Mother's Day Special - Amma Endru & Chinna Thaayaval

Love exists in multiple varied forms but when interwoven with the feature of purity, nothing really beats the Love that is associated between a mother and child.  We celebrate Love stories of different kinds be it Romeo & Juliet, Laila & Majnu or even the likes of Radha & Krishna, Rama & Seetha but there are hardly any tales eulogizing the love that percolates between a Mother and child. 

There need not be one particular day to celebrate as Mothers Day since they are in effect the backbone of our very existence. This is a relationship that transcends beyond the layers of Love and especially the term sacrifice can never be better defined than what a Mother does for her child.

On this Mother's Day, I am paying a humble homage to 2 compositions that visually depicts and decorate the role of a Mother in all it's splendour. Both these songs have touched the inner most of the soul and have left an indelible impression from within. Incidentally both these two songs feature Superstar Rajinikanth and coincidentally came about just months apart from each other with Thalapathi releasing on 5th Nov 1991 (Deepavali) followed by Mannan on 14th Jan 1992 (Pongal). The similarities don't end there as both these 2 lilting lullabies glorifying the mother were penned by Poet Vaalee and set to tune by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja.

A Mother's Day may come up just one day in a year but they deserve to be celebrated every day of the year. A Mother's Love is simply the greatest there can ever be. Dedicating a small portion of these 2 emotional tearjerkers to God's ultimate creation - "The Mother".

An Ode to Lord Sri Krishna!

There is simply nobody like Lord Krishna who is the ultimate universal unique leela manifesting form of divinity that has ever graced human kind. Not a single super hero in the history of mankind can hold a candle in front of Krishna. The way he transforms himself according to the prevailing undertone makes you wonder with awe about the divine persona that he possesses. He is the eternal lover, the evergreen charmer, the miracle maker, life provider, form multiplier, power enhancer, size changer, high flier, master strategist, astute philosopher, dutiful teacher, wisdom spreader, supreme protector, problem solver, Parama Atma, Mukti deliverer all rolled into one.

As the world celebrates Lord Krishna on his 5252nd Birthday during this Aadi Maasa Krishna Ashtami (16th Aug 2025), this is a small ode from my side to the magnificence of majesty that is the mesmerising Lord Sri Krishna. Took a stab at a few instrumental bits of 4 delightful Krishna based bhajans viz

1) Adharam Madharam

2) Achutam Kesavam

3) Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Murare

4) Hare Krishna Hare Rama Chant

'Adharam Madhuram' is a recent favorite and I've lapped on to this ear worm ever since I gave it a listen just around a month back. It's a nectar filled sweetheart that makes you drool over. 'Achutam Kesavam' has that lilt factor going all over it. One of the most sought after Krishna bhajans one could ever think of. 'Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Murare' is another mellifluous number set to tune in Pahadi Ragam. I especially adore the alternate usage of the 2 Madhyamams which elevates this tune to exceptional heights. Coming to the 'Hare Krishna Chanting', I reckon there are a number of versions but I've chosen this one which has an energetic zest to it. This is also sung in many Iskcons to get the adrenalin pumping and keep the crowd on their feet.

May the all conquering all encompassing all pervading force of Lord Krishna continue to enthral, entrance & entangle by sweeping generations of lifetimes and histories to come in future. Happy 5252nd Solar Return Dear Lord Krishna🪈. 

Rare Planetary Aspects in Vedic Astrology!

Aspects form an important area of play when analyzing horoscopes under the realm of Vedic Astrology. It is believed the planets cast their vision on the 7th sign from where they are placed apart from certain planets which are said to have special aspects. Listing below the usually accustomed aspects which are associated with the planets

Sun - 7th Aspect

Moon - 7th Aspect

Mars - 4th, 7th and 8th Aspect

Mercury - 7th Aspect

Jupiter - 5th, 7th and 9th Aspect

Venus - 7th Aspect

Saturn - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect

Rahu - No Aspect (Note: Some schools consider 5th, 7th and 9th aspect similar to Jupiter and sometimes even 12th as Rahu always moves in reverse direction)

Ketu - No Aspect (Note: Some schools consider aspects only for Rahu and not for Ketu but there are also other views that it holds the same like Rahu ie 5th, 7th and 9th aspect similar to Jupiter and sometimes even 12th as Ketu always moves in reverse direction)

Let's look at it from the planets in the solar system. The sequence goes about as Mercury -> Venus -> Earth -> Mars -> Jupiter -> Saturn -> Uranus -> Neptune -> Pluto

If you consider the order above, it is clear that the inner planets to Earth viz Mercury and Venus only possess 7th aspect. Moon who is always orbiting around the earth is also relegated to just the 7th aspect and replacing the Earth with the Sun from the parlance of Geo-centric system, it also possesses only the default 7th aspect. Rahu & Ketu which are in essence derived from the Moon's orbital path around the Earth do not possess any aspect. It may also be considered as possessing the same 7th aspect but since Rahu & Ketu are in essence only one object with Rahu representing the head and Ketu depicting the tail, the aspects aren't factored into account.

However the outer planets from the Earth viz Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have extra special aspects on top of the usual 7th aspect which the inner planets from Earth possess. We are not taking into account Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as they are beyond the scope of Vedic Astrology.

The sages have also advocated a partial aspects theory which is not used much in practice. As per this methodology, each planet influences a certain visionary scope apart from it's usual full aspect. The designated planet however is given full aspect responsibility in that territory as seen below:
4th & 8th Aspect - Each planet has 75% aspect (Mars alone has 100%)
5th & 9th Aspect - Each planet has 50% aspect (Jupiter alone has 100%)
3rd & 10th Aspect - Each planet has 25% aspect (Saturn alone has 100%)

Few other branches of astrology such as Nadi Astrology, Lal Kitab Astrology, Jaimini Astrology again have their own say in defining aspects. In Nadi, each planet is said to influence heavily on planets placed in trine to them. The 2nd & 12th aspect is also considered extensively with the 2nd being considered highly powerful for a planet in forward motion as it's believed to go and touch the planet in the next sign and likewise for planets in retro motion, the 12th forms high weightage. The 3rd, 7th, 11th trine are also given a smaller slice of aspect percentage and in effect only the 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th to a planet doesn't really have much of a say with respect to aspects. Lal Kitab also has it's own unique measure of aspects. As per it, the planet in 1st house aspects planets in 7th house but the vice versa doesn't hold true. Also there are percentages given to the extent a planet placed in a particular house has on other houses. Jaimini is more to do with the signs and it's believed each movable sign aspects every other fixed sign except the one next to it and likewise each of the fixed signs aspect all the movable signs except the one next to it. The Dual signs aspect each of the other dual signs.

On exploring the subject further on planetary aspects associated with Vedic Astrology, I got to figure there are some extra hidden aspects given to some of the inner planets Sun, Venus and also Rahu & Ketu apart from the usual 7th aspect. This is also backed up by one old Tamil text called "Jothida Arichuvadi" which delineates the aspects of planets by means of a sloka. Listing below the aspects of all planets including the unknown rare ones:

Sun - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect

Moon - 7th Aspect

Mars - 4th, 7th and 8th Aspect

Mercury - 7th Aspect

Jupiter - 5th, 7th and 9th Aspect

Venus - 6th, 7th and 8th Aspect

Saturn - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect

Rahu - 3rd, 7th and 11th Aspect

Ketu - 3rd, 7th and 11th Aspect

This may not match the solar system logic of all outer planets being given special aspects and inner planets being given just the default 7th aspect but we must also adhere and realize the fact that Vedic Astrology works largely on planetary energies. The reasons figured out for these extra aspects pertaining to Sun, Venus, Rahu&Ketu are as follows:

Sun (Extra 3rd and 10th aspect):
As per mythology, Sun happens to be the father of Saturn and we are well aware of Saturn possessing 3rd and 10th aspect. The dad is expected to have the same aspectual tendency as per his son and hence the proverb ''Like Father Like Son'' holds good here with Sun also possessing the special 3rd and 10th aspect.

Venus (Extra 6th and 8th aspect):
Venus represents 'Yoni' which translates to sexual organ. This portion is always protected by the left side and right side thigh. Even if any serious calamity takes place, it's the two sides to the left and right that always enable to protect the womb. These are the 6th (left) and 8th (right) aspect holding and protecting the 7th (yoni).

Rahu & Ketu (Extra 3rd and 11th aspect):
Both Rahu & Ketu are nodal points derived from Moon. Moon is said to rule the zodiac sign of Cancer whereas it's Mool Trikon (office of responsibility) sign is Taurus. When you count forward or backward from Cancer to Taurus you get 3,11 and hence Rahu/Ketu are believed to possess 3rd and 11th aspect.

It is interesting to note that as per this logic all the planets except Moon & Mercury have special aspects designed for them. Also if we look at the signs being aspected, all houses are being touched upon except 2/12 axis. Incidentally coming to the 2nd and 12th aspect, it is largely believed that the son of Saturn namely Mandi which is predominantly used in Southern part of India is said to have an aspect of one house before and after it's placement along with default 7th which effectively and indirectly means all houses aspects are considered if Mandi is also included in the mix. 

1st - Placement of the planets
7th - Default aspect for all planets
3rd - Sun, Saturn, Rahu & Ketu
11th - Rahu & Ketu
4th - Mars
10th - Sun & Saturn
5th - Jupiter
9th - Jupiter
6th - Venus
8th - Mars & Venus

2nd - Mandi

12th - Mandi