God of the countryside, determination, sexuality...the zodiac with the head of a goat and body of a fish is visualised differently the world over

God of the countryside, determination, sexuality...the zodiac with the head of a goat and body of a fish is visualised differently the world over

In Western astrology, the zodiac Capricorn is visualised as a creature with the head of a goat and the body of a fish. Some Greeks believed that Capricorn was actually the magical goat Amalthea who nursed and protected Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, from his tyrant father, Cronus. From her horns came the Cornucopia, the horn of plenty. Other Greeks believed Capricorn was Pan, the goat-legged god of the wild countryside, who jumped into water when he was frightened by the monster Typhon.

The part that was underwater became fish while that which was above ground became goat. While Amalthea is associated with nourishment and plenty, Pan is associated with rabid male virility. Both are symbols of fertility. It is not surprising therefore that the entry of the sun into the House of Capricorn has traditionally (before the chaos of global warming) marked, in the northern hemisphere, the end of winter and the start of spring. Hence, after Makar Sankranti come the spring fertility festivals of the world Valentine's Day, Holi, Vasant-Panchami, Shiva-ratri, and even Easter, celebrating regeneration, resurrection, romance and marriage and birds and bees.

The Babylonians were the first to visualise the Capricorn constellation as a sea-goat linked with Enki, the Mesopotamian water-god who brings forth culture. The sea-goat was associated with the marshes of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that sustained the city-states in Sumeria and Assyria, provided silt for the farms and clay for the bricks.

In the Middle East, the goat became a symbol of determination as it climbed up steep mountains alone to get hold of that single blade of grass. It was also associated with sensuality (hence the phrase 'the old goat'). Its solitariness and impulsive behaviour led to the creation of the word 'capricious'. It became the carrier of sin
(the scapegoat) of the Hebrew tribes.

And finally, the symbol of the Devil in later Christian times. In India, the sea-goat became the sea-elephant. Makara or Capricorn of Jyotish-shastra, Hindu astrology, has the head of an elephant and the tail of a fish. Like the goat, the elephant is a potent symbol of sexuality, not least because its head oozes a fluid when it is sexually aroused. This fluid is called Mada which forms the root of the proper noun, Madan or the Hindu god of love, and the common noun Madira, which means intoxicating wine.

The fish-tail is a reminder of movement and water. Wherever water flows, life follows. Makara is thus the symbol of life, visualised as swimming elephants with upraised trunks.u00a0

Perhaps the Makara represents a dolphin. Perhaps the trunk is an artistic rendition of the snout of the dolphin. One can never be sure, but a clue rests in the fact that Ganga, the river-goddess, is said to ride a Makara and Ganga is the home of river-water dolphins (now facing extinction). By its association with the river-goddess, Makara once again comes to be associated with fertility and growth.u00a0

Some people read Makara as Magara and believe Makara actually represents the crocodile, the trunk of the elephant being nothing more than the long jaw of the crocodile. In Gujarat, the folk-goddess Khodiyar-maa is depicted in poster paintings riding crocodiles.

Vishnu is called Makara-kundala, he who wears earrings shaped like river dolphins. Vishnu is associated with life-giving force.

In Pandharpur, Maharashtra, Vishnu is worshipped as Vithal and he sports fish-shaped earrings drawing attention to the life-giving principle of water. Makara represents movement, the ebb and flow of rasa, the juice of existence. Like a dolphin it brings delight into life.

Makara is the emblem of Madan or Kama, the Hindu god of love. Kama is called Makara-dhvaja, the bearer of the flag with the symbol of Makara. Kama is sometimes described as Vishnu's son. He was the patron deity of spring festivals. Men and women danced the streets in joyous abandon dressed in yellow and orange.u00a0

The story goes that once Hanuman, the monkey-god renowned for his celibacy, entered Patala, the subterranean kingdom of Mahiravan, where he was challenged by Patala's doorkeeper. To Hanuman's astonishment, the doorkeeper was strong enough to wrestle him and block his path. "Identify yourself," said Hanuman. The doorkeeper said, "I am Makara-dhvaja, the son of Hanuman."

Hanuman laughed. Being celibate he knew that the doorkeeper of Patala was lying. But the doorkeeper explained, "When Hanuman was flying across the sea to Lanka a drop of his sweat fell into the sea into the mouth of a fish, who was my mother. I am the child of a fish. I have the strength of an elephant. I am therefore Makara-dhvaja, son of Hanuman."

It is interesting to note that in folk tradition, where this story comes from, the son of a celibate god should have the same name as Kama, the god of sensuality. It indicates a desire for balance in the Indian mind. Makara-dhvaja meets his match in Hanuman which indicates a balance of sensual indulgence and sensual discipline.

In Ayurveda, Makara-dhvaja refers to a special preparation aimed at restoring youth and vitality. Makara has been associated with alchemy because it is a dynamic creature, part terrestrial, part aquatic, representing chaos, the point before equilibrium sets in between fire (goat), earth (elephant) and water (fish). Images of Makara abound on temple walls, reminding us constantly of a world that is rich and fecund, nourishing and sensual.u00a0