Sun will transit the sidereal sign of Sagittarius from late in the evening of December 16th of this year to January 14th 2023. When Sun is in Sagittarius we are blessed by the Aṁśumān aditya. The word aṁśumāt means radiant or luminous from the root word aṁśu. Verse 10.21 of the Bhagavad Gita also gives the same meaning from the phrase “jyotiṣhāṁ ravir anśhumān” meaning of the all the luminous objects I am the radiant Sun.
Verse 11 from the Aditya Hrdayam (a hymn taught by Sage Agatsya to Sri Rama on the battlefield for regaining his confidence) gives the meaning of Aṁśumān as infinite. I share this verse here as the Sun is described in a splendorous form
हरिदश्वः सहस्रार्चिः सप्तसप्तिर्मरीचिमान्।
तिमिरोन्मथनः शम्भुस्त्वष्टा मार्ताण्ड अंशुमान्॥
haridaśvaḥ sahasrārchiḥ saptasapti-rmarīchimān । timirōnmathanaḥ śambhuḥ tvaṣṭā mārtāṇḍakōṃ’śumān
He has seven green horses yoked to his Chariot, shines with brilliant light having infinite rays. He is the dispeller of darkness, the giver of happiness (Shambu) and the mitigator of the sufferings (Tvashta). He is the infuser of life reviving us from the dead (story of Martanda) and pervades all with immeasurable number of rays (Aṁśumān). This re-birth concept is also akin to the celebration associated with the winter solstice in the northern Hemisphere after which the daylight hours are increasing.
Samba Purana gives the meaning of aṁśu as pervading and love, as he pervades the entire universe with love. From the same Purana, he is the 10th form of all pervading Paramatma and resides in the air, therefore the controller of the air element – “vayu tattva” and strengthens the pranas or life force. Sagittarius is the natural ninth house of dharma and virtue, therefore he is the protector of universe, respects divinity and the sages. He is known for fairness, justice and equality.
Sun joins Venus and Mercury in Sagittarius on the 16th December adding the beneficence enjoyed by the dual signs. Saturn in Capricorn will be elated when Venus joins it on the 29th December. This is a long conjunction as they travel to the sign of Aquarius and remain together until 15th of February. They are separate only for four days between 17th and 21st of January and disturbed by the presence of Sun between 15-17th of January and then again between 15-17th February. As per Saravali, Venus and Saturn combination is good for skilled professions such as sculpting and painting if it falls in a good house in a horoscope. Mercury joins Saturn in Capricorn on the 27th December only for a brief period of two days as it becomes retrograde on the 29th December and goes back into Sagittarius on the 30th December and remains retrograde till the 18th of January. As Mercury is the planet of communication, caution is warranted in what is being said or understood. A relief comes for action and purpose only as Mars turns direct on the 12th of January. Mars had turned retrograde in November and will only resume full speed from April 16th.
As this is the holiest month of the year (Gods are waking up) and instead of getting frustrated with the retro-gradation of Mars and Mercury, it may be wiser to use this time opportunistically to study of scriptures, sing hymns, visit temples and to give to charity. I will be visiting temples this month in India and studying jyotish and scriptures. We celebrate the festival of Thiruvathira or Arudhra Darshanam on the 6th of January on the full moon night of the month. The festival celebrates the cosmic dance of Shiva in the form of Nataraja. (I had previously explained the inner significance of the dance from a verse in Sivananda Lahiri – https://www.facebook.com/victory19/posts/10227798529094112)
Picture of Surya Narayan by Ravi Varma from Baroda Library – Source Wikipedia
Let us invoke the blessing of Aṁśumanāditya to dispel the darkness surrounding this world and infuse us with radiance.
ॐ घृणि: अंशुमनादित्य
om ghṛṇi aṁśumanāditya