Related Articles : 27 Nakshatras in Jyotish
Swati is taken as the fifteenth nakshatra among the 27 nakshatras which are considered important in Vedic Jyotish for making calculations from horoscopes based on Vedic astrology. The literal meaning of the word Swati is Independent or self-going and Vedic astrology translates the meaning of this word into Independent, tender and sword. Each of these seemingly different meanings of the word Swati has its influence on this nakshatra, according to the beliefs of many Vedic astrologers practicing in Indian Jyotish. Many Vedic astrologers consider the main symbol of this nakshatra as A Young Plant Shoot blown by the wind. The young stage of the plant shoot represents the delicate stage of the plant and connects to the word Delicate which is taken as one of the meanings of Swati in Vedic astrology. The action of strong wind on the young plant shoot and its effort to survive the wind shows the strength and independence aspect of the plant as it is struggling to survive against the wind and keep itself alive and rooted to the ground. All of these meanings associated with the young plant have their influence in shaping up the nature of this nakshatra. Some Vedic astrologers practicing in Indian Jyotish also associate Swati with a symbol of Coral. Coral is known as a plant which grows by itself with the help of some micro-organisms and does not need any other external factors for its growth and survival. Here again this symbol is indicating the independent and self-dependent nature of the Coral plant as well as this nakshatra called Swati. Therefore, Vedic astrology considers Swati as a nakshatra which promotes and supports independence, delicacy or flexibility and strength at the same time.
Vedic astrology assigns God Vaayu, the god of wind, as the ruling deity of this nakshatra and as we have already seen in the discussion related to the symbol of this nakshatra, Vayu or wind has a lot to do with this nakshatra. God Vaayu is one of the main five Gods residing in Swarg Lok and he is in charge of air element which is one of the main five elements known as earth, water, fire, air and ether. Since God Vaayu is the ruling deity of this nakshatra, many qualities and characteristics of God Vaayu are relayed through this nakshatra called Swati. Some Vedic astrologers also consider Goddess Saraswati as the second ruling deity of this nakshatra and as most of us know that Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of knowledge, learning, music, voice and speech, so these qualities of Goddess Saraswati are also exhibited through this nakshatra. Vedic astrology assigns the planetary lordship of this nakshatra to Rahu which is generally known as a planet of mystery but Rahu releases its qualities like diplomacy, social bonding , ability and willingness to learn and other likewise qualities through this nakshatra. It should be noted here that according to many Vedic astrologers, Goddess Saraswati is also considered as the ruling deity of Rahu and therefore the qualities of Rahu which are in harmony with the characteristics of Goddess Saraswati are more likely to be relayed through Swati as this nakshatra is under the combined influence of Goddess Saraswati and Rahu.
All four parts of this nakshatra fall in the sign of Libra which is an airy sign ruled by Venus which is also known as a social, diplomatic and indulgent planet in Vedic Jyotish. It is important to note here that the main ruling deity of Swati is God Vaayu who is the ruler of the Air element, the planetary ruler of this nakshatra is Rahu which is again considered as an airy planet according to Indian Jyotish and all parts of this nakshatra fall in Libra which again is an airy sign according to Vedic astrology. So this nakshatra has a strong connection with the air element and accordingly it is very likely to exhibit characteristics which are airy in nature. For example, natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra can take a very long time in making a decision and as a result there may not be any decision some times. This is primarily due to the strong airy nature of this nakshatra as air is associated with instability and some earth element is necessary for stability and balanced approach leading to materialistic results. Swati natives are also known for being pompous and show offs and these characteristics of Swati natives can again be explained on the basis of strong airy nature of this nakshatra and the influence of two of the most indulgent planets called Rahu and Venus on this nakshatra. In fact, Swati can be one of the most indulgent nakshatras in some horoscopes and accordingly the natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra can be seen chasing, pursuing and over-indulging in many kinds of materialistic pursuits including extreme physical and sexual pleasures.
Swati natives also have a tendency to wait for a long time to witness the result of something they have planned or executed and this characteristic of Swati natives can sometimes become a negative quality as natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra can keep on waiting for something or some result for a very long period of time, even when there is no reasonable possibility of materialization of that thing or result. And since this nakshatra is more under the influence of air than any other element, so the natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra are also likely to have an inability to take decisions on time, inability to convert or put their ideas to practical work or execution even though their ideas may be very practical and can bring very good results if executed. But such natives are also shaky like air and they do not have a solid ground due to the lack of earth element. Many Vedic astrologers believe that most of the natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra need to learn to put their ideas into practice and take decisions in time in order to achieve success in their lives and make best use of the energies of this nakshatra. A strong influence of Swati in a horoscope blesses the native with very good and innovative ideas most of the times and all they need to do is to put those ideas to practice and they can witness great things. So the difference between successful and unsuccessful Swati natives can very well be the ability to take decisions and then put their ideas into practice.
Vedic astrology associates Swati with many good qualities which are due to the combined influence of its ruling deities and ruling planets. Natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra are usually beautiful and attractive due to the combined influence of Venus and Rahu. Swati natives are very good at the art of diplomacy as diplomacy is primarily an airy quality as diplomacy needs flexibility and air is known to be very flexible. Apart from this, both Rahu and Venus are known as diplomatic planets in Vedic astrology and accordingly their influence on this nakshatra makes it exhibit a strong sense of diplomacy. Swati natives are very good at social skills and they can be easily found in social get-togethers and parties, socializing with different kinds of people. Swati natives are very much inclined to social networking and in today’s world and age, the concepts of social networking websites like Facebook are very much under the influence of this nakshatra and in fact Swati has a great deal of contribution in shaping up today’s world and society as people are getting better and better networked in social terms. All this can be seen as a strong influence of this nakshatra on the people as well as the society as a whole. So Swati can be considered as a nakshatra which makes social bonds and networking happen. Many of people around you, who have a very big social circle or network, are likely to be under the strong influence of this nakshatra called Swati. Swati natives are very good at making adjustments in most of the situations due to their flexible natures and as a result they are better at making and keeping their social relationships.
Swati natives are usually patient to very patient and they are usually the ones who can make investments and then wait for long periods of times for those investments to mature and become fruitful where these investments can be financial, emotional, relational or other kinds of investments. Due to the Patience aspect of this nakshatra, Saturn which is known as the planet of patience in Vedic astrology, gains maximum strength in this nakshatra and accordingly it witnesses maximum exaltation in Swati nakshatra which of course falls in the sign of Libra known to be the sign of exaltation for Saturn. On the other hand, the Sun which is known as the planet of quick decision and execution as well as the planet of individuality in Vedic astrology, becomes the weakest when placed in this nakshatra in a horoscope as the characteristics exhibited by this nakshatra are quite opposite to the characteristics of the Sun and accordingly the Sun finds itself very uncomfortable in this nakshatra. Rahu and Venus are also considered to be strong when placed in this nakshatra in a horoscope as both these planets are very much in harmony with the nature of this nakshatra.
Vedic Jyotish assigns many kinds of professional spheres to this nakshatra and accordingly the natives under the strong influence of this nakshatra can be seen practicing in various professional spheres. Swati natives can be seen practicing as, Singers, Musicians and other such artists who need the similar kind of creativity, Businessmen and traders dealing in various kinds of trades and businesses as both Rahu and Venus are directly related to trade and business according to Indian Jyotish, People working in the aviation industry such as Pilots and Air hostesses, Diplomats and socialites and the people dealing in social networking websites like Facebook which can be seen as a strong influence of Swati on Today’s society, people dealing and working in computer and software industry and some kinds of websites like social networking websites and many other kinds of people dealing in many other kinds of professional spheres. A strong and positive influence of Swati can prove to be a very helpful factor in a horoscope when supported by some other factors in a horoscope and it can make the native become very rich and successful in many kinds of trades and businesses. The very fast fortune making of the owners of the social websites like Facebook can be seen as a very strong influence of this nakshatra in their horoscopes.
Coming to some other facts associated with this nakshatra which are considered important for making certain specific calculations like gun Milan for the purpose of horoscope matching for marriage, Vedic Jyotish considers Swati as a Female nakshatra and some Vedic astrologers associate this classification of gender with the influence of Goddess Saraswati and Venus on this nakshatra and also to the fact that the Saraswati like qualities of Rahu are relayed through this nakshatra and since Goddess Saraswati is a female goddess, so this nakshatra is also taken as female in Vedic astrology. The nature of this nakshatra is considered to be Movable and the functioning of this nakshatra is considered to be Passive and both of these classifications can be easily understood by looking at the movable and flexible nature of the air element which has a strong influence on this nakshatra and the inability of this nakshatra to put its ideas into practice, many a times. Jyotish considers Swati as Shudra in Varna and though many Vedic astrologers have tried to explain this classification on the basis of different facts and logics, but no convincing explanation is available so far, for this classification of Swati. Vedic Jyotish considers Swati as Dev in Gan and many Vedic astrologers associate this classification with the association of Goddess Saraswati and God Vaayu with this nakshatra. Swati is considered as Rajasic in Gun and this classification is explained on the basis that Swati is simply one of the most indulgent and materialistic nakshatra and accordingly it fits the description.