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:

1. 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
2. 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:

Parāśara gives certain combinations for these various curses which are as follows:

Combinations for Sarpaśāpa (Curse of the Divine Serpents)

1. Rāhu in the 5th aspected by Mars, or Rāhu in Mar’s sign.
2. Fifth lord conjunct Rāhu and Saturn in the 5th aspected by the Moon.
3. Jupiter conjunct Rāhu, the 5th lord without strength and lagna lord conjunct Mars.
4. Jupiter conjunct Mars, Rāhu in lagna and 5th lord in a dusthāna.
5. Mercury as 5th lord in Mar’s navāmśa conjunct Mars and Rāhu and Māndi in lagna.
6. Fifth house a Martian sign and Mercury aspected by Rāhu
7. Lagna lord conjunct Rāhu, 5th lord conjunct Mars and Jupiter aspected by Rāhu.

In Sarpaśāpa, Rāhu is the common factor and plays a pivotal role in all the combinations, with Mars and the dusthāna lords.

Pitṛśāpa (Curse of Father)

1. Debilitated Sun in the 5th in pāpakartāri yoga and Saturn’s navāmśa.
2. Sun as the 5th lord, in a trine, in pāpakartāri and conjunct and aspected by malefics.
3. Jupiter in Sun’s sign, the 5th lord conjunct Sun and malefics in the lagna and the 5th house.
4. Lagna lord devoid of strength, 5th lord conjunct Sun in the fifth house with the lagna and the fifth house aspected by malefics.
5. Ninth lord in the 5th house, 5th lord in the 10th, and lagna and 5th house afflicted by malefics.
6. Mars as 9th lord conjunct 5th lord in lagna or the 5th house, with the 9th house afflicted.
7. Ninth lord in a dusthāna, Jupiter in a malefic sign, and lagna lord and the 5th lord conjunct malefics.
8. Sun, Mars and Saturn conjunct in either lagna or the 5th house, with Rāhu and Jupiter in the 8th or the 12th house.
9. Sun in the 8th house, Saturn in the 5th and the 5th lord conjunct Rāhu.
10. Twelfth lord in the lagna, 8th lord in the 5th and the 9th lord in the 8th.
11. Sixth lord in the 5th, 9th lord in the 6th house and Jupiter conjunct malefics.

One can observe the affliction of the Sun, the karaka for father and its placement in dusthānas and with the dusthāna lords are the common factor, along with the association of the 9th house and 9th lord, the bhāva for father.

Mātṛśāpa (Curse of Mother)

1. Moon as 5th lord debilitated or in pāpakartāri and the 4th and 5th houses afflicted by malefics.
2. Saturn in the 11th, malefics in the fourth and a debilitated Moon in the 5th house.
3. The 5th lord in a dusthāna, lagna lord debilitated and the Moon conjunct malefics.
4. The 5th lord in a dusthana, the Moon in a malefic navāmśa and lagna and the 5th house afflicted.
5. Moon as the 5th lord aspected by Mars, Saturn and Rāhu posited in the 9th or the 5th houses.
6. Mars as 4th lord conjunct Saturn or Rāhu and the Sun and the Moon in the lagna or the 5th houses.
7. Lagna and 5th lords in the 6th, 4th lord in the 8th and 9th and 8th lords in the lagna.
8. Sixth and 8th lords in the lagna, 4th lord in the 12th, Moon in the 5th and Jupiter afflicted.
9. Lagna in an aśubha yoga, a feeble and waning Moon in the 7th and Rāhu and Saturn in the 4th or the 5th houses.
10. Exchange between 5th and 8th lords with the Moon and the 4th lord in a dusthāna.
11. Mars in lagna, Rāhu in the 5th, Sun in the 8th and Saturn in the 12th with the lagna and 4th lords in a dusthana.
12. Jupiter in the 8th conjunct Mars and Rāhu and Saturn and the Moon in the 5th house.

The affliction of the 5th house, its lord and the Moon, the karaka for mother and their association with the 5th house and its lord and placement in a dusthana is emphasized.

Bhrātṛśāpa (Curse of Brothers)

1. Third lord conjunct Mars and Rāhu in the 5th and the lagna and 5th lords in the 8th house.
2. Debilitated Jupiter in the 3rd, Saturn in the 5th and the Moon and Mars in the 8th house.
3. Lagna lord in the 12th, Mars in the 5th and the 5th lord in the 8th.
4. Lagna and the 5th houses in pāpakartāri and Lagna lord and Jupiter in dusthāna.
5. Tenth lord in the 3rd with other planets and Mars in the 5th house.
6. Fifth house a Mercurial sign with Saturn and Rāhu in it and Mercury and Mars in the 12th house.
7. Lagna lord in the 3rd, 3rd lord in the 5th and lagna, 3rd and 5th houses afflicted.
8. Third lord in the 8th, Mars in the 5th with Rāhu and Saturn or aspected by them.

The third house, its lord and the karaka for brothers, Mars is included in the combinations of Bhrātṛśāpa.

Mātulśāpa (Curse of Maternal Uncles)

1. Mercury and Jupiter in the 5th conjunct Mars and Rāhu and Saturn in lagna.
2. Lagna and 5th lords in the 5th house with Mercury, Mars and Saturn.
3. A combust 5th lord in lagna, Saturn in the 7th and lagnapati conjunct Mercury.
4. Sixth lord conjunct 12th lord in lagna with Moon, Mercury and Mars in the 5th.

Mercury, the karaka for relatives plays the key role for these combinations.

Brahmaśāpa (Curse of the Brāhmiṇ)

1. Rāhu in Jupiter’s sign, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn in the 5th and the 9th lord in the 8th house.
2. Ninth lord in the 5th, 5th lord in the 8th along with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn.
3. Ninth lord debilitated and 12th lord in the 12th conjunct or aspected by Rāhu.
4. Jupiter debilitated, Rāhu in lagna or the 5th house and the 5tgh lord in a dusthāna.
5. Jupiter as 5th lord in the 8th house conjunct malefics or the Sun and the Moon.
6. Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in Saturn’s navāmśa and the 5th lord in the 12th house.
7. Jupiter and Saturn in the lagna, Rāhu in the 9th and the 5th lord in the 12th.

Brahmaśāpa exhibits the weakness of Jupiter, afflicted by Rāhu, with the latter strongly placed in the lagna or trines. The ninth house and lord, the karaka for gurus, teachers and priests also play a prominent role in these combinations.

Patnīśāpa (Curse of Spouse)

1. Seventh lord in the 5th, Saturn in the 7th lord’s navāmśa and the 5th lord in the 8th house.
2. Seventh lord in the 8th, 12th lord in the 5th and Jupiter afflicted by malefics.
3. Venus in the 5th, 7th lord in the 8th and Jupiter afflicted by malefics.
4. Malefics in the 2nd and the 5th houses and the 7th lord in the 8th house.
5. Venus in the 9th, 7th lord in the 8th and malefics posited in the lagna and the 5th house.
6. Venus as the 9th lord and Jupiter, the 5th and lagna and 7th lords in dusthānas.
7. Fifth house in a Venusian sign with Moon and Rāhu in it.
8. Saturn and Venus in the 7th, Jupiter in the 8th, Sun in the 5th and Rāhu in lagna.
9. Mars in the 2nd, Jupiter in the 12th, Venus in the 5th conjunct or aspected by Rāhu.
10. Second and 7th lords in the 8th, Saturn and Mars in 5th/lagna and Jupiter conjunct malefics.
11. Rāhu in lagna, Saturn in the 5th and Mars in the 9th and 5th and 7th lords in the 8th house.

Understandably, the 7th house, its lord and kāraka Venus is in focus, but what stands out as a common factor is the placement of the 7th lord in the 8th house.

Pretaśāpa (Curse of the Departed Spirits)

This occurs when the final rites have not been performed, and then the forefathers bestow a curse in their form as spirits.

1. Saturn and the Sun in the 5th, feeble, waning Moon in the 7th and Rāhu and Jupiter in the lagna or the 12th house.
2. Fifth lord Saturn and Jupiter in the 8th and Mars in lagna.
3. Malefics in lagna, Sun in the 12th, Mars, Saturn and Mercury in the 5th and 5th lord in the 8th.
4. Rāhu in lagna, Saturn in 5th and Jupiter in the 8th.
5. Rāhu, Venus and Jupiter in lagna and the lagna lord in the 8th with Saturn and Moon.
6. Rāhu in lagna and Saturn in the 5th, conjunct or aspected by Mars.
7. Debilitated Jupiter debilitated 5th lord conjunct or aspected by any debilitated planet.
8. Saturn in lagna, Rāhu in 5th, Sun in the 8th and Mars in the 12th.
9. Seventh lord in a dusthana, Moon in the 5th and Saturn and Māndi in lagna.
10. Twelfth lord in the 5th with Saturn and Venus and Jupiter in the 8th house.

These combinations of curses as given by Parāśara depict the annihilation of a house and its signification. Such a destruction of a house is done by the association of malefics, specifically, Mars, Saturn and Rāhu by their conjunction and aspect on the house, its lord and its karaka. It is also done by the placement of the karaka and the lord in dusthānas, and their association with dusthana lords, particularly the 8th and the 12th houses and their lords, that is aṣṭameśa and vyāyeśa.  One may refer back to the opening lines made by Śiva that is the understanding of curses is to be done by analyzing the strength of the bhāva. When the bhāva and its signification are destroyed, it is bereft of any strength. It is interesting to note that Parāśara here talks only about the association with malefics and the link with dusthānas. Apart from mentioning debilitation a few times, he has not referred to any other sources of strength. This leads one to conclude, that the malefic association of Saturn, Mars and Rāhu is emphasized in the context of curses.

If one takes the principles expounded by Parāśara for the 5th house, one may extend them to the other houses as well. Association of these three malefic planets along with the dusthana lords with any bhāva may destroy the signification of that bhāva and deny the fruits of the same to the native. The table below suggests possible results of the destruction of each of the twelve bhāvas by applying the principles of Parāśara.

Cursed Planets

Sri Jagannath Center[6] has done extensive work on curses and has extended Parāśara’s principles to other areas of life, such as denial of marriage, home, profession, health etc. It has also extended the concept of curses on houses as elaborated by Parāśara to that on planets (discussed above), as has been taught in the parampara of Puri.

A curse from a past birth is depicted in the horoscope when a natural benefic or a house is afflicted by at least two of the three natural malefics, Mars, Saturn and Rāhu by graha dṛṣṭi. The reason for taking graha dṛṣṭi instead of rāśī dṛṣṭi is because a curse is caused by an emotion and is the result of a desire to inflict harm and difficulties upon another. The natural benefics are Jupiter, Moon, Venus and Mercury. The Sun is included to show Pitṛśāpa. The affliction of these planets, following Parāśara, portrays the following curses:

When any of these planets are aspected by two or more of the following grahas, Mars, Saturn and Rāhu, a curse is identified. Mars depicts anger, Saturn sorrow and Rāhu shock from deceit or illusion. The house owned by these planets will show the areas of suffering, while the involvement of the Ātmakāraka in the scenario ensures that the curse will fructify and that it is complete and the torment severe. The connection of the 8th house and its lord in this yoga confirms that the curse is from a past birth, which can be re-confirmed with an examination of the ṣaṣṭiāṁśa. The involvement of the Ātmakāraka or the lagnādhipati shows that the curse will be upon the individual.

Multiple curses can operate in a horoscope, of which one will be primary and will yield maximum suffering, while the secondary curses will manifest at certain specific times. The curse of the highest natural benefic, that is Jupiter, usually depicts the primary curse, or the involvement of the Ātmakāraka, or if all three malefics are aspecting any of the natural benefics. Secondary curses do not exist independently, and once the primary curse in forgiven, the secondary curses are forgiven too. The remedy has to be done for the primary curse only, as it is the root and will remove the negatives of the other curses as well. One must also take into account other janma doṣas, like Amāvasyā, Caturdaśī, and Saìkrānti doṣas as the curse will afflict these doṣas as well. Once the curse is lifted the janma doṣas will be alleviated.

Remedies

Curses require remedial measures to relieve the afflicted planet. Parāśara has listed a set of remedies for each of the curses mentioned earlier, but it must be remembered that one must first ascertain whether the native is capable of doing the remedy. The ninth house has to be examined for this purpose, which will reveal whether the native has the bhāgya or fortune to perform remedies which will remove the affliction on the planet said to be under curse. Examine the ṣaṣṭiāṁśa of the 9th lord which will give further indications of the capacity of the person to undertake remedies. Information about the correct remedy is very often not made available to the native with a curse in his chart until the curse period is over. At times, when the native is a very diligent worshipper of his iṣṭa devatā, the curse may not take affect, or the suffering may be very minor.

Parāśara’s remedies are as follows:

Sarpaśāpa

1. Establish a gold idol of Nāga and worship him according to the rituals followed in the native’s house.
2. Cow, land, sesame and gold should be donated according to one’s capacity for the expansion of one’s clan.

Pitṛśāpa

1. Perform pitṛśrāddha at Gaya and feed a 1000 Brāhmiṇs.
2. Kanyādān or give away a girl in marriage.
3. Donate a pregnant cow

Mātṛśāpa

1. Bathe at Setubandha and chant the Gāyatrī one lakh times.
2. Do grahadānam and feed milk to Brahmins from a silver bowl.
3. Do pradakṣīna of a pepul tree and recite nāmagāna 1008 times.

Bhrātṛśāpa

1. Hear and chant (kirtaṇ) the names of Viṣṇu.
2. Perform Candrāyaṇa Vrata.
3. Bathe in the River Kāverī and spend time with the Vaiṣṇavas.
4. Plant a Pepul tree.
5. Donate 10 cows through he hands of one’s spouse.
6. Donate land whilst wishing for children.

Mātulśāpa

1. Establish an idol of Viṣṇu.
2. Bathe at Setubandha and dig wells etc.

Brahmaśāpa

1. Perform Candrāyaṇa Vrata.
2. Do Brahmakṛcha Sādhanā three times.
3. Donate cows along with dakṣiṇā.
4. Donate païca ratna (diamond, ruby, blue sapphire, emerald and pearl) along with gold.
5. Donate rice 10,000 times.

Patnīśāpa

1. Give away a girl in marriage.
2. Donate a bejeweled and adorned idol of Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, 10 cows, beds and clothes. This has to be done both the husband and the wife.

Pretaśāpa

1. Donate an idol of Brahma after performing rudrasnāna.
2. Donate cows, silver and blue vessels.

Parāśara’s remedies for planets under curse are as follows:

Mūla Daśa

The tool for timing the manifestation of the curse is Mūla Dasa, which is explained in detail by Sāravalī. This is also known as the Lagna Kendrādi Graha Daśa and is a derivative of the Vimśottarī. The daśa commences from the strongest among lagna, candra lagna and sūrya lagna. This is specifically mentioned by Sāravalī and he also quotes Satyacārya on this principle. After the daśa of the kendras are complete, the daśa of the paṇapharas and apoklimas take place. One must be careful in choosing the planet which will deliver the curse, which is usually the most malefic planet involved in the curse. Observe if a malefic is involved in multiple curses, then it is that planet which will manifest the curses.

Illustrations

• Śrī Rāmacandra of Ayodhyā

Rāma’s chart shows Brahma, Mātṛ and Pitṛ śāpas, of which the Brahma śāpa is the primary curse. This is the curse of Nārada on Viṣṇu, prophesying the denial of marital bliss and conjugal life. Saturn and Mars aspect both Jupiter and Moon, while all three malefics, Saturn, Mars and Rāhu aspect the Sun. Saturn is in the 4th house and Mars in the 7th in maraṇa karaka sthāna. Saturn also lords the 7th house, signifying that the curse would affect domestic and marital life. Saturn gave him sorrow where his home and marriage was concerned and denied him happiness. His wife, Sītā was kidnapped by Rāvaṇa, where she suffered at the hands of the rākṣasas. This period of separation and pain was followed by moments of great test when he had to ask Sītā to take the tests of fire to prove her purity in front of the world. The phase of separation continues, when she finally left hi and stayed in the forest upon their return to Ayodhyā. She did not even inform Rāma about the birth of their children, and the boys grew up to battle their father.

The curse was uttered by his step mother and it banished him to the forests for 14 years bereft of all his possessions. The curse on the exalted Sun in the 10th house, denied him his kingdom for those years. The 6th house is also under affliction with the presence of Rāhu, showing the existence of significant enemies, in the form of rākṣasas. While in exile, Rāma established and worshipped a jyotirlinga at Rāmeśvaram (Exalted Sun in Rāhu).   He also worshipped the Devi in the form of Durgatināśinī and Cāmuṇḍā (Moon as aspected by Mars). He was moreover a great worshipper of his guru, without whose blessings he never undertook anything. Jupiter, Moon and Sun and were propitiated. Venus is exalted in the 9th house, with the aspect of the 9th lord Jupiter from lagna, which is not only in exaltation but conjoined lagna lord Moon in a perfect Gajakeśarī Jupiter, Moon and Sun and were propitiated. Venus is exalted in the 9th house, with the aspect of the 9th lord Jupiter from lagna, which is not only in exaltation but conjoined lagna lord Moon in a perfect Gajakeśarī Yoga.

• Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

The Moon has graha dṛṣṭi from Saturn, Mars and Rāhu and is also eclipsed, signifying Mātṛśāpa. Mars is the AK and the 8th lord Jupiter is aspecting the Moon, fulfilling all conditions for a complete curse. So the Moon has to be propitiated. The ninth house has benefic influences with the presence of Venus and Jupiter’s aspect from Dhanu. Moreover, the 9th lord, which is also the AK, is exalted and aspecting the 9th house. The 9th lord also happens to be in Amṛta ṣaṣṭiāṁśa. The lagna lord Sun is aspecting the 5th and 9th houses by rāśī dṛṣṭi.  The path of mantra and worship is strongly indicated and he spread the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahāmantra in the world, to give mukti to a millions of souls in bandhana. Moon signifies Kṛṣṇa and so the mantra of Kṛṣṇa acted like a supreme remedy. Of course, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is considered to be an aṁśa avatar and his establishment and spread of Vaiṣṇavism in the world is legendary, which also indicates propitiation of the Moon.

• Śrila Prabhupāda

Brahmaśāpa is indicated in this chart, with Jupiter aspected by AK Rāhu and Mars. Mars is conjunct the 8th lord Moon. Jupiter is conjunct the ninth lord Sun and Ketu in the ninth house. The conjunction of these three highly spiritual planets in the 9th house is significant. The Sun in the 9th, especially in its own sign indicates temples while the lagna lord in the 9th house shows the blessings of Viṣṇu. Ketu, the mokṣa karaka is the 12th lord. Prabhupāda endured the curse through several dasas, including the Mūla Dasa of Jupiter, Moon, Mars and Rāhu. After the walking his way through the hardships of saṁsāra, he renounced the world at the end of Saturn daśa. At the age of 70, in Sun and Ketu Mūla dasas, he established ISCKON, went abroad and established 108 Kṛṣṇa temples through out the world. He spread the Mahāmantra and saved many a soul entrapped in narcotics, arms and alcohol. Observe his ṣaṣṭiāṁśa in Ghorā. Exalted Moon and the conjunction of Venus and exalted Mercury are particular combinations or Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa devotion.

• Adolf Hitler

Lagna lord, Ātmakāraka and 8th lord Venus is retrograde in the 7th house, of which it is the karaka, aspected by Mars and Saturn. There is a curse both on the house and on Venus. Hitler never married, although he may have had several liaisons. The curse is so severe, the day he finally married, he committed suicide and left this world.  The 9th lord Mercury is in Bhraṣṭa (depraved, fallen) ṣaṣṭiāṁśa, indicating that his bhāgya for performing remedies was poor. He finally succumbed to the curse in his chart.  

• Denial of Children

Curse on the 5th and 7th houses has denied the native children, marriage, even the joys of a relationship, although she years for love and companionship. Saturn and AK Mars is in the 5th with karaka Jupiter, which is also the 8th lord, in maraṇa karaka sthāna conjunct Rāhu. The 7th house is aspected by Rāhu and Saturn, with the significator Venus in maraṇa karaka sthāna. The 9th lord which is the AK is conjunct Saturn and the aspect of Guru Caṇḍāla Yoga on the 9th house has tarnished the dharma bhāva, despite the presence of Ketu and the presence of the 9th lord in Śitala ṣaṣṭiāṁśa. Ketu does bestow some spiritual inclinations in the native, and she took initiation, but never chose to chant her dikṣā mantra, nor saw the need or necessity for it. Saturn is the most malefic planet as it is involved in the curses of both the houses, and during its Mūla Dasa, it delivered the curse very severely. The blows also came from gurus and teachers and in 7th house matters.

• Mother Teresa: Denial of Marriage

Mother Teresa’s chart has the curse on the 7th house, with Saturn and Rāhu aspecting it and the karaka Venus in the 8th house. Rāhu is the AK and the 8th lord Moon is conjunct Saturn. Denial of marriage and celibacy is complete, but here blessed life as a nun celebrated as a saint can be seen from the 9th house, where the 9th lord Sun is in the 9th house conjunct 5th lord Mars, a complete yoga for worship with the union of the 5th and 9th lords. The 9th lord is in Komala ṣaṣṭiāṁśa, and she was the personification of compassion and mercy, as she spend her life dedicated in building institutions for the poor, the orphaned and the needy. Every breath was spent in caring for the destitute that she picked up from the streets of Calcutta, whether there are orphans or lepers. One can clearly observe that in the charts of saints like Mother Teresa, Śrila Prabhupāda and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, remedies have worked through their 9th houses, through their prayers and worship, which became an integral part of their lives, and the very purpose of their birth.

• Denial of Marriage

Venus, AK and 8th lord is under curse by the conjunction of Mars and aspect of Saturn. This curse is also on the 7th lord. Consequently not only does she remain unmarried, she has suffered through her relationships, none of which come to the fruition of marriage. Venus Mūla daśa delivered the curse. Venus needs to be propitiated but as the curse is severe and since it is also the śubhapati and in a Kendra, she was advised to do Kamalātmikā worship. This was during Mars Mūla daśa, which ends in 2005. Despite repeated plans to receive the mantra, she could not do so. The 9th lord Mars is involved in the curse and is afflicted by Saturn and in Dāvāgni ṣaṣṭiāṁśa. It is unlikely that she would receive the mantra in Mars’ Mūla Dasa. On the other hand, the co-lord of the 9th house, Ketu is in Mṛdu ṣaṣṭiāṁśa, which also corresponds with the fact that she is a god fearing and spiritual lady. Ketu Mūla Dasa will commence in July 2005; it is highly probable that she will receive the mantra then and start her remedy.

This is am indication, that one cannot really avoid suffering during the curse period, except perhaps for those who have been doing their iṣṭa mantras diligently since their childhood.

[1] Paper presented at the 3rd Annual SJC Asia Conference, Mumbai, 13-20 January, 2004

[2] See Vedic Remedies in Curses, paper presented by Sanjay Rath at the Paräçara Vedic Astrology Conference at Belgrade, Serbia, in July, 2004.

[3] Ibid. For the full story of the curse.

[4] The details of these stories are found in the various puräëas. Contact author for details.

[5] Majumdar, Harihar (tr.), Båhat Paräçara Horä Çästra (Puthipatra, Calcutta, 1991). In this edition the chapter on curses is the 21st chapter. Most of the çlokas are identical with the G. C. Sharma edition, except for the çloka numbers.

[6] See Sanjay Rath’s papers presented in the conferences in California, 2002 and Serbia, 2004 on curses.  Also see his    detailed discussion on curses and their remedies in Vedic Remedies in Astrology, Sagar, New Delhi, 1999.