The Kla Cakra

Introduction

The Sun, resplendent and glorious in his twelve forms, as the ruler of the day and the lord of the grahas, is the controller of
The three navels of his amazing one-wheeled chariot are the triptych of klas, bhta, bhavisya and vartamn (past, future
and the different kla sankhys or the measurements of time like ksan, muhrta, divasa, rtri, paksa, msa, savatsara, r
yugas are the different parts of his chariot. The Sun determines another three-fold division of time, sr st i, sthiti and pralaya a
Brahm, Visnu
and Mahevara, he governs the Wheel of Time or the Kla Cakra, within whose spokes, every living being i
as governed by the Sun in the Hindu philosophical tradition, is cyclical, unlike modern mathematical time that is linear.

Without ditya, there can be no kla or measurement of time and without kla there can be no order in the universe. The S
measurement of time on earth is from sunrise to sunrise, as it traverses the complete round of the twelve rs, demarcatin
into day and night, aho and rtri, as the Sun is invisible for one half of the time period. Together it is known as ahortri, from
word Hor has sprung to denote the study of jyotish as Hor stra. So the Suns movement around the dvdas rs is t
fundamental unit of time in the life of a living being. This is Time that is perfectly ordered and regular, and that which follow
Brahma. This ordered Time is known as Yama. He is dharma personified and is a son of Srya. Yet there is another Time,
the same Srya, that is irregular, and that does not follow dharma. It functions from midnight to midnight and heralds all tha
inauspicious and malevolent. This is Mahkla, and he is predominant in Kali Yuga, as dharmas presence is weak during
Yamas time includes destruction and death but as mere events, like the dance of iva which signifies pralaya and is the cu
all creation as per natures law. Mahkalas destruction is demonic and evil. If Yama is death, then Kla is apamr tyu.

The Kla Cakra is mapped on to the Dik Cakra, beginning with the Sun in the East, followed by Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Ven
Moon and ending with Rhu in the north eastern direction. If the Dik Cakra or the Wheel of Direction, which is manned by t
dikplas and lorded by Indra, depict the constructive side of life, the Kla Cakra, the Wheel of Time, portrays the destructiv
can occur in an individuals life. Where Dik as Direction or gati is positive, Kla as time is negative.
Yama was blessed by his father and became known as Dharmarja and attained the lordship of one of the dikas as a lokap
did severe penance and attained grahatva and became better known as anaicara. Yama is the son of Srya from Sang
Mahkla is the son of Sangys shadow self, Chy. Since the basic unit of regular time is the Suns cyclical movement a
zodiac, as depicted by Yama, the lagna, or the commencing point of the Suns movement is known variously as Sangy, th
creation. The 24 hours starting from the Suns movement from Sangy are divided into 8 yamas, each spanning for 3 hours
a yama is known as a kla, measuring 1 hours, thereby creating 16 klas in a day. Each kla is ruled by a planet starting
lord and subsequently it follows the order of the Kla Cakra from Sun to Rhu. The 8 klas which exist from sunset to sunr
the 7th planet from the vra lord in the Kla Cakra.

Figure 2: Kla Table

Constructing the Kla CakraThe Kla of a planet is a period when its negativity manifests and the planet attempts to seize
native. A person having an afflicted planet ought to worship the akti associated with that planet during its kla. For examp
be no better remedy for a person with an afflicted Rhu, to worship Durg during Rhu Kla. Similarly, the aktis of the oth
to be worshipped during the kla of the planet representing them.

The Prana Mrga in lokas 82-84, details the construction of the Kla Cakra. The cakra is constructed by drawing three c
squares and then drawing four lines to connect the various points in these squares. Two lines are drawn diagonally, connec
corners. The other two are drawn vertically and horizontally dividing the box in four quarters. In aggregation, all four lines d
box into eight triangles. The eight points on the outer periphery represent the eight directions, with the top middle point bein
followed by South East, South, South West, West, North West, North and North East, moving in a clockwise direction. Fina
naksatras are mapped on the eight spokes, which converge at the centre of the inner square, in groups of seven. The map
with Awin in the East on the topmost point of the outer periphery, moving down to the centre of the spoke, and then up th
diagonal spoke in the South East. In this manner the mapping ends with the 28th naksatra plotted in the North Eastern dire
left hand corner of the outer periphery.

The spokes represent the inflow and the outflow of positive and negative energies. The energies flowing from the straight l
Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern directions are energies which are flowing in towards the centre. These four direc
represent the Kendras. The South Eastern, South Western, North Western and North Eastern corners are the Konas and a
from which the energies flow out.

The Prana Mrga states that from the naks atras in the Kla Cakra one can determine and know about the Yoginis and M
these other laks an as or indications can be seen[1]. It identifies three sensitive points on the Kla Cakra, namely, Prna, D
Mr tyu, from which inauspicious events and death can be predicted. This procedure is applicable for prana; hence all horo
parameters employed here are that of the prana chart.

Prna: The naksatra of the prana Sun is assigned to position 1 in the Kla Cakra. Count from this position to prana can
is Prna.

Deha: Assign the janma naksatra of the native to position 1. Count from this position to Prna. This point is Deha.

Mrtyu:
Assign Kr ttik to position 28. Count from here to the prana candra in an anticlockwise direction. This point is Mr tyu

When these three points or sphutas fall in a single line or spoke of the Kla Cakra death occurs. When Deha and Mr tyu or
and Mr tyu fall in the same line, prolonged sickness and fits occur. There is another sensitive point called Yogini. The Yogini
peculiar pattern of movement which is known as the dance of the Yogini. This is nothing but the dance of death and wherev
the Yogini fall in the Kla Cakra, death follows.

Figure 3: Constructing the Kla Cakra

 Figure 4: The Kla Cakra 1

Worship and Remedies from the Kla Cakra

The Kla Cakra can be studied at various levels; it can be used to understand both the darker side as well as the purer sid
Yoginis represent the darker aspects of the universe, which exist at a nether level, in the more ethereal plane the Kla Cak
for remedies for afflicted planets and for worshipping ones ist a devat. One of the best ways to propitiate afflicted planets
the deity of the planet opposite to it in the Kla Cakra, as planets placed in opposition therein can counter each other. Merc
Saturn and Mars; Sun and Venus have the ability to completely suppress the other. Hence, the deity of Mercury can be wo
crush an afflicted Rhu. Deities may be worshipped at various levels: as aktis of the planets, as forms of Visnu
or as the d
associated with the tithis. For example, Rma is worshipped on Navami, Ganea on Caturthi, Sarasvat on Pancami, iva
etc.

These pairs of planets in the Kla Cakra have a peculiar symbiotic relationship. Given below is the example of Jupiter and
helps one in understanding Gajakear Yoga is great depth.

Kubera and Nara Vhana, Gaja and Kesar in the Kla Chakra

In the Kla Chakra, Jupiter and Moon are posited opposite each other, in the southern and northern directions. The lord of
direction, where the Moon is placed, is Kubera, the god of wealth. The yoni is Nara (Man); the animal associated is Gaja (E
the deity for the direction is Durga (Um is the pratydh devat of Moon). The uniqueness of Kubera is that his vhana is
This symbolizes the fact that man is enslaved by his indriyas (sensory organs) and is subject to greed for the material world
depicting the epitome of materiality. Man is eternally in pursuit of wealth driven by his desires (Moon). The Moon represen
narayoni but the mind, which is forever susceptible to surrender to the dark side. The only one who can rescue man, and b
mind, from this material bondage is Jupiter. Jupiter is in the southern direction in the Kla Chakra, whose lord is Yama. The
associated with this direction is Kesar (Lion), represented by the Hariyoni and the deity is Indra, the pratydh devat of Ju
animals associated in the concerned directions, the elephant and the lion, are the vhanas of the deities in the opposite dir
elephant is the vhana of Indra and the lion is the vhana of Durga, signifying that each can ride the other or control the o
negativities of the direction become prominent.

Figure 6: The Moon & Jupiter in the Kla Chakra

Jupiter represents divinity in any horoscope and Hari as the lion can control the minds of a million men in a fell sweep, ther
and dictating the flow of wealth (and hence greed/desires) that accrue in the hands of men. It is Hari who can lift a man fro
materiality and reinstate him on the spiritual path. The lion can demolish a thousand elephants as stated in the Jtaka De
therefore destroy enemies. In this case the enemies are both within and without; the enemies within being the desires and
the mind, as depicted by the elephant. Indra is the king (devarja), the victorious one, the one who sits in the throne of the
the 10th house, and therefore has the power to conquer the enemy. The lion too is a king (paurja) and a symbol of conqu
royalty. This describes the effect of Jupiter from the Chandra kendra; when favorable, it can make a man the undisputed ki
world, untrammeled and a ruler of men, like r Rmachandra, or having conquered the senses, it can produce a perfect re
a supremely spiritual person, like r Achyuta Dasa (see chart below). In both cases, it is the triumph of the lion over the el
divine over the base, of Hari over man. In its ultimate form, it is a supreme condition of a very powerful Jupiter having perfe
the dh and the mana, and as such over the life of the native.

(Conversely, if one considers the Moon from Jupiter, then the southern direction is that of Yama, the god of the departed so
who protects man from venturing towards the abode of Yama, is the deity of the northern direction, Durg or Durgatinin,
removes the evils of the way. This is beyond the scope of the paper as the discussion is about the placement of Jupiter from
and not vice-a-versa.)

The As tadala
Padma and the Kla Cakra

The Kla Cakra may be perceived at the highest level as the Ast adala Padma, as the seat of the 8 Cara krakas, where th
worshipped. Here Visnu
is worshipped as the Ast adala Padma, wherein He dwells in the centre of the lotus, which is nothin
hr daya padma. The 8 petals of the Kla Cakra are the planets representing the 8 Cara karakas. One of these petals is stro
others, and that is the tm Kraka. If one of Visnu
s eight names, which resonate with a particular tm Kraka, is taken
then the soul gets cleansed.

Figure 7: The Kla Cakra as the As tadala

Padma

[1] Prasna Marga, Chapter 208, Sloka 81

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