Kumbha Sankranti – Sun in the Aquarius
Kumbha Sankranti is the time of the year when the Sun enters Kumbha
Kumbha rashi – symbol
But how do we know that the
Sanskrit word
Aquarius is one of the Sthira
Aquarius as such has two planets as its lord. Rahu as the lord of Aquarius is the one that brings the poison out. This process of retrieving the poison is recorded in the Puranic story of Samudra Manthan (the story itself will be covered separately) during the churning of the ocean. Saturn on the other hand, as the lord of Aquarius, is responsible for holding the poison. This is the reason why in Vedic astrology we often find reference to Saturn as one who holds the bag of sins. These sins are a direct reference to the pot of poison of Kumbha
Poison of Kumbha and remedies
This poisonous aspect of Aquarius is what we are trying to reduce. To clear these toxins from the body astrologers will fast from salt, during the month of Aquarius, to enable the unclean waters (toxins) to leave the body. We practice this from the advent of Sun entering the Aquarius until the 14th day of the dark Moon, also known as the night of Maha
On the day of Maha Shivaratri (this year Maha Shivaratri is on the 3rd/4th of March) Shiva drinks the poison for us, and in this form, he is called Neelkanth (
You can learn more about all Sun signs, including Kumbha rashi (or sign Aquarius), from my book, TRUTHS ABOUT THE SUN SIGNS.