Kalapurusha, the cosmic person
Varahamihira's Brihat Jataka lays the twelve signs over one human body, from Aries at the head to Pisces at the feet, and gives each planet one of the body's seven tissues. Tap any part of the figure.
The map everyone shares. Aries is the head, and each sign after it takes the next part down, to Pisces at the feet.
How the old texts picture the body. Nothing here is a reading of your health.
The head
The 1st sign, ruled by Mars
In the cosmic person, Mars is strength, and rules the marrow.
"The twelve signs of the zodiac, beginning at the first point of Aries … are respectively the head, face, breast, heart, belly, navel, abdomen, genital organ, the two thighs, the two knees, the two ankles, and the two feet of Kalapurusha, the cosmic person."
Brihat Jataka 1.4
Each planet plays a part in the cosmic person and rules one of the body's seven tissues. Tap a planet to find the signs it rules.
"The twelve signs of the zodiac, beginning at the first point of Aries … are respectively the head, face, breast, heart, belly, navel, abdomen, genital organ, the two thighs, the two knees, the two ankles, and the two feet of Kalapurusha, the cosmic person."
"The sizes of the body parts follow their corresponding signs, beginning with the Lagna for the head."
"In the Kalapurusha, the cosmic person, the Sun is the soul, the Moon is the mind, Mars is strength, Mercury is speech, Jupiter is knowledge and health, Venus is desire, and Saturn is sorrow."
"As to the seven body tissues, Saturn rules the muscles, the Sun the bones, the Moon the blood, Mercury the skin, Venus the semen, Jupiter the flesh, and Mars the marrow."
Quoted from the Brihat Jataka in our Reading Library. Other translations give Jupiter's tissue as fat and Aquarius as the shins. Rahu and Ketu are not part of these verses, so they have no place on the figure.
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