Jyotisha Guru, Jyotisha Pandita, Jamini Scholar

Sarbani teaches jyotisha at the Devaguru Brhapasti Centre in its Parasara Jyotisha Course (PJC) and Jaimini Scholar Programme (JSP)

President, Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC)
President, Devaguru Brhaspati Centre
Member, BAVA (British Association of Vedic Astrology)
Member, CVA (Council of Vedic Astrology).

Consultations

Video Consult with Sarbani $180: 60min OR $270: 90 min consultation.
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Video Consult with Sarbani ₹ 14,000: 60min OR ₹22,000: 90 min consultation.
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Beginners

  • लाभभावफलाञ्चाथ कथयामि द्विजोत्तम। श्रुयोताम् जातको लोके यछुत्भत्वे सदा सुखी॥ lābhabhāvaphalāṣcātha kathayāmi dvijottama | śruyotām jātako loke yachutbhatve sadā sukhī ||                                                  -Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra, Lābhabhāvaphalādhyāya, Sl. 1   “O the greatest among dvijas, I will now tell you about the results of Lābha Bhāva, which if auspicious (śubha) will make the native eternally happy” The ekādaśa bhāva or the eleventh house of the rāśi chart represents the realization of the hope and desires, the dreams and aspirations of the lagna. The hope and aspirations of a person are his children who are seen from the fifth house of the natal horoscope. The 11th house is the fifth from the seventh house which is the seat of all desires and hence indicates the fulfillment of a person’s desires. It indicates elder brothers, friends, colleagues and the community of associates who guide the native in the fulfillment of these hopes and desires. In material terms, it is the wealth and riches that pour in which aid in the achievement of one’s dreams and aspirations. It is the karma of the house of wealth, therefore the source of inflow of the wealth or the bitta of the dhana bhāva. This inflow of wealth is known as income. It is the protection of mantra, being the dharma bhāva from the third house of guru upadeśa. It is the māraka for one’s mantra being the seventh from the fifth house of mantra, devotion and bhakti. It is not therefore unusual that the significator of this bhāva is Jupiter.  It is a trika house, an upachaya, the house of punishment and the Hara sthāna. It is the house which indicates the potential growth of an astrologer through scholarship and through the ability to earn from this knowledge as it is the fourth from the eighth and as the eighth is the tenth from the eleventh house. It is above all, the bādhaka sthāna of the Kālapuruṣa, as it is lorded by Rāhu. The hopes and aspirations of the seventh house is to get married and receive love; therefore a ruined fifth house can smash all hopes of marriage. Lābha: Gains, Benefits, Incomes The 11th lord is the lābha or the gains of the karma bhāva, karma which is performed in order to realize one’s hopes. The lābha does not come before the end of the karma just the way salaries are not paid till the month is completed. It is for this reason one sees income from the second house from the tenth, which is the dhana or the wealth from the tenth house. The third house from the tenth is the expenditure of the tenth bhāva. More importantly, it is the karma of the second house, being tenth from it; hence it shows the completion of the activity from which the wealth is formed. This activity is the in flow of income. It is therefore not difficult to understand that the parivartana and association of the second and the 11th lords form powerful dhana yogas in the chart. Parāśara and the other ṛṣzis tell us that the 11th lord, well placed and in strength specially in its own house, in a kendra or trine, in exaltation and in its own sign, will yield tremendous amounts of wealth. The 11th lord in the 11th house in particular will increase the wealth and happiness of the native day by day. Depending on the house in which the 11th lord is placed in, the native will gain in wealth from the people represented by the kārakatva of the house. For example, the 11th lord in the seventh house will enable the native to gain from his wife’s relatives, in the third house from his brothers and in the fourth house form his mother and maternal relatives and through land and property. The 11th lord in the fifth house will make a person’s children happy and learned; while in the ninth will confer gains to the native through a rise in his fortunes and make the native a truthful and honorable man. Parāśara says the 11th lord in lagna makes a person sātvik as the lagna governs one’s ideals and principles. The 11th lord’s presence in the rising sign will ensure that the in flow of income is through honest means. The 11th lord in the fifth will also yield wealth through speculations as the ārūḍha of the 11th house will fall in the eighth house.  In case of the 11th lord being in the ninth house, the ārūḍha will be in the seventh house, so it might indicate a rise in fortune through or after marriage. The 11th lord shows the physical direction from where the lābha will come. Travel in the direction of the lord of the 11th house will yield lābha. Sāravalī tells us to worship the deity first before proceeding for lābha. So if one worships the deity associated with the physical direction, especially the dikpālaka, one will get success. When such a dikpālaka is happy, there will be gains and the realization of hope. Chart 1: Case 1: The Direction of the 11th Lord In the example given in Chart 1 the native has 11th lord Venus in the eight house of loss and debt which he had incurred huge debts as due to the early demise of his father, he had taken enormous loans from his relatives to pursue his education. The native’s family that is his mother and two brothers were not financially well disposed. Venus however is beautifully placed in digbala from the Ārūḍha Lagna indicating that traveling in the direction of Venus will give him gains. Venus mahādaśā started in 1998 and he immediately left his home town Calcutta for a small town in the westerly direction where he started working in an NGO. He encountered his first Upapada which did not reach any culmination and he traveled further in a northwesterly direction to New Delhi, where he was employed in an excellent software company in the marketing […]

  • The Fifth House The pancama bhāva or the fifth house is the place of the working of the buddhi and is the seat of the mana, representing its highest level. In the natural zodiac, the fifth house is ruled by the Sun, and hence it reflects it’s glorious persona, with the fifth lord promoting the Sun’s qualities, in advancing supreme knowledge and wisdom. It represents a person’s dhī, intelligence, mind (mana), chitta, bhakti (love/devotion), deities, worship, mantra, purvapunya and everything related to progeny, the future of mankind. Dhī and chitta signifies the understanding, the perceptive power, the reflective and meditative ability to ingest and interpret knowledge. In other words it is the discerning power to make judgements which might ultimately be moral. Vyankatesha Sharma, in the Sarvārtha Cintāmaṇi, has called this, vivekaśakti, and has identified it as one of the qualities to be seen from the fifth house. Mana, in addition to the above, is also associated with hṛdaya or the heart. Unquestionably,  it is one of the most important bhāvas in the natal horoscope and the primary trikona (trine), the ninth house being the trine of the trine. It is a very delicate house, and both benefics and malefics placed in it must be treated with fragile care, like babies (our children), which are also indicated by this bhāva. The Pentad of Creation At the beginning of Creation, when the Paramātmā desired to manifest, the foundational underpinning that was formed from the Tamoguna are the five elements or the panca mahābhūtas/tatvas: Ākāśa (Ether), Vāyu (Air), Agni (Fire), Apah (Water) and Pṛthivī (Earth). These tatvas were divided into the panca gyānendriyas (śrotra, tvak, cakṣu, jihvā and ghrāṇa) and panca karmendriyas (vāk, pāṇi, pāda, pāyu and upastha).  The gyānendriyas were composed from the Sātvikāmśas of the panca tatvas and the karmendriyas were composed from the Rajo amśas.  The entire Sātvikāmśas of the tatvas were further sub-divided into mana and buddhi. The collective Rajo amśas united to form the panca prāṇas (prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna and vyāna). These seventeen atributes comprising the five gyānendriyas, karmendriyas, prāṇas, mana and buddhi, combined to form the sukṣma śarīra[1]. The divinity in these combined attributes is known as Hiraṇyagarbha and individually in them as Taijas. This divinity, in order to fulfill the desires of these newly-born material bodies, further sub-divided the Panca Tatavas into sets of five by conmmingling the elements. It is from this pentagonic division and sub-divisions of the five Tatvas that this universe, the 14 bhuvanas (sapta lokas and sapta pātālas) and the gross body was fashioned. Hiraṇyagarbha expanded himself to his omniform within this gross body and and the Taijas manifested itself as the devatas, animals, birds and human beings to ultimatley create this world or viśva. The living beings thus born, are devoid of this higher knowledge which has led to their creation, and are instead engaged in performing actions to fulfill their desires and get caught repeatedly in the cycle of birth and re-birth. This is because the ātmā, or the born soul, deludes itself and forgets this supreme knowledge as it is enshrouded by the Panca Kośas (annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, vigyānamaya and ānandamaya). The Sātvikāmśas of the panca tatvas combined with the gyānendriyas and the mana to form the Manomaya Kośa, and with the buddhi to form the Vigyānamaya Kośa. It is only with knowledge that the ātmā can perceive itself as separate from the Panca Kośas and this is known as vidyā.  It is only if they are fortunate enough, through the initiation of a guru/teacher, or otherwise to gain knowledge of this supreme Brahma tatva about the universe and the Supreme Divine, that they are able to liberate themselves from this created universe and achieve mokṣa.   This vidya or knowledge is nothing but the great phrase, tatvamasi, or “thou art that”, and the person who has attained this gyāna and has the wisdom to discern or distinguish this great truth from other trivia, is endowed with dhī. This quality and the capacity for this perceptive power and supreme knowledge is seen through the pancama bhāva.   Kārakas The kāraka for the fifth house is devaguru Jupiter, the priest of the gods, the giver of light and the supreme preceptor. Guru is he who removes the darkness of ignorance and ushers in the light of knowledge. The Sun is the actual source of brilliance, so logically the Sun removes darkness but it does so upon the intervention of Guru. Therefore, without the blessings of Guru, the mind is forever enshrouded in darkness, clouded by ignorance, until Jupiter illuminates it and grants wisdom. Hence, Jupiter is the kāraka for the fifth house and the significator for dhī, intelligence, and knowledge. Mana or the mind is capable of both good and bad thoughts. Thoughts are the seeds (beeja) for future actions; therefore, protection of the mind is extremely necessary, which is done through mantra. Good thoughts lead to good actions. For this the blessings of Jupiter should be invoked so that he fills the mind with good thoughts at all times and illuminates it with the Sun’s light, so that one is always guided by dharma, conscience and the higher perceptive power which elevates one above gloom and murk. Perhaps for this very reason, the Rig Veda has saluted the great Jupiter, telling us to adore him and worship him during our prayers, rites and rituals, so that he may bestow unending treasures, happiness and strength and give shape to all our desires and hopes. “Adore the noble and pure Bṛhaspati during sacrifices, with your hymns. May he grant unsurpassable strength in the pursuit of achieving knowledge”. So Bṛhaspati, the respected and the adorable One; the One who gives form to the world, the great and the omni form One, should be invoked and worshipped at all times. (Also, refer to Meters 4 and 6 of the above Sukta). The ninth from Jupiter brings the guru in a subject’s life. If the naisargika kāraka for the guru is Jupiter, […]

  • General Principles   The main principles, which should be kept in mind while analysing divisional charts, are the kārya rāśi, kāryeśa and the kāraka. Kārya rāśi is the sign of the house, which is the significator of the ruling activity. Kāryeśa is the lord of the concerned house in the rāśi chart. This lord will have to be well placed in both the rāśi and the concerned divisional chart in order to yield beneficial results. For instance if the kāryeśa is placed in a trine in both rāśi and the concerned division, the bhāva will flourish. Similarly, the appropriate kāraka will also have to be well placed. The Naisargika, Sthira and Chara kārakas will all need to be examined. To analyse co-born in a Drekkāṇa chart, both the 3rd lord and kāraka Mars will need to have good situational strength to show any beneficence from siblings. If Mars is placed in the 12th house, it will indicate losses in these matters.    Following the above guidelines for methods of construction and principles, one can discern the basic characteristics of a divisional chart. For example, Saptāṁśa is a regular Brahmā division, following a perfect lunar order like creation, as it is the varga, which deals with progeny. The kāryeśa is the 5th lord and the kāraka is Jupiter. Navāṁśa too is a perfect Brahmā division, relating to spouse and dharma. The 7th house, which is the 11th from the 9th, shows the spouse or dharmapatni. Hence the 7th lord is the kāryeśa and Venus is the kāraka, with Jupiter being an additional kāraka for women. Alternatively, Navāṁśa is referred to as Dharmāṁśa. Daśāṁśa, concerning a native’s work, career and profession is the realm of Śiva. All beings follow the Sun in their activities. Hence there is a break in order to show that Śiva’s principles are being followed and not Brahmā’s. The counting is done from the first house for odd signs and from the 9th house for even signs, showing this break or irregularity. Daśāṁśa is also known as Swargāṁśa and is applicable whether a native works or not. Dvādaśāṁśa too, is a regular order with a tiny break and is hence not a regular Brahmā division. Dvādaśāṁśa concerns the parents of a native, and the kāryeśa is consequently, the 4th and the 9th lords with Sun and Moon as the kārakas. The position of the Sun will thus reveal the nature of the native’s parentage, whether he is born into royalty or is a posthumous child. The kārakas for paternal grandparents are Jupiter and Ketu and the kārakas for maternal grandparents are Venus and Mercury respectively.      For finer analysis, the dignities of the planets representing kāryeśa and the kāraka will need to be examined. Their exaltation or debilitation, their placement in a friendly or inimical sign in the divisional charts will independently illuminate a situation. This should be combined with their rāśi position to achieve a composite understanding. The only exception is the Navāṁśa where planets can get both uccha and nīcha bhaṅga depending on the relative rāśi and Navāṁśa positions.   Apart from dignities and sign placements of planets, the relationships between planets will also need to be taken into account.  These relationships are varied, like yogas, sambandhas, yogāḍas (any planet that brings out an association between lagna, Horā lagna and Ghāṭikā lagna by ownership, placement or aspect), kevalas (śubhapati joining lagna or Ātmakāraka), kevala yogāḍas (śubhapati associated with lagna and Ghāṭikā lagna or lagna and Horā lagna) and kevala mahāyogāḍas (association of Horā and Ghāṭikā lagna with kevala). This implies that the śubhapati and its relationships with other planets in the different divisions play a significant role.     These abovementioned factors and principles and their relational dynamics will have to be reckoned while exploring divisional charts. These when computed with the rāśi chart findings will yield accurate results and provide a holistic picture of the life of the native.  Higher Divisional Charts Although astrologers stop short at ṣaṣṭiāṁśa when using divisional charts, there is an entire range of higher harmonics, which remain untapped. This is primarily due to the fact that not enough research has been undertaken in the potential and use of these divisions. They include the following: D-72 – Aṣṭa Navāṁśa D-81 – Nava Navāṁśa D-108 – Aṣṭottarāṁśa D-144 – Dvādaśa Dvādaśāṁśa D-150 – Nāḍiāṁśa D-300 – Ardha Nāḍiāṁśa These higher divisions operate at an ethereal level, dealing with esoteric matters such as dreams and the higher spirit self. The cognitive development of divisional charts can only be in further research in the direction of these higher harmonics, which perhaps carry the seed of unveiling the mysteries of the soul’s journey on this earth. Beyond the apparent sectoral allocations, divisional charts embody directives for the native to pursue the lessons of the soul. It contains correctives for redeeming past karma and to prevent repetitions of errors. It forewarns about the treacherous paths and indicates the curative alternatives. The study of divisional charts will therefore enable the native to make choices, to probe deeper into his psyche and his self and fathom the purposes of his existence. Take for instance Ṣoḍaśāṁśa, which deals with vehicles, luxuries and mental happiness. The conjoining of the Rāhu-Ketu axis show that to escape the nodal bind of rebirth, the pleasures or the happiness apparently indicated by this division may be ephemeral. True bliss or happiness, which can only occur with the dissolution of the self in the Paramātmā, should therefore be the only goal, while the promise of Ṣoḍaśāṁśa is only māyā.  The yoking of the nodal axis in Ṣoḍaśāṁśa is the coded message that the happiness of Ṣoḍaśāṁśa is illusory and that true happiness lies elsewhere, beyond the entrapment of the nodes, wherein fledgling lives are ensnared. Similarly, one should be able to analyse and discover the message behind each of the divisional charts.  Therein lies the true meaning of vargas.

  • The varga charts are clustered in separate groups or schemes for purposes of specific predictions, such as ṣaḍvarga, saptavarga, daśavarga, ṣoḍaṣavarga and aṣṭākavarga. Ṣaḍvarga is a group used in Praśna including the following six divisions: Rāśi, Horā, Drekkāṇa, Navāṁśa, Dvādaśāṁśa and Triṁśāṁśa. The saptavarga clusters, used for mundane astrology, include Rāśi, Horā, Drekkāṇa, Saptāṁśa, Navāṁśa, Dvādaśāṁśa and Triṁśāṁśa. Daśavarga is used universally in horoscopy comprising Rāśi, Horā, Drekkāṇa, Saptāṁśa, Navāṁśa, Daśāṁśa, Dvādaśāṁśa, Ṣoḍaṣāṁśa, Triṁśāṁśa and Ṣaṣṭiāṁśa. Finally ṣoḍaṣavarga, the varga scheme adopted by Parāśara and commonly followed in predictive astrology include the following divisions Rāśi, Horā, Drekkāṇa, Chaturthāṁśa, Saptāṁśa, Navāṁśa, Daśāṁśa, Dvādaśāṁśa, Ṣoḍaśāṁśa, Viṁśāṁśa, Chaturviṁśāṁśa, Nakṣatrāṁśa, Triṁśāṁśa, Khavedāṁśa, Akṣavedāṁśa and Ṣaṣṭiāṁśa. Originally the ṣoḍaṣavargīya scheme was reserved for royal horoscopy and has now become the universally adopted model. A slightly different scheme, which has numerical representations, is the aṣṭākavarga where dots and dashes are used to delineate the placement of planets and to determine their relative strengths as well as that of the signs. The complete set of twenty divisional charts includes Pañchamāṁśa, Ṣaṣṭhāṁśa, Aṣṭamāṁśa and Ekśdaśāṁśa in addition to the existing ṣoḍaṣavarga arrangement. Methods of Construction There are no fixed methods of calculating divisional charts. The standard method followed is that of Parāśara, a sequential counting procedure which may or may not be regular. The more uncommon method is that followed by modern researchers like Mantreśvara, where the zodiac is divided by multiples of twelve or by the number of the division.    Parāśara’s method of construction is both regular and irregular. The regular order is known as the order of Brahmā as it follows the perfect order of nature and is therefore synchronous. This order is applicable to those areas, which pertain to the living being, as it is the order of creation.  For example, Navāṁśa and Saptāṁśa are atypical Brahmā divisions. In Saptāṁśa, each sign is divided into seven parts. For odd signs, the counting begins from the same sign and for even signs it begins from its 7th sign. In the case of Navāṁśa, the signs are divided in to nine parts or the 108 padas of the 27 nakṣatras.  The counting begins from the same sign for odd signs, from the 9th for even signs and from the 5th for dual signs.    The irregular or ‘jumping’ movement is appropriate for those divisions, which pertain to the non-living world, the soulless, inanimate objects which men relentlessly pursue. For example, in Drekkāṇa, where the sign is divided into three parts, the first part is the sign itself, the second is the 5th form it and the third, the 9th from it. In Chaturthāṁśa, where a sign is divided in four parts, the counting is done from the sign, followed by the 4th, 7th and 10th signs from it. These therefore do not belong to the Brahmā division, which is the regular order of counting, as they do not relate to issues, which follow the natural rhythms of the universe.    A significant point to note is that many of the divisions have multiple methods of construction, like the Horā and the Drekkāṇa. Drekkāṇa may be constructed in four different ways, namely, the abovementioned Parāśarī method, the Parivṛttitraya Drekkāṇa, the Somnāth Drekkāṇa and the Jagannāth Drekkāṇa. The Somnāth and Parivṛttitraya Drekkāṇa follow a regular pattern of counting while the Jagannāth Drekkāṇa is a different form of the Parāśarī method. These different Drekkāṇas may be used for distinct purposes. Although the Drekkāṇa is to be seen for the co-born, it can also be seen for the self. In that case, the Parivṛttitraya Drekkāṇa would be suitable for inquiry of the self while the Parāśara Drekkāṇa would be more applicable while analysing relations with siblings. This is because each bhāva is kāraka for miscellaneous factors and if one wishes to fine-tune the divisional chart, then the appropriate method of construction will clarify the matter further.    Following Parāśara, the sixteen commonly used divisional charts are as follows:   Horā: Horā is the division of each sign in two halves or Horās, ruled alternatively by the Sun and the Moon. Based on the distance between the Sun and the earth, the zodiac is divided in half across 0°Leo and 0°Aquarius, into equal halves of light and darkness or solar and lunar halves. The solar half or Surya Horā is from Leo to Capricorn and the lunar half or the Chandra Horā is from Cancer to Aquarius in an anti-zodiacal direction. The Horā charts are constructed by assigning the first half of odd signs, 0°-15° to the lordship of the Sun and the second half, 16°-30°, to the rulership of the Moon. For even signs, the first half is the Chandra Horā and the second half is the Surya Horā. The Sun and Moon therefore own adjoining signs in their Horās. The Horā chart is used for seeing the wealth of the native.   Drekkāṇa: Drekkāṇa, otherwise known as the trine division, is the one third division of a sign. Hence there are 36 Drekkāṇas measuring 10 degrees each. The 1st Drekkāṇa is owned by the sign itself, the 2nd by the sign fifth from it and the 3rd by the sign 9th from it.  So for Aries lagna, the first three Drekkāṇas will be Aries, Leo and Sagittarius and the next three will be Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Drekkāṇa charts are seen for co-born and siblings as well as for the self.   Chaturthāṁśa:  This is the one fourth division of a sign, with each division measuring 7° 30´.  The first division is the sign itself, the second is the sign fourth from it, the third is the 7th sign and the fourth is the 10th sign. So for Aries lagna, the first four divisions will be Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Chaturthāṁśa is useful for a variety of matters such as home, property, mother, happiness, vehicles and formal education. Alternatively this division is also known Turīyāṁśa.   Saptāṁśa: Each sign is divided into seven divisions of 4° 17´. The counting is sequential, starting from the sign itself for odd signs and from the 7th sign for even signs. For Aries lagna, the first seven divisions will be from Aries to Libra and the next seven from Scorpio to Taurus. The division is used for seeing progeny.   Navāṁśa: The most important division after the rāśi, Navāṁśa is the one ninth division of a sign. Each sign is divided into nine divisions of 3° 20´ each. The counting begins from the sign itself for movable signs, from the 9th sign for fixed signs and from the 5th sign for dual signs. So for Aries it will begin from Aries, for Taurus from Capricorn and for Gemini from Libra.  Navāṁśa is renowned for being the rāśi of the spouse but more importantly, it delineates the spiritual development of the native by identifying his path and objects of worship. Hence it is also known as Dharmāṁśa.   Daśāṁśa: Daśāṁśa or Swargāṁśa is the tenfold divisions of a sign, measuring 3° each. The counting begins from the same sign for odd signs and from the 9th sign […]

  • The twelve signs therefore, are divided and sub-divided in different fractions, the sequence of which gets repeated after every twelve divisions. Each cycle of twelve divisions represent a ‘harmonic’ depicting the various levels of consciousness, both gross and subtle, which exists in the life of a person. The first cycle of divisional charts from D-1 to D-12 represent the physical plane. They cover the various aspects of the physical realities of a person such as the body itself (D-1, Rāśi), wealth (D-2, Horā), co-born or siblings (D-3, Drekkāṇa), properties and fortune (D-4, Chaturthāṁśa), progeny (D-7, Saptāṁśa), spouse (D-9, Navāṁśa), profession, career and work (D-10, Daśāṁśa) and parents (D-12, Dvādaśāṁśa). Of these, the Rāśi (D-1), Drekkāṇa (D-3) and Navāṁśa (D-9) are considered to be the most important in analyzing a horoscope. The next cycle is the first harmonic of the previous cycle, covering divisions from D-13 to D-24. This represents the conscious plane, depicting the various existential conditions of a person. Although technically 12 divisions are possible in each cycle, Parāśara’s format of ṣoḍaṣavarga or the 16 kinds of divisions of each sign is being followed here. In this format, the three divisions of Kālāṁśa (D-16), Viṁśāṁśa (D-20) and Chaturviṁśāṁśa or Siddhāṁśa (D-24) are generally used, as the primary divisions to be studied in this cycle. Kālāṁśa is the first harmonic of the Chaturthāṁśa showing luxuries, vehicles and mental happiness. Viṁśāṁśa deals with the spiritual life of a person while Chaturviṁśāṁśa deals with higher learning. This cycle therefore refers to the higher existential activities of a person after crossing the first rung of gross material conditions. The third cycle or the second harmonic, covering D-25 to D-36, relates to the sub-conscious plain. These explore the factors, which lie in the sub-conscious region and unconsciously influence the mind. They represent inherent weaknesses and strengths (D-27, Nakṣatrāṁśa) and all forms of evils that might besiege a person (D-30, Triṁśāṁśa). The fourth cycle or third harmonic ranging from D-37 to D-48 deals with past karma, which is inherited as ancestral legacy. The important divisions in this cycle are D-40 or Khavedāṁśa representing matrilineal legacy and D-45 or Akṣavedāṁśa representing patrilineal legacy. This is the super-conscious plane. The final harmonic is that of the supra-conscious plane from D-49 to D-60. This shows the accumulated karma from past births, which a person carries with him like a legacy. In this context Ṣaṣṭiāṁśa or D-60 is the most relevant division.

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  • Introduction[1] Abhiśāpa or ­śāpa, otherwise known as a curse, is an invocation to the superior powers, in order to cause harm and bring about suffering to another person or persons, nation or lands. The person bestowing the śāpa or curse causes misfortune to another by evoking the Gods or supernatural elements. Consequently, the cursed person is engulfed by misery and hardship, while cursed lands are devastated by wars, strife, floods and famine. A person is instigated to curse because of extreme and intense emotions, namely, anger (Mars), sorrow (Saturn) and shock (Rāhu)[2]. Such emotion ignites a person to curse, which very often leads to the denial of the basic aspects of happiness and content in life like marriage, children, family, home, money, and profession etc. of the cursed subject. Mythology of both the East and the Occident is replete with stories of curses. The ṛṣīs of yore were particularly adept at casting sweeping curses on all and sundry at the blink of an eye. People trembled at the name of ṛṣīs like Durbāsā, whose legendary anger provoked him to curse frequently. The Rāmāyaṇa came into existence because of Nārada’s curse on Viṣṇu denying him marital happiness and conjugal bliss. Viṣṇu had to take birth as a human being in the form of the Rāma avatar to fulfill Nārada’s curse[3]. Gautama’s curse on his wife Ahalyā froze her into a stone for centuries, until the divine feet of Rāma relieved her of her misery. Gāndhārī’s curse on Kṛṣṇa destroyed the Yadu Dynasty. Dakṣa’s curse compelled the Moon to wax and wane, while Śanaiścara was tarnished for life, as his gaze destroyed whatever it beheld, due to the deadly curse of his wife. The reason behind these curses were a variety of passionate reactions: Nārada’s anger at Viṣṇu’s obstruction of his marriage, Gautama’s anger and shock at his wife’s alleged infidelity with Indra, Gāndhārī’s hatred towards Kṛṣṇa for not stopping the Kurukṣetra war and thereby destroying the Kuru Dynasty, Dakṣa’s anger and sorrow for the Moon’s disdain towards his 26 daughters for the sake of Rohiṇī, the sorrow of Śani’s wife for her husband’s negligence of his marital and conjugal duties in favour of a spiritual life[4]. A curse caused many a devatā and ṛṣī to take human birth and provides the causal link in mythological narratives to karma and rebirth, thereby connecting two souls. At a more mundane plain from the ethereal beings, mortal lives are very often bound in curses, silently suffering the burden of their karma from either the past or the present life. Curses and karma therefore have a symbiotic relationship; the seed of one is often embedded in the other. Hardship and denial in one’s life can be frequently rooted in a curse from the past life. Identifying curses in a horoscope thus becomes an important tool for determining the cause of sufferance in this life and their remedies if any may be documented and applied. Parāśara’s Tenet Discussion on curses of past births is not easily found in jyotiṣa texts, except in Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra and Candrakalā Nāḍī, both of which talk about the denial of children due to various curses from the past life. Parsara has written extensively on curses from the previous birth in the chapter entitled Purvajanmaśāpadyotanādhyāya of the Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra. Basically this chapter deals with the question of childlessness or denial of children as a result of a curse from the past birth. Such a curse may have been uttered by one’s parents, relatives, gurus, priests or even the Sarpas (Divine Serpents) or departed spirits, in the past life, due to some action or event that occurred at that time. Such an action or event stirred some deep passions within them of anger, sorrow or shock, thereby provoking them to wish ill of others. In the Harihar Majumdar edition[5] of the Bṛhat Parāśara, the chapter on curses commences with Pārvatī asking Śiva to explain the curses from past life which causes childlessness. Śiva replies by stating that the first thing one must undertake is to examine the bhāva bala or the strength of all the twelve houses very carefully, following which two general principles are given by Parāśara for childlessness. These are as follows: When Jupiter, Lagna lord, 7th lord and 5th lord are without any strength, there will be a denial of children or there will be anapatya When Sun, Mars, Rāhu and Saturn are posited in the 5th house in strength, while simultaneously the 5th lord and/or Jupiter are bereft of any strength there will be anapatya yoga. Parāśara in his primary analysis takes into account the afflictions on the 5th house, the 5th lord and Jupiter, by Mars, Saturn and Rāhu. Jupiter is included here as it is the karaka for children and the 5th house. He then takes the planet and the house associated with a particular curse. The examination of Pitṛśāpa would entail not only the condition of the 5th house and its lord and Jupiter but also the Sun and the 9th house and its lord. Similarly for the curse of the spouse, the 7th house, 7th lord and karaka Venus are examined and so on. This gives an indication that curses represent the severe affliction of a house, its lord and its karakas by the three primary malefics, Mars, Rāhu and Saturn, resulting in the eventual destruction of the house and its signification.  Two aspects are highlighted, namely, the strength or bala of the houses and the planets and secondly, the affliction on the kārakatva of houses and planets. Parāśara has identified the types of curses that one may bear from one’s past life in order to experience the sorrow of childlessness in the present birth. These curses are as follows: Person Cursing Name of Curse Planet Associated                      Houses Divine Serpents Sarpaśāpa Rāhu           5th House, 5th Lord, Jupiter Father Pitṛśāpa Sun 9th house, 9th lord Mother Mātṛśāpa Moon 4th house, 4th lord Brother Bhrātṛśāpa Mars […]

  • sukhī kāntavapuḥ śreṣṭhaḥ sulocano bhṛgoḥ sutaḥ| kāvyakartā kaphādhikyo’nilātmā vakramūrdhajaḥ||                                                                                                 Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śastra, Grahaguṇasvarūpādhyāya The King of the Watery Element It is common knowledge that Venus, or Śukra, is the significator of love, affection, marriage and romantic relationships of every nature. Not only because it is the seventh lord of the Kālapuruṣa, but because it is the primary ruler of jala tatva or the primordial element of water, governing tithis and pakṣas. One pakṣa consist fifteen tithis which spans 180°, which is one half of a circle, and comes precisely to the seventh house of love and marriage. It is this jala tatva that causes Venus to be the significator of relationships as jala or water rules emotions and affection and tithis lord relationships. Afflictions to Venus are nothing but afflictions to the jala tatva. The most potent form of jala tattva is śukra dhātu. Śukra means that which is pure and bright; liquid such as soma or water which is the essence of life. Hence Śukra in jyotiṣa terminology literally means semen, or that essential fluid which is the building block of life. Venus, therefore, rules the testicles and the ovaries and the reproductive organs, sexuality and libido, the body fluids, sex appeal, and every kind of desire and wish that arises in the hearts of men. It represents beauty, love, devotion, poetry, the arts, sweetness, marriage, flowers, young couples, attraction, infatuation, decoration, adornment, ornamentation, opulence and the luxuries of the earthly plane through the satisfaction of the sensual desires. Śukra is the healer, the rejuvenator, the one who brings back the dead to life through its mysterious powers of rejuvenation and healing.  It is in this capacity, that Venus signifies the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra and the knowledge associated with it known as the Mṛtyuñjaya vidyā. It is also known as the Mṛtasaṅjīvanī vidyā. This special knowledge was granted to Śukrācārya by Śiva as a result of his great penance and tapasyā. Along with the Sun, Venus is the sthira kāraka for the father, for while the Sun brings the individual soul or ātmā to a body, Venus is the śukra or semen which contains the seed from which life springs. It is the embodiment of the juṁ bīja, the very essence of the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra. The Combustion of Venus Venus has a peculiar and symbiotic relationship with Sun. The battle between Venus and Sun is that of self and the world; of the ‘I’ and the Collective. Venus is the carrier of the jivātmā representing the individuality of a person. The Sun is the sarvātmā or the representative of the plurality of ātmās in the created universe. Venus is selfish by nature. He is rājasik and is always taking for himself. He thus governs the private sector which is geared towards making profit for the self. The Sun is of a giving nature. If he takes, then it is only for giving to others, like the government taking tax from the people in order to run the government. In love affairs, when Venus is ahead of the Sun or in higher latitude social circumstances would compel the native to break the marriage or the relationship. Even if Venus should emerge victorious under such circumstance, Jupiter’s aspect on it will defeat Venus. If Venus is behind or lower in latitude than the Sun, the individual self wins over the sarvātmā and the native will win against all odds in matters of the heart despite every opposition form the society. When Venus is combusted or in close proximity to the Sun, the native shall flee from the persons as indicated by the chara kārakatva of Venus. In the daśā of the Sun, he will emerge victorious. As Venus emerges from the state of combustion, it is slightly ahead of the Sun and can be sighted in the morning prior to sunrise and is known to the world at that time as the Morning Star. Cultures which worship Venus wait for this, as they launch their battle attacks at this time. The further Venus is ahead of the Sun, the more krūra it becomes, as its natural significations become more and more diminished. Whenever Venus is close to the Sun in a natal chart, it indicates the Sun as the controller of the relationship. The Sun controls through dharma and social norms. The native in such instances gives primacy to dharma and social norms over his personal relationships. If the society does not sanction the relationship, then such a person will conform to the dictates of the society. When Venus is away from the Sun, the native’s decisions will be emotionally motivated, and he will not obey social dictates and instead fight single handedly for his relationship against all odds. This is because the Sun as the sarvātmā represents the collective ātmā or the collective will of the society, while Venus depicts the individual jivātmā or soul. Taking a clue from this, Venus’ placement second or twelfth from the Sun will influence a native’s romantic relationships to a considerable degree. When Venus is in the twelfth house from the Sun, that is it is behind the Sun, the native will experience multiple relationships. This is because the Sun will ‘give’ Venus or relationships to the native. When Venus is placed second from the Sun, the native will have to ‘give’ to the society and hence ‘give up’ or sacrifice his relationships.  The society literally ‘eats’ the native’s relationships as Venus is in the second from the Sun. Both Srila Prabhupada and Swami Vivekananda have Venus placed second from the Sun, showing that they ‘sacrificed’ their personal lives in order to serve a larger cause. Chart 1: Śrila Prabhupāda Chart 2: Swāmī Vivekānanda This necessitates a closer examination of conjunctions between Venus and Sun. When Venus and Sun conjoin one must first determine which of the two is stronger, from both lagna and Ārūḍha Lagna. Following this one must note the houses owned by the planets. The further Venus is from […]

  • Pregnancy is seen from the 5th house as it is the fruit of marriage. Fruits or lābha of any bhāva is seen from the 11th house from the bhāva under consideration. The 7th house is marriage and the fruits of marriage – children – therefore are seen in the 11th from it, which is the 5th house. This fifth house maybe reckoned in the reverse sometimes. Male charts have 5th house as controller for children whereas female charts have 9th house as controller for children. This rule of thumb is also observed in the saptāṁśa chart, the 1/7th division of the rāśi, which is dedicated to the study of progeny. The saptāṁśa varga is riddled with intricate rules, such as the ārambha rāśi for the pregnancy count which can be delicate to decipher as well as the determination of the sex of the child. The saptāṁśa varga can even detail the pregnancies form different spouses in the case of multiple marriages[1]. Determination of Gender Jupiter is the naisargika putra-kāraka and the worship of Lord Śiva is always beneficial for children. The three signs Cancer, Libra and Pisces are termed fruitful signs due to the śakti of Durgā, Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī respectively. Keeping these two vital points in mind, one can proceed to say that: All odd-signs indicate male children except the two wind signs Gemini and Aquarius. All even signs indicate female children except the two water signs Cancer and Pisces. We may conclude that signs indicating a male child are Aries, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Pisces. Sings indicating a female child are Taurus, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Aquarius. Odd number planets indicate a male child, even number planets indicate a female child; whilst the rule is reversed for the nodes. The odd number planets are Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Ketu. So, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Rahu will give male births whilst Moon, Mercury, Venus and Ketu indicate female births. Exalted planets indicate male children obtained by the grace of Viṣṇu avatāra whereas debilitated planets indicate female children obtained by the grace of mahāvidyā Śakti. Male Births Female Births Signs Planets Signs Planets Aries Sun Taurus Moon Cancer Mars Gemini Mercury Leo Jupiter Virgo Venus Libra Saturn Scorpio Ketu Sagittarius Rahu Capricorn Pisces Aquarius   Pregnancy Count The pregnancy count in the saptāṁśa starts with the 5th or the 9th house and then follows a maņd̦uka gati for every subsequent pregnancy. If the 5th house is the first pregnancy, then counting direct, the 7th house is the second pregnancy, the 9th house the third pregnancy. Similarly, other pregnancies are known from subsequent 3rd houses. The reason being, from the 5th house, the next pregnancy is the younger sibling (3rd) of the first pregnancy (5th) and is seen in the 3rd house counted from the 5th house, which is the 7th house (normally) when counted direct. In case of female horoscopes, the 9th house, 7th house and the 5th house are the first, second and third pregnancies respectively as the counting is in reverse. Everything about a child/grandchild is known from the lord of pregnancy. If the lord is conjoined other planets, then the conjoined planets shall indicate the sex of the child, else the sign of the pregnancy bhāva and dignity of the pregnancy lord decides. In case of parivartana involving the saptāṁśa lagneśa, the sex of all children is reversed. In case of parivartana involving only the pregnancy bhāva, the sex of the concerned child is reversed. As mentioned earlier, the 5th and 9th houses of the saptāṁśa chart are the controllers of pregnancy in male and female horoscopes respectively. The 2nd house from these are the principal māraka sthāna for children. In male charts the 6th house is putra māraka and for female charts the 10th house is putra māraka. Illustration – Albert, Prince Consort of England Prince Albert was the husband of Queen Victoria, the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Empress of India. Together they had 9 children and its worthwhile to apply the saptāṁśa rules to track these pregnancies. Since it’s a male chart, the counting starts from the 5th house. P1: 1840 5th lord Jupiter is in Scorpio, which is a female sign having rāśi dṛṣṭi of female planet Venus à Female, Empress Frederica P2: 1841 7th lord Venus is in the fruitful, male sign Cancer in the 9th house of fortune à Male, King Edward VII P3: 1842 9th lord Moon in Sagittarius with graha and rāśi dṛṣṭi of 6th lord Mars, who is putra māraka. This indicates a lost pregnancy [no record] P4: 1943 11th lord Mercury in male sign Pisces but Mercury is debilitated indicating a female child. Female, Princess Alice P5: 1944 1st lord Ketu in Leo, a male sign. Male, Prince Alfred P6: 1946 3rd lord Saturn is exalted and in male sign Libra, showing double make indications. However, the rule says if the pregnancy lord is conjoined other planets then the conjoined planet/s will determine the sex of the child. Saturn is joined a debilitated Sun indicating a female child. Female, Princess Helena After completing the cycle of six signs, crawl from the 5th house to the adjoining house in sarpa gati. In this case, the crawl will be from Pisces to the adjoining sign Aries. Maņd̦uka gati is resumed thereafter, with each pregnancy seen from every third house starting from Aries. P7: 1847 6th lord Mars in the 8th house damages the pregnancy. This indicates a lost Pregnancy [no record] P8: 1848 8th lord Mercury in male sign Pisces but debilitated. Female, Princess Louise P9: 1850: 10th lord Sun debilitated in male sign Libra. It is conjoined an exalted Saturn which gave a male child. Male, Prince Arthur P10: 1853 12th lord Venus in male sign Cancer. Male, Prince Leopold P11: 1957 2nd lord Jupiter in a female sign Scorpio. Female, Princess Beatrice Illustration—Three Sons, Male Nativity P1: 5th lord Mercury in male sign Sagittarius. Son who works in communications and […]

  • Nāma Brahma Tatva of Acyuta Once, while immersed in samādhi, Acyuta Dās[1] was blessed with the divine vision of the Supreme Absolute, the Niraṅkara Nārāyaṇa and seizing this opportunity he wished to be graced with the precious knowledge of Nāma Tatva.  Upon which, the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa Jagannāth imparted the philosophy of Nāma or names. The Emergence of Aum In the beginning there was the great Void or Śunya (zero). The five primordial elements or the pañca bhūtas, the 14 lokas or the caturdaśa bhuvanas, the Universe, dyu and Space, water and air, sound and light nothing existed. There was neither death nor life, no day nor night, neither beginning nor end. There existed only the one Brahmaṇ, immersed in the mire of dark ignorance and undivided from its Māyā, formless and without any attributes or qualities. Then from this Śunya, the Parameśvara desired to create, and upon this desire, creation took place and the Universe unfolded.[2] The Supreme Being appeared with qualities and attributes; its creative energy latent within was stirred and activated, and manifested itself, to eventually give birth to this splendorous world. Niraṅkara Nārāyaṇa commenced his teaching by advising Acyuta not to run after that which is gross (sthula) in the form of the pañca bhūta (the five elements) and instead focus the mind on the subtle (sukṣma) in the form of the pañca tanmātrā. These five tatvas and bhūtas are the primary essentials among the 24 tatvas that created this material world[3]. This physical world was created by ichā or desire, which was expressed in the bindu (dot), which is the principle creator. The desire to create lies latent in the bindu and as it develops, moha[4] is generated, particularly for the created object. The energy that is required to liberate the latent creative potency dormant in the bindu and manifest itself into the created world is śakti, the divine feminine principle.  It is an impulse inherent within the Śunya, which activates the process of creation (A), sustains (U) the universe and then subsequently destroys (M) it. Motivated by this desire or ichā, the bindu fell through the sky as a smoky ashy hue (dhumra varṇa), and the guṇas (essential attributes/qualities of creation in the form of satva, rajas and tāmas) were activated. Astrologically, this can be translated as a Jupiter-Ketu combination, Ketu representing smoke and Jupiter the all binding ether element or ākāśa tatva and together it created life or can be denoted as creation itself. As ichā mobilized the guṇas and changed them, the bindu changed colour from ash to blue and then to red. These three colours are the three ­­śaktis, Bhū, Śrī and Nīla and the three guṇas satva, rajas and tāmas. These three śaktis came together and ichā or desire was manifested as Aum. Table 1 In reality, the śaktis are undifferentiated from the Aum, for it is not only the primordial energy but also the material matrix itself in which the manifest world is grounded and, in that sense, śakti is at once latent and manifest, both static and kinetic. The bindu’s manifestation as the Aum is the first manifestation of the material world and this is Brahma. From Aum the 14 types of knowledge emerged, beginning with the four Vedas and from this knowledge the caturdaśa bhuvanas (14 realms/worlds) were created, of which seven are lokas, the heavenly realms while the other seven are the talas or the underworlds. The seven lokas are ruled by Jupiter and the seven talas by Venus, the two gurus of the zodiac. In this manner, from the great void of nothingness or Śunya, Aum emerged and eventually it merges back into the nothing and this flow of emergence and dissolution is the līlā (play) of the Paramātmā and is the path of mokṣa. “Meditate upon this Aum”, Acyuta writes, “as this is Nirākāra Brahmā.” Aum is the first name of God and the first stage of manifestation. The only truth that manifests is this name of God and that is Aum. The name is the only truth as nothing else will remain and nothing else is real.  All siddhas and yogis meditate upon this Aum, which is the only truth. It is only Aum which is replete with satva guṇa and binds the universe. The strength of the name enabled the sādhus to comprehend the mysteries of the entire creation and to reach vaikunṭha or Viṣṇu loka. From this one name Aum, the other names of God emerged and the first to appear were Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara. The Emergence of Svaras or the Alphabet The first manifestation of creation was in the subtle plane, at the level of the tanmātrās, and this was śabda or sound as Aum, which is ruled by Jupiter. Table 2 Aum is the Paramātmā or the Supreme Being as Śabda or Nāda Brahmaṇ and from Aum, the other sounds or svaras materialized. The first svaras to appear were the 16 vowels: Table 3: The 16 vowels   These 16 vowels were formed as a 16 petalled lotus in the viśuddha or throat cakra by Śiva, in the centre of which rests the Amṛta Kalaśa or the Pot of Immortal Nectar. Śiva as Mṛtyunjaya, (He who has conquered death) manifests Himself as Amṛteśvarī, or the Goddess of Immortality and at sunrise each day, a drop of nectar falls from the Pot to the base of the mouth, rejuvenating the jivātmā. It is as if one dies each night when one goes to sleep and is reborn next morning by the nectar that drips down the throat at dawn from the Amṛta Kalaśa. Lord Mṛtyunjaya gives new life each morning after the daily death of nightly sleep. Each day thus is like a fresh cycle of creation and destruction, with the creative process commencing with the materialization of sound. It is the macrocosmic drama being played out at a microcosmic level. Sound at the microcosmic level of the jivātmā appears as svara in the viśuddha cakra in the […]

  • Definitions Ārūḍha means to mount, rise, bestride, like mounting a horse or to ascend, or elevate. In jyotiṣa terminology it is used to describe a secondary self (mounted selves or selves which bestride the original self) or image that is mounted or superimposed upon the real self. This superimposed self often exists in a parallel plane to the real self; but can become so real as to blur the distinction between the real and the projected, to the extent the native can forget his true self and imagine the projection to be the truth. These superimposed selves are multiple, depending upon the various aspects of our lives. So we can have multiple selves projected in different arenas of life, whereby our college friends, our families and colleagues can have different pictures of the same person. The real self is the Lagna and the superimposed self is the Ārūḍha Lagna. The multiple superimposed selves in the different arenas of life are the different ārūḍha padas. Hence, in the eastern Indian traditions, horoscopes are to be analyzed from the Lagna, Ārūḍha Lagna and the Ātmakāraka to get a complete and correct understanding of the chart. Human personalities, therefore, are a collage of real and created images, a mixture of that which is actual and illusionary, satya and māyā. Hence ārūḍhas are associated with māyā. The literal definition of māyā is that which is an illusion, deceit, supernatural tricks or sorcery, fraud, an apparition. The illusionary city of Lankā was built by the demon Maya at Rāvaṇa’s behest. The root of the term however, can be traced back to the Advaita teachings of the Upanishads, which holds the satya sanātana nirguṇa Brahmaṇ to be the only truth of the Universe, while the rest was held to be nothing but an illusion or māyā. This facet of the Paramātman, which manifests itself to create the vast and beautiful created universe, is known as its śakti, deified as the Great Goddess Mahāmāyā. It is therefore, not surprising, that the Moon, the planet representing the Divine Mother, is the karaka for Ārūḍha Lagna.   The Moon and the Ārūḍha Mother is the mind as represented by the Moon. The image that we have of the mother in our mind is a warm, secure home created by her. Hence the ārūḍha of the fourth house is the image that we have of our mother and home. If the ārūḍha is associated with the asura grahas Venus, Saturn and Mercury, a strong matrilineage is indicated. If the A4 is associated with the sura grahas Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Mars, then the patrilineage will be strong. If there is a doubt regarding a native’s lagna, then one way to check the chart is to ascertain the lineage through A4. Chart 1: Patrilineage      The ārūḍha pada of the 4th house is not conjunct any planets; so we take the lord Mars, a sura planet, conjoined exalted Moon and Mercury. The patrilineage dominates. Chart 2: Matrilineage     In this case too, the A4 is not associated any planets. The lord of A4 is Venus, an asura planet, indicating the matrilineage to be very strong. This is an added tool to be looked into while examining parental lineage. Reversing Images The Moon does not have light of its own but basks in reflected light. In physics, the concept of the pin-hole camera illustrates how images are created by reflected light, whereby the reflected light forms a duplicate image by reversing the original. In a similar manner, images captured by our eyes are reversed in our brain. The Sun and the Moon give the light to see the image but Rāhu and Ketu in our brains reverse that image by turning it upside down. The qualitative aspect of these images is brought about by the nodes. Each event in our lives is stored in our brain in groups of images and emotions related to the event. These groups are twelve in number and are the twelve ārūḍha padas. To get to the satya of each event, one will have to reverse each image stored in the brain. Parāśara and other astrologers use the concept of reversals in the context of spirituality. The first step in our quest of truth is the reversal of the images in our brain; to them around so that they right side up. Māyā is reversed by the following specific planets and the deities associated with them: Chart 3: Sri Ramakrishna In the chart of Sri Ramakrishna, Jupiter is in Ārūḍha Lagna. Saturn is his lagna lord exalted in the ninth house and he was born in śukla Dvitīyā. Thākur in his quest for complete sublimation into the Absolute Divine was seeking to annihilate his material and worldly identity. The planet which will reverse the Ārūḍha is Saturn, from the scheme given in the above table. It is a well known fact that he was an ardent worshipper of Kāli, in whom he had completely dissolved himself. Chart 4: SJC Student This chart belongs to an SJC student. Similar to Thākur, she has Jupiter as the lord of the Ārūḍha Lagna conjoined A7, belongs to a Saturn’s lagna and is born on śukla Dvitīyā. She was going through a terrible marriage where she was physically and verbally abused by her husband, who was also a sadomasochist. There are ample combinations in the chart to support this, into which we are not focusing at present. In the process she was reduced to a dithering heap, with her soul smothered and her confidence shattered. In order for her to take any steps to redress the situation, she had to be mentally strong to tackle the situation. The remedy that was prescribed for her was the reversal of her Ārūḍha.  She too has lagna lord Saturn placed in Kumbha. She was advised the worship of Kāli, to whom she was deeply attracted. Kāli gave her the tremendous strength necessary to emerge from the nefarious situation, and she is now […]