Shravana

Definition

Shravana is the 22nd nakshatra (lunar mansion), running from 10°00′ to 23°20′ of sidereal Capricorn. It is ruled by the Moon and presided over by Vishnu, the preserver. Its name means 'hearing' or 'listening,' and it also carries the sense of 'the one who limps'; its alternate name Ashvattha refers to the sacred Pipal tree. Its symbols are an ear and an arrow, and in the sky it is formed by three bright stars of Aquila (the Eagle) — Altair, Alshain, and Tarazed — identified with Vishnu's three footprints.

In Tradition

Across the modern Jyotish writing represented here, Shravana is read as the nakshatra of listening turned toward knowledge: its faculty of hearing is the vehicle by which knowledge and wisdom are received and passed on. Trivedi names it the nakshatra of learning and oral transmission, and Harness calls it the 'star of learning,' both linking the act of hearing to the gathering and handing-on of knowledge.

In Practice

A jyotishi (Vedic astrologer) reading the Moon or other placements in Shravana works with its associations of hearing, learning, and the transmission of knowledge. Trivedi connects it to listening, learning, oral transmission, and the establishment of order. Sutton reads the Moon's lordship within Saturn-ruled Capricorn as a Saturn/Moon tension in which disciplined Saturn teaches the changeable, emotional Moon to govern the emotions and take on more responsibility, moving the person toward higher knowledge; he calls Shravana the nakshatra of total silence, where through self-discipline, yoga, and the path of truth one learns to hear the sounds of silence, see through life's illusions, and tell fact from fiction. Harness gives it the samhanana shakti, the power of connection, and the ability to hear the subtle etheric realms and link people to their appropriate paths in life. Its associated animal is a female monkey.

Historical Origin

The descriptions here are drawn from modern works on the nakshatras: Trivedi's account in The Book of Nakshatras, Sutton's treatment in The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, and Harness's chapter in The Nakshatras. All three are modern, copyrighted authors writing in English; the bundle supplies no classical-text citation or dating for Shravana, so it is attested here only through this contemporary literature.

Further Reading

• Trivedi, The Book of Nakshatras
• Komilla Sutton, The Essentials of Vedic Astrology
• Harness, The Nakshatras