Phaladeepika (a classical Sanskrit text on Jyotisha by Mantreswara), the houses 3, 6, 8, and 12 are described as "Leen Bhava" (लीन भाव) — often translated as hidden, obscured, or dissolving houses.
Why are these houses called Leen Bhava3rd House (Parakrama Bhava)
Associated with effort, struggle, and courage.
Considered a house of obstacles and toil, where results are not easily visible.
Hidden because it represents inner strength and struggles that are not always apparent.
6th House (Shatru Bhava)
Connected with enemies, debts, diseases, and disputes.
It hides difficulties and challenges that one must overcome.
Called hidden because it represents adversities that drain energy.
8th House (Ayushya Bhava)
The most secretive house, linked to longevity, death, the occult, and transformations.
It governs mysteries, hidden knowledge, and sudden upheavals.
Its very nature is obscured and concealed.
12th House (Vyaya Bhava)
The house of loss, expenditure, foreign lands, and liberation.
It dissolves material attachments and represents hidden retreats, sleep, and moksha.
Hidden because it signifies what is beyond worldly visibility.
Mantreswara’s classification reflects the idea that these houses deal with invisible forces — struggles, karmic debts, hidden enemies, occult knowledge, subconscious patterns, and ultimate dissolution. They are not outwardly expressive like the trikona (1, 5, 9) or kendra (1, 4, 7, 10), but instead pull the native inward toward challenges, transformation, or transcendence.
You can think of the Leen Bhava as the shadow quadrants of the chart — places where energy is consumed, hidden, or transformed rather than directly expressed. They are the "invisible classrooms" of life, where the soul learns through struggle, secrecy, and surrender.
