Of late I have been interested in learning astrology particularly the Vedic Jyotish.

The planets, nakshatras, rashis and their mutual placements and aspects have proved to be such a vast knowledge that the more I read the more I feel drawn towards the astro science. Yes it is science in true terms. Here facts and hypotheses are interchangeable. One can encompass the entire zodiac, the whole Akash Tatva in a small Kundali. And yet each degree, minute, ghati, vighati can be further broken down into such minutest detail that the whole protons neutrons theory would run for cover 😀

So, as an early enthusiast, I am super excited to read about planets, their effects on our lives and the reason as to why we get them in specific houses. What all can be understood from the snapshot of the sky at our birth, the Horoscope, is a question looming large on my mind. So I thought why not try and look at a well known personality chart and try to find out whether they were born for fame and riches or was it all the present deeds and sheer luck that supported them.

And guess what, the first horoscope I have selected for this little endeavor of mine is of the most famous (and of course the most Infamous) Guru of all times. Yes, you guessed it right. I am talking about Rajneesh Osho, the self proclaimed God and the most widely read (listened ?) GURU of modern times, whom everyone loves to quote, since he does have such a vast compendium of knowledge and relatable anecdotes to share that one cannot but feel drawn towards him despite his controversial aura.

So without further adieu, let’s jump straight into his Kundali and try to decipher what the planets had spoken when Osho was born as Chandra Mohan Jain on 11th December 1931 at 05:45 pm in Kuchwada (MP). Lagna was Taurus, Rashi Sagittarius, Janma Nakshatra Purvashada.

First thing that struck me while checking out his birth chart, was that there are not one or two but total Five Planets sitting in a single house, the 8th House of Sagittarius Rashi (ruled by Jupiter)! And the second most astounding feature of his horoscope is the presence of an Exalted Retro Jupiter in his third house. See the beauty that in 8th from 8th house, he has this largest planet, The DevGuru himself waiting to bestow all the blessings on his own Mooltrikona Rashi Sagittarius!

His horoscope is the epitome of Divinity and Transformation with Jupiter getting connected with the entire Kundali, becoming the Sutradhar of his life and giving the world an unparalleled GURU. So instead of bothering about the lagna, rashi and other nuances, let’s straight away dive into the heaviest house of his horoscope, the 8th House and the play of Jupiter.

The Eighth House and The Play of Jupiter

Often touted as the most difficult house of one’s horoscope, the Bhava of peeda and dukh ie. the House of pain and suffering, often mistaken as the house of death, the most feared Dushtana House of all is the 8th House, the heaviest, the most important and the most clearly marked out domain in Osho’s horoscope. Here 5 planets Moon, Mars, Mercury, Saturn and Venus jostle in the natural Rashi of Dharma i. e. Sagittarius.

The basic principle of astrology is that the planets sitting in a House control it’s domain through the lordships of their respective houses. But here the 8th house is so crowded that it is controlled by not one but five planets, which rule altogether 9 houses of the zodiac among themselves.

Yes, you read it right! There are 9 houses bringing their collective energy to the 8th house of Rajneesh Osho’s horoscope. And out of the other 3 houses left, two are owned by Jupiter and one by Sun. Guess Osho had no other option but to be the GURU he became!

The planets sitting in 8th house are

Moon 22° 38″- Lord of 3rd House

Mercury 13°29″ – Lord of 2nd and 5th House

Mars 8°9″ – Lord of 7th and 12th House

Venus 19°18″ – Lord of 1st and 6th House

Saturn 28°33″ – Lord of 9th and 10th House

Let’s begin with the planet with the highest degree, Saturn as principally it will effect the 8th house the most and then let’s study about the effects brought about by other planets in descending order of their respective degrees.

So here, Saturn is the ruler of 9th and 10th house occupying the central stage in the 8th House. In effect, the planet of sorrow and grief is sitting in the house of pain and suffering. At first look, it should have brought heaps of grief in Osho’s life and completely devastated him. However, look closely and notice how beautifully a planet, a karaka and a bhava perform when their energies sync with each other.

Despite the negativity loaded upon the 8th House, it is actually one of the most important houses for Occult Studies, Research, Secret endeavors, Off beat thoughts and ideas to revolutionize Religion (being 12th from 9th house), Tantra, Rahsya, mystery, philosophy and deep knowledge.

It is often wrongly portrayed as the house of death, whereas it is the house of longevity and if it’s energy is handled correctly, it may prove to be the reason for transformation of life from Mundane to Super Special.

Similarly, the planet Saturn is often misunderstood and feared out of ignorance. In fact, he is the karaka of Karma. He teaches one to live a life full of purpose and discipline. And here he is the ruler of 9th and 10th house i. e. Saturn has the double portfolio of Dharma and Karma. So a sea churning magic was bound to happen.

And here is what has happened in Osho’s horoscope and life, he completely transformed himself and the Religion, and was able to convince lakhs of people to follow in his footsteps, courtesy his unconventional way of teaching and preaching.

Though as the 8th House is the house of Controversies as well, he did have a long list of blames and whatnots attached to his name. And since it is the house of Secrets, he did carry out his activities in a closed knit society, making people curious about his methods and often inviting troubles and blames both from public and authorities.

Often touted as the Sex Guru, the Guru of Hippies, the outcasts, the queer of the society, he indulged in everything considered as Nether and Off beat in his Ashram. Again this is the attribute of 8th house, bringing the Pataal energy in foreground (8th house is often called pataal or shamshaan).

And here enters the Saturn, the planet that defines West, as west is the direction of Shani. No doubt, devotees of Osho sprang and thronged from the West of the World. Most of them had suffered immensely in their personal lives, were already living on edge, defying Social norms, the Hippies was the name given to that lot, all the traits governed by the planet Saturn. And hence their natural attraction to a Guru re-defining Sex and Religion from the East can be readily understood.

I am just touching the tip of the iceberg here. Though I do believe that you must already be marveling at the beauty of 8th House and Saturn being connected, bringing Karma (9th house) and Dharma (10th house) in close conjunction with the Parivartan Bhav (8th house), creating a steady rope of three Houses in row, moving towards the 11th house, the house of Gains, Desires, Hopes and Wishes.

And guess who greets us in 11th House, it is RAHU, the shadow planet, the karaka of Illusions and Deception, the planet that refuses to take NO for an answer, the most important planet of Kaliyug if you ever want to have materialistic growth and enjoy the riches of life. And Rahu’s strong association with 8th, 9th and 10th house owing to his position in 11th House, proclaims Osho’s popularity and success as the materialistic Guru, the Guru of Rich and Famous, whose deeds often remained under the shadow of shadiness, who was always eager to jump boundaries and who lavishly flaunted his love for bounties of life!

As Rahu is the karaka (significator) of Technology, innovations and gadgets as well, it comes as no surprise that Osho thought way ahead of his times. He recorded and filmed all his lectures, letting him survive for decades after he has left his mortal body. Rahu is the karaka for film making and it is much easier to obtain a film of Osho’s activities than any other preacher of his times or even spriritual leaders of later era.

And the story is not over yet, here the shadowy planet Rahu sits majestically in the Pisces sign, again ruled by Jupiter and is also aspected from the 9th benevolent drishti of Brihaspati from the 3rd house. Voila! We have the perfect combo of Guru, Rahu, Saturn going on in full swing! Of course, Osho was bound to be successful. His entire horoscope is entwined around enjoying the Guruhood!

There is so much more to decipher in Osho’s horoscope and I do feel that it is impossible to cover all the significations in just one article, so let me continue the story in next part. Till then, marvel at the complexity of planets and the simplicity of zealous humanity to dismiss Astrology as Hogwash… Anupama Sarkar