April 1st to April 3rd, 2018 – Saturn and Mars will meet face to face and in astrological terms, it is called “Planetary War”.

Occasionally when two planets are in conjunction and the distance between them becomes less than a degree, it is called Graha Yuddha or Planetary War.

Saturn and Mars will meet in Purva Ashadha Nakshatra which is ruled by Venus in the sign of Sagittarius which is ruled by Jupiter.

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts that will help you sail through

  1. Avoid rash driving at any cost. It is wise to follow the rules and take extra precaution. Do not be in a hurry.
  2. Be careful when you are dealing with sharp objects like knife etc in the kitchen or elsewhere.
  3. When there is conflict, be aware of it. Do not react. Purva Ashadha nakshatra is symbolized by the hand fan – when you fan fire (Mars), it gets wild.
  4. Avoid Aggressiveness – Choose your battles wisely and if you are unable to do that just postpone it.
  5. Use the energy wisely – This is a great time to get into a fitness routine and complete projects and tasks. Purva Ashadha’s deity is Apah which means water. When water does not have a proper direction or channel to flow, it may cause havoc. Similarly, when the intense energy brought forth by this conjunction does not have a proper channel or direction it may cause a lot of unwanted trouble.
  6. Look out for hidden information before making any important decisions. If possible, avoid making any major decisions during this period.
  7. Winnowing basket is another symbol associated with Purva Ashadha – Make a promise to yourself to let go of old habits or patterns. You can, in fact, use the energy from this conjunction to help you with that. Most of us may feel like we are being tossed on a winnowing basket, but know that the end result is going to be amazing! We can shed the unwanted and unnecessary and become pure and new.
  8. Embrace the churning – Read and contemplate on the Samudra Manthan episode where the Devas and Asuras churned the ocean. A lot of amazing things came out of it including Goddess Lakshmi (prosperity), Dhanvantri (The God of Ayurveda and Healing), Kamadhenu (Wish-fulfilling cow), etc. And the halahal poison also came out of it which was consumed by Lord Shiva.
  9. Purva Nakshatra energy will not let you give up so easily. It will provide you with the much needed willpower to persevere and help you see through to the light at the end of the tunnel. So if you are facing obstacles and limitations imposed by Saturn, do not give up. Saturn does not want you to succumb to the limitations and obstacles, Saturn in a way will inspire you to sail through it. Now, with the energy and determination of Mars, there is a lot of positives we can take home from this conjunction as well.
  10. Spread Happiness and Joy – It is in times like this we truly have the opportunity to brighten up someone’s life. Know that everyone is going through this and do the best you can to help people around you. Purva Ashadha Nakshatra is known to spread joy and happiness and make life worth living.
  11. Purva Ashadha has the power to conceal thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. Know that during this period you can never tell anyone’s inner thoughts just by looking at their outer expressions. So give people the benefit of doubt and do not get into arguments and fights.
  12. Purva Ashadha’s power is that of invigoration (varchograhana shakti). In one of HIS meditations, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar guides us to “Inhale and Energize, Exhale and Relax” – and this takes us to a state of perfect balance and ultimate stillness. The term Inhale and Energize signifies Mars and Exhale (let go) and Relax is very apt for what Saturn wants us to do. You can find this meditation on the Sattva App.
  13. Prayers to Lord Skanda (Mars) Lord Hanuman or Lord Shiva (Saturn), Lord Ayyappa (Saturn & Mars) and Goddess Lakshmi or Tripura Sundari (Purva Ashadha) will help you greatly.
  14. Start your day by offering prayers to the Sun God. You can also listen to Aditya Hrudayam Stotram every morning during sunrise.  Lord Rama was baffled looking at the mighty army of Ravana and that is when Sage Agastya imparts the Aditya Hrudayam Stotram to Lord Rama that helped him win the battle against the demon king. Sun is the king of the planet kingdom and the below verse from Aditya Hrudayam explains it.

Nakṣatragrahatārāṇāmadhipo viśvabhāvanaḥ

tejasāmapi tejasvī dvādaśātman namo’stu te

(Salutations to him who is the Lord of stars, planets and zodiac, and the origin of everything in the universe. Salutations to Aditya who appears in twelve forms viz., Indra, Dhata, Bhaga, Pooshana, Mitra, Aryama, Archi, Vivaswan, Twastru, Savitha, Varuna and Vishnu (in the shape of twelve months of the year).

Know that at any given moment something or the other is happening in the cosmos and it is affecting us based on our birth chart. Just like how we equip ourselves for a storm or rainfall as predicted by the weather channel, a little bit of awareness about the cosmic weather will help us avoid unnecessary problems and frustrations. Awareness is the key factor to handle any planetary influence.

Jaigurudev!