Pisces 201salt waters of the ocean (the ebb and tide of emotion that
form the characteristic of the astral and etheric planes).
Finally Pisces represents the water in the clouds (life as
ethereal waters that are filtered from the filth and the salts
of the earth). In pura-n.ic symbolism, the flow of water (the
waters of life) is marked by three stages. Ganga, a symbol
of water is described as a flow in three directions
(tripadhaga). It is called the water of the heavens (Viyat
Ganga) before it is brought down to earth. On the earth it
is called the gentle flow (Manda-kini). In the nether regions,
it becomes the Goddess with the hood of a serpent or the
water of indulgence (Bho-gavathi).
The serpents are said to float in the form of germi-
nating creatures in this region. These three stages explain
the phenomena of the workings of Pisces, Cancer and
Scorpio. The concerned allegories in the Pura-n.a give the
full details of these workings on the vital body of this
earth. The case is true with the vital body of man. A solar
king (Bhagiratha) who is located in Leo, the sign of Sun,
causes this descent of Ganga through his penance to
redeem his ancestors and send them on the upward path
by purifying their ashes with the waters of Ganga. Agastya,
who is located in the opposite sign Aquarius (which is
ruled by Mitra and Varun.a), causes the upward path of
water through the ascending rays of the northern Sun by
drinking the waters of the oceans. The ascending and
descending paths of water form a complete cycle which
is called the path of waters (Na-ra-yan.a). The sign Pisces
marks the null-point or the point of poise, where the
currents of water cross one another as is indicated by the
two fishes running in opposite directions.
Varun.a governs the sign Pisces in his capacity as
Neptune. The ray of Neptune is the cause of rapture.