It is the usual practice among Indian astrologers not, only to prepare a horoscope in the usual manner, but also to cast various supplementary charts which result from the subdivisions
of the signs and degrees of the planets by various factors. The charts usually so cast are the decanate, saptamsa (sign divided into seven parts), navamsa (sign divided into nine parts), dwadasama (sign divided into twelve parts), and trimsamsa (sign divided into thirty parts). Of all these 'the most important is deemed to be the Navamsa chart. The method of erecting such a chart and computing the signs and degrees of the planets therein has already been explained in a previous issue of this journal. In this article we shall consider rules relevant to the interpretation of this chart. The Navamsa is to be regarded as equal in importance to the original natus and is to be interpreted as if it were the original natus. Western astrologers should not therefore find it difficult to interpret, except that there are certain rules which must be adhered to and which are not found in Western astrological practice. If ·the astrologer interprets paying due regard to the following rules, he cannot go far wrong.
1. Planets are divided into three classes, those that are naturally benefic, malefic and neutral. Jupiter, Venus and the Moon from the tenth day of its waxing period to the fifth day of its waning period [are benefic]; Saturn, Mars, the Nodes, Sun and the Moon in positions other than that given previously are natural malefics; and Mercury is neutral. Unlike in Western astrology, the Nodes are given considerable importance' in Indian astrology. They, like Mercury, assume the characteristics of the lord of the sign they are in, and the planets with which they are in close association or aspect. The trans-Saturnian planets are not considered by the orthodox astrologers, but for our purposes they may be considered to be malefic, except perhaps Uranus which is ambivalent.
2. But these planets are not invariably "benefic" 'or "malefic". In any given horoscope, the benefics may act as malefics and vice versa. The following rules should therefore be continuously borne in mind when reading a chart:
(i) the ascendant lord is always a benefic.
(ii) the lords of the signs on the cusps of the 5th and 9th houses are always benefics although they may be natural malefics.
(iii) lords of the signs on the cusps of the angles other than the ascendant act as malefics if they are natural benefics, and vice versa. Thus, for a 'Gemini ascendant (with equal house division), Jupiter will be the lord of the seventh and tenth houses; and so for people born -with this ascendant Jupiter will act as a malefic.
(iv) lords of the signs on the cusps of the 3rd, 6th and 8th houses are always malefic;
unless they are also at the same time 'lords of the first as well.
(v) lords of the 2nd and 12th are neutral.
(vi) when a planet takes on the ownership of two houses, one of which is a malefic and another a benefic, it acts sometimes as the one and sometimes as the other.
(vii) planets situated in 6, 8 or 12th houses lose much of their benefic power, while their malefic power is enhanced. So also, but to a slightly smaller extent, if the lord of any other house is in conjunction, mutual aspect or reception with the lords of these houses; as these houses are regarded as inauspicious.
(viii) planets situated in the angles or in trinal (5th and 9th) houses are regarded as helping the native. Of these, planets in the 9th give the most happy results, followed by those in the 5th, 10th, 7th, and 4th in that order.
(ix) As stated before, ownership of the 5th and 9th houses and of angles are often benefic, so when a single planet owns a trinal and an angular house (especially if a malefic) it becomes very beneficial for the native, conferring fame, power, riches, etc. on him. Such single planets are known as Yogakarakas or planets conferring fame. The following is a list of such planets for different ascendants (with equal house division); for other systems of house division they may vary in each individual case, especially in the case of horoscopes in high latitudes.
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SIGN YOGA SIGN YOGA SIGN YOGA
Aries Sun, Jupiter Leo Mars Sagi. Mars, Sun
Taurus Saturn, Merc Virgo Venus Capri. Venus
Gemini Venus Libra Saturn, Merc Aquar. Venus
Cancer Mars Scorp Jupiter, Moon Pisces Moon, Mars.providing good fortune. This is subject, of course, to the fact that these planets are not otherwise afflicted, by being aspected by malefics or by the fact of the conjunction occurring in the 6th, 8th or 12th houses.
(xi) Malefics situated in the 3, 6, or 11 houses lose much of their malefic power, and will not do much harm to the native,
(xii) Despite what has been stated above, it must not be forgotten that the planets never altogether lose their intrinsic benefic or malefic natures and sometime or other exert their innate effects. Thus, Saturn is a Yogakaraka planet for a Libra ascendant native, and therefore confers fame, etc. on him; but being Saturn will bring misfortune on him also. When it will do so, will depend on the current dasas and transits, a matter into which we cannot enter here.
3. The planets have the same dignities as they have in Western astrology, thus they have their exaltations and falls in the same signs in both systems. But there are important differences:
(a) If a planet be exalted in the natus, but in its fall in the Navamsa, it loses its, dignity as an exalted planet and is said to be in its fall and vice versa. Thus, the 'dignity of a planet in the Navamsa overrides its dignity in the horoscope.
(b) A planet in a sign in the horoscope and in the same sign in the Navamsa (not necessarily his own) is said to be 'Vargottam' and is considered to be very strong either for good or evil.
(c) Another peculiar feature of Indian astrology is the conception of the 'Atmakaraka'. That planet is the Atmakaraka which has got the largest number of degrees and minutes in any sign. Thus, say if Mars is in 23°26' of a sign and Venus is in, say, 23°40' of another (or same) sign, then Venus being more advanced in the sign is the Atmakaraka. This planet is equal in importance to the ascendant lord, and bestows on the native the same benefits (or misfortunes) as it would have, had it been the ruler of the chart. The sign it occupies in the
Navamsa is of importance in judging the vocation, appearance, etc. of the native. It is not possible to deal with this subject in any detail here, but a few remarks made later on may give some idea of 'its importance to the reader. The same conception can be used for the charts in the tropical zodiac but results are not so good.
4. Unlike in Western astrology where aspects are multiples of 15°, Indian astrology recognises that two planets are always in aspect except when one planet is less than 30° in advance of the aspecting planet or is less than 60° behind it. But this is rather a complicated matter and we will not go into it here. It is sufficient to remember that the conjunction and opposition are the two most powerful aspects for all planets. But in addition Jupiter aspects powerfully also a planet situated between 120°-150° and 240°-270° from himself [as if in the 5th and 9th houses from Jupiter - Ed.]; Mars similarly aspects 'strongly a planet situated between 90°-120°and 210°-240° from himself; and Saturn a planet situated between 60°-90° and 270°-300° from his position. It is, however, usual for Indian astrologers to neglect these special degree regions of aspects altogether and to consider that Jupiter, Mars, and -Saturn aspect the 5th and 9th, 4th and 8th and 3rd and 10th signs from themselves, respectively. Thus, if Venus is in Aries (any degree) it aspects fully a planet in sign Libra only; but Jupiter in the same position will, in addition, aspect also the signs Leo and Sagittarius; Mars will aspect Cancer and Scorpio; and Saturn Gemini and
Capricorn. Indeed some astrologers give considerably more weight to these special aspects of the major planets than to their conjunctions and oppositions. Effects of aspects do not depend on the kind of aspect, but on the nature of the two planets in aspect. Thus, the square of Jupiter to the Moon is regarded as a most auspicious combination and goes by the name of "Gajakesari Yoga" conferring authoritative powers on the native together with wealth, etc. When all the planets (excluding the trans-Saturnian ones) are included within a space of 180° from one Moon's node to the other, a particularly unfortunate state of affairs exists which will give the owner considerable trouble throughout life. There are many other particular combinations listed in Indian astrology, but their validity is highly doubtful, and they need not be considered here.
5. These, in short, are the main rules of judgment to be applied both to the natal and Navamsa charts and results predicted accordingly. But there is one feature that is of considerable importance and must never be lost sight of. A chart is usually prepared with the sign and degree occupied by the Moon as ascendant with equal house divisions and the planets' places are inserted therein in their appropriate positions. This lunar chart is treated as equal in importance to the original natus and the Navamsa charts. In both the natus and Navamsa the dispositions of the planets from the Moon must also be considered when delivering judgment. Briefly, when giving judgment, consider the position and aspects and nature of the lord of that house, from the ascendant and the Moon both in the original horoscope and in the Navamsa. Also, look for the position of the lord of that house from the house itself and this will give a further clue to the fortunes of that house.
6. All this may look very complicated but once the practitioner gets used to these rules - and they are very simple to remember - prognostication will become quite easy and accurate. But with the technique developed by the siderealists of the West of ignoring the effects of the planets not in the "immediate foreground" (to use their jargon), and also ignoring lordships and aspects except conjunctions and oppositions, no reliable results can be obtained, nor can one get the maximum amount of information that the horoscope can yield. And hence their preoccupation with a multitude of charts, for it is obvious that we only gather only 1/3 of the information that the chart is capable of giving us, more charts becoming necessary to give us the full information.
7. As an example of delineation along these lines we will take the natus of the late unlamented Herr Hitler. The time, etc. is that given by Mr. Carter and the value of the ayanamsa used is 23°11' 23", the value favoured by the Editor of this journal (though in my opinion this value is not correct, and a different value will give far better results). Fig. 1 is his natus in the sidereal zodiac and Fig. 2 is the corresponding Navamsa diagram. [He miscalculated the angles by about 2°; everything else is correct in his calculations. - Ed.] Libra rises, and its Hogakaraka planet (para. 2 ix) Saturn is in the tenth. Notice the stellium in the 7th all aspected by the Yogakaraka Saturn with his tenth house aspect; it is also aspected by Jupiter with his trinal aspect. (Aspects in Indian astrology are from sign to sign and. not merely from degree to degree.) In the Navamsa, Libra also rises [His calculation error: For this time, it would be Scorpio - Ed], so Saturn again becomes the Yogakaraka and he is in the fourth aspecting the ascendant and is in his own sign. We may, therefore, conclude that Saturn was a powerful planet in his horoscope and as this was a fortunate planet showered fame and fortune upon him, but Saturn being Saturn pulled him down in the end. Again, in Fig. 1 the Moon and Jupiter are conjoined and the same is the case in Fig. 2, thus a doubly powerful Gajakesari Yoga (para. 4 above) was formed. In Fig. 1, from the Moon, Sun is lord of the 9th, and Mercury lord of the 10th, and this Raja Yoga (para. 2 x) combination occurs in the fifth. Now examine the strength of this combination. Sun, one of the partners in this combination, is exalted, Mercury is in Aries in both Figs. 1 and 2 and so becomes Vargottama (para. 3) and thus is powerful. This powerful combination occurs in the fifth and auspicious house (para. 2 viii) and is moreover aspected by Jupiter, lord of the ascendant from the Moon. Thus, there are several Raja Yogas in this chart and this fact alone raised him to the highest position in his land, though he was born of humble parents. But this is not all; in Fig. 1 from the Asc. Venus, lord of the first is also conjoined with Mercury, lord of 9th in an angle and the combination is again aspected by Saturn - another Raja Yoga. Also in the Navamsa, Uranus is part ruler of the 5th and is in the 11th (para 2 xi). Look at his financial prospects.
[Horoscope and Navamsa of Adolf Hitler, April 20, 1889, 6:30 PM LMT, Braunau am Inn, Austria. I leave it for the reader to calculate if they wish.]
In Fig. 1 the [text missing?] and they are aspected by Jupiter, the significator of wealth, with his trine aspect. In the Navamsa again, lords of the first and second exchange houses, thus giving him wealth. From the Moon, in Fig. 1, lord of the 2nd, Saturn, aspects his own house; and in the Navamsa, Mercury lord of 2nd from the Moon is in 9th from the Moon (an auspicious house) and Mercury is also the dispositor of the Sun who is himself the dispositor of the Moon. Thus, both from the Asc. and the Moon in both charts, wealth is promised to him, though he may have been born poor. We have already pointed out the importance of the Atmakaraka. As Indian astrology takes no account of Uranus, etc. Venus becomes the Atmakaraka as it is the most advanced planet in any sign. Thus, the lord of the Asc. both of the natus and Navamsa is itself the Atmakaraka. In the horoscope Venus is conjunct Mars, is in the house of Mars, and has the' aspect of Saturn. In Navamsa again it exchanges houses with Mars and moreover is in the Martian sign of Scorpio, a secretive, treacherous, and dictatorial sign. All these aspects of his Atmakaraka made him cruel and irascible and a chewer of carpets when he was in one of his tantrums. (With another value of the ayanamsa, Mars will be in Scorpio in the Navamsa which gives a better indication of his temper and cruelty.) Finally, consider his end. The manner of death is to be seen from the 8th house. In the nativity, Pluto and Neptune are therein indicating a violent suicidal death. The eighth lord Venus (also an Atmakaraka) is conjoined with Mars, a violent planet and is aspected by Saturn (final and karmic retribution). From the Moon, the eighth house contains Saturn who has a mutual aspect with the violent planet Mars. In the Navamsa the same violent Mars-Saturn aspect occurs. The eighth house from the Moon in Fig. 2 contains Neptune aspected by Saturn (end by 'suicide). If we take account of Uranus (who is a co-Atmakaraka as it were), in Fig. 1 he is situated in the 12th (house of self undoing) with an aspect of Saturn (retribution as well as elevation suddenly obtained). In the Navamsa Uranus is with Jupiter (lord of 8th from itself) and the Moon (lord of 12th from itself) once again showing a sudden violent end. We may continue like this delineating the whole horoscope in detail, but what we have given should be sufficient to show how a nativity and Navamsa charts are to be read.
8. As the concept of the Atmakaraka may be new to both the sidereal and tropical Western astrologers, a little digression showing the importance of it might be of interest. We will take the case of the British Royal Family, beginning with Queen Victoria. The table below gives the planet which was or is an Atmakaraka for each case together with its aspects with Jupiter in the natus and the corresponding Navamsa charts. There is no reed for an elaborate write-up as the connection of the Atmakaraka with Jupiter (elevation in life) is self-evident. Indeed, it is remarkable, how for seven successive generations, this aspect or situation of the Atmakaraka invariably occurs. The only case where a malefic Saturn was the Atmakaraka was that of Edward VIII, and although he enjoyed kingly power it was only for a short time, as he abdicated within a year. The table has been extended to show how it works in other cases where the individuals were dictators or had dictatorial powers. In these cases also the Atmakaraka is aspected by Jupiter, though not both in the nativity and the Navamsa, except in the case of William II of Germany, who after all was a scion of the royal family of Queen Victoria.
[A table follows which you can find in the original article in the Spica archives available on this site.]
From all this it does not, of course, follow that all those whose Atmakaraka is Jupiter or aspected by Jupiter will attain kingly or dictatorial powers since there are many other factors to be considered, but one may state that if the Atmakarka or Jupiter is not seriously afflicted, with such a configuration the native may attain a high position in the walk of life chosen by him.
9. What has been given above is only a very brief outline of methods of judgment of a horoscope and its accompanying Navamsa charts, which latter are to be judged exactly like the former. In the case of the NSSRs explained in a previous issue, the Navamsa of the NSSR should be worked out also, the NSSR itself being assumed to be like the natus and results predicted accordingly.
