Chandra

Definition

Chandra is the Sanskrit name for the Moon, one of the grahas (planets) of Vedic astrology, also called Soma. In this framework the Moon stands for the mind (manas), the mother, the emotions, the astral body and your past karma, and it governs water, receptivity, nourishment, popularity and social consciousness. Frawley treats it, like the Sun, as a Sattvic or spiritual planet. The name Chandra means the giver of delight and rhythm, after the great cycles of nature such as the tides that reflect her.

In Tradition

What the sources agree on is that the Moon is the karaka (the significator, or natural ruler) of the mind. Frawley names it the planet of the mind (manas) and the emotions; the classical Uttara Kalamrita lists Chandra as the significator governing intelligence and the mind, among many matters; and Raman, too, glosses Chandra as the luminary governing the mind. Beyond the bare name, this mind-significator role is the principle they share.

In Practice

A jyotishi (Vedic astrologer) reads the Moon, Chandra or Soma, as the karaka (natural significator) of certain core matters in a chart, and turns to it when judging those themes. Uttara Kalamrita assigns Chandra a long list: intelligence and the mind, the mother, woman, the heart and stomach, liquids and the watery, pearls and silver, sleep, happiness, fame and beauty, and the worship of Gauri, among many other matters. Frawley likewise reads the Moon for the mind, the mother, the emotions, receptivity and nourishment, and for popularity and social consciousness. In Uttara Kalamrita's horary method, the Moon's position at the moment of a question is taken two ways: the almanac position is the subtle Moon, and the computed ephemeris position the gross Moon.

Historical Origin

The Moon's significations as a graha are attested in the classical text Uttara Kalamrita, attributed to Kalidasa, whose significations chapter lists Chandra (also Soma) among the planets. The names Chandra and Soma carry into modern works as well: Frawley, in The Astrology of the Seers, uses both as Sanskrit terms for the Moon, and Raman, in Notable Horoscopes, glosses Chandra as the Moon.

Further Reading

• Kalidasa, Uttara Kalamrita
• Frawley, The Astrology of the Seers
• Raman, Notable Horoscopes