Brahmahatya Dosha represents the murder of a brahmin (a priest) in the past life, and it is created when Jupiter is connected to the Malefics, Mars or Saturn. This can be when
- Jupiter is with or opposite Mars or Saturn
- Jupiter is in third house or tenth house of Saturn
- Jupiter is in fourth or sixth house of Mars
- Mars or Saturn in Sagittarius or Pisces
- Jupiter in Aries, Scorpio, Capricorn, or Aquarius
or a multitude of other placements which connects Jupiter to either malefic.
When we discuss past lives, I cannot be sure of the literal meaning of these things, so I look at it in a symbolic sense. What this dosha represents is killing of religion, and so, it represents issues regarding religion.
When it comes to religion, we all have different experiences with it, but negative experiences with religion is not uncommon. When one is raised heavily with religion, it is a guiding force in their lives. When said religion is discarded, it shows problems with finding meaning, listlessness, lack of motivation, etc. Jupiter shows what makes you grow and your faith in the world, and with Jupiter connected to the malefics, it shows a fear of the world, and stunted growth, due to this fear. Sometimes, it also shows guilt, because when it comes to rejecting the religion you grow up with, you feel as though you are betraying yourself, or betraying your culture.
It’s only natural for this fear of the world, to translate into feeling stagnant or show up in material ways, such as educational or professional setbacks. This dosha can create immense issues because of the lack of faith in yourself, in culture, and in the divine.
When you are raised in a religious environment that is extreme, which harms you, there are many layers to it. Being raised this way impacts you, as does leaving it. People with brahmahatya dosha are often raised with the idea that the divine is cruel, or is out to punish you. The fear of god is deep in their hearts, whether they are in the religion or out of it. When they are out of the religion, the fear still exists in the back of their mind, “what if my religious teachers were correct”.
However, this dosha actually is a very important one. They call it brahmahatya dosha, not because the native themselves are guilty, but because it is the religious teachers who come to take revenge on them, and make them afraid of the divine. The point of teachers is not necessarily that they are divine, but rather, they are a conduit to divinity. When they abuse these powers and harm people, they too, are in the wrong.
In fact, the gods themselves have done brahmahatya multiple times. Shiva has chopped off one of Brahma’s five heads, when he lusted after his daughter Saraswati, and refused to take his eyes off her. He has also chopped off the head of Prajapati Daksha, for being responsible for Sati’s (Daksha’s daughter, Shiva’s wife) death. Rama killed the great brahmin devotee of Shiva, Ravana, for which he performed the ashwamedha yajna as repentance. Interestingly, it was during this yajna, that he was able to find his sons. You can say that his separation from them was due to the brahmahatya dosha, since this dosha can show problems with having children.
The bad effect of this dosha is not the fact that the natives reject religion in this life, but rather, that they were in a position where they felt like they had to reject it. If religion is taught well, there will never be any reason to reject it. In fact, any penance done for this dosha is not to become the type of person who accepts whatever they are taught, but rather, to get rid of the guilt that they feel from rejecting what it taught, because it is symbolic of the guilt of the previous life.
Practically, the best way to come to terms with this dosha is to accept that you were given the wrong teachings, and then, to pray, for gods to be your guru, to have no medium between them and you. Develop discernment that teaches you the good things that religion has to offer, and to protect and offer guidance to those who have also been hurt by religion.
Ritualistically, Shiva did penance for Brahmahatya by bathing in the river Godavari, at Ramkund, and as humans, we can take salt baths, to cleanse ourselves of the sins of our past lives. We can also go all the way to Ramkund, to take a bath in the Godavari waters, or just bathe with water from the Ganga, who cleans away all the sins.
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