Jupiter: The Divine Guru

Part 1 of 2

by Chakrapani Ullal

(to view part 2 of this article, click here)

The majestic ruler of the skies sits in regal splendor presiding over the heavens. He
is Lord of righteousness and justice; his lofty status symbolizes wisdom. His
eminence has been noted amongst people throughout the ages.

The Greeks held him father of the gods, Zeus. Egyptians called him Ammon. In
Indian mythology he is Indra, supreme godhead, in charge of the heavens. The
classical works call him "Raja Mastri,” minister of gods. Golden planet Jupiter is
more often called Deva Guru, preceptor to the gods, supreme preceptor, Brihaspati.
Guru is the teacher of the sacred.

Jupiter is the planet of expansion. It is second to the sun in size and second to
Venus in brightness. Situated 476 million miles from the Sun, its girth is wider than
the sum total of all the other planets combined; this magnificent mass alone
commands attention.

Among the ancient philosophers Jupiter was recognized as a celestial father, the
patriarch as well as royalty, the King. His indisputable status is evidenced by the
breadth of his gaze in the expanse of his gestures.

His rulership is a victory over materialism, for while wealth and good fortune fall
within his domain his supreme path is the search for truth.

Jupiter's interest is in the building of good character and sound ethics. He is an

idealist, ever optimistic. He governs all the good and fundamental qualities
necessary for the upliftment of mankind.

The classical texts extol Jupiter as a wise man, successful, with sound judgment,
good wisdom and knowledge to advise the younger.

Saravali, the famous classical text, says the person with a strong Jupiter is learned
of the Vedas. He is the voice of the lion, prominently Sattvic and fond of virtues. He
is modest, forgiving in disposition. He is a minister with a sharp mind. He is
meritorious, an expert in mythology, Vedic rituals and Vedic sacrifices. He is also the
giver of good karma, Guru Bhakti, devotion to the Guru and represents
Mantrapasana, which means desire to have devotion to a certain Mantra
representing a deity.

In Brihat Parasara Hora, Jupiter is most succinctly described as Jiva (life giver),
Jnana (knowledge giver) and Sukha (happiness). It causes the person to keep the
company of spiritual people, it attracts spiritual connections. It supports children,
ministers, Acharyas or teachers, Buddhi which is intellect, Asakta which is
enthusiasm, Subuddhi which is good wisdom, Bhakti which is devotion, Yagya which
is fire worship, Sanmara which is honor and Daya which is kindness.
He is Putrakaraka, and thus, the giver of children, Jnanakaraka, the giver of
knowledge and Dhanakaraka, the giver of wealth. In these domains his power is
unparalleled.

His Divine grace is supposed to remove the greatest obstacles which may appear in
the chart. By aspect or occupation, Guru's placement reveals the role of providence
due to past meritorious deeds. But in practice does it really work this way? There
are different opinions about the influence of Jupiter. Some people think Jupiter is the
mine of benevolence, others think it is very deceptive. We will examine this further.

People who are ruled by Jupiter are humanitarians and philanthropists, with a strong
desire to help mankind. They have a fine sense of discrimination and possess rare
qualities of justice. Because of high values, concern for others and optimism, they're
responsible for the noble and charitable institutions and enterprises.

Jupiter endeavors to develop character, thus supporting the growth of the soul as
opposed to advancement of physical gratification. Therefore whatever experiences
exalt the mind, engender desires for greater refinement and goodness, give rise to
the determination to work for the welfare of all, stir the soul to noble thoughts, and
effort for that which is higher and better, are all of concern to Jupiter.

Jupiter’s underlying purpose is to promote the evolution of the soul. He is an

adventurer, exploring all physical and mental realms as well as the physical and
mental development of the body.

Jupiter’s magnetism brings a jovial nature, congeniality, sincerity, honesty, broad

mindedness and promotes a practical observance of the rules of life. Jupiter is a very
traditional planet, it is very conservative and is strongly given to moral and religious
sentiments. Sometimes it may not be seen in that way because it is very generous
-- one doesn’t see the conservatism easily. He represents that part of human nature
which connects the individual with the Divine source of all life, and generally
speaking, with those activities in which integrity and faithful service are required.

He also brings mental balance and hopefulness. This hope is one of the most
benevolent qualities of Jupiter, because hope is the nature of Godliness.

Jupiter is mild, warm and temperate. He is enormous, hot and represented by a well
built body, yellowish eyes and reddish hair. He has a Kapha type of body which can
accumulate fat easily. Jupiter rules over the stomach, especially the lower intestines,
as well as the liver, fats and glycogen and the arterial system.

His metal is tin and sometimes copper. It is represented by Pushyaraga (pure

gemstone) in the form of yellow sapphire, pockraj, or topaz. He also favors silver,
quicksilver and benzene as well as the mining of gold. He has indirect rulership over
coal mining because it is through the permutation of coal under pressure that the
gems he favors are found.

Jupiter governs education, health, love and respect towards elders and teachers,
good manners and good conduct, wealth, reputation and charity. It governs religious
places, temples, religious acts and sacrifices and learned assemblies. At the same
time it governs treasure houses, banking, insurance organizations, worldly
possessions and fortunes. It brings ease of life and comfort of living so therefore, to
some extent, it may also bring laziness.

Jupiter is one of the planets which supports business activities. It supports

professional types of work rather than menial jobs. He would most likely be an
adviser, consultant, teacher, banker, benefactor, philanthropist or priest. Often work
which alleviates human suffering.

We frequently see Jupiter in the charts of lawyers and judges. Jupiter people also do
well as salespeople, either representing themselves and their abilities, or the
products of others.

If Jupiter’s aspects are harmonious, advantages come through good fellowship,

patronage and favors granted. They are particularly fortunate in attracting the
patronage of those with ample means.

In a broader picture, whenever Jupiter is in a good aspect in transit it brings bumper

crops, good rain, peacefulness in the Country, and the birth of children. Whenever it
is poorly aspected in transit there will be heavy loss, drought and suffering for the
people according to a country’s chart.

Jupiter is friendly to the Moon, Sun and Mars. He is exalted in Cancer and debilitated
in Capricorn. But when it is debilitated it does not mean it will bring bad results. The
power of Jupiter is to make a person visible, his qualities, his talents and skills are
noticed and appreciated by others. When Jupiter is debilitated this does not happen
easily. This person may come from a noble family, he has great wisdom and an
abundance of knowledge but he is not recognized for this, he must work hard.

Jupiter’s placement in Gemini is detrimental although this placement also brings

ambition. Jupiter becomes very weak in Virgo and Capricorn.

When Jupiter is influencing one's life positively, it is well placed and well aspected, it
brings discrimination and wisdom and one will always air on the side of kindness. If
a person makes a mistake, the Jupiterian will not be affected negatively or take it
personally.

When in good aspect with Mercury, Jupiter is sure to give intellectual pursuits. His
aspect or association with the Moon is desirable. When in bad aspect to Mars, it
gives way to heterodoxy, ranging from prudence to extreme liberality, from caution
to brashness, from honesty to underhanded dealings, extravagance, etc. When
Jupiter and Saturn are conjunct it creates a legal mind, orientation towards
achievement and it attracts the person to doing some kind of public service.

Now let us look at some of the difficulties Jupiter is capable of creating. When
Jupiter is afflicted, such discord indicates some form of excess. Self-indulgence,
extravagance, unwise expenditure, over ambition, conceit, extreme optimism or too
great generosity are some of the afflictions it brings. Too much reliance is placed
upon chance or upon the opinion of others. There is usually an unwillingness to
consider the cost, or an unwarranted business expansion or optimism.

Thus we see that afflicted Jupiter, through inappropriate expansion, becomes

indulgence.
Overindulgence affects health, therefore Jupiter can cause obesity, boils, blood
impurities, intoxication, acidosis, diabetes, cataracts and fatty tumors due to too rich
living.

Since he rules fats and glycogen stored as fuel and has influence upon the
manufacturing and secretion of insulin by the pancreas gland, when Jupiter is
afflicted, there is an inability to handle fats and sugars. Such an affliction also shows
a lack of sulfur in the system.

When Jupiter is very seriously afflicted he may become a pretender of noble qualities
for the purpose of personal glory, for selfish gain. Thus, he retards Jupiter's main
purpose, to further one's good character, but rather furthers a tendency toward
shallowness, scheming and vanity. Such a person may contribute extensively to
charities and various institutions but with ulterior motives.

It also makes one think they are better than everyone else. There is a sentiment of
righteous pride and deservingness, as though the inherent superiority of the
individual should bring them privilege or prestige without the effort commonly
regarded as necessary.

The antidote for afflicted Jupiter is intellectual questioning of one’s own thought
process and discipline. Self-examination, cultivation of careful analysis and appraisal
by conservative methods, with time, develop a prudent and discriminating mind. In
this way one can overcome some of the negative qualities.

Additional remedies include meditation, spirituality, taking the name of God, gaining
detachment and living a simple life.
 

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Jupiter: The Divine Guru

Part 2 of 2

by Chakrapani Ullal

(to view part 1 of this article, click here)

Jupiter’s placement in houses

Jupiter rules both the 9th and 12th houses of the zodiac, Sagittarius and Pisces. The
9th houses is the indicator for higher knowledge, growth, and expansion. The 12th
house is the house of liberation. Therefore, Jupiter has relevance to both expansion
of the mind and the growth of spirituality which leads to liberation.

The 1st, 5th and 9th houses are the three important houses which control creative
activity. The first house represents self. The 5th rules imagination and the 9th
houses deals with higher mind. Jupiter gives excellent results when placed in the
trine houses 1-5-9, breeding creative talent and poetic imagination to the native.

Jupiter’s placement in the 5th house brings opportunities for oneself to think in
terms of higher levels of consciousness. It supports Mantra yoga. Generally, Jupiter
does not support having children. It doesn't mean they can't have children, they
simply don't want the responsibility, their ambivalent about having them.

As Jupiter is the significator of the 5th and 9th houses, it is the most powerful planet
which projects creative knowledge. Since the Sun is the ruler of the natural zodiac of
the 5th house, a well-placed Sun/Jupiter can make a person a creative genius. A
well aspected Sun/Mercury conjunction in the 5th and 9th houses can definitely
bring brilliance to the person. Additionally, since Ketu is a mystical planet, Sun/Ketu
well aspected by Jupiter brings spiritual experiences.

When Jupiter conjoins Mars in Aries as the first house, it creates ambitiousness.
When it joins Leo, the 5th house of the zodiac with its ruler Sun, it brings brilliance
of the native with respect to the field of arts and sciences. The 5th house is also the
house of Poorva Punya, merits of the past karmas, and the house of creative power.
A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the 5th house indicates good karmas of the
past, because of which one would rise high.

With the beneficial influence of the Sun with Jupiter, Saturn with Jupiter, or Mercury
with Jupiter, one can become a highly creative person.

The Pisces is a mystical sign owned by Jupiter where Venus, another benevolent
planet, becomes exalted. But the Venus/Jupiter conjunction in Pisces unfolds higher
knowledge and detachment, leading to liberation.

Generally, people expect Jupiter to bestow happiness, progress and prosperity when
Jupiter is placed in the 5th or the 9th houses, the most favorable houses. This
expectation may sometimes not come true under certain circumstances. Parashara
says that planets do not give good or bad results according to the house positions
alone. Many times the placement of Jupiter is not sufficiently indicative of its nature,
the determination of the effect should be made from the relationship Jupiter has to
other planetary placements in the chart. One must take into account: mutual
exchange of houses, conjunction of planets, mutual aspects and one-sided aspects.

In the 2nd house Guru is a benevolent planet, it makes him a teacher.

The fourth house of the zodiac is Cancer, a very sensitive sign and it has
concentrated energy of emotions when exalted Jupiter is placed there. This fourth
house Cancer, occupied by Jupiter/Mercury or Jupiter/Moon brings higher mental
power of discrimination and wisdom, and such a person stands out as far as his
ability to think and act with a large heart and higher mind.

When Jupiter is in the 7th house it is not supposed to bring good results in the area
of marriage because of the mythology surrounding it. Jupiter would not allow the
love marriage to take place for his daughter Deviani — the marriage was obstructed
by the father.

Jupiter and Saturn in the 9th house, Sagittarius, indicates a philosopher, judge or
great statesman who will be outstanding in his work.

A conjunction of Jupiter/Mercury or Jupiter/Venus in the 9th brings a higher and

deeper intellectual mind as well as a philosophical one. Therefore, a Jupiter influence
in the 9th house can result in higher mind giving expression to religion, philosophy,
law, teaching, advising, publishing, educational activities and activities in foreign
countries. While the Jupiter of Sagittarius promotes intellectual brilliance, the Jupiter
of Pisces promotes mysticism.

The 12th house gives the best and worst results. He rules over the hidden, the
unconscious and the mysterious things as well as ruling hospitals, prisons, asylums,
monasteries and convents. The 12th house represents places of detention,
banishment and places of exile.

It is also the 12th house which brings spiritual liberation and universal
consciousness, thus indicating the cosmic storehouse expressing itself and its
unfoldment.

Jupiter, when placed in an angle house irrespective of its ownership will give
benevolent results by supporting the native in fighting and ultimately overcoming
life's battles. Of course Jupiter's trinal aspects are even more powerful.

Jupiter in an angle gives much hope, but fine judgment is required in understanding
its results. Suppose Jupiter is in the house of Mercury; we imagine a Virgo ascended
with Jupiter in the rising, Saturn aspecting Jupiter from Cancer. The Jupiter being a
malefic in Virgo and being aspected by malefic Saturn brings much suffering
physically and mentally.

You know that angular ownership is not favorable for natural benefits. Further,
angular ownership can prove fatal when a maraka dasha operates. Jupiter as the
Lord of the 12th for Capricorn ascendants or Lord of the 7th and the 10th for Gemini
ascendants, or worse still as the Lord of the 4th and 7th for Virgo ascendants is
considered malefic.

Under the above-mentioned circumstances, even when placed in an angular house,

Jupiter's natural benefic qualities cannot be overlooked. Though due to its bad
ownership it may lose the power to give wealth, it will still try to maintain the status
quo.

Yogas created by Jupiter

Jupiter creates many powerful yogas like Gaja Kesari yoga, Hamsa yoga and
Shakata yoga.

Gaja Kesari yoga: When Jupiter is in a Kendra from the Moon the combination goes
under the name Gaja Kesari. Gaja means elephant and Kesari means Lion, an
elephant or a lion in the jungle will attract the attention of all other animals in the
jungle. They gain visibility and prominence and are natural teachers, good advisers.
They have many friends, are builders of villages or magistrate over them and will
have lasting reputation even long after death.

Hamsa Yoga: Jupiter occupies a Kendra which should be his own house or exaltation
sign. Hamsa is a bird which, when given milk and water together, will only drink the
milk and leave the water. So Jupiter has the power to give that kind of
discrimination.

Shakata yoga: It is described as sixth and eighth house relationship between the
Moon and Jupiter. It is supposed to bring ups and downs in financial matters, but
actually it brings more worry than real loss of money.

With regard to Kemadruma yoga, a yoga of poverty, where no planet is on either

side of the Moon – one of the cancellations is Gajakesari yoga. All other yogas like
Adhi, Vashi, Veshi, Amala, Ubhayachari, are powerless to cancel the evil effects of
this yoga. Hence the power of the Gajakesari yoga.

The classical texts have laid considerable emphasis on positive results for humanity
for this planet. Dr. B.V. Raman, the greatest astrologer of the last century, whilst
extolling the benevolence of Jupiter in enthusiastic terms, at the same time says
that Jupiterian cycles on mundane astrology creates, many times, devastating
results. He especially referred to the history of the U.S. that Jupiter cycle transits
have created wars and we are exactly seeing the same influence of the Jupiter even
these days. It can attract war and war-like situations. The Jupiter transit in Gemini
for the U.S. is an indicator for that. Even though warfare is a portfolio of Mars,
Jupiter here does not remedy but rather increases the aggressive situations.

Jataka Chandrika has stated that when Jupiter is place in a malefic placement in a
chart it can bring death. Without the support of any other planet acting as an agent,
Jupiter can cause death. Whereas, Saturn even though it is the most malefic planet,
generally it requires an agent to support the death-inflicting power.

When Jupiter is in either regtrograde motion or direct motion but takes the form of
Atichara, which means it is moving faster than normal, then the negativity of that
Jupiter increases.

But despite all of this, Parashas says that Jupiter grants wealth of wisdom and not of
gold. Bliss and not pleasure. Contentment within and not satisfaction of sensual
desires. It lifts the native spiritually but not materially, not into positions of power. It
places him in and around good places of knowledge, education, learning and
spirituality.

Just as Jupiter is the messenger of nourishment to the body, ruling the arterial
blood, so is even nourishment to others in the good radiating from his magnanimous
personality. So we see Guru is a man in search of truth, guided by ideals, generous
to all, ethical, filled with hope for man.

Without the influence of Jupiter life would be stern and severe and there would be
little inclination to assist others and little thought of anything except the self.

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