Article-1: Aśvinī Nakshatra Article Series

Transportation: The Existential Symbol of Aśvini Nakshatra

Let's begin by examining a universal symbolic meaning attributed to horses, 'transportation', which pertains to the Aśvini Nakshatra. This symbolism is related to the way horses are synonymous with movement and covering distances.

Before jumping into the full meaning of 'transportation' within the context of the Aśvini Nakshatra, we must first revisit the three preceding nakshatras before it and then proceed to examine the two that follow it. This approach will allow us to fully understand the depth and significance of this symbolic description of movement, as 'transportation' pertaining to the Aśvini Nakshatra.

The Existential Process of Being & Becoming Expressed Through the Nakshatras

For those who are not familiar with the order of nakshatras, if we consider the first Nakshatra to be Aśvini, the 25th nakshatra (or the third Nakshatra before Aśvini) is Pūrva Bhādrapadā, followed by the 26th Nakshatra as Uttara Bhādrapadā, and the 27th and last is Revatī. Then again starting with Aśvini Nakshatra as the first, the second Nakshatra is Bharaṇī, and the third, in the context of our discussion, is Kṛttikā Nakshatra. This is the most widely accepted order of the nakshatras. With that brief introduction out of the way, we can now continue.

In the nakshatras of the two Bhādrapadās, the deities are linked to different manifestations of Śiva in his form as Rudra, known as the 'howler' and the destroyer. Rudra is destined to end the current manifestations of existence, leading it towards dissolution. This cycle's end is necessary to initiate the next creation cycle. In Pūrva Bhādrapadā Nakshatra, symbolized by the terms 'Pūrva' (earlier) and 'padā' (step), Rudra as Ahi Budhnya gathers the manifested world on an altar to set it on fire. Following this, in Uttara Bhādrapadā Nakshatra, represented by the term 'Uttara' (meaning ‘later’, indicating the second padā or step), the deity Ahirbudhnya takes the next step in this process by dissolving the world, facilitating its total dissolution and purification. This act is viewed as a means to spiritualize the material world. Note that here, 'spiritual' transcends ordinary 'spirituality' in the ways we use that word; it's about the separation of essence from form, resulting in a state where form cannot exist without its essence and becomes formless.

What is also worth remembering here is that we are discussing a concept that is conceptualized within a cultural and philosophical framework, which views existence and time in a cyclical manner. Therefore, this is not a linear ending; rather, we now see existence coming to an end only to revive and re-arrive. After this stage of dissolution, brought about by Bhādrapadās, existence must go through a process of reformulation and reformation. Here, we are essentially talking about an in-between phase, where existence phases out through the destructive actions of Śiva as Rudra in his various manifestations.

This gives way to a transitioning phase, in order to come back into existence, which we can see in the nakshatra of Revatī. Through its solar deity, Pūṣan, who is a shepherd deity leading travelers from one world or realm to another, as one cycle of existence makes its transition from the night of its nothingness back into the light of its beingness. This initiates new light and new forms, as individuated components of existence now emerge and embark on their journey. This 'coming back’ process occurs through the Aśvini Nakshatra, which denotes being transported; denoting a kind of a transportation.

What the Aśvini Nakshatra reveals is how individuated ātman, or souls, must pass through the metaphorical 'eye of the needle' to journey back into existence as existing entities. Aśvini symbolizes this 'coming into' being process, a transformation that necessitates transportation across this distance, where potential evolves into a possibility of the world again.

Through the assessment of Yama’s record keeper, Chitragupta, Yama of Bharaṇī (in the next nakshatra after Aśvini) determines the type of life and life form for this emerging possibility. Yama, associated with justice, judgment, and the designation of karmic deeds, oversees this in Bharaṇī, symbolized by the yoni, representing the birth canal and the labor process that pushes life down from the primordial waters back into the world of forms. Finally, through Agni, the deity of fire and the catalyst for transformations and fire rituals, the spark of life is ignited, fueling this new existence with the engine of its life-force. Thus, life commences in its shape, form, and formulation in the Kṛttikā Nakshatra.

The Yoking of Life and its Emergence

Allow me to offer another analogy that might be more accessible within our human framework of thinking. Consider your existence 10 months before your birth. On your father's side, you did not exist at all, not even as the single sperm cell carrying your half of the chromosomes. You were merely a potentiality within your mother's ovum, which held her half of the chromosomes. The union of this ovum and sperm cell, an apt representation of the essential ingredients for life, initiates the fertilization process and transforms potentiality into possibility. This process itself can be viewed as a form of transportation: from one single cell to another, from one body to another, culminating in a new birth. A new being is thus transported into the world. This is what the Aśvini Nakshatra represents: the act of coming into being, which must then pass through the birth canal of Bharaṇī and take its first breath, endowed with the spirit of life, in Kṛttikā.

From Potentiality to Possibility

One way to understand this nakshatra is to recognize how Aśvini symbolizes the transformation and transportation of potentiality into possibility, which itself signifies life-force, where life is inherently endowed with these qualities. This is why the Aśvini Nakshatra is associated with vigor, power, vitality, and will, which are all attributes that represent the life-force capable of movement and sustained motion.

Associations to Wealth, Health, Beauty and Fame as Nature of Existence

As you will see in the upcoming articles about the Aśvini Nakshatra, it is associated with wealth, health, beauty and fame. These attributes stem from the concept of 'being endowed with life.' Every being, infused with a life force, inherently possesses wealth, where this inherent wealth is the power that encapsulates all potential invested within, which also serves as the source of all vitality. Moreover, this vitality determines the degree of health, which in turn defines what can constitute as beauty, where beauty is the manifestation of cosmic order that can express potential as possibilities. Lastly, being born makes one known to the world; in an existential sense, we are all inherently endowed with fame, that is: recognized for what we truly are.

In the upcoming articles, I will also illustrate how this Nakshatra is linked to those who ride horses and to soldiers who enter and pass through the gates and walls of cities. For now, it should suffice to say that we must all ride and navigate the journey of life like soldiers, marching from one phase to another. This journey is like passing through the gates of life, where each entry is as precise and delicate as threading the eye of a needle repeatedly. This underscores the process of ‘coming into being, being and becoming’ in the Aśvini Nakshatra, which essentially conveys a part of the existential narrative about the nature of existence, life, and our expression within it, regardless of whether we have a planetary placement there in our natal chart.

Reconnecting to Aśvinī Origin Story

A final point to connect this article with the origin story of the Aśvinī Kumāras, the twin deities of this Nakshatra, relates to their parents, Sūrya and Sanjña, as discussed in the previous article. Sūrya, representing the Sun, symbolizes the ātman (the soul), consciousness, and eternal aspects of existence. He is a manifestation of the Ultimate Being, embodying the indivisible Ātman, the soul of existence in its entirety. Sanjña, the Goddess of Dawn, embodies all beginnings and commencements. Their sons, the Aśvinī twins, exemplify the process of differentiation from this eternality, enabling the emergence of individuated and individual ātmans to manifest as existing components of existence, as the exiting universe.

The fact that the Aśvinīs are twins speaks to how a singularity can differentiate within itself to produce a new variation when yoked, similar to the ovum and sperm cell example. As described in the previous article, Sūrya transformed into a horse to match his wife, Sanjña, who had become a mare. This allowed them to mate, yoking their lives as one and giving rise to a differentiated form of themselves: their twin sons, the Aśvinī Kumāras, representing another variation of existence, stemming from their unification.

The Significance of Horses

The Ashwini Nakshatra symbolizes transformation, transition, and transportation from one phase to another, from one state to another, from one form to another, from one place to another. Horses epitomize this concept; even in the most basic sense, they have propelled humanity from one phase of civilization to another, aiding in our transportation across different eras. Remarkably, horses accomplish this autonomously in the wild, without human intervention, interacting solely among themselves. Observing free horses in their natural habitats offers the best insight into this topic, as they hold the key to understanding the narrative of existence and its evolving forms in their freest state.

Coming Up Next

In the following article, I will discuss a tool of analysis and reflection that you can use to better understand the Aśvinī Nakshatra, all Nakshatras, or in fact, any symbol. For now, this marks the end of our current article. Much love and until the next article.

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Related Mantras

ॐ सूर्याय नम : Om Sūryāya namaḥ

ॐ संज्ञायै नम : Om Saṃjñāyai namaḥ

ॐ अश्विनीकुमाराभ्यां नम : Om Aśvinīkumārābhyāṃ namaḥ

ॐ अश्विनी नक्षत्राय नम : Om Aśvinī Nakṣatrāya namaḥ