Saturday, October 23, 2004

The 12 Houses of Zodiac- From BPHS

This article was compiled by Sarat Chander one of the foremost student of Pt. Sanjay Rath, based on the teachings of Pt. Rath. It was given to me long back, which I am putting here, with my own additions, for the benefit of the Jyotish Enthusiasts.

First House

देहं रूपं च ज्ञानं च वर्णं चैव बलाबलम्‌।
सुखं दुःखं स्वभावञ्च लग्नभावान्निरीक्षयेत्‌॥ २॥
deham rūpamca jñānam ca varnam caiva balābalam
sukham duhkham svabhāvañca lagnabhāvānnirīkshayet ..2..

deham - body; rūpam- looks; ca- as well as; jñānam - knowledge / intelligence; ca- as well as; varnam – appearance; caiva- ca+eva – and also; balābalam – strengths and vigour; sukham duhkham - bliss and unhappiness; svabhāvañca- nature; lagnabhāvān- from Lagna Bhava; nirīkshayet- judge

Maharishi says to Maitreya that the physique, appearance, intellect (also the brain), the complexion of the body, strength and vigour, weakness, happiness, grief and the inner nature of the person is to be determined from the Lagna or Ascendant or the 1st bhava.

The 1st house, known as the Lagna or Ascendant, always rises in the East at the time of birth. Surya, being the naisargika atmakaraka, becomes a very vital graha for the 1st house and his strength and placement is to be reckoned carefully. A strong and well placed Lagna lord will bestow long and qualitative life.

The 1st house is the fountainhead of the entire life of the native. The 1st indicates the birth of the person and how and in what form and physique God has wanted him/her to be born. Thus the 1st bhava and the lord of the 1st bhava, who is also called the 'Lagnesh' are very basics and important to the reading of the chart. Each of the 12 houses of the chart has its significance and each of the significance is closely linked to the 1st house i.e., birth.

As per the kalapurusha, the 1st bhava is indicative of brain, which is known for intelligence, we can safely conclude that Brihaspati, who represents God, is seated on the head of man and the place is known as 'Brahmapeetha' or the seat of Brihaspati. It is Brihaspati who knows and sees all as it is he who has the supreme intelligence and this supreme intelligence is God. Hence Guru is known as the one representing God in the chart. Thus, his placement becomes vitally important to analyze the intelligence and knowledge, disposition and the general well being of the person.

If the lord of the 1st bhava is either placed in or aspects or has anything to do with the 3rd, 5th and 6th houses, the native of the chart yearns for knowledge - he is always in quest for knowledge - and he is called a "Dheemantah". In other words, the native is said to possess "Dheemantah Yoga". While, the reverse is true only in the case where the lord of the 5th bhava is either placed or aspects the 1st bhava.


Second House
धनधान्यं कुटुम्बांश्च मृत्युजालममित्रकम्‌।
धातुरत्नादिकं सर्वं धनस्थानान्निरीक्षयेत्‌॥ ३॥
dhanadhānyam kutumbāmśca mrtyujālamamitrakam
dhāturatnādikam sarvam dhanasthānānnirīkshayet ..3..

dhana- wealth; dhānyam- grains and cereals; kutumbām- family; ca- as well as; mrtyujālam-death trap; mitrakam- ; dhāturatnādikam- precious metals and gems; sarvam- all dhanasthānān-places of wealth, such as bank or treasure box etc; nirīkshayet- judge

Wealth, food (grains and cereals); nature of food consumed (quantity and quality); Wealth; family (Kula); family deity (Kula Devata); stored wealth (Sanchita Dhana) which could be valued in terms of money at any point of time; granary; treasury; storage houses; godowns; teeth; lips; mouth; speech; eyes; gold and assets and all property;

A good family is a sound requirement of a person. Being born in a particular family has a particular relevance. Each family follows and worships a certain deity as its family deity, which happens to be the guiding deity of the family. These are to be reckoned from the 2nd house.

The 2nd house is a vital house of the chart. It actually sustains the lagna or ascendant. It is the house of Lord Vishnu, the preserver, the sustainer of life. It is he who takes care of the people and it is he who provides for food etc. Without food and the wealth to buy the food, life cannot be sustained. To achieve the objective of the birth of the atma, food is very essential to sustain the body in which the atma has taken refuge. So the 2nd would indicate the quantity and quality of food that is consumed by the person.

When we say wealth, we are actually talking of the sustaining power - the power to buy us food and good things in life and in times of dire needs. So we are talking of 'sanchita dhana' meaning stored wealth. Any stored wealth which is liquidatable for purchase of food and essentials at the time of need. Such stored wealth includes, stored foodgrains and granaries, gold, precious metals and gems etc., or any such thing which is readily convertible into money.

The 2nd house is also known as the maraka - death inflicting. Afflictions to the 2nd could lead to loss of wealth and shreeyam which leads to lack of food and everything that is needed for sustenance. Improper intake of food or lack of food sets in disease which signifies the death of the lagan or the person.


Third House
विक्रमं भृत्यभ्रात्रादि चोपदेशप्रयाणकम्‌।
पित्रोर्वै मरणं विज्ञो दुश्चिक्याच्च निरीक्षयेत्‌॥ ४॥
vikramam bhrtyabhrātrādi copadeśaprayānakam
pitrorvai maranam vijño duścikyācca nirīkshayet ..4..

vikramam- Courage and Valour; bhrtyabhrātrādi- brothers and sisters; copadeśa- ca+upadesham- also advice; prayānakam- journey; pitrorvai maranam- death of father; vijño - knowledge/ intelligence, duścikyācca - ??, nirīkshayet- judge

The 3rd house indicates arms; strength of the arms (Parakrama bala); courage; brothers and sisters (Co-borns); short journeys (as a child walks with the help of his arms); longevity; intelligence; creativity; aptitude for work and the type of work done (an evil graha in the third would indicate work in the armed forces/Police or connected to it based on the graha wherein Surya heads the placement in indicating the rank and honour and type of service rendered); Skills for work etc.

The strength of the arms is called 'parakrambal'. The 3rd house indicates how an in what manner will a person use the strength of the arms. Whether it will be in the right direction and for the right purpose or not can be gauged from the rasi, rasi lord and the graha(s) in the 3rd bhava.

The 3rd bhava, along with the 6th, 10th and 11th bhavas, is a 'Upachaya' (meaning growing) bhava. Since it is a upachaya, the activities of this house is totally controllable by the person. It is not beyond the control of man that he cannot change the fate or what is pre-destined. Thus, we can see that karma and all activities related to the karma are in the upachaya bhavas and are totally controllable by man. A person with a strong 3rd house may be good at sword fighting and would have very good parakrambal, but it is upto him to choose whether to fight at all or not. Thus his karma is in his hands.

The 3rd house is also the 11th from the 5th house, which indicates the gains from knowledge. This implies in what manner will the person utilize the knowledge he possesses. Whether it would be put to gainful use or not can be deduced from here.

3rd House also indicates what would be predominantly held in the hand:

• Saturn - Bow and Arrow
• Surya - Gun, Sword
• Mangal - Spear, Trisul, Sul
• Guru - Tulsi mala or Jap mala
• Sukra - Flowers, paint brush (anything beautiful)
• Budh -Pen


Fourth House
वाहनान्यथ बन्धूंश्च मातृसौख्यादिकान्यपि।
निधि क्षेत्रं गृहं चापि चतुर्थात्‌ परिचिन्तयेत्‌॥ ५॥
vāhanānyatha bandhūmśca mātrsaukhyādikānyapi
nidhi kshetram grham cāpi caturthāt paricintayet ..5..

The 4th bhava indicates mother, motherland, relatives, property, vehicles and other conveyances, peace of mind, prosperity of self, heart, formal education, general happiness, home and happiness.

The 4th house, along with the 1st, 7th and 10th houses, is one of the four quadrants or angles and it happens to be one of the pillars of a person's chart. The first is the lagna or birth, while the 7th is the descendent of the lagna where the person comes down to the basics of desire. The 10th is the sky, where one climbs according to karma, while 4th is the nadir - 'patal' - where one finds himself after the fall from the sky (karma). Thus, the quadrants are very important houses of the horoscope.

The 4th is a very vital house inasmuch as it deals with one's mother and general happiness of life. The child, in its initial years of life, is fully under the protective cover of the mother. It is mother who understands everything related to the child. It is she who provides her child food, shelter, and succor to life. The child also looks for the mother whenever it feels hungry or insecure. When man falls from the heights of glory (the 10th - karmabhava) nobody except his mother who still wishes the very best for him and provides him the succor. The mother protects even unruly and sinful children. Such is the blind, unbiased and true love of mother for the child. Lord Krishna has therefore rightly called "Matrubhava Devta" meaning the mother - child relationship to be a relationship between the individual and God. Therefore, the 4th bhava, in the form of mother's love and relationship, establishes the love for God. It is the Lord who helps us at the weakest time like the mother who helps the child when it is most vulnerable. Sri Adi Shankara has, therefore, said that, mother's blessing was of vital importance for the attainment of moksha. He said: "Gatistvam gatistvam tvameka bhavani". It is the blessings of mother that actually provides one the speed (gati) in the direction and desire for setting out on the path for spiritualism.

It is also because mother (also God) is the one who provides 'ashraya' - shelter - to the person that we see the acquisition of landed property and house(s) both in the native land and elsewhere, including foreign lands, from the 4th house. Placement of the lord of 4th in 8th would indicate acquisition of property in other places, while its placement in 12th would mean acquisition of property in foreign lands.

It also indicates anything that is imbibed or received from the mother. The first language that we speak - our mother tongue is; the place where we are born - motherland; the love for our culture and motherland is also to be seen from the 4th house. Any inimical or papa graha in the 4th affects to that extent the symbolization of the 4th house.

The 4th also rules the heart. After all, love - true love - is possible only if there is a heart (conscious mind) to do so. True is nothing but pursuit of the loved one with heart and soul. Any benevolence or arrogance of the person's heart, whether a person is good or bad at heart, is to be seen from the strength and placement of the 4th house, its lord and other grahas in it. Placement of Rahu could give a hard/stout heart. It could also indicate heart disease/afflictions to heart depending on its placement etc., while placement of a benefic like Venus could indicate passionate love and a very kind mother. Thus, afflictions to the heart, both physical and emotional, are to be seen from the 4th house. Thus, the 4th also becomes the house of happiness and grief. No afflictions or good placements could give a general sense of attainment of happiness and less emotional strains. This establishes a clear connection between the heart (4th) and the mind (1st). The general sense of happiness prevails only when the desires are fulfilled.

The 4th house also deals with formal education. It indicates the extent and type of formal education that one would get in life. It indicates the school, college or institution, the length till which one will have formal education. While presence of Rahu in the 4th will also indicate general defiance in studies and disturbances to mother etc., it would also indicate an inclination and even good control over foreign languages - something which is uncommon to the native.

All modes of conveyances, of course - with the sambandha of Venus who is the naisargika karaka for vehicles/conveyances, is to be studied and predicted from the 4th hosue. While presence or aspect of Venus on the 4th would mean attainment and enjoyment of material pleasures of all good things of life, presence of aspect of grahas like Rahu, Ketu, Sani would mean denial or destruction of the pleasures of the world resulting in lack of general happiness. Thus we may say that the results indicated by any graha in the 4th fructify fast, while that of those in the 1st or 7th will be felt only in the later part of life.

The general sense of happiness to an individual comes only when the acquisitions are self-made. Though we know the need and importance of karma (10th) we still tend to run after the comforts for self. It is when we achieve these comforts in the world of maya that we feel satisfied. It is this proud sense of satisfaction on having achieved something material that gives happiness to everybody.


Fifth House
यन्त्रमन्त्रौ तथा विद्यां बुद्धेश्चैव प्रबन्धकम्‌।
पुत्रराज्यापभ्रांशादीन्‌ पश्येत्‌ पुत्रालयाद्‌ बुधः॥ ६॥
yantramantrau tathā vidyām buddheścaiva prabandhakam
putrarājyāpabhrāmśādīn paśyet putrālayād budhah ..6..

yantramantrau- yantras and mantras; tathā - and; vidyām - learning/ knowledge; buddheścaiva - also intelligence; prabandhakam- composition; putra- progeny/ son; rājyā- kingdom/ state; āpabhrāmśādīn- corruption/ falling down from place of honour; paśyet - see; putrālayād - fifth house/ the place of son; budhah - observe

The 5th house indicates knowledge, the knowledge of mantras and yantras (amulets etc., used in spiritualism), children (sons), planning, status or authority received from the government (or royalty) and other places, fall of position or status etc., - In general, the house of future.

We are aware that the 1st, the 5th and the 9th form the Dharma Trikona. We are also aware of Brihaspati's influence on the 5th house as he is the karaka for children (to be seen from the 5th), for knowledge (dhi shakti and he is also the Guru - teacher) and a supreme benefic for the well being of the person during his life time. Therefore, Brihaspati's influence on the 5th is to be reckoned with great care and his is to be propitiated for general well being and gain of knowledge and good things in life; and more so when there is any affliction to the 5th, particularly that of Rahu.

Children are the hope for the future of parents and also the generation. As parents gamble/speculate our future by way looking for assistance and achievements from our children in our later years. Therefore, the 5th not only becomes the house of future of the person but also the house to look for speculative abilities and name and fame to be gained in future. It is the 8th from the 10th (karma bhava) and the 10th from the 8th house (based on the 'Bhavatbhavam' principle). Hence the speculative abilities is to be seen from the 5th house as it becomes the karmabhava for the 8th house which is known for gambling activities (or unearned wealth).

5th is the house that sustains the 4th being 2nd from it. Thus, we may derive the general well being of the heart from the 5th. It provides life and succor to the heart by way of love. Love is the prime essence of well being. When deprived of it, it not only wrecks the heart emotionally, but also physically.

By virtue of being in the 2nd from the 4th bhava (formal knowledge) and also because it is an activity related to Brihaspati the significator of dhi shakti without which one never accomplishes anything, the 5th house gains importance by way of both formal and informal education. Intelligence to comprehend anything and putting it to effective use is very important for a meaningful living. Since it is the Guru (teacher) who confers the knowledge of 'mantra', tantra and 'yantra' vidya, it becomes the most important house to look for the knowledge of the same and also the respect and obedience one would have towards the preceptors (gurus and teachers). Thus, any affliction to the 5th would reflect the negatives of the house in terms of knowledge and intelligence of the person, as also the respect and obedience for guru/teacher. One of the negative aspects of an afflicted 5th house would also indicate the speculative action that one would perform in the case of gambling (as it is the 10th from the 8th house - Bhavat- bhavam principle).

The 5th house also happens to be the 11th from the 7th (house of marriage). Hence the reckoning of gains from marriage is estimated from the 5th house.

The placement of different planets in 5th are as follows:
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Sun
Indicates anger during child birth, struggle in the middle life, living in loneliness, love for father.

Moon
Love for mother, love for motherland

Mars
Love for co-born(s), knowledge of tactics of war, love or adept in arms, martial arts, sports and anything where aggression is required. Also indicates a good cook. Knowledge of surgery. It could also indicate ceasarian child birth (during such times Hanuman Pooja is suggested and 'Pitavastra' - yellow cloth is placed near the place of birth to pacify the effects of Kuja), but Jupiter's presence would stop ceasarian and will allow a normal birth.

Mercury
Very intelligent, love for knowledge and intelligence, love for children, accomplished in accounting and trade and commerce.

Jupiter
Love for son, fond of supreme knowledge including vedic knowledge, fond of teaching, learned in law and could be a judge, very divine.

Venus
Love for daughter, fond of worldly pleasures, love for conveyances, love for travel, love for beautiful things.

Saturn
Love for stale things, lethargic and lazy, fond of sleeping, procrastinating and slow moving.

Rahu
Brilliant planning, shadyantra (deceptive planning), lack of Respect for gurus (preceptors), love for all kinds of pleasures.

Ketu
Lack of planning, headless activity, denial of what is loved.


The numeric numbers and the number of children represented by the grahas are as follows:

Surya - 1 one child
Chandra - 2 two children
Brihaspati - 3 three children
Rahu - 4 four children
Budh - 5 five children
Shukra - 6 six children
Ketu - 7 seven children
Shani - 8 eight children
Mangal - 9 nine children

Sixth House
मातुलान्तकशंकानां शत्रूंश्चैव व्रणादिकान्‌।
सपत्नीमातरं चापि षष्ठभावान्निरीक्षयेत्‌॥ ७॥
mātulāntakaśankānām śatrūmścaiva vranādikān
sapatnīmātaram cāpi shashthabhāvānnirīkshayet ..7..

mātula- maternal uncle; antaka- end/ death; śankānām- doubts and mistust; śatrūm- enemies; caiva- and also; vrana- injuries/ ulcer/ tumor; adikān- etc.; sapatnīmātaram- step-mother; cāpi - and also; shashthabhāvānnirīkshayet - judge from sixth bhava.

The 6th house indicates maternal uncle, doubts about death, enemies, ulcers, step mother, punishment etc.


The 6th bhava, along with the 3rd, 10th and 11th is a 'Upachaya'. It is the house of service (work). 6th is also the house of punishment, depending on whether the work performed is good or bad, as per the principle - "Tanau Tanah Danda Hara" (6th and 11th (Tanau Tanah means 6th to 6th) are the houses of punishment and reward), wherein 'Danda' means punishment and 'Hara' means gaining victory. The Lord gains victory over the person by showing him the rewards. However, the amount of punishment and reward to be meted out to a person is purely the knowledge of God as it is only he who can determine it.

The 6th is the 3rd from 4th, which is the house of mother. Hence maternal uncles are seen from the 6th house.

6th is the house of enemies. The strength and weakness of the enemy is to be seen from here. It is considered always good to have a weak or debilitated 6th lord as it indicates that the enemy is weak and could be won over. However, to defeat the enemy the person would require a strong 7th house.

The 6th is also the house of service. This determines whether the person would be a 'karmayogi' or not. It also determines whether the person would render service or would run a business and in what manner and circumstances. To determine the karma of the 6th house it is important to study the 10th from it i.e., the 3rd house (Bhavatbhavam principle) which determines the karma of the service rendered by the person. "Shramdan" (rendering service in terms of physical labour in temples or places of worship and worship to "Shani" - the lord for labour) will rectify afflictions to the 6th house.

The 6th also happens to be the 2nd from the 5th house, which is the house of children. It, thus, sustains the life of the child. The food habits and type of food eaten by the child can be estimated from the 6th house.

The 6th house indicates servants too. It also indicates whether the person himself will do his work or will get done from the servants. Even the faithfulness/morality of the servants could be determined from the 6th house.


Seventh House
जायामध्वप्रयाणं च वाणिज्यं नष्टवीक्षणम्‌।
मरणं च स्वदेहस्य जायाभावान्निरीक्षयेत्‌॥ ८॥
jāyāmadhvaprayānam ca vānijyam nashtavīkshanam
maranam ca svadehasya jāyābhāvānnirīkshayet ..8..

jāyā- wife; madhvaprayānam- follower of madhava; ca- also; vānijyam - business; nashta- destruction; vékñaëam- look at, see, inspect; maranam- death; ca- and; svadehasya- body of self; jāyābhāvānnirīkshayet - judge from the Jaya (7th) bhava.

After the 1st house (Lagna/Ascendant), the 7th house or Saptam Bhava is the second most important house. One - because it is the exact opposite of the 1st (Ascendant), hence it should be the descendant of the native's Lagna, which indicates the Kama (desire) of the native; and two - it is a strong controller for the 4th (Sukhasthan) and 10th (Karmasthan) houses (being a pada to the two houses on the principle of Bhavat Bhavam).

7th is a very vital house of the chart in many aspects. It indicates the inner desires, carnal desires, objective of life, character, value systems of life etc. 7th, being the house that indicates the private parts, is also very important to determine the sex/gender of the native. Hence it is also known as the 'Kalatra' meaning that which indicates the sex and sexual instincts of the person.

7th is a very important house also because it provides the ability to bring forth new life in the form of progeny - it gives form to a new atma that develops as the child. The organs (private parts) are basically used for procreative activity. The general well being of a person could be determined on how good or bad the 7th house is and what effects it has on the 4th and 10th houses of the person. Thus, 7th is the 'naisargika' bhava of Lord Shiva who is the Lord for 'Kalyanam' meaning well being (Lord Brahma is for 'Ayu' meaning life/longevity while Maha Vishnu is for 'Dhanam' for sustenance).

As the 7th deals with inner desires and procreation, it shows rebirth. It is also the 8th house (longevity/delay) for the 12th house (moksh/emancipation). It could be known from this bhava whether, when, where and why will an individual be reborn. In fact, there is a practice of preparing "Mrityu Kundlis" which is prepared at the time of death and the 7th bhava of this chart would indicate exactly the nature, why, when and where about the rebirth. A 'papa' graha in the 7th would indicate 'Punarjanma' (rebirth).

[Upaya: Prayer to Lord Shiva will help in cleaning the dosha of papa graha.]

How is the 7th related to the 4th (Sukhasthan) (the bhava for peace of mind, desires etc.)?
'Ichha' (desire/Kama) is the ultimate source of all problems. If one had no desires, except attaining God, there would not be scope for any sorrow. It is only the desire to achieve something, to latch on to something, an emotional attachment to something that causes the sorrow when it is either not attained or is lost. Now, desire for something is love or kama. The purity or impurity of desire determines the quantum of sorrow. Desire to attain God is, perhaps, the purest form of love/kama. Again, Kama can be for different purposes and with different grades/degrees of intensity. Desire for wife (cohabiting with one woman - as practised and example set by Lord Rama), children, home and their well being is a genuine and proper desire and to sustain them one needs money. Hence the need for a job/Karma and hence the sorrow when you fall short of resources for meeting those needs. Here comes the relativity between the 7th, 4th and the 10th. But, if the same love were to turn into lust (carnal desire - an animal instinct for sex) then the desire is improper. The higher such improper and uncontrolled desires the more the sorrows that one experiences.

7th is also the house that indicates the overcoming of enemies or being vanquished by them. Now, when does a person have enemies? Only a person who has something which others do not, or, when somebody desires to attain something which others too are aiming, does one create and have enemies. However, if a person were simply desirous of attaining God, he is not going to have enemies. It is only materialistic things/worldly things, which attract enemies. A beggar is most likely not to have enemies, while a rich man is bound to have more enemies because what a beggar doesn't have a rich man has.

Here comes the relation between the 6th and the 7th bhava. The 6th indicates enemies and the 7th indicates vanquishing enemies or being vanquished by them. A weak 6th Lord and a strong 7th bhava is sure to vanquish the enemies, while in the converse the native is defeated.

7th bhava of the naisargika bha chakra is 'Vanij sthana' meaning the house of trade and commerce. What is the aim behind the karma? If it is to earn money, then the second from the karma house (10th house) i.e., the 11th house and its trines come into focus. And of these, the 7th happens to be the 10th from the naisargika 10th bhava of the chart which indicates the karma to be performed and the actual desire for the performance of the karma (to earn money for sustenance). Thus, the 7th also becomes the house of business and being the naisargika house for 'Wife/Ardhangni' it also becomes the bhava for determining the compatibility with partners in business.

Therefore, the 7th is truly reflective of the inner self of the person. It is reflective of the 'Ayana' of the person. An inappropriate lordship/placement/rasi of the 7th bhava indicates the extent to which a person bears a character, disposition in life, whether the person will be reborn or will attain moksha. Any affliction to the 7th would be detrimental to the development of the person as a good social being. Hence the 7th is a very vital bhava which holds the key to success or failure of life.

Thus, to determine the strengths and results of native's chart, the 7th, 7th Lord and is Darapada (A7) placement become very significant and important.

Mars in the 7th
Indicates Kuja Dosha (this is due to the anger of Deva Rishi Narad - Upaya: Prayer to Hanumanji is the sole remedy). The placement of Mars in 7th indicates war or 'Yudh' in life (as may be seen from Lord Rama's life) which means a life full of struggles with frequent separation from wife. This could mean a separation, incompatible natures, angry nature/hot constitution of the wife/business partner, disharmony in marital life - which means a generally tense and strained personal life. However, the positive signs of have Mars in the 7th would mean that the person is very strong physically and also mentally as it aspects the 1st (Ascendant/Lagna), which is also because struggles actually strengthen the person mentally and physically.

Venus in the 7th
This would indicate love for all beautiful things, strong desire for sex (being the natural Kalatrakaraka i.e., the significator for sex), beautiful wife/partner, desire for material luxuries of life, a robust physique with sexual appeal, attractive body etc.

Saturn in 7th
This would indicate the dirty side of sex and other likings, a delayed marriage, spouse/partner being older than self, this would also mean that the spouse could be older in thoughts, disposition, age etc., separation, disharmony. The desire for sex could even be a carnal desire (as it gains Digbala in the 7th) without any discretion for caste, creed and levels.

Jupiter in 7th
Jupiter, the Devaguru, is considered the best placement in the 7th. A Guru, and that too a Devaguru, could never do anything wrong. Hence
he indicates the best for the overall well being of the person, particularly in a female's chart where he indicates absolute chastity. He should
indicate the chaste desires of the person.

Sun in the 7th
Sun, king of all grahas, would mean that the spouse/partner is very dominating in nature, very regal/authoritative in disposition, angry/hot nature, reddish complexion, strong in physique and mental nature, a burning and never ending desire for sex and all things rich and royal.

Moon in the 7th
Moon, queen of all grahas, would thus indicate beauty, cool disposition, strong mind, charming, regal taste, splendorous mannerisms and dressing, urge for good and clean sex, white complexioned wife, good acumen to trade, gullible etc.

Rahu in the 7th
Being a demon, will indicate diabolical nature, carnal (sex)desires, ruthlessness in all aspects of life, dirty thoughts, filthy sex, involvement in prostitution, gambling and the likes. However, a controlled Rahu could also give the better things of life and material fulfilment. Propitiating Lord Shiva with water (Rudrabhishek) to control and calm the heated and passionate desires or have controlled sex is the best Upaya for Rahu, while - the mantra: "Hari Om Tat Sat" - Satyanarana Mantra is helpful to just cut off the effects of Rahu i.e., no desires at all).

Ketu in the 7th
Being the dismembered body of the demon Rahu, it would indicate a sickly spouse. Being the natural significator for Moksha, it would indicate that the partner/spouse will be a spiritual person. It could also indicate a nagging partner. An afflicted placement could mean sickness, unsteady mind, general destruction i.e., the infra-red passion of Ketu leads to self-destruction as Lord Shiva destroyed Kamadeva. (The 7th house, is also the house of Kamadeva - hence the desires. Destruction of desires (i.e., Kamadeva) eventually leads to moksha).


7th Lord in the 6th bhava would mean the spouse turning an enemy where the faithfulness or fidelity is to be doubted. This could be redeemed only with a strong and benevolent Jupiter in the chart.

7th Lord in the 9th would mean that that bhagya (fortune) of the person will turn for the good after marriage.

Since 7th indicates rebirth and the 12th bhava indicates Moksha/sleep, 7th is a naisargika enemy of the 12th (7th bhava is 8th from the 12th bhava) as, to attain the desires one has to remain awake and be attached to the desire for its realization. Non-realization of the desire would eventually lead to rebirth for its fulfilment.

The longevity of the first marriage (M1) is to be seen from the 2nd house to the 7th (i.e., the 8th bhava of the chart - the principle of 2nd being the maraka) as it is the sustaining house for the 7th. The 7th from the house of first marriage (M1) (i.e., 2nd bhava of the chart) would indicate the possibility of the second (M2) marriage and the longevity of this marriage is to be determined from the 2nd house to this bhava (M2) (i.e., the 3rd bhava of the chart). The 7th from M2 would indicate the 3rd marriage (M3) and the 2nd bhava from M3 would indicate its longevity. Subsequent marriages, usually till the 4th, are to be seen so on and so forth. Such a syndrome normally stops with the fourth marriage when the effect of Moon (in the form of mother or mother-in-law) comes in as a natural obstacle. However, these are to be reckoned by the Jyotish after careful observation of the customs and practices of different communities and persons. Normally, this phenomena of multiple marriages is most possible in people and communities where worship on Fridays is practised predominantly as they would imbibe more of Venusian effects.

UPAPADA

Upapada, also known as Gaunapada, is the 'Arudha' of the 12th bhava of the chart (BPHS: Chapter 30 - Slokas 1-2).

(Gauna - means one who follows {Anuchara - that which follows - Sloka 2 of Chapter 30-BPHS} - Accordingly, the 'Arudha' of the bhava that follows (12th) the Lagna is, thus, the Gaunapada or Upapada.)

This pada determines the inner nature/attitude of the native towards the spouse. The 'Sambandha' or relationship of the lord of Upapada vis-à-vis the Lagna lord, by way of placement, will determine whether the native would marry at all or not. If the lord of Upapada goes to the 12th (the house for sacrifice/Tyaga) therefrom, it indicates a sure sign of denial of marriage. This would also indicate the delays, if any, and the reasons for such delay in marriage.

Now, how do we see the 'sambandha' of the lord of Upapada with the lord of Lagna?

The rasi/sign occupied by the lord of the Lagna is called 'Paka Lagna'. The Paka Lagna signifies the whims and fancies of the native. While the natal Lagna determines what is good or bad for the body, Paka Lagna signifies what a person likes or dislikes. Thus, a papa graha occupying the Lagna will not signify clearly the likes and dislikes of the person as the Paka Lagna would.

Therefore, the relationship between a graha and the lord of the Lagna/Paka Lagna should be studied carefully to determine the likes and dislikes, whims and fancies etc., of a person. When the sambandha of a graha is not good with the lord of Lagna/Paka Lagna, the graha tends to reject its significations. This determines the fact that a certain placement of a graha, though it signifies certain naisargik qualities, loses such qualities in terms of its relationship with the lord of the Lagna/Paka Lagna. This has to be studied carefully to determine whether the person would marry or not, what the person will like or dislike, what the person will adapt or renounce etc. For example, mere occupation of Lagna by Shani - a naisargika significator of alcohol and negative things - will not determine the persons liking for alcohol or negative aspects as his paka lagna would, while the converse is true in the case of benefics.

(Note: However, Brihaspati [Karaka for 'Jeeva' and Dhi Shakti which is the most important quality of man] is the naisargik karaka for Paka Lagna.)

Since Upapada determines the nature/attitude of the person towards the spouse who is a lifelong partner, it is very important that the sign/rasi of the Upapada is auspicious. It is the auspiciousness of the rasi that determines the purity of nature of the native and how the person would treat the spouse. Any affliction to the rasi, or if the rasi is inauspicious, to that extent the native's attitude towards the spouse is affected. This would mean that the compatibility, fidelity, affection etc., which form the basics of good spousal relationship, either become questionable or it is totally absent depending on the inauspiciousness or affliction of the sign.

Thus, the lord of Gaunapada becomes very important in determining the spouse (family etc.,), spousal attitude of the person, and happiness/sorrow from spouse. An exalted lord of Upapada will bring to the native a spouse from a noble family, while in the case of a debilitated lord of Upapada the reverse holds true meaning thereby that the spouse will be from a family below the status of the native.

Following are the significations in the case of the lord of Upapada being conjoined with:

1. Surya - the spouse would be from a family enjoying political power, or from a higher caste meaning change in caste (as Sun represents temples - a place where people of higher learning/caste live/work);

2. Moon - the spouse could be from a wealthy family, or a family with immense popularity.

3. Mars - the spouse could be from a family linked with the Martian qualities like Police, Military, Kshatriya families etc.

4. Mercury - the spouse could be from a family involved in dealing with writing/books, or in accounting professions, or in trade.

5. Jupiter - the spouse would be from a brahmin family, or from a learned family, or from a judicial family.

6. Venus - the spouse could be from a family with a poetic and romantic touch, artistic flair, involved with cattle (like dairying), dealing in clothes or cosmetics, or anything that is linked with beauty.

7. Saturn - the spouse would be from a lower family, or lower caste, or from a family engaged in menial jobs such as factory workers etc.

8. Rahu - the spouse would be from a family involved in gambling and other such related activities, or from a foreign land.

9. Ketu - the spouse could belong to an ascetic family, or a family that is detached from normal stream of society.


As we know the principle that it is always the 2nd bhava that sustains the previous bhava, determining the effects of the 2nd bhava from Upapada becomes important in determining the sustenance of the marriage. Any afflictions or inauspiciousness of the 2nd bhava from the Upapada will indicate the length of marriage i.e., how long the marriage would last and when it breaks what will be the reasons that determine such a break. From this we get an important principle:- The nature of sign in the 2nd bhava from Upapada is important in determining the real cause of break in marriage (which could be in the form of death (under various circumstances), legal or illegal separation, separation due to other ordinary or extraordinary circumstances etc.,).

The following graha placements/rasi in the 2nd bhava from Upapada indicate the broad causes for break in marriage:


1. If the 2nd from Upapada happens to locate a benefic, or it is aspected by or conjunct with a benefic, then the native enjoys good results (from wife) - [BPHS: Chapter 30 - Slokas 7 to 12].

2. If the 2nd from Upapada happens to locate a papa graha, and/or it is occupied or aspected by or conjunct with a graha in debilitation (either in rasi/navamsa), then the destruction of wife/marital happiness is bound to happen. [BPHS: Chapter 30 - Slokas 7 to 12].

3. If the 2nd from Upapada happens to locate an exalted graha (either in rasi or navamsa) or should receive aspect by any such graha, then the person should have many wives. The same is also applicable in the case of Mithun (quality of copulation and many companions) being the 2nd from Upapada. Even Taurus (owned by Shukra) is known to give plurality of marriage. [BPHS: Chapter 30 - Slokas 7 to 12].

4. If the 2nd from Upapada happens to be occupied by its own lord or if the said lord is in his other house (in the case of dual ownership), then the death of wife will be at an advanced age. [BPHS: Chapter 30 - Slokas 7 to 12].

5. If the graha, which is a constant indicator of wife (either the 7th lord or Sukra) is in own house, the loss of wife will be only at an advanced stage. (BPHS: Chapter 30 - Slokas 13 to 15).

6. If the lord of 2nd from Upapada is 2nd from the Lagna (natal ascendant) and is with a papa graha, then the marriage could break due to the native's thieving habits.

7. Shani and Rahu in 2nd from Upapada - loss of wife through death and calumny (slander). (BPHS: Chapter 30 - Sloka - 16). If the said 2nd happens to be Shani's own house (Makar or Kumbh) the wife will have disease in legs; and, if Rahu too joins Shani's own house in 2nd, the wife is sure to be lame. Shani, Rahu and Surya in the said 2nd will cause distress to bones (Surya rules bones).

8. Mercury in 2nd from Upapada will cause verbal warfare (Budh rules speech) with wife. Even excess speech (unwanted speech) can damage the marriage. The marriage could break due to extra-marital relationships, as Budh rules Mithun and Mithun signifies such relationships. Budh also signifies dealing with books and writing. Indulgence in books and writing could lead to a break in marriage. Budh and Ketu in 2nd from Upapada causes breakage of bones. (BPHS: Chapter 30 - Sloka - 18). Budh and Rahu in 2nd from Upapada will give a stout body to the wife. (Slokas 19-22). If Mangal and Shani occupy such a 2nd house that happens to be owned by Budh, the wife then suffers from nasal disorders. (Slokas 19-22). Budh and Mangal in the 2nd from Upapada will cause dental disorders to the wife. (Slokas 19-22). However, Budh in 2nd from Upapada in wife's horoscope will indicate a strong Rajyog for the husband. This too could be a cause of break in marriage.)

9. Shukra in 2nd from Upapada could signify break in marriage due to libidinous activities. Rishabh being such a 2nd house indicates many wives or plurality of marriage, which could also be a cause for break in marriage. (BPHS: Chapter 30 - Slokas 7-12). Shukra and Ketu in 2nd from Upapada will cause disorder of blood, leucorrhoea. (BPHS: Chapter 30: Sloka 17).

10. Moon in 2nd from Upapada would signify break in marriage (or death) due to problems in the lymphatic fluids that would damage the physical health of the wife. As Moon rules mind, it could also indicate emotional problems leading to break in marriage. If Shani afflicts such placement of the Moon, it is sure to cause severe depressions for the wife.

11. Surya in 2nd from Upapada would cause death/separation due to high fevers, bone disorders.

12. Brihaspati in the 2nd from Upapada would cause break due to child birth/childlessness, lack of intelligence, excess weight etc. Jupiter and Rahu in such a 2nd house will cause dental problems; while Guru and Shani in such a 2nd house will cause trouble in eyes/ears of the wife. (BPHS: Chapter 30: Slokas 19-22).

13. If Mangal happens to be in 2nd from Upapada, it could cause separation from wife through sudden accidents in combination with Kethu for certain; blood disorders; death in fights; death due to arms and ammunitions; separation due to fiery temperament; anger and inflexibility and ego; and other Martian qualities.

However, all these are to be studied from the natal ascendant, Lagna Pada (Arudha of Lagna), the 7th from Upapada and the lords thereof. (BPHS: Chapter 30: Slokas 22 & 23.5).

(Upaya for delayed marriage: Fasting on the days of the lord - can consume only milk and some fruits.)

However, to clear the general afflictions to the 7th bhava and also the kidney, prayer to Lord Shiva is the key. Chanting the Maha Mrityunjeya Mantra 11 times with milk held in the hand and consuming that milk immediately thereafter helps in removing all poison (toxicity) from the body. This not only purifies the mind (thought) but also cleanses the kidney, which is signified by the 7th bhava. [Maharshi Attri is believed to cleansed the body of Lord Shiva off all the poison that he consumed during Sagar Manthana by placing Moon on his (Shiva's) head. Hence milk (signified by Moon) is believed to cure the afflictions of this house (ruled by Shiva) with the chanting of Maha Mrityunjeya Mantra].

Eighth House

आयु रणं रिपुं चापि दुर्गं मृतधनं तथा।
गत्यनुकादिकं सर्वं पश्येद्रन्ध्राद्विचक्षणः॥ ९॥
āyu ranam ripum cāpi durgam mrtadhanam tathā
gatyanukādikam sarvam paśyedrandhrādvicakshanah ..9..

āyu- age/ longevity; ranam - battles and wars; ripum - weaknesses; cāpi - and also; durgam - difficult situation; mrtadhanam - wealth of the dead/ legacy/ inheritence; tathā - and gatyanukādikam - things that have happenes; sarvam -everything; paśyed- see; randhrāt- randhra bhava/ 8th house; vicakshanah- observe from/ experience from, being conscious of


The length of one's life is to be seen from the 8th house. A strong 8th house, lord of the 8th and lord of the lagna who is also well placed determine the life of the person. There are four types of aayus - (1) Dirgaayu (long life - beyond 75 years); (2) Madhyaayu (middle life - 32 to 75 years); and (3) Alpaayu (short life - 20 to 32 years); while the fourth type is known as Balarishta (child death - 0 to 19 years). In normal parlance, a longlife or dirgaayu is considered good as it generally indicates the satisfaction of having lived the life as one gets enough time to accomplish the desires. The strengths of the 8th house and its lord, lagna and its lord and their placements; as also the 10th house and 10th lord (as it is the 3rd house from the 8th) are to be considered properly before pronouncing the longevity of the person.

Since the 8th is indicative of the longevity, it is also intimately connected with the battlefield and enemies. A stronger enemy is bound to kill in the battle while a weaker enemy is likely to be won over. A proper study of the 8th house and the Rudramsa can indicate the timing of war, the length of war and its victory or defeat. Since 8th is also an indicator of forts and fortresses, one will come to learn their strengths and weaknesses, rise and fall of the forts (kingdoms and kings).

We know that the lord of 8th is also called rogesh (lord of long-term disease). A proper and detailed study of the 8th could indicate the type of disease that one would die of and the length of time that one will suffer during the inimical period of the 8th house and its lord. The placement of the lord of 8th will also indicate the place where exactly in the physical body would one get affected by disease, the type and duration of such disease and its cure or otherwise. All this would depend on the placement of grahas in the 8th, placement and strength of lord of 8th and lord of lagna.

It would be very interesting to note the relation between the 7th and 8th house in terms of longevity. While the 8th indicates longevity, the 7th (being the 12th to 8th) indicates loss to the longevity. A strong 7th indicating strong/over indulgence in sex causes loss of longevity. Loss of semen, which is vitality, cuts short the length of life. Thus the 7th, which is opposite to celibacy, affects very much the longevity of life. A strong Venusian activity is thus an enemy of the longevity.

8th is also the house of Mrutadhanam, meaning, the accruals in the form of legacies and insurance.

It is also known as the house of unearned wealth, which also includes gambling. While the activity of gambling itself is seen from the 8th house, the karma (the act of speculation) for gambling is seen from the 5th house (it is the 10th from the 8th - Bhatbhavam principle).

Thus, the 8th, along with the 6th and 12th houses is called the 'dushtstana' meaning the malefic houses because of their ability to either create or make enemies and provide detachment and loss. The Moon in 8th is particularly undesirable as it is called "Ashtama Chandra Marana Karaka" meaning the Moon in the 8th wields death-inflicting powers to the sign/house it owns. Rulers are known to be killed, wars are known to be lost, persons are known to lose their lives when the Moon is placed in the 8th.


Ninth House
भाग्यं श्यालं च धर्मं च भ्रातृपत्न्यादिकांस्तथा।
तीर्थयात्रादिकं सर्वं धर्मस्थानान्निरीक्षयेत्‌॥ १०॥
bhāgyam śyālam ca dharmam ca bhrātrpatnyādikāmstathā
tīrthayātrādikam sarvam dharmasthānānnirīkshayet ..10..

bhāgyam- fortune; śyālam ca- and; dharmam - path of righteousness, duties and obligations; ca- also; bhrātrpatnyādikāmstathā - also the wife of the brother; tīrthayātrādikam - pilgrimages etc.; sarvam - everything; dharmasthānānnirīkshayet - judge from the dharma sthana (9th house)

The 9th bhava signifies father, dharma, guru, past karma, bhagya, long journeys, thighs, sister-in-law (brother's wife), journeys to holy places etc.


Why is the 9th house the significator of father and dharma?

From the principle of trines, we know that Lord Brahma resides in the 1st bhava, while Lord Shiva resides in the 5th and Lord Vishnu in the 9th bhava. While the 1st bhava signifies 'ayu' (birth) and the 5th signifies prosperity, the 9th indicates 'dharma' since Lord Vishnu resides in it. It is he who fixes the dharma of the person and gives according to what he deserves.

The 9th house of the naisargik rasi chakra is Dhanur (Sagittarius) which is a fiery sign and its lord is Devaguru Brihaspati (Jupiter). The fiery nature of Dhanur is because of its agni tatwa, which means energy in the form of light. This agni is called the 'Brihat Agni' or the light of enlightenment and it acts on the dhi shakti (head) without with one will never be able to attain enlightenment/knowledge. This energy is represented by Brihaspati as we know that he is the significator of dhi shakti.

It is because of the reason that Lord Vishnu's will in determining the creation of the person, his dharma, his bhagya etc., is seen from this house of Brihaspati, that Jupiter is seen as representing God (Bhagavate/Bhagam) in the horoscope. Brihaspati is said to represent God in the horoscope because he possesses all the qualities like shantam (peace), shubhalakshanam (good looks/disposition), daya (mercy) etc., that God possesses.

But how is Brihaspati connected with the birth of the individual? Jupiter represents God and he is the sustainer of life (jeeva) while Surya is the giver of life. Therefore, there should be some graha representing and acting as God to create life. It is Surya, in the form of father who acts as God to create life. God fixes our birth on the basis of our past karma but he cannot take birth on earth to create every individual being. The job of creation is thus the responsibility of the father when he, at that moment of creation, acts as God. The representation of God in physical form by the father is the reason why the 9th house is associated with father.

How is father responsible for birth?

The atma that is to take birth resides in the body of the father in a place called "Mooladharachakra". The Mooladharachakra is actually the end of the spinal chord in our body. In the fetal stage, the baby in the womb of the mother develops with a tail, which is actually the extension of the spinal chord, which gradually recedes, with the growth of the fetus. In the Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna has explained how the atma comes to reside in this chakra of the father. It is in the form of rain that the atma comes down on the earth and through the soil, it enters the trees and gets into the fruits through the sap of the tree. The atma, then finds its way to the father when such a fruit which bears the atma to be born is consumed by him. Through the blood stream it reaches the mooladharachakra where it resides till such time fixed by God for its birth.

The deity of Mooladharachakra is Lord Maha Ganapthi as he is the deity of Ketu. We know that Ketu rules the tail. It is the initial tail that gradually recedes to become the end of the spine and is known as Mooladharachakra. Thus, Ketu becomes the important graha to be studied to see the procreative aspects of the father. Therefore, Ketu is known to expand the family in terms of numbers and is also symbolically represented by a yellow square, which is the symbol of Ketu (procreation). Since Surya is the giver of life and is the naisargik atmakarak (who also represents father), it is exalted in Aries in the Ashwin nakshatra, which is a nakshatra of Ketu. Thus, we see the connection of how and why Sun is exalted in Aries.

Thus, we come to see the relationship between father and God. Therefore, the physical presence/form of father is seen from the 9th house. Besides, the other important of role of father in a person's life is to teach the child the ideals/principles of life. The first ideology/principle, otherwise known as dharma, is learnt from the house i.e., from the father. Then comes the role of the teacher - Guru. A good guru teaches good things to the child. Good knowledge is very important for the proper upbringing of the child. It is good knowledge and good principles imbibed by the child both in the family and from the Guru, that stand good in the life of a person. It keeps him principled in life. And good principles inculcate good and strong discipline. Therefore, the 9th house becomes a very important chart in the life of a person.

Any deviation from/desertion of dharma leads to the destruction of the self finally. When dharma (principle) is affected, the 11th house (labhasthana) therefrom, which is the 7th house indicating wife, is first affected. Subsequently leading to affect the 5th (the house of children - because the wife's principles (7th) is affected) and the 3rd is affected as the prakrambal of the native is used to shield the family (wife and children). And when the 3rd is affected, the Lagna too is affected because it is the individual who is adding on to his sins (paapa). Now, when is the dharma affected? It gets affected in a bid to earn more (labha - 11th house). Bad principles adopted to increase the income in labhasthan (11th) no doubt increases the income, but it also increases the sins to that extent affecting the 9th house, which sets of a chain reaction to the other houses (11th therefrom). This is derived from the "Mandooka Dasha" (Mandooka dasha means frog jumps on every third house. This is seen in the Rudramsa chart and is seen for devining wars, victories, defeats etc.).

Thus, the 9th bhava is also for discipline. It indicates 'Japa' which disciplines the person's life. Strong 9th house will indicate a strong sense of discipline and, hence, strong principles. This will reflect the extent to which the person will observe discipline in life and obedience towards his father and Guru. (A strong 9th and the Sun placed in 4th or 8th from Lagna indicates the person to be very obedient to father.)

The 9th house also reflects the past karma of the person. It is the good deeds in one's life that determine the quality of life one would lead in the next birth. The physical body of a person perishes with time, but the atma carries with it the karma accumulated by the person. It is according to this karma that one gets the share (Bhagya - derived from bhaga or bhagam, meaning the share from father/God) of the material things in the world. Hence, the 9th house is also called the house of 'Bhagya' - meaning, what one would enjoy as his/her share of things in the world as decided by God.

Since the 9th signifies the thighs of the person, it also indicates long distance journeys. While studying long distance journeys, it is very important to study the "Jalapatha saham" (Jala - meaning water; patham - meaning crossing; and saham - meaning point) to reckon whether the person will cross large bodies of water (oceans etc.,) and also "Paradesa saham" (Paradesa - meaning foreign; and saham - meaning point) to reckon whether the person will have residence in foreign land. However, the sambandha of Shukra is also to be reckoned as he is the significator of vehicles (means of conveyance), while Ketu, the mokshakaraka, will indicate astral travels (travel of the atma by detachment from the physical self - which is normally attained only by Sadhus after strong tapasya. Ketu helps attain this by way of detaching the mind from the physical self.).

9th bhava being the house of the Lord, it also indicates temples and other places of worship (strong influence of Surya on 9th will indicate construction of temples, while affliction from Rahu will indicate destruction/desecration of religious places).

9th bhava also indicates the wife of the younger brother and also the wife's younger sister.

Another aspect that could be seen from the 9th house is 'renunciation' and its timing is to be derived from its 'Drig Dasha' (Drig - is the power to see).

The spiritual guru of the person is to be seen from the 'Vimsamsa' (D-20) chart of the person. It is the spiritual guru who can help and guide the person during trying times and put him/her on the right path.

Thus, we may see that the 9th house is a very important house of the horoscope of a person. It reflects the principles and ideals of the person and to what extent will he/she follow it in life. Thus, a good and strong 9th house would mean a strongly principled life and opposite would hold true in case of afflictions of the 9th. Connection between the lords of the 9th and 10th bhavas will indicate "Dharmakarmadipati Yoga" which will mean that the person will use the principles (whatever acquired from family and from guru) in performing karma (job).

Hence, it may safely be assumed that prescribing a stone/gem of the 9th lord would be immensely beneficial to the person at all times with the exception being the case where the 9th lord is also the lord of the 6th house (the house of enemies). Also, Jupiter being the lord of the 9th of the natural zodiac, chanting the mantra "Om Gurave Namaha" will strengthen the 9th house, while chanting the mantra "Om Sat Gurave Namaha" will pacify him/her and also strengthen the person spiritually.



Tenth House
राज्यं चाकाशंवृत्तिं च मानं चैव पितुस्तथा।
प्रवासस्य ऋणस्यापि व्योमस्थानान्निरीक्षणम्‌॥ ११॥
rājyam cākāśamvrttim ca mānam caiva pitustathā
pravāsasya rnasyāpi vyomasthānānnirīkshanam ..11..


rājyam - royalty/ kingshjip/ authority; ca- and; ākāśamvrttim - ambition; ca- and; mānam - reputation/ fame; caiva- and also; pituh- father; tathā - and; pravāsasya - living in foreign land, immigration; rnasyāpi - also debts; vyomasthānāt- the house of sky/ ether/ akasha; nirīkshanam- judge from


Royalty/authority (Rajyam); place and profession/livelihood/honour; gains from father; living in foreign lands and debts are to be understood from the 10th house – so says the standard text (BPHS).

The 10th house is the most important quadrant/kendra of a chart. It is one of the principle pillars of the life of the person as it depicts the karma/action of the individual. This shows the karmic direction in one’s life. It is to be seen along with the 9th house which shows the dharma of the person. Any connection between the 9th and 10th house will show the inter-link between the dharmik (religious) and karmic (action) levels of the native.

The 10th house of the natural zodiac is Capricorn (Makar) owned by Saturn (Sani). Our Maharishis were such great seers that what astronomical science is proving today regarding the gradual drift or precession of the solar system towards the constellation Capricorn, was realized and noted by them many thousands of years ago. The four quadrants/kendras (Aries (Mesh); Cancer (Kark); Libra (Thula) and Capricorn (Makar)) of the natural zodiac represent the four yuga as follows:

1. Aries (Mesh) - 1st house - Satyug
2. Cancer (Kark) - 4th house - Tretayug
3. Libra (Thula) - 7th house - Dwaparyug
4. Capricorn (Makar) - 10 thouse - Kaliyug

ABHIJIT NAKSHTRA – 10TH HOUSE AND THE RELEVANCE IN KALIYUG

Vedic (Hindu) astrology is based on the lunar movement and is, therefore, centred around the movement of Moon (representing Krishna – Vishnu avatar). The horoscope is, therefore, based on the principle movement of Moon. The fixation of Moon decides the fixation of other planets in the chart.

Moon takes 27 and 1/3rd days to traverse the zodiac from zero degrees Cancer (Kark) and return to zero degrees Cancer. This would mean that there should be 27 ½ asterisms/Nakshatras. However, we have 27 visible asterisms/Nakshatras from Ashwini to Rohini and the 1/3rd invisible nakshatra. The 1/3rd part of the invisible nakshatra was referred to Hari (Maha Vishnu) and this was found to be approximately 10 degrees (all other stars rule 13degrees and 20 minutes of a sign/constellation). As Capricorn (Makar) is the constellation that is the abode of Maha Vishnu in kaliyug, this invisible (inter-Calary) nakshatra named “ABHIJIT NAKSHTRA” was fixed in the Makar rasi. This is the rasi and star towards which the entire solar system is known to be heading and this movement of the solar system is known is ‘precession’. This is the nakshatra used to adjust the motion of Moon. This nakshatra is most powerful during the noon (12 noon) when Maha Vishnu is known to be on the move to ensure dharma and all good works can safely be undertaken during this period.

Since this is in Capricorn – the 10th house of the natural zodiac, the significance/importance of the 10th house in every individuals chart becomes very important and central to a person’s quality of life and action.

A strong 10th house determines whether a person will become a karmayogi or not. Karma is action/labour and perform karma one expends energy. Therefore, the first significator of the 10th house becomes Saturn (Sani) as he uses up a great deal of energy to do a work. Besides, Saturn is the planet who keeps the account of all bad karmas of a person and punishes a person according to the deeds of the person. Thus, Saturn is also known as a ‘Karmic planet’. Besides the individual karma, Saturn also keeps an account of the ‘Pitri Rina’ (debts of father and forefathers). Therefore, the first action of a person born on this earth should be to wipe away the ‘pitri rina’. Lord Krishna says in Bhagwad Gita that blessed are those who die without any debts – ‘pitri rina’ in particular.

To wipe away all accumulated debts and to perform work one needs energy and this energy comes from the planet Mars (Mangal). Mars, thus, becomes the 2nd important planet so far as the 10th house is concerned. As a matter of fact, this one of the prime reasons why Mars exalts and also attains digbal in the 10th house. Mars is represented by Lord Hanuman who is a symbol of supreme strength and energy. Regular prayers to Lord Hanuman will thus remove all Martian afflictions and help perform right karma.

Where does all the energy of Mars come from? Sun (Surya) (Narayan) is the only source from where Mars draws the strength/energy. Sun is therefore another chief planet for the activities of the 10th house. Sun also gains digbal along with Mars in the 10th house. It is, therefore, very important that all karma/activity is performed during the day when there is natural sun light.

Performance of any karma/activity – either good or bad – requires intelligence (Dhi shakti). Thus, Jupiter, the chief significator of ‘Dhi Shakti’ becomes the 3rd important planet for the 10th house. Regular chanting of ‘Brihaspati Gayatri’ helps strengthen Jupiter, which eventually strengthens the intelligence of the person and also helps the person perform only right and good karma.

One of the most important aspects of doing any karma/action, is the basic desire to do so. This desire for doing a karma comes from the planet Mercury (Budh). Therefore, Mercury becomes a very important planet for the 10th house. A weak and afflicted Mercury could ruin the life of a person due to lack of desire to perform any karma/activity.

The positive sides apart, the following are the negative sides of the above planets in the 10th house when they are either too strong or weak/afflicted:

1. Sun = short term goals over shadow the long term/actual goals of
the person. Therefore, the ayana (direction) of the person is lost.

2. Saturn = there is too much of hard work with minimum of returns or
very little achievement.

3. Mars = there is very high energy level and there is too much
drive/passion in anything/work undertaken by the person.

4. Jupiter = there is simply too much knowledge and, therefore, lack of
focus because of the broad base of knowledge. This aspect can, however, be controlled by strengthening Saturn (the lord of Jupiter’s debility) – the primary level of control. The secondary level of control is by strengthening Moon (the lord of Jupiter’s exaltation). Saturn – Jupiter conjunction causes ‘Brahma Yoga’.

The different aspects of karma/activity are:

(a) Creation
(b) Preservation; and
(c) Destruction

The planet occupying the 10th house signifies the karma/activity that would be performed by the individual.

Sun in the 10th will signifies the creation. It represents a king or top positions in the government. It is bhagwan Ram who decides who will be the king. Thus, Sun in the 10th will give Rajyoga while its affliction will give the opposite – ‘Pravrajya yoga’, meaning renunciation. Sun aspected by Saturn will cause delay or loss of the Rajyoga.

Moon in the 10th signifies preservation. The sustenance of the Rajyog depends on the will of Krishna (Moon). A weak or afflicted Moon will render an oscillating Rajyog. To sustain such a weak or oscillating rajyog, it is important to strengthen Mars (the lord of Moon’s debility) at the primary level, and Venus (the lord of Moon’s exaltation) at the secondary level.

Badhakasthana & Badhakesh

Introduction
In Prasna Marga, Harihara has given the analysis of an horsocope based on Badhaka point of view. He says that for all movable signs, the 11th house therefrom is the badhaka sthana, for all fixed signs, the 9th therefrom are their badhakasthana and for all the dual signs, the 7th therefrom are their badkasthanas. Thus for the 12 signs of the zodiac, the badhakasthanas are:



In this method, the quadrants of the house of harm can also be harmful. This is based on the principle of Paraspara Karaka i.e. doing each other’s job when the planets/signs are placed in mutual quadrants. Paraspara Karaka means, you pat my back and I shall pat yours or you kick my back and I shall kick yours. The patting or kicking is dependent on the natural relationship of the planets under consideration. Thus if natural enemies are placed in the quadrants, they shall fight and when natural friends are placed in such position, they shall work with each other in harmony.

From the placement of the badhakesh (lord of the badhakasthana) or planets in the badhakasthana, we can judge the wrath of others and their result consequences in our lives in form of troubles. The wrath of following are discussed here under:

1. Wrath of deity
2. Wrath of Sarpadeva or divine sepents
3. Wrath of parents
4. Preta Bhadha
5. Dristi Badha
6. Abhichara

Wrath of Deity
The wrath of the deity is to be judged based on various factors. The 12th house from the Atmakaraka is the place of the Ista Devata and it is from the 12th house from the Badhakesh that the past life history of maintenance of the deity is to be deciphered.

The following guidelines are the key to the analysis of wrath of deity
1. Badhakesh is placed in an adverse place and afflicted.
2. If a Malefic planet is placed in the 12th house from the Badhakesh, it indicates that the worshipped image was mutilated.

This brings the wrath of the deity signified by the Badhakesh. Depending on the malefic planets [Rahu, Saturn, Mars] / Upagraha [Guika, Mandi] involved, the following can be inferred: -

(a) Gulika/ Rahu: Gulika is the son of Saturn and extremely diabolical. It rises at the end of the Saturn's portion in the eight part division of the day. Gulika shows poision and Rahu indicate serpents. Hence this indicates some blemishes related to serpents such as a curse of the Serpent deity or a serpent having touched the image of the deity has made it very impure.

(b) Saturn: Pollution /dirt on the image/ temple.

(c) Mars: Disputes /bad management of worship/ image/ temple etc.

The fault leading to the wrath of the deity can be narrowed down as follow. Here we must understand that the if Badhakesh is ill placed and the 12th from the badhakesh is afflicted, the we can be certain that the native shall have wrath of a deity. The reason can be divined from:

1. The malefic influences on the 12th from the badhakesh and/ or
2. The badhakesh itself and/ or
3. From the house where the badhakesh is placed

Cause of Wrath based on placement of Badhakesh in different houses [Ch15, Sl 11],
1. Lagna: Lagna shows image and hence this means that the idol has been mutilated.

Influence of planets on Badhakesh in Lagna:
a. Mars: breaking idol, image or any sacred object associated with the deity. A fresh idol has to be installed in a temple.
b. Saturn/ Rahu/ Gulika: Saturn rules dirt, Gulika poison and Rahu impurities. Thus if they influence the badhakesh, it indicates that pollution and dirt have made the idol impure.
c. If Sun associates, then it is due to birds. (Birds are ruled by Sun)

2. Fourth house: Fourth house shows the place of worship or the temple and hence it means that that the temple is either broken, desecrated or forgotten.

Influence of planets on Badhakesh in Fourth House:
a. Mars: The temple is either broken or dilapidated and needs repairs
b. Saturn: The temple has been forgotten (Saturn rules loss of memory)
c. Saturn/ Rahu: The temple is desecreated (Saturn rules dirt and Rahu rules impurities) and needs to be sanctified.

3. Second or Eleventh house: If the badhakesh is in one of these two houses, these houses being the dhana and aya bhava respectively, it indicates that the deity’s wealth has either been stolen or misappropriated.

The nature of the property can be judged from the nature of the sign. This property is either Dhatu (Inanimate object), Moola (grains, trees, lands etc) or Jeeva (Men, Animals etc) depending on the Lagna as being movable, fixed or dual.

The nature of the sign is however, overridden by planets if they conjoin the Lagna. Mercury and Jupiter signify Jeeva, Sun & Venus signify Moola and the others viz., Moon, Mars, Saturn and Rahu signify Dhatu. This can also be judged from the placement of the badhakesh in different nakshatras. For that matter the naksatras reckoned from Aswini are in the order of Dhatu, Moola & Jeeva.

Similarly, inferences can be made from the other houses.

Remedial measures
Since the dispositor of a planet indicate what sustains the planet and the house and also represent the mental and psychological aspect of a house or planet, the remedy of the sin committed against the deity can be seen from the dispositor of the badhakesh. The tattva (Elements) of the dispositor of the badhakesh, shall indicate, which remedy can propitiate the angry deity. The remedies based on the tattvas are given below:



Further Remedies are given based on the house where the badhakesh is placed and also the planet who shows the cause of the wrath(This can be the afflicted badhakesh itself of the malefics in the 12th from the badhakesh). They are as follows:

Remedies based on placement of the Badhakesh in different Houses


Remedies based on the obstruction by planets


Wrath of Sarpa Deva
In jyotish the planet which signify the serpents is Rahu. The placement of Rahu in different parts of the horoscope and the evil influences it exerts show varity of troubles due to wrath of serpents. Based on the nature of influences on Rahu, the serpents can be of various types. Though curses of the Divine Serpents have already been dealt in the section above, placement of Rahu in 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 house requires additional attention and propitiation.

Nature of Wrath:
1. If Rahu is connected in any way with Badhakesh, it becomes extremely diabolical. The dasa of such Rahu could be extremely troublesome. Whenever such placement occurs, remedial measures are compulsory.

2. Jupiter represent the divine qualities and its influence on Rahu while simultaneously influencing Badhakesh, it shows divine nature of the serpents. Thus, if Jupiter associates with the Badhakesh and is placed in a Dusthana [6/8/12] and if Rahu is in a quadrant from Jupiter, then the curse is from superior or divine serpents.

3. In the above combination, if Gulika is in quadrants instead of Rahu, then these are inferior serpents. This is because, Gulika is the son of Saturn and is known for its diabolical nature. The nature of Gulika is to give poison and if it is involved in the wrath of serpents, the trouble could be extrenely strong, as though the life of native has become full of snake venom. Such combination requires immediate propitiation.

4. If the Sun associates with Rahu, then the serpents are beneficial and essentially intent in long term good.

5. Similarly, the Moon associating with Rahu shows evil-minded serpents intent on causing disaster.

Remedies:
The following remedies have been prescribed in the Prasna Marga and other traditional texts

Wrath of Parents

1. The Badhak sign should be Aries/ Scorpio (indicating the anger/ fire of Mars) to show the presence of a curse. The Sun (natural significator of father) should be in this Badhak sign in Rasi or Navamsa to show the curse of father. Similarly, the Moon (natural significator of mother) should be in the aforementioned Badhak sign to show the curse of Mother.

2. The Badhakesh associated with Leo & with Mars/Saturn shows the anger/sorrow of the father or some paternal elder respectively. The Badhakesh associated with Cancer & with Mars/Saturn shows the anger/sorrow of the mother or some maternal elder respectively.

3. 6th lord in 9th house or 9th lord in 12th house or the Sun in the sixth shows the displeasure of father. Similarly, the 6th lord in 4th house or 4th lord in 12th house or the Moon in the 6th house shows the displeasure of mother.

Remedies:
Serve your parents if they are alive. Perform Shraddh or work for some elderly persons in the memory of your parents if they are dead. Mars so placed shows the curse of brother, Venus of spouse etc. The ritual called Tila homa can be performed if the parent is dead.

Preta Badhak
If the funeral ceremonies or annual rites called Shraddh of the dead are not performed, then, it is believed that such a dead person remains in the form of a Pisacha & affects relations. The presence of Gulika/ Ketu in the Badhak sign shows the danger.
The malefic associating with Gulika shows the cause of death of the Pisacha. Some of such combinations showing the death is given below:

1. If Gulika/ Ketu is in any manner associated with Mars by conjunction, aspect or is placed in Aries or Scorpio, it shows sudden death or accident, burns, weapons, smallpox etc.

2. If instead of Mars, the association was with Saturn, misery & poverty may be the cause of death.

3. Rahu associating with Gulika shows snakebite and other deadly poisons.

Similarly, the sign occupied by Gulika/Ketu show the sex of the Pisacha. If Gulika associates with the 4th house or lord in some manner, then the Pisacha is related to the family, if not, then it is from outside. The ashtottaramsa [108th Division of a sign. If in the beginning, young age and if in the end of the sign, old age is indicated] is the age of the Preta/Pisacha.
Remedies include Parvana Shraddh, Tila Homa etc. Depending on the affliction, Pooja/mantra of Ugra Devata should be prescribed.


Dristi Badha
Dristi means sight. Such kind of obstruction appear in life is some of the person related to us becomes jealous or evil towards us and thus exert invisible evil influences. The “evil eye” has been classified as three kinds of demons. Their names are always “Kamas” as the evil eye is causes by desire (Kama).


1. Ranthu Kamas causes worries and is indicated by the Badhakesh in Lagna or associating with Lagna Lord and Gulika.

2. Hanthu Kamas is intent on killing, and is seen by the association of the Badhakesh with the 6th or 8th house or its lord and the Lagna or Lagna lord. Relief comes from the aspecting benefic planet.

3. Bali Kamas desires some form of Bali (sacrificial offering). This is indicated by Rahu /Gulika is in 4th ,5th ,7th or 8th house. If 6th lord conjoins /aspects, the problem is due to enemy’s action.

Remedies
Natural benefics have the ability to mitigate the evils in the horoscope. If such planet is in quadrants to the Rahu/ Gulika or aspecting or associating with the Badhak, gemstones of the planet should be worn and the deities indicated should be worshipped and given offerings.

Abhichara
Abhichara means black majic. This is something which is practiced in many ways in different parts of the world, invoking the negetive energies. The basic motive for black magic is driving the enemy away from the locality, kill him or cause Lunacy. This can involve things such as giving him food (polluted)/burying material inside his house etc.

Combination for Abhichara:
1. Badhakesh association with 6th house or lord.

2. 6th lord in 1st, 7th, or 12th house as Mars occupies or aspects Lagna.

3. Ketu is 1st, 4th, or 10th as Mars aspect Lagna.

Remedies
1. Mritunjaya Japa, Ganapati or Tila Homa indicates the relief.

General Remedial Measures
1. Jupiter [who represent Sadashiva or Maha-Vishnu] & ninth lord help /protect.

2. A natural benefic in the ninth or ninth Lord in strength in a quadrant or Jupiter in Lagna/aspecting Lagna are a few of the combinations for protection.

3. If malefic are in quadrant to them, they will strongly block the efficacy. The ninth Lord can also be the Lord of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 & 12 houses respectively. The other house influencing the ninth house would show the deity who need to be worshipped. For example, if the ninth Lord is also Lord of second house then, start the remedial process by worshipping the Kuladevata.

4. If any planet conjoined or aspected by a natural benefic or a natural benefic itself, is in Lagna, then the deity indicated by the benefic planet shall surely protect the person.

5. If the ninth Lord associates with the Badhak House or Badhakesh, then the deity he worshipped in his previous birth has been neglected, thereby leading to misfortune and troubles.

6. If the fourth Lord is associated with the Badhak House or Badhakesh, then it is the Grama Devata who need to be worshipped.

7. If the second Lord associates with the Badhak House or Badhakesh, then it is the Kula Devata. Advise resumption of worship immediately.

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Kantak Sani & Sade Sati

The transit of Saturn in some of the houses in the natal horoscope is highly dreaded. During such unfavourable transits, the native faces tremendous odds in different aspects of life such as Career, finances, family etc. and Saturn makes the person remember god's name. Even though such transits are terrible materialistically, spiritually they are uplifting as Saturn cleans up the native from all past sins and give him chance to live a life with righteousness in later days.

However, the transits are not as bad for all the natives, since it depends on how badly Saturn is afflicting the horoscope. If Saturn happens to be a yogakaraka in the horoscope and involved in good yogas then the transits are not as bad and vice versa. This is also dependant on the Astakavarga strength of a sign. If in the sarvastakavarga, the number of dots are lesser than optimum and/ or in Saturn's astakavarga the dots are lesser than 4, the period becomes a tough nut to crack. Along with this, one must check out, whether it is a bad transit from all the three points, namely Moon, Lagna and the Arudha Lagna. If it happens to be bad transit from all these three points, then the time become too tiresome for the native from almost all areas in his life. It is also required to check the astakavarga of all planets, whether Saturn has contributed to any dots in the transiting sign in the those planet's astakavarga. If not, then the affairs ruled by the planet under consideration suffers due to such transit.


Sade Sati

The transit of Saturn in the 12th,1st & 2nd houses from the Janma Rasi (Natal Moon sign) is called Sade-Sati or the seven and half year period. Each house is transited by Saturn for about 2½ years each.

The transit of Saturn in the twelfth house from Moon sign initiates the Sade-sati when the domestic affairs go awry. There maybe turmoil in married life, differences with parents and children, change of residence and many domestic problems. Worship Sri Kali Ma in addition to the Graha Mantra of Saturn.

Graha Mantra of Saturn

ॐ प्रां प्रीं प्रौं शनैश्चाराय नमः

om prām prīm praum śanaiścārāya namah

The transit of Saturn in the Janma Rasi causes bad company, failure in undertakings, and many personal problems like loss of reputation, danger from accidents etc. Worship Sri Hanuman in addition to the Beeja Mantra of Saturn.

Ekadashakshari Hanuman Mantra

ॐ हं रुद्राय हनुमते नमः

om ham rudrāya hanumate namah


Beeja Mantra of Saturn

शं शनैश्चाराय नमः

śam śanaiścārāya namah


The transit of Saturn in the second house from Moon results in many enemies and financial losses, loss of livelihood and danger from Government action. Worship Sri Krishna as well as Saturn.

Kantaka Sani

Whenever Saturn Transits on the 1st, 4th, 8th or 10th from the Chandra, Lagna or Arudha Lagna (AL), such transit is called Kantaka Sani. Kantaka literally means thorn and as the name suggests the native's life become so terrible that it is compared to a condition whereby a person limps when a thorne is stuck in his foot. During this period, the career is hamphered and finances dwindle. When it happens with respect to the AL, the career and finances are greatly affected, when it happens with respect to Lagna, the person makes wrong decisions and suffer due to that and when it happens from Moon, the person suffers physically and emotionally.

The remedy to Kantak Sani is to chant the 3rd anuvaka of the Chamaka Prasna of Yajurveda, 11 times, in the morning at the brahma muhurtha. If this is done sincerely then the effect of Kantaka Sani on the native is minimal.

3rd Anuvaka of Chamaka Prasna

शं च मे मयश्च मे प्रियं च मेऽनुकामश्च मे

कामश्च मे सौमनसश्च मे भद्रं च मे श्रेयश्च मे

वस्यश्च मे यशश्च मे भगश्च मे द्रविणं च मे

यन्ता च मे धर्ता च मे क्शेमश्च मे धृतिश्च मे

विश्वं च मे महश्च मे संविच्च मे ज्ञात्रं च मे

सूश्च मे प्रसूश्च मे सीरं च मे लयश्च म ऋतं च मे

ऽमृतं च मेऽयक्श्मं च मेऽनामयच्च मे जीवातुश्च मे

दीर्घायुत्वं च मेऽनमित्रं च मेऽभयं च मे सुगं च मे

शयनं च मे सूषा च मे सुदिनं च मे॥ ३॥

śam ca me mayaśca me priyam ca me'nukāmaśca me
kāmaśca me saumanasaśca me bhadram ca me śreyaśca me
vasyaśca me yaśaśca me bhagaśca me dravinam ca me
yantā ca me dhartā ca me kśemaśca me dhritiśca me
viśvam ca me mahaśca me samvicca me jñātram ca me
sūśca me prasūśca me sīram ca me layaśca ma rtam ca me
amrtam ca me'yakśmam ca me'nāmayacca me jīvātuśca me
dīrghāyutvam ca me'namitram ca me'bhayam ca me sugam ca me
śayanam ca me sūshā ca me sudinam ca me ..3..

Ghataka Chakra

As the name suggests, Ghataka chakra is seen for any kind of injuries, may it be Physical or Mental. The injuries can be inflicted at an inopportune moment or by an inimical person. Both of these can be seen from the Ghataka Chakra. For the first instance, the inopportune time can be seen from the horoscope of the moment of occurance of the event and for the latter case, the same can be seen from the horoscope of the person inflicting pain and injury.

Ghataka Chakra


Tithis:


As shown in the ghataka chakra, based on the position of natal moon, one of the specific element of time namely Moon sign (rasi), Lunar day (Tithi), Weekday (vara), Lunar Asterism (Nakshatra) or the Ascendant (Lagna) can be inauspicious. Following priciples can be used in the analysis of the Ghataka Chakra:

1. If at any moment, there is preponderance of the ghataka elements, then there can be some injury/ pain inflicted on the person. So one must regularly checkout the Lunar Transit through the sign and the Nakshatra, the solar and lunar days and the Lagna of the moment to carry out some activities or remain cautioned about some impending danger. If many of the ghataka elements come together, then there can be indications of danger during that time. For example, I am born with Scorpio Lagna and I must be careful on the days when Moon is transiting through Taurus or Revati Nakshatra and that day happens to be a Friday and the lunar day happens to be a Nanda Tithi (pratipada-1, shasthi-6 or ekadasi-11).

2. The relationship of a person can also be checked using the Ghataka Chakra. To check this out, we need to check the presence of the Ghataka elements in the other person's horoscope. Thus for me (born in Scorpio Rasi), the natives with Taurus Rasi, Revati Nakshatra, born on Friday, in the Nanda Tithi and/or with Scorpio (Male) or Taurus (Female) Lagna can inflict injury. The presence of more ghataka elements confirm this.

3. The nature of injury can be seen from the nature of ghataka element and the lord of the element. If the ghataka element happens to be Moon, then the injury is on reputation, if they happen to be Weekday or the Lagna, the injury is more physical and if they happen to be Tithi or Nakshatra, the injiry is more mental and emotional. The lord of the ghataka element which caused the injury can say more on the exact nature of the injury based on its lordship, placement and yogas.

Marriage Compatibility

Introduction
Marriage compatibility is an important contribution of Jyotish to the world as only it can foresee any problems in the married life of a couple and can precisely determine which area shall the problem root from. This is done with kuta matching as enumerated by Harihara in his immortal classic Prasna Marga. However, it is not possible to match all the kutas and here we must appreciate that nothing in this world is perfect and we need to compromise at various places. Compromises may be made in various kutas, however it should not be made in the five important kutas namely vasya, mahendra, yoni, Janma Rasi and lord of the Janma Rasi. There are three more kutas, which are to be considered very important, viz., gana, dina and stree-deergha. Besides this the Brahmins should also consider Gotra Kuta.


There are two kinds of Kuta, one which contribute points towards the 36 point scheme and the other does not. The Kutas which contribute to the 36 point schemes are Nadi, Rasi, Gana, Graha Maitri, Yoni, Dina, Vasya and Varna in the decreasing order of importance, with nadi kuta contributing the maximum of 8 points and Varna Kuta contributing the minimum of 1. Even though these kutas can be used for getting a mathematical value of relative compatibility, what is more important is to understand the nature of compatibitlity. Thus, the kutas which do not contribute to the kutas need not be ignored and checked for various aspects of marital relationship.


Point based Kuta
The maximum point that can be attained in each of the kutas are mentioned against each of the kuta in brackets.


1. Nadi Kuta: (8)
Compatibility of physiological aspects

Nadi means several things but in reference to astrology, it signifies pulse or nervous energy indicating the physiological and to a certain extent hereditary factors. The Hindu medical works enumerate three Nadis or humours, viz., Vatha (wind), Pitha (bile) and Sleshma (phlegm). A boy with a predominantly windy or phlegmatic or bilious constitution should not marry a girl of the same type. The girl should belong to a different temperament. The three Nadis are ruled by the different constellations as follows:



Principle: If the constellation of the groom and bride fall in different columns, then agreement between the couple will be good. If the stars of the bride and groom fall in the first of last column, it is passable, however they should not fall in the middle column.

Nakshatra Pada Kuta
Principle:
If Nadi Kuta is not present on the basis of the Nakshatras, then the same may be reckoned taking into account the Nakshatra Padas. Thus, the different quarters will be governed by the three humors (Nadis). Beginning from Aswini 1, the counting should be done forwards and backwards in threes as given below:.



In the example considered above, both the constellations fall in the middle line and hence Nadi Kuta is completely absent.


2. Rasi Kuta: (7)
Happiness, auspiciousness and harmony in marriage

Principle 1: The male born in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Rasis from that of the female should not enter into wedlock. If both have the same Janma Rasi, marriage can only be done provided both are not of the same Janma Nakshatra. This means that the Janma Rasi of the man should not be in the Adrisya portion from the Janma Rasi from the woman. From any sign, the Adrisya (Invisible half) are the Lagna (beyond the cusp) to the 7th (before the Cusp), for practical purpose this can be taken as 2nd to 6th.

Madhavacharya has given more specific effect of the placement of the male’s Janma rasi in the unfavorable positions from the females Janma rasi. They are as follows:

2nd: Loss of Money
3rd: Sorrow
4th: Quarrels and Misunderstanding
5th: Loss of Children
6th: Diseases, Danger and Separation

Principle 2: Along with the placement mentioned above, the placement in the 8th and 12th from the Janma rasi of the Women is not favorable. This is understandable, that the Dusthana placement of the man’s rasi from that of women’s cannot be favorable for conjugal happiness as they would either be inimical or indifferent from each other.

Principle 3: Even if the lords of the man’s and woman’s rasis are foe, if they are 7th from each other, this can be accepted as very good.


Riders:
1. If the Janma Rasi is of the male is not in a favorable place from the Janma Rasi of the Female, the blemish can be reduced, if the lord of those rasis are mutually friendly. However, the blemish intensifies, if the lords are inimically disposed.

2. When the women is born in an odd Janma Rasi, then the man born in the 6th and 8th there from can be taken as an optional measure. If she is born in even Janma Rasi, the man born in the 6th should be rejected and the 8th can be accepted.

3. If the Janma Rasi of both the man and women have vasya and do not have vedha, then the 6th and 8th position of the man’s rasi from the woman’s one can be accepted. We shall study the vasya and vedha dosha later.

4. Harihara does not attach much blemish to the 3rd and 4th house positions for the Janma Rasi of the male from that of the female as this shall neither indicate poverty, nor serious quarrels leading to estrangement nor loss of children. Sorrow is a part and parcel of human birth and this should not be taken as a criterion for marriage dissolution.

5. The same Janma Rasi is allowed as long as the couples don’t have the same Janma Nakshatra. However, if they happen to be the same, marriage is permissible provided it is not Jyestha, Moola, Purva-ashadha, Pushya, Aslesha, Magha, Hasta, Rohini, Dhanistha, Shatabhisaj, Ardra or Bharani.



3. Gana Kuta: (6)
Increase of affection & bond with time between the partners

Principle: The Nakshatra are divided into three categories of Deva, Nara and Rakshasa. Their compatibility is given below:



The Gana of the Nakshatras


There are three levels of analyzing this compatibility, nameloy:
a. Janma Nakshatra:
b. Lagna Nakshatra:
c. Chandramsa Nakshatra: Find the Nakshatra of the Chandra Navamsa for the boy and girl. If there is compatibility or there is stree-deergha, the objection of a boy of Nara gana marrying a girl of Rakshasa gana can be safely ignored.

Astrologically three Ganas (temperaments of natures) are recognised viz., Deva (divine), Manusha (human), and Rakshasa (diabolical). Deva represents piety, goodness of character end charitable nature. Manusha is a mixture of good and bad, while Rakshasa suggests dominance, self-will and violence. These different natures are indicated by the birth, constellation. A distaste for piety and religious disposition cannot be easily associated with piety and religious nature. A difference in beliefs and dogmas cannot always be overbalanced by sexual compatibility. Hence one born in a Deva constellation is not able to get on well with a person born in Rakshasa constellation. – BV Raman

BV Raman opines that Nara or a Deva man should not marry a Rakshasa girl unless there are other neutralizing factors. But marriage between a Rakshasa man and a Deva or Nara girl is passable. If marriage is brought about between prohibited Ganas there will be quarrels and disharmony. So that the couple would always welcome an opportunity for separation and divorce.


4. Graha Maitri: (5)
Life style & objectives of life, Psychological disposition

Principle 1: If the lords of the Janma Rasi of both are mutual friends or are owned by one planet, the match is favorable.

Principle 2: The mutual placement of the lords of the Janma rasi of the couples should determine the extent of the compatibility.

Graha Maitri Table



5. Yoni Kuta: (4)
Prosperity and financial stability

Principle: If the girl is born in a female Nakshatra and the boy is in a male, the couple will have financial stability. If both are in female Nakshatra, there will be loss of wealth. If both are in the male Nakshatras, it is to be rejected.

There are two kinds of Yoni Kuta:

1. Nakshatra Yoni


Hostile animals, which are to be avoided for Yoni Kuta
§ Cow and Tiger;
§ Elephant and Lion;
§ Horse and Buffalo;
§ Dog and Hare;
§ Serpent and Mongoose;
§ Monkey and Goat;
§ Cat and Rat

There is various extents to which the Nakshatra yoni match. The following table shows the extent of match between different yoni. The maximum is 4 and minimum is 0



2. Rasi Yoni:
§ Capricorn, Pisces : Pakshi
§ Cancer, Scorpio: Reptile
§ Aries, Taurus, Leo: Pasu
§ Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius, Sagittarius: Nara

Compatibility of Rasi Yoni
§ Pasu + Pasu – Good
§ Pasu + Nara – Fair
§ Pasu + Pakshi /Reptile – Bad
§ Human + Pakshi /Reptile – Bad


6. Dina Kuta: (3)
Length of married life

Principle 1: This is based on the Navatara Chakra of the female chart. In the Navatara chakra, the 27 Nakshatras are divided into three groups of nine each, starting from the Janma Nakshatra. The first group of 9 is called as Janmarsha, the 10th to 18th Nakshatra from the Janma Nakshatra is known as the Karmarsha group and the 19th to 27th Nakshatra is known as the Adhanarksha.

The man’s Nakshatra in the 3rd (Vipat), 5th (Pratyak) or 7th (Naidhana) from the Janma Nakshatra of the woman is harbinger of troubles and shows separation. The 6th (Saadhana) Nakshatra is also inauspicious, however, not as bad as the 3rd/ 5th or 7th.

Principle 2: The man born in the 88th or 108th Navamsa from the Navamsa Moon of the women is not auspicious. 88th Navamsa is the 4th Navamsa from the Navamsa Moon, whereas 108th is the 12th from the Moon sign. 108th Pada is just the pada before the Moon’s Nakshatra pada, whereas the 88th pada is 20 padas before the woman’s Janma Nakshatra pada.

Principle 3: The farther the Janma Nakshatra of the boy from the Girl’s Nakshatra, the better it will be for him for their happiness.


Pt. Sanjay Rath says:

1. Dina Kuta means mating of charts or compatibility for 'day to day living and sharing of happiness and sorrow'. The word dina simply means day and refers to the day to day living and sharing.

2. Dina Kuta is based on the Navatara chakra which is all too well known for astrologers. The transit of the natal Moon on the various naksatra is judged to give favorable and unfavorable results to the mind and its perception of the various events. The transit in naksatra 3,5 and 7 from Janma rasi are considered very unfavorable. This is the basis for the dina kuta matching. The point is that when two people marry then they should be supportive of each other during the days of worry and troubles. For example on a day when the Moon is in the 3rd from janma naksatra of the boy and he is sorrowful then this should be strong for the bride and she should be able to support him to tide over the difficulties. That is the reason why dina kuta is necessary.

3. To understand the working of Dina Kuta you have to study the janma and lagna naksatra of the couple and determine their compatibility in both the janma naksatra i.e. Moon naksatra as well as lagna naksatra. If dina kuta is not present in the janma naksatra matching then the couple will never really become very close to each other and they will not be of any support to each other during difficult days and sharing will be low. On the other hand if dina kuta is not present from lagna naksatra then they cannot agree on major issues and should be advised to respect the views of their partner instead of getting into meaningless arguments.

This is also one of the reasons why marriage between couples having the same janma naksatra was not encouraged.



7. Vasya Kuta: (2)
Affection and love between the partners

This indicates the degree of magnetic control or amenability the wife or husband would be able to exercise on the other.

Principle: If the Janma rasi of the man is the vasya rasi of the women’s Janma rasi or vice versa, then the vasya kuta prevails. If the groom’s rasi happens to be the vasya rasi of the bride, the bride shall dearly love the groom and vice versa. Thus, If the Janma rasi of the man and woman happens to be the Vasya rasi of each other, then the affection among them is the strongest.

The Vasya rasi for different rasis are given hereunder:



In the following cases, the rasi of the bride and groom becomes the Vasya rasi of each other.
Gemini – Virgo – This is 4th – 10th from each other
Cancer – Scorpio – This is 5th – 9th from each other.


8. Varna Kuta: (1)
Ideals and Principles that drive the couple’s life

Principle 1: The six nakshatras beginning from Ashwini to Ardra, Punarvasu to Uttara, Hasta to Jyestha and Moola to Shatabhisaj in the regular order represent the Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra, Anuloma and Pratiloma caste.

If the man and the woman belong to the same caste, then it is the best. Otherwise, if the man belongs to the higher caste than that of the woman, it is permissible. However, if the woman’s caste is higher than that of the man, it is not permissible.

Principle 2: Anuloma and Pratiloma: If one of them is Anuloma and other belongs to one of the other four castes, then it is passable. However, this is rejected is one of them is Pratiloma and the other one belongs to the rest four.





Kuta without points

9. Mahendra Kuta:
Blessings in the married life; Well-being; Longevity

Principle: If the Girl is born in the 4th Nakshatra from that of the Boy, it is Mahendra; if she is born in the 7th, it is known as Upendra. Mahendra gives wealth and Upendra gives children.


10. Stri Deergha:
Long life to the Husband


Principle: The male Nakshatra should be more than 15 stars away from that of the female. If that is not so, long life of the male is not supported. Other factors like Navamsa have to be considered.

Rider: This consideration can be ignored if Rasi Kuta and Graha Maitri is there..


11. Rajju Kuta:
The Asterism can be classified into 5 categories namely:



Principle: If the Nakshatra of the couple do not fall in the same category, it is auspicious. If the Nakshatra fall in the same category, the results are as follows:
§ Kantha – Widowhood
§ Kati- Poverty
§ Pada- Distant Travels
§ Siro- Death
§ Kukshi – Loss of children


12. Vedha:
Obstacles in Married life


Principle 1: The Nakshatra of the couple should not fall in the vedha group as mentioned below.

§ Aswini and Jyeshta;
§ Bharani and Anuradha;
§ Krittika and Visakha;
§ Rohini and Swati;
§ Aridra and Sravana
§ Punarvasu and Uttarashadha;
§ Pusayami and Purvashadha;
§ Aslesha and Moola;
§ Makha and Revati;
§ Purvaphalguni and Uttarabhadrapada;
§ Uttaraphalguni and Purvabhadrapada;
§ Hasta and Satabhisha,
§ Mrigasira and Dhanishta.

Principle 2: Even if there is other agreement such as Vasya, etc., Vedha will prevail.


13. Gotra Kuta:
For prosperity of the lineage after marriage

Principle: If the boy and the girl belong to the same Gotra, it brings disaster to the lineage. If the gotras are different, then the lineage shall prosper.



14. Vihanga Kuta:
Dominance of one partner over other


Principle: If the Nakshatra of the couple indicate the same bird, it is auspicious. Otherwise, one bird shall dominate over the other in the descending order of Peacock, Cock, Crow, Pingala, Bharandhaka




15. Yonyanukulya:
Sexual compatibility

Principle: If the girl is born in a female Nakshatra and the boy is in a male, the couple will have sexual compatibility. If both are in female Nakshatra, it is acceptable. If both are in the male Nakshatras, it is to be rejected.

The male and female Nakshatras along with their yoni are given hereunder:


16. Bhuta Kuta:
Prevailing element in the personality.

Principle: If the Nakshatra of the couple are of the same bhuta, it is favorable. If they are different, the results are as follows:

Fire+ Air – Favorable
Earth +Other – Favorable
Water+ Fire – Bad

Nakshatra Bhuta: Psychological nature


Rasi Bhuta: Spiritual nature.



17. Vayanukulya:
Continuation of Lineage

Principle: If the groom is 3 times older than the bride, it is considered as good. If he is twice old, it is passable; if he is older only by a few years, it results in sorrow. If the bride is older, the family shall become extinct. Thus for such cases, it forebodes a death in the family or there will be no male issues

18. Ashtakavarga:
Mental Compatibility

Principle 1: if the Janma Rasi of the groom falls in the sign which, in the Moon’s astakavarga of the girl’s chart has more bindu, it is good. Similarly, if the Janma Rasi of the Girl falls in a sign which, in the Moon’s astakavarga of the boy, has more bindus, it is equally good.

Principle 2: Find out the Kaksha in which the Moon is found in the girl’s horoscope. If the Janma rasi of the boy falls in the sign of the lord of this Kaksha, the compatibility is good. The reverse is also holds true.

Kakshya: Each sign is divided into 8 Kakshas of 3d 45m each lorded by Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon and Lagna.


19. Chittanukulya:
God's will

This is the over-riding power of God and when two people are in love, the chart matching becomes meaningless, as there is the will of God in this. If they are normal people then their affection should be tested with time and if one is spiritual then his/her falling in love for marriage and children has a divine purpose and is beyond the normal rules of Jyotish compatibility. In this case, since the couple has expressed their love for each other, they should be encouraged to enter wedlock.

20. Aya-vyaya:
Income and Expenditure

Principle: Count from the Nakshatra of the bride to that of the groom. Multiply this number by 5 and divide the product by 7. The reminder is Vyaya or expenditure. If the counting is again made from the Janma Nakshatra of the groom and the same calculation is repeated, the reminder indicates “aya” or gain or income.

If the aya is greater than vyaya, marriage brings all round prosperity. If this is reverse, the couple will experience poverty.

21. Rna-Dhana:
Overall marital happiness

Principle 1: Count from Aswini to the Janma Nakshatra of the groom as well as the bride and total them up. Add to this sum 13. From this total figure subtract 32. Divide the difference by 5. Check the reminder for the following results:

X= Reminder [(Groom+Bride+15-32)/5]
1- Acquisition of children
2- Death of one of the couple
3- Prolonged illness
4- Prosperity
5- N.A.

If the total after adding 13 does not come to 32, then the counting should be made from Janma Nakshatra to Aswini.

Principle 2: Count from the Janma Nakshatra of the couple to Aswini. Add the two figures and deduct the sum by 5. Check the reminder for the following results:

1- Prosperity
2- General progress
3- Calamities
4- Acquisition of wealth
5- Disasters

Principle 3: If the Janma Nakshatras of the groom and the bride fall in the first group namely Ardra, Hasta, Purva-Ashadha, Uttara-Ashadha, there will be great progress. If they fall in the 2nd group namely, Krttika, Rohini, Mrgashira, Magha, Purva-Phalguni, Uttara-Phalguni, Anuradha, Jyestha, Moola, Dhanistha,, Shatabhisaj, Purva-Bhadrapada, prosperity shall follow immediately after marriage. However, if they fall in the 3rd group- Aswini, Bharani, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha, Uttarashadha, Sravana and Revati, expenditure and debts shall follow the marriage.

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Upapada Matching
Upapada is the arudha of the 12th house in any horoscope. This is computed by counting as many houses from the 12th lord as the lord gained from the 12th house. If the upapada falls in the 12th or the 6th house, then count 1oth from the sign again to arrive at the final upapada.

Upapada tells a lot about the spouse, one who is committed to follow you for the whole lifetime or at least for the duration of the marriage. The various results related to upapada can be studied from jyotish classics such as Brhat Parashara Hora Shastra or Upadesha Sutras of maharishi Jaimini. The matching of Upapada is very crucial as this shows, how the images of the partners are related to each other and hence has a strong say on the marital affairs and harmony. The matching criteria for upapada is given below-

1. The Lagna of the bride should be in trine or 7th from the Upapada or in the paka upapada and vice versa.

2. The Upapada and AL should be placed in Kendra or Trine or 3/11 to each other. Otherwise, this shows lack of harmony in the relationship.

3. The 2nd of Upapada rules the longevity of the marriage. If the 2nd house or the lord is afflicted by malefics such as nodes, then the marriage can be in serious troubles. This is also true if the lord is debilitated and aspected by malefics.

4. The remedy of all marriage troubles is to fast on the day ruled by the Upapada lord.

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Marriage date
1. Marriage should normally occur in an odd year of the male and even year of the female. Otherwise this forebodes troubles.

2. Marriage should happen when Jupiter aspects or transits the 2nd from Upapada.

Finding the marriage date using dasas such as Vimshottari, Narayana, Naisargika dasa etc and through transits would be given in another article.

______________________________________
Special Considerations
Exceptions the Kuta matching
The following are the salvaging factors, if present; one can ignore certain incompatibilities in the Kuta.
1. The absence of Stree-Deerga may be ignored if Rasi Kuta and Graha Maitri are present.
2. If the Rasi of the girl is odd, the 6th and 8th Rasis there from are friendly. If the Rasi of the girl is even the 2nd and 12th there from become friendly. The evil due to the birth of the bride in a Rakshasa gana star may be ignored if Janma Rasi being 2nd and 12th, 9th and 5th or 6th and 8th, the lords of the Rasis are the same or are mutual friends.
3. Though Graha Maitri is by far the most important, it need not be considered if the couple has their Janma Rasis disposed in one and seven from each other.
4. Rajju Kuta need not be considered in case Graha Maitri, Rasi, Dina and Mahendra Kutas are present.
5. The evil due to Nadi Kuta can be ignored subject to the following conditions: -
6. The Rasi and Rajju Kuta prevail
7. The same planet is lord of the Janma Rasis of both the mate and the female
8. The lords of the Janma Rasis of the couple are friends

Common Janma Rasis and Nakshatras
In many cases, the Janma Rasis of the Janma Nakshatras of the bride and bridegroom would be the same. Special attention is paid by astrological writers to such exceptions and we shall throw some light on them for the edification of our readers.

Common Janma Rasi:
Views differ as regards the results accruing from the Janma Rasis being common. According to Narada, common Janma Rasi would be conducive to the couple provided they are born in different constellations. Garga opines that under the above circumstance, the asterism of the boy should precede that of the girl if the marriage is to prove happy. Incase the reverse holds good (Stree-purva). i. e., the constellation of the girl proceeds that of the boy, the alliance should be rejected. This view is supported by other sages, viz., Brihaspati and Bhrigu. In fact, the author of Muhurtha tattva goes to the extent of saying that in cases of common Janma Rasi, provided the man's constellation is preceding the girl's, the Kutas or adaptability need not be applied at all.

Common Janma Nakshatra:
This is a further extension of the principle of common Janma Rasi. The Janma Nakshatras of the bride and bridegroom, being one and the same, are approved in case of Rohini, Aridra, Makha, Hasta, Visakha, Sravana. Uttarabhadra and Revati. The effect would be ordinary if the common Janma Nakshatras are Aswini, Krittika, Mrigasira, Punarvasu, Pushya, Pubba. Uttara. Chitta, Anuradha, Poorvashadha and Uttarashadha, Bharani, Aslesha. Common Janma Nakshatras is not recommended if the Nakshatras happens to be Swati, Jyeshta, Moola, Dhanishta, Satabhisha and Poorvabhadra .

Here again certain ancient authors hold that even though the Janma Nakshatras are same, the evil becomes nullified if the Padas are different. If the Janma Nakshatra belongs to two signs (e.g., Krittika) the Pada of the bride should relate to the preceding sign. For example, if Krittika is the common Janma Nakshatra, the bride should have her Janma Rasi in Mesha and the bridegroom in Vrishabha. If, however, the common Janma Nakshatra belongs to two signs equally (e.g., Mrigasira, Chitta, etc.) the sign for the first two quarters should be that of the bridegroom.

The couple should not have the same Janma Rasi, same Janma Nakshatra and Pada. However, in regard to Satabhisha, Hasta, Swati. Aswini, Krittika, Poorvashadha, Mrigasira and Makha, the evil given rise to by virtue of common Janma Rasi, Nakshatra and Pada gets cancelled if the couple are born in the first quarter.

Destructive Constellations
Certain parts of Moola, Astesha, Jyeshta and Visakha are destructive constellations
§ Moola (first quarter) for husband's father
§ Aslesha (first quarter) for husband's mother
§ Jyeshta (first quarter) for girl's husband's elder brother
§ Visakha (last quarter) for husband's younger brother.


_____________________________________
The Kuja Dosha
A person suffering with Kuja Dosa is vulnerable to physical abuse from the partner. However, the dosha is counteracted by the conjunction of Mars with Jupiter or Mars with the Moon; or by the presence of Jupiter or Venus in the ascendant.


BV Raman
-----------------------
The position of Venus and Mars is very important in judging marital relations. Mars whose element is fire rules marriage. Where he is badly situated or associated in the horoscope of a male or female, it follows that the sacerdotal fire gets extinguished soon. Such unfavorable situation goes under the name of Kuja Dosha.

It must be noted that in determining marriage adaptability between two parties, there are several elements of much more importance than Kuja Dosha. And the evil influence accruing from the bad position of Mars is only one of the several elements.

It is unfortunate that throughout South India especially in the Tamil areas, much is made of the so-called Kuja Dosham and this bugbear has been the means of destroying the happiness of many families by preventing marriages otherwise very eligible and anxiously wished for. So far as our humble experience goes it is only in the Kerala Sastra that mention is made of Kuja Dosha. The stanza runs thus: Dhana vyayecha pathale jamitre chashtame kuja; Strinam bharthru vinasamcha bharthunam strivinasanam. This means: - "If Mars is in the 2nd, 12th, 4th, 7th and 8th houses in the horoscope of the female, the death of the husband will occur; similar situation in the husband's horoscope causes the death of wife."

The Lagna represents body, the Moon, mind and Venus, sexual relations. Therefore, the houses have to be reckoned with reference to all the three, viz., Lagna, Moon and Venus. The dosha (evil) is considered weak when it exists from Lagna, a little stronger from the Moon and still more powerful from Venus.

The second house signifies family; the twelfth represents comforts and pleasures of bed. The fourth rules sukha or happiness. The seventh indicates husband and eighth represents longevity of the wife or husband. Hence the position of Mars in these houses is supposed to produce this peculiar dosha or evil. If Kuja Dosha obtains in the horoscopes of both the bride and bridegroom, the dosha gets cancelled. There are, of course, many good combinations which assure marital felicity and much importance need not be given to Kuja Dosha.

Granting that Kuja Dosha is a factor whose occurrence should not be ignored, there are antidotes which are not generally known to the rank and file of Hindu astrologers. If Mars is placed in the signs mentioned below corresponding to different houses, there shall not be any dosa:

§ 2nd - Gemini and Virgo
§ 12th - Taurus and Libra
§ 4th - Aries and Scorpio
§ 7th - Capricorn and Cancer
§ 8th - Sagittarius and Pisces.

In Aquarius and Leo, Mars produces no dosha whatsoever.

The dosha is counteracted by the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter or Mars and the Moon; or by the presence of Jupiter or Venus in the ascendant.

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Fixing the Marriage Muhurtha
§ The lunar months of Magha, Phalguna, Vaisakha and Jyeshta are good. Kartika and Margasira are ordinary. The rest are not auspicious. Some sages opine that marriages can be celebrated in Pushya and Chaitra provided the Sun is in Capricorn and Aries respectively.

§ The following lunar days, viz., from the 11th day (dark half) to New Moon, Riktha Thithis, 8th, 12th and 6th should be rejected. The best lunar days are the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 11th and 13th (of the bright half).

§ Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are the best. Sunday and Saturday are middling. And Tuesday should be invariably rejected.

§ The best asterisms are Rohini, Mrigasira, Makha, Uttara, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Moola, Uttarashadha, Uttarabhadra and Revati. The first quarter of Makha and Moola and the last quarter of Revati are inauspicious and they should be rejected. Constellations not mentioned here are unsuitable and they should be avoided.

§ The following yogas should be rejected: Vyatipata, Dhruva, Mrityu, Ganda, Vajra, Soola, Vishkambha, Atiganda, Vyaghata and Parigha.

§ Vishtikarana must invariably be discarded.

§ Among the zodiacal signs Gemini, Virgo and Libra are the best. Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Sagittarius and Aquarius are middling. The rest are inauspicious.

Elements of Muhurtha Chart:
In the election of a Muhurtha for marriage, as many of the 21 dosha are possible and should be avoided. The most important considerations however are
(1) The 7th house must be unoccupied by any planet
(2) Mars should not be in the 8th
(3) Venus should not be in the 6th
(4) Lagna should not be hemmed in between malefics
(5) Malefics should not occupy Lagna
(6) The Moon in the election chart should not conjoin any planet

Apart from the above, the usual Tarabala, Panchaka. etc., should be looked into. The calculation of Panchaka and Tarabala would be given in another article.

Jupiter, Mercury or Venus in Lagna, malefics in the 3rd or 11th, would constitute a formidable force in rendering the Lagna strong. The following are some of the special combinations which are supposed to fortify the marriage election chart:

1. Jupiter in the ascendant, Venus in the 8th and the Sun in the 11th - Mahendra Yoga.
2. Venus in Lagna, Jupiter in the 10th and the Sun and Mercury in the 11th-Vishnu Priya Yoga.
3. Venus in the 2nd, Jupiter in the 12th, the Sun in the 8th and Saturn in the 6th - Sreenatha Yoga.
4. Venus in Lagna, Jupiter in the 4th, Mercury in the 2nd and Saturn in the 11th - Samudra Yoga.
5. Mercury, Jupiter and Venus in Lagna - Vijaya Yoga.
6. Venus and Jupiter in Lagna elevated or otherwise strong - Jaya Yoga.
7. Saturn in the 3rd, Jupiter in the 6th, the Sun in the 10th and Mars in the 11th - Pushya Yoga.
8. Mars in the 3rd, Saturn in the 6th, Venus in the 9th, Jupiter in the 12th - Maharshi Yoga.
9. Venus in Lagna, Jupiter in the 11th - Ardhama Yoga.

References:
1. Prasna Marga
2. Muhurtha- BV Raman

Monday, October 04, 2004

Transit II: Transit from Arudha

The arudha shows the image of a person in this world. Though the true self is important for a person, the perception about him in this world is equally important as all the interaction with the external world is based on how the person is perceived by the world. Hence for analysing, how we are going to benefit or lose material with relations to the world, we need to consider the arudha lagna. The importance of Arudha Lagna is discussed by both Maharishi Parashara and Maharishi Jaimini in their immortal classics, however some other classics such as Deva Keralam mention about the importance of transits with respect to the arudha lagna too.

While we speak of arudha lagna, different other arudhas can be seen for the impact of transits on persons ruled by different arudhas and also different affairs ruled by them, which are as follows:

A2 : Dhanapada - Family and the Money
A3 : Vikramapada- Intiatives/ risks and younger siblings
A4 : Sukhapada - Happiness at home, properties and mother
A5 : Mantrapada - Mantra initiation, Children
A6 : Shatrupada - Diseases, enemies
A7 : Darapada - Relationships and business affairs
A8 : Mrtyupada - Inherent weaknesses and longevity
A9 : Dharmapada - Religiosness and Father
A10: Rajyapada - Power, position and authority
A11: Labhapada - Gain of objectives and elder siblings
A12: Upapada - Spouse


The important planets to be seen for the transits are the slow moving planets Saturn, Rahu/ Ketu, Jupiter and the faster moving planets Sun and Moon. Since the Karaka for the Arudha is Moon, Saturn tend to harm it and Jupiter/ Sun tend to fortify it, during their transits. Some guidelines to judge the transits of planets from the AL are given below. Intelligent jyotishas can extend this principles to other arudhas as well.

Saturn: Transit of Saturn in the 1st, 4th, 8th & 10th houses from the arudha lagna goes by the name of Kantaka Sani (kantaka means thorne and the term imply that the person is hurt so much that he limps) and is considered to be extremely inauspicious for career and financial welbeing of a person. If it happens to be in bad position from the Lagna and the Moon as well, then the person passes through serious hard times. The transit in the 4th house is known as ardha-kantak (half-kantak) and lesser worse than other positions. The transit of Sasturn however in the 12th from the Arudha is supposed to give Raja-yoga and while transiting in the 3rd and 6th from the Arudha gives many benefits.

Jupiter: Jupiter is knows as the Jiva or the life-giver and controls the fruits of any effort. Thus whenever it transits over favoruable positons from a arudha, the person realises the fruits of all the struggle he has put at differet times. Thus the transit of Jupiter in quadrants from arudha lagna is considered a blessing.

The Moon: The transit of Moon in the 5th, 9th and 12th from any arudha is considered to be extremely fruitful for that arudha. Thus for all major activities done by a person should be done during such time, when Moon transits favourable position from the Arudha Lagna. The worst position of Transit Moon is in the 8th from an Arudha, which is extremenly detrimental to the image of the person or related areas.

The Sun: The transit of the Sun in the Trine to an Arudha energises the arudha and the person feels special focus regarding those area as governed by the arudhas. Thus at the time of death, Sun should be in the trine to the Mrityupada (A8), the arudha for longevity and death. If not death, such transit can give, near death experiences.

The Nodes: Rahu is the materialistic planet and hence confers material gains, whenever it transits in the trine to the Arudha Lagna, whereas since Ketu is the spiritual planet, it confers spiritual pursuits while it transits the trine to the Arudha Lagna. Similar results can be predicted when the nodes transit with respect to other arudhas. Thus when they transit with respect to the Dharmarudha (A9), similar things can be told about the father or father like persons.

Friday, September 24, 2004

Gandanta: The Junction of Fire & Water

INTRODUCTION
The birth during Moon's transit at some specific positions in the zodiac is considered as extremely inauspicious. Gandanta positions are one of those inauspicious positions among others such as usna ghatikas, visha ghatikas etc. The person born under gandanta suffers numerous miseries in life and based on the exact nature of the gandandta even the parents and other relations can be severly affected. To alleviate the troubles from the Gandanta birth, it is advised to do shanti puja for birth during this time.

Gandanta is comprised of two terms Ganda and Anta, where Ganda means "a node" and anta means "the end". The whole zodiac is visioned to have three nodes at zero degree Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, which are also called the brahma randhra (eye of Brahma, the creator) or Vishnu Nabhi (the navel of Vishnu, showing the beginning of creation). To understand why Gandanta is known to be inauspicious, we need to understand the creation process. The creation process is cyclical, which starts with the emergence of creation impetus and ends with dissolution of the whole creation to nothing-ness. This cycle can be mapped to the four elements of nature in the oder of Fire, Earth, Air and Water and the whole process of creation and dissolution happen under the ambit of the Ethery element. In the zodiac the whole creation process repeats thrice from the beginning of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, the three fiery signs. While mapping the creation process with the nakshatra scheme of zodiac reckoning, the three cycles start from Aswini, Magha and Moola. However, before the creation starts the end of the watery signs namly, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, shows the dissolution of the creation. Thus the beginning of the mentioned three fiery signs shows transition from the dissolution phase to creation phase and hence they represent as three nodes in the zodiac, each starting its own process of creation. Hence the person born near to these nodes are caught in the process of transition from destruction of old creation and start of new creation and hence suffer the burnt of it. Like the start of creation is shown by the beginning of Aswini, Magha and Moola, the end of destruction is represented by Ashlesha, Jyeshtha and Revati, which falls in the ending part of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Thus the gandanta nakshatras are these six nakshatras with the 4th pada of last nakstras of watery signs and 1st pada of first nakstras in the fiery signs. They are the 4th pada of Revati (Pisces), Ashlesha (Cancer), Jyestha (Scorpio) and the 1st pada of Ashwini (Aries), Magha (Leo) and Moola (Sagittarius).

Thus the gandanta happens whenever there is a transition from watery element to fiery element. Anyone born during such transition has to suffer the trouble due to this transition and suitable remedy is required to alleviate the troubles.

NAKSHATRA GANDANTA
Moon’s motion in one Nakshatra is supposed to be 60 ghatikas and hence the duration of the Nakshatra which is affected by the Gandanta dosa is measured in terms of the Ghatikas. For the first constellations of fiery signs, the first three Ghatika and the last five Ghatikas before the end of the last constellation of watery signs are the precise duration of Gandanta. Since the arc duration of one Nakshatra is 13d 20m or 800 min, which is equivalent to 60 ghatikas of time, 3 ghatikas would be equivalent to 40 arc mins and 5 ghatikas would be equal to 66.67 arc mins. Thus while reckoning the gandanta in terms of the arc of the zodiac, we must take last 66.67 arc min of the last Nakshatra of the watery signs and the first 40 arc mins of

Classification of Gandanta
Classification 1:
§ If birth is in the daytime, it is called Pitri (father) Gandanta while a night birth during Gandanta is called Matri (mother) Gandanta.

Classification 2:
§ Birth in Revati (Pisces) – Aswini (Aries) junction is called Swa (self) -Gandanta
§ Birth in Aslesha (Cancer) – Magha (Leo) junction is called Matri (mother) Gandanta
§ Birth in Jyestha (Scorpio) – Moola (Sagittarius) junction is called Pitri (father) Gandanta.

Abhukta Gandanta
Narada Muni has stated that of these six constellations, the “Abhukta Moola Gandanta” comprises the last two Ghatika of Jyestha and first two Ghatika of Moola constellation. He adds that such a child should be abandoned (or given away) or any form of hope from him should not be made. Since this is the pitri gandanta, if the child survives, father should not see his face for 8 years after birth. Other authorities indicate 27 days for this abstraction of father from seeing the face of the child, which seems more practical in today’s context. Thereafter suitable remedial measures should be performed.

Moola-Nivasa (Residence of Moola)
1. In the Vedic months of Margasirsa, Phalgun, Vaisakha and Jyestha the residence of Moola is in “Patala Loka” (the hell).
2. In Sravana, Kartika, Chaitra and Pausa the residence of Moola is in Martya Loka (the realm of Dead).
3. In the four Vedic months of Ashada, Aswina, Bhadra and Magha, the residence of Moola is in Swarga Loka (the Heavens).

If birth is in Gandanta and the residence of Moola is in the realm of the dead (Martya Loka) then great evil is indicated. The evil is lesser for the other Loka. Movable, Fixed and Dual signs as the (Lagna) are said to give Moola residence of Swarga, Patala and Martya loka respectively. Thus, if someone is born with dual sign as Lagna which Moon in the last quarter of Jyestha or first quarter of Moola, then great evil falls on the native.

Ganda Phala: (Results of birth in Gandanta).
Lagna being the governor of intelligence and the Moon, the governor of physical body, Lagna Gandanta results in the loss of intelligence while Rasi Gandanta results in premature death or loss of longevity.

Remedies (from Vedic Remedies in Astrology by Pt. Rath)
The remedy lies in worshipping the Lord of the Lagna/ Moon constellation depending on whether it is Lagna or Rasi gandanta. This deity becomes the “Devata” who can break the weakness due to Gandanta. Since the affliction comes from an adjoining sign, the lord of the nature of the sign becomes the “Adhi-Devata” and the lord of the afflicting constellation becomes the “Pratyadhi-Devata”.

For example, let us determine the deities for Jyestha Gandanta. The Lord of the Jyestha constellation is Indra. So, Indra is the Devata or Chief deity. Jyestha is in Scorpio and the junction affliction comes from the sign Sagittarius having the Moola constellation. Sagittarius is a fiery sign and the God of fire Agni is the Adhi-Devata. Moola is the afflicting constellation and the Lord of this constellation is Rakshas who is the Pratyadhi-Devata.

Nakshatra Deities

Abhijit Nakshatra: Abhijit nakshatra is called the intercalary(IC) nakshatra as it appear as a small (smaller duration as compared to normal duration of nakshatra 13d 20m) nakshatra between Uttarashadha and Sravana. The duration of Uttarashadha is divided into four parts and the first three padas are assigned to Uttarashadha, which makes the duration of Uttarashadha to be 10deg with each pada to be 2d 30m. The remaining one pada of Uttarashadha is assigned to Abhijit, the intercalary nakshatra. Similarly beginning 1/15th part of Sravana is given to Abhijit, making its total length to be 253.33 min, i.e., 4d 13m 20s. The remaining 14/15th part of Sravana is assigned to the four padas of Sravana, making the total duration of Sravana to be 12d 26m 40s

Element Detities


The ritual is normally performed in the Eastern or Northern part of the house depending on whether the Gandanta is in a fiery sign (East) or watery sign (North). The Kalasha (water pot) containing Panchagavya, Shastaushadhi and Ganga water is installed. The idol of the Devata is installed on another earthen pot adjoining the Kalasha or a gold coin can be used to represent the deity. Similarly, the Adhi-devata and Pratyadhidevata are also installed and worshipped (For more details refer to BPHS). This is followed by a Yagya (Fire sacrifice) & Abhishek (Ritual bathing with Mritunjaya Mantra). The water from the two Kalash whould be poured on the head of the parents and the child. Donations, Dakshina and breaking of fast ends the ritual. Rudrabhishek as well as ceremonial bathing of the afflicted persons is necessary. For (1) day Ganda dosha father and child (2) Night birth Ganda dosha Mother & child and (3) Sandhya (Sunrise/ sunset) born Ganda dosha both father & mother and child are protected with Abhishek using four vessels of water etc and Sahasraksha Mantra.

People who cannot afford these elaborate rituals should recite the Mahamritunjaya Mantra eight thousand times within 40 days starting from the 12th day from the birth of the child. It maybe noted that remedial measures cannot be performed for 11 days following birth.

Other results

Besides what has already been stated, there are other methods of determining the results of gandanta. The number of the birth asterism (Janma Nakshtra) is multiplied by three (3). The numbers of birth tithi (as recknoed from Sukla Paksha prati pada) and the day of birth (as reckoned from Sunday) are added and the sum is divided by eight (8). The remainder indicates the Ganda Dosh (Error/Evil).