Animals and Birds in Vedic Astrology

According to the most common Vedic astrology scheme that associates animals with astrological influences:

1. The Sun and Mars rule four-legged creatures.

2. Jupiter and Venus rule two-leggeds.

3. The Moon, Rahu, and Ketu rule rodents, reptiles, and insects.

4. Mercury and Saturn rule flying creatures/birds. Saturn’s main vahana (vehicle) is the crow, and we feed crows (and ravens) on Saturdays specifically to propitiate Saturn (or Rahu, which acts like Saturn).

5. According to Brihat Samhita, Venus also rules exotic birds and birds of a diverse kind like hummingbirds. It’s interesting as Venus also symbolizes sugar. Venus is known as Shukra/Sukra in Jyotish, and sugar is sucrose, and the main food we offer to hummingbirds is sugar water!

6. The sign of Taurus and the nakshatra of Mrigashira also represent birds.

According to traditional Vedic astrology, feeding animals, wild or domesticated, including birds, is not only a form of seva (service) to Mother Nature, but also a remedy of appeasement to invoke the blessings and magnetize the positive potential within the various associated planets, signs, and stars.

As an example, it is recommended that we feed ants sesame seeds, sugar, or flour balls for good fortune, to fulfill our wishes and desires, and to avoid the ill effects of Rahu and Ketu. However, in terms of feeding wildlife out in nature, experts nowadays tend to agree that we should abstain because it can lead to serious problems for the animals and their habitats.

On the other hand, it is generally considered safe to feed birds, and when we do, we are propitiating Mercury, Saturn, the sign of Taurus, and the nakshatra of Mrigashira. This may be especially helpful as Mercury transits and retrogrades in Taurus, which I wrote about in another recent article. If we are feeding hummingbirds the sweet sugar water that they love, we are also propitiating and benefiting from the lovely, joyful, and peaceful energy of Venus which is currently transiting in its sign of exaltation in Pisces.