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HOW PLANETS AFFECT US

Vedic Astrology is based on the ancient Indian theory of Karma and Rebirth, which says that actions (Karma) performed by all living beings are minutely recorded and are instrumental in deciding their fate in this life and next.

Vedic Philosophy says that all Souls go through a constant cycle of life and death.
When a person dies, it is only his visible, external, gross physical body that dies.
The inner, invisible body, which lives inside the visible outer body, does not die. It simply sets loose from the dead outer body, and floats away upwards, beyond the earth's atmosphere, into the space that exists between our earth and the moon. This space is called the Antariksha.

A detailed description of the 'Inner Self' is found in Ayurveda, the Indian System of Medicine. Suffice here to say that this Self essentially consists of a person's 'five Dynanindriyas + five Karmendriyas + Mind Quartet + five Pranas + the Atma or Soul'.

This Inner Self contains a person's Chitta, which is part of his Mind quartet.
Unbeknownst to him, the person's Karma in his life just concluded, along with his accumulated karma in all his past lives, is imprinted on his Chitta.
Chitta carries his karma record forward from one life to the next one. He is, however, never conscious of it.

Karma gets automatically and continuously recorded on the Chitta in the form of a 'Planetary language'.
Platetary language is the 'software' of Karma, while Chitta is the 'hardware'!

Planetary 'language' works through visible and invisible Energies, including through rays of light energy.

Each colour of our visible spectrum has been assigned to a particular planet (Sun: orange, Moon: blue, Mars: red, Mercury: green, Jupiter: yellow, Venus: violet, Saturn: indigo).

Rays of different colours act on us, causing planetary effects.
This is how planetary language is translated into action.

The two 'shadow planets', Rahu and Ketu, are invisible entities; they perhaps send rays towards us that are outside of our visible spectrum and hence invisible to us. Or, they could be sending magnetic energy, or some other energy which is yet to be identified and defined.
The seven visible planets may be sending energies other than light energy, as well.
We don't know much about that, as yet. But it is certainly a very strong possibility.

The planets and their energies form the matrix of Karma, upon which life and rebirth take place, with the passage of time.

There is a very powerful mantra in Sanskrit language, called 'Nava graha stotra', recitation of which is said to offer complete protection to a person, in all spheres of life.

Let us now see how we can co-relate Vedic Astrology with modern-day Neuro-physiology.

The CHAKRAS and NADIS.

How does a planetary language work on our body?
It works through a system of chakras and nadis that form a part of what may be called the "Autonomous Nervous System of Ayurveda".
This System is briefly described as follows:

Ayurveda says that three strands of Cosmic energy enter our body through the Umbilical region. Upon entering, they divide and subdivide into a total of seventy-two thousand energy strands, which are called nadis.

The nadis enmesh, run through and connect our visible and invisible body, bind them together and also become the lines of communication between them.

Chakras are localised, invisible, rotating discs of energy, situated at various levels along the spine.
Seven main chakras are described.
From below upwards, they are:

Chakra name    Situated      Function     Ruling Planet

Mooladhar        perineum      Survival              Mars
Swadhishthan   Coccyx         Procreation       Venus
Manipur             Umbilicus    Wealth, fame     Sun
Anahat                Heart            Faith,                  Mercury
Vishuddha         Throat          Wisdom             Jupiter
Agnya                 Brow             non-duality       Saturn
Sahasrar            Crown          Mukti                   nil

There is another important chakra, called the Chandramandal, near the Pineal gland. It controls the secretion of various 'dravyas' that look after Metabolism. In other words, I would say, it controls the secretion of hormones, which in turn, regulate enzymes and through them, the cellular funtion of the body.
The Chandramandal is regulated by the Moon.

Three main nadis, starting in the mooladhar chakra, run upwards through the various chakras, carrying vital forces of life energy.

At the base of the central or Sushumna nadi, lies Kundalini shakti, coiled up and in a dormant state.
Yogic awakening of this shakti by making it rise upwards through the chakras leads to Self-realisation and Enlightenment, freeing us from the bondage of Karma and from the eternal cycle of life and death.

To the left of the central nadi, runs the Ida nadi, which carries breath (Prana) from our left nostril. This nadi is governed by the Moon.
To the right of the central nadi, runs the Pingala nadi, which carries breath (Prana) from our right nostril. This nadi is governed by the Sun.

Several other nadis performing many important functions have been described as well in Ayurvedic textbooks.

Speaking in modern language, I would say that afferent and efferent nadis carry information to and from the chakras.
Chakras are places where information is processed and stored for communication with the end organs of the body.

A detailed description of the chakras and nadis is available in books on Yoga and in many articles on the internet as well. They make for fascinating reading and should be read by all serious students of this subject.

My impression of:
The AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM of YOGA.

The information which the chakras process relates to all the three planes of our body viz. physical, emotional and mental,

Our Chandramandal is functionally linked to our conscious and sub-conscious mind, through the Moon.
We might say Chandramandal is the body's inner Moon and is a reflection of the celestial Moon itself.

I would like to postulate that Chandramandal structurally encompasses the Hypothalamus and in this way it regulates the Pituitary - Hypothalamic axis and controls the entire Neuro-endocrinal System.

Afferent and efferent nadis form the afferent and efferent pathways of the Neuro-endocrinal System of modern medicine, with Chandramandal being the control room.

The Moon has 16 phases (kalas). The kalas 'increase' during the bright half of a month and 'decrease' during the dark half.
Each kala is ruled by a channel of energy called Nitya devi. There are, thus, 16 Nitya devis.
(Devi = Shakti = Energy. Hence, Devis are nothing but personified energies).

During the bright half of a month, the moon receives specific energies from the Sun through Nitya devis.

The moon thus gains energy and increases by one kala on each tithi (day) during the bright half.

Immediately after the full moon, Nitya devis begin to transfer this energy from the Moon to our earth. So, the Moon loses one kala every tithi, till it is emptied of all the energy it had received from the Sun, by the new moon (amavasya) day.

In this way it becomes easy to understand how cosmic and planetary energies affect and govern us through our lives.


YOGA and the CHAKRAS:

Patanjali's Yogasutra describes several paths in the journey towards Mukti, namely, Bhakti yoga, Dynana yoga and Karma yoga.

(Hatha yoga is a different entity altogether. It deals with physical postures called asanas and should not be confused with the other Yogas).

BHAKTI Yoga is the essence of all established religions and is the essence of any form of worship.
Here, there is a worshipper and there is an 'object' of his worship. The two are separate entities, physically and conceptually.
Anahat chakra is the seat of Bhakti. All activities related to bhakti occur in this chakra.
When Mind engages in devotional activity, there occurs a secretion and release of some Endorphin-type of hormone, which makes the person feel good / satisfied / fulfilled etc as per his religious upbringing, thinking, and status.
All this occurs through pathways of afferent and efferent nadis connected mainly with Anahat chakra.
I would like to point out that this chakra is stimulated by devotion, compassion and other such emotions.
It does not depend upon what or who the devotion is directed towards, it is the strength and sincerity of the emotion of the devotion itself which matters.
So, it wouldn't matter if the emotion were to address an invisible God of a monotheist religion or an idol of polytheist Hinduism, or the raw forces of Nature, or any other form of divine worship,
The hormonal output and the end result in each case would be the same.
The emotions generated by the release of 'Bhakti' hormones would be the same.
The worshipper's faith in his belief system would also be fortified every time the hormone is released.
If his particular belief system strictly disallows divergence from its own dogma, he would be able to convince himself that only his belief system is the correct one and that all other belief systems and forms of worship are wrong.

The outcome of restrictive religious dogma is religious wars, which have occurred since time immemorial,

DYANA Yoga:
Dyana means Knowledge.
Vishuddha chakra, which is above Anahat chakra, is where knowledge is distilled, spiritually speaking.
A person who seeks self inquiry rather than mere worship, 'travels' to this chakra and begins to 'live in it'. He reads Scriptures and Literature and rather than accept and follow them verbatim, looks beyond the dogma they may contain and tries to rationalise.
This is what I am doing, right now, of course.
He becomes dissociated from the attractions of Swadhishthan and Manipur chakras, which are concerned with 'bhukti' (fulfillment of earthly desires) and seeks liberation (mukti) from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Through meditation and other such efforts prescribed by the Shastras (doctrinal Literature), he begins to progressively live in an introspective world.
A person living in Vishuddha chakra may retain his devotional instincts but he will not be confined by them.

KARMA Yoga (Agnya chakra)
This is a bit of a misnomer because it doesn't relate to doing good or pure karma, as such, but rather, to going beyond karma altogether.
A well intentioned person who does good karma all the time (or most of the time) would be far more likely to be living in his Anahat chakra, which is also the seat of compassion.

Agnya chakra is where all sense of duality is lost and a person attains Enlightenment. This is not within the reach of ordinary mortals. It needs something far more than human endeavour. Grace, perhaps. I wouldn't know. But great Yogis have attained that state and their experiences are documented in Indian Literature.

Some of these Yogis are said to have transcended Space and Time. This happens in the Sahasrar or Crown chakra.

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Our chakras, nadis, dhatus .... and how the planetary forces affect them.

Dr. Jayashree Joshi's Blog

Email   herbaltradition@yahoo.com                      

The following Power Point Presentation is about "The Inner Self"

Who am I

View more presentations from Jayashree Joshi.

In this life, as was the case in our past lives, our actions (karma) constantly give rise to and generate what is called a 'karmashaya', which can best be described as a 'fabric of karmas' that engulfs our physical body... in the manner in which a glove would envelope a hand.

In order to explain how our lives are controlled through celestial forces, I would like to use the analogy of a computer which, as we all know, is made up of some 'hardware' along with some 'software'.

According to Vedic tradition, our gross physical body,which is called the 'the annamaya kosha'........and which is visible, palpable and very easily identifiable .... is really not our 'real Self', at all.

Our 'real Self' is said to be an invisible unit that lives within our gross physical body. This inner Self is composed of our five Dynanendriyas + our five karmendriyas + the quartet of our Man (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (awareness) and Ahankar (Ego), along with with our Soul (Atman).

 (You can see details of the Inner Self in the PPP at the top of this blog. For details regarding the five Prana vayus, please visit my blog called http://indianpedi1.blogspot.com/ )

We may say that our physical body corresponds to the 'hardware' and our Inner Self is the 'software', including the Memory.

We become invested with a new piece of hardware every time we get born and give it up every time we die, but the software which is our Inner Self, remains the same from one birth to another.

This software carries with it the 'sanskars' of our many past lives imprinted on its 'chitta'. The sanskars exist in the form of a 'planetary code', which is the 'karmashaya'.

The planetary code determines, from one life to another, who and what we will be, in each subsequent life. It gives us the features of our physical body, our behavioural tendencies, our luck; it also  governs many other things during our journey through Time and Space, that we call 'life'.

It also gives us our Free Will....... to counter, as we can, Destiny.

There must exist of course, many Forces in this universe, other than simple planetary forces. Such Forces too, would be affecting us and guiding us and sometimes intervening in our lives, both sought and unsought, to change our individual and collective Destiny. I would group these Forces into two basic types:

(1) Those that act purposefully, knowingly and consciously.

(2) Those that act randomly, without predetermined purpose, whether they act consciously and knowingly, or not.

(What we call Divine forces, would obviously belong to the first category).

We can, therefore, see that there would be an inter-play of karmic forces and other forces in our lives. Not everything is Karma, not everything is Free Will. This leads me to postulate that everything is perhaps not Divine Will, as well?

It would undoubtedly be in our own interests to gain some control over the various Forces affecting our lives.... in this article I have made an attempt to show in brief, how this can be done.  

 The Seven Chakras in our Body. 
Each of us "lives" in them according to our basic needs and desires.
A person inclined towards the pleasures of life would live in his three lower chakras, one who is compassionate would live more through his heart chakra, an enlightened person would live mostly in his higher chakras and so on.
1. Mooladhar chakra: This is controlled by the planet Mars. It gives a person awareness of the physical body. It also gives the six inclinations (called shad-ripu in Sanskrit) which are necessary for life's basic needs. A person should not focus on and live excessively in this chakra, as it would lead to increased selfishness. It is associated with the Prithvi mahabhoota or the 'earth element' and with the Apana vayu, whose seat is the pelvic region.
2. Swadhisthan chakra: This is controlled by the planet Venus and concerns sensual pleasures. It is associated with the Aapa mahabhoota or the 'water element' and with the Vyaan vayu.
3. Manipur chakra: This is controlled by the Sun. It controls the person's Ego alongwith the desire for fame and popularity. It is associated with the Teja mahabhoota or the 'fire element' and with the Samana vayu, whose seat is the navel.
4. Anahata chakra: It is also called the Heart chakra and is controlled by the planet Mercury. This chakra controls compassion, sympathy and empathy towards others. It governs emotions and sentiments. It is associated with the Vayu mahabhoota or the 'air element' and with the Prana vayu, whose seat is the heart.
5. Vishuddha chakra: This chakra is controlled by the planet Jupiter. It governs knowledge and wisdom. It is associated with the akaash mahabhoota or 'ether element' and with the Udan vayu, which resides in the region of the throat.
6. Agnya chakra: This chakra is governed by the planet Saturn. It gives knowledge of the siddhis.
7. Sahastrahar chakra: Is governed by the shadow planet Ketu, and it gives the ultimate self-enlightenment.

Energy Healing through Breath control and Yoga
According to an ancient system of tantric yoga of India, our body is said to connect with the surrounding universe by means of sixty-four energy channels called 'dhis', that enter and leave our body through the umbilicus. Upon entering our body, the sixty-four dhis branch out into a network of seventy-two thousand energy chanels called 'nadis' (singular = dhi, plural = dhis).
The dhis and nadis govern and control our very life, health and well being.
During life, we are in a state of constant interaction with the surrounding universe through our incoming and outgoing dhis.
The dhis and nadis securely bind our physical body to our inner, invisble body, preventing them from separating from each other during our lifetime. 
Pranayam, or controlled breathing, can affect our dhis and nadis and purify them. Pranayam should be done on a regular basis and with great sincerity. This keeps a person in good physical, mental and spiritual health.
Stretching exercises and Yoga also help to keep our dhis and nadis free from blocks, allowing our internal energies to flow without impediment; hence, such forms of exercise can also promote good health and well-being.

Ayurveda says that there are seven dhatus (building blocks or systems) in our body. It is hinted in Vedic Astrology that these dhatus are governed by the planets but there seems to be no definite agreement regarding lordship of the planets over specific dhatus; different authors have given different views. In my opinion, the following table shows the most probable connection between our dhatus and the planets. (However, the question of planetary lordship governing the upa-dhatus still remains unaswered).

Ras dhatu - Moon
Rakta dhatu - Mars
Mamsa dhatu - Mercury
Meda dhatu - Jupiter
Asthi dhatu - Saturn
Majja dhatu - Sun
Shukra dhatu - Venus

When a planet is said to be 'unfavourable' in an horoscope,
(1) Does it mean there are insufficient rays from this planet coming into the person's body?
(2) Or, on the contrary, does it mean that any rays from this planet coming into the person will actually be harmful to him?

Should remedial measures seek to increase or decrease the rays of this particular planet, in a person?
We know of course that each one of the seven planets directs the cosmic rays of one of the seven colours of sunlight, to our earth. What we do not know is whether planets also govern any other types of (invisble) energies?
I am not satisfied with the answer generally given, that gems 'modify' rays of a particular planet: what exactly is 'modify' supposed to mean? Do gems increase or decrease the net amount of energy from that particular planet?

FASTING, as an astrological remedy for ill-placed planets:
A well accepted convention in India is that a person should fast on the day of a week that is governed by a planet that is ill-placed in his horoscope. Abstaining from food will naturally produce less Ras dhatu in the person's body on that day and as all subsequent dhatus are sequentially formed from the Ras dhatu, the fasting will result in dhatus that will have a less accumulated planetary energy of a particular planet. To me, this makes a whole lot of sense and sounds fairly logical. 

It is obvious that food and water are required for the growth, nourishment, maintenance and repair of our physical self or the gross body.

Ayurveda says that the 'subtle portion' of the food eaten goes to form the Mind. We do not know how the Inner Self is nourished and maintained while on Earth; perhaps the oxygen we breathe in is important in this regard?

Herbs and Planets:
Herbal baths (called Aushadhi snaan) have been recommended for overcoming the effects of troublesome planets. However, they seem to work very slowly and even then, only during the dasha - bhuktis of the affected planets, which make them difficult to use.

Planetary Dashas and bhuktis:
A unique feature of Vedic astrology is the concept of various dashas and bhuktis (major and minor planetary periods), tables of which are given in Vedic almanacs.
The commonly used system follows the Vimshottari dashas. It is a guide as to WHEN in a person's life, the planets will have their  greatest effects.

Have you ever wondered why different people respond to a different extent when the same medical treatment is given to them? This is because those who respond poorly are going through their adverse planetary dasha-bhuktis, which prevents them from repsonding favourably to any treatment given.

What happens when we try to propiate the planets? (Appeasement of the planets).

1) Mantra chanting for a planet could be of two types....
    (a) A mantra, that is a worshipful prayer offered to the planet..... this necessarily assumes that each planet or its driving-force is intelligent and sentient and our prayer will move it to overlook those of our past sins that it has jurisdiction over and to forgive us and not penalise us for committing them.
    (b) A beej mantra of the planet, the utterance of which would increase / decrease / modify the net amount of the planet's incoming / outgoing / stored energies in our body.

2) Offering prayers to the Gods / Deities that are thought to govern the planets, in an effort to reduce the troubles caused by particular planets.
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All of the above fits in nicely with my conviction that in Times past, long, long ago, Enlightened Beings visited Earth from Outer Space and infused humans with intelligence etc.

Perhaps they came only once and stayed on for many earth years, on the outskirts of earth's atmosphere, infusing wisdom at different points on earth, where different humans were the 'terminals' of reception, and so each 'terminal' understood it according to their own individual receptive power and in their own language, with their several limitations........... or perhaps they used to come periodically, over a long stretch of our 'earth time' as we know it............

In any case, there are so many similarities in many aspects of different cultures that it cannot be said to be due to 'chance'.

That's what I believe, anyway.

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Hinduism deifies everything, whether animate or not. 

The People living here must have deified these 'Voices' (manifest or otherwise, we don't know today) and voila! we have so many 'Gods'......... many of them with complete forms and human attributes as well.

----

We 'pray' to these Energies in their (given) format to 'gain access' to them... in this scenario, we and the Energies (formless or with without form, as the case may be) would constitute the 'Hardware' and the prayers would constitute the 'Software'......... that could be entirely possible (I think).

Plants and animals (Species) were created on biological templates which had an installed capacity to physically regenerate (cell mitosis / meiosis) by themselves in a way that ensured survival of the fittest........... but the Software that needs to be installed in them to make them come alive is invisible to the human eye and )(as yet) undiscovered to the human understanding of how the Universe works.

This would provide an answer to the great Darwinian evolution theory / Intelligent Design debate ....

Knowing this, my mind is at peace, when I meditate and try to access these Energies, through conscious effort.

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REMEDIES from Vedic Astrology for each PLANET

All living beings on earth are nourished by Sunlight. The light we receive from our Sun is the ultimate source of Energy for us all. SUNLIGHT is composed of SEVEN colours - Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red ( VIBGYOR ) and each one of the Seven planets is responsible for bringing the rays of one colour from the Sun to the earth.
Cosmic energy from the Sun therefore reaches us through the medium of the Planets.
These cosmic rays which come down as rays of a particular colour, enter our body and act on the seven chakras or energy-centres that lie along our Spine.
Here they perform several functions that result in the body's maintenance, growth, health and metabolism by influencing and regulating the Endocrine System of an individual.
The Endocrine System produces Hormones, which in turn act on all the organs of our body and so it is the endocrine system that is in ultimate control of life and all the functions of a living Being.
So you can see how closely the Planets are related to our Bodies (and to our minds).
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that we can tap the potential of astrological remedies to solve our problems of health and wellbeing, so that we live a life in complete harmony with the Universe.


SUN
In the visible part of the spectrum, it governs the colour orange-red.Its cosmic planetary energy comes to Earth in the RED rays of Sunlight.
Gems Ruby or Garnet.
Herbs (general, not specific) cayenne, black pepper, dry ginger, long pepper, cardamom, saffron, calamus, bayberry and cinnamon.
Aromatic oils and fragrances camphor, cinnamon, eucalyptus, saffron.
Mantras -"OM SURYAYA NAMAHA"
"OM ADITYAYA NAMAHA"
"OM RAVAYE NAMAHA"
"OM SAVITRE NAMAHA"


MOON
In the visible spectrum, it governs the colour pale white.
Its cosmic planetary energy comes to Earth in the ORANGE rays of Sunlight.
Gems Pearl, set in silver.
Herbs (general, not specific) marshmallow, slippery elm, comfrey root, solomon's seal, shatavari, white musali, bala, rehmannia ( particularly taken in milk decoctions ).
Aromatic oils and fragrances white flowers like jasmine, gardenia, lotus and lily. Sandalwood oil. They can be applied over the heart or the third eye.
Mantras :
"OM SOMAYA NAMAHA"
"OM CHANDRAYA NAMAHA"


MARS
In the visible spectrum, it governs the colour RED.
Its cosmic energy reaches Earth in the YELLOW rays of Sunlight..
Gems Red coral, pink coral.
Herbs (general, not specific) ginseng, astragalus, ashwagandha, guugul, myrrh, turmeric, garlic, onions, asafoetida.
Mantras :
"OM KUJAYA NAMAHA"
"OM ANGARAKAYA NAMAHA"
"OM  MANGALAYA  NAMAHA"


MERCURY
In the visible spectrum, it governs the colour GREEN.
Its cosmic planetary energy comes to Earth in the GREEN rays of sunlight.
Gems Emerald, peridot, jade, green zircon, green tourmaline.
Herbs (general, not specific) gotu kola, bhringaraj, skullcap, passion flower, betony, jatamansi, zizyphus, chamommile, mint, sage and holy basil.
Aromatic oils and fragrances frankincense
Mantras :
"OM BUDHAYA NAMAHA"
"OM VISHNAVE NAMAHA"


JUPITER
In the visible spectrum, it governs the colour yellow-orange.
Its cosmic planetary energy comes to Earth in the BLUE rays of Sunlight.
oGems Yellow sapphire, yellow topaz, citrine, set in gold.
Herbs (general, not specific) ashwagandha, bala, liquorice, ginseng, astralagus ( especially taken with ghee or clarified butter ). Nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews. Aromatic oils and fragrances ghee, sesame oil, almond oil.
Mantras :
"OM BRISHASPATAYE NAMAHA"
"OM SHREEM"


 VENUS
In the visible spectrum it governs the colour pure white.
Its cosmic planetary energy comes to Earth in the INDIGO rays of Sunlight.
Gems Diamond, clear zircon, quartz crystal.
Herbs (general, not specific) rose, saffron, jasmine, lotus, lily, iris ( flowers ). Shatavari, white musali, amalaki, aloe gel, rehmannia, dang gui, red raspberry.
Mantras :
"OM SHUKRAYA NAMAHA"
"OM HREEM"


SATURN
In the visible spectrum it governs the colour Black.
Its cosmic planetary energy reaches Earth in the VIOLET rays of Sunlight.
Gems Blue sapphire, lapis lazuli, malachite or amethyst.
Herbs (general, not specific) myrrh, frankincense, guggul, ashwagandha, shilajit, haitaki, comfrey root. Triphala.
Aromatic oils and fragrances sandalwood, frankincense, cedar, juniper.
Mantras :
"OM SHANAISHCHARAYA NAMAHA"


RAHU
Gems - Gomedha ( hessonite garnet ).Herbs - (general, not specific) camphor, bayberry, sage, eucalyptus. Aromatic oils and fragrances - calamus, sandalwood, lotus, frankincense.
It is a shadow planet and has no physical mass. It is associated with Smoky colour.
Mantras :
"OM RAHAVE NAMAHA"
"OM RAHM"


KETU
Gems - Cat's eye ( chrysoberyl family ).Herbs - (general, not specific) sage, calamus, bayberry, wild ginger, juniper, gotu kola, bhringaraj, skullcap, passion flower.
Aromatic oils and fragrances - camphor, cedar, myrrh, frankincense.
It is a shadow planet and has no physical mass.
Mantras :
"OM NAMAHA KETAVE"
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Author:

Dr. Jayashree Joshi (M.D.)

Email: herbaltradition@yahoo.com