According to prevalent beliefs of Vedic astrology, the main symbol of Hasta is the palm of hand with all five fingers spread. An open hand is taken as a symbol of fate. This is because the palm of hand represents the lines which are supposed to interpret fate; according to Vedic beliefs and Palmistry. A hand is also taken as a symbol of the karma aspect of life, according to some Vedic beliefs.
It means that influence of this symbol on Hasta makes it a nakshatra which exhibits traits like indulging in hard work. Such work may especially include handy work or any work which requires hand-skills. Hasta also deals with defining the fate with karmas done through hands. This symbol also indicates the traits of having faith in destiny and interest in sciences which are capable of telling the fate or future events.
A clenched fist is also taken as a symbol of Hasta. This symbol associates different types of traits with Hasta. As a closed fist is taken as a symbol of determination, secrecy and sometimes anger also, these traits may also find expression through Hasta.
Vedic astrology assigns Savitar who is a solar deity, as the ruling deity of Hasta. According to Vedic astrology, Savitar is a deity who supports and promotes creation of life and arts on various levels. All such traits of Savitar are exhibited through Hasta. Savitar is considered as a playful and jovial type of deity. He is also considered as promoter of all types of fun, enjoyment, amusement and sports.
Savitar is considered to have special affection with such acts which are associated with some type of physical activity like physical sports; and some type of mental amusement like joking and playing games. Savitar is also associated with magic tricks, most of which include significant usage of gestures made with hands. Savitar is very good at the art of handicraft and everything else that requires skilled use of hands. Therefore, he is considered as promoter of all types of handicrafts and other such arts.
All these traits of Savitar are exhibited through Hasta. Therefore, Hasta may be seen as a nakshatra of handymen, handicrafts men, sportsmen, actors, magicians and other such people who use hands, gestures or physical work on one level or another. Savitar is also considered to be an expert at lying, playing tricks and deceiving others. Accordingly, Hasta exhibits traits like cheating, deceiving others, lying, playing tricks, gambling and other such traits.
Whether these traits may be used for benefic purposes or for malefic purposes depends on placements of benefic or malefic planets in Hasta. Due to association of such traits with Hasta, some Vedic astrologers believe that Hasta people should not be trusted at early stages of relationships as they may trick or cheat easily.
Vedic astrology assigns Moon as the planetary ruler of Hasta. Since Moon is considered as a planet of emotions, family values and care; these traits of Moon are exhibited through Hasta. These traits make Hasta worthy of being trusted by people who are family or close relatives to Hasta people.
All quarters of Hasta fall in Virgo ruled by Mercury. Therefore, the influence of Virgo and Mercury is also found on Hasta. Combined influence of Virgo and Mercury on Hasta makes this nakshatra exhibit traits like hard work, analytical nature, ability to discriminate, sense of humor, trickery, deceit and other likewise traits.
Since Hasta deals with a wide variety of traits some of which may seem different than or opposite to others, it is a versatile nakshatra. Hence people under strong influence of Hasta may not only be difficult to trust; they may also be difficult to predict. Hasta people may exhibit so many shades in their personalities and they may be so good at shifting from one shade to another; that it may become difficult to predict or define them as some particular types of people.
There are a few nakshatras which are capable of exhibiting a wide variety of traits, some of which may cross each other; and Hasta is one of them. The beauty of Hasta is that it can embrace the seemingly opposite traits with ease; provided this nakshatra is occupied by supportive planets. A thief stealing money or wealth from a rich person and then giving a significant part of such money to poor people may belong to Hasta. However, in order to behave in this way, this nakshatra must be supported by strong benefic planets.
On the other hand, if such thief is under the effect of a malefic planet in Hasta; like Mercury, Rahu or Saturn; all he may believe in is stealing. Such native may not bother at all about sharing with the needy people and all he may care about is him. Due to these potentially harmful traits, Hasta is painted in bad colors by some Vedic astrologers. However, the energy of any nakshatra is neither good nor bad; and energy is energy. Whether such energy is used to create or promote the good; or such energy is used to create or promote evil; depends on the planets which use such energy.
It is interesting to note that the most prevalent horoscope of Lord Krishna features exalted Mercury in the fifth house in Virgo. Though there is no definite idea about exact position of Mercury in Virgo; it should very likely be placed in Hasta. Lord Krishna’s life is full of such acts, which lie on opposite extremes. One moment he promises something and another moment, he is comfortable breaking his promise.
One moment, he requests for peace and another moment, he says the war must go on. One side of his personality makes him win all wars he has to fight whereas another side tells him to shift his state to another place, so that unnecessary wars may be avoided. There are many other examples which show him behaving in ways which make him a difficult to understand and believe type of character.
This is why Chhaliya (one who deceives) is one of the many names given to him. Though Lord Krishna engaged in many such practices which may be called deceptive or not good by some people; the end goals were noble. It means Lord Krishna was able to utilize the energy of Hasta in the best possible manner, establishing the rule of the good over evil in the end. This example explains the fact that energy is not good or bad; but its use is. Therefore, strong influence of Hasta may bless the native with wonderful abilities. How he uses such abilities depends on the planets which occupy Hasta; as well as on the overall horoscope of such native.
Looking at Lord Krishna’s prevalent horoscope, exalted Moon is placed in the first house in Taurus, giving him traits like care and affection. Sun is placed in Leo in the fourth house, giving him traits which are necessary to rule. Exalted Mars is placed in the ninth house in Capricorn, rendering traits like engaging in wars and winning them. On top of all this, Jupiter is placed in the eleventh house in Pisces; blessing him with the ability to differentiate between the necessity of war and peace; according to different situations.
It means placement of Jupiter in the eleventh house in Pisces gives him wisdom which may decide when to resolve matters peacefully and when to engage in wars, as peace may not be left as an option. When war is must in order to save the good; all wisdom suggests engaging in it. However, when war is being fought, primarily for selfish motives; all wisdom suggests against it. Since the horoscope is balanced in all aspects; Lord Krishna’s personality is full of different colours and shades.
Though Hasta exhibits a number of traits, different people may embrace different traits, depending on placements of various planets in this nakshatra as well as on their overall horoscopes. Looking at planets; Moon, Mercury, Saturn and Rahu may perform well in Hasta. Sun and Mars may perform well here when the overall horoscope is supportive. Jupiter, Ketu and Venus are not comfortable with the energy of Hasta, with Venus as well as Ketu being debilitated in Virgo.
Strong influence of Sun in Hasta can make the native engage in fields like acting whereas strong influence of Mars in this nakshatra can make the native engage in sports, acting, dancing and singing, among other things. Sportsmen under strong influence of Hasta are generally very skilled ones. They may be quick and versatile at the same time.
Taking an example, if a native under strong influence of Hasta engages in cricket and he becomes a bowler, he may be difficult to read. This native may be so skilled with the use of his hands and he may mix his deliveries so well that most batsmen may not be able to predict what his next delivery may be. Apart from that, strong influence of Hasta may bless this native with facial gestures and body language, which may be used by the native to gain advantage in the game.
It means such native may be difficult to provoke and whenever he seems provoked; he may very likely be faking it. For instance, a batsman may provoke him and think he is going to bowl a bouncer next. Such Hasta native may show as if he is provoked; but he may deliver a full pitched delivery or a Yorker instead. Both these deliveries are very different from a bouncer. It means if a batsman is prepared to face a bouncer, he may end up facing problem or losing his wicket when he receives a Yorker instead.
Similarly, actors under strong influence of Hasta may be versatile and they may play a number of different characters with same ease and comfort. Such actors may be especially good with their facial gestures, movements of hands and with their comic skills. Hence they may rank among some of the best comic actors of their times; though they may be good at genres like romance, drama and action also. For this reason, a number of versatile actors and sportsmen across the globe may have strong influence of Hasta in their horoscopes.
It is interesting to note that the art of an actor is to make people believe what he wants them to believe. The better an actor can do so; more successful he may be. It means a very good actor is fully capable of convincing you that he is a character; which he is not in reality. The traits of trickery and deception rendered by Hasta are being used here in positive ways. The actor is tricking and deceiving you to believe him to be someone he is not; a perfect case of Hasta. Since the end result is good, which is to entertain you; the energy of Hasta is being used positively.
Hasta people are generally family-oriented due to influence of Moon. They may do well in professions which demand skills of hand and other jobs which require use of traits of Hasta. Hasta people are good at making families and taking good care of their families. Hasta is a promoter of family values and strong influence of this nakshatra in a horoscope may also support childbirth. Accordingly, a native under strong influence of Hasta is not likely to have major issues with continuation of his family, unless there are problems in his overall horoscope. Hasta people may have good sense of humor. Hence they may be good at cracking jokes and amusing themselves as well as others around them.
Hasta people generally have sharp brains. Hence they may be fast in calculating situations and responding accordingly. Hasta people may not easily trust new people and such people may take long time to trust them. On the other hand, such people may be good at forming professional and social bonds with other people and working in association with them. However, they are not likely to trust even their closest of associates, even after working with them for a considerable period of time.
Hasta people have natural tendency to suspect people around them, which is primarily due to various types of insecurities within them. Though they may seem to be mixing well, connecting well and working well with many people around them, it may be difficult for them to form secure bonds or relationships with most of these people.
In the present times; the trend of shaking hands is strong. People may shake hands with complete strangers as well as with their associates and friends whom they may have known for long periods of time. A handshake is a perfect example of energy of Hasta in play. It conveys a connection between two people where trust may not be there and these people may be willing to work together without much trust; primarily in order to benefit from each other.
Hence Hasta is good at forming social bonds as well as alliances; and it may make them look like more than formal bonds; though it may not be so in reality. It means that though a native under strong influence of Hasta may make his partners, colleagues, teammates and/or friends believe that they share emotional bonds or bonds beyond profits and losses; it may not be so in reality. Hasta people may turn away from such people; as and when they find it fit according to situations.
Though they may project themselves as trustworthy; it may not be so in reality. It doesn’t mean they may be bad. It simply means that they may put logic and profits above emotions and other such values. Hence they may remain close to you as long as they see logical sense in doing so. However when they see you as a liability or problem; they may move away from you, though you may not have expected them to do so. This is why they may be hard to trust; though they may seem trustworthy as they may bring so much warmth to the relationships. However, such warmth may be one of their acts and it may not come from within. Hence it may come from surface in many cases and it may not come from heart.
Drawing a comparison, people under strong influence of Ashwini may behave in completely different manners. They may reject you outright if they don’t like you. However, if they say they are your friends; they may absolutely mean it. As long as they are your friends; they may even give their lives for you and take someone else’s life as well, if the situations so demand.
However, they may expect the same from your side and if you violate their trust; they may turn against you and they may prove very difficult enemies. For this reason; Ashwini people and Hasta people may not form long lasting bonds; since Hasta is too complex to actually commit anything and Ashwini simply means whatever it commits. A common outcome of one such bond is that the Ashwini native may feel betrayed, exploited and/or used by Hasta native and the bond may break.
Hasta people may be very active and they may keep themselves engaged in one type of physical activity or another. Accordingly, many people under strong influence of Hasta may be found practicing in professional spheres which demand a lot of physical activity.
Hasta people may also be good at many types of physical sports as well as mental sports and games. These people are generally very calculated and disciplined in their actions and approach; and they may not like anything being done without paying attention to the details. Hasta people may keep themselves busy with one thing or another. They may not generally need or want much rest or long periods of inactivity to refresh and recharge their energies.
Due to this trait, a number of Hasta people may become obsessed with their professions and they may suffer from problems like anxiety, restlessness and difficulty in sleeping. Hasta people are generally interested in faiths like palmistry, astrology and other such faiths which deal with predicting fate. Some of these people may also engage in professions related to such faiths; when supported by their overall horoscopes.
Placements of malefic planets in Hasta in a horoscope can make the native become a fraud, thief, trickster or con man who takes pleasure in deceiving others for selfish motives. Such Hasta people may be difficult to deal with, even for very smart people. This is because such people may keep finding new methods and techniques for deceiving others. Strong influence of Hasta can make the native a very good gambler who is very skilled with playing cards or dices in particular. This is because these games directly deal with skillfulness of hands.
Let’s look at performances of various planets in various navamshas of Hasta. Starting with Aries navamsha; Mercury may perform well or very well here whereas Saturn and Rahu may perform well but not very well here. Saturn is debilitated in Aries and Rahu is not strong in this sign. Moon may perform above average or well in this navamsha; since it may do well in Aries as well as Virgo and it has great comfort in Hasta.
Sun and Mars may perform above average or well here. Sun is exalted in Aries and Mars is strong in this sign. Jupiter may perform on average here. It is strong in Aries but it is not strong in Virgo and it is not comfortable in Hasta. Jupiter in its purest form is simple, clean and innocent like a child whereas Hasta is a master at the art of deception. Hence these two may not go well with each other. Within the sign of Virgo; Jupiter may find maximum discomfort in Hasta.
Venus may perform below average or poorly in this navamsha. Venus is not strong in Aries, it is debilitated in Virgo and it is not comfortable in Hasta. Ketu may perform below average in this navamsha; since it is debilitated in Virgo but it is strong in Aries. Among navagraha; Mercury may be the strongest in this navamsha and Venus may be the weakest.
Looking at Taurus navamsha; Mercury, Rahu and Saturn may perform very well here; since all of them are strong in Virgo as well as Taurus. Moon may perform well here; since it has great comfort in Hasta and it is exalted in Taurus. Venus may perform on average in this navamsha; since it is strong in Taurus but weak in Virgo and uncomfortable in Hasta.
Sun may perform on average or above average here whereas Jupiter and Mars may perform on average in this navamsha. Ketu may perform poorly or very poorly in this navamsha; since it is debilitated in Virgo as well as Taurus.
Among all 108 navamshas of 27 nakshatras; Ketu may be the weakest in this navamsha. Another likewise placement of Ketu is when it is placed in Virgo navamsha of Mrigashira in the sign of Taurus. Here again; Ketu is debilitated in its sign of placement as well as in navamsha.
Among these two placements; Ketu may be weaker in Taurus navamsha of Hasta; since the sign of Virgo may render more weakness to it than the sign of Taurus. It means when Ketu is placed in the sign of Virgo (not in navamsha) it may be weaker than when it is placed in Taurus. Since signs of placement have more impact on the overall strength of a planet than navamshas; Ketu may be weaker in Taurus navamsha of Hasta.
Though Ketu is placed in the sign of Virgo as well as in Virgo navamsha, in the second quarter of Chitra; it may still be weaker in Taurus navamsha of Hasta. This is because Ketu has much more comfort in Chitra which is ruled by Mars; compared to Hasta. Hence it may be the weakest in Taurus navamsha of Hasta.
Among navagraha; Rahu may be the strongest in this navamsha, since it is exalted in Virgo as well as in Taurus. On the other hand, Ketu may be the weakest in this navamsha due to double debilitation.
Moving on to Gemini navamsha; Mercury, Rahu and Saturn may do very well here, since they are all strong in Virgo as well as Gemini. Moon may do above average in this navamsha, since it is not strong in Virgo as well as Gemini but it is comfortable in Hasta.
Sun may perform on average in this navamsha whereas Mars and Jupiter may perform below average in this navamsha. Venus may perform below average in this navamsha, since it is strong in Gemini but debilitated in Virgo and uncomfortable in Hasta. Ketu may perform poorly here, since it is debilitated in Virgo and weak in Gemini. Among navagraha; Mercury may be the strongest in this navamsha whereas Ketu may be the weakest.
Considering Cancer navamsha; Mercury, Saturn and Rahu may perform well but not very well here. This is because Mercury and Rahu are weak in Cancer. Saturn may have decent strength in Cancer but it is not as strong in Virgo as Mercury and Rahu. Moon may perform well in this navamsha, since it is strong in Cancer.
Among all four navamshas of Hasta; this may be the most trustworthy one. It is in this navamsha that Hasta may feel strongest influence of Moon. Hence the tendency to form bonds on the basis of profit and/or logic alone may be significantly reduced in this navamsha. On the other hand, the tendency to form bonds on the basis of emotions may increase here. This makes this navamsha the most trustworthy among all navamshas. Through this navamsha, Hasta may exhibit some traits which may seem very different than those exhibited by it in general.
Moving on; Sun and Mars may perform below average here; since Sun is weak in Cancer and Mars is debilitated in this sign. Jupiter may perform above average but not well in this navamsha. Though it is exalted in Cancer; it is not strong in Virgo and it is uncomfortable in Hasta. Venus may perform below average here; since it is not strong in Cancer. Ketu may also perform below average here. Among navagraha; Rahu may be the strongest in this navamsha whereas Venus may be the weakest.
Himanshu Shangari