



In the last series under “Planets” sections, we have described different characteristics of planets and in this series, we will understand the planet more deeply and will know what exactly the planet signifies.



(You can check-out the series describing different characteristic of planets, here -: Planets in Vedic astrology )



In the last posts of this series, we discussed about the Sun and the Moon. Here, we will discuss about the Mars.



(Read the previous post of this series here -: The Moon ) In the last posts of this series, we discussed about the Sun and the Moon. Here, we will discuss about the Mars.







Symbolic meaning of the Mars

The symbolic meaning of "Mars" is "Masculinity”. However, the core meaning of Mars is "Energy".



Energy comes from our passion & ambition and thus represented by Mars.



Mars represents an individualistic attempt for fulfilling desires.



So, Mars shows “Being independent” , “Individualism” , “Independent ambitions” , “Independent passion” etc. and in a negative way , Mars can also show “Selfishness”.





Image : Symbolic representation of the Mars





So, in a horoscope, if Mars is badly placed then it indicates 'Selfishness' , 'Non-cooperativeness' and if placed positively, it shows 'Self-sustenance' , 'Being independent' , 'Self-motivated' , 'Self-reliance' etc.



Mars also represents "Competition" and "Competitiveness" .



Not only competition; Mars also signifies "Strength" which is very much needed in competitions and it includes all kind of strengths like emotional and physical strength.



Moreover, it also represents the passion to win the competition too.



From physical strength side,



Mars represents "Muscles" and "Weapons".



From emotional strength side,



Mars represents "Willpower" , "Discipline" , "Determination" , "Courage" , "Bravery" etc.



It also shows the inter-personal strength which means how a person superimposes his/her strength on the opponents.



From such enforcement of strengths, Mars represents "Armed forces" , "Military" , "Police forces" etc.



A serious competition can result in "Rivalry", "Battle" or, "Wars" and "Riots" which includes "Violence" and "Anger". These are all represented by Mars.





Nature of the Mars

The red planet is next to our earth and very often goes retrograde (Coming near to earth).





This very nature of Mars, depict it as the “Protector” embedded with characteristics of a fighter or, soldier in the kingdom of the Sun.





Image : The Earth & The Mars





So, the very nature of Mars is to play role in anything that includes energy, valor, courage, power, adventure, sports, masculinity, vitality, strength, ambition, passion, protection etc.





Vedic deity of the Mars: “Mangal”

“Mangal” is the deity of the Mars.



The Mars is also called as “Mangal loka” and it is the abode of “Mangal”.



There are many names of “Mangal” and some of them are as follows -: Kuja, Angaraka, Bhauma, Lohitang etc.





Image : Mangal Dev





“Mangal” is celibate and sometimes related to the God of War, “Kartikeya”. He is the son of “Bhumi Devi” (The Earth Goddess) and “Lord Varaha” (One of the incarnations of “Lord Vishnu”). He is also the protector of “Dharma” (Righteousness) and his mount is a ram.



{But, still his origin is very mysterious and varies with scriptures, however, they are connected somehow and we’ll demystify that in a separate post.}





Description of “Mangal” in “Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra”



The “Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra” or, “BPHS” is considered as the fundamental scripture of Vedic astrology and there, the description of “Mangal” is given as follows -:



“The Mars is cruel, has blood red eyes, is fickle minded, liberal hearted, bilious and has thin waist & thin physique.”



{The personality and nature of the native is influenced by the ascendant, strong planet of the chart & ascendant of the D-9 (Navamsha) chart.}



Mars as significator

Mars is the significator of all the things that it represents and till now, we got a general idea of what it represents.





Image : The Mars





Let’s go one step further into the discussion to know what other things the Mars can signify.



Mars signifies the following things -:

Energy, passion, dynamism, strength, ambition, courage, valor Aggression, adventure, power, individualism, courage Opposition, arguments, determination, debate, logic, strong will-power Conspiracy, cruelty, anger, fighting, war, victory, riots, operations Accidents, robbery, burns, wounds, scams, murders, enemies, injuries, surgery Policeman, sportsman, army/navy personnel, armed forces, police department Engineers (especially, Mechanical & Civil), constructors, masons, surgeons, commanders, leaders, high administrative positions, butchers All types of construction like building, bridges, flyover, roads etc. Explosives, fire, guns, bombs, firearms & anything related to release of sudden energy Engines, machines, kiln, landed property especially mansions, houses etc. Air force, air journey Bakery, Kitchen, Slaughter houses etc. Stones, Mineral, copper Younger siblings (Especially, brother)

In Medical astrology, the Mars represents the following things -:

Muscles, nose, bone marrow & hemoglobin Reproductive organ of males Metabolism & metabolic rate Boils, acne, scars etc.

Appearance of a person influenced by the Mars

If the Mars dominates in the horoscope of a person then, he/she is said to be influenced by the Mars more than any other planet and may reflect some of the following traits in his/her appearance & behavior -:

Independent nature, masculine Volatile, red eyes with fighting spirit Impressive, refined & ruthless



It is not necessary that he/she will reflect all such traits as other planets also influence the appearance of the person.



This is all about the Mars in Vedic astrology and in the next post we will discuss about the Mercury.



