Jyotish Ashtakavarga C.S. Patel

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ASHTAKAVARGA

With Translation in English and Explanatory Notes

By

Chandulal Sakaralal Patel, B. A. and C. A. Subramania Aiyar, B. Sc.

Preface to the Second Edition : This second edition herewith presented. is more or less reprint oUhe first edition. We have only added one more chapter, as XVIII one. It includes in a nut-shelL all our researches of the last forty years, published in various magazines byway of articles and explained in many workshops conducted by us on the subject. It is hoped, the students taking interest in the study of "Ashtakavarga" will welcome them. We are heartily appreciati1·c ofinterestshownand speed with which Shri Narinder Sagar. in bringing out. this second edition attractil·cly before the learned readers. We wish to express our grateful thanks to (l) Shri Naresh M. Scthia of Baroda, who contacted the "Publishers" and arranged the publication and (2) Shri Hariprasad S. Bhatt ofMulund, (Bombay), for his unsolicited help in correcting the proofs and for other anciliary jobs. Date : 4th June 1996

C.S. Patel CAS. Aiyar

FOREWORD "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven :" - So says Solomon the ancient sage, and the truth of these words of wisdom cannot be better comprehended than through the science of astrology, for the aim of the science is to guide humanity by pointing out periods of prosperity and adversity in individual as well as national life by defining the various stages in the evolution of man. By the beacon light of the stars the science helps us in locating the time and place of ariy event and depicting also the nature of the event. Thus it plays an important part in the life of the human race, and naturally from times immemorial wise men of every country have been trying to ·discover various methods for calculating the time factor underlying every "season" of human life and for foretelling the quality of the· harvest of the season. It is well-nigh impossible to say exactly when and where astrology had its origin. But we may safely assume that the birth of the science was almost synchronous with the birth of the human race .. for otherwise we cannot explain why we come across traces of ancient people lisping in the language of the stars in almost every nation that has some claim to high antiquity. As for India. it ma~· he a moot point whether she rocked the cradle of astrolog~·. but no one can deny the fact that she has contributed a vc~· large amount of knowledge to promote the grov..th of the science. TI1is great heritage of the past , or atleast a part of it, is being slowl~· re-discovered through the efforts of research scholars. and I am glad to say that one such welcome attempt to recover an anci~.:nt tr~.:.'lsurc 'from the hands of all-devouring Time has been succ~.:ssfull~· mad~.: by my friends Shri C.S. Patel and Shri C'.A.S. Aiyar in compiling and publishing this treatise on tht; Ashtakavarge system .. TI11.: authors of the treatise have given us a full and lucid explanation of th~.: principl~.:s and the modus operandi of the Ashtakavarga in the· light of the knowledge garnered from every possible sourcc,with the result that what they are presenting us today is not merely the re-hash of some moth-eaten Sanskrit tome

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but a critical compendium· of all available information on the subject. I am sure that no discerning student will fail to appreciate the labour and critical acumen that the authors have brought to bear on ~is work. Natal astrology consists of two distinct sections. The first section enables us to form a general idea of the sum-total of planetary influences scattered through the different houses of the horoscope, what the stars have in store for the native by way of success and failure,pleasure and pain,fame and notoriety. The second· section mainly deals with the time factor governing the planetary and steller influences concealed in the birthchart, the Paka-kala (moment of maturity),as it is technically knO\m, of the promise of the birthchart. ThePaka-kala is generally deduced from the periods and sub-periods (Dasas and Antardasas) of planets.There is an overwhelcoming number of Dasa systems propounded ill ancient works, but most of them have been consigned to oblivion. Of the three or four systems that still hold the field, theVimshottari system is the most popular. Next· comes the transit sytem which is equally popular, or even more so, among both Indian and European astrologers as a simple key to the timing of events. It is very often used quite independently, but sometimes it is also applied ill combination with the rulillg Dasa or current directions. The more philosophic among Indian astrologers make a subtle distinction between the function of the Dasa system and that of the transit system. The current Dasa and Antara, they say, show what we have to reap from the seeds of · our· past _Karma while the transits denote the· Karma we are sowing for our next life. Be that as it may,thcre is not doubt \Vhatsoever that transits are the most facile and illdispensabJe ·part of the astrologer's armoury in India as well as abroad. Unfortunately the method of considering transits that is in vogue today is extremely puerile and shallow, to say the least!AII that our astrolgcr wants to know is the sign occupied by the Moon at birth. He does not care to inquire what Navamsa or Decanate, much less the exact degree, is occupied by the Moon. Nor does he care to consider what house is tenanted by the Moon or by the

v

transiting planet, for he is blissfully ignorant of the importance of the house positions of planets! But the acme of absurdity is perhaps reached when on the entry of any planet into a new sign he presages a change of fortune, for better or worse, for every Tom, Dick and Harry! These Moon-sign or moonshine forecasts, if given in writing, usually end up with the stock phrase "Shubham bhavatu", God bless you, -or in other words, God save the client! If the reader is inclined to think that I am drawing an unnecessarily gloomy picture of the present plight of· Indian astrology, let him browse through the pages of some of our popular astrological magazines and he will be convinced of the truth of mv remarks. But, then, the trouble is that if the reader is familiar only with the horoscopy of the benighted westerners, he is bound to get bewildered within the mystic maze that passes for the horoscope in our magazines! He will be left wondering whether the figure is to be read from left to right or right to left or upside-dO\m!

It appears that some of our ancient astrologers were quite aware of the superficiality and absurdity of depending solely on the Moon-sign in judging the effects of transits. Tims. for instance, Gunakara who flourished some time about 14% A.D. writes in his Haramakaranda~ \Jl'+i'[l'\IC\

~~ 1:J)c;i ~~mill "1UJi ~ "liOOi ;m: II=? II

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"Q)m)~ If~ ~~"lllf.rl "l~fl~ ~ffi ~~II=? II (~) on the floor and insert the planets and the Lagna in their respective bhavas (as represented by signs) as it \\as at the time of birth. Place the beads in the respectiYe bhcrvas as directed in the columns, ahYays beginning with the bhavcr occupied by the particular planet from which the good positions are considered.

S/oka 2 - Draw the figure of Rasichakra

Notes : In olden d.ays ''hen writing materials paper, etc. were not in Yoguc. the astrologers used to draw horoscopes on the ground and used beads. etc.

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In some verses 9 is represented by m a1 = ~

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= 2;

em =

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+'Ti~l:~: II-=< II "' -.::> -.::> Slokas i-2 - Draw a diagram with nine horizontal parallel lines from the East to the West at equal intervals. Similarly draw thirteen vertical parallel lines from the North to South. This gives 96 squares in eight rows exhibiting the Prastara form of Bhinnashtakavarga.

The Lagna, the Moon Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in their order are the lords of the 8 Kakshyas of a bhava from the South to the North. These planets produce good or bad results when transiting Kakshyas having hindus or without hindus. Notes : The Kakshya lords are mentioned in the order of their others round the Zodiac. Cf. Jataka-parljata, Chap. II verse 71, 1st line :-

~: ~ ~~Pilct{fflct~iH;I: I Draw the Prastarashtakavarga ('Q'Rllxlt'CCI>