Venus (Shukra)

The Beauty That Teaches Love: shukra: meanings, strength, signs, houses and harmonization

About the book. "Venus (Shukra)" — The Beauty That Teaches Love: shukra: meanings, strength, signs, houses and harmonization. A book for astrologers on Vedic astrology (Jyotish). Author — Andrey Drobotin, teacher at Atma School. Read online and download the PDF — by donation from $5.

A book for astrologers

Andrey Drobotin

Introduction. The Planet That Makes the World Go Round

The material world turns thanks to Venus. Everything that attracts us, everything we get pleasure from, everything we get up for in the morning and go somewhere for, is connected with it one way or another. Beautiful things, delicious food, relationships, music, a cosy home, money that gives comfort — that is Venus. And that is why it is so important to understand it.

There is another side. Saturn — the chief teacher of this world — punishes everyone precisely for failing to harmonize their Venus. When a person cannot keep a balance between desires and discipline, disappointments, break-ups and emptiness come. That is why I always put great emphasis on Venus in the course.

Who this book is for

This book is for those who study Jyotish and already know the houses, signs and basics of assessing planets. If you consult, it will help you see more deeply a person's relationships, their taste, their way of finding joy and building ties with people. If you study your own chart, you will better understand where your Venus is strong, where it suffers, and what to do about it.

The book is based on the lessons of the "Grahas" module, the lesson on Venus in the signs, and the practical sessions where we analysed Venus in students' charts.

What you will get

• understand the nature of Shukra — the teacher of the asuras, who holds the mantra of returning to life;
• learn what Venus governs in the horoscope and how harmonizing differs from strengthening;
• learn to tell Venus in goodness, passion and ignorance apart — by twelve qualities each;
• go through the twelve parameters by which Venus's strength and beneficence are assessed;
• learn to "dress" Venus in a sign and a house;
• see how the relationship between Venus and the Moon shows expectations in marriage;
• get practical ways to harmonize your Venus.

What this is for in practice

When a person comes with a question about relationships, money, or why there is no joy in life, look at Venus first. Its sign will show what the person gets pleasure from and on what basis they build contacts. Its house — in which area this shows up. Its guna — where this energy leads: to service and devotion, or to attachment and emptiness.

And remember: Venus can be raised. I have lived through this myself. It became much easier for me from the moment I started doing spiritual practice. The last chapter is about that.

Andrey Drobotin

Chapter 1. Who Shukra Is

An inner planet

Venus is an inner planet. Its orbit lies between the Earth and the Sun, and it never moves more than forty-seven degrees from the Sun. That is why in the horoscope it so often stands next to the Sun or in the neighbouring sign, and why you so often have to check whether it is combust.

Venus has an unusual rotation: it spins on its axis in the opposite direction from the other planets. It is said that on its surface the sun rises in the west, and a day there lasts more than a hundred Earth days. This makes it unique. In life, too, Venus goes its own way: it does not obey logic; love has no rules.

Teacher of the asuras

In Sanskrit Venus is Shukra, or Shukracharya. Many have heard that Shukracharya is the guru of the demons, the asuras, and Jupiter, Brihaspati, is the guru of the demigods. This does not mean Venus is bad. In Vedic philosophy the asuras are those who strive for material, sensual enjoyment. And Shukra is the one who teaches them how to achieve it. Through desires and material experience we come to know the world, take blows, and then, with the help of the Sun and Saturn, understand what it was all for.

Shukra is not a demigod. He is a sage, a rishi, just like Brihaspati. Rishis are above the demigods in knowledge. And the story of how Shukra became the teacher of the asuras explains a lot about the nature of Venus.

The story of the Sanjivani mantra

Once Indra, king of the demigods, called a council and invited Brihaspati and Shukra. Indra behaved wrongly: he said one teacher was enough for him and treated Shukra rudely. The offended sage left for the asuras, in the lower worlds.

The asuras rejoiced: a brahmin, a learned sage, had come to them, and at last they had power. Shukra accepted students, began teaching them Vedic knowledge and mantras, and founded schools for them. The asuras began to obtain one weapon after another. But there was a problem: the demigods are immortal, their bodies restore themselves, while the asuras are mortal. "We will not be able to win," said Shukra.

And he decided to perform austerity to obtain the Sanjivani mantra — the mantra that brings the dead back to life. Only a few beings in the universe possess it, Shiva among them. Shiva set a condition: hang upside down over the smoke of burning leaves for many years. If during that time he spoke even one word or breathed clean air, the austerity would be lost.

When Indra learned of this, he was very alarmed. He sent his daughter Jayanti to disrupt the austerity. But Jayanti, seeing the ascetic, did not interfere. She began to serve him and care for him all those years. Shukra endured the austerity. Shiva took him down from the tree and gave him the mantra. Shukra, in turn, at Jayanti's request agreed to become her husband.

When Shukra returned to the asuras and spoke the mantra over a fallen warrior, the warrior came back to life. It was a celebration for all the asuras: they had gained power equal to that of the demigods.

What this story tells us

Note: Shukra obtained the mantra not by asking but by austerity. Not the way we say: "Hey, Venus, come out, you're my waiter, grant me your favour." To have material blessings, beauty, relationships, you have to earn them. That is the key to Venus.

The Sanjivani mantra is the power of revival. That is why all gemstones, especially diamonds, connected with Venus act as a rejuvenating, reviving remedy. Beauty, youth, freshness — all of this comes from Shukra.

And one more thing. Jayanti came to interfere, and ended up serving. Service wins. This too is Venus — in its highest expression.

If someone says Venus is only the planet of pleasure

This is a deep misconception. Venus became the planet of pleasure because that is how it is portrayed and how it shows up in our world. But Shukra itself is a sage of enormous power who gained his might through patience and austerity. When Venus is in goodness, a person helps everyone around. Like a diamond that is first cleaned and polished until it becomes crystal clear.