Soul Purpose of Atma Karaka Planet
There was a request to write about the Soul Purpose linked with every planet if it becomes Atma Karaka for a person. Let’s cover this topic under following points –
Jaimini Astrology - Basically, it is a concept of Jaimini Astrology where it is believed that Sage Jaimini gave karakas to planets based on their degrees. He left-out shadow planets Rahu & Ketu from this scheme of Karakas. Karakas were decided based on their degrees in chart, like the planet with highest degree is named Aatma Karaka, and then going into descending order Amatya Karaka, Bhratru Karaka, Matru Karaka, Putra Karaka, Ghatni Karaka and Dara Karaka.
Jagannath Hora Software considers Rahu as one of the karaka and also adds one more karaka as Pitru Karaka, i.e. between Matru & Putra Karakas. I personally never considered Rahu as any of these Karakas as I give Rahu its own importance separately. But anyways, our focus right now is on Aatma Karaka.
Aatma Karaka - Aatma Karaka is the planet with the Highest Degree in our chart. It means this planet is Soul Significator. For proper understanding, this planet indicates your aim/purpose/destination of life. We are supposed to reach the place which is indicated by Aatma Karaka Planet, its position and house it rules. This will give us an idea of where we need to reach in this life.
Amatya Karaka - Now, as we know destination to reach through Atma Karaka, we should also know how to reach there? So, planet with 2nd highest degree becomes Amatya Karaka. It is a ride up to the destination. Things related with Amatya Karaka planet, its position and its rulership of houses will indicate about what actions a person should take to reach his destination, i.e. Aatma Karaka.
House/Sign Position – As everything is in addition and impacts the final analysis of chart, we also need to keep in mind the position, dignity and strength of Atma Karaka.
Highest Level of Interpretation – Now, important thing is that we are looking for Soul Purpose of Atma Karaka planet. As I earlier said - https://www.astrosaxena.com/dlr, all the representations given to a planet/house/sign can be segregated in 3 different levels. These are Tamas, Rajas and Satwa. In English, same could be understood as Body, Mind and Soul. Let’s understand the difference here -
• Tamas or Body level of representation is the lowest level of representation as those things we need in life for our own self or survival of our body. In a way, we are not concerned with anyone else at this level and we are living life totally for selfish reasons.
• Rajas or Mind level of representation is higher than the Body level of representation as at this level we are connected with other people and somehow concerned with them. But those people can be a small group of people like our friends or family or relatives etc. So, this is a little higher representation as we are not living a totally selfish life but it is still not the highest level as we are still disconnected from world at large. We have created a private world within this world of our friends or family or relatives etc.
• Satwa or Soul level of representation is the highest level of representation where we are connected to people at Universal level. We consider everyone as part of our family and try to serve them without any selfish interests at all. Here, the focus shifts totally from me or mine to Universe at large. As we dedicate ourselves to Universal Cause and service to all, this becomes the highest or best level of representation.
Few Examples – Now, let’s understand it with few examples of different representations of planets/houses/signs –
Planet-wise - Venus – Following are different level of representations for Venus -
• Venus represents Wealth. This is body level or lowest level of representation of Venus as we need it for sustaining our body.
• Venus represents Relationship. This is mind level or middle level of representation of Venus as our mind feels good when we are in relationship.
• Venus represents Service & Devotion. This is soul level or highest level of representation of Venus as when we are providing service to others or devoted to a higher cause then we are connected to the whole universe
House-wise – 3rd house - Following are different level of representations for 3rd house -
• 3rd house represents will power, courage or ego. Clearly a body level representation as all these things satisfy our own ego/self.
• 3rd house represents siblings, cousins and neighbours. People with whom you regularly connect and communicate with which makes mind feel good. This is mind level or middle level of representation of 3rd house.
• 3rd house represents Business and Marketing. Now, you are connected with whole world. This is soul level or highest level of representation of 3rd house.
Sign-wise - We can see the same thing through Signs too. Aquarius - Following are different level of representations for Aquarius –
• Aquarius represents Gains and Desires much like 11th house as it is 11th sign. A body level representation.
• Aquarius represents Socializing with others, Friends, Networking Circle and Large Organizations/MNCs, a mind level representation.
• Aquarius also represents Serving Humanity or Serving a Higher Cause. It is soul level representation of Aquarius.
Soul Purpose of Atma Karaka Planet - Now, as we are looking for Soul Purpose of every planet as Atma Karaka then we have to take the highest representation/Sattva representation/Soul representation of every planet. As I see, following should be the soul purpose of every planet as Atma Karaka –
• Sun – Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Sun as Atma Karaka is not only to gain authority and recognition for himself but empower other people around him. Sun is King in Astrology. Difference between a good King and a bad King is that a bad King gains the authority and tries to control or dominate his people. He is insecure. Whereas a good King shares his authority with his people and empowers them. It is not important that I have become an Astrologer and people started admiring me as an Astrologer. Important is how many other Astrologers I created through my help and support. A real Guru is not the one who himself is enlightened but the one who helps others to gain enlightenment.
• Moon - Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Moon as Atma Karaka is to Nourish and take care of others. Normally, it is connected with professions like Teaching and Medicine but any work where you make someone else feel good about him or feel nourished then it is Moon as Atma Karaka related work. They should be natural nourisher who nourishes people without any selfish interests. Normally, we say that parents’ love or especially Mother’s love towards her child is selfless but in a way even that is also a selfish love. A mother nourishes her child because of the basic reason that it is her own child. If the same child had been someone else’s then she might not have even looked at that child. So, when Moon is Atma Karaka, one is supposed to nourish others without any selfish interests. Story of Pushya Nakshatra (https://www.astrosaxena.com/pushnaksh) is an ideal one to understand this where Jupiter adopted Mercury and took care/nourished him as his own child. It is more relevant as Pushya literally means The Nourisher.
• Mars - Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Mars as Atma Karaka is to protect others. Mars is basically a Soldier in Astrology. A Soldier’s highest duty is to protect his land or Kingdom against attackers, even at the peril of his life. So, when Mars is Atma Karaka of a person, he is supposed to protect or defend others who cannot defend himself. It doesn’t mean that they all need to become Soldiers and join the Army but it only means that they must raise their voice and oppose against any injustice and oppression/suppression of people, especially of those who cannot raise voice for themselves. Soul Purpose here can also be to fight and defeat the evil regardless of who is standing in favor of evil. The whole message of Bhagvad Geeta and Mahabharat can be taken as Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Mars as Atma Karaka.
• Mercury - Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Mercury as Atma Karaka is to be at Market Place but not solely for profit. Mercury is basically a Business Person. A Business Person is worst when he is solely doing his business to make the maximum gains. Recently, I watched one of the speeches of Great Jim Carrey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koKtTJu9AtI) where he used the term “Capitalism without Consciousness.” I think this can be considered as the fine-line difference to understand the gap between Tamas/Rajas and Sattwa Nature of Mercury. An evolved business person will also look to serve people through his business. He won’t be a Capitalist without Consciousness.
• Jupiter - Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Jupiter as Atma Karaka is to be a Teacher or Guide or a Counsellor who doesn’t hold back any knowledge with himself for any reason whatsoever. The best example I can give here is from Mahabharat where Guru Dronacharya said at the beginning of war that “A Teacher should never be a paid employee of anyone”. This was the gist or lesson of His life. Because of his employment with the Kingdom, he has to refuse education to eligible students like Eklavya. So, a Guru should be free from all biases and reservations in sharing his knowledge with others. Also, he should understand the difference between a Teacher and a Guru. A Teacher is one who gives you some lesson whereas a Guru is one who also tests if you have learnt the lesson or not. A Teacher is one who will tell you that it is wrong to have/keep anger or greed inside you. A Guru is one who will create a situation which can make you greedy or angry, just to check if you really learnt your lesson or you just heard and forgot it.
• Venus – As I said before, Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Venus as Atma Karaka is Service and Devotion. He should devote himself to serve others, again without any selfish interests. They should not only limit their creativity/creative interests etc to themselves but utilize it to serve people at large to bring happiness to all.
• Saturn - Soul Purpose or Destination of someone who has Saturn as Atma Karaka is being justifiable and fair to all. Understand that Saturn is basically Lord of Justice. To do Justice to all is his job. So, when Saturn is someone’s Atma Karaka then this person should always stand on the side of justice, truth and fairness in every matter of life. If they had to go against their own loved-ones for doing this then so be it. This is where the biggest test of Saturn when it makes you fight for the truth against your own relatives/friends/loved-ones. One of the final stories of Mahabharat again can be the guiding light here where Yudhishthir, standing at the gates of Heaven, chose a Dog over Heavens as that Dog accompanied him throughout journey. So now, he was not willing to leave the Dog alone just to enter in the Heavens.
Conclusion – As we can say that there is one common theme with all these representations for all these planets as Atma Karaka; i.e. in all these situations, we are devoting ourselves to serve others without any selfish interests. So, every planet and Astrology itself is telling us to serve each other. Needless to say that planetary positions, dignity, strength and dashas are all important and overall analysis of chart will decide as to what activities a person should do to attain his soul purpose and destination.
Hope this helps. Thanks,
Swami Premanand Bharti
7 comments on this post Comments
Pradeep
2023-10-25 19:00:07Sir, Thank you for guiding us with your immense knowledge. Venus as an Atmakaraka Planet is in 2nd house(cancer sign) with 29 degree, for gemini ascendent. Saturn is in 8th house aspecting 2nd house.Now Venus Dasha is running into 2034. How the life purpose will be served ? Is it goes hard ? Please kindly reply.
Pradeep
2023-10-25 18:57:54Sir, Thank you for guiding us with your immense knowledge. Venus as an Atmakaraka Planet is in 2nd house(cancer sign) with 29 degree, for gemini ascendent. Saturn is in 8th house aspecting 2nd house.Now Venus Dasha is running into 2034. How the life purpose will be served ? Is it goes hard ? Please kindly reply.
Siddu
2023-04-05 15:43:11Will i get positive results being saturn as atmakarka....you have told biggest challenge... Can u please tell me what challenges will i have to face
SPB
2022-10-08 11:34:03S - Saturn is same for all, biggest challenge.
Siddu
2022-10-06 13:12:44I have saturn as atmakaraka (29 degrees) in 10th house for taurus ascendent. Saturn said to functional benific how will Saturn act on me
SPB
2021-09-20 19:35:57G - need to serve people through knowledge and spirituality.
Gino
2021-09-20 00:35:02I have a Jupiter atmakara in Pisces in the 11th. With a taurus ascendant, Jupiter is termed to be a functional malefic. How does is this designation applied to the atmakaraka.