepping stone
- Overlooking the feelings of people who have limited support
- Avoiding responsibility when someone depends on us
- Missing how deeply “small” actions can affect a vulnerable person
These experiences often return later in life in different forms — a child needing more from us, a relationship reflecting old patterns, or responsibilities that feel familiar. It’s not punishment. It’s continuity — the emotional loop completing itself.
The Essence of Bholenath’s Remedy
Each part of the remedy carries gentle symbolic meaning:
- Surya mantra restores clarity, controls energy (Mars) and teaches responsibility.
- The earthen Shivalinga grounds the mind.
- Maha Mrityunjaya eases old emotional heaviness.
- Homa clears lingering residue.
- Feeding Brahmins with kheer and sugar is deeply symbolic: Milk + rice strengthen the Moon; Sugar softens Venus; Brahmins represent knowledge and balance. Neelkanth had affected a Moon–Venus person (an old woman with resources). So the remedy nourishes the Moon and Venus again, but in a positive, restorative way.
- Building wells, ponds, and stepwells restores water — a symbol of emotional balance. Building wells, ponds, and stepwells restores water. It reflects both sides of the story — the old woman’s emotions that quietly dried up, and Neelkanth’s lack of emotional response toward her.
Modern Equivalent of the Remedy
In today’s life, this could look like:
- Returning what we owe
- Supporting elders or vulnerable individuals
- Acknowledging people who helped us in difficult times
- Bringing warmth and softness back into strained spaces
- Contributing to water-related or community welfare projects
- Showing steady responsibility where it matters
- Rebuilding emotional balance where something became dry or distant
It’s restoration through small, sincere actions.
Closing Reflection for Pada 1
Bharani’s first pada doesn’t revolve around dramatic decisions. It revolves around small responsibilities that slip through unnoticed. Neelkanth’s story shows how quiet imbalances can return — not harshly, but through relationships we care about. What isn’t acknowledged tends to circle back, looking for closure.
Sometimes the past returns as a child. Sometimes as a familiar emotional echo. Sometimes as a responsibility we’re finally ready to hold. Pada 1 leaves us with a simple idea:
Emotional threads don’t disappear. They wait for the moment we’re ready to meet them with more awareness.
Quiet Reflections 