Pluto:
A Neo-Vedic View
Dennis M. Harness, Ph.D. is a professional
Vedic astrologer and lecturer who received his
doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology
from the California Institute of Integral Studies
in San Francisco, California. For more than
twenty years, Dennis has studied both Eastern
and Western astrological techniques with
some of the world's most respected astrologers.
Dennis was a founding member of the
American Council of Vedic Astrology and
served as president of the American College of
Vedic Astrology, located in Sedona, Arizona,
from 1999-2009. His book, The Nakshatras:
The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology,
continues to be one of the few works dedicated
to uncovering the mysteries of these important,
and often overlooked, asterisms of Vedic
Astrology. Dennis is currently working on his
new book, The Karmic Code: Discover Your
Spiritual DNA and Life Purpose. His
websites are www.dennisharness.com &
www.ancientoracletours.com
By
Dennis M. Harness, Ph.D
Sedona, Arizona USA.
The discovery of Pluto in 1930 by
astronomer Percival Lowell reflected the
beginning of a new era of powerful
dictators such as Hitler and Stalin and
the exploration of nuclear energy leading
to the development of the atomic bomb.
Pluto themes of transformative as well as
destructive power would pervade the
events of the 1930’s and the decades to
come. At the time of this writing, the
bombing of the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon occurred reflecting the
challenging Pluto/Saturn opposition of
2001/2002. In mythology Pluto, the God Of
The Underworld was also called Hades
which means “invisible” or “to make
invisible”. The origins of Vedic astrology
credited to the great sage Maharishi
Parasara occurred at least several
thousand years before Pluto and the other
outer planets were “visible” to
1
astronomers. Therefore, in traditional
Jyotish or Vedic astrology, the outer
planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are
not utilized. Instead of focusing on the
outer planets, a traditional jyotishi
emphasizes the chaya grahas or shadow
planets: Rahu, the north node of the
Moon and Ketu, south node of the Moon.
According to the ancient jyotish texts,
Rahu is said to act like Saturn and Ketu is similar in nature to Mars. In my own
astrological practice, I have observed the additional effects of Rahu to reflect the Uranus energy
of sudden change while Ketu is somewhat similar to mystical Neptune. Pluto seems to be a
combination of both of the lunar nodes representing powerful transformation and death/rebirth
themes.

Being born with natal Pluto conjunct my ascendant and living in Sedona, an hour away
from the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona where Pluto was discovered; has
made it personally difficult to ignore Pluto’s powerful presence. By the age of two I had
experienced three near-death traumas including a difficult birth and a near fatal car accident. In
1990, the death of my Father occurred during Pluto’s transit over my natal Saturn (a
significator of father for night births in traditional Hellenistic and Vedic astrology). We all have
our intense Pluto stories to share! These personal experiences of death themes have made
it impossible for me to discount the effect of powerful Pluto in the natal chart or by
transit. For me, to ignore Pluto would be akin to “sticking the proverbial head in the sand”.

Most jyotishi’s that I have met over the years have given minimal comment on the outer
planets except to say that they may be reflected through the nodes of the Moon and other
shadow planets or upagrahas such as Gulika. Themes of death and destruction are
associated with Gulika somewhat similar to Pluto. In a TMA article, Dennis Flaherty
wrote, “the astrologers of ancient India did not use Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, because these
planets had not yet been discovered; however, the use of the outer planets in Vedic astrology is not
as questionable as it may first appear. Furthermore, the Vedic sage Parasara recounts in the classic
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra that there are five non-luminous planets in addition to the
traditional nine grahas. Parasara called these non-luminous planets upagrahas, or secondary
planets. Many contemporary Vedic astrologers use the outer planets and consider them a type of
2
upagraha in their effect.”

An important question still remains to be answered: Is there any evidence of

commentary on the outer planets from ancient Vedic culture? In 1994, I had the good
fortune of meeting the renowned Hindu astrologer and Vedic scholar from India named
Narendra Desai. For many years until his death in April 2001, he taught workshops and
gave private consultations throughout the United States. While sharing his knowledge at
a Vedic Astrology conference in the Washington D.C. area in 1994, he began to speak about
the importance of the outer planets. According to Mr. Desai, he saw an ancient Vasistha Nadi
palm leaf in a museum in Madras, India, which predicted that three important grahas or
planets would be discovered by the jyotishis of the Kali Yuga. The great seer Vasistha was the
author of a number of hymns in the Rig Veda (dated 3000 BC) and was considered a great
priest of the kings. According to the ancient palm leaf the names of the grahas or planets would
be Prajapati, Varuna, and Yama. The palm leaf went on to reveal that the jyotishi’s of Kali Yuga
would need to decipher the significance and meaning of these powerful grahas. It was refreshing
to hear a traditional jyotishi from India speak with such an open mind toward the
influence of the outer planets.

In comparing the Hindu mythology of these three planetary deities with the Uranus,
Neptune and Pluto myths; there are many common themes and metaphors. For example,
Prajapati is the lord of progeny and creativity. He “exerts his heat and duplicates himself” and
3
his “divine voice sounds like thunder”. One of the translations of Prajapati is Indra, the lord
of thunder and lightning. A similarity to the planet Uranus can easily be seen. Uranus
represents the Prometheus myth of bringing fire to earth, the bringer of change and innovation.
Uranus is often associated with heat, lightning and thunder. He was also the father of Venus, the
goddess of creativity. Narendra Desai felt that Uranus was a higher octave of Mercury, the god of
creative intellect. He said that a prominent Uranus was often seen in the chart of a good
astrologer.

Varuna is the lord of the cosmic waters and is associated with the mysterious laws of fate. He
is a powerful, mystical healer and is the lord of maya or illusion. Varuna is the bestower of
spiritual wisdom and the god of cosmic medicines. In the early cycles of Creation all the gods
together approached Varuna and said to him: “May you accept the lordship of all waters
on earth and protect us all. May you ever dwell in the ocean, refuge of the aquatic
creatures. The great ocean, the husband to all the rivers and streams, would thus remain
4
subservient to you. You would swell and shrink along with the Moon”. This sounds
strikingly similar to the role and meaning of Neptune, god of the mystical seas, in modern
Tropical astrology.

In Hindu mythology, Yama is the god of death and agent of Lord Shiva. Yama means “the
binder, restrainer” who keeps mankind in check. Yama also refers to various powerful yogic
disciplines such as breath control, hatha yoga and meditation. Lord Yama guides the soul to the
astral plane after death, where one can experience the results of one’s karma from the
present life and prepare for the next incarnation. Yama has a green body, wears red
clothing, and rides a black bull. A Sanskrit word for bull is “go” meaning sound or sense
organ. This may indicate the Lord Yama rides his senses and permits them to function
but controls or “restrains” their movements. He holds a loop in his left hand, which pulls
the soul from the body of the deceased. While researching Yama on the Internet, the
medical research journal Cell reported on a newly discovered enzyme named Yama that
“cleaves” other proteins and causes cells to “self-destruct”. The research group named the
protease enzyme “Yama” after the Hindu god of Death. Yama rules over the kingdom of
the dead where the ancestors dwell and is the preta raja or king of ghosts. He is a deity
that demands sacrifice and discipline. He decides which actions of humans bear or do not
bear fruit. Yama then judges the dead whom his messengers drag before his throne. His
aide, Chitragupta catalogues the karma of all human beings and replays the major life events
helping the soul realize its life’s work. The soul may realize its mistakes and transgressions
and feels remorse. Lord Yama may then inflict punishment or danda. Yama represents the
eternal law on which the Universe resides. He is called Dharmaraja, or the King of
Righteousness. For spiritual adepts, Sri Yama arranges a celebration after their death to
guide their soul personally to the higher spiritual realms.

The “yamas” of the sage Patanjali Maharishi in the ancient Yoga Sutras represent the rules
of behavior that exist in all religions and act as mechanisms of personal transformation.
They are the first of the eight limbs of yoga. The yamas reflect primarily external discipline.
The five yamas according to Patanjali are non-violence, non-stealing, chastity, absence of
greed, and truthfulness. Following these rules of behavior is a great way to propitiate Yama.
The lunar nakshatras of Bharani (13° 20’- 26 40’ of sidereal Aires) and Magha (0-130 20’ of
sidereal Leo) is said to be the auspicious lunar time for the worship of Lord Yama. As the
great jyotishi Sri Yukteswar stated; “the first lesson on the spiritual path is to learn to behave”.
The power to cleanse and remove impurities or apabharani shakti is a boon of Yama. Yama’s
reflection of the Pluto themes of death/rebirth, transformation and purification can easily be
seen. As mentioned previously, Pluto is the Roman version of the Greek “lord of the
underworld”, Hades. In Jungian psychology, Hades represents the deep shadowy layers of the
invisible psyche that need to explored and purified. In her classic text, Gods and Planets,
Ellynor Barz writes: “When Hades was no longer experienced only as dreadful and horrid, when
people were able to connect with him more consciously and to recognize the abundance and the riches
under the earth, he was then called Pluto. The horn of plenty became his insignia. In Pluto, we find the
end or abundance of life”.5 Yama offers humanity a similar choice of destruction or
transformation.

The late Narendra Desai also felt that Pluto was a higher octave of Mars, the ruler of Scorpio, in
classical or Vedic astrology. This supports the rationale of the rulership of Scorpio to Pluto
in modern tropical astrology. However, using Pluto as the ruler of Scorpio in Vedic
astrology can make a mess of a valid effective system that uses the traditional rulers of
classical astrology. I personally tend to judge the position of Pluto natally or by transit more
from the tropical chart although I place the outer planets in the Vedic chart as well. Bringing
the outer planets into the Vedic chart should be done with care. According to the Vedic
Astrologer Chakrapani Ullal, the risk of “creating goulash” by mixing the two systems is a real
dilemma for any astrologer studying both Eastern and Western astrological traditions.
After his death in April 2001, several of Narendra Desai’s devoted students have continued to
share some of his thoughts on the outer planets. One student recently wrote to me that Narendra
would emphasize the importance of an outer planet making a close aspect (conjunction, trine,
opposition) to another planet. For example, he would give special emphasis to a natal aspect between
Mercury and Uranus for indicating astrological skills 1. He also utilized the outer planets in his
compatibility work and they were treated as somewhat challenging in nature. He also
confirmed that for the spiritual understanding of the natal chart, the outer grahas or planets
are very important. The type of spiritual practice or sadhana can be revealed in a Vedic
consultation. For example, bhakti or devotional yoga indications traditionally associated
with Sukra or the planet Venus may also be revealed through Neptune, a higher octave of
Venus. A jnana or wisdom path may involve a powerful Uranus, a higher vibration of
Mercury. A person with a prominent Pluto may want to explore meditation practices that
involve Shiva, Kali or Yama worship. Thus, a specific sadhana may be reflected through the
outer planets as well as other traditional indications in the Vedic chart.

In summary, a strong case can be made for the study of the outer planets in modern Vedic
Astrology. The true spirit and philosophy of the Vedas was to keep an open mind to all
forms of truth. The challenge of integrating this information into the Vedic system is the
work of the neo-vedic astrologer of the new millennium. The research should be done with
an open mind while still protecting the tenets of traditional Jyotish. As the great seer
Narendra Desai stated to one of his students; “Never mind what others say about the outer
planets; they are there, we must use them!”

* This article is dedicated to the memory of Narendra Desai (1924-2001).

References:
1
Barz, Ellynor. Gods and Planets. Wilmette, IL: Chiron Publications. 1991.
2
Flaherty, Dennis. Jyotish Currents. The Mountain Astrologer. April/May, 2001.
3
Danielou, Alain. The Myths and Gods of India. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 1991.
4
Charak, K.S. Varuna, the God of Waters. Vedic Astrology. Vol.5, No. 4. July-August
2001.
New Delhi, India.
5
Barz, Ellynor. Ibid.

1Treat this as one of the combination for astrological skills and not the only combination - K N Rao has Uranus closely
aspected by Mercury, Prof B Suryanarain Rao had dispositor of Mer conjunct Uranus, B V Raman had dispositor of Mer
aspecting Uranus, Sanjay Rath has Mer closely conjunct Uranus, Narendra Desai had dispositor of Uranus aspecting
Mer, Kanad Rishi Bhatnagar had Jupiter Retro conjunct Uranus, since it is retro if you take it to previous house it
would be closely aspecting Mer, C S Patel had dispositor of Uranus closely aspecting Mer, Ernst Wilhem the famous
American Jyotish Guru has Uranus aspecting Mer, Nostradamus had dispositor of Mer closely aspecting Uranus,
Gayatri Devi Vasudev the most successful mundane predictor of last two decades has Mer dispositing Uranus linking it
to the house of fame and also of occult, R Santhanam had dispositor of Uranus conjunct Mer, the man who introduced
divisional charts to Vedic Astrology the late Seshadiri Iyer had Mer aspecting Uranus and dispositor of Uranus
conjunct with Mer– SA