How many Vasus are there?

Eight. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad names them fire, earth, wind, the atmosphere, the sun, the sky, the moon and the stars; the Mahabharata gives them proper names, such as Dhara, Anala, Anila, Soma, Dhruva, Pratyusha and Prabhasa. With eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, Indra and Prajapati, they make up the thirty-three Vedic gods.

Which nakshatra do the Vasus preside over?

Dhanishtha, the 23rd nakshatra, from 23°20′ Capricorn to 6°40′ Aquarius in the sidereal zodiac. Its name means “the wealthiest”, its symbol is the drum and its ruler is Mars. The Vasus give it a sense of rhythm, of sharing and of abundance that circulates.

Who is the chief of the Vasus?

Fire, Agni: in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says “among the Vasus, I am fire”. Indra, for his part, bears the nickname Vasava, chief of the Vasus, who form his retinue. The two readings complete each other: Agni leads the Vasus, Indra reigns over all the gods.

What is the link between the Vasus and Bhishma?

According to the Mahabharata, the Vasus lead away the cow of the sage Vasishtha and are condemned to be born among humans. The river Ganga becomes their mother and returns seven of them to the sky as soon as they are born. The eighth lives a long human life: he is Bhishma, known for keeping his vow to the end.

How do I know if the Vasus matter in my chart?

Check whether your Moon, your Ascendant or a planet sits in Dhanishtha. The site’s nakshatra calculator shows it from your date, time and place of birth. A Moon in Dhanishtha is the clearest sign of their presence.

Nakshatra deities

The Vasus, gods of abundance: the deities of Dhanishtha nakshatra

The Vasus are eight Vedic deities of the elements and of abundance; they preside over Dhanishtha, the 23rd nakshatra, from 23°20′ Capricorn to 6°40′ Aquarius in the sidereal zodiac. Their name comes from vasu, “the good”, “wealth”, and an Upanishad explains it this way: in them, this whole world dwells. In a chart they give Dhanishtha a sense of rhythm, of sharing and of a prosperity that circulates.

Who are the Vasus?

In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the sage Yajnavalkya counts the gods: thirty-three, namely eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, sons of Aditi, plus Indra and Prajapati. There the Vasus are fire, earth, wind, the atmosphere, the sun, the sky, the moon and the stars: the elements and the lights that make up the dwelling of the world.

Other texts, such as the Mahabharata, give them proper names: Dhara the earth, Anala fire, Anila wind, Soma the moon, Dhruva the pole star, Pratyusha the dawn, Prabhasa radiance, and an eighth whose name changes from one version to another.

They form the retinue of Indra, who is nicknamed Vasava, “chief of the Vasus”. The Bhagavad Gita names fire as the first among them: “among the Vasus, I am fire”, says Krishna. It is Agni who leads them.

The myth of the Vasus: Vasishtha’s cow

The Mahabharata tells how the Vasus, passing near the hermitage of the sage Vasishtha, catch sight of Nandini, his cow who grants every wish. The wife of one of them covets her, and the eight lead her away. Vasishtha condemns them to be born among humans. They beg the river Ganga to be their mother and to return them to the sky as soon as they are born; she does so for seven of them. The eighth, the one who had led the deed, lives a long human life: he is Bhishma, the great elder of the Mahabharata, famous for keeping a vow all his life.

The story tells the essence of the Vasus: abundance is received and shared, it is not seized. It also tells of their bond with the word that is kept, which Bhishma embodies to the very end.

The attributes of the Vasus

The Vasus have no single image, as Vishnu or Indra do: they are recognised by what they govern.

The elements: the earth that carries, fire, wind, space; everything without which nothing holds.
The lights: the sun, the moon, the stars, dawn and radiance, with Dhruva, the pole star, an image of constancy.
The morning: in the great soma sacrifice, the morning pressing belongs to them, the midday pressing to the Rudras, the evening one to the Adityas.
The number eight: they always act together, never alone; their strength is that of the group.
Wealth: vasu means the good, what is fine and precious, the resources that sustain life.

The Vasus and Dhanishtha: what they give the nakshatra

The Vasus preside over Dhanishtha, “the wealthiest”, whose symbol is the drum. They give it abundance that circulates, the rhythm that tunes the elements to each other and the art of the collective: eight gods moving forward together make a nakshatra that excels in teams, in music, in sport or in large organisations.

Mars, ruler of Dhanishtha, adds drive and discipline: its exaltation degree, 28° Capricorn, falls in this nakshatra. A birth Moon in Dhanishtha opens life in the Mars mahadasha, seven years of action and of projects under way.

Reading the energy of the Vasus in a chart

The Vasus speak wherever Dhanishtha is occupied. The nakshatra calculator shows it for the Moon, the Ascendant and each planet. With the Moon in Dhanishtha, you feel good when you hold your place within a whole; with the Ascendant there, you carry others along with your energy. A planet in Dhanishtha seeks to produce and to share: Venus there often gives a musical ear, Jupiter generosity, Saturn the constancy of the organiser.

The lever of the Vasus: wealth grows when it circulates. If a planet in Dhanishtha pushes you to accumulate, to shine or to carry everything alone, remember that they are eight, and bring other people into the project.

A practice inspired by the Vasus

The Vasus belong to the morning. On waking, take a minute to greet the eight dwellings of the world: the ground under your feet, warmth, the air you breathe, the space around you, the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars, even when they are out of sight. It is a concrete gratitude that puts the day in order.

If Dhanishtha is strong in your chart, add rhythm: a few minutes of drumming, of brisk walking in step or of music, to tune the body before acting.

From your date, time and place of birth, the site calculates the nakshatra of your Moon, your Ascendant and each planet: see whether Dhanishtha, the nakshatra of the Vasus, is occupied in your chart.

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