History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.330

v6.c82.330

The twelve *rāśis* are to be found in the Zodiacal belt (or circle), each extends over 2¼ nakṣatras i e Meṣa extends over Aśvinī, Bharaṇī and ¼ of Kṛttikā, Vṛṣabha extends over ¾ of Kṛttikā, whole of Rohiṇī and half of Mṛgaśīrṣa and so on. These twelve rāśis from Meṣa are identified respectively with the following limbs of the Kālāpuruṣa835a viz. the head (Meṣa), mouth (Vṛṣabha), chest, heart, stomach, waist, the abdomen (between the navel and the private parts), the private parts, the pair of thighs, the pair of knees, the two shanks, the two feet. Varāha adds that the words *rāśi*, *kṣetra*, *gṛha*, *ṛkṣa*, *bha* and *bhavana* are used as synonyms in Jātaka The purpose of the identification of *rāśis* with the limbs of Kāla put forward by astrological works is that if a malefic planet occupies in a person's horoscope a certain rāśi, he is adversely affected in that limb of his body to which the rāśi corresponds among the limbs of Kāla, but if a beneficent planet occupies at birth a rāśi, then the person prospers as to the corresponding limb This is succintly put by the Sārāvalī (III. 5-6) The twelve rāśis with their English and Latin equivalents and their synonyms are set out below: