ASHTAKAVARGA SYSTEM OF PREDICTION

PART 14
DR. E.S. NEELAKANTAN
Introduction:
In our previous article, we discussed some of the pointers to progeny from Jupiters
Ashtakavarga touching upon:
1) Timing of child birth
2) Nature of children
3) Physical appearance of children

We will now continue with our discussion on Jupiters Ashtakavarga.

Before I begin my discussion, I wish to clarify one point. If you read any text book
on astrology, you will be flooded with rules. Your confusion begins the moment you
apply these rules to individual charts. I have seen some computer printouts of persons
which read as follows:

Because kemadruma yoga is present, you will be hard pressed for money. You will
always find it difficult to make both ends meet.

The next sentence will be something like this:
There is a conjunction between a Kendra lord and a Trikona lord in your chart. This is
Raja yoga because of which you will always be blessed with wealth, houses, conveyances
and you will live like a King.
The best course of action, which the owner of the computer print out, usually takes is to
disbelieve both and continue to live his life as usual just as he has always done prior to
checking up the chart!

An important principle in Astrology is that only the stronger influences of
planets prevail. 9
th
lord in the 9
th
is very good for luck. But at the same time the planet
should have decent strength in shadvargas. Always verify whether such a planet is
enjoying the aspect of benefics or is at least not affected by either the conjunction or
aspect of malefics. Only if such a planet is free from adverse features it can be called as a
total benefic and is capable of yielding unalloyed beneficial results.

The second point I wish to stress is the employment of freewill.Even if destiny is
favorable, the results will not materialize if you do not work to your potential.

An example needs to be cited here. If Daivagna yoga is present in a chart, the yoga will
make you an astrologer. But how do you become an astrologer?

Step 1: By learning the subject from a Guru, who himself is learned in the subject.
Step 2: By reading the original treatises on the subject.
Step 3: By gathering practical knowledge, by applying the textbook rules to individual
charts.
Step 4: By discussions with fellow astrologers and also through experience. Factors such
as grace of god, mantra siddhi, luck and the horoscope of the astrologer also contribute to
success.

If any of the four steps above are besieged with some weakness or the other,
Daivagna yoga will merely exist in the chart but will not make you a renowned astrologer.
An astrologer was once questioned by a couple seeking advice on their daughters chart
about when Guru Balam (Jupiters movement into good houses in Gochara)will occur
and will confer marriage. The astrologer suggested the period but also gave a warning. No
doubt, the period will be auspicious but Jupiter will not do the following tasks on your
behalf:

1) Taking the available charts for matching to an astrologer
2) Booking of a marriage hall (which is usually done more than six months in advance as
all available dates are blocked)
3) Fixing a suitable cook, buying sarees and dhotis, printing the marriage card, inviting the
guests and arranging the Vedic pundits.

In other words, the astrologer made it abundantly clear,that whatever is your duty,
only you have to do, nobody will do it for you. Jupiter will do his job providing a
suitable opportunity for the girl to get married; nothing more, nothing less. Our own
expectations out of planets is not only excessive but also out of tune with reality.

After the bindus in Jupiters Ashtakavarga have been computed, find out the
number of bindus in the 5
th
house from Jupiter. We understood just now that only the
stronger planetary influences have relevance. Applying this rule in practice, omit the
bindus contributed by planets in

1) Inimical houses
2) Debilitation
3) Combustion

The number of children will correspond to the residual bindus subject to a couple of
observations, as follows

1) A planet in exaltation or own house is supposed to be strong. So this will
proportionately increase the number of children.
2) Based on whether the planet contributing the bindu is male or female, the offspring will
either be a boy or a girl.

Find out the house occupied by the sign dispositor of the 5
th
house from Jupiter.
The person will have as many issues as there are bindus in that house (after effecting the
reductions).

The planet whose bindu remains (after the reductions)

- If retrograde or exalted gives room for three children
- If in own house, own Navamsa, own drekkana or vargottama, two children
- If in debilitation or inimical house, premature death of children.

Before moving over to the next rule I wish to give an analogy. We judge the marital
prospects from the 7
th
house. 7
th
house is turned as Kalatrabhava. The point is 7
th
house
is to be reckoned from which house? An example needs to be cited here.

In Chennai, the Airport is located in Meenambakkam. An executive who came to
Chennai was talking to the head of the local office.While they were talking; the executive
made a remark, Meenambakkam is far off from Chennai. The local head did not
appreciate the remark. What is the reason? He was residing in St. Thomas Mount, which
is pretty close to the Airport. Before making a sweeping statement, Meenambakkam
airport is far off, he should have ascertained, from what localityit is far off. In fact
there are lots of houses close to the airport and for many of them no vehicle is required to
reach home after getting down at the airport from a plane. They can as well walk to their
homes!

Coming to our discussion, the 7
th
house refers to the 7
th
house from lagna. But
they also say, the 7
th
house needs to be judged from Moon as well as the Karaka planet,
Venus.

Many quack Astrologers have the habit of making instant predictions like the
instant readymade foods available in supermarkets.

Example: 7
th
lord in 12 your wife will die This approach is fatal not for the
clients wife but for the astrologer he can go out of job in no time.

In north India, there is a concept called Sudarshan view in colloquial language.
For every bhava you analyse from lagna, Moon as well as Karaka Planet. From Lagna, 7
th

lord is in 12 may be compensated if 7
th
lord from Moon is in the 9th. Secondly 7
th
lord in
12 is insufficient to cause death of wife. If in the wifes chart lagna lord is in lagna, she
will lead a long life. Moreover, one swallow does not make a summer Astrology is
based on cumulative influences of all the planets and a single planet cannot
determine the destiny of the person.

Coming back to the subject, the number of children should be judged from the house
occupied by the sign dispositor of the 5
th
from Jupiter.

The above analysis should also be done from the following positions also.
1) Lord of the 9
th
from Jupiter
2) Lord of the 5
th
from Lagna
3) Lord of the 5
th
from the Moon

The purposeof these rules is not to confuse the student of Astrology. The real
import of these principles is that all these houses have a bearing on progeny and as such
merit serious consideration.
Find out the number of bindus in the 5
th
from Jupiter. The following need to be
excluded.

Bindus contributed by Jupiters enemy.
Bindus contributed by enemy of the lord of the 5
th
from Jupiter.
Planet in Combustion.
Planet in Debilitation
Planet in enemys house.
Planet owning the debilitation sign of Jupiters 5
th
house lord
Saturn

Please note that Saturn is included in this negative list because he is the lord of Capricorn,
where Jupiter is debilitated.As the sign dispositor of Jupiters House of Fall,Saturn will
only have adetrimental effect on progeny.

The remaining bindus, after omitting bindus contributed by malefics, indicate the
number of children.

We read just now that the 9
th
from Jupiter is to be reckoned for this discussion. The
9
th
house is a significant indicator for progeny dueto three main reasons:

9
th
house denotes good fortune. One gets a good child only by luck or fortune.
Hence 9
th
house is very important.
By adopting the BhavatBhavam principle 9
th
house is the 5
th
from the 5
th
house.
In a female horoscope, the 9
th
house is the house of children (male children in
particular) unlike a male horoscope wherein the 5
th
house is the house of children.

In a womens horoscope, in the Ashtakavarga of Jupiter, the number of daughters
will be equal to the sum of bindus in the 5
th
house from lagna, Moon and Jupiter.

In a womens horoscope, the number of sons will be equal to the sum of bindus in
the 9
th
from lagna, Moon and Jupiter.
The difference between the above two rules is due to the fact that the astrological
peculiarity in a female chart is that the 9
th
house denotes sons while the 5
th
house denotes
daughters.

(THE END)