Guru Sanjay Rath: Today’s topic is the Navāṃśa. I do not like to do so-called “preparation” of a topic for teaching. I have never done that, and do not expect me to do that in the future. Whatever you want me to teach, I will teach, and I will teach what I truly know about that topic. Either I know it or I do not know it. I will not lie to you. I will be very honest with you, and I expect you to be honest with me. If you do not know about some topic in Jyotiṣa, say straight away that you do not know, but please never lie. Okay!Nava plus aṃśa is Navāṃśa.The word nava in Sanskrit is used for the nine planets. It is a highly important word. The number 12 is called dvādaśa in Sanskrit, and its other name in Sanskrit is Sūrya. Likewise, a Sanskrit synonym for the word nava is graha. So, the Navāṃśa is also called grahāṃśa. According to Parāśara, the Navāṃśa is a regular chakra.
The first Navāṃśa in Meṣa is Meṣa itself. Then the others follow in regular order: Vṛṣabha, Mithuna, Karka, Siṃha, Kanyā, Tulā, Vṛścika, and Dhanus is the ninth and last Navāṃśa of Meṣa. So, there are a total of nine Navāṃśas in Meṣa rāśi.
Guruji Sanjay Rath: Today, we did the lesson on Vargottama from Navāṁśa. (a student asking if Pushkara Navāṁśa is also vargottama).
Guruji is replying that Pushkara Navāa is not vargottama. Pushkara aṁśa and Pushkara Navāa, have different meaning. (Guruji asks whether the student knows anything about this word, Pushkara. But the student says that it is related to Brahma, on which Guruji laughs and says that this logic is silly. Just because there is a temple for Brahma and the pond of that temple is named as Pushkara, doesn’t mean that the Pushkara Amśa or Navāa a is related to Brahma. That this is a silly logic and also that the students not having any knowledge about this word. Then Guruji starts explaining the meaning of this word).
The meaning of the word “Pushkara” is “nourishment”. It is derived from the word “Puṣtivardhanam”. This word is from a mantra for Shiva. So this is related to Shiva. Study more about it. Study which Navāa are the Pushkara Navāa and which aṁśa are the Puṣkarāmsa. There is a difference between the two. (Meanwhile, a student asks if Mars is in vargottama Navāa, and also in Pushkara Navamsa, has Mars got strength?
Guruji replies: Whether Mars has got strength is a different issue, but that person has definitely got physical strength. Mars being debilitated shows how you will use it. You may have read many instances where a boon is given to someone, like when Brahma Jī gave boon to an asura that he will not die and will have very long life. This boon is seen from vargottama. If the graha is vargottama in cāra rāśi, that is from Brahmā. If a graha is vargottama in sthira rāśi, that is from Śrī Viṣṇu because this is a middle Navāa. If a graha is vargottama in dvishvabhava (dual) rāśi, that is from Maheśa. Whether you use the vargottama power for good or for bad karma, is upon you. It pushes you towards some action.
Guruji Sanjay Rath continues to the next point: Navāa = nava + aṁśa. Navama or the ninth house is the house of Dharma. According to scriptures, dharma has four legs called chatuśpada. Each leg indicates something. Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa are the four Āyana of dharma. But the four legs indicate something else.
First leg indicates Vishva (earth) dharma, is the Pratham dharma, Vasudeva Kutumbakam. Second leg or the dvitīya dharma is the rāśtra dharma. Tṛtīya dharma, or the third leg is the society called jāti. Fourth (chaturtha) dharma, or leg of the bull, is the svadharma. In Kṛta Yuga, (Satya yuga), person follows all the four dharma. In Tretā yuga, Vishva dharma was forgotten by most, and only the remaining three dharma were completely followed. In Dvāpara yuga, Rashtra (nation) dharma, is also forgotten. And in Kali yuga, only svadharma (sva = self) is followed.
We have four types of sign. Four cāra rāśi, are four yuga. Meṣa is indicating Satya yuga. Karka is indicating the Tretā yuga. Tūla is indicating the Dvāpara yuga. While, Makara indicates Kali yuga. Is it in the Rashi, or is it in the Navāa? When we are talking about dharma, we are actually talking about Navāa.
If a graha is in Meṣa Navāa, you can say that this graha is in Satya Yuga and follows all four dharma. If a graha is in Karka Navāa, then he will forget Vishva dharma and follow rest of the three dharma. If a graha is in Tūla Navāa, then he will forget Vishva dharma and Rashtra dharma. This graha will follow only the jāti dharma and sva dharma. If a graha is in Makara Navāa, then he will follow only the sva dharma and forget Vishva dharma, rāśtra dharma, and jāti dharma. The cāra, sthira and dvisvabhāva rāśi in the trikoṇa of these yuga- rāśi behave in similar manner.
For example, Simha and Dhanu are like Meṣa, and graha in these signs, will follow all the four dharma. Or in other words, Agni trikoṇa . Hence, the graha that is vargottama in the Agni Navāa, then that graha has the capacity to follow all of the four legs of dharma. The pṛithvī rashi are Vṛṣabha, Kanya and Makara. The graha in pṛithvī Navāa have the capacity to follow only one leg of dharma, that is sva dharma. In the period of a graha sitting in these Navāa, the native will work for himself only, will think for himself only and not about the rest of the world. Why? Because he will get only 25% out of the 100% that he has he worked for. He doesn’t have the capacity to follow all the four legs of dharma. So, what we have to check is that which graha are sitting in which of the Navāa. The graha that are in pṛithvī Navā, don’t give good strength. They are in Kali yuga rāśi, and give result like Kali yuga. While the graha that are in Agni Navāa give results like Kṛta yuga (Satya yuga). While the graha that are in jala Navāa, give results like Tretā yuga. The graha are in vāyu rāśi give results like Dvāpara yuga. It is so important to check that what kind of Navāa is occupied by the graha. Its like earning 100 rupees and giving 25 rupee for country, 25 rupee for world, and 25 rupee for family. If you can do that, you are living in Kṛta yuga.
Scribe’s Notes: Vṛṣchika and Mīna are in trikoṇa of Karka, and together these three signs form the jala-trikoṇa. Graha in Jala Navāa, will forget the Vishva dharma and will follow rest of the three dharma. The vāyu (wind) signs are Mithuna, Tūla, and Kumbha. Similarly, you should understand.
Now, having understood the Yuga Rāśi, we are going into the topic of the “four directions of dharma”. Which direction is the bull, named Dharma, facing? East, West,North, or South? Brahmā is four-faced because of dharma. Do you know that a cow cannot walk backwards while facing forward? A cow never backs down. It is a very peculiar thing.
Dharma has four directions: dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. The rāśis that are in the trikoṇa of the Navāṃśa Lagna give the direction of dharma. The artha trikoṇa consists of the 2nd, 6th, and 10th houses in the Navāṃśa kuṇḍalī. The signs in the 3rd, 7th, and 11th houses of the Navāṃśa kuṇḍalī give the direction of kāma. The signs in the 4th, 8th, and 12th bhāvas give the direction of mokṣa.
But this ayana of dharma is applicable to the Ātman as well as the buddhi; it has no meaning for the manas because the mind changes every now and then. Do not waste your time with the Chandra Lagna and Chandra kuṇḍalīs. Check the ayana of dharma from the Lagna of the Navāṃśa and also from the position of the Ātmakāraka.
Whichever graha is naturally śubha and is sitting in the 10th house of the Navāṃśa kuṇḍalī will definitely give you wealth. That is because, in your past life, you donated money to the temple of the deity related to that planet. It is your own money, and you will get it back. Karma is never wasted. So, whatever you gave, you are getting back.
If the 10th house of the Navāṃśa has a malefic planet, it will take away money, guaranteed. It is because you promised to give money but did not fulfill your promise in your past life. So, it will take it in this life. Thus, the Artha Ayana either gives money or takes money, but it is strictly related to wealth. That is the 10th house in the Navāṃśa. This is independent of the Rāśi chart because this is your karma from a past life which you are receiving in this life. How you use that wealth—whether you waste it on bad things or use it for good—depends on the Rāśi chart and other divisional charts.
Now, all of you please tell me if you have any benefic planet in the 10th house in the Navāṃśa kuṇḍalī.
Student 1: Moon, Venus, and Jupiter are in the 10th house in my Navāṃśa.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Are you very wealthy?
Student 1: No, not right now.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Then how come you have three benefics in the 10th? Your chart must be wrong.
Student 2: I have Venus in the 10th.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Have you earned wealth from Venus?
Student 1: I have a government job.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Have you earned wealth from the government?
Student 1: Yes.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Good.
Student 3: Moon is in the 10th house of my Navāṃśa chart.
Guru Sanjay Rath: What have you earned and how much? How is the Moon? Is it strong?
Student 3: I have earned from service . The Moon is in the Meṣa Navāṃśa.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Okay, so the Moon is alright. You have earned a good amount of wealth from your job.
Student 4: Budha and Rāhu are in the 10th house of my Navāṃśa chart.
Guru Sanjay Rath: What have you earned from Budha?
Student 4: I am a software engineer.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Software engineering means Mercury. You write software, and writing is Mercury. Shopping for things, however, you are losing money because of Rāhu. Remember! Mercury is very good at giving money, but Rāhu is very good at taking away wealth.
Student 5: Rāhu is in the 10th house of my Navāṃśa chart.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Oh! An expert at losing money.
Student 5: What are the ways in which Rāhu will make one lose money?
Guru Sanjay Rath: What are you saying! You spend it yourself and then ask me for the details. There is no limit with Rāhu when spending money; it crosses all limits of expenditure. You are not afraid of spending, are you? How is Rāhu? Is it weak or strong?
Student 5: Rāhu is in the Mīna Navāṃśa.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So Rāhu has some strength, meaning you have a bit of control over your spending. The philosophy of the Artha trine is like this: eat, drink, and enjoy, as you won’t get another life like this.
Student 5: Rāhu in Pisces is not very malefic.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Rāhu in Pisces is good. According to Jaimini, it is good.
Another student: What if there is no graha there in the 10th house of the Navāṃśa?
Guru Sanjay Rath: So what! Will earning and spending stop? We will talk about other situations later, but right now I am giving you just an example. However, whoever has a graha in the 10th from the Navāṃśa Lagna will definitely experience a significant effect. For example, that person who has Chandra, Śukra, and Guru in the 10th house should be a millionaire. Look at the other fellow who has Venus in the 10th and look at how much he has earned from it. He is just 25 right now and will earn much more later on. Even a single strong benefic in the 10th of the Navāṃśa is enough to give you massive wealth.
Money is very powerful. Do not underestimate the power of money. Money has the power to change a person. (A student mentions that wealth can change a person provided their ātmabala is weak. Guru Sanjay Rath replies). Let us not focus on the Ātman for a while. Right now, we are talking about buddhi. Either that graha is giving money or taking money. But what is the effect of that event on your buddhi? That will change the person. The person changes; the buddhi changes because of earning or losing money.
But how can we see it through Jyotiṣa? It is given only in the Jaimini Sūtras. Jaimini says that if Budha is in the 10th of the Navāṃśa, then all the guṇas of Śani will reflect on the Navāṃśa Lagna. Isn’t it weird? This is a principle taught by Jaimini in a small sūtra. The nature of the person will become like Śani: they will be hardworking and will follow ancient rituals, knowledge, and culture. For example, they will follow what their guru told them and not care about what anyone else says. They follow their elders.
(Guruji points to the student who has Mercury in the 10th of the Navāṃśa and says): “You will see that you will completely change by the age of 32. As your age increases, you will become more and more hardworking. The more strength Mercury has, the more hardworking you will be. Why is that Mercury giving the effect of Saturn on your Lagna?”
Student: Mercury -> Jupiter -> Venus -> Saturn.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Correct! The vāra chakra. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. These are the seven weekdays, from the first day of the Sun to the seventh day of Saturn. From Ravivāra as the first weekday to Śani vāra as the last weekday. Then we add Rāhu and Ketu as well to complete the vāra chakra sequence:
- Sun (Sūrya)
- Moon (Chandra)
- Mars (Maṅgala)
- Mercury (Budha)
- Jupiter (Guru / Bṛhaspati)
- Venus (Śukra)
- Saturn (Śani)
- Rāhu
- Ketu
Now, count from the 10th house to the Lagna; there are four houses inclusive (10th, 11th, 12th, 1st). So, count the fourth graha from Budha in the vāra chakra sequence: Mercury -> Jupiter -> Venus -> Saturn. This is exactly what Jaimini said. So, if you have Śukra in the 10th, then you have the complete effect of Ketu on the Lagna: Venus -> Saturn -> Rāhu -> Ketu. Consequently, the person will be interested in mathematics, attracted to Jyotiṣa, and highly intuitive.
What a fantastic principle taught by Jaimini! Its application works like this: when a graha is in the 10th of the Navāṃśa Lagna, the person will transform during the period of that graha. When multiple grahas are in the 10th, there will be a combined effect on the Lagna. For example, (pointing to one student), you had Mercury as well as Rāhu in the 10th, so you will have a beautiful effect of Śani on the Lagna. You will be a follower of the scriptures and will be traditional. And from Rāhu, you get the effect of Chandra on the Lagna (Rāhu -> Ketu -> Sūrya -> Chandra).
When the effect of the Moon is on the Lagna, the person will be joyful and will love music. (He asks the student about this, and the student confirms that he likes music very much and remembers lyrics easily). Whenever the period of Rāhu comes, the person will experience the effect of Chandra on the Lagna, and they will go on a tīrtha . That is why the sages say that whenever Rāhu is in the 10th house, the native goes on a tīrtha.
Student: Why does the Moon make you go on a tīrtha?
click to open to read further
Guru Sanjay Rath: The Moon is sattva guṇa, and the Moon likes to travel as it is a jala graha . Whereas Śukra makes you travel for pleasure. Śukra is rajas. But Guru will say, “Bhagavan is inside you.” The Moon is manas and keeps running. So, the Moon always travels from one tīrtha to another, like Viṣṇo Devī, Vrindāvana, etc.
Student: I am having a Rāhu antardaśā, and in February itself, I have a huge pilgrimage plan.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, you have Rāhu in the 10th from the Navāṃśa Lagna. Thus, you must have done lots of pilgrimages in your life.
Student: Yes, I have done so.
(Guruji asks the student who has Mercury plus Rāhu in the 10th from the Navāṃśa Lagna): “How many times have you done pilgrimages?”
Student: Hardly twice.
Guru Sanjay Rath: However, you are just 25 years old. The full effect of this will come, but you have to wait.
Now that we are clear on the 10th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna, let us go to the 7th house. But please carefully check the 10th house of the Navāṃśa Lagna. If there are no grahas in the 10th house of the D9, then money will not change your personality. Money has a huge impact on a person if the 10th house of the D9 has some planet. If Budha is in the 10th of the D9, then if I give him more money for some work, he will do it more diligently.
(A student who has Ketu in the 10th of the Navāṃśa argues with Guru Sanjay Rath that he did not practice Jyotiṣa before this because he did not have time. Guruji replies): “Do not give that reason—that you did not have time. I do not buy that argument. You did not do Jyotiṣa before this because the daśā did not come. Did you not have time before? You could have slept one hour less. I have Mercury in the 10th from the Navāṃśa Lagna, so I do not buy that argument.”
Student: I said that by mistake.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, Ketu makes mistakes.
Now, come to the 7th house. The 7th house is the kāma trikoṇa. It decides the nature of your spouse. The 7th house of the Navāṃśa itself becomes the Lagna of your spouse. The spouse’s nature is seen from that. Tell me one thing: doesn’t your spouse, your life partner, have an altering effect upon your personality? (Students accept that yes, it does affect). So, you also believe that it does. Thank God! However, it has a greater effect on some people and a comparatively lesser effect on others. If some graha is there in the 7th house, then it will definitely have an altering effect on the personality of the person. But if there are no planets there, then it will not be able to change you, and you will be able to maintain your nature.
Some people totally change after marriage. For example, a person who had no habit of drinking liquor might start drinking after marriage. Some even become drunkards. All these people must have some controlling factor that is making their personality change, and this is the planet in the 7th house. It is a very important thing: the “kāma trikoṇa”! The beauty of this house is that whichever graha sits there, the spouse will absorb all the negativity of that graha. It is a very tough job.
Scribe’s notes: The natural maturity of Mercury is 32, so this change in buddhi comes when Mercury matures. While the natural maturity of Saturn is from 36 to 40, the change was brought about early by the position of Mercury in the 10th house.
Guru Sanjay Rath continues: Tell me, each one of you, which graha do you have in the 7th house of the Navāṃśa chart?
Student 1: I have Śukra, Bṛhaspati, and Budha in the 7th of the Navāṃśa.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, you have Śukra, Bṛhaspati, and Budha in the 7th. Therefore, it is the responsibility of your wife to absorb the negatives of these three grahas sitting there. But there is not much negative energy in these, so it is not a problem.
Student 2: Bṛhaspati and Śani are in the 7th house of my Navāṃśa chart.
Guru Sanjay Rath: There is not any negative in Bṛhaspati, but Śani is negative, and that has to be digested by your wife. Your wife will have to handle your negative Śani. So, whenever you have depression, etc., she will have to handle that. But when I say that she will have to digest the negatives, what does it actually mean? How do you know she will not be the cause of the depression? When she troubles you, then you will say to her, “You have given me depression.” So, both aspects exist in this.
Look, you have to understand it like this: when that Śani is dignified—such as being in its own rāśi, mūlatrikoṇa, or in ucca —then she will absorb all the negatives of that Śani. But if it is not dignified—if the natural malefic graha sitting in the 7th of the Navāṃśa is not dignified—then even if you get depression from some other reason, you will blame her only. Even if you get agony from somewhere else, you will put all the blame on her. Both things can happen. You will blame her for something that was not caused by her, provided malefics are in the 7th of the Navāṃśa chart.
Plus, you will see that her nature will be according to that planet. If Śani is in the 7th of the Navāṃśa chart, then it will definitely be in a dominating position in the Lagna trikoṇas of your Rāśi chart. For example, take my chart. I have Maṅgala in the 7th of the Navāṃśa chart. So, my wife must have a very dominating Maṅgala in the Lagna-trikoṇas of her Rāśi chart. This is because you married your spouse due to the guṇas of the graha in the 7th of the Navāṃśa chart, and because you like that kind of nature in your partner. So, before accusing your spouse, check your own horoscope, because it represents your own pending karmas. In 99% of cases, you will find that some planet is there.
Student: If someone’s wife does not know her chart and does not have the correct birth details, can we use the chart of the husband to find her chart? Can the 7th house of the Navāṃśa chart of the husband be used as the Lagna of the wife, and can we then use that chart as the chart of the wife?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, you can know everything about the wife through that. You can know everything about your father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, as well as sister-in-law. You use that and the Upapada in the Rāśi chart. Turn the Navāṃśa kuṇḍalī and treat the 7th house as her first house, then take your own daśā and make predictions. That prediction will not go wrong. This is a simple rule of Parāśara and works correctly. Be sure of it. But if you want to know the actual kuṇḍalī of your wife, then the Upapada of your Rāśi chart is the Lagna of your wife’s chart. There are further intricacies involved in this process, but that is outside the purview of this lecture.
Back to the lecture: the 7th house is kāma, so that represents the desire that was unfulfilled from the past life which will be fulfilled now.
Come to the mokṣa trikoṇa. In my opinion, it is the most important trine. The 4th house, 8th house, and 12th house of the Navāṃśa chart constitute the mokṣa trikoṇa. The 4th house is the hṛdaya (heart). If natural śubha grahas are sitting in this 4th house, then the heart of the native is considered to be pure. But if pāpa grahas are sitting in this bhāva, then the person speaks ill of Viṣṇu. On the other hand, if śubha grahas are sitting in the 4th house of the Navāṃśa chart, then the native loves Śrī Viṣṇu and considers the whole world as his family.
While making this judgment, do not take Ketu as a pāpa graha. This is because Ketu is the significator of final emancipation , and the 4th house is a house of the mokṣa trikoṇa. Śubha grahas in this house are good for health. Conversely, pāpa grahas in this house are bad for health because the grahas in the 4th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna have an instant influence on the manas . When you chant the mantra of a graha sitting in this house, it has an instant effect—just like how quickly Śrī Viṣṇu listens to your prayers. In the Kaliyuga, merely chanting the name is enough.
But whether that will be good or bad for you depends on the type of graha. If a pāpa graha is in the 4th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna, then it will be bad if you chant the mantra of this graha. In such a circumstance, it can increase mental tensions and cause disease. Sukha and duḥkha come from this house only. Treat this house first, then focus on the other houses.
How do we remedy this house? Śaṅkarācārya has said a beautiful thing applicable to this house: “Gatistvaṃ gatistvaṃ tvamekā bhavānī”. Normally, the 4th house represents the mother, so the graha sitting in the 4th house from the Lagna of the Navāṃśa is a form of Śakti. It is a form of Devī Durgā. To worship the form of Śakti associated with this graha is equivalent to loving and worshipping your own mother. By doing this, all the malevolence of this graha can be pacified, and the path towards final emancipation will open. This path is called gati. So, the 4th house is the house of the mother and the house of gati. If you do not clean this house, gati cannot start. Therefore, if someone has Śani in the 4th house, they must go and worship Kāli Mā. If Maṅgala is in this house, they should worship Bagalāmukhī Mā. Like this, there are many forms of Mā. Praśna Mārga is a very good source to read about this. Jaimini has also given excellent teachings on this, and Jātaka Tattva is another fantastic source.
After the 4th house, the next step is the 8th house. We are looking from the Lagna, which represents buddhi, and it needs to clear the hṛdaya first. Then it needs to pay off all debts—which is the 8th house. If you carry a karmic debt, you are not eligible for final emancipation. How do we become totally free from karmic debt? Has anyone heard of the aṣṭākṣara mantra? They are the best. When you learn about the mantra śāstra, mantra caraṇa is the first thing you are taught. One caraṇa consists of 8 syllables. The Gāyatrī chhandas is three times this length .
The 8th house represents ṛṇa (debt)—pitṛ-ṛṇa (debt to ancestors), mātṛ-ṛṇa (debt to the mother),Guru-ṛṇa (debt to the teacher), etc. There are so many of these debts tying us down, and that is why mantras free you from them; indeed, a mantra is the only way. You do not have the kind of money required to pay off such debts—even Bill Gates does not have the money to pay off the debts of the 8th house. At Tirupati Bālājī, it is said that even Bhagavan is in debt. If Bhagavan cannot easily be free from debts, then there is no chance you can be free from them through material means.
The only way to achieve freedom from karmic debt is through Gāyatrī. It starts with “Om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ”, meaning that all the ṛṇa in these lokas will be paid off by chanting this mantra. A mantra that has the power to make you completely debt-free is the Gāyatrī Mantra, or any other mantra set in the Gāyatrī meter—for example, the aṣṭākṣara mantra of Śrī Viṣṇu – Oṃ Namo Nārāyaṇāya), which aligns with the essence of these spiritual measures. Nobody has the complete calculation of these ṛṇa. So, how can anybody pay it off without knowing the exact amount of what they owe? Thus, the Gāyatrī Mantra is the best mantra for this; it has the potential to remove all sorrows, eliminate all curses, and make you completely debt-free. That is why in Hindu dharma, it is held as the highest.
The question is about the 8th house and the debt of the 8th house. Who is the kāraka of the 8th house? It is Śani. The graha that is placed in the 8th house in the Navāṃśa shows your ṛṇa, and you have to pay it off whether you like it or not. That graha will definitely demand payment in some form during its own daśā.
If you refuse to pay it, then that graha has the power to destroy every desire, i.e., the kāma bhāva. Until it achieves its fulfillment, it will destroy your 7th house. That is why the 8th house causes the destruction of the 7th house (being the 2nd house of death/maraka from the 7th). During the daśā of the graha in the 8th house of the Navāṃśa, or the lord of the 8th house of the Navāṃśa, a marriage can break down. A person may be forced, due to the deity indicated by that planet, to do exactly what the deity and the graha want, simultaneously causing the breakdown of the marriage. Until the planet extracts its payment, it will disrupt the marriage and can destroy every kind of kāma sukha . The 8th house is very powerful; even a śubha graha can break a marriage if that planet is not a friend of Śukra.
Student: If the lord of the 8th house is in the Lagna, even if it is a benefic, and the Lagna is Pisces, will it give physical distress in the Rāśi chart?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, it gives distress.
Student: And if the Lagna lord is in the 7th house, aspecting the Lagna, can it decrease the amount of physical distress?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Guru-dṛṣṭi can decrease any malefic effect.
Student: I was examining someone’s horoscope where the Moon was in the 8th house and the Lagna was Pisces . When we look at it from the Moon, Venus is in the ari bhāva (6th house) from the Moon, while an exalted Venus in a kendra from Lagna is forming the Mālavya Yoga. However, Venus is also the lord of the 8th house from Pisces Lagna. So, what will happen? Will it bring suffering or will it grant a rājayoga?
Guru Sanjay Rath: The rājayoga will manifest during the Śukra daśā, Bṛhaspati antardaśā.
Student: Śukra is vargottama.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, it will definitely happen in the Bṛhaspati antardaśā. Following the order: Śukra, Śani, Rāhu, Ketu, Sūrya, Chandra, Maṅgala. Yes, it will also give physical distress and diseases. In one specific case of Mīna Lagna with Śukra in the Lagna, the person almost died. But he survived. Because Śukra was vargottama, he survived. The mṛtyuñjaya bala inherently resides in Śukra.
Student: So, I should recommend the japa of the Mṛtyuñjaya Mantra!
Guru Sanjay Rath: That is the absolute best remedy.
Student: Actually, I already recommended the japa of the Mṛtyuñjaya Mantra, and he got cured.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Correct! You gave the exact and correct remedial measure.
Guru Sanjay Rath continues teaching the class: So, you all can see how the 8th lord will take the ṛṇa-payment under any condition, come what may! Although this was the case in the Rāśi chart, if the 8th lord is in the Navāṃśa, it will break the marriage. If the 8th lord has a yoga with Śani, there will be no escape from all of this. You will have to pay; there is no escape.
(A student asks what happens if the 8th lord is a friend of Venus. Guruji replies): “If the 8th lord of the Navāṃśa is a friend of Śukra, then it will not break the marriage. If it is not a friend of Venus, it will definitely break the marriage. But if it is Venus himself, then he will definitely break the marriage. Also, check in the Navāṃśa where the 8th lord is sitting with respect to the 7th house. How many of you have a graha in the 8th house of the Navāṃśa?”
Student 1: I have Venus in the 8th house, but I am confused about which daśā system to use for this.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Use Viṃśottarī.
Student 2: I have the Moon and Mars in the 8th house.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Both are equally bad. The Moon is very bad.
Guru Sanjay Rath continues: How do you know whether your Navāṃśa chart is correct? Have you checked the grahas in the trikoṇas to the Navāṃśa Lagna? Please perform this test before trusting the chart blindly. The grahas that are in the trikoṇas to the Navāṃśa Lagna show that the guṇas of those planets are inherently present in the buddhi of the native. These abilities are there from birth; they are God’s gift to you. You followed dharma in your past life, which is why those grahas came into the trikoṇa of the Navāṃśa Lagna.
The grahas in the trikoṇas to the Navāṃśa Lagna are a blessing from God, because as I told you earlier, the Lagna trikoṇa is the dharma trikoṇa. You followed dharma, so they entered the trikoṇa of the Lagna. The knowledge related to that planet will come to you naturally. If a planet is in the Lagna, you possess that ability right from birth. But if it is in the 5th house, then that knowledge comes through practice . If it is in the 9th house, then you have to learn it from a guru, because the 9th house is the bhāva of the guru. So, you can see the clear difference between these three placements. Now, let us examine the planets in the trikoṇas to the Navāṃśa in each of your charts.
Student 1: Aries is the Lagna of my Navāṃśa. Śukra and Ketu are sitting in it.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, what will you say about Ketu and Śukra being in the Lagna of the Navāṃśa? Fine arts, painting, and similar talents come from Venus. (Guruji asks the student whether she paints). From Ketu, a spiritual disposition will be strong. Mathematics also comes from Ketu. (Guruji asks whether she is good at maths, but she says she never had any problems with mathematics. Guruji replies): “Being good at maths and never facing problems with it are two completely different things.” (Then Guruji asks her whether she is very good at painting and other fine arts. She replies that she is good at music).
Music is different from fine arts and painting. Arts mean citra ; Śukra rules dṛṣṭи , beauty, and aesthetics. If Sūrya is in a trikoṇa, it gives knowledge of nṛtya and grants an innate understanding of rhythm. That means musical instruments and the knowledge related to them are provided by Sūrya. This knowledge of Sūrya comes directly from Śiva. There cannot be any rhythm without the blessings of Śiva—no rhythm at all. All the chhandas come from Sūrya.
Conversely, singing talent comes from the Moon , and the singing is so pure that it incites deep emotions. Any singing that cannot evoke emotions is ineffective and weak. Good singing can stir various kinds of emotions. If the Moon is in a trikoṇa, that person is a gifted singer. If Sūrya is in a trikoṇa to the Navāṃśa Lagna, the person will be exceptional with music and will truly understand rhythm. If Śukra is in these trikoṇas, it makes you an artist in the fine arts, like painting. Budha is flexible, so dancing is signified by Budha; it also makes one very good at playing sports and games. Basically, it gives flexibility to the body. If Maṅgala influences such a Budha, it creates a sportsman. Depending upon which graha influences Budha, the flexibility of the body adapts accordingly.
Ketu is not flexible. Ketu shows an innate ability for gaṇita (mathematics) and rules intuition, and the highest form of intuition is the intuition for numbers. So, you say you think you are a good singer. Do you sing songs?
Student: I used to learn singing.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Oh! You used to learn singing songs—I don’t know why, but I felt that was true! So, should the Moon be in the 9th house or the 8th house? If our Jaimini system is correct, then the Moon must be in the 9th house, because you learned it from a guru. If it were in the 8th house, how could you have learned singing from a teacher? How is it that at one point you believed it to be in the 8th house, and now it has shifted into the 9th? Ha ha ha! Is it a moving horoscope? This might be the latest thing to learn! (Guruji laughs, hinting at the necessity of birth-time rectification, and proceeds to teach how to correct the Navāṃśa chart in the ensuing discussion).
Student 2: The Moon is in my Navāṃśa Lagna, Rāhu is in the 5th, and Maṅgala is in the 9th.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Do you sing well?
Student 2: Yes, I can sing. I do not care about how my voice sounds, but I can pick up the tune and sing along in a proper manner. I do not care what people think about my singing, but I like singing very much.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, that is because the Moon is in your Lagna.
Student 3: Sañjaya Jī, I asked Yogi Karve about my time of birth. Earlier he told me one time, but this time he gave a time that was 2 minutes later than the previous one. As a result, my Navāṃśa has changed.
Guru Sanjay Rath: I have also faced problems regarding this earlier. We were in San Jose before, and the person in whose home we were meeting told me the birth time given by Karve Jī. But when we analyzed it, we saw that it did not fit. I need it to fit. I accept that I may not be the greatest astrologer, and I may not be Parāśara reborn. That is alright. Jaimini and Parāśara have written certain principles, and I am simply trying to correlate them. I am trying. I am struggling. It is okay—he might have great intuition, but I do not possess that miraculous power; I want the rules to match the reality. I want to learn Jyotiṣa systematically because that knowledge can be applied further to many more horoscopes. It is better for me.
Either I can learn this way, or I can sit and perform heavy tapasgeneric s s generic s generic s generic s generic s generic s generic s generic s generic syā to attain that direct knowledge. I can use the Patañjali Yoga Sūtras, meditate on the grahas, and gain full knowledge as a knower of the past, present, and future. It is mentioned very clearly there. But my point is simple: should your Moon be in the 9th house or the 8th house? You have to give me one definitive answer and present only one Navāṃśa. It cannot happen that every time you come, you bring a new Navāṃśa chart. See what is happening with this poor fellow!
Student 3: Even if I change my birth time by just 1 minute or 45 seconds, my Navāṃśa changes.
Guru Sanjay Rath: The trikoṇas—you have to look at the trikoṇas. See what planets are placed in the trikoṇas. We have no other way. You have to work hard and catch the correct chart through this manner. The grahas in the 1st, 5th, and 9th houses tell us the innate abilities of the person.
For example, in my Navāṃśa, Śukra and Ketu are in the Lagna. My grandfather looked at it and said with complete confidence: “A jyotiṣī is born in the house; he will be very good at mathematics.” Since Ketu is in Scorpioin my Navāṃśa Lagna, I was bound to be good at maths. In fact, I walked out of my 12th-class exam after just half an hour and topped it. Ketu is very strong, so I was destined to be good at it. It was a natural progression that I studied engineering because, at that time, we had only two main options: to become a doctor or an engineer.
I have the Moon in the 5th house in my Navāṃśa. Do you think I am naturally good at singing? I can learn it with practice. A graha in the pañcama bhāva of the Navāṃśa grants skills only through practice . It will definitely come through practice. All these mantras—the mantras of the Ṛgveda, the dvādaśākṣara mantra, and the many mantras that you may have read in my Vedic Remedies in Astrology (VRA) book, like the devī praṇava, praṇava, etc.—how did I get to learn all of this? Only through practice.
I always like performing Gāyatrī japa by singing it. I always say that the Gāyatrī should be sung. If I do not sing it, I cannot feel like I am doing it from my heart. I must be happy while chanting a mantra. If it does not make me happy, I cannot do it. Internal happiness is very important. That is my way. It may be wrong to others, but that is my Moon; it is my 5th-house Moon. But in your chart, the Moon is in the 9th house, and it is with Maṅgala—that is why it broke. Yet, the Moon must be in the 9th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna; otherwise, how could you have learned singing from a guru?
Scribe’s note: Guru Sanjay Rath has only one graha, which is the Moon, in the 5th house from his Navāṃśa Lagna. Hence, Guruji is talking about this specific Moon, explaining that it caused him to take a great interest in mantras, spiritual literature, and various types of chants. He also states that he likes to perform japa with singing. Singing is also ruled by the Moon.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Lata Mangeshkar has the Sun as the lord of her Navāṃśa Lagna sitting in the 9th house, and Jupiter is in her Lagna. The Moon is also in her Navāṃśa Lagna. She possessed a natural, divine voice because of the Moon in her Navāṃśa Lagna. And the Sun, being the lord of her Navāṃśa Lagna, is placed in the 9th house. Her father was her guru and taught her music. All of this is visible when we look at the Navāṃśa.
You see, she has Jupiter in her Navāṃśa Lagna, and most Vedic astrologers would look at her Navāṃśa Lagna and say that it is a beautiful chart. Okay! Tell me, if Jupiter is in Leo as the Navāṃśa Lagna, is it good or bad?
Student: It is bad for marriage.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, it is bad for marriage because if Siṃha is the Lagna of the Navāṃśa, then Mīna becomes the 8th house. So, she has the 8th lord in her Lagna. And look at how it worked! The 8th lord is in the Lagna of the Navāṃśa, not in the Rāśi chart—and she never married. Lata Mangeshkar never had a scarcity of proposals; if she had wanted to marry, she could have easily done so. Why didn’t she marry? Because she had the 8th lord of the Navāṃśa in her Navāṃśa Lagna. The scriptures state that the 8th lord of the Navāṃśa will always act negatively toward marriage. You see, Jupiter did not let her marry. Why is Guru bad here? Because in her Navāṃśa, the Lagna is Siṃha, and Jupiter rules the 8th house, making it a māraka to the 7th house. It does not support the 7th house.
(At this time, a student suggests that her Chandra might be in the 2nd house instead, to which Guru Sanjay Rath replies): “But she went to learn singing from a guru, right? We have not even talked about the 2nd house yet. Then why did you assume that the placement is wrong?”
The 2nd house has its own importance; we will come to the 2nd house later.
(Coming back to the student whose chart is being discussed): “Let me ask you, have you ever won a prize in painting?”
Student: Yes, I have won a prize in painting.
Guru Sanjay Rath: The Moon in the 8th house—this placement does seem to be logical, though tough to accept initially.
Student: The Moon in the 8th house does not give maraṇa results if it is a full Moon, right?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, it is an extension of the Jaimini principle. According to Jaimini, the Moon is not considered to be in maraṇa kāraka sthāna in Vṛṣabha and Karka. The reason is that the Moon is either exalted or in its own house, so it is exceptionally strong. With a full Moon, the principle is the same because the Moon is bright and strong. So, a strong Moon does not suffer maraṇa status in the 8th house.
Student: The Moon in the 8th house of the Rāśi chart is generally considered bad. But if it is in its own sign in the 8th house, it saves the native as well.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, it saves the native, but I will also show you a case where such a Moon was in the 8th house of the Rāśi chart, and the native still developed cancer. We will come to that later. Okay, so anyway, let us analyze his Navāṃśa chart. And I will not do it—you will do it. You tell me which grahas are in which rāśis in your Navāṃśa.
Student (whose Navāṃśa was changed twice by Yogi Karve): The Lagna is either Aries or Taurus . If Vṛṣabha is the Lagna, then it is a vargottama Lagna.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Which I was insisting upon, but Karve Jī did not like it, which is okay. What can I do?
Student: Sūrya and Ketu are in Libra Navāṃśa, and the Moon is in Gemini . Śani and Budha are in Capricorn, and Bṛhaspati is in Aquarius . Śukra and Maṅgala are in Pisces . Rāhu is in Aries .
Guru Sanjay Rath: If we take Meṣa Lagna, which grahas are in the trikoṇas of the Navāṃśa Lagna? Only Rāhu. Remember this rule: if Rāhu or Ketu is in the Navāṃśa Lagna, the native’s delivery at birth will be very difficult. At a minimum, a delivery by forceps is guaranteed.
Scribe’s Note: The neck of Rāhu was severed by the Sudarśana Cakra of the Mohinī avatāra of Viṣṇu . Hence, Rāhu or Ketu in the Lagna tortures both the native and the mother at the time of delivery. Delivery through forceps puts immense pressure on the neck and face of the infant, leaving marks on the face of the little child. You can look up images of such newborns; the face is often bruised in the process. Bruises, bumps, cuts, and abrasions can be visible on the baby’s head or face. The part of our body above the head belongs to the soma-maṇḍala. Soma means Chandra . Therefore, this process is painful not only for the child but also immensely painful for the mother. Hence, the Moon is symbolically tortured during a forceps delivery.
Guru Sanjay Rath: If there is a node in the Navāṃśa Lagna, the delivery of the child is certainly difficult. And if we take it as Meṣa Navāṃśa, then which grahas are in the 10th house? Śani destroys wealth in the 10th house, and Budha increases wealth.
Student: My Śani is vargottama.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Please also note that he has a vargottama Śani. What is the quality in him if he has a vargottama Śani? If Śani is vargottama, it gives a tremendous ability to tolerate sorrows. You will have to digest a lot of grief. Śani will also grant great physical stamina.
Student: My Sūrya is also vargottama.
Guru Sanjay Rath: If Sūrya is vargottama, which guṇa will that manifest in the native? A vargottama Sūrya gives natural leadership qualities.
Student: If Meṣa is considered the Lagna in the Navāṃśa, then the Lagna itself will be vargottama.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, if that is so—which I believe to be correct—the Lagna is vargottama.
Student: My birth delivery was indeed very difficult.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Almost every delivery is difficult, but there is a great difference between that and a delivery through forceps, medical intervention, or a Caesarean section. It depends on how difficult the delivery actually was.
Student: It is highly possible that my delivery was a Caesarean because there was a lot of complications during my birth, from what I have heard.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Because the sign belongs to Maṅgala and Rāhu is in Meṣa, it means the Caesarean section happened under the surgical influence of Maṅgala. For a Caesarean delivery, a simple nodal influence by itself is not enough; Mars must be involved. That is why people worship Hanumān Jī so that a Caesarean delivery can be avoided. But if the Lagna is Vṛṣabha, then all these grahas have entirely different indications. Take this as an exercise and please analyze it. Give your birth details to your fellow students, let them do this as homework, study the chart, and come prepared for the next class.
Moving to the next part of the Navāṃśa: should we remain stuck in the 8th house, or shall we move further? See the case of Lata Mangeshkar; even a great benefic like Bṛhaspati did not let her marry. Bṛhaspati is not a friend of Śukra, so why would he support marriage? Do not get biased. People think, “Oh, it is Guru,” but you are letting a general label bias your judgment. Bṛhaspati is not a friend of Śukra; why would he support marriage?
Even Budha does not support marriage. People think it is a great benefic graha. But when you think calmly, Śukra gets debilitated in the rāśi of Budha . Why would Budha support marriage? In the matter of marriage, only Chandra is a true friend to Śukra. And even Chandra does not help Śukra all that much. Really! I am telling you. None of the planets genuinely help Śukra. None of them. So, whichever graha happens to be the 8th lord, it will certainly try to disrupt the marriage. And if the lord of the 8th house of the Navāṃśa is in a kendra to the Navāṃśa Lagna, then the stability of the marriage becomes a major question to worry about. It destabilizes the union. So, what should we do? Simple! Strengthen the 7th lord of the Navāṃśa. Always strengthen the 7th lord of the Navāṃśa. Whatever is the kārakatva or kārya bhāva in each varga , keep strengthening it so that you get the full positive results from that bhāva.
Let us talk about the 12th house of the Navāṃśa. What is the 12th house? Mokṣa. Mokṣa from the perspective of buddhi (intellect) is altogether a different kind of liberation. It is the mokṣa that you think is mokṣa. We do not actually know what absolute mokṣa is. Mokṣa for the soul and mokṣa for the buddhi are separate things. The 12th house from the Ātmakāraka represents the mukti (liberation) of the ātman, whereas the 12th house from the Lagna represents the mukti of the Lagna. It is how you intellectually conceptualize mukti. It is different from what it really is in its absolute sense.
It is defined in the Candrakalā Nāḍī as jīvanmukta-aṃśa, and that is the 12th house from the Kārakāṃśa. Kārakāṃśa is the sign occupied by the Ātmakāraka in the Navāṃśa chart, and if you look at the 12th house from that, it speaks about the mukti of the ātman. And even then, it is merely liberation from the bondages of this specific world; what lies beyond it, who knows! We do not know that.
(A student brings up what K.N. Rao says regarding Kāla Sarpa Yoga, claiming they are fake yogas and do not exist. Guruji replies): “Leave it. I will answer that. ‘Agre Rāhuḥ ahdau Ketuḥ sarve madhye grahāḥ’. He does not read the traditional texts thoroughly, which is why he talks like this.” (The student further discusses the historical differences between K.N. Rao and B.V. Raman. Guruji replies): “Beautiful articles have been coming out in ‘The Astrological Magazine’. I wish B.V. Raman were still alive. Who cares about what K.N. Rao thinks? Your class is getting hindered because of this.” (After saying this, Guruji continues the class).
So, the 12th house is vital. What do we see there? Mokṣa for buddhi has a practical meaning. It represents the time when you are unable to use your waking intelligence. When is that? When you sleep. When you are sleeping, you are not actively employing your buddhi. So, the 12th house from the Navāṃśa indicates sleep. It is generally a house of loss for active expressions. Whichever graha is placed in the 12th from the Navāṃśa Lagna has its external expressions modified or diminished.
Mainly, if Śukra is in the 12th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna, it will obstruct the marriage of the native; the native will find it very difficult to marry. Clear? Unless that Śukra is strongly supported by Jupiter or by the specific planet that would otherwise break the marriage, it is highly unlikely that the person will marry. Why is Śukra so problematic in the 12th house from the Navāṃśa? (Now Guruji turns back to analyze that specific chart where Yogi Karve changed the Navāṃśa Lagna twice, which was just discussed).
(The student mentions that he is indeed married, and thus Guru Sañjaya Rath confirms this and replies): “That is why I was telling you that the Lagna of the Navāṃśa should be Taurus . It is so simple! If Arieshad been the Navāṃśa Lagna, the marriage would not have happened at all. Śukra would be in the 12th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna and also afflicted by Maṅgala, making marriage impossible. Since Vṛṣabha is the Lagna, he is very idealistic about this because the lagneśa (Venus) is exalted in the Navāṃśa. The 7th lord has conjoined Śukra in a trikoṇa to the 7th house. The Maṅgala-Śukra yoga is the combination of Venus with the 7th lord, which is highly auspicious for bringing about marriage. Is it not correct that he should have the 7th lord with Śukra? That is why I was insisting that Vṛṣabha must be the Lagna.
Okay! So, his birth delivery was difficult, but he did not initially clarify whether it was a forceps delivery or not.” (The student asks what would explain a Caesarean delivery if Vṛṣabha is the Lagna). “The lagneśa, Śukra, is with Maṅgala, and Ketu is conjoined with a debilitated Sūrya in the 6th house, casting rāśi dṛṣṭi on the Lagna. Because the lagneśa Śukra is conjoined with Maṅgala, a Caesarean delivery is fully explained. Why did you not see that? If Maṅgala forms a yoga with the lagneśa and is operating negatively, it can surely cause a Caesarean birth. But since the Lagna is vargottama, the native is blessed with a long life.
Furthermore, if we accept the Vṛṣabha Lagna, Jupiter moves into the 10th house. Therefore, he must have earned a good amount of money during the Jupiter daśā. Jupiter is placed in Aquarius. Who rules Aquarius? Rāhu and Śani. So, whom would we consider as the unfavorable lord—Rāhu or Śani? Rāhu is sitting in the 12th house, the house of loss , so he will act as the worst entity. If Vṛṣabha is the Lagna, then according to our established rule, he must have earned good wealth. But during the Jupiter daśā, Rāhu antardaśā, he surely must have lost money. Or do you think that this Rāhu must have also given him wealth abroad because of his placement in the 12th house?
Focus closely on the principles; we have to logically deduce what the correct Lagna is for him. If we are not clear on the core principles, how can we decide? If a pāpa graha rules the 10th house of the Navāṃśa, it will cause a loss of money, whereas a śubha graha will grant money.”
(Guruji asks the student): “Did you earn money during the Jupiter daśā or not?”
Student: Yes, I earned well in the daśā of Jupiter.
Guru Sanjay Rath: When did you come back to India?
Student: I came back during the daśā of Rāhu.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Rāhu caused the loss. See! It fits perfectly. Vṛṣabha Lagna is definitely correct. He surely must have earned a very handsome amount of wealth in the Jupiter daśā and lost his job in the Rāhu daśā. Why did your previous prediction go wrong? You did not follow the foundational principles. Whenever you deviate from the principles, your predictions will fail. Never become emotional in Jyotiṣa. That is why dhyāna (meditation) is essential—so that you can apply the principles objectively without being swayed by emotions. A rule is a rule, and it applies to everyone, including Viṣṇu Jī. If Viṣṇu Bhagavān descends, this astrological rule will apply to Him as well. This scientific quality of Jyotiṣa is what I want to see practiced. Otherwise, I am not interested. I am interested only in principles that work consistently. Without them, Jyotiṣa does not work.
Student: What about Śani as the 10th lord who is placed in his own sign? Will he be good or bad?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Just now, I spoke about Rāhu being the co-lord of the 10th house. Being the lord of the 10th house and placed in the 12th, he destroyed wealth. Why? Because Rāhu is a natural malefic, that is all. We are not concerned here with own houses, friendly houses, and so forth. Did we study all that ambiguity in this specific rule? We did not give an ambiguous rule, so why are you introducing ambiguity into it? I have provided very clear, definitive rules. Do not make them ambiguous; do not spoil them. I have noticed this before: I teach a certain principle, and then my own student modifies it. I am shocked later to see things attributed to me that I never taught! If I try those modified rules, they do not work. Then I think, ‘Yār! I did not teach him that.’ It makes me start doubting my own knowledge. This is wrong! Do not do this to me. Take the clear rule of the ṛṣi and apply it as it is.
So, what is his correct Lagna? Vṛṣabha is correct, isn’t it? The lagneśa has a yoga with Maṅgala, which caused the Caesarean birth, and Rāhu also casts dṛṣṭi on the Lagna from the 12th house. Thus, there was an inherent danger to the Lagna at birth. He was saved solely because of the vargottama Lagna.
The student whose chart is being discussed: If Meṣa were the Lagna, marriage would be completely impossible?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes. The 7th lord would be in the 12th house, and the 8th lord Maṅgala would be sitting with it. Marriage would not be possible at all. Where is there any room for discussion? Why are we still debating it? My argument is based upon strict principles, not upon personal guesswork about the Lagna. Maybe I am wrong, and maybe I do not know you personally, but the rules do not lie.
Student: But I have Śukra in a debilitated rāśi in the Rāśi chart and exalted in the Navāṃśa.
Guru Sanjay Rath: That constitutes a nīcabhaṅga rājayoga. That is a different concept altogether. We will talk about that; we will examine that later.” (The student attempts to interrupt again, but Guruji ignores the interruption and returns to the core topic). “Okay! Come back to the discussion.
Now, what have we studied about the 12th house of the Navāṃśa? You can see what Rāhu did while sitting in the 12th house of the Navāṃśa. Whichever graha is placed in the 12th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna is capable of completely shattering your bhāgya. That graha can never act as your true friend in material prosperity. That graha can even bring a person to complete financial ruin. Never build alliances or rely on the significations of that graha.
You asked me earlier what the most critical factor to analyze in a Navāṃśa chart is. This is the most important thing in the Navāṃśa. A śubha graha sitting in the 12th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna can still be appeased and pacified through remedies, but these pāpa grahas in the 12th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna can never be completely pacified.
A śubha graha sitting in the 10th house of the Navāṃśa is your best friend; there is no greater friend to you than the graha sitting in the 10th house of your Navāṃśa. In my chart, Budha is vargottama in the 10th house of the Navāṃśa. Budha is the best planet in my chart—he is my best friend. Everybody says that my Jupiter is my best, and I reply: “No, Mercury is my best planet.” My speech (vāk) is my greatest strength. It is a fact, and it is granted by Budha in the 10th house of the Navāṃśa. That is why my understanding is very clear. I tend to follow my learning. I like to follow this systematic, Mercurial path of learning. And that is alright because that is my way.
Now, we have seen that in the 12th house, any planet is bad. What happens to the 12th lord of the Navāṃśa? According to the scriptures, the lord of the 12th house of the Navāṃśa is a very funny planet! Because he behaves well and he behaves badly. As far as the material world is concerned, the 12th lord of the Navāṃśa is not good. It is very bad for the material world. Why? Because it is 6th from the 7th house. So, it is the enemy of your spouse. Because the 7th house is the most important house in the Navāṃśa—the most important house—and the 12th house becomes the 6th from it, it becomes highly inimical to your wife. Furthermore, the 12th house is the 3rd from the 10th house, causing struggles in the 10th house. Thus, you face struggles and have to fight a battle for settling in your profession. Is it good or bad? But the 12th house is also the 9th from the 4th house; it is only good for spirituality, for nothing else. Because the more you sleep, the lesser you will sin. That is a quotable quote and rightly explains this.
Scribe’s notes: Remember how Guruji discussed in these audios that the kendras are the most important pillars of life, and they are the only things that truly matter for sustenance.
Guru Sanjay Rath continues: Alright! What about the 2nd house of the Navāṃśa? The 2nd house is a part of the artha trikoṇa. But the 2nd house shows the practical application of learning. You are learning something and applying it directly to your profession. For example, we learn Microsoft Word and we apply it in our work. Similarly, we learn computer skills and apply them to our work. This comes because of the blessings of Sarasvatī Mā. The 2nd house of the Navāṃśa signifies the application of knowledge to work, driven by the blessings of Sarasvatī Mā. It is a very important house. Tell me!
Student 4: I have Sūrya in the 2nd house.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, you have Sūrya in the 2nd house. Tell me, what did you learn and apply to your work because of this position of Sūrya? How has Sūrya helped you in the growth of your work? Because your work is growing. It will increase your professional achievements as well as your abilities. (Guruji asks this student whether he has learned photography, and the student replies that yes, he has learned photography and is also self-taught in computers. Then Guruji asks this student): “Where is your Ketu in the Navāṃśa?” (The student replies that his Ketu is in parivartana with Sūrya, and Guruji replies): “See! When you mentioned the self-learning of computers, I thought some connection must be there with Ketu. And since Sūrya is there, you have a natural ability for photography. See! It gives us an idea of what I am talking about.
The 2nd house is like the 1st house and like the 5th house. The 2nd house is like the 1st house because you need buddhi to learn something; how can you learn without buddhi? The 2nd house is also like the 5th house because you need practice as well; you cannot do it just by reading some book—you have to practice it thoroughly. When you bring together the buddhi of the 1st house and the technical practice of something as indicated by the 5th house, then it manifests as the 2nd house. Then it works efficiently within the artha trikoṇa. It is called Sarasvatī Mā because, after learning something, you will be able to earn money, become someone respectable, and increase your skills. It is a highly vital house. Now! You see that he has Sūrya in the 2nd house, so he is very good at photography and goes into all kinds of technical branches of photography. For photography, Sūrya will surely have some connection with the 2nd or the 6th house.”
(Now Guruji goes back to the chart of the student whose Navāṃśa was corrected in detail because Yogi Karve had confused him by giving him two different Navāṃśa Lagnas).
Guru Sanjay Rath: What is your interest in photography?
Student (with corrected Vṛṣabha Lagna): No, I do not have any interest in that.
Guru Sanjay Rath: That is because your Sūrya is debilitated in the 6th house (Tulā). What about computers and things like that?
Student: I have a good skill set in computers, specifically relating to software.
Guru Sanjay Rath: You see! His Ketu is not debilitated in the 6th house.
Student: Mercury might indicate that.
Guru Sanjay Rath: His software skill is not about writing code; his software application is related to financial systems, indicated by that Jupiter in the 10th house. He does not write the raw software. SAP is a very advanced kind of software for accounting practices, HR, and all that. It is indicated by Jupiter and Ketu in a trikoṇa to the 10th house of the Navāṃśa. See! How important it is to study the Navāṃśa properly. The 10th, 2nd, and 6th houses of the Navāṃśa are highly critical.
Student: If the lord of the 7th house of the Navāṃśa goes to the 6th house, is it bad?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Why would it be bad? No, it won’t be inherently bad for everything.
Student: But if the 6th lord of the Navāṃśa goes to the 12th house, is it bad?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, that is very bad .
For example, it is said that Rāhu gives pilgrimages when placed in the 10th house. This is not about the Rāśi chart; it is stated specifically about the Navāṃśa chart. It is not applicable to the other vargas. It is uniquely said about the Navāṃśa.
Guru Sanjay Rath continues: The 2nd house signifies something which you are learning naturally through practice. The 6th house is something which you are learning officially. In the 2nd house, you are learning naturally because it is next to the Lagna, and the Lagna is the most natural house, but this knowledge is developed through practice (pañcama bhāva). In the 6th house, you are learning from a teacher and not solely through independent practice. Why? The 5th house is a kendra (4th house of sustenance) to the 2nd house. And from the 6th house, the 9th house is in a kendra (4th house of education).
The 4th house is the foundational house of learning; we already know that the 4th house represents education. Since the 5th house is 4th from the 2nd house, you learn through intensive practice, because the 5th house demands active sādhana . Conversely, the 9th house is 4th from the 6th house, and hence you are learning from a guru or a professional teacher. The knowledge of the 6th house cannot be gained without a teacher, master, or guru. If a person knows a specific software, he must have learned it from a guru. He cannot learn it all by himself by simply sitting at home. The graha that is placed in the 6th house indicates that its knowledge has to be acquired professionally; it cannot be gained casually at home.
While the 2nd house is something which you can practice at home by occasionally taking guidance from a mentor, the 2nd house forms the Sarasvatī Mā Yoga. The 6th house, on the other hand, forms the Dhīmanta Yoga. Dhīmanta Yoga means that you learn a skill from a guru and then apply your intelligence systematically. You have to receive training from a professional institute; that is the 6th house. You have to undergo on-the-job training. Since the 4th from the 6th house is the 9th house, you must learn it professionally. If a planet is in the 6th house, you have to go out and learn it from outside your home. If it is in the 2nd house, then you have to sit at home and practice hard. Take singers, for example: all the great singers of the world have to sit at home and practice hard—which is the 2nd house. Their constant practice is vital.
So, if Śukra and Ketu are in the 2nd house, what does it mean? It means you have to sit at home and practice a lot of Jyotiṣa. Only then will you become an expert in Jyotiṣa. You have to work hard. If you do not work hard, you won’t get the results. Has anyone else got Ketu in the 2nd house?
Student: I have Saturn in the 2nd house.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Saturn in the 2nd house? What do you think it is going to give you? What vidyā is it going to grant?
Another student: Saturn in the 2nd house can give traditional knowledge.
Guru Sanjay Rath (to the first student): Did your father or grandfather do something which you have learned from them and turned into a profession?
Student: No.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Then what traditional knowledge are we talking about? What then is the meaning of this Śani in the 2nd bhāva of the Navāṃśa?
Student: No traditional knowledge.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, Śani does not contribute to Sarasvatī Mā’s Yoga. Saturn is a servant he has no business out there in that sphere. In fact, Śani in the 2nd house from the Navāṃśa Lagna may even spoil the Sarasvatī Mā Yoga.
Another student: What about Rāhu in the 6th house from the Navāṃśa Lagna?
Guru Sanjay Rath: Rāhu may also indicate something which is related to Rāhu’s domain. You will have to learn that professionally. Just as the other student learned computers, you will also learn something technical. Have you undergone a special kind of training or a specialized course?
Student: I have done and learned many different things, so it is difficult to pin down exactly one specific thing that I have mastered.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, you have crossed many boundaries—which is typical of Rāhu.
Student 3: I have a parivartana of Śukra and Maṅgala. Śukra is in the 6th house and Maṅgala is in the 5th house.
Guru Sanjay Rath: You tell me! Śukra in the 6th house will give management skills, won’t it? Have you completed a degree in management?
Student 3: No.
Guru Sanjay Rath: What is your age?
Student 3: I am 25.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Around the age of 28, it will manifest, provided your Navāṃśa chart is correct—not otherwise.
(Here, the student whose chart was being corrected earlier interrupts and asks a question): “I have a friend whose Venus is in the 12th house and is the 7th lord. But despite getting married late in life, his marriage is perfectly fine.”
Guru Sanjay Rath: Even if his Venus is the 7th lord in the 12th house, that placement by itself is not sufficient to completely break or block a marriage. In your chart, you have it conjoined with Maṅgala. But all of this does not apply to you anyway. Why do you repeatedly argue that your Navāṃśa Lagna is Aries ? Your Navāṃśa is not Meṣa; it is Taurus. Leave it! Let us move to the next topic.
Students: Guruji, please teach us the kāma trikoṇa.
Guru Sanjay Rath: I do not like the kāma trikoṇa. Leave it; you can study it yourselves. No, there is no pressing need to study the 3rd and 11th houses right now. The 7th house represents marriage, and through it, you get to know everything about your spouse. The 3rd house represents your father-in-law. You can understand everything about your father-in-law from the 3rd house of the Navāṃśa chart. The reason is that the Lagna of your spouse is in the 7th house, and the 9th house counted from the 7th house (the house of the father) is the 3rd house of your chart. Consequently, the 10th house of the Navāṃśa represents your mother-in-law (being the 4th house of the mother counted from the 7th house).
If a malefic graha is in the 10th house, you will have a difficult mother-in-law. If a śubha graha is in the 10th house, you will have a kind and good mother-in-law. I know a person whose Navāṃśa Lagna is Vṛṣabha, and Jupiter is placed in his 10th house. I told him: “Irrespective of everything else, your mother-in-law will love you and support you immensely. Even if the rest of the world hates you, she will never stop supporting you. She will be your prime supporter.” But that person was doubting my statement—that person doubts everybody! But that is exactly what Vṛṣabha is. It is Vṛṣabha, and if such a person does not doubt and challenge, then how could it be a true Vṛṣabha Navāṃśa?
Scribe’s notes: Here, Guruji is hinting at the very student whose chart was corrected during this class. True to form, that student immediately starts arguing again:
Student: But if it is Meṣa Lagna, then also, Rāhu in the Lagna might explain the difficult birth.
Guru Sanjay Rath: But if Vṛṣabha is the Lagna, then also Rāhu is casting dṛṣṭi on the Lagna from the 12th house, and that could equally cause a difficult delivery. Ketu in the Lagna is not as troublesome as Rāhu when it comes to the birth delivery of the native. Rāhu is considered the most difficult node for childbirth. Jaimini has given a very clear dictum regarding this. Why? Because the process of birth is intimately connected with the Moon . Why did Jaimini state this? Because birth is indicated by Chandra, and the greatest enemy of Chandra is Rāhu. So, naturally, Rāhu is going to show severe difficulties during birth when influencing the Navāṃśa Lagna, and such a person will have a weak Chandra irrespective of where the Moon is actually placed. Your Lagna is vargottama; I do not want to hear any more stories. (The student laughs arrogantly). According to me, your Lagna is vargottama. I follow this strict rule-system.
(The student speaks up again, saying, “The bottom line is…” but at this point, Guruji is tired of the circular argument and cuts him off): “No, no, no! Whatever that is, leave it. Your Lagna is vargottama.”
The 3rd house has its own special significance. What more can we see from the 3rd house of the Navāṃśa? The 3rd house indicates the father-in-law, so it is by no means a bad house.
One more unique thing said about the 3rd house in the scriptures is that whatever object is indicated in the hand of the native is what brings them bhāgya . It is a very peculiar and literal concept. If Śukra is in the 3rd house from the Navāṃśa Lagna, then the person will excel at painting. If Budha is there, it indicates sculpting, making statues, and those technical skills which require a precise hand. Maṅgala in the 3rd house of the Navāṃśa shows a spear in the hands of the person. If Sūrya is there, then the hands of the native hold a sword.
If the Moon is in the 3rd house of the Navāṃśa, then the hands of the native hold water, as the Moon indicates jala . The Moon never holds a weapon. The Moon is the only graha for whom there are absolutely no enemies. This is because a mother is never an enemy to her child; she is always the best. All other planets have some inherent imperfection, but the Moon is the most compassionate and has no fault in this regard. The Moon is the cosmic mother, so how can she ever hold a weapon?
If Guru is in the 3rd house from the Navāṃśa Lagna, then the person holds an akṣamālā . It is highly auspicious to keep a small akṣamālā in your hand or pocket if Jupiter is in the 3rd from the Navāṃśa Lagna. Śani indicates a club . Ketu acts like Maṅgala, and Rāhu acts like Śani.
Student: What does it signify if the native holds that specific weapon or object in their hand?
Guru Sanjay Rath: It indicates that it can directly manifest as the occupation or the primary driving strength of the native. Take a king, for example: he rules by the strength of that specific weapon. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj held a sword in his hand and ruled by the absolute strength of his sword. Let us not take it too literally to mean that Sūrya in the 3rd house from the Navāṃśa Lagna automatically makes everyone a literal king. The deeper meaning here is that it shapes the professional tool or main occupation of the person.
Why is the 3rd house capable of doing this? Because the 3rd house directly casts an aspect on the 9th house. The 3rd house represents Guru-upadeśa . This is a most vital point. The Guru is seated in the 9th house, and the Guru-upadeśa travels through the 3rd house. Who originally stated that Guru-upadeśa is linked here? Was it Jaimini or Parāśara? Parāśara stated that. Yes! Plus, the Jātaka Pārijāta has also explicitly mentioned this rule.
Furthermore, the 3rd house rules the right ear. During mantra-dīkṣā, the Guru whispers the sacred mantra directly into the disciple’s right ear. The 3rd house also represents the very heart of the guru, because it is the 7th house (the house of deep connection) counted from the 9th house. Therefore, a graha placed in the 3rd house from the Navāṃśa Lagna will bring the potent blessings of Guru-upadeśa to you. Because it brings you that spiritual guidance, the intrinsic strength of that planet becomes yours permanently through the guru’s grace, and the weapon or tool indicated by that graha will always come in handy.
Okay! Tell me: I have Sūrya in the 3rd house from my Navāṃśa Lagna—should I roam around the streets holding a physical sword in my hand?” (The students offer various interpretations: some suggest it means knowledge of the soul, while others say that the Sun grants administrative skills. Guruji corrects them, stating that basic skills or innate abilities are seen from the Lagna, not from the 3rd house. Then a student suggests that the Sun might indicate a lamp).
Guru Sanjay Rath: Right! Agni . That means I always keep a matchbox with me, almost like an obsession. There is still a photograph of mine—and it is the only childhood photograph of mine where I am about three months old—and guess what I am holding tightly in my hands? A matchbox! A matchbox is called an agnipetī in Sanskrit. That is the literal indication of Sūrya in the 3rd house. Please apply the traditional knowledge practically!
Student: You also have a spiritual obsession about lighting a lamp .
Guru Sanjay Rath: For me, lighting the lamp is exceptionally important. What form of Lakṣmī do I worship?
Student: Dīpa Lakṣmī.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Yes, I worship the Goddess in the form of Dīpa Lakṣmī. Different people worship Lakṣmī in different forms, but I worship Her specifically in the form of Dīpa Lakṣmī.
Student: I have Gemini as my Navāṃśa Lagna, and the Sun is placed in the Leo Navāṃśa, which is the 3rd house.
Guru Sanjay Rath: What does the Sun indicate there? It shows something you carry in your hand as a blessing from your teacher. By the way, do you have Jupiter in your Navāṃśa Lagna?
Student: Yes.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Do you know Sanskrit?
Student: Yes, I studied it until the 10th class.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Good! If someone has Guru in Mithuna Lagna in the Navāṃśa, they definitely have an innate knowledge of Sanskrit. Anyway, there is a lot more to the Navāṃśa chart. But we have to find out why your Sūrya in the 3rd house did not fully manifest its power yet. Do you have any grahas in the 11th house of your Navāṃśa?
Student: No.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Then why did it not work? Where is Mercury placed in your chart?
Student: There is a parivartana between Guru and Budha. Budha is in this 10th house.
Guru Sanjay Rath: There is an exchange of Guru and Budha in your Navāṃśa!
Student: And there is another exchange between Maṅgala and Venus as well.
Guru Sanjay Rath: And there is another exchange?
Student: Maṅgala is in the 5th house, whereas Śukra is in the 6th house.
Guru Sanjay Rath: So, the Sun is in the 6th house from Mercury. Is it strong or weak? What do you think? How did this topic of today come up? You said it is strong in the Navāṃśa. So, I thought, how did you decide it to be strong or weak in the Navāṃśa? Tell me! Now you are not saying how it is strong or weak. Now you do not know. It means you did not learn it properly.
I personally judge whether some graha in the Navāṃśa is strong or weak by its respective position from the Navāṃśa Lagna lord . If you use some other method, please tell me. We have studied all grahas in the Navāṃśa, their positions, and their respective effects. Now, we also have to check which graha is giving prominent results and which graha is giving weak results and is not so prominent. We have already studied it with respect to the Lagna of the Navāṃśa. Now, we have to check it from the position of the Lagna lord of the Navāṃśa. Am I going logically, or am I going wrong? Is there something wrong in my thinking? Please tell me! We have found out what these planets will do. Now we have to find out which is strong and which is weak.
The results about which we are talking—such as Sūrya in the 3rd house from the Navāṃśa Lagna indicating an astra like a sword for some natives, while for others it might indicate a lamp—this is modulated and seen from the Lagna lord. Those planets which are in a kendra or a trikoṇa from the Lagna lord of the Navāṃśa will flourish. Those that are not will not flourish. Ultimately, the lagneśa of the Navāṃśa will decide whether some graha is fully functional for the Navāṃśa or not.
For example, take his Navāṃśa: he has Gemini as his Navāṃśa Lagna, so the lagneśa is Mercury . Mercury is nīca in Pisces . A nīcabhaṅga is there, sort of, because from the Rāśi chart point of view, there is no nīcabhaṅga, but within the Navāṃśa, there is a nīcabhaṅga. You are working in software; otherwise, if nīcabhaṅga was not present in the Navāṃśa, how could you be working in software? Sūrya is in the 6th house from Mīna. So Sūrya, which is supposed to give him that ability for a sword, or indicate a lamp, or whatever that is—that signification is very weak in his chart. It is located 6th from the Navāṃśa Lagna lord. So, the graha is indicating something there, but it is unable to manifest prominently in your life.
Now take his chart (the other student’s chart, whose Lagna was corrected). Whether we take Aries or we take Taurus , the lagneśa is in Mīna. So, from the Mīna rāśi, check where all the grahas are posited. If we take Meṣa Navāṃśa Lagna, Rāhu is in the Lagna, and Maṅgala is the dispositor of Rāhu because it is the lord of the Navāṃśa Lagna. But if we take Vṛṣabha, then Śukra is the Lagna lord, which is conjoined with Maṅgala, and Rāhu is sitting in the 12th from it (which is Aries). It means that from the Śukra point of view, Rāhu is very bad. From Maṅgala’s point of view, Rāhu is only slightly bad, as Rāhu is in Maṅgala’s own rāśi.
Are you able to understand the difference? If you are facing problems in understanding, then I will explain it again. Rāhu is sitting in the house of Maṅgala. From Maṅgala’s point of view, Rāhu is not entirely hostile. You know why? Because when somebody comes to your home, you treat them nicely. So, if Rāhu has gone to Maṅgala’s home, then Maṅgala considers Rāhu as a guest. Whereas Śukra does not treat Rāhu as a friend. From Śukra, Rāhu becomes the 12th lord and is in a māraka position from Śukra. And from the Lagna, Rāhu is in the 12th house. Rāhu is bad from all angles here. So, the Bṛhaspati daśā and Rāhu antardaśā must have been a very bad time for his finances. But if Meṣa were the Lagna, then it would not have been that bad. Are you able to see the difference? It is a very subtle difference.
Student: I had leg surgery during my Rāhu mahādaśā, Maṅgala antardaśā.
Guru Sanjay Rath: Oh! You had leg surgery in Rāhu MD, Maṅgala AD? Then it confirms even more that your Lagna is Vṛṣabha, because Rāhu is in the 12th house (ruling the feet/legs). Rāhu is truly worse there.
So, what will we do in the next class? Once we have covered the Navāṃśa completely, we will also understand the vargottama Navāṃśa thoroughly. For the next session, please come prepared for: Puṣkara Navāṃśa, ucca Navāṃśa, and nīca Navāṃśa. The question is, can there be a nīcabhaṅga rājayoga inside the Navāṃśa chart as well? Take his chart—he is making money out of software. His Mercury is debilitated in the Navāṃśa. It is a beautiful case study; find the answer. The answer we want to uncover is: if a planet is exalted in the Rāśi chart but nīca in the Navāṃśa, it typically causes a rājabhaṅga nīca yoga—it breaks all rājayogas. But you have Budha ucca (exalted) in the Rāśi chart and nīca in the Navāṃśa, and still, it did not ruin you. Rather, you are working precisely in the line of Mercury. How does this happen, and why does this happen? So, study nīcabhaṅga rājayoga versus rājabhaṅga nīca yoga for the next class.
yoga. We have to study this in the Navāṃśa. In the next class, we will also study the types of marriages: when marriage will happen and when a marriage will break—how, when, and what is exactly happening in marriages.
But you will have to closely notice the effect of society in this matter. Horoscopes may be very similar, but between India and the US, it makes a lot of difference. We will also study the effect of the guṇas. Additionally, we will study the Kārakāṃśa, but only briefly. Actually, we should not be discussing the Kārakāṃśa in too much detail right now; my primary goal is to thoroughly study the Navāṃśa chart first.
