Essentials of Vedic Astrology

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• Publisher: The Wessex Astrologer Ltd
• Year: 1999
• Print ISBN: 9781902405063
• eBook ISBN: 9781902405797

The most comprehensive book to date on the use and understanding of the Lunar Nodes in Vedic astrology. The author is a widely known and immensely respected teacher with students all over the world. She has used her experience of working with the nodal axis to show how, by sign and placement, they affect every level of our spiritual existence. Students of astrology, yoga and ayurveda will find this book particularly helpful.

Bhavas - The Houses

In Vedic astrology the natal chart is known as the Bhava Chakra or the Rasi Chakra. In Sanskrit bhava means a division and chakra means a wheel - so the bhava chakra is the full 360º circle of life, divided into parts. It also represents our own personal way of enacting the energies in that wheel. The bhava chakra shows what we bring into our life, how we are going to express it, what obstructions we are going to face and what good fortune will be there to make things easier for us.

The bhavas are imaginary divisions, designed to show the whole wheel of the zodiac as it relates to earth but reduced to the size of a horoscope chart. Several different systems are used by Vedic astrologers to try to overcome this problem of down-sizing; the two main ones are:

Bhava Chakra (similar to the Porphyry system in the west)

This house system takes the degree of the sign rising at the eastern horizon (the ascendant) and the degree of the sign overhead (the Midheaven) and divides the number of degrees between them into three. This is repeated with the degree of the ascendant and the Nadir (the point opposite the Midheaven; and the Nadir and the degree of the sign descending at the western horizon (the descendant). These calculations identify the boundaries of each house; the cusp is the point in the middle of the two boundary lines. The houses will not necessarily contain the same number of degrees.

Rashi Kundali (known as the Whole Sign system)

With this system each house is 30º across, like the zodiac signs; it’s more straightforward to use as, regardless of the actual degree of your ascendant, if your rising sign is say, Libra, then Libra will be your first house, Scorpio your second - and so on, around the signs with each sign covering one house. The rashi kundali is the most commonly used system in India, and it is the one I use in this book.

General Rules Governing the Houses

The Kendras - the cardinal houses

These are the first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses.

Planets that are placed in the kendras are strong. Benefics (Jupiter, Venus, the Moon and Mercury) become malefics if they rule a cardinal house in your chart. Conversely, the malefics (Saturn, the Sun and Mars) become benefic when they rule a cardinal house. Planets placed in cardinal houses have a great deal of energy.

The Trikonas - the trine houses

A trine is a beneficial aspect linking signs in the same element. The trikona houses are the first, fifth and ninth. The fifth and ninth houses both trine the first house which represents you personally; the first house is also a kendra.

The rulers of the trikona houses are always auspicious and bring wonderful results, although the ruler of the fifth house is not as powerful as the ruler of the ninth. The rulers of the fifth and ninth houses will bring good luck even if they also rule negative houses. Planets placed in the fifth and ninth houses will flourish, as will the houses they in turn rule, whilst planets placed in the first house highlight personal issues.

The Upachayas - the developing houses

These are the third, sixth, tenth and eleventh houses.

Planets ruling upachaya houses act negatively and have the capacity to cause harm. Malefic planets flourish in them and benefic planets do not give such good results - their energy tends to be restricted. In addition, the tenth house is a cardinal house (see previous page). The third house is the weakest upachaya house and the eleventh the strongest. Planets located in upachaya houses gain in strength as you mature; you tend to feel their more negative side when you are younger.

The Sama - the neutral houses

These are the second, eighth and twelfth houses.

They usually act in the same way as the other house ruled by their planetary ruler. In practice, however, the rulers of the eighth and the twelfth houses are always malefic (see below).

The Dusthana - the evil houses

These are the sixth, eighth and twelfth houses.

The normal behaviour of planets placed in these houses is spoilt as is their strength over the houses they rule. Planets placed here usually indicate problems on a material level which are telling you to redirect your energy to a higher sphere. The ruler of the sixth house can cause injury and disease. The ruler of the eighth house destroys the significations of the house where it is placed. The ruler of the twelfth house causes loss of some kind.

The Karakas - significators

Each house has one planet which is more significant to it than any other. It is important to consider the karaka planet when looking at the quality of any house. The karaka and its placement in the chart can alter the interpretation of a particular house by altering its benefic or malefic influence. (See the notes on the individual houses for details of their karakas.)

Maraka or death-giving planets

Maraka planets have death-giving powers. They create situations during your life when something dies - a relationship, a career, a cherished idea - resulting in periods of mourning and personal transformation. When the time is right, the transformation will be physical death itself. In each natal chart there are two maraka planets, the rulers of the second and the seventh houses. However, the death-giving powers they have can be mitigated in certain situations (see the individual rising signs). The death-giving situations are created by your own maraka planet or planets during their dasha periods (these are discussed in the Dasha chapter of this book) when the events which are promised in the birth chart will occur.

At one time one of the most important things a jyotishi in India would include in the reading of the natal chart was the time of physical death - but this practice is no longer as common as it used to be, and it is non-existent in the West. However, the rulers of first and the eighth houses indicate how long you are likely to live and I do refer to this in the section on the eighth house.

Lagna - The Ascendant and First House

The lagna, or ascendant, is the first moment of contact between the soul and its new life on earth. There is a clear distinction between this and the tanu bhava; the lagna is the exact degree of the sign that is rising on the Eastern horizon at the moment of birth and determines the ruler of the ascendant, while the tanu bhava is the whole of the first house. In practice however, the term lagna is often used as a way of expressing them simultaneously. As each sign also has its nakshatra divisions, two and a quarter in each sign, the degree of your rising sign will give you the rising nakshatra as well. It connects on subtler levels to your previous births and contains all the mysteries of your past lives; in Indian philosophy all new beginnings have a past. Your destiny is the sum of the karma of your previous lives, and these are represented by your first house - a new cycle in the journey of the soul.

On the physical level the lagna represents the body characteristics, physique, skeleton, complexion, texture and colour of the hair and overall appearance. It rules the head, brains and skull, and also indicates how well you withstand illness or disease. The lagna indicates your personality and nature - how you approach life and overcome obstacles, being the ‘first impression’ we all pick up on meeting somebody new. The karaka planet for the ascendant is the Sun - self, atma, soul.

The line from the degree of the lagna to the point 180º opposite joins the east and west horizons and divides the houses into two groups: 2 - 6 are below and 8 - 12 are above the horizon, with the first and seventh houses actually being cut in two by the line. Planets below the line and therefore below the horizon indicate past karma you will face in this life over which you have no control - but it is neither good nor bad: your ability in this life to play music or learn foreign languages easily comes from your past karma. Planets above the horizon are more active. They offer opportunities to create fresh karma during this lifetime. Only if there is an even balance of planetary influences above and below the horizon will the energies be balanced. Looking at the grouping of the planets relative to the line of the horizon is a good way to begin to interpret an individual chart. You will be able to make a quick assessment of the person’s overall personality and how, in general, the planetary energies are likely to work in them.

The lagna ruler - Lord of the ascendant

The planet ruling the sign of the lagna becomes the most important planet in the birth chart and is known as the Lord of the ascendant. You will take on some of the characteristics of the planet which is Lord of your lagna. The house it occupies, the planets that are placed with it, which sign it is in, and whether the sign is friendly to the rising sign or an enemy, what aspects it is making: all these are important components to evaluate. (See the Graha chapter.) If the lagna ruler is in exaltation, in its mooltrikona, or its own house it can give the individual the ability to face adversity with strength. If it is debilitated or in a house ruled by an enemy planet, it will create problems which can be overcome with a struggle.

In chart interpretation I always study the ascending sign and its ruler before anything else as they will tell you a great deal about the overall focus of the individual’s life and what they might expect from it, on the physical as well as the spiritual level. Each lagna has planets which act negative or positively for it.

When we say a person is an Aries or a Scorpio in Vedic astrology, we mean their ascendant is Aries or Scorpio.

The Ascending Signs

A malefic planet can change its function relative to the lagna, in the same way that benefics can change their characteristics. Saturn is considered the greatest malefic but becomes the best planet for those with a Taurus or Libra lagna. In the same way Jupiter, which is considered the best benefic, functions as a malefic for Taurus and Libra rising. Mars, another malefic, is good for Cancer and Leo lagna. I’ll go into this in more depth within each lagna section.

Aries - ruled by Mars

Action is the key word here. If your lagna is in Aries you will need to contribute to the world in a positive way. Mars will give you courage, strength and determination. An Aries individual is usually average in height and well-built. Eager to take the initiative, new challenges are a must, and routine work will always bore you. Aries people are freedom-loving and the restrictions of Saturn are the greatest test. If your lagna is Aries, Mars will also rule the eighth house of longevity. If it is well-placed in the chart Mars will indicate a long life, though the responsibility would be your own. However a debilitated Mars could indicate muscle problems and blood disorders. Saturn, Mercury and Venus act negatively with this lagna. The Sun and Jupiter are very positive although Jupiter can sometimes cause problems because it rules the twelfth house of loss as well as the auspicious ninth house. Venus is the maraka planet for Aries rising.

Taurus - ruled by Venus

Venus rules the good things in life and Taurus being an earth sign, the good things have to be practical and earthy: food and sex! These people admire beauty and enjoy luxury. People with Taurus rising are usually physically attractive, with a thick neck and broad shoulders, although they have a tendency to put on weight. Venus also rules the sixth (difficult) house - guard against putting obstacles in your own way. Venus can also show itself here as relationships with partners from foreign countries. The Moon, Mars and Jupiter also act negatively for people with Taurus rising. The good news however, is that the normally difficult Saturn functions at its best here and the Sun and Mercury are also good. Mars is the maraka planet for Taurus. Mercury can be too as the ruler of the second house, but as it also rules the benefic fifth house its maraka qualities are not emphasised.

Gemini - ruled by Mercury

People with Gemini rising are usually tall, slim and attractive, with large hands and feet; they have lovely eyes and sharp features. This sign is all about mental activity. Lagnas in Gemini have a dual personality and the ability to see the other point of view. However, they can sometimes be deceitful, even to the point of self-deception. Mercury also rules your fourth house, and when a benefic planet rules a cardinal house it becomes malefic, so Mercury can create problems in the first house (your s...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication page
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• Foreword
• Contents
• Introduction to the Philosophy of Vedic Astrology
• Converting your Chart
• How the Planets Work in Vedic Astrology
• The Sun and Moon
• Grahas - The Planets
• Rahu and Ketu - The Karmic Axis
• Rashis - The Signs of the Zodiac
• Bhavas - The Houses
• The Nakshatras - The Indian Lunar Zodiac
• Vimshottari Dashas - The System of Prediction
• Gochara - Transits
• Vargas - The Divisional Charts
• The Gunas
• The Yogas
• The Wheel of Vishnu
• Putting it all Together - A Chart Interpretation
• Appendix
• Glossary
• Index