A Master Moves Onwards

BKS Iyengar was one of the most important men in the field of Yoga. He left his body at 3:15 AM on August 20th, 2014 in Pune, India. Many people will write incredible eulogies to such a master. As an astrologer, I will honor his death with the beauty of his death chart.

The birth chart indicates the karma you did in the previous life that has led to the situations in this life. The death chart (puṇya chakra) indicates what you have done with the situations that life has given you; the karma of this life. I rarely write about puṇya chakras, because they often indicate all kinds of personal trash in a person’s life and it is better to say nothing.  Death reveals the truth of how a person lived their life. Whether an individual is a Saint or sinner, or whatever between, becomes clear in their death.  

The cause of death is seen from the Ascendant: Moon is in Gemini Ascendant with a rāśi aspect from Rāhu indicating a situation with the lungs leading to his death. The Moon is a benefic which in general indicates a peaceful death or dying in the sleep. With Jupiter and Venus in the Moon’s sign and the Moon placed in the Ascendant, it indicates awareness in death and possibility of leaving the body in deep meditation.  

The sixth house represents one’s weakness in life, or you could say it shows what yama and niyama you did not master. Anything placed there will indicate negative karma for which one is required to reincarnate. Mr. Iyengar had an empty sixth house.  This indicates a self-restrained life, mastery of the senses, and a clean personal life. The lord of the house is Mars indicating krodha (anger) but it is placed in the fifth house conjunct an exalted planet. As angry as he may have gotten, it was used like a stick (Saturn-Mars) to his students (fifth house) and it is free of negative karma.

The seventh house of the puṇya chakra indicates desires left unfulfilled within us that will bring us back to reincarnate. Mr. Iyengar had a clear and empty seventh house and its lord is exalted Jupiter in conjunction with Venus. This indicates a great awareness and no attachments to pull the soul back into incarnation.

The eighth house indicates the sins we have committed against others that require rebirth to suffer their consequences. Planets placed here in the puṇya chakra indicate the suffering of the next life. Mr. Iyengar has no planets placed in the eighth house and Jupiter aspects it guaranteeing forgiveness for any unjust actions in life. This means he has left his body having cleared his karma with others in his life.    

The tenth house shows the nature of the individual’s work in this life. The tenth lord of Mr. Iyengar’s puṇya chakra is exalted Jupiter conjunct Venus. Indicating very great and beneficial works in this life… obviously you may say, but here we see that even the lord of death has recognized his works. The placement of Ketu, the mokṣa indicator, in the tenth indicates the surrender of the fruit of his actions. The Tenth lord is conjunct the twelfth lord indicating liberation.  On top of that, the twelfth lord conjunct exalted Jupiter indicates that he was thinking about divinity at the time of death. 

It is the puṇya chakra of a liberated being. I have been a practicing astrologer since 1999 and have never seen any chart fit all these rules.  

The Moon in the Ascendant indicates his soul will remain present for the next 12 days before beginning the onward journey.

An amazing man, may his teachings flourish.