© SJVC 2000 1

Lesson #6
HORA
1. List the planets on the basis of their average speeds or in the order of their dwipa
(ellipsoidal orbits around the earth in the Bhu-Mandala). The planets (including the
luminaries) would fall in the order: MOON, MERC, VEN, SUN, MARS, ]UP, SAT.

2. Now, reverse the order from the slowest to the fastest: SAT, ]UP, MARS, SUN, VEN,
MERC, MOON.

3. Rearrange the list starting from the SUN: SUN, VEN, MERC, MOON, SAT, JUP,
MARS. THIS IS THE ORDER OF THE HORA’S OR RULERSHIP OF THE HOURS
OF THE DAY STARTING FROM 6:00 AM LMT.

4 . The table of Hora or lordship of the planets over the 24 hours of the day on the
above basis is given in the following table.

Start Hora Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Time
LMT
6 AM 1 Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat
7 2 Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup
8 3 Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar
9 4 Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun
10 5 Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven
11 6 Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer
Noon 7 Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon
1 PM 8 Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat
2 9 Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup
3 10 Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar
4 11 Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun
5 12 Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven
6 13 Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer
7 14 Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon
8 15 Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat
9 16 Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup
10 17 Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar
11 18 Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun
M.N 19 Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven
1 AM 20 Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer
2 21 Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon
3 22 Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat
4 23 Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup
5 24 Mer Jup Ven Sat Sun Mon Mar

The following maybe noted: -

1. Write down the Hora Lordships starting from the Sun for every hour and note the
following: (a) the Lord of the fourth Hora starts the first hour of the next day (b) the
lord of the sixth Hora starts the first hour of the night.

2. Thus, the order of the days in the week is obtained based on the lordship of the first
hour of the day. This is an important concept in Jyotish. In a similar vein, the lord of

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© SJVC 2000 2
the first day (or first Hora) of a month becomes the Lord of the Month and the Lord
of the first day (or first Hora) in a Year becomes the lord of the year. These Lords are
called Masadhipati (Lord of Month) and Varsheshwara (Lord of the Year).

Illustration: Determine the Lord of birth Hora for a person born at 9:15’ PM IST at
Sambalpur, India (21N28’, 84E01’). Standard time zone for India (82E30’)

Answer: The day of birth was Wednesday (Ruler: Mercury)

Longitude of Standard Time Zone 82E30 = 82+ (30/60) = 82.5000 Deg

(IST)
Longitude of Local time (LMT)
Longitude difference (IST Minus LMT)
Convert difference into time (@4 min
per degree)
LMT Correction
Starting time for Hora at Sambalpur
Birth time
Time Difference = Birth time – Starting
time
Hora (Round off the time difference
into the next higher integer)
Lord of Hora
84E01 = 84+ (1/60) = 84.0166 Deg
82.5000 – 84.0166 = -1.5166 Deg
1
-1.5166 x 4 = - 6.0664 Min = - 6’04”
Reduce (-) 6 Min 4 Sec
2
6 AM – 6’04” = 5:53’:56” IST
9:15’ PM IST = 21:15’ IST
21:15’ – 5:53’56” = 15:21’:04”
16
th
Lord of 16 Hora on Wednesday =
Moon

It maybe noted that for longitudes east of the time zone, the starting time shall
be before 6 AM whereas for longitudes west of the time zone, the starting time shall
be after 6 AM.

Use of Hora
1. The Hora has a direct influence on the houses and this knowledge is
extensively used by the intelligent astrologer in planning his activities.
2. All activities started during the Hora ruled by the Lord of the related Bhava
(House) in the birth chart shall surely fructify.
3. Similarly, activities started during the Hora of the Badhakesh from the
concerned Bhava shall suffer obstruction and activities started during the
th
Hora of the Rogesh (8 Lord) from the concerned Bhava shall suffer
annihilation.

Assignment & Task

1. Determine the Hora at the time of birth in your horoscope. Do the houses
ruled by the Lord of the Hora have any special significance in your life?
2. Write a project or report concerning your work starting during the Hora of
the Lord of the tenth house in your chart. Make a chart for the moment of

1
Thus if a person wants his watch to show the Local time at Sambalpur, India then he has to move
the minute hand ahead by about 6 Minutes.
2
In other words when the watch (adjusted to Indian Standard Time) shows 5:53’:56”, the Local time at
Sambalpur, India would be 6:00’:00” AM.

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© SJVC 2000 3
starting this work. Evaluate the results after 6 months of completion of the
project/ report.
3. Draw the chart for the swearing-in time for the President/Prime-Minister of
your Nation and determine the Hora/Hora Lord. Does this have any link to
the main activity or focus of the Government during its tenure? Highlight
the results and failures related to the houses ruled by the Lord of the Hora.
Can you relate the success and failures to the relationship between the
Lord of the tenth and the Lord of the Hora? You can use Argala, Drishti
etc, to stress your points.
4. Will you ever write a book or teach Jyotish? If so, during which Hora
should you give the Guru Mantra to your students? Does this have a link
to the Bhava or the Arudha Pada of the Bhava?
5. You would like to buy a new house. Which Hora would be most suitable to
negotiate for the house? On which day should you step into the new
house?
6. On which day/Hora should you look up a doctor?
7. Which is the best day for you to see his Jyotish? If the Jyotish only gives
appointment to people on weekends (Saturday/Sunday), then which time
is most suitable?
8. You had asked for an interview and the date given is very inauspicious,
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say it is ruled by the Lord of the 8 house. The time also seems to be most
inauspicious. What would you do?
9. Your spouse has asked for a divorce and has walked out of the house.
You don’t want to break the marriage. What would you do?

Please give all answers with rational astrological arguments. Add the question on
top of the answers when you mail them to the List. Please send all the answers
to the Varahamihira List and not to the Guru (Unless specifically directed to do
so).

Best Wishes
Sanjay Rath
Friday, July 14, 2000

Prepared by Pt. Sanjay Rath for the students of SJVC (www.sjvc.net)