Magha is taken as the tenth nakshatra among the 27 nakshatras which are consider

ed important in Indian Jyotish for making calculations from horoscopes based on

Vedic Astrology. Ashlesha marks the end of the first group of nine nakshatras an
d accordingly Magha signifies the start of the second group of nakshatras in Ved
ic Astrology. The meaning of Magha is translated in Vedic Astrology as the Might
y, Magnificent and Important and all of these meanings clearly indicate some kin
d of power and authority associated with this nakshatra. In fact the strong infl
uence of this nakshatra in some horoscope is considered as a sure sign for an au
thoritative position of the native according to many Indian astrologers. The mai
n symbol used for this nakshatra by most of the Vedic astrologers is a Throne wh
ich at once conveys an idea about the association of some kind of authority, pow
er and status with this nakshatra as a throne is directly associated with all of
these terms. It should be noted here that according to many Vedic astrologers p
racticing in Indian Jyotish, the authority and power exhibited by Magha is most
of the times associated with inheritance which means that the natives under the
strong influence of Magha usually inherit their position of authority or status
from their ancestors. For example, a king who has become king by his own efforts
and qualities, is not considered as a king of Magha type according to the preva
lent beliefs of Vedic Astrology whereas a king who has become a king by virtue o
f his father being a king which means that he has inherited the Throne, is consi
dered as a king of Magha type according to the same beliefs of Vedic Astrology.
Magha is the first nakshatra where the sen
se of self is developed and accordingly the natives under the influence of this
nakshatra start paying much more attention to their individuality compared to th
e natives belonging to the previous nine nakshatras. Vedic Astrology considers P
itras or Ancestors as the ruling deities of Magha which clearly gives an indicat
ion about the influence of ancestors on this nakshatra and this is the most prob
able reason for which the natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra g
et their share of authority, power and status from their ancestors. According to
Indian mythology, all our ancestors live in Pitra Lok with their astral bodies
during the period after their physical death and their next birth in any physica
l form. According to Indian mythology, Pitra Lok is considered as a heavenly pla
ce which is resided by Pitras in their astral bodies. It is a well known scienti
fic fact now that most of us develop and exhibit the qualities and abilities gen
etically forwarded to us in the form of genetic codes, by our ancestors. So the
sense of self developed in Magha is considered to be directly related to the anc
estors according to many Vedic astrologers as majority of our present form and s
hape has been forwarded to us by our ancestors. Hence the individuality of a per
son includes many of the qualities which belonged to his ancestors and thus the
individuality aspect of this nakshatra can also be seen associated to ancestors
as without the contribution of the ancestors, we would not have been what we are
today. So Magha has a lot to do with the ancestors and it relays many of the qu
alities associated with the ancestors.
Vedic Jyotish takes Ketu as the planetar
y ruler of Magha and before commenting on what kind of influence Ketu exerts on
this nakshatra, it is important to mention first that all parts of this nakshatr
a fall in the sign of Leo ruled by the most fiery planet and king of all the pla
nets according to Vedic Astrology, the Sun itself. The Sun as we know is the pea
k of individualization among all the planets, so the individualization aspect of
Magha is supported by the Sun and its sign Leo. Moving forward, as Vedic astrol
ogy associates the Sun with all kinds of authority, power and status, so the roy
al and materialistic qualities of Ketu are relayed through Magha in order to be
in accordance with the influence of the Sun and the sign Leo on this nakshatra.
Hence the common qualities of Ketu and the Sun like, authority, power, status, i
ndividuality, deep insight, quick action and other such qualities are relayed th
rough this nakshatra and therefore many Vedic astrologers consider Magha as a na
khshatra which fuses the similar qualities of the Sun and Ketu. It is interesti
ng to note here that the Sun is a direct signifier of the self and the ancestors
or the Pitras of a person according to the beliefs of Vedic Astrology and a neg
ative aspect to the Sun in a horoscope leads to the formation of Pitra Dosh in t
hat horoscope according to Indian Jyotish. Ketu is also considered as a planet o
f genetics as it represents the older family members in a family like grandfathe
r and Vedic Jyotish also considers Ketu as a planet related to the past and past
lives of a native and it is believed that many good or bad things brought to th
e native are as a result of his past deeds. As the past again connects with the
ancestors, so it can be concluded here that the influence of Ancestors or Pitras
, Ketu and the Sun work in coherence with each other to exhibit their common qua
lities through Magha.
Vedic Jyotish considers Magha as a nakshatr
a associated with the past and many Vedic astrologers believe that Magha brings
most of the good things or bad things to the native under its influence dependin
g upon his past karmas. Magha is a very fierce and active nakshatra according to
Vedic Astrology, as the Sun and Ketu both are considered as fiery and active pl
anets in Vedic Astrology. As a result, the good or bad results rendered by this
nakshatra to the native under its strong influence can be very quick and fierce
in nature which means that it can either bring great fortunes to the native unde
r its influence or it can bring great troubles and miseries to the same native i
n a very short period of time depending upon whether this nakshatra is working p
ositively or negatively in his horoscope. Even though Magha is associated with t
he planets like the Sun and Ketu which are considered as the planets favoring in
dividuality, it is still a very much social nakshatra and natives under the infl
uence of this nakshatra are usually good at making and maintaining social relati
ons. But it is again interesting to note here that Magha natives usually conside
r themselves superior compared to most of the people in their social circle and
they usually demand respect and authority from the people around them which they
may or may not get depending upon the overall horoscope of these natives.
The reason for such behavior of Magha native
s can again be associated to the symbol of this nakshatra as well as the influen
ce of the Sun on this nakshatra. Natives under the influence of this nakshatra u
sually have a great respect for traditions due to the influence of Ancestors on
this nakshatra as everything passed on to us by our ancestors is a tradition in
a way. Magha natives do not like people who disrespect their traditional values
and who bring social disgrace to the name of their family and Magha natives can
many times go out of the way to show anger on such people or even punish them in
some way. Magha natives are proud of their family lineage and they do their bes
t to protect it and bring good name to their family by following the moral and e
thical codes of the society. The natives under the influence of this nakshatra h
ave strong desires for the continuation of their family through progeny and the
influence of Magha helps them achieve this goal most of the times. The strong in
fluence of Magha in a horoscope is considered very good for progeny aspect of th
e native according to many Vedic astrologers.
According to the beliefs of Vedic Astrol
ogy, natives under the influence of Magha nakshatra are usually found practicing
in professions which have something to do with authority, position, power and s
tatus. Magha natives can be found in many professional fields practicing as Head
s of the Governments and the Kings, administrators, Bureaucrats, Judges, Magistr
ates, Aristocrats and many other kind of people holding important positions with
governments, Politicians and diplomats possessing great power, authority and st
atus, top class lawyers commanding authority and many other kinds of people prac
ticing in many other kinds of professions dealing with power, authority and stat
us. Some Vedic astrologers believe that the strong influence of this nakshatra i
n a horoscope definitely gives a position of authority and power and this fact i
s very well supported by the kind of professions associated with this nakshatra.
The influence of Ketu on this nakshatra can also make the natives under the inf
luence of Magha practice as black magicians, tantrics, exorcists, astrologers, p
sychics and in other such kind of professions.
And finally discussing some of the other f
acts associated with this nakshatra which are considered important in Vedic Astr
ology for making certain specific calculations like gun Milan for the purpose of
horoscope matching for marriage, Magha is considered as a female nakshatra in V
edic Jyotish which can come as a surprise to many people as both the planets inf
luencing this nakshatra are considered as male planets in Indian Jyotish and the
re is still not any convincing explanation available for this classification of
gender assigned to this nakshatra by ancient Vedic Astrologers. Magha is conside
red as fierce in nature and it is considered as active in functioning and both o
f these classifications can be easily understood by understanding the nature of
the Sun and Ketu. Vedic astrology considers Magha as Shudra in Varna which is ag
ain a surprise seeing the qualities exhibited by this nakshatra but there is aga
in no convincing explanation available for this classification. Vedic Jyotish co
nsiders Magha to be Tamasic in Gun and Rakshas in Gan which are again surprising
classifications by the ancient Vedic astrologers but the tamasic gun assigned t
o this nakshatra can be due to the fact that Ketu is considered as a Tamasic pla
net in Indian Jyotish whereas there is again no convincing explanation available
for the Rakshas Gan assigned to this nakshatra by ancient Vedic astrologers. El
ement of water is assigned to this nakshatra.
By