Darkness is the resting place of wealth (Uttara Bhadrapada)
Pisces is an ocean and Uttara Bhadrapada, which lies fully in Pisces, represents the darkness and silent stability found in the ocean recesses. Serpents are associated with secrecy and are the guardians of material and spiritual treasures. Whenever we see serpent symbolism, there is wealth that is being kept and protected. So Uttara Bhadrapada, whose deity Ahirbudhnaya is the serpent or dragon of the deep sea, “He who is aware of the jewel-stash” (B. Pijan), is connected the permanence of wealth, but this wealth is not ordinary. We must think here of a treasure lying at the bottom of the ocean. This has profound meaning. The treasure at the bottom of the ocean, or in the dragon’s lair, is much difficult to access. Uttara Bhadrapada is the hidden wealth, so yes, natives under its influence may have a material fortune that they are keeping or hiding somewhere; but if the individual is spiritually inclined, this refers to the great spiritual wealth provided by Kāmadhenu, the wish fulfilling cow situated in the Soma chakra just above the third eye. The female cow is the animal yoni of Uttara Bhadrapada and is, in Vedic culture, a symbol of wealth. The Kāmadhenu yields all wishes but she is only accessible to the yogi who has transcended the five material elements representated by the five lower chakras (from Mūlādhāra —root— to Viśuddha —throat— chakra). “This wish-fulfilling cow becomes accessible to the yogi when he or she has pierced through the Rudra Granthi and the I-consciousness has dissolved. The yogi’s wishes are then universal needs, and they are fulfilled by concentration on Kamadhenu.” (Harish Johari). Uttara Bhadrapada gives mystical experiences, a silent mind, a calm predisposition and the ability to dive deep into spiritual mysteries. The stable foundation that it provides stands in contrast to the active force of Purva Bhadrapada, a nakshatra that has a lot to do with attainment and the ascension of energy which Uttara Bhadra stabilises. The dragon of the deep (Ahirbudhnaya) governs the state of dissolution which is experienced in many forms, such as sleep or meditation; it is a passive state where consciousness is internalised and one remains aloof from the external world. This happens in samadhi, a sort of spiritual trance, where the breathing stops and life is sustained by ojas. Purva and Uttara Bhadrapada take us from the active urge of the Kundalini (the Serpent Fire, as she is sometimes called) to pierce through the chakras, to the passive resting state of the serpent in the Ajna & Soma chakra, where she is now tasting its nectar.
Real wealth lies at the feet of God, as the Puranas often speak of taking shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet which are like boats for crossing the ocean of birth and death (samsara). Maa Lakshmi the Goddess of fortune is strongly associated with Uttara Bhadra & Revati nakshatras, but the fortune She represents is not necessarily ordinary material fortune. Why is the Goddess of fortune massaging the feet of the supreme God Vishnu, who is resting on the cosmic ocean, supported by the divine serpent Ananta Sesa? Pisces represents the feet of the cosmic man and is also the sign of liberation (moksha); this is where real fortune lies, and this is shown by Lakshmi Devi’s position at the feet of Vishnu. The treasure that is found in Pisces rashi shows the unlimited and bliss generating aspect of spiritual wealth and how solitude and passivity can assist in its attainment (Vishnu is resting on the cosmic ocean, but in His rest He is creating the entire universe). This gives a whole other significance to Venus’s (associated with Lakshmi) exaltation in Pisces, especially its last degrees in the nakshatra Revati. This state of passivity denotes the end of the outward projection of desires, which propels one to act in the world and create new karma. Ahirbudhnaya, as the dragon of the deep, teaches us how to be situated in the self (atman). One who is established in the Self and satisfied in the Self alone has no further duties in this world, and his actions are therefore in service of the Divine plan. This is the highest expression of Uttara Bhadrapada. The sacrifice of the individual self on the cross of universality, which happens in the Saturn signs (Capricorn & Aquarius) leads to the dissolution of the limited identity in Pisces. The deep sea, or the cosmic ocean, is also the source of all creative potential, whose first manifestation is the lotus (symbol of Uttara Bhadrapada) emerging from Vishnu’s navel, and from which the creator Brahma is born. Uttara Bhadrapada therefore also refers to ideas and downloads that are gathered from the darkness of the unlimited ocean of creativity.
Shantakaram Bhujagashayanam Padmanabham Suresham
Vishvadharam Gaganasadrisham Meghavarnam Shubhangam।
Lakshmikantam Kamalanayanam Yogibhirdhyanagamyam
Vande Vishnum Bhavabhayaharam Sarvalokaikanatham॥
I bow to Lord Vishnu the preserver and the protector of the universe, who is peaceful, who reclines on the great serpent bed, from whose navel springs the Lotus of the creative power, who is the Supreme Being, who supports the entire universe, who is all-pervading as the sky, who is dark like the clouds and has a beautiful form. The Lord of Lakshmi, the lotus-eyed One, whom the Yogis are able to perceive through meditation, salutations to Lord Vishnu who removes the fear of worldly existence and who is the Lord of all worlds.
Darkness is the resting place of wealth
A poem to Uttara Bhadrapada
The Bhaga (wealth) of Uttara Phalguni is found in union and celebration
The bhaga of Uttara Bhadra is found in the ocean's recesses.
Here, darkness is the resting place of wealth.
The Goddess of fortune Herself (Lakshmi Devi) lies at the feet of the Purusa (Vishnu)
And Pisces is the feet of the Cosmic Man
Because real wealth is that which cannot be taken away
It is enduring and permanent,
And is found within the recesses of the heart.
Vishnu Himself reclines on the great serpent, Sesa Naag
He lies on the great cosmic ocean
Which remains at the pralaya, the dissolution of the worlds.
Because this ocean contains all creative potential,
All latent qualities remain within it, where they lay passive.
Purva Bhadrapada is the active force,
The constant churning of the ocean of milk (the ocean of consciousness),
The rising of the Serpent Fire (Kundalini), who has now found rest in the upper chakras
Where she gains access to the wealth of divine nectar (amrita),
Bringing about forgetfulness of her false identity.
This forgetfulness (which is really a remembrance of her true identity) is a laya,
A death, the dissolution of ego.
So Uttara Bhadrapada, who lays fully in the ocean of Pisces,
Whose deity Ahirbudhnaya is the dragon of the deep,
Completes the process of death initiated in Purva Bhadrapada.
With the two back legs of the funeral cot, the nakshtra finalises the resting place
Which allows the individual to lay in silence,
Absorb in the quietness of solitude,
In the darkness of dissolution,
And remain in this state, tasting the nectar bestowed by the wish-fulfilling cow (Kāmadhenu).
Watch this scene from Twin Peaks, "The Purple Sea" & absorb the energy of Uttara Bhadrapada
“Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure.They’re huge and abstract. And they’re very beautiful.”
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