Course1 Lesson 12 s

Light On Vedic Astrology Lesson 12

Online Course Level 1 Determining the Strength of Planets and Houses

Lesson 12: Determining the Strength of Planets and Houses by Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.

Topics Covered in this Lesson: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Determining Planetary Strength Fine Tuning Planetary Strength By Sign Position Planetary Strength By House Position and Rulership Other Factors of Planetary Strength The Shad Bala System of Planetary Strength Determining the Strength of Houses Exercises and Homework

In the last two lessons we've learned to combine planetary influences, like a chemist. In Lesson 10 we combined planets in the houses and signs, and in Lesson 11 we combined planets with other planets by analyzing their aspects and conjunctions. This has been valuable because astrology is all about interpreting blended influences. However, it's not enough. The next step in refining our interpretation is to be able the determine the strength of a planet. To do this we'll be examining the planets more closely according to sign position, house position, aspects and conjunctions, as well as discussing various other factors and systems for determining planetary strength.

Determining Planetary Strength

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Understanding Planetary Strength Why is knowing a planet's strength important? It's because when a planet has strength or graha bala it bala it generally means that it's able to express its positive qualities, and when it's weak the opposite it true. Therefore. by knowing a planet's strength we're able to estimate where it is on the spectrum between its positive and negative qualities: Planetary Strength Weak Strong <--<--<--<---------->-->-->--> Negative Qualities Positive Qualities

In the lessons on the key indications of the planets, signs, and houses (Lessons 5, 7, and 9) you'll remember that I listed both the weak and strong traits of each. Without knowing the strength of the planet we would have no way of knowing if the person would manifest the weak or strong traits, which are often contradictory. Knowing a planet's strength resolves this issue. It's for this reason that the sage Parashara cautions astrologers to first determine the strength of the planets before giving interpretations: “The yogas (combinations) mentioned above should be delineated only after knowing the favorable or unfavorable dispositions of the participant planets and their strength and weakness.” - Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra Ch 41, v 17, (translation by R. Santhanam) When Saturn is strong it can represent someone who is disciplined and hard working. However, the opposite is true when it's weak, with someone being lazy and unfocused. Wherever Saturn is placed in the chart, it will fall somewhere in the spectrum of its negative and positive qualities. Saturn's Strength Weak Strong <--<--<--<-------------<--<--<--<------------------>-->-->---->-->-->--> -> Lazy, unfocused Disciplined, hard working

Take a look at this example chart where Saturn is placed in the 12th house, in the sign of Aries, and conjunct Ketu.


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Saturn is weak by house position, by being placed in a dusthana house. Saturn is also weak by sign position by being placed in Aries, its sign of debilitation (see the Planetary Dignities Table below). Saturn is further weakened by its conjunction with a malefic, Ketu. Overall Saturn is considerably weak, and therefore we can expect the negative qualities of Saturn to manifest like being lazy, and unfocused. Looking deeper, Ketu is a planet that can represent a lack of motivation and laziness, and the 12th house can be considered a lazy house as well. This combination may be good for spiritual pursuits, like introspection and meditation, but it's not good for being disciplined, hard working and productive in the material world, which is what Saturn represents when it's strong. Now take a look at another example chart where Saturn is placed in the 10th house, in the sign of Aquarius, and aspected by Venus in Leo.

Saturn is strong by house position by being placed on an angle in the 10th house, which is also an upachaya house. Saturn is also strong by being placed in Aquarius, Aquarius, a sign it rules and its mulatrikona mulatrikona sign. sign. Saturn is also strong strong by aspect aspect by being aspected by a benefic, Venus. In Lesson 15 on Raja Yogas we'll be discussing how this also forms a raja yoga between the 9th and 10th lord, and www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com www.LightOnVedicA strology.com

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the 1st lord. Overall Saturn is quite strong and therefore we can expect the positive qualities of Saturn to manifest like being disciplined and hard working.

The Strength of Natural and Temporal Indications The relative strength or weakness of a planet's general qualities is only half the picture. In past lessons we learned how a planet's general qualities are also called it's natural indications. These never change. By contrast, a planet temporal indications always change from chart to chart based on the houses that a planet rules and its condition in the chart - its position, aspects, conjunctions, yogas etc. Therefore, when a planet is strong it also strengthens the houses it rules, with the opposite being the case when its weak. For instance, in the second example above both the indications of the 9th and 10th houses will improve due to Saturn's placement in its own sign of Aquarius, in the 10th house, a powerful angular house, aspected by a benefic, Venus, and forming a raja yoga. We could expect that this person would have both a successful career(10th house), and is religious or spiritually-minded (9th house). This is taste of what we'll be discussing in this lesson, as we learn the different factors of strength.

Karma, Past Lives and the Strength of Planets Astrology presuppose presuppose the concept concept of reincarnation reincarnation when when it suggests suggests that the the natal chart is map of an individual's karma. This is an assumed belief of many Vedic astrologers, and you could say "comes with the turf." Therefore, when a planet is strong it indicates that a person has developed the positive qualities of the planet by their past actions in former lifetimes. They've earned the right for it to be strong. For instance, if a person has been an artist in many lives and has focused their energy on honing their skill, then Venus would be strong in their birth chart. The natal chart tells the story of their karma, their past actions in former lives. Therefore, learning to accurately determine strength becomes necessary for reading karma. However, this is not as easy as it may appear, because there are so many factors effecting planetary strength. For instance, a planet could be strong by sign position, weak by house position, aspected by both benefics and malefics, vargottama, combust, and in a planetary war! All of these factors need to be weighed separately and then combined in the interpretation. The basic principle is that the planet has the power to express its positive qualities when it's strong. However, there are many instances when a planet is strong, like Mar's in Hitler's chart, and it doesn't equate with "positive" or "benefic," which we'll talk more about later in this lesson. A good way to understand understand planetary planetary strength strength is to think of the planets planets as human human


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beings who behave according to their relative state of happiness. K.N. Rao refers to this in his writings as the happy and unhappy condition of planets: "Just as the company of different human beings and different surroundings create different moods in you, so it is with planets in a horoscope. Planets are happy in some conditions and unhappy in other conditions. They have varying emotional states." A planet will tend to give favorable results when it's in a sign or house it's happy in, and surrounded by friends, just like human beings. Imagine two scenarios: going home to a house you love that's surrounded by friends, beauty, and comfort, versus going home to housemates you hate, and ugly, uncomfortable surroundings. Many of us have experienced both situations, and know how our surroundings and company directly effect our moods and consequently our behaviors. When we're unhappy we're more likely to be rude and combative, and the opposite when we're happy. So it is with planets. Therefore, when you know the signs, houses, and planets that make a planet happy or unhappy, you'll be far along in understanding a planet's overall strength. We'll be discussing these in this lesson, but let's start with determining a planet's strength by sign position.

The Nine Conditions of Sign Strength – Planetary Dignities Parashara identifies nine conditions of strength according to sign position, also called planetary dignities. They are listed in descending order from the most happy to the most unhappy as follows: 1) Exalted 2) Mulatrikona 3) Own Sign 4) Great Friend 5) Friend 6) Neutral 7) Enemy 8) Great Enemy 9) Debilitated Now see how these nine fall into three distinct categories based on the results they yield. Happy

1) Exalted 2) Mulatrikona 3) Own Sign 4) Great Friend 5) Friend www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

Neither Happy/Unhappy 6) Neutral

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Unhappy

7) Enemy 8) Great Enemy 9) Debilitated




A general interpretive guideline thus can be given for the nine conditions: • A planet will yield favorable results if it's in one of the "happy" conditions of the 1st column. • A planet will yield neither favorable or unfavorable results if it's in the neutral condition of the 2nd column. • A planet will yield unfavorable results if it's in one of the "unhappy" conditions of the 3rd column. This is only a general guideline and most not be used rigidly, because sign position is only one of many factors that need to be analyzed collectively for determining strength.

One-Step Method for Determining Sign Strength Four of the above nine conditions - exalted, mulatrikona, own sign, and debilitated - are easy to determine by a one-step method. You just have to know the planet's sign placement and degrees, and have the following Planetary Dignities Table memorized or handy for quick reference:

Planet Sun Moon Mars Mer Jup Ven Sat Rahu Ketu

Exalted 10o Ari 3oTau 28oCap 15oVir 5oCan 27oPis 20oLib Tau Sco

Planetary Dignities Table Mulatrikona Own Sign(s) o o 0-20 Leo 20-30 Leo --o 3-27 Tau --Can o o 0-12 Ari 12-30 Ari Sco o o 15-20 Vir 20-30 Vir Gem o o 0-10 Sag 10-30 Sag Pis o o 0-15 Lib 15-30 Lib Tau o o 0-20 Aqu 20-30 Aqu Cap Gem Aqu --Sag Sco ---

Debilitated 10 oLib 3oSco 28oCan 15oPis 5oCap 27oVir 20o Ari Sco Tau

Exalted and Debilitated Notice that exaltation and debilitation, the extremely happy and extremely unhappy conditions of a planet, are exactly opposite one another. Therefore, if you can memorize one, you've memorized them both. Notice also that there is an exact degree for each, referred to as 'deep exaltation' or 'deep debilitation', which represent the two most extreme degrees of these conditions. When a planet is within three degrees of the exact degree it could be said to be deeply exalted or debilitated. However, once the degree of exaltation or debilitation is crossed then the effect is weakened. Therefore, it's stronger to have an exalted planet approaching its exalted degree then after it. www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

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The same is true for debilitated planets, but when it's approaching the debilitation degree then the effect is stronger in a negative sense. From a technical standpoint, a planet is only exalted or debilitated up until that degree, not after that degree. Therefore, it's more accurate to say, for instance, if Jupiter is at 10 o Cancer, that it's in its sign of exaltation, not exalted. In actual practice, however, I’ve rarely seen this distinction made by other astrologers. Notice that Mercury is the only planet that gets exalted in its own sign. All other planets are exalted in other planet's signs. Mercury, in fact, is the only planet that has its exaltation, mulatrikona, and own sign positions in its own sign. Therefore, the degrees of Mercury in Virgo need to be considered closely to determine which of the three conditions it's in. When a planet is debilitated it's generally in its weakest and most unhappy condition. It is therefore prone to give very unfavorable results. However, we can't make this a rigid principle, because there are factors that can cancel the debilitation. We'll be discussing this in detail later in the lesson. Mulatrikona Mulatrikona literally translates as "root trine," and represents the source of tremendous strength for the planet, second only to its exalted position. The mulatrikona sign of a planet is the masculine sign that it rules. The two exceptions are Mercury and the Moon who have their mulatrikona sign in the feminine signs of Virgo and Taurus respectively, which are also their exaltation signs just at different degrees. Between the masculine and feminine signs, the masculine signs are more powerful. This is because they're active and expressive in nature, versus passive and receptive as in the case of the feminine signs. We discussed this concept in Lesson 8. For instance, Libra is Venus's mulatrikona sign because it's the masculine sign it rules, while Taurus is its feminine sign. Own Sign(s) The third strongest condition is when a planet's in its 'own sign,' also called 'own house,' which is why its abbreviation is OH. When a planet's in its own sign it protects and strengthens the indications for that house. This is just like when a landlord lives in his own house he is more likely to care for it better. Rahu and Ketu There is disagreement among many classical and contemporary authors about Rahu and Ketu's exaltation, debilitation, mulatrikona, and own house signs. Some say there are no exaltation or debilitation signs for Rahu and Ketu. Other's assign different signs for these. What is used here is given in Parashara's text, the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra . It's recommended to use these. You'll notice that it's listed that Rahu and Ketu own the signs, Aquarius and Scorpio respectively. It's more accurate to say that they're secondary rulers of the these www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

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signs, because they don't override the primary rulerships of Saturn and Mars. Scorpio is listed as both the exalted and own sign for Ketu. No degrees are given for Rahu and Ketu's exaltation, mulatrikona and own house positions.

Three-Step Method for Determining Sign Strength The five remaining conditions – great friend, friend, neutral, enemy, and great enemy – enemy – are determined by a longer method that involves three steps. These steps are more complicated but will become easier after you become familiar with the principles and memorize the tables. Each step involves examining the relationship between the planet and its ruler (also called its dispositor ). ). Step One: Determine the planets natural relationship with its ruler (dispositor) The first step means to determine what kind of natural (unchanging) relationship a planet has to the planet that rules the sign it's placed in. For example, let's again look at the following chart:

Let's say that we want to determine the strength of Venus by sign position in Leo. We can see by looking at the Planetary Dignities Table above that Leo is not in its exalted, mulatrikona, own sign, or debilitated sign for Venus so that means we need to follow this longer three step method. The first step is to determine the natural relationship that Venus has its ruler of Leo, the Sun. A good general table to refer to in order to understand this relationship is the two families of planetary friends, which we've discussed before in Lessons 4 and 11. Please memorize this if you haven't already: Family of Friends #1

Family of Friends #2

Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter

Mercury, Venus, Saturn

We can see that Venus is not in the same family of friends as the Sun. This most likely means that the Sun is not a natural friend of Venus. To find out for sure, we www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com www.LightOnVedicA strology.com

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need to refer to the following Natural Planetary Relationships Table, which is generally based on the two families of friends:

Planet Sun Moon Mars Mer Jup Ven Sat Rahu Ketu

Natural Planetary Relationships Table Friend Neutral Enemy Moon, Mars, Jup Mer Ven, Sat Sun, Mer Ven, Mars, Jup, Sat None Sun, Moon, Jup Ven, Sat Mer Sun, Ven Mars, Jup, Sat Moon Sun, Moon, Mars Sat Mer, Ven Mer, Sat Mars, Jup Sun, Moon Mer, Ven Jup Mars, Sun, Moon Ven, Sat Mer, Jup Sun, Moon, Mars Mars, Ven Mer, Jup Sun, Moon, Sat

Referring to this table we can see that the Sun is an enemy ruler of Venus. Start with Venus in the left column, and find the Sun's placement in one of the columns. It's important to use this table correctly, because you can see that the Moon is an enemy of Mercury, but Mercury is a friend of the Moon! Therefore, if Mercury was in Cancer, it would be in a sign of a natural enemy. However, if the Moon were in Gemini or Virgo it would be in the sign of a natural friend. Be sure to start with the left column as the planet that you want to determine the sign strength for. The other columns are for the ruler (dispositor) only. Notice that Rahu and Ketu were not included in the table of Family of Friends, but they're included in the above table. If they had to be listed in the Family of Friends table then they could be assumed to be in the 2nd family. This is because they're both enemies of the luminaries, Sun and Moon, and friends with Venus in the Natural Planetary Relationships table. It's interesting to note that the Moon has no enemies listed. This reveals that the Moon doesn't believe in enmity. It's also interesting that if you like down the enemies column you won't find Jupiter listed as an enemy of any planet. This is one reason why it's said that Jupiter needs to be strong in the chart of an astrologer or counselor - they need to be considered a friend to all people, just as no planets consider Jupiter an enemy. The calculations from which the above table is created is based on the following principles: • From a planet’s Mulatrikona sign, those planets who rule houses 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 12 are friends. The lord of a planet’s exaltation sign is also a friend.


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• Conversely, those planets who rule houses 3, 6, 7, 10, and 11 from a planet’s Mulatrikona sign are enemies. • In the case of planets ruling two houses (Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn) when both houses that they rule from the Mulatrikona sign fall in the first category, that makes them a friend. • If both houses they rule fall in the second category, this makes them an enemy. • If one planet becomes both a friend and an enemy through this scheme, the relationship is that of a neutral. I haven't found any logical explanations behind these principles, but you will find that they work in practice. If you don't want to memorize the table then you could memorize these principles. In any case, the Natural Planetary Relationships Table needs to be memorized or at least available for quick reference when analyzing the strength of a planet in a chart. Step Two: Determine the planets temporal relationship with its ruler What makes this a more complicated three-step process is that in addition to natural relationships, Parashara outlines a temporary relationship between a planet and its ruler (dispositor) based on their house placement from each other in the chart. This is why it's called a temporal relationship, temporal relationship, because it changes from one chart to the next. The combination of the natural and temporal relationships determines their ultimate relationship that is referred to as their compound relationship, which is step three.

The basic principle of temporal relationships, is that if the ruler or dispositor is is in one of the three houses before or three houses after the planet then they're temporal friends. If the ruler (dispositor) is in any other house, or in the same house then they're temporal enemies. There are no temporal neutrals. Please see the following Temporal Planetary Relationships Table:

For example, let's again look at the same chart, this time showing the temporal friend and enemy houses from Venus. I've also added Venus's ruler, the Sun, which is placed in Cancer: :


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Because the Sun is placed in one of the three houses before or after Venus then they're temporal friends. It's as simple as that. If the Sun were with Venus in Leo, or in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th house from Venus then they'd be temporal enemies. With temporal relationships at least some logic prevails. Planets that are close to each other, like neighbors, are friendly. Whereas, those in houses further away are strangers, and hence enemies. The exception is two planets conjunct in the same house, which is apparently too close for comfort! Perhaps this is a case where "familiarity breeds contempt"?! Step Three: Determine the compound relationship with its ruler. The last step is to add step two and three together. In other words, a planet’s natural relationship plus it's temporal relationship equals five possible compound relationships. These are the remaining five conditions of strength: Great Friend, Friend, Neutral, Enemy, and Great and Great Enemy. Please Enemy. Please see the following table: Natural Relationship Friend Neutral Enemy Friend Neutral Enemy

+ + + + + +

Temporal Relationship Friend Friend Friend Enemy Enemy Enemy

= = = = = =

Compound Relationship Great Friend Friend

Neutral Enemy Great Enemy

Let's take our example. In the first step we determined that Venus's natural relationship with the Sun was that of an Enemy. Enemy. In the second step we determined that Venus's temporal relationship with the Sun was that of a Friend. Friend . An Enemy + Enemy + Friend = Friend = Neutral. Neutral. The compound relationship, or final conclusion, is that Venus is placed in the sign of a neutral. neutral .






That may seem like a lot of work to come to that conclusion, but with practice it becomes easy to do. You eventually be able to do it in your head, or you can always use the quick reference sheet that is provided at the end of this lesson. Congratulations. You now know how to determine all nine conditions of planetary strength by sign position. To distinguish between 'happy' and 'unhappy' conditions we can assign green and red colors respectively, and black for neutral. Here is a table showing them with their abbreviations, # of steps, and states: Dignity 1) Exalted 2) Mulatrikona 3) Own Sign 4) Great Friend 5) Friend 6) Neutral 7) Enemy 8) Great Enemy 9) Debilitated

Abbrev. EX MT OH GF F N E GE DB

# of Steps One One One Three Three Three Three Three One

State Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Neutral Unhappy Unhappy Unhappy

The Value of Mental Calculations Even though Vedic astrology software programs can easily give you these calculations instantly, every serious student of Jyotish needs to be able to calculate these mentally. This is really not difficult with practice. My teacher, K.N. Rao, always encourages students to learn mental calculations at his school in New Delhi, India: "At Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, we insist that every student should have hands-on experience doing astrological calculations. I am a strong believer in the fact that manual/mental calculations help you better visualize and develop instincts for practicing astrology. I am generally wary of depending exclusively on Jyotish software programs in the market. Unfortunately, astrology software programs have helped mushroom a new breed of 'half-baked' astrologers." If you consider yourself a serious student then please don't allow yourself to rely on a software program to calculate sign strength. From now on do it yourself. It may feel cumbersome at first, but it will pay off. I suggest to begin by committing the Planetary Dignities Table to memory, so that you can spot an exalted, debilitated, mulatrikona, or own sign planet at a quick glance. To help you memorize this table, as well as the Natural Planetary Relationships Table, I've www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





included a Quick Reference Guide at the end of this lesson. Using this guide you will easily be able to do both the one-step and three-step methods. I recommend printing this out and keeping it handy every time you analyze a natal chart. Eventually, you'll memorize it and be able to do these calculations mentally.

Example of Determining Sign Strength Let's again look at the chart of Albert Einstein as an example applying the above steps for determining sign strength.

We can see that we can use the one-step method for four of Einstein's planets the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and Venus. These are his exalted or debilitated planets. Venus could be said to be "deeply exalted" being less than three degrees away from its exalted degree. For the remaining five planets we need to use the three-step method. Please see the following table:

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Planet

Sun Moon Mars Mer Jup Ven Sat Rahu Ketu


Einstein's Planetary Dignities Natural Temporal Relationship Relationship Friend + Friend = -+ -= -+ -= -+ -= Neutral + Friend = -+ -= Neutral + Friend = Friend + Friend = Enemy + Enemy =

Compound Relationship Great Friend (GF) Debilitated (DB) Exalted (EX) Debilitated (DB) Friend (F) Exalted (EX) Friend (F) Great Friend (GF) Great Enemy (GE)

Quiz #67: In the Natural Planetary Relationships table, which planet has no enemies, and which is the enemy of no planet? 1) Venus and Jupiter 2) Mercury and Venus 3) Venus and Mercury 4) Jupiter and Moon 5) It's a trick question. None of the above. The answer is at the end of the lesson.






Fine Tuning Planetary Strength By Sign Position We now have nine gradations from which to measure and quantify planetary strength by sign position. This gives us a general idea of where the planet falls on the spectrum between its negative and positive traits. However, it's like a blunt instrument that needs to be fine tuned. All the categories of factors we'll be discussing in this lesson will help us calibrate a planet's overall strength: sign position, house position, aspects, other factors like retrogression, systems like shadbala etc. However, just within the category of sign position strength with its nine gradations, we have some fine tuning to do. For instance, we can look at a planet's dispositor, and the planet's placement in the divisional charts to gauge its sign strength. Also, there are many factors that cancel and reverse a planet's debilitation and give it strength. We'll be discussing these in this section.

Gauging Strength With The Dispositor (Ruler) In the three-step process that we just learned, we saw the importance of the relationship between a planet and its dispositor or ruler to calculate sign strength. The dispositor is like the landlord of the house, and the planet is the tenant residing there. We saw that if the planet has a good relationship with it's landlord, both natural and temporal, it makes the planet itself stronger. The planet's condition becomes happier and its results will be more favorable. Besides using the dispositor for the three-step process to calculate sign strength, we can also simply analyze its overall condition by sign strength, house strength, aspects etc. It will either add or subtract to the planet's strength. If the landlord is happier than its tenant(s) will be as well, just like in real landlord/tenant relations. Of course, if a planet is in it's own sign or mulatrikona sign, it becomes its own dispositor so this principle won't apply. The only exception is when the Moon is in mulatrikona in Taurus, in which case the dispositor is Venus. It's a good interpretive habit to always analyze the dispositor of a planet, and not just the planet itself. This becomes especially important when fine tune exalted or debilitated planets, the two extreme conditions. Let's look at the exalted Venus and debilitated Moon in Albert Einstein's chart as examples: Notice that his Venus is in the happiest condition possible, exalted in Pisces. Venus's dispositor is Jupiter and Jupiter is well-placed in the 9th house in the sign of Saturn. Applying the three-steps to determine Jupiter's sign strength we see that it's in the sign of a natural Neutral, and a temporal Friend, which makes Friend its compound relationship. The fact that Venus's dispositor is in the sign of a Friend, placed in the benefic 9th house, and unaspected by malefics further strengthens Venus. We can fine tune Venus to be even stronger than exalted.






Let's now look at the dispositor of Einstein's debilitated Moon, Mars, as another example. Mars is itself exalted in Capricorn, which is obviously strong by sign position. However, it's in the 8th house, and aspected by malefics, Rahu and Ketu. The overall strength of Mars is mixed, and quite malefic by its placement in the most malefic house on the Rahu/Ketu axis. The overall effect of Mars as the Moon's dispositor, is that it further harms the debilitated Moon, but will also give some benefits due to its exaltation. These are a couple of examples demonstrating how we can fine tune the strength of a planet by analyzing the dispositor. A planet is generally strengthened simply by being located in a sign ruled by a benefic planet, which is referred to as a benefic rasi (sign): Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Pisces. A planet is likewise weakened simply by being located in a malefic rasi: Aries, Leo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Aquarius. Sometimes Leo is excluded from this list because of being a mild malefic. This principle points to the power that the dispositor has in determining the strength of a planet.

Cancellation of Debilitation - Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga The weakest condition, debilitation, is the most misunderstood and misinterpreted of the nine conditions. This is because there are many factors that cancel debility, and thereby cause the reverse results. Such a planet may still exhibit some weakness, yet it becomes much more capable of giving good results. Therefore, we need to proceed with caution when analyzing a debilitated planet. When factors of cancellation exist it forms a beneficial yoga or planetary combination called neecha bhanga raja yoga, which increases success and status. 'Neecha' means debilitation, 'bhanga' means cancellation, and "raja yoga" means 'royal combination.' Therefore, first learn the factors of cancellation before identifying any debilitated planet in your own chart, and getting depressed! Here's a list of 12 factors of cancellation, with example charts for each. Notice that www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





numbers 2 and 5 involve the dispositor, further showing the importance of the sign lord for determining a planet's strength: 1) The debilitated planet is in an angular position (1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th house) from either the ascendant or the Moon. 2) The dispositor (ruler) of the debilitated planet is in an angular position from either the ascendant or the Moon. 3) The planet that rules the debilitated planet's exaltation sign is in an angular position from either the ascendant or the Moon. 4) The planet that would be exalted in the sign occupied by the debilitated planet is in an angular position from either the ascendant or the Moon. 5) The dispositor (ruler) of the debilitated planet either conjuncts or aspects the debilitated planet. 6) The planet that rules the debilitated planet's exaltation sign either conjuncts or aspects the debilitated planet. 7) The planet that would be exalted in the sign occupied by the debilitated planet either conjuncts or aspects the debilitated planet. 8) The debilitated planet and its dispositor (ruler) exchange signs ( parivartana yoga). 9) The debilitated planet is retrograde. 10) The debilitated planet is exalted in the navamsha chart (9th divisional chart). 11) The debilitated planet is located in or ruling a dusthana house 3, 6, 8, or 12, while the ascendant lord is strong in its own sign or exalted sign. This is known by K.N. Rao as "The Great Parashara Exception" because Parashara gives this unusual factor of cancellation in his classic text. Example Charts:

1) The debilitated planet is in an angular position (1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th house) from either the ascendant or the Moon.






Sun debilitated in Libra on an angle from the ascendant.

Sun debilitated in Libra on an angle from the Moon.

2) The dispositor (ruler) of the debilitated planet is in an angular position from either the ascendant or the Moon.

Mer debilitated in Pisces, disposited by Jupiter on an angle from the ascendant.

Mer debilitated in Pisces, disposited by Jupiter on an angle from the Moon.

3) The planet that rules the debilitated planet's exaltation sign is in an angular position from either the ascendant or the Moon.

Mars debilitated in Cancer, with exaltation lord Saturn on an angle from the ascendant.

Mars debilitated in Cancer, with exaltation lord Saturn on an angle from the Moon.

4) The planet that would be exalted in the sign occupied by the debilitated planet is in an angular position from either the ascendant or the Moon.






Jup debilitated in Capricorn, with Mars, who's exalted in Capricorn, on an angle from the ascendant.

Jup debilitated in Capricorn with Mars, who's exalted in Capricorn, on an angle from the Moon.

5) The dispositor (ruler) of the debilitated planet either conjuncts or aspects the debilitated planet.

Moon debilitated in Scorpio conjunct Mars, its dispositor.

Moon debilitated in Scorpio aspected by Mars, its dispositor.

6) The planet that rules the debilitated planet's exaltation sign either conjuncts or aspects the debilitated planet.

Saturn debilitated in Aries, conjunct Venus, its exaltation lord.

Saturn debilitated in Aries, aspected by Venus, its exaltation lord.

7) The planet that would be exalted in the sign occupied by the debilitated planet either conjuncts or aspects the debilitated planet.






The Sun debilitated in Libra, conjunct Saturn, who's exalted in Libra.

The Sun debilitated in Libra, aspected by Saturn, who's exalted in Libra.

8) The debilitated planet and its dispositor exchange signs ( parivartana yoga).

Venus debilitated in Virgo, in exchange Moon debilitated in Scorpio, in exchange of signs, with Mercury in Libra. of signs, with Mars in Cancer. 9) The debilitated planet is retrograde.

Retrograde Jupiter, debilitated in Capricorn.

Retrograde Mercury, debilitated in Pisces.

10) The debilitated planet is exalted in the navamsha chart (9th divisional chart).






Venus debilitated in Virgo in the natal chart.

Venus exalted in Pisces in the navamsha.

11) The debilitated planet is located in or ruling houses 3, 6, 8, 12 while the ascendant lord is strong in its own sign or exalted sign.

Saturn debilitated in the 8th house while the ascendant lord Mercury is strong in its own sign

The 12th lord Mars is debilitated while the ascendant lord Venus is strong exalted in Pisces

These examples certainly demonstrate that there are an abundance of ways that a planet can get its debility cancelled. There's so many in fact, that in my experience, perhaps less than 10% are truly debilitated planets! So if 90% are cancelled, then do they always give raja yoga results like rise in success and status? Does a debilitated Clark Kent planet always get turned into Superman when even just one debilitation factor exists? Not always, but it can at least give positive results to varying degrees. This is measured by the number of cancellation factors and the strength of those factors. For instance, looking at Einstein's debilitated Mercury we can see that it has many factors of cancellation: Factors of Cancellation of Einstein's DB Mercury Factor# Description 1. Mercury's on an angle from the ascendant 2. Mercury's dispositor Jupiter is on an angle from the Moon Mercury rules its own exaltation sign, Virgo, so the ruler of Mercury's 3. exaltation sign is on an angle from the ascendant. The planet that’s exalted in Pisces, Venus, is on an angle from the 4. ascendant. 7. The planet that is exalted in Pisces, Venus, is conjunct Mercury. www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





This gives Einstein's Mercury five of the eleven factors of cancellation, which is a high number. The strongest factors are the one's that directly impact the planet itself. For Einstein's Mercury, therefore, being associated with an exalted planet, and being located in an angular house are very strong factors. Mercury also resides with exalted Venus in the strongest of angular houses, the 10th house, which is certainly elevating his career and status. We can gauge this as a very strong neecha bhanga raja yoga overall rather than a wimpy one that has only a couple factors that don't impact the planet itself. The important thing to remember when interpreting a debilitated planet is that its placement in that sign gives it some weakness, which can turn to the person's benefit. It never improves to the point of being an exalted planet, because the planet itself functions in some abnormal way in that sign. For this reason, I encourage you to not label a planet weak because it's debilitated but consider how the planet functions by blending its qualities with the qualities of the sign it's in. For instance, Einstein's debilitated Mercury is in Pisces which is the most intuitive and imaginative sign. This is a difficult sign placement for the normal functioning of Mercury like rational, logical thinking processes. Einstein in fact failed mathematics and had a hard time with structured, rigid formal education. His mind didn't work that way. However, his debilitated Mercury gave him the ability to intuit abstract non-linear mathematics which ultimately benefited him. It initially caused him problems in school, but eventually made him famous. A debilitated planet that's cancelled usually gives some kind of negative condition that improves overtime, and results in being a blessing in disguise. It often improves because it's a difficult area in their life that they can't avoid and must learn to improve. For instance, a debilitated Venus can give difficulty with intimacy issues with the opposite sex, but if cancelled it improves and can represent the ability to build strong relationships. A debilitated Sun can give a lack of confidence, but if cancelled it can give humility and sensitivity that builds trust in others. This is the reversal effect of neecha bhanga raja yoga.

Use of the Navamsha Chart Another method for fine tuning sign strength is to use the navamsha chart, the 9th divisional chart. There are sixteen divisional charts in Jyotish, and the navamsha chart is considered the most important of them. 'Nava' means 'nine' and 'amsha' means 'division.' A divisional chart, also called varga chart, is a symbolic chart that is mathematically calculated based on how each sign in the natal chart is divided. The navamsha divides each sign by nine, equaling 3 degrees 20 minutes each. It's not necessary to technically explain this here since we will be discussing divisional charts in detail in Lesson 18. However, the vargas need to be mentioned here, especially the navamsha chart, because it is so pivotal to sign strength. What's important to know about the navamsha is that it's considered the 'fruit' of www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





the tree, with the 'tree' being the natal chart. It shows the direction that the planets are headed, the destiny or future natal chart of the person. Therefore, if a planet increases in sign strength in the navamsha chart, when compared to its sign strength in the natal chart, then the planet's overall strength improves. It becomes more capable of giving beneficial results overall. The opposite is the case when a planet decreases in sign strength in the navamsha. We saw in the example above in cancellation factor number 10, that when a planet is debilitated in the natal chart, and exalted in the navamsha that it cancels the debility. This is true for debilitated planets, but the principle of comparing a planet applies to any planet in any of the nine conditions. For example, if we look at Einstein's navamsha chart we can see that Saturn is exalted in Libra. Saturn's sign strength increases from Friend in the natal chart.

Albert Einstein's navamsha chart If we compare all of Einstein's planets in tabular form we can see that both of his exalted planets, Venus and Mars, decrease in strength, whereas both of his debilitated planets, the Moon and Mercury, increase in strength. Comparing the Rasi and Navamsha Charts Division Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Rah Rasi/Natal Chart (D1) GF DB EX DB F EX F GF Navamsha (D9) N F E N GF N EX N Increase Decrease

Ket GE N

It's a very good interpretive habit to make this comparison between the rasi and navamsha charts and thereby fine tune a planet's sign strength. .

Vargottama - The Best Division The navamsha can also be used for checking to see if a planet remains in the same sign that it's in the natal chart, which is a condition called vargottama. 'Varga' means 'division' and 'uttama' means 'best' or 'highest,' so vargottama www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





means 'the best division.' As we saw above, an important use of the navamsha chart is to confirm the strength of the planet in the natal chart. When a planet is vargottama its strength increases and is reinforced by carrying the same sign qualities in the navamsha. Because of the strength of the repeated sign position, it's considered the 'best division.' Even if a planet is weak by sign position, like great enemy (GE), if it is vargottama than its strength increases. A planet can be called vargottama relative to any divisional chart, not only the navamsha. For instance, it could be said that a planet is vargottama in the dashamsha chart (10th division) as well.

Varga Vimshopak - Strength in Divisional Charts Another method for fine tuning sign strength is to determine a planet's overall strength in all of the sixteen divisional charts or vargas. This is summarized by a mathematical system, called Varga Vimshopak, that assigns a number to a planets overall strength in the vargas. 'Vimshopak' literally means 'twenty points,' so this system assigns a range between 0-20 points for each planet, with 20 representing the highest in possible strength. The calculation of Varga Vimshopak starts with using the same one-step and three-step methods for calculating sign strength in the natal chart, except now applied to every divisional chart. Of the sixteen vargas, the navamsha is considered the most important overall, which is why it's bolded it in the following table. Here is Einstein's planetary dignities in the 16 vargas: Planetary Dignities in Einstein's 16 Vargas Division Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Rasi/Natal Chart (D1) GF DB EX DB F EX Hora (D2) GF GF DB N GF N Drekkana (D3) GF OH EX GE E F Chaturthamsha (D4) GF EX EX OH E F Saptamsha (D7) F E GF F OH GF Navamsha (D9) N F E N GF N Dashamsha (D10) GF F F F OH GE Dwadashamsha (D12) GF OH E GE GF E Shodashamsha (D16) GF OH N N N N Vimshamsha (D20) OH F DB DB OH F Chaturvimsham (D24) MT E E DB MT GF Saptavimsham (D27) N GF OH GF F E Trimshamsha (D30) GE F E EX F GF Khavedamsha (D40) N E MT F N GE Akshavedamsha (D45) GE EX OH E OH N Shashtiamsha (D60) N OH E E OH E www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com


Sat Rah F GF N N GE EX N N N OH EX N E N GE EX GF OH DB DB DB N GE N F OH MT N GF N F N

Ket GE N EX N OH N N EX N EX OH OH N MT N N




Notice that the first row lists the planetary dignities that we previously calculated for Einstein's natal chart or rasi. There are four kinds of summaries generated by Varga Vimshopak, depending on which vargas are drawn from in the calculation: • Shad Varga. 'Shad' means 'six,' and draws from these six vargas: Rasi (D1), Hora (D2), Drekkana (D3), Navamsha (D9), Dwadashamsha (D12), Trimshamsha (D30) • Sapta Varga. 'Sapta' means 'seven,' and draws from the Shad Vargas plus the Saptamsha (D7). • Dasa Varga. 'Dasa' means '10,' and draws from the Sapta Vargas plus the Dashamsha (D10), Shodashamsha (D16), and the Shashtiamsha (D60). • Shodasa Varga. 'Shodasa' means '16,' and is the total of all sixteen vargas.

A planet is strong (green) between 15-20 points, moderate between 11-14 points (black), and weak (red) with 10 or less points. The Dasa Varga Vimshopak is generally considered the most important to focus on. This is because it includes the dashamsha chart (D10), which is used for analyzing career results and most people want to know about their career. The following table shows Einstein's Varga Vimshopak:

Division Shad Varga (6) Sapta Varga (7) Dasa Varga (10) Shodasa Varga (16)

Einstein's Varga Vimshopak Overall Strength in Divisions Sun Mon Mar Mer Jup Ven Sat Rah Ket 15 14 15 10 16 13 11 14 12 15 14 15 10 17 13 11 15 13 14 15 15 12 17 11 12 16 13 13 14 15 13 17 11 12 14 15

Notice that Mercury is weak at 10 points in the Shad and Sapta Varga calculations but improves in the Dasa and Shodasa Vargas. Also, notice that Venus is overall only moderately strong in the vargas even while being exalted in the rasi chart. The strongest planet overall is Jupiter with the highest points. Most vedic software programs will calculate Varga Vimshopak for you. By analyzing the Varga Vimshopak we can fine tune the gauging of the overall strength of a planet. This is often recommended to use when analyzing the effects of a dasha or planetary period of a planet, which we'll discuss in detail later in the course. However, we can also use it for fine tuning overall sign strength as well.






Quiz #68: Which of the following is not a factor of neecha bhanga raja yoga? 1) The dispositor of the debilitated planet aspects the debilitated planet. 2) The debilitated planet is retrograde. 3) The planet that rules the exaltation sign of the debilitated planet is on an angle from the Moon. 4) The debilitated planet is vargottama. 5) It's a trick question. None of the above. The answer is at the end of the lesson. We've now completed our study of planetary strength by sign position, and are ready to discuss the next most important factors effecting a planet's strength: its house position and house rulership. What we've learned thus far is a good place to begin to quantify a planet's strength. The steps for determining sign strength are systematic and yield a concrete result on a scale of nine gradations. We then learned to fine tune this result five different ways with: the dispositor, neecha bhanga, navamsha, vargottama, and varga vimshopak. However, this is not enough, because all the factors of strength we'll be learning in this lesson will either add or subtract from these initial findings. What's convenient about sign strength is that we get to stick a concrete label on the planet. For instance, it's exalted (EX) and there's no arguing that. Other sources of strength like house position and aspects are less tangible because they don't yield a concrete result. This makes the analysis of strength more subjective and harder to gauge. A planet could be placed in a favorable house and well aspected but this doesn't amount to a convenient label. Jyotish is too complicated for that. It can't be reduced to mathematical science, because there are too many potential combinations and variations. Astrology is both an objective, quantifiable mathematical science, and a subjective, qualifiable intuitive art. For this reason, an astrologer has to weigh both the quantitative and qualitative factors, becoming both a scientist with a sharp intellect, and an artist with an intuitive heart. Therefore, as we're analyzing the various factors of strength using our intellects, we need to also try to "feel" how strong a planet is, and how it will react in the chart. A good chemist is the same way. He knows the properties of each chemical in a combination in detail, and develops a feel for how they will react with one another. This intuitive sense gets more refined with experience. Now let's learn about the strength of planet's house position and house rulership.






Planetary Strength By House Position and Rulership Planetary Strength By House Position The most obvious factor that modifies sign strength is a planet's placement in a house. If a planet is not only strong by sign position but also happens to be placed in a favorable house, than we can begin to say that it's truly strong and able to give positive results. For instance, Einstein's Venus is obviously strong by being exalted, and placed in the benefic 10th house. So let's review the favorable and unfavorable house placements. In Lesson 6 we discussed all the various house categories. The most important of these for effecting planetary strength are: the angles (1, 4, 7, 10) and trines (1, 5, 9), which are the most benefic house placements, and the dusthanas (6, 8, 12), which are the most malefic house placements. Between these three categories, 9 out of the 12 houses are covered. These two extremes give clear distinctions, while the remaining three houses, 2, 3, and 11, have only a mild influence on planetary strength. These fit into the remaining house categories discussed here: the upachayas, and marakas. Please see the following table:

Houses Angles Trines Dusthanas Remaining

The Most Important Houses Effecting Strength Most Malefic Mild Most Benefic 1, 4, 7, 10 1, 5, 9 6, 8, 12 2, 3, 11

Let's now discuss the effect of these house placements in detail.

Angular and Trinal Houses • Angular Houses: 1, 4, 7, 10 • Trinal Houses: 1, 5, 9

All planets generally gain strength and beneficence when placed in either the angular and trinal houses, which are also called kendras and trikonas respectively. These are the most benefic houses in the chart. Therefore, any planet and what it represents benefit by being placed in these houses. The 1st house has the special role of being both an angular and trinal house, giving it great importance as a benefic house. Angular houses give power, strength, and protection as we explained in Lesson 6. The trinal houses, on the other hand, give blessing and fortune. The 5th and 9th houses are called Lakshmi sthanas or houses of Lakshmi, the Goddess of www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





Fortune. In addition, the 5th house is called the house of purva punya or past life merit. It gives the fruit or blessing of one's past good karma. This same quality extends to the 9th house because it is the 5th house from the 5th house based on the principle of bhavat bhavam, which we also discussed in Lesson 6. Therefore, both natural benefics and malefics will be strengthened and benefited by being in either an angular or trinal house. However, when malefics are in angular or trinal houses they will harm the house itself. Also, the aspects and conjunctions that the malefic makes from these positions can also harm other planets and houses. We saw an example of this in the chart of Hitler in Lesson 11. His Mars and Saturn, placed in the 7th and 10th houses, harmed each other in mutual aspect as well as the other planets and houses they aspected. They were both strengthened by their placement in angular houses, which resulted in his attainment of a position of power and authority. However, they obviously also caused a lot of harm too.

A good analogy to explain the effects of a malefic planet placed in benefic house is to consider a glass of water and a glass of wine, the least expensive and the most expensive drinks. A malefic planet is like a glass of water with low status, while a benefic house is like a glass of wine with high status. Two things happen when they're blended together. First, the malefic in the benefic house is like the water being added to the wine - the wine's status decreases and the house is harmed. Second, from the perspective of the malefic planet, its status increases, because its placement in the benefic house is like the wine being added to the water. This analogy also applies to the effects of a malefic planet aspecting or conjunct a benefic planet. The benefic is harmed and its status and strength decreases, while the malefic is helped and its status and strength increases. It's important to note that Rahu and Ketu can act like benefics when placed in the angular or trinal houses, and are aspected by or conjunct benefics. When this happens they shed some of their malefic nature and cause less harm to the house they're in, and the planets that they aspect or conjunct. This is because they are the most impressionable of the malefic planets. This means that they take on the qualities of the houses they're in, and the planets that they are aspected by or conjunct, more than the other malefics. www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





Directional Strength Every planet will gain what is called directional strength or dig bala when placed in a specific angular house, with the exception of Rahu and Ketu. For instance, Jupiter gains directional strength when placed in the 1st house. A planet is already strong placed in any angular house, however, directional strength further adds to this strength. The following table shows these planetary positions which need to be memorized: Planet Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn

Directional Strength 10th House 4th House 10th House 1st House 1st House 4th House 7th House

Direction South North South East East North West

We can see in Einstein's chart that he has four planets strengthened by being placed in the angular 10th house. Of these, the Sun is additionally strengthened by gaining directional strength. These planets give a powerful focus in the area of his career. Jupiter is also strengthened by being in the trinal 9th house. The 9th and 10th houses are the most powerful of the trinal and angular houses because they're the highest or most developed of each category. In other words, the 9th house is the most developed trinal house, and the 10th house is the most developed angular house. This adds power to Einstein's chart since 5 out of his 9 planets are in either the 9th or 10th houses.

Dusthana Houses • Dusthana Houses: 6, 8, 12 www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





All planets generally lose strength and beneficence when placed in a dusthana house. Dusthana means 'place of suffering.' 'Du' is short for dukha which means 'suffering,' and sthana means 'place.' Therefore, the dusthana houses are houses of suffering and misfortune. Planets placed in, ruling, or aspected by the rulers of the dusthana houses often represent the most challenging karma in a person's chart. The 3rd house is sometimes included in the list of dusthana houses, but is only considered a 'mild' dusthana. If a benefic planet is placed in a dusthana house then the planet and what it represents is harmed, while the dusthana house itself is helped. However, if a malefic is placed in a dusthana then both the house and the planet are harmed. If the planet happens to be in its own sign (OH) then it will be only slightly harmed. It must be noted that even dusthana houses have positive indications, so we need to be especially careful when interpreting planets placed in dusthana houses. For instance, one indication of the 12th house is 'residence in a foreign country.' Therefore, if a benefic planet, like the Moon, is in the 12th house then a person could move to a foreign country in a Moon dasha or planetary period. The Moon being harmed in a dusthana could mean that the move to a foreign country separated the person from his mother and native home, both of which the Moon represents. In Einstein's chart we can see that his exalted Mars and Rahu are placed in the 8th house. This is his radical and revolutionary side that caused conflict for him at times. We've discussed this in lessons 10 and 11. His other planet in a dusthana is his debilitated Moon in the 6th house. This makes his Moon doubly harmed it's debilitated and in a dusthana house. Both of these combinations in Einstein's chart represent health challenges. Mars is the 6th and 11th lords in the dusthana house 8th house, conjunct a malefic Rahu, and the Moon is in the 6th house.

Upachaya Houses • Upachaya Houses: 3, 6, 10, 11

The upachaya houses are called 'growing houses,' because they improve over time. Therefore, any planet placed here will generally see some improvement as the person gets older. Malefic planets are considered well placed in an upachaya house, but they're generally not as strong or beneficial as being placed in an angle or trine. The upachayas are considered a 'safe' placement for malefics, because they cause less harm to the house itself. Any house is harmed by a malefic, but the difference with the upachayas is that they are houses that improve gradually over time.






The 6th house is also a dusthana so it's the most malefic of these houses, followed by the 3rd, 11th and 10th. Therefore, benefics in the 6th house are harmed as well as in the 3rd house to some extent because it's a mild dusthana. Because these two houses are the most malefic of the upachayas, planets are generally harmed at first and then later improve, whereas planets in the 10th and 11th houses are strong from the onset and then become even better. Einstein has two malefics in upachayas: the Sun and Saturn in the 10th house, and four planets overall reinforcing that his career improves with time.

Mild Malefic Houses • Mild malefic houses: 3, 11

All planets are mildly weakened by being placed in either the 3rd or 11 houses. Since these are both upachaya houses, any weakness can be expected to improve over time. The logic behind the mild malefic status of these houses is again based on bhavat bhavam. The 3rd house is the 8th from the 8th house, while the 11th house is both the 6th from the 6th house, and the 12th from the 12th house. Between the two houses, all three dusthana houses are covered using the principle of bhavat bhavam. Since the 8th house is the most malefic house, the 3rd house is considered more malefic than the 11th house, and is included in the list of dusthana houses by some authors. However, neither the 3rd or 11th house is ever as potent as a dusthana house for causing difficulties. It should be pointed out that both the 6th and 12th houses are known for causing health challenges, which makes the 11th house a secondary house of health. Therefore, either a malefic or benefic planet placed in the 11th can be challenging for health.

Maraka Houses • Maraka houses: 2, 7

If other factors exist for health challenges, than planets placed in the maraka houses can add to this. The maraka houses do not detrimentally effect a planets strength by house position. The 2nd house is basically a neutral houses for any planet to be placed. It doesn't fit into to any negative or positive house category. The 7th house is, of course, an angular house so this is generally a strong placement for any planet. However, keep in mind that malefics here can cause problems for the house itself, which in this case would effect marriage and relationships. Maraka means 'killer' so planets placed in the maraka houses are known for causing health problems, resulting in death, if other factors exist. This usually only comes into effect toward the latter part of a person's life. www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





The Spectrum of House Beneficence Here is a spectrum of house beneficence from the most benefic house placement (9th) to the most malefic (8th). Keep in mind that all houses will be good for something, so this is a general spectrum only: Most Benefic Most Malefic <--<--<--<---------->-->-->--> 9, 5, 1, 10, 4, 7, 2, 11, 3, 6, 12, 8 We can see that the 2nd house falls about in the middle as a neutral house. The 7th house is the mildest benefic house as an angle and a maraka house, while the 11th house is the mildest malefic houses as both the 6th from the 6th house, and the 12th from the 12th house.

Planetary Strength By House Rulership In addition to house placement, a planet's strength is also effected simply by the house(s) that it rules. When it rules beneficial houses it becomes a temporal benefic, and when it rules detrimental houses it becomes a temporal malefic. This is defined as a planet's temporal status versus its natural status as a benefic or malefic, which we've talked about in Lessons 4, 10, and 11. Since we just finished learning about benefic and malefic house placements you might assume that when planets rule angles or trines they become temporal benefics, and when they rule dusthanas they become temporal malefics. This makes logical sense and is partially correct, but it's a little more complicated than that. I'll try to make it easy. The snapshot method for determining a planet's temporal status is to see which planets rule the trinal houses, 1, 5, or 9. These automatically become the temporal benefics for any ascendant, regardless of the other house it rules. For instance, Mars becomes a temporal benefic for Aries ascendant because it rules the 1st house, even though it also rules the 8th house. Parashara confirms this by saying: The lords of the trines (whether a natural benefic or malefic) always give auspicious effects.

If a planet doesn't rule a trinal house than it becomes a temporal malefic, or at best a temporal neutral. Please see the following House Rulership Table:






House Rulership Table Temporal Status of Planets By Ascendant Ascendant Sun Moon Mar Mer Jup 5 4 1, 8 3, 6 9,12 Aries Benefic Neutral Benefic Malefic Benefic 4 3 7, 12# 2, 5 8, 11 Taurus Neutral Malefic Malefic Benefic Malefic 3 2 6, 11# 1, 4 7, 10 Gemini Malefic Malefic Malefic Benefic Malefic 2 1 5, 10* 3, 12 6, 9 Cancer Malefic Benefic Benefic Malefic Benefic 1 12 4, 9* 2, 11 5, 8 Leo Benefic Malefic Benefic Malefic Benefic 12 11 3, 8# 1, 10 4, 7 Virgo Malefic Malefic Malefic Benefic Malefic 11 10 2, 7 9, 12 3, 6 Libra Malefic Neutral Malefic Benefic Malefic 10 9 1, 6 8, 11 2, 5 Scorpio Neutral Benefic Benefic Malefic Benefic 9 8 5, 12 7, 10 1, 4 Sagittarius Benefic Malefic Benefic Malefic Benefic 8 7 4, 11 6, 9 3, 12 Capricorn Malefic Malefic Malefic Benefic Malefic 7 6 3, 10 5, 8 2, 11 Aquarius Malefic Malefic Malefic Benefic Malefic 6 5 2, 9 4, 7 1, 10 Pisces Malefic Benefic Benefic Malefic Benefic * Yogakaraka - Most Benefic House Ruler # Most Malefic House Ruler

Ven 2, 7 Malefic 2, 5 Benefic 5, 12 Benefic 4, 11 Malefic 3, 10 Malefic 2, 9 Benefic 1, 8 Benefic 7, 12 Malefic 6, 11 Malefic 5, 10* Benefic 4, 9* Benefic 3, 8 Malefic

Sat 10, 11 Malefic 9,10* Benefic 8, 9 Benefic 7, 8# Malefic 6, 7# Malefic 5, 6 Benefic 4, 5* Benefic 3, 4 Malefic 2, 3 Malefic 1, 2 Benefic 1, 12 Benefic 11, 12# Malefic

You can see in the table that there are three temporal benefics per ascendant, which are the trinal lords. Therefore, even though Saturn is always a natural malefic, it becomes a temporal benefic for charts that have one of these six ascendants: Taurus, Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Capricorn, and Aquarius. This makes Saturn a temporal benefic 50% of the time! In fact, the table reveals that all planets, other than the Sun and Moon, are temporal benefics half the time, and temporal malefics half the time. In most cases, all the remaining planets are temporal malefics. The exceptions are that when either the Sun or Moon rule the 4th, or 10th house then they're given a neutral status. It must be noted that many authors choose not to include this table in their books because astrologers often argue over it. This is because sage Parashara gives a different table in his classic text, which is based on advanced principles that www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





refine the above table. However, these principles are very confusing for beginning students so I've chosen to save this material for later in the course. For instance, Parashara at one point says: The lord of the ascendant is especially auspicious, as the ascendant house is both an angle and a trine.

However, he later lists Venus is a temporal malefic as the ascendant lord for Taurus ascendant. This appears to be contradictory, however when you learn the advanced principles you will see that there is a sound basis. In actual practice, Venus generally gives great benefits as the lagna lord for Taurus, however, it can sometimes represent health problems. This is because both the 1st and 6th houses relate to health. Also, the stronger of the two signs Venus rules is Libra, its mulatrikona sign, which corresponds to the 6th house, a dusthana house. The other principle is that a benefic ruling an angular house loses some of its beneficence, and the ascendant is an angular house. However, it's also a trinal house. Therefore, identifying Venus as entirely a temporal malefic is confusing, yet accurate under certain circumstances. The House Rulership Table is useful as a beginning guideline for labeling the temporal status for each planet. It's accurate and reliable. However, as we advance as astrologers this needs to be refined, because we can't reduce a planet's temporal effects to entirely benefic or malefic. In other words, even though two planets may share the same temporal status label - benefic, malefic or neutral - one will be more benefic or malefic than the other, and in different ways, and under different circumstances.

Yogakarakas - Most Benefic House Rulers A planet becomes the most powerful temporal benefic when it simultaneously rules both an angular and trinal house, other than the 1st house. When this occurs, the planet is called the yogakaraka, and gives great benefit to wherever it's placed, forming a raja yoga or royal combination. If you look at the House Rulership Table you'll notice that there's a green asterisk * next to the yogakaraka planets for each ascendant. Please see the following table: Yogakarakas Planet Saturn Mars Mars Saturn Venus Venus

Ascendant Taurus Cancer Leo Libra Capricorn Aquarius


Houses Ruled 9, 10 5, 10 4, 9 4, 5 5, 10 4, 9 Copyright © 2006 34




You can see that only Saturn, Mars, and Venus become yogakarakas and for only six ascendants: Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Capricorn, and Aquarius. The natural malefics, Saturn and Mars, therefore cause the least amount of harm when they are yogakarakas. Many astrologers consider that Taurus is the best ascendant to have. This is because Saturn, the most malefic planet, becomes the most beneficial as the yogakaraka ruling the 9th and 10th houses - the highest trinal and angular houses. This only happens with Taurus ascendant.

Dusthana Lords - Most Malefic House Rulers A very malefic house ruler is a planet that's a dusthana lord, without also ruling a trinal house. This planet becomes especially malefic if it also happens to be a natural malefic. If you look at the House Rulership Table you'll see that there's a red pound sign # next to what I call the 'most malefic house ruler' for each ascendant. For instance, Mars is the most malefic house ruler for Virgo ascendant, because it's a natural malefic ruling the 8th house, and doesn't rule a trinal house like it does for Aries ascendant. Identifying the most malefic house ruler is useful for identifying a powerfully malefic influence in the chart. Please see a list of them in the following table:

Planet Mars Mars Saturn Saturn Mars Saturn

Malefics Ruling Dusthanas The Most Malefic House Rulers Ascendant Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Pisces

Houses Ruled 7, 12 6, 11 7, 8 6, 7 3, 8 11, 12

The next most malefic house ruler is when a natural benefic rules a dusthana house, without also ruling a trine. For instance, even though Jupiter is the most benefic planet, it is capable of causing much harm for Taurus ascendants as the ruler of the 8th and 11th houses. Please see a list of them in the following table:

Planet Mercury Jupiter Mercury Jupiter Mercury Venus

Benefics Ruling Dusthanas The Next Most Malefic House Rulers Ascendant Aries Taurus Cancer Libra Scorpio Scorpio



Houses Ruled 3, 6 8, 11 3, 12 3, 6 8, 11 7, 12



Venus Jupiter Venus


Sagittarius Capricorn Pisces

6, 11 3, 12 3, 8

The Sun and Moon are excluded from these last two tables because the Sun is a mild malefic, and the Moon is mild benefic, therefore they're malefic influence as house rulers is mild as well. Parashara also says, "The 8th lordship of the Sun and the Moon is not evil," which gives an indication of their mild influence as malefic house rulers. This is why the Sun and Moon have the distinction of being the only planet's who become neutral house rulers of the 4th and 10th houses. You can see by studying these last two tables that the only house lords that combine with dusthana lords are the lords of the kama houses, 3, 7, 11. These rulers never combine with a trinal lord, and therefore never become temporal benefics for any ascendant. What's important to remember is that a planet's placement is different than a planet's rulership. For instance, Parashara deems that a planet placed in the 11th house is generally well placed, however, a planet ruling the 11th house is always a temporal malefic.

Kendradhipati Dosha Another example of the difference between a planet's placement versus its rulership is with the angular houses. A planet placed in an angular house is always strong, however, if it rules an angular house it doesn't become a temporal benefic unless it also rules a trinal house. Therefore, the rulership of the angular houses does not follow what we might logically assume. In fact, when a benefic planet rules an angular house it loses some of its benefic status, while malefics ruling angles causes them to shed some of the malefic nature. Here's a quote from K.N. Rao about this: Benefics as lords of kendras lose their capacity to do good while malefics lose their capacity to do evil. Which then is good? Benefics not being able to give their benefic results or malefics not being able to give malefic results? Obviously, if benefics lose their capacity to give benefic results it is a major loss. When a benefic rules two angular houses then this is particularly detrimental for the benefic, and is called kendradhipati dosha. This translates as 'the affliction of the ruler of kendras.' This only applies to Jupiter and Mercury, because this only occurs for Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces ascendants. Please see the following table:






Kendradhipati Dosha Ascendant Gemini Virgo Sagittarius Pisces

Planet Jupiter Jupiter Mercury Mercury

Houses Ruled 7, 10 4, 7 7, 10 4, 7

The Maraka Lords As mentioned earlier, the maraka houses, 2 and 7, are sometimes malefic houses, because they can cause death, especially later in life. Therefore, planets placed in, or ruling the maraka houses can play this role. This becomes especially true when a planet rules both maraka houses, which only occurs with Venus and Mars, for Aries and Libra ascendants respectively. Please see the following table:

Planet Venus Mars

Double Marakas Ascendant Aries Libra

Houses Ruled 2, 7 2, 7

It must be noted that the Sun or Moon can become maraka lords, but their role has not been emphasized in classic texts. This again supports the principle that the Sun and Moon have only mild malefic influence.

Example of House Position and Rulership Effecting Strength Referring to Einstein's chart, we can see that his temporal benefic planets for his Gemini ascendant are Mercury, Venus, and Saturn, with all three being placed in the angular 10th house! This certainly gives tremendous rise and benefit to his career. Of these three, Venus becomes especially powerful as the 5th lord exalted in the 10th house, which certainly shows his creative abilities and public appeal.

Gemini

Einstein's Temporal Status of Planets 3 2 6, 11# 1, 4 7, 10 5, 12 Malefic Malefic Malefic Benefic Malefic Benefic

8, 9 Benefic

Gemini doesn't have a yogakaraka planet, but does have a most malefic ruler with Mars ruling the 6th and 11th houses. Because it's also placed in the 8th house makes it particularly damaging, except that it forms a special raja yoga, which we'll talk about in Lesson 15, called vipareeta raja yoga. Einstein's Jupiter has kendradhipati dosha as the ruler of the 7th and 10th houses. However, it's placed in the most benefic house, the 9th house, which reduces the malefic nature of this affliction. This also forms special raja yogas, which we'll talk about www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





in Lesson 15. The Moon as a temporal malefic and lord of a maraka house, debilitated and placed in the 6th house certainly doesn't help the Moon's strength. It reinforces its potential to cause health problems. The Sun as a temporal malefic, as lord of the 3rd house, doesn't cause much trouble to his career where it's placed. The 3rd is only a mildly malefic house, and it gains directional strength in the 10th house as previously mentioned. This is an example of how we can integrate house placement and house rulership into our interpretation of planetary strength.

Quiz #69: Which is the correct list of ascendants that have yogakarakas? 1) Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Scorpio, Capricorn, Aquarius 2) Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces 3) Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius 4) Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, Pisces 5) It's a trick question. None of the above. The answer is at the end of the lesson.

Other Factors of Planetary Strength We've now learned about the strength of planets by sign position, house position, and house rulership. This has been a lot of detailed information. The remaining factors are easier to discuss, but are nonetheless important: aspects and conjunctions, hemming in of planets, combustion, planetary war, sandhi and gandanta, and retrogression.

Planetary Strength By Aspects and Conjunctions A planet is either weakened or strengthened, afflicted or improved by the planets that aspect or conjunct it. It may be strong in every other way but if it's afflicted by another planet then it's beneficence is diminished. Here are several interpretative guidelines for aspects and conjunctions: A planet is either weakened or strengthened, afflicted or improved by the planets that aspect or conjunct it. It may be strong in every other way but if it's afflicted by another planet then it's beneficence is diminished. Here are several interpretative guidelines for aspects and conjunctions: • The natural status predominates over temporal status. We discussed this principle in Lesson 11 using quotes from classics texts. A planet is more afflicted by the aspects and conjunctions of a natural malefic, like Saturn, then by a temporal malefic, like Jupiter for Taurus ascendant. The opposite is, of course, www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





the case when a planet is aspected by a natural benefic, like Venus, versus a temporal benefic, like Mars for Cancer ascendant. It's not that a temporal malefic won't afflict, it will, but it's not as significant. If a planet is both a natural and temporal malefic then it's aspects and conjunctions become doubly malefic, with the opposite also being the case. In other words, natural malefics never become full benefics even when they rule benefic houses, and natural benefics never become full malefics even when they rule malefic houses. Therefore, Saturn's aspects for Taurus ascendants, as the lord of the 9th and 10th houses, will still cause affliction. • A planet aspects from its given position. A planet will send whatever it represents in the chart by aspect. For instance, a malefic planet that is debilitated (DB) in the 8th house, and conjunct or aspected only by malefics is more afflicting than a malefic planet that's exalted in the 5th house and conjunct or aspected only by benefics. Therefore, in order to understand the effect a planet will have by aspect, then we need to analyze its condition closely. • The tighter the aspect the more powerful it is. When a planet receives a tight aspect or conjunction by degrees, the more powerful and significant it is. Therefore, when a planet is aspected or conjunct by several planets we need to give the most weight to the one that's the tightest. That's the one to focus on.

For example, we saw In Lesson 11 how afflicted Venus was in Hitler's chart with aspects by both Mars and Saturn within 4 degrees. This is powerfully malefic because of the tightness of the aspect, but also because Mars and Saturn are aspecting from angular houses, and Mars is strong in its own sign (OH). • The strongest planet predominates with multiple planet aspects. When a planet is aspected or conjunct several planets we also need to give the most weight to the one that's the strongest by sign position, house position, rulership etc., especially sign position. That's the one to focus on.






For instance, in Hitler's chart Venus is conjunct or aspected by five planets Mars, Saturn, Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter. Of all these planets, how do we know which one predominates in their effect on Venus? This is not always clear cut. For instance, the Sun (EX) is strongest of all them by sign position, even though Mars (OH) and Jupiter (OH) are also quite strong. The Sun, Mars, and Saturn are aspecting from powerful angular houses. Mars is overall the most powerful aspect on Venus, for all these reasons, and because it's the tightest in degrees. • A planet in its own house (OH) is less afflicted by conjunctions. When a planet is in its own house (OH) it protects the house and the planet to some degree. When it is conjunct malefics it becomes the dispositor for the malefics. It's like when the landlord lives in the house he's renting rooms in, the tenants have less power to cause trouble or dictate the rules.

For instance, in Gandhi's chart, Venus is the ruler of the ascendant in the ascendant. Therefore, even though Venus is afflicted by conjunction with Mars within 2 degrees, it is not dominated by Mars, because it rules over it.






In Hitler's chart, we can see the exact opposite situation. Mars dominates over Venus as its dispositor, which further adds to the reasons why Mars's malefic aspect predominates over the other aspects to Venus by the Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn.

Hemming in of Planets When a planet is conjunct malefic planets on either side of it, it is considered 'hemmed in by malefics.' This increases the affliction to the planet. It's like sitting on a bus with rude, obnoxious and foul smelling individuals on either side of you. Even though you may have other friends sitting on the bus, it's a disturbing situation. The opposite is, of course, the case with a planet being 'hemmed in by benefics.' For instance, in Einstein's chart Saturn is hemmed in by Venus and Mercury, which increases the strength and benevolence of Saturn.






Hemming in also takes place when a planet is surrounded by either malefics or benefics in adjacent houses. For instance, in Einstein's chart Jupiter is hemmed in by malefics, with Rahu on one side at 10 degrees and the Sun on the other side at 1 degrees. This afflicts not only Jupiter but the 9th house itself. Even if Jupiter was not present the 9th house would be afflicted, because the house was hemmed in. This is not an extreme example because there are also benefic planets in the 10th house in close proximity, and because the Sun is only a mild malefic. However, even if the Sun weren't in the 10th house, Jupiter could still be considered afflicted to some extent. This is because Saturn is on one side of Jupiter, although not as close by degrees as Mercury, and Mars and Rahu are on the other. It's a stronger hemming in if it's only malefics or only benefics, but if it's a mixture then it still has some effect. Another example of hemming in of adjacent houses, is in Gandhi's chart, with Saturn and the Sun hemming in his ascendant and ascendant lord, Venus. When malefics hem in the ascendant it's called a specific yoga, Papa Kartari Yoga. Kartari means 'scissors' and papa means 'inauspicious', so this is being scissored in by inauspicious planets. When benefics hem in the ascendant it's called Shubha Kartari Yoga. Shubha means 'auspicious.' In Gandhi's case this isn't an extreme papa kartari yoga because there are so many benefic influences also on the ascendant, by Venus, Mercury and Jupiter, with Venus being strong in its own house (OH). Extreme cases of papa kartari yoga can be seen sometimes in the charts of criminals.

Three Special Factors There are three factors of strength that are frequently misunderstood, misinterpreted, and require special attention: combustion, planetary war, and retrogression. Each of these factors only apply to the five planets, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn, and need to be interpreted cautiously. This is because it's not possible to assign a blanket strong or weak, benefic or malefic, good or bad status to planets when they are combust, in a planetary war, or www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





retrograde. They need to be analyzed closely on a case by case basis, because they can give unusual and sometimes extreme results for good or ill, and usually a mixture. We'll explain these in succession now.

Combustion When a planet is in a tight conjunction with the Sun it is said to be combust, or burned up by the Sun's rays. This does not apply to the Moon or the Nodes of the Moon - Rahu and Ketu. The following table gives the degrees of combustion, on either side of the Sun, for each planet:

Planet Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn

Degrees of Combustion Degrees 14o 10o 17o 11 o 15o

Some texts say that when a planet is combust its indications are severely harmed, even destroyed. However, this is rarely, if ever, the case. It's easy to show that this is a misleading statement by the fact that Mercury is always within 28 degrees of the Sun, but it's degrees of combustion are 14. This means that in about 50% of charts Mercury is technically combust! However, every other person is not stupid and unable to speak! In actual practice combustion does have some effect especially when it's tight within 5 degrees. There is usually some unusual idiosyncratic effect regarding the combust planet. Here are a few interpretative guidelines for combust planets: • Combustion primarily harms a planet's external or physical indications, not its internal (mental, emotional, spiritual). For instance, a person with a combust Mercury may have health challenges related to Mercury (skin, nerves, lungs, etc.) or their education may be interrupted. However, they can be very intellectually bright and articulate due to the close proximity with the Sun. Likewise, a combust Venus can give challenges to one's reproductive organs, or indicate marital problems. However, it can also make one creatively bright. • Combustion particularly harms the houses that the planet owns, and signficates. For instance, a combust Mercury that rules two money houses for Leo ascendant, 2 and 11, can indicate that the person has challenges earning money. Again, the focus should be on the external or physical indications of the house. • A planet that is approaching an exact conjunction with the Sun is more afflicted by combustion than after the planet leaves the an exact conjunction with the Sun. www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





For example, in Hitler's chart we can see that Mercury is combust within 5 degrees, and approaching the exact conjunction with the Sun. One indication of Mercury is education. It's the significator of the 5th house of education, and happens to also rule the 9th house for Libra ascendants, a house of higher education. Hitler never finished high school, and was never accepted into any college or university. This shows that Mercury's external indication of education, and both the houses it significates and rules are harmed. However, his speech and oratory skills were not harmed as he was a powerful speaker. In Einstein's chart, Mercury is also combust but at only 10 degrees, and it has already left the exact conjunction with the Sun. He also had challenges in his education. especially pre-college education, which the 4th house represents, and Mercury rules the 4th house in his chart. However, he did enter university and obtain a PhD degree, a degree of higher education (9th house). This is interesting because Saturn, the 9th lord, is also combust but at only 11 degrees, and it's already left its exact conjunction with the Sun. These examples show that the tightness of degrees has an important effect, and whether the planet is approaching or leaving the Sun. We also need to look at other factors to decide how much the house that a planet rules or significates is harmed. In Einstein's case, Jupiter is in the 9th house, and is the dispositor of Saturn, which could explain his success in higher education despite a mildly combust 9th lord, Saturn.

Planetary War - Graha Yuddha Planetary war or graha yuddha is also an often misunderstood and misinterpreted factor of planetary strength. How this 'war' occurs is when two planets, other than the Sun, Moon, Rahu and Ketu are within degree 1 degree (60 minutes) of one another. Therefore, a planetary war is an extremely tight conjunction. Just like with any conjunction, if the two planets are natural friends, according to the two family of friendships, then it's a less harmful association. Also, the natural status of a planet is an important consideration. For instance, a planetary war between Mars and Saturn is especially malefic and potentially explosive, because they're both malefics and also enemies. Conversely, a planetary war between Mercury and Venus is generally less harmful because they're both benefics and in the same family of friends. Just like in a physical war, there is a winner and loser. The problem is that there is disagreement between authors about how the outcome is determined. Some authors take the planet with the lowest longitude (degree) to be the winner, and some take the planet with the highest latitude (declination) to be the winner. The latitude of a planet is how far north or south a planet is relative to the ecliptic, while the longitude is how far a planet is east or west along the ecliptic. We www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





discussed these concepts in Lesson 3. The winner is said to be strengthened and the loser weakened. Personally, I have found that the planet with the lowest longitude is the most reliable measure of who's the actually winner and strengthened. For example, in Hitler's chart, Venus and Mars are in a planetary war in Aries. Venus is at 24 o23 and Mars is at 24 o04. Mars is obviously at lower longitude (degrees) and is the winner from this perspective. However, Venus is at higher latitude (declination) making it the winner from this perspective. Most computer software programs, and some Vedic ephemeris's (panchangas) will give the latitude of the planet. For example, below is a table from Parashara's Light software showing the degrees and declination of each planet in Hitler's chart (Ketu is not included since it's exacting opposite Rahu). The degrees are shown by a number 0-360 (30 degrees x 12 signs). The declination is either a positive or negative number, indicating north or south of the ecliptic:

We can see in this table that Mars is at 16:53:57 declination, while Venus is at 22:54:50, making Venus the winner at higher latitude. However, it makes much more sense to me that Hitler's Mars wins the war, because of events in his life. He was never accepted into art school, yet became a militant ruler of a powerful nation. I can't logically justify that Mars is somehow weak and Venus is strong. Here's another example of a planetary war in the chart of Joseph Campbell, the author of The Power of Myth, and eminent scholar. If you didn't know who he was you may think that his Mercury is in very bad shape. It's debilitated, combust, in a planetary war, and conjunct three malefics including the 8th lord, Mars. This is a good example of how combustion of Mercury can brighten the intellect. Mercury also attains neecha bhanga raja yoga by its conjunction with its dispositor, Jupiter, who is in its own sign. However, it's also in a planetary war with Jupiter. Who wins?






Mercury is at lower degrees (longitude), but Jupiter has higher declination (latitude). Again, it makes the most sense that Mercury wins because of his life events. He became famous as an author, editor, lecturer, and scholar, which are all Mercurial indications. However, it doesn't make sense that Jupiter loses and is harmed either, because he taught comparative religion as a university professor, which are Jupiterian indications. If you consider the effects of an actual war, both sides are bloodied. This could be the reason why there sometimes are not clear distinctions between strength www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





or weakness, or positive or negative results of planets involved in a planetary war. For this reason, it's often considered only a minor contributing factor to planetary strength. I recommend being careful about making any bold pronouncements about strength or weakness due to this factor. Like combustion, expect that there could be some unusual, idiosyncratic results from the planets involved.

Retrogression - Vakra A factor of strength that is often difficult to interpret is when planets are retrograde or vakra (literally 'crooked'). This occurs when one of the five planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn, appear to move backward through the zodiac. Software programs usually identify them by placing an 'R' next to the planet. Of course, retrogression is an optical illusion, because the planetary orbits are fixed in a forward direction. We've discussed the astronomical factors of retrogression in Lesson 3. What's important to remember is that retrograde planets are the closest to the earth in their orbits, which means that they appear physically larger and brighter. They are also the slowest in their orbits. Their effect can be compared to having someone stop right in front you, and put their face close to your face. They appear larger, even though they're not, and you are forced to notice them. If the person is a saint then it can be a powerful blessing, however, if they're a violent criminal then it can be terrifying. Likewise, a retrograde planet will be stronger and more dramatic in its effects in the chart. The benefic or malefic nature of the outcome is dependent on how favorably disposed the planet is. In other words, if a planet is strong by sign position, house position, aspects etc. then it usually becomes more dramatically benefic, with the opposite being the case for a malefically disposed planet. Here are several interpretative guidelines for retrograde planets: • A retrograde planet is stronger and more intense, for better or for worse, relative to its natural benefic or malefic status and its temporal condition in the chart. A retrograde benefic can be more benefic, and a retrograde malefic can be more malefic. Mars retrograde in a dusthana house, like the 12th house, is more malefic in its effects than Mars in direct motion in the 12th house. Likewise, Mars retrograde in the 10th house can be more powerful for career ambition, and overall success. This is especially true if it's favorably disposed by being in a strong dignity (own sign or exalted) and/or conjunct or aspected by benefics. Therefore, we have to look at its position, aspects and conjunctions (PAC) closely. • Retrograde planets represent the past, going backward in time. For this reason, they can indicate a particularly strong karmic influence from the past that must be paid attention to in this life, like a person getting close to your face. In this regard, www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





they are important karmic indicators in the chart, like Rahu and Ketu, who are almost always retrograde. Of course, the whole chart represents our karma, but these planets can represent a special karmic lesson that needs to be learned, or special karmic reward that benefits the person. In either case, it often becomes a significant focus in their life. • Because of the retrograde motion, a retrograde planet represents going against socially accepted norms of society. It's like a salmon swimming upstream against the mainstream. For instance, retrograde Mercury can represent an unconventional thinker with unusual, innovative ideas. Retrograde Venus can represent someone with unorthodox relationships, like homosexual. Because a retrograde planet is also slower it also can be more withdrawn and inward by nature. • A retrograde planet that's moving toward a malefic planet becomes more malefic because it's approaching the conjunction with the malefic. The opposite is the case when approaching benefics. For instance, in Hitler's chart Venus is moving retrograde toward Mars, not away from it, which intensifies the negative effect. It adds to the evidence that Mars dominates Venus in his chart. • A retrograde planet can be erratic and unpredictable in its effects. In other words, retrograde benefics are usually more benefic, but not always. K.N. Rao cautions about this, and emphasizes that they may not provide the benefic influence and protection you'd expect. For this reason, we need to proceed with caution when interpreting retrograde planets. There is usually some unusual idiosyncratic effect that they have similar to planets in planetary war, or combust.

Sandhi and Gandanta Another factor that needs to be addressed for planetary strength is when a planet is within 3 degrees of the cusp or sandhi between two signs. Sandhi literally means a 'joint.' A planet placed here is considered weakened due to being in a transition place, 'betwixt and between' as they say, as if it can't decide what sign it's in. It usually carries the qualities of both signs to some extent, especially when it's within 1 degree of the sandhi. This is not a major factor of strength, which is evidenced by the fact that when Mercury is in the last three degrees of Virgo, it stays in Virgo in the navamsha chart. This makes it a vargottama Mercury in Virgo, its sign of exaltation, which is obviously a strong Mercury. When a planet is in the sandhi between water and fire signs - Cancer/Leo, Scorpio/Sagittarius, or Pisces/Aries - it is in a special sandhi position called gandanta. This is a double sandhi because it's not only the juncture between two signs, but also of two nakshatras, or lunar constellations, which we'll be studying in depth later in the course. Gandanta is a particularly weak and unstable placement for a planet and can represent unusual difficulties that the person has in their life regarding the planet. This is especially true when it's in the last 3 www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





degrees of Pisces, which is the most transitional place in the chart being the end of the zodiac.

Determining the Effects of Planetary Strength As we previously discussed in the beginning of the lesson, the general principle for interpreting strength is that whenever a planet is strong, it becomes happier and therefore able to express its positive qualities. The opposite is the case when it's weak. However, we can from the example charts that a planet is rarely, if ever, strong with regards to every factor of strength. There's almost always a mixture - weak by sign position, strong by house position, aspected by both benefics and malefics etc. Therefore, we first need to accurately gauge how strong or weak a planet is. We won't be able to come up with a concrete label like we can with sign strength, but as we consider all the various factors we'll get a 'feel' or 'sense' for how strong the planet actually is, and what kind of effects it will give. This will, of course, become easier with more experience. The main problem that I encounter with students trying to interpret strength is in jumping to conclusions based on the planet's dignity alone. For instance, I had a student once ask me, "My Venus is in the sign of an enemy, so I won't be able to ever have a happy married life, right?" It's true that if Venus is weak by sign position it may be harder to experience fulfillment in relationships. However, the important question is, "What qualities do both Venus and the sign have that weaken Venus and make it more challenging?" To be able to answer this question, we need to put on our chemist hat, like we did in Lesson 10, and think logically about how Venus's qualities blend with the qualities of the sign. Let's look at Venus's placement in the student's chart, and first calculate its strength by sign position. Venus is in Aries, which is ruled by Mars. Looking on the Natural Planetary Relationships Table we can see that Venus is in the sign of a neutral. However, Mars is in Leo, five houses away, making it a temporal enemy. The compound relationship when adding them together is: neutral + enemy = enemy. This is confirms that the student was right - Venus is in the sign of an enemy. So let's now consider why Venus may be weak in Aries. Aries is an impulsive, aggressive and combative sign. This can be interpreted by saying that the student tends to start relationships quickly and end them quickly, as a result of some conflict. When I asked him if this was the case, he readily agreed. This is the challenge when Venus is placed in a fire sign, especially the most impulsive fire sign of Aries. Looking at the Natural Planetary Relationships Table you'll see that Venus is not in the sign of a natural friend in any of the fire signs: Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius. It's not a natural friend in any of the water signs either, except being exalted in Pisces. Venus is strongest in air and earth signs, which are the www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





signs ruled by Mercury, Saturn, and Venus - its family of friends. This makes sense because Venus is a social (air) planet and a sensual (earth) planet as well.

It's not a useful interpretation to say to a client that because Venus is the sign of an enemy you'll never have a happy married life. In fact, I don't recommend mentioning the planetary dignities to clients. It's a tool for the astrologer, but it's confusing to the client. To say that your Venus is weak doesn't help clients or empower them to take positive action. But it is useful to say that you need to be careful about jumping into relationships too quickly, and picking partners with whom you have intense, passionate, and combative relationships. Astrology is a tool for self-awareness, so that to help them learn to be more self-aware will help free them from the effects of a weak planetary condition. That's the value of astrological counseling - to help us learn, grow, and change negative karma. Too often I see student's falling into the trap of thinking in a limited binary manner - this planet is weak and this planet is strong; this will cause bad things to you, this will cause good things to you. This is not very useful. It also may not be accurate. For instance, K.N. Rao often says that exalted planets can cause arrogance, and debilitated can give humility, so which is bad and which is good? Every planet, even if it's extremely afflicted or extremely strong, will be good for some things and bad for other things in the chart. We need to keep this in mind. For instance, Venus exalted in Pisces in the 2nd house can be good for acquiring wealth, but can also represent cravings for sweets and rich, gourmet foods that can be bad for one's health. Therefore, identifying if a planet is weak or strong is only a starting point in interpretation. We also need to consider the logic behind why it's weak or strong in that sign or house, or when it has that aspect, or when it has that condition like gandanta and come up with a useful interpretation. For instance, Venus is exalted in Pisces because creativity can flourish in such an expansive, imaginative sign. However, it's also a sign of indulgence and addictions because, as the sign of unity, it doesn't have boundaries or limits. This course is unique because it focuses on helping you develop interpretive www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





logic. We learned to logically blend the planets, houses, and signs together like a chemist in Lesson 10 before learning planetary strength, because it's the foundation of interpretation. We always need to do this work of blending, and not just tell someone that your planet is bad or good, weak or strong. Identifying the strength of the planet is for the astrologer, not the client, and is meant to help us fine tune our blending so that it's more accurate. To do this effectively is the skill of an astrologer that improves with practice, and experience.

Quiz #70: True or False. For a planet to be considered ‘hemmed in,’ it needs to have only benefics or only malefics on either side of it within the house it’s in. The answer is at the end of the lesson.

The Shad Bala System of Planetary Strength In this section we're going to discuss a mathematical system for calculating planetary strength called Shad Bala, which translates as 'six strengths.' It uses six criterion for determining a planet's overall strength by assigning points or rupas that add together to give a final number between 0 and 2.50. A planet above 1.00 is considered strong and below 1.00 is considered weak. This is a traditional system that is described in several classic texts, including Parashara's Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra .

Advantages and Disadvantages of Shad Bala As a mathematical system Shad Bala has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the calculations result in concrete numbers, like with vargavimshopak, which are objective and quantitative. This is attractive to those of us who are mathematically minded because we can compare strength between planets using a graph. Similar to the concrete label that the planetary dignities provide, we can use this to gauge strength. Even though the shad bala calculations are lengthy to perform by hand, a computer can spit it out in a split second. These are all advantages. The disadvantages to shad bala are numerous, which is why we're not emphasizing this system in this lesson or this course. First of all, very few people will take the time to try to calculate shad bala by hand because it's too confusing and laborious. Without this effort the six criterion are not learned from the inside out, which adds to the astrologer's ability to " better visualize and develop instincts for practicing astrology" as K.N. Rao says. Therefore, astrologers rely on computer calculations. Because it's a mathematical system you'd think that software programs would come up with the same numerical result. Sadly, this is www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





not the case, and the differences can be quite drastic. This alone makes it an unreliable system to use for determining planetary strength. For instance, the two most popular Jyotish software programs today are Parashara's Light and Sri Jyoti Star. I use them both. Below is the shad bala graphs that they each provide for the chart of Albert Einstein:

Parashara's Light Shad Bala Graph

Sri Jyoti Star Shad Bala Graph When you compare the numbers in each graph you'll see that there is quite a difference. For instance, Parashara's Light (PL) gives .96 for the Moon, while Sri Jyoti Star (SJS) gives 1.23. This is a big problem when a planet is considered weak when it's below 1.00! This discrepancy alters the interpretation. You'll notice that Saturn is also below 1.00 in PL and above it in SJS. You might just assume that this is a matter of scale, with SJS giving higher values. But this is not the case. For instance, Mars is higher in PL than in SJS. Obviously, they're not taking the same mathematical steps to arrive at the total shad bala points. This is possible because the steps are not thoroughly explained in the classic texts. When you read about the six criterions of strength below you'll see how some of them leave room for questions in the calculations! Below I've included the Shad Bala calculations in both PL and SJS for our four example charts in this lesson - Einstein, Hitler, Gandhi and Campbell - so that you can see the differences. I've also highlighted the discrepancies which are drastically different or that could confuse an astrologer's interpretations.





A. Einstein PLight SJStar Sun 1.31 1.40 Moon 0.96 1.23 Mars 1.37 1.29 Mer 0.83 0.90 Jup 1.08 1.13 Ven 1.54 1.73 Sat 0.83 1.03


Shad Bala Calculations A. Hitler M. Gandhi PLight SJStar PLight SJStar 1.31 1.44 1.03 0.91 1.00 1.23 1.22 1.24 1.33 1.42 1.28 1.37 0.74 0.87 1.41 1.41 0.97 1.27 1.29 1.66 1.42 1.69 1.24 1.45 1.51 2.02 1.61 1.89

J. Campbell PLight SJStar 0.97 1.03 1.28 1.56 1.17 1.38 0.58 0.28 1.01 1.50 1.18 1.19 1.52 1.60

The other huge disadvantage to shad bala is how misleading it can be for interpretative use. For instance, look at Joseph Campbell's Mercury. It's about as far below 1.00 as one can get at 0.58 in PL and 0.28 in SJS! How do you use this number to describe a scholar who wrote and/or edited over thirty five books, taught as a professor of literature for thirty eight years, and was famous as a gifted public speaker and storyteller? Can you justify saying Mercury is weak? Campbell did die of cancer of the esophagus, which is a region ruled by Mercury. Therefore, shad bala is useful for identifying an extreme strength or weakness, but to be able to determine which indications of the planet will be effected we need to analyze the chart. In Campbell's chart, his Mercury is tightly combust, which harms the physical indications of the planet. Mercury also rules the ascendant, the indicator for the body. It's in the 7th house, a maraka house, and in a planetary war with Jupiter, a maraka lord. It's also conjunct the 8th lord, Mars, representing chronic illness. This is a good example of why we can't rely on Shad Bala or any one system for determining strength. Any mathematical system needs to be applied with discretion, as it will have inherent limitations. It can only calculate quantitatively, but it can't make qualitative judgments. For this we need to look at a planet relative to all the factors of strength in the chart - sign position, house position, house rulership, aspects, combustion, etc. as we've taught in this lesson. We can give an accurate reading without referring to the shadbala point totals, but not when we don't take the time to analyze all the factors of strength in the chart.

The Six Criterion of Strength It is useful to learn what the six criterion of strength are, as well as their subcriterions, which we'll be doing in this section. Many of these we have already discussed in this lesson, and many will be new and interesting. These can help us to further refine and fine tune a planet's condition of strength. This material is primarily for reference, since it's not expected of you to attempt the calculations manually.






1. Sthana Bala - Positional Strength Sthana means 'place,' so sthana bala means strength based on the planet's position in the chart. 1) Exaltation Strength (Ucha Bala) A planet is strongest when at its degree of exaltation, and weakest when at its degree of debilitation. Therefore, a planet begins to lose strength as soon as it leaves its exaltation degree, and begins to gain strength as soon as it leaves its debilitation degree. This sub-criterion measures the distance the planet is from each point and whether it's approaching one or the other. Its limitations are that it doesn't calculate a debilitated planets cancellation factors, and it doesn't consider the sign that the planet is in, just how far away from exaltation or debilitation it is. Therefore, if Jupiter is in Sagittarius, in its own sign, it would be weak according to this calculation because it is only one sign away from its debilitation in Capricorn. 2) Divisional Strength ( Saptavargaja Bala) This sub-criterion calculates a planet's sign position strength or dignity relative to the sapta vargas or seven divisional charts: D1, D2, D3, D7, D9, D12, and D30. This calculation also has its limitations. For instance, it doesn't include the dashamsha chart (D10), which relates to the important area of life, career. It also can give a high number of points to debilitated planets. For instance, when Saturn is in Aries at 20 o it's exalted in Libra in the navamsha, and when the Moon is at 3 o Scorpio it's in its own sign Cancer in the navamsha. 3) Odd-Even Sign Strength ( Ojayugmarasyamsa Bala) This sub-criterion calculates whether a planet is in either an odd or even sign relative to the rasi chart (D1), and the navamsha (D9). The masculine and neutral planets: Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn gain strength in the masculine or odd signs, while the feminine planets: Moon, Venus gain strength in the feminine or even signs. This also has limitations because if Mercury is exalted in Virgo, an even sign, it is considered weak according to this criterion. Another example is Mars which gets exalted in the feminine sign of Capricorn. 4) Angular Strength ( Kendra Bala) This sub-criterion calculates strength relative to a planet's house position in the rasi chart only. If it's in the angular or kendra houses (1, 4, 7, 10) it is considered strongest; if it's in the succedent or panapara houses (2, 5, 8, 11) it gets medium strength; and if it's in the cadent or apoklima houses (3, 6, 9, 12) it is considered the weakest. This calculation makes sense because the kendra houses are the positions of power. However, one limitation is that the 9th house, the most benefic house, is an apoklima house and a planet would be considered weakest placed here. Another limitation is that it doesn't consider that a malefic in an angular houses may gain strength, but it also causes harm to the houses they're in and aspect. www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





5) Decanate Strength (Drekkana Bala) Masculine planets gain strength when placed in the first decanate of a sign, which is 0-10 degrees; neuter planets gain strength in the 2nd decanate of a sign, which is 10-20 degrees; and feminine planets gain strength in the 3rd decanate of a sign, which is 20-30 degrees. Planets are first divided into their gender categories: masculine (Sun, Mars, Jupiter), neuter (Mercury, Saturn) and feminine (Moon, Venus). This criterion also has limitations because Mars would be weak when it's exalted at 28 o Capricorn. However, when Jupiter is debilitated at 5o Capricorn, it would be strong.

2. Dig Bala - Directional Strength Dig means 'direction,' so dig bala means strength based on the direction of the planet's house position in the chart. This criterion we've already discussed in the section on directional strength: the Sun and Mars gain directional strength in the 10th house, Saturn in the 7th house, the Moon and Venus in the 4th house, and Jupiter and Mercury in the 1st house. The only addition with this calculation is that a planet's house of directional strength is considered like its sign of exaltation. Therefore, the house opposite it is considered a house of weakness. A planet gains strength when its approaching its house of directional strength and loses strength as it approaching its house of directional weakness. This has obvious limitations. For instance, Venus exalted in the 10th house in Einstein's chart would be considered weak by house position by this criterion, because it's in its house of directional weakness. Also, all planets gain strength simply by being located in any angular house. It's unclear why this is considered a separate criterion, and is not just included as a sub-criterion within Positional Strength.

3. Kala Bala - Temporal Strength Kala means 'time,' so kala bala means strength based on the time of day in terms of hours, days, months, etc. 1) Day-Night Strength (Nathonnatha Bala) Planets gain strength at different times of day. The Moon, Mars, and Saturn are strong at midnight; the Sun, Jupiter and Venus are strong at noon; and Mercury is always strong. 2) Monthly Strength ( Paksha Bala) Planets gain strength at different times of the lunar month. The benefics are strong in the bright fortnight or shukla paksha, while the malefics are strong in the dark fortnight or krishna paksha. The Moon is considered benefic when it is waxing or bright, and malefic when it's waning or dark. Mercury is considered a benefic when it's unafflicted by malefics, and a malefic when it's afflicted by malefics. A planet is calculated relative to its distance from the new or full Moon, however when the Moon itself is considered a malefic then the calculations are www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





reversed. This is a confusing calculation to do manually. First, you have to decide if the Moon and Mercury are benefic or not, which can be a somewhat subjective judgment. For instance, do you consider Mercury a malefic when it's conjunct the Sun, which it usually is? This calculation is probably one of the reasons why the various software programs arrive at a different shad bala total. 3) Four Hour Strength (Tribhanga Bala) Planets gain strength at different portions of the time of day. A day is divided into day and night with three portions of about fours hours each. This will vary according to the Hindu calendar, which calculates the beginning of the day from sunrise. Mercury is strong in the 1st 1/3 of the day; Sun in the 2nd 1/3 of the day; Saturn in the 3rd 1/3 of the day; Moon in the 1st 1/3 of night; Venus in the 2nd 1/3 of night; Mars in the 3rd 1/3 of night; and Jupiter is strong all the time. This has limitations because the strength can be contrary to the Day-Night Strength. For instance, Saturn is strong at midnight according to Day-Night Strength but in the 3rd 1/3 of the day according to Four Hour Strength. 4-7) Lord of the Year, Month, Day, Hour Strength ( Abdadhipati, Masa, Vara, Hora Bala) The next four sub-criterions are very confusing to calculate, and is a very likely contributor to the discrepancies between software programs. The principle is that whichever planet rules the year, month, day and hour that you were born gains strength in the natal chart. However, the process of finding out which planets these are is based on a 360 day year instead of 365, as well as the theoretical beginning of creation! Obviously, this leaves a lot of room for error. 8) Declinational Strength ( Ayana Bala) A planet gains strength relative to its north or south position from the zodiacal equator or ecliptic. This is called a planet's declination which we discussed in the section on planetary war. The Sun, Mars, Jupiter, or Venus gain strength when furthest north during the summer solstice. Mercury gains strength when it's neutral on the ecliptic during the spring and fall equinoxes. The Moon and Saturn gain strength when furthest south during the winter solstice. 9) Planetary War Strength ( Yuddha Bala) This is only calculated for planets in a planetary war. This again is a confusing calculation because of the disagreements between who wins a planetary war. Some will take the planet with the lower degrees, and others will take the planet with the higher declination. Strength is added to the winner or subtracted from the loser.

4. Chesta Bala - Motional Strength Planets gain strength when they are retrograde and slow, and lose strength when they are fast. This is because when a planet moves slow it is able to focus its energy more powerfully. This happens when the planets, other than the Sun and www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





Moon, are retrograde. Motional strength is calculated for the Sun and Moon using other methods of Ishta and Kashta Phala, or the good and bad results of planets.

5. Naisargika Bala - Natural Strength A planet is strong according to its luminosity or apparent brightness. The values are the same in every chart with the Sun being the strongest, followed by the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn. Saturn is the darkest, being the farthest from the Sun.

6. Drik Bala - Aspectual Strength A planet gains strength relative to the aspects that it receives using both the major and minor aspects that we discussed in Lesson 11. The exact arc of degree become important in this calculation, like it is in Western astrology. Aspects by benefics give strength, and aspects by malefics give weakness. This calculation has limitations because it only takes into account the natural and not temporal status of the aspecting planet. It also does not consider if a planet is aspecting from a benefic or malefic house. Another limitations is that the hemming in by benefics or malefics is not considered in shad bala.

Use of Shad Bala After all the above calculations are made, the points or rupas are added together resulting in the total shad bala points or virupas. This is the number that is referred to as a 'planet's shad bala.' You can see by reading this section, that there are many limitations to Shad Bala and difficulties in its calculations. I once asked K.N. Rao about its use, and he suggested to not give it very much weight at all. The reasons were because of the discrepancies in the computer generated calculations, and that it should be calculated manually if you really want to use it. The danger of Shad Bala is that it can be very tempting to let the computer do the work for you. One click of the button and you're done! Beware of this lazy astrologer's method for determining planetary strength. It's much better for you to develop the skill of determining planetary strength yourself. It's the most reliable and comprehensive method. The following is a summary of the steps to take that we've discussed in this lesson:

Summary of Steps for Determining Planetary Strength Analyze the following (not necessarily always in this order): 1) Sign Position Strength - planetary dignities (EX, MT, OH, etc.) www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





Fine tune dignity by analyzing: • The Dispositor - the planet's ruler • Neecha Bhanga - factors of cancellation of debilitation • The Navamsha Chart - 9th division • Vargottama - repeated sign placement in the navamsha • Vargavimshopak - system of sign strength for divisional charts 2) House Position Strength - angles, trines, dusthanas, etc. • Directional Strength - a planet in a specific angular house 3) House Rulership Strength - temporal benefic or malefic status 4) Other Factors of Planetary Strength • Aspects and Conjunctions - a planet's associations and aspects • Hemming in of Planets - planets on either side of a planet • Combustion - planets close to the Sun • Planetary War - planets within 1 degree of one another • Retrogression - planets in reverse motion • Sandhi and Gandanta - proximity to the cusp of signs

Quiz #71: True or false. A planet has a high score in Chesta Bala or motional strength when it is slow? The answer is at the end of the lesson.

Determining the Strength of Houses – Bhava Bala So far in this lesson we've been looking at strength with regards to the planets, however, the chart is usually analyzed relative to the houses. This is because clients will always have questions about a certain area of their life, such as health, relationships, or career, which would relate to the houses 1, 7, and 10 respectively. The houses represent the areas or domains of life, therefore, we also need to be able to determine house strength or bhava bala. This will allow us to gauge where a house is on the spectrum of its positive and negative traits, just like with the planets. In Lesson 8 we likened the houses to a theatre stage set, with the planets being the actors, and the signs being their costumes. There's no action on the stage without the actors. Likewise, the houses are only static positions in the sky and mean nothing without the planets. Therefore, we determine house strength by analyzing planets. This is where the steps we've learned for determining www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





planetary strength come in handy, because a house is only as strong as the planets that influence it.

The Three Steps for Determining House Strength If we analyze planets to determine house strength, then the obvious question is: "Which planets do we analyze?" The answer is we focus on the planetary influences on the: 1) The house 2) The house lord 3) The significator(s) of the house We discussed this concept previously in Lesson 10. We first analyze the house itself, by analyzing each planet that's either located in the house or aspecting it. Then we analyze the planet that happens to be the lord of that house for that ascendant. Lastly, we analyze the planet(s) that is the significator of the house, which we listed in a table in Lesson 10. How we analyze the planets involved in these three steps is by using the PAC-DARES method, including the steps in this lesson for determining planetary strength. Remember the PAC-DARES method includes analyzing planetary strength, and is the essential checklist to follow for analyzing any planet in the natal chart.

Planetary Influences on the House We already know a great deal about how to determine house strength, because we just need to apply what we already know about determining planetary strength within the context of the houses. The essential point to learn: • Natural benefic planets and planets that are strong overall by any of the factors of strength: sign position, house position, house rulership, aspects, vargottama, etc. will benefit a house when located in or aspecting it. The opposite is the case with natural malefics and planets that are weak overall.

Here are several specific guidelines: • Natural benefics placed in or aspecting a house will strengthen the house and increase its positive indications. The opposite is the case with natural malefics, which will weaken the house and increase the negative indications. This is the general guideline. Malefics placed in or aspecting upachaya houses harm the house less, and will improve over time. • Temporal benefics placed in or aspecting a house will strengthen the house and increase its positive indications. The opposite is the case with temporal malefics. www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





The temporal benefics, or the lords of trinal houses, 1, 5, and 9, will benefit any house they influence. This especially true with a house that is influenced by the most benefic house ruler, the yogakaraka. For instance, Hitler's yogakaraka Saturn placed in the 10th house benefits his career. Temporal malefics harm any house they influence to some extent. This especially true with a house that is influenced by the most malefic house ruler, which are the dusthana lords who are also natural malefics and who don't own a trinal house. • Strong planets placed in or aspecting a house will strengthen the house and increase its positive indications. The opposite is the case with weak and afflicted planets. Strong planets, especially when they're natural benefics, will benefit a house. For instance, Einstein's exalted Venus in the 10th house, benefits his career. Likewise, weak and afflicted planets, especially when they're natural malefics, will harm a house. The strength or weakness can be from any of factor of strength: sign position, house position, house rulership, aspects, vargottama, combustion, planetary war etc. Therefore, a conjunction between two natural benefic planets, like Jupiter and the Moon, will benefit the house that the conjunction is in, or the house it aspects. • The significator of a house placed in the house it significates is said to harm the house. For instance, the Moon in the 4th house is said to be harmful for the mother and the person's relationship with her. Overall, this principle does not always work, and you will find many exceptions to it. For instance, I have clients who have the Moon in the 4th house who are very close with their mother. Another example is that Jupiter placed in the 5th house is said to be detrimental to childbirth. This may seem strange because Jupiter's the great benefic and an expansive planet, so you'd think it could give many special children. In actuality, it may only give one good child, but not necessarily many children like you'd expect. Therefore, be cautious with this, because it will apply sometimes, but not always. If the significator is strong like in its own house or aspected by benefics, it harms the house it significates less. The opposite is true when it is weak and afflicted.

Planetary Influences on the House Ruler or Significator We also already know a great deal about how to determine the strength of a house ruler or the significator of the house, because it's just a planet, so all the factors of strength we've learned for determining the strength of a planet will apply. The essential point to learn is: • When a house ruler and significator of a house is strong overall by any of the factors of strength: sign position, house position, house rulership, aspects, vargottama, etc. then it will benefit the house that they rule or significates. The opposite is the case with a house ruler or significator of a house that is weak www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





overall. Here are a few specific guidelines: • The ruler or significator of a house placed in an angular or trinal house, will strengthen the house it rules or significates and increase its positive indications. • The ruler or significator of a house placed in a dusthana house, will weaken and afflict the house it rules or significates and increase its negative indications.

• The ruler or significator of a house when aspected or conjunct with natural benefics will strengthen the house it rules or significates and increase its positive indications. The opposite is the case when the ruler or significator of a house is aspected by natural malefics. • The ruler or significator of a house when strong by sign position will strengthen the house it rules or significates and increase its positive indications. The opposite is the case when the ruler or significator of a house is weak by sign position. • The ruler of the house placed in or aspecting its own house (OH) will strengthen and protect the house and increase its positive indications. This is true even when a natural malefic aspects its own house.

Quiz #72: What are the three steps to determining house strength? 1) Analyze the benefic, malefic, and neutral influences on the house 2) Analyze the planets conjunct in the house, the planets aspecting the house, and the significator of the house 3) Analyze the planets conjunct in the house, the planets aspecting the house, and the ruler of the house 4) Analyze the influences on the house, the ruler of the house, and any significant other planets. 5) It's a trick question. None of the above. The answer is at the end of the lesson.






Exercises and Homework This lesson introduces how to analyze the many factors of strength in natal chart interpretation. To be able to determine strength accurately is a skill that every Vedic astrologer needs for understanding how a planet will function in the chart. It doesn't happen overnight and gets easier and more refined with the experience of looking at many charts. The Natal Charts Skills exercises and homework in this lesson give you the opportunity to practice these skills. Please take advantage of them and do them thoroughly. You will gain what is the hardest to acquire: experience. It's easy to learn the theory, but to put it to practice is the real work of an astrologer. Materials needed:

- Notebook - Red, Green, and Black Pens - Your South and North Indian Natal Chart Skills forms filled out from Lessons 4, 6, 8, 10, and 11 - Quick Reference Guide (1 page) - ‘The Condition of My Planets’ forms (10 pages) - ‘The Condition of Oprah Winfrey Planets’ form (1 page)

The Strength Exercises 1) Strength By Sign Placement: Take out your own chart with the Planets, Houses, Signs, Positions and Aspects exercises filled out from previous lessons (Lesson 4, Lesson 6, Lesson 8, Lesson 10, and Lesson 11).

In this exercise you'll be determining the strength of the planets in your chart relative to their sign placement or dignity, which we discussed in the first section of this lesson. First, refer to the 'Quick Reference Guide' including in this lesson, and print it out. This will give you the tables you need for doing this exercise. Use either the one-step or three-step methods explained below: 1) One-Step Method: Refer to the Planetary Dignities Table to see if the planet is either exalted (EX), mulatrikona (MT), own house (OH), or debilitated (DB). If it is, you’re done. 2) Three-Step Method: This method is used when the planet is not EX, MT, OH , or DB. By the end of the three steps you will arrive at one of the five remaining dignities: GF, F, N, E, or GE. Step 1. Refer to the Natural Planetary Relationships Table to see if the ruler of a planet is either a natural friend, neutral, or enemy. Start with the left column, www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





which is the planet itself. Step 2. Refer to the Temporal Planetary Relationships Table to see if the ruler of a planet is a temporal friend or temporal enemy. If it's in one of the three houses before or one of the three houses after a planet, excluding the house the planet's in, then it's a temporal friend. If it's not, it's a temporal enemy. Step 3. Add the Natural and Temporal results together to find the Compound Relationship. You’re done. Once you've determined the sign strength of the planet then it's just a matter of entering the two letter abbreviation of the dignity next to the planet's 'X's' in the Natal Chart Skills form. Use your green pen to write the strong dignities (EX, OH, MT, GF, F), your red pen for the weak dignities (E, GE, DB) and your black pen for neutral (N). As an example, let's refer again to Einstein's chart, showing the dignities of the planets next to the planet's two 'X's' representing the natural and temporal status of the planet.

2) Strength by House Placement: In this exercise you'll be determining the strength of the planets in your chart relative to their house placement. First, place a green asterisk * or star next to the planets that are in either the benefic angular houses (1, 4, 7, 10) or the trinal houses (1, 5, 9). Next, place a red asterisk * or star next to the planets that are in the malefic dusthana houses (6, 8, 12). For planets that are in the remaining three houses 2, 3, or 11, leave them blank. (This exercise is a newly revised www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





version of the Planets Exercise from Lesson 4, with the two X's representing a planet's natural and temporal status). As an example, again see Albert Einstein's natal chart with the both Strength Exercises filled out:

The Natal Chart Skills form with both of these exercises filled out in Einstein's chart is included with this lesson.

Exercise Summary These two exercises train our minds to identify the strength of the planets by both sign and house placement, the two most important factors of strength in the chart. If we get into the habit of immediately finding these in the chart, then we'll never miss factoring them into our interpretations. I remember in one of my first Vedic astrology classes the teacher had pointed out in an example chart that the person's Moon was exalted in Taurus, but it was also in the 12th house. One factor showed its strength, the other its weakness, and both needed to be factored into the interpretation. With these two exercises these distinctions are made clear visually by the use of green and red pen symbols. For instance, in Einstein's chart we can see at a glance that Mars and Rahu are well placed by sign position with a green EX and GF, but weak by house position with red asterisks *. Their strength by sign position gave him the ability to perform gutsy and ambitious (Mars), as well as pioneering and revolutionary (Rahu) research (8th house). When we consider Mars and Rahu's www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





dispositor, Saturn, then we also see the strength they receive by Saturn's position as the 9th lord in the 10th house, an angular house, and hemmed in by benefics, Mercury and Venus. This exercise also shows us at a glance how strong Venus is in Einstein's chart, with only green benefic symbols. This means that it's not only a natural and temporal benefic with two X's, but strong by sign and house placement. Also, we can see how strong Mercury is except for being debilitated. But when we consider its many factors of cancellation, like association with an exalted planet, Venus, then we can see that it's actually a strong influence in the chart overall, with some idiosyncrasies. It could actually be written with a green 'DB' to identify that its debility is cancelled. By analyzing the strength of the planets by sign and house position in your own chart, what does this tell you about yourself? Are any character traits easier to explain because of what you've discovered? 3) Repeat Repeat the above Strength Exercises using the North Indian version of your chart that you filled out in Lessons 4, 6, 8, 10, and 11. Save both the South Indian and North Indian versions of your chart for future exercises. 4) Extra Credit For extra credit fill out the Strength Exercises in the Natal Chart Skills form of the person's chart you've been working on in Lessons 4, 6, 8, 10, and 11. Again, save their chart for future exercises.

Natal Chart Skills Summary We have now completed the first six sets of exercises of the Natal Charts Skills method: - The Planets Exercises (see Lesson 4) - The Houses Exercises (see Lesson 6) - The Signs Exercises (see Lesson 8) - The Positions Exercises (see Lesson 10) - The Aspects Exercises (see Lesson 11) - The Strength Exercises:

1) Strength by Sign Placement: Determine the strength of each planet by sign placement by using either the onestep or three-step methods. Place the two letter abbreviation next to the planet's two X's. Use a green pen for strong dignities and red pen for weak dignities. 2) Strength by House Placement: Determine the strength of each planet by house placement by placing a green * www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com





next to planets in angles or trines, and a red * next to the planets placed in dusthana houses. Place the asterisk next to the two letter abbreviation of the planet's sign strength.

Homework Assignments 1) The Condition of My Planets In this homework assignment you’ll have the opportunity to analyze the various factors of strength of the planets in your chart. This is probably the most important homework assignment yet in the course, so I encourage you to be sure to take the time to complete this.

First, refer to 'The Condition of My Planets' forms included in this lesson, and print them out. As you go through the list of factors and analyze your own chart, place a check mark next to the factors that apply to each planet in your chart. Then, add up the total number of factors. Afterwards, give each planet a subjective overall strength rating on a scale of 1 to 10. Keep in mind that whenever several of these positive or negative factors apply to one planet simultaneously, the favorable or unfavorable effect becomes intensified. 2) Celebrity Strength Print out new 'The Condition of My Planets' forms and do the assignment again using the chart of talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. However, this time I will make it easier and give you much of the information on a separate page which is included in this lesson. Check off the factors that I've given you, and add the remaining factors that I didn't list. Lastly, add up the total number of factors and rate her planets on a scale of 1 to 10.






Oprah Winfrey's Natal Chart

Oprah Winfrey's Navamsha Chart

Quiz Answers 67. It’s a trick question. None of the above. The correct answer is the Moon and Jupiter, not Jupiter and the Moon. The Moon has no enemies, and Jupiter is not an enemy of any planet. 68. The debilitated planet is vargottama. 69. Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius 70. False. A planet can be considered ‘hemmed in’ if only benefics or only malefics are in the adjacent houses, or in the house that the planet is in. 71. True. A planet increases strength when it is slow, like when it’s retrograde. 72. It's a trick question. None of the above. The correct answer is to analyze the influences on the house, the ruler of the house, and the significator of the house.




Natal Chart Skills









Navamsha From: To: Count from the cardinal sign of the element of the planet. o 1 Navamsha = 3 20’

Name: Date: Time:  Place: Notes:







st

1







Quadrants th th 4 7

Alternate Lagnas th

10

1,5,9

To:

2,6,10

Sun L

Dasha L

Fixed

Mut.

Transits From:

Date: Time:

To:

Odd signs count from the sign of the planet - even th signs from the 9 away. o 1 Dashamsha = 3

Dharma Artha

Moon L



Dashamsha From:

Lagna

Kama Moksha

Angle Succed. Cadent

3,7,11

1,4,7,10

4,8,12

2,5,8,11

Masc.

Fem.

Odd

Even

3,6,9,12

Fire

Earth

Aries+

Taurus+

Air

Water

Card.

Gemini+ Cancer+

Aries+

Taurus+ Gemini+

ASC Sun Moon Mer Ven Mar Jup Sat Rahu Ketu Total In

Sun Rules

In

Moon Rules

Mercury In Rules

In

Venus Rules

In

Mars Rules

Jupi ter In Rules

In

Saturn Rules

Rahu In

Ketu In

P Position A Asp ects (Gives to H#) A Asp ects (Gives to PL) A Asp ects (Receives) C Conjunctions Asc

Moon

D Dana Yogas : combos of 1, 2, 5, 9, 11; CM, LK, VS A Ari sh ta Yog as: 1, 1L, Mo, Su + 6, 8, 12, Malefics R Raja Yogas: 1, 4, 7, 10 + 1, 5, 9; NB, VP, R/K E Exchanges or Parivartana Yogas: PV S Special: MP, GK, PK/SK, CB, GN, PW, KD, KM, etc Abbreviations: CM=Chandra Mangala, LK=Lakshmi, VS=Vasumat, NB=Neecha Banga, VP=Vipareeta, R/K= Rahu/Ketu forming Raja Yogas, PV=Parivartana, MP=Mahapurusha Yoga: BMP= Bhadra, MMP=Malavya, RMP=Ruchaka, HMP=Hamsa, SMP=Shasha, GK=Gajakesari, PK/SK=Papa/Shubha Kartari, CB=Combust, GN=Gandanta, PW=Planetary War, KD=Kuja Dosha, KM=Kemadruma, AM=Amala, Dusthana Yogas: AV=Ava, NI=Nissva, MR=Mriti, KU=Kuhu, PA=Pamaru, DU=Dushkriti, NIR=Nirbhagya, DUR=Dur, DA=Daridra, etc.

© Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.


Natal Chart Skills Name: Time:

Date: Place:

From:

st

1

Dashamsha To:

From:

Dharma Artha 1,5,9

2,6,10

From:


3,7,11

1,4,7,10

2,5,8,11

Quadrants th th th 4 7 10

To:

Kama Moksha 4,8,12

Navamsha To:

Lagna

Fem.

Odd

Even

Fire

Earth

Aries+

Taurus+

Moon L

Sun L

Dasha L

Transits Time:

Date:

Masc.

3,6,9,12

Alternate Lagnas

Air

Water

Card.

Gemini+ Cancer+

Aries+

Fixed

Mut.

Taurus+ Gemini+

ASC Sun Moon Mer Ven Mar Jup Sat Rahu Ketu Total

In

Sun Rules

In

Moon Rules

Mercury In Rules

In

Venus Rules

In

Mars Rules

Jupi ter In Rules

In

Saturn Rules

Rahu In

Ketu In

P Position A Asp ects (Gives to H#) A Asp ects (Gives to PL) A Asp ects (Receives) C Conjunctions Asc

Moon

D Dana Yogas : combos of 1, 2, 5, 9, 11; CM, LK, VS A Ari shta Yogas: 1, 1L, Mo, Su + 6, 8, 12, Malefics R Raja Yogas: 1, 4, 7, 10 + 1, 5, 9; NB, VP, R/K E Exchanges or Parivartana Yogas: PV S Special: MP, GK, PK/SK, CB, GN, PW, KD, KM, etc. Abbreviations: CM=Chandra Mangala, LK=Lakshmi, VS=Vasumat, NB=Neecha Banga, VP=Vipareeta, R/K= Rahu/Ketu forming Raja Yogas, PV=Parivartana, MP=Mahapurusha Yoga: BMP= Bhadra, MMP=Malavya, RMP=Ruchaka, HMP=Hamsa, SMP=Shasha, GK=Gajakesari, PK/SK=Papa/Shubha Kartari, CB=Combust, GN=Gandanta, PW=Planetary War, KD=Kuja Dosha, KM=Kemadruma, AM=Amala, Dusthana Yogas: AV=Ava, NI=Nissva, MR=Mriti, KU=Kuhu, PA=Pamaru, DU=Dushkriti, NIR=Nirbhagya, DUR=Dur, DA=Daridra, etc.



Natal Chart Skills Su 1 XX GF* 10 Me 11 XX DB* Sa 12 XX F* Ve 24 XX EX*  Ju 5 XX F*

11

12 Lg 19

1







Ke 10 X GE*

9

Ma 4 XX EX* Ra 10 X GF*

Navamsha From: To: Count from the cardinal sign of the element of the planet. o 1 Navamsha = 3 20’

2

Name: Albert Einstein Date: 3/14/1879 Time: 11:30 am  Place: Ulm, Germany 8 Notes:

 3





7 Mo 22 XX DB*

6

5

4

st

1









Quadrants th th 4 7

1

0

3

Alternate Lagnas th

10

From:

Kama Moksha


Masc.

Fem.

Fire

Earth

1,5,9

2,6,10

3,7,11

4,8,12

1,4,7,10

2,5,8,11

3,6,9,12

Odd

Even

Aries+

Taurus+

1

6

0

2

4

3

2

2

8

0

2

Sun In Rules

10 A Aspects (Gives to H#) 4 P Position

3

Moon In Rules

Mercury In Rules

Venus In Rules

6 12

10 4

10 5, 12 4

2

A Aspects (Gives to PL) A Aspects (Receives) C Conjunctions

Dasha L

Date: Time:

To:

Odd signs count from the sign of the planet - even th signs from the 9 away. o 1 Dashamsha = 3

ASC Sun Moon Mer Ven Mar Jup Sat Rahu Ketu Total

Sun L

Transits

To:

Dharma Artha

Moon L

5

Dashamsha From:

Lagna

Me, Ve, Sa

Air

Water

Card.

Fixed

Aries+

Taurus+ Gemini+

Gemini+ Cancer+

2

6

3

2

Mut.

5

Mars In Rules

Jupiter In Rules

Saturn In Rules

Rahu In

Ketu In

8 6, 11 2, 3, 11 Ke Ke Su, Ve, Sa Su, Me, Sa Ra

9 7, 10 1, 3, 5

10 8, 9 4, 7, 12

8

2

1, 4

Asc

2 Ke Ke Su, Me, Ve Ma

8 Ra, Ma Ra, Ma

Moon

D Dana Yogas: combos of 1, 2, 5, 9, 11; CM, LK, VS A Arishta Yogas: 1, 1L, Mo, Su + 6, 8, 12, Malefics R Raja Yogas: 1, 4, 7, 10 + 1, 5, 9; NB, VP, R/K E Exchanges or Parivartana Yogas: PV S Special: MP, GK, PK/SK, CB, GN, PW, KD, KM, etc Abbreviations: CM=Chandra Mangala, LK=Lakshmi, VS=Vasumat, NB=Neecha Banga, VP=Vipareeta, R/K= Rahu/Ketu forming Raja Yogas, PV=Parivartana, MP=Mahapurusha Yoga: BMP= Bhadra, MMP=Malavya, RMP=Ruchaka, HMP=Hamsa, SMP=Shasha, GK=Gajakesari, PK/SK=Papa/Shubha Kartari, CB=Combust, GN=Gandanta, PW=Planetary War, KD=Kuja Dosha, KM=Kemadruma, AM=Amala, Dusthana Yogas: AV=Ava, NI=Nissva, MR=Mriti, KU=Kuhu, PA=Pamaru, DU=Dushkriti, NIR=Nirbhagya, DUR=Dur, DA=Daridra, etc.





Quick Reference Quide Determining Sign Placement Strength The Nine Dignities: EX, MT, OH, GF, F, N, E, GE, DB 1) One-Step Method: Refer to the Planetary Dignities Table to see if the planet is either exalted (EX), mulatrikona (MT), own house (OH), or debilitated (DB). If it is, you’re done.

Planet Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn Rahu Ketu

Planetary Dignities Exalted (EX) Mulatrikona (MT) Own House (OH) Aries 10 Taurus 3 Capricorn 28 Virgo 15 Cancer 5 Pisces 27 Libra 20 Taurus Scorpio

Leo 0-20 Taurus 3-27 Aries 0-12 Virgo 15-20 Sagitt. 0-10 Libra 0-15 Aquar. 0-20 Gemini Sagittarius

Debilitated (DB)

Leo 20-30 --Cancer Aries 12-30 Scorpio Gemini Virgo 20-30 Sagitt.10-30 Pisces Libra 15-30 Taurus Aquar. 20-30 Capricorn Aquarius --Scorpio

Libra 10 Scorpio 3 Cancer 28 Pisces 15 Capricorn 5 Virgo 27 Aries 20 Scorpio Taurus

2) Three-Step Method (for planets not EX, MT, OH, or DB): 1. Refer to the Natural Planetary Relationships Table to see if the ruler of a planet is either a natural friend, neutral, or enemy. Start with the left column, which is the planet itself. 2. Refer to the Temporal Planetary Relationship Table to see if the ruler is a temporal friend or enemy. 3. Add the Natural and Temporal results together to find the Compound Relationship. You’re done. 1. Natural Planetary Relationships Planet

Friend

Neutral

Enemy

Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn Rahu Ketu

Moon, Mars, Jupiter Sun, Mercury Sun, Moon, Jupiter Sun, Venus Sun, Moon, Mars Mercury, Saturn Mercury, Venus Venus, Saturn Venus, Mars

Mercury Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn Venus, Saturn Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Saturn Mars, Jupiter Jupiter Mercury, Jupiter Mercury, Jupiter

Saturn, Venus -Mercury Moon Mercury, Venus Moon, Sun Sun, Moon, Mars Sun, Moon, Mars Sun, Moon, Saturn

3. Compound Relationship

2. Temporal Planetary Relationship PLANET Friend

Enemy

Friend Friend

Friend

Friend

Friend

Enemy

Enemy Enemy Enemy Enemy

Natural Relationship

Temporal Relationship

Friend Neutral Enemy Friend Neutral Enemy

+ + + + + +

Friend Friend Friend Enemy Enemy Enemy

Compound Relationship = = = = = =

Great Friend Friend Neutral Enemy Great Enemy

General Planetary Friendships Planetary Friends #1 Planetary Friends #2 Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter


Mercury, Venus, Saturn

Copyright © 2009


Light On Vedic Astrology Lesson 12 - Homework


The Condition of My Planets In this homework assignment you’ll be analyzing the various factors of strength of each of the planets in your chart. Place a √ next to the factors that apply, and then add up the total number of factors. Afterwards, give your planet a subjective overall strength rating on a scale of 1 to 10. Summary of the Favorable Factors of a Planet

Exalted Mulatrikona Own sign Great friend Friend Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) Located in a strong dignity in the navamsha chart (exalted, own sign, etc.) Vargottama (located in the same sign in the navamsha chart) High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10) Directional strength Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9) Is a temporal benefic (lord of 1, 5, 9) Conjunct or aspected by benefics Conjunct or aspected by temporal benefics (lords of 1, 5, 9) ‘Hemmed-in’ by benefics Retrograde and benefically disposed by position, aspects etc.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Summary of the Unfavorable Factors of a Planet

Debilitated without neecha bhanga raja yoga Great enemy Enemy Dispositor (ruler) is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12) Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9) Conjunct or aspected by malefics Conjunct or aspected by dusthana lords (ruler of 6, 8, 12) ‘Hemmed-in’ by malefics Is in sandhi or gandanta (either at very early or late degrees of a sign) Combust (too close to the Sun) Loses a planetary war (within 1 degree of a planet of lower longitude/degrees) Retrograde and malefically disposed by position, aspects etc.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •


Copyright © 2009




The Condition of My Sun √ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Aries, particularly the first 10 degrees ) __ Mulatrikona (in the first 20 degrees of Leo ) __ Own sign ( in 20-30 degrees of Leo) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Has directional strength by being located in the 10 th house __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which house it rules _______________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Total √’s Note: As a malefic, the Sun can also give good results when placed in the upachaya houses 3, 6, 10, and 11.

√ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Libra, particularly the first 10 degrees. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Conjunct Rahu or Ketu, particularly at the time of a New or Full Moon ( Eclipse) __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high)


Copyright © 2009




The Condition of My Moon √ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Taurus, particularly the first 3 degrees) __ Mulatrikona ( in 3 -27 degrees of Taurus) __ Own sign ( Cancer ) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Has directional strength by being located in the 4 th house __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which house it rules _______________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Total √’s √ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Scorpio, particularly the first 3 degrees. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which house it rules __________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Conjunct Rahu or Ketu, particularly at the time of a New or Full Moon ( Eclipse) __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high)


Copyright © 2009




The Condition of My Mars √ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Capricorn, particularly up to 28 degrees ) __ Mulatrikona (in first 12 degrees of Aries ) __ Own Sign ( in 12 -30 degrees of Aries, or all of Scorpio ) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Has directional strength by being located in the 10 th house __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ______________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Retrograde and benefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s Note: As a malefic, Mars can also give good results when placed in the upachaya houses 3, 6, 10, and 11.

√ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Cancer, particularly the first 28 degrees. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Combust (within 17 degrees of the Sun) __ Loses a planetary war (within 1 degree of a planet of lower longitude/degrees) __ Retrograde and malefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high) www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

Copyright © 2009




The Condition of My Mercury √ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Virgo, particularly the first 15 degrees ) __ Mulatrikona (in 15-20 degrees of Virgo) __ Own sign ( in 20-30 degrees of Virgo, or all of Gemini ) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Has directional strength by being located in the 1 st house __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ______________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Retrograde and benefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s √ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ((in Pisces, particularly the first 15 degrees. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Combust (within 14 degrees of the Sun) __ Loses a planetary war (within 1 degree of a planet of lower longitude/degrees) __ Retrograde and malefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high) www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

Copyright © 2009




The Condition of My Jupiter √ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Cancer, particularly the first 5 degrees ) __ Mulatrikona (in the first 10 degrees of Sagittarius ) __ Own sign ( in 10-30 degrees of Sagittarius, or all of Pisces ) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Has directional strength by being located in the 1 st house __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ______________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Retrograde and benefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s √ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Capricorn, particularly the first 5 degrees. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Combust (within 11degrees of the Sun) __ Loses a planetary war (within 1 degree of a planet of lower longitude/degrees) __ Retrograde and malefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high) www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

Copyright © 2009




The Condition of My Venus √ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Pisces, particularly the first 27 degrees ) __ Mulatrikona (in the first 15 degrees of Libra ) __ Own sign ( in 15-30 degrees of Libra, or all of Taurus ) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Has directional strength by being located in the 4 th house __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ______________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Retrograde and benefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s √ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Virgo, particularly the first 27 degrees. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules __________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Combust (within 10 degrees of the Sun) __ Loses a planetary war (within 1 degree of a planet of lower longitude/degrees) __ Retrograde and malefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high)


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The Condition of My Saturn √ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Libra, particularly the first 20 degrees ) __ Mulatrikona (in the first 20 degrees of Aquarius) __ Own sign ( in 20-30 degrees of Aquarius, or all of Capricorn) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Has directional strength by being located in the 7 th house __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules ______________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Retrograde and benefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s Note: As a malefic, Saturn can also give good results when placed in the upachaya houses 3, 6, 10, and 11.

√ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Libra, particularly the first 10 degrees. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Is a temporal malefic (not ruler of 1, 5, 9). List which houses it rules __________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Combust (within 15 degrees of the Sun) __ Loses a planetary war (within 1 degree of a planet of lower longitude/degrees) __ Retrograde and malefically disposed by position, aspects etc. __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high) www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

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The Condition of My Rahu Note: Being a chaya graha or ‘shadowy planet,’ the Moon’s Nodes ( Rahu and Ketu) give their results largely based on the planets most associated with them (by conjunction or aspect) and according to the dispositor (ruler) of the house they occupy.

√ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Taurus) __ Mulatrikona (in Gemini) __ Own sign ( in Aquarius) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Total √’s Note: As a malefic, Rahu can also give good results when placed in the upachaya houses 3, 6, 10, and 11.

√ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Scorpio. Unless neecha bhanga) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high)


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The Condition of My Ketu Note: Being a chaya graha or ‘shadowy planet,’ the Moon’s Nodes ( Rahu and Ketu) give their results largely based on the planets most associated with them (by conjunction or aspect) and according to the dispositor (ruler) of the house they occupy.

√ Favorable Factors __ Exalted (in Scorpio) __ Mulatrikona (in Sagittarius) __ Own sign ( in Scorpio) __ Great friend’s sign __ Friend’s sign __ Neecha bhanga raja yoga (cancelled debilitation) List how cancelled____________________________________________ __ Dispositor (ruler) is in a strong dignity (exalted, own sign, etc.) __ Exalted or own sign in the navamsha chart __ Vargottama (in the same sign in navamsha chart) __ High vargavimshopak scores (15 or above, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). List which one ___________ __ Located in a trinal house (1, 5, 9). List which one ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a benefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a temporal benefic (ruler of 1, 5, 9) List which one(s)________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by benefics. List which ones______________________ __ Total √’s Note: Ketu can give good results for spiritually in the 12 th house, particularly when associated with Jupiter and/or the 5 th and 9th lords. As a malefic it also can give good results in upachaya houses 3, 6, 10, and 11.

√ Unfavorable Factors __ Debilitated ( in Taurus. Unless neecha bhanga ) __ Great enemy’s sign __ Enemy’s sign __ Dispositor is located in a weak dignity (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Located in a weak dignity in the navamsha (debilitated, great enemy, enemy) __ Low vargavimshopak scores (10 or below, especially in the dasa varga) __ Located in a dusthana house (6, 8, 12). List which one ___________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a malefic. List which one(s)_______________________ __ Conjunct or aspected by a dusthana lord (ruler of 6, 8, 12) List which one(s)______________________________ __ ‘Hemmed in’ exclusively by malefics. List which ones______________________ __ Is in the sandhi between two signs (0-3 degrees, or 27-30 degrees) __ Is in gandanta (0-3 degrees of a fire sign, or 27-30 degrees of a water sign) __ Total √’s Rate Overall Strength (circle one): (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high) www.LightOnVedicAstrology.com

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Course1 Lesson 12 s

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