6. I have described the Vajra and other (a) yogas adopting the view of former writers (b). How can Mercury and Venus occupy the 4th sign (c) from the Sun (d)?

17

Notes

(a) That is, the Yava yoga and the yogas mentioned in the beginning of stanza 20, of the Chapter on Raja-yoga.

(b) Maya, Yavaua, Garga and others.

(c) On either side: that is the 4th or 10th house from the Sun.

(d) According to Brahma Sree Sundareswara Srauti of Tiruvadi, the Vajra and Yava yogas refer to the positions of the planets in the Bhava Chakra and not to their positions in their Rasi Chakra as supposed by Varaha Mihira. He is, therefore, of opinion that Garga and other writers have not erred in treating of these yogas as possible ones. This, we shall now explain:

Varaha Mihira says " How can Mercury and Venus occupy the 4th sign from the Sun." The word used in the text is Bhavana which means a sign of the Zodiac (vide Stanza 4, Chapter D. If the Vajra and Yava yogas refer to the positions of the planets in the Rasi Chakra, then, Varaha Mihira is right in declaring that the ancient writers have erred; but not so if the yogas refer to the positions of the planets in the Bhava Chakra. Indeed, in all yogas where the positions of the planets are stated with reference to particular Bhavas or houses from the ascendant, they refer to Bhava Chakra. As it is somewhat tedious to construct this Chakra table, most of the Astrologers confound it with the other Chakra and wrongly apply all yogas to the Rasi Chakra. This is one of fruitful sources of error in astrological predictions. We shall now explain what is meant by Bhava Chakra.

Both Rasi and Bhava Chakras are divisions of the ecliptic; the former is division into 12 equal parts and the latter is division into 12 unequal parts depending upon the latitude of the place.

Bhaskara Charyar defines Bhava Chakra as follows in his Gola Adhyaya:-

Bhava Chakra

"The point where the ecliptic cuts the horizon in the East is known as Eastern or rising Lagna, and in the West as the Western or setting Lagna and the points where the meridian of the place cuts the ecliptic are known as Madhya or Middle Lagnas, - the 10th and the 4th Lagnas"

These 4 points are respectively the middle points of the 1st, 7th, 10th and 4th Bhavas. The two points of trisection of the distance between the middle points of the 1st and 4th Bhavas are respectively the middle points of the 2nd and 3ra Bhavas. The two points of trisection of the distance between the middle points of the 4th and 7th Bhavas are respectively the middle points of the 5th and 6th Bhavas. The two points of trisection of the distance between middle points of the 7th and 10th Bhavas are the middle points of the 8th and 9 th Bhavas. And the two points of trisection of the distance between the middle points of the 10th and 1st Bhavas are the middle points of the 11th and 12th Bhavas. Thus, we have obtained the middle points of the 12 Bhavas. Now, if we bisect these twelve divisions of the ecliptic, the space between the two points of bisection immediately on both sides of the middle point of each Bhava will form a Bhava.

Now, as the ecliptic is inclined to the equator by about 23 degrees, the pole of the ecliptic will always be removed from the pole of the equator by about 23 degrees and will describe round it a circle in the course of each day. So that, every day, the plane of the ecliptic meridian will coincide with the plane of the meridian of the place twice. Now, the point where the ecliptic meridian bisects the ecliptic is known in Astronomy as the Nonagesimal point. Call this point N. Call the point where the meridian of the place cuts the ecliptic M. and the points where the horizon cuts the ecliptic in the East and West as E. and W. respectively.

W---------------------------------------------------------------------E

M N

So that, N E = N W = 90 Degree = 3 signs, and M E is always 3 Bhavas and M W is also 3 Bhavas, M being the middle point of the 10th Bhava.

Now, when the plane of the ecliptic meridian coincides with the plane of the merdian of the place, N coincides with M and therefore NM vanishes and the Rasi and Bhava Chakras coincide. This will occur twice a day. At other times, they will differ. Now, in the higher latitudes, the angle between the two merdian lines increases. ( Vide Spherical Trigonometry). Therefore, the distance N M also increases and M W accordingly diminishes and it may even become less than 47 and 27 degrees and it nevertheless contains 3 Bhavas. So that, it is possible for Mercury and Venus to occupy M (the 10th Bhava) while the Sun occupies W (the 7th Bhava), i.e., Venus and Mercury may occupy the 4th Bhava from the Sun. So that, Garga and other writers have not erred if the Vajra and Yava yogas refer to the positions of the planets in the Bhava Chakra.

7. If all the planets occupy the four signs (a) from the ascendant, the yoga is known as Yupa; if they occupy the four signs (b) from the fourth bouse, the yoga is known as Ishu or Bana; if they occupy the four signs (c) from the seventh house, the yoga is known as Sakti; and if they occupy the four signs (d) from the tenth house the yoga is known as Danda.

Notes

In this stanza, the Author describes four more Akriti yogas.

(a) That is, the ascendant and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th houses.

(b) That is, the 4th, 5th, 6th and the 7th houses.

(c) That is, the 7th, 8th, 9th and the 10th houses.

(d) That is, the 10th, 11th and the 12th houses and the ascendant.

8. If, as before, all the planets occupy the seven signs (a) from the ascendant the yoga is known as Nau; if they occupy the seven signs (b) from the fourth house, the yoga is known as Kuta; if they occupy the seven signs (c) from the seventh house, the yoga is known as Chhatra; and if they occupy the seven signs (d) from the tenth house, the yoga is known as Chapa. Again, if all the planets occupy the seven houses beginning from a Panaphara or Apoklima house, the yoga is known as Ardha-Chandra (e).