Summary – Constellations & myths
In this mythological companion to the 108 Steps series, we step back from the linear path to explore the deeper architecture of the sky: the stories that underpin the constellations themselves, and the language they encode.
We begin with the birth of the Sun – Martanda, the eighth son, cast out from the company of the Seven Sages of Ursa Major to bring light to our world. His father Marichi (the star Benetsnash) and his mother Aditi (the Milky Way as the cow of plenty) set the stage for a cosmic drama of exile and renewal.
From there, we trace:
– The Sage Agastya – who drank the oceans and became a star in Cancer, the pilot of the heavenly ship Argo Navis
– Rudra as the Archer – the star Sirius anchoring the Bears, and the forging of the southern sky by Vishvamitra
– The Dragon Thuban – once the pole star, the eye of Brahma, now resting in Leo as the 817th name of Shiva: Uttanah Sarvakarmanam, the source of all actions
– The Three Fires of the Galaxy – reflected in the fire of life on Earth, and the line of the sages (Rishi Rekha) that traces the Sun’s path
– Ganesha Writing the Mahabharata – the elephant-headed god as scribe, the sage Vyasa as narrator, and the thousand names of Shiva woven into the heroes’ tales
– Draupadi as the World-Tree – the star Zavizava in Virgo, one of three points of the cosmic tree
– The Whales of Rudra – eleven cries of creation, the dolphin as empathetic resonance, and Cetus the whale carrying the legacy of Shiva’s names
– The Guardian Knot of the Sages – twining the two fish of Pisces, binding language to the soul
This episode explores how the seven sages have turned three times around the pole star, how precession shifts the dragon’s guard, and how the ship of language (Argo Navis) bridges the shore of Aries. It asks: What does it mean that Ganesha writes as Vyasa narrates – that the scribe becomes his own greater father? And how do the whales of Rudra carry knowledge across the ocean of existence?
The stars are a library. This episode is a key to its oldest selves.
Constellations Featured
Ursa Major (Benetsnash / Alkaid, Marichi) • Ursa Minor (Dhruva / Polaris) • Draco (Thuban / Uttanapada) • Canis Major (Sirius) • Auriga • Argo Navis • Cancer (Agastya) • Virgo (Zavizava) • Cetus • Delphinus • Pegasus (Zeus) • Cygnus (Hamsa) • Pisces
Mythological Threads
Martanda and the Seven Sages • Aditi as the Milky Way • Agastya drinking the ocean • Vishvamitra and the southern sky • Thuban as Brahma’s eye • Ganesha writing the Mahabharata • Draupadi as the world-tree • The eleven whales of Rudra • The guardian knot of Pisces
Themes of starry consideration
The language of the stars • Precession and the shifting pole • The three worlds and three turns of the sages • The ship of consciousness • Names as destiny