Astrology and Mental Maladies

“Human mind is indeed a wonder. Man is ever in mental conflict and is curious and inquisitive to know how sorrows and joys spring from mind” observed an erudite scholar of astrology. Philosophically Chandra (the Moon) represents the mind and the mind is the connecting link between body and soul or matter and soul. Like the two fortnights of the Moon, bright and dark, human mind has also two phases – one of joy and other of sorrow.
To study mental make-up one has to look at Lagna, the 3rd, the 4th, the 5th, the 6th, the 9th and the 12th houses of the chart. Planets controlling reason and emotion are Mercury and Moon respectively. Mental ailments of any nature refer to the ruler of the 3rd house of the natal zodiac and to the planets therein, to the planets in common signs and cadent houses and to the Moon and Mercury. Mithuna (Gemini) being an intellectual sign and Kataka (Cancer) being an emotional sign, have important roles in causing mental afflictions. Mercury governs intellect and the Moon controls the brain and mind.Central nervous system is controlled both by the Moon and Mercury whereas other planets have influence over peripheral nervous system of the body. The 6th house of a chart relates to the sub-conscious, the 9th to the super-conscious and the 12th to unconscious states of mind. Hence these houses come into the picture while discussing diseases pertaining to mind.
Afflictions to the houses mentioned above go a long way to manifest mental maladies. When any such disease is manifest, it not only impairs the mental set-up but spreads throughout the system and thereby may bring about a total collapse of the physical, mental nervous systems, and the man becomes a lunatic.
The human body is composed of five elements namely, earth (Kshiti), water (apas), fire (tejas), air (marut) and ether (vyoma). When vyomtatva (ether) is deranged the man eventually behaves erratically. Any imbalance or derangement in any of the tatvas causes physical ailment.
Generally, everybody at times becomes an easy prey to mental imbalances. Man behaves differently at different hours of the day. His mental condition is ever dynamic and so upsets in inner mental region are not uncommon. The thinking mind misbehaves due to affliction of the Moon or Mercury in transit.
There are various mental illnesses, a few of which may be stated as moodiness, melancholia, hysteria, mania, phobia, schizophrenia, dementia, dullness, lunacy, obsession, fixity, insanity, perversion, paranoia, fits, swoons, epilepsy, morbidity, loss of consciousness, suicidal tendencies and so on.
In the succeeding paragraphs, I will try to locate the planetary combinations with the resulting afflictions which ascribe to the cause of the diseases and conditions of the patients.
Matibhramana Yogas as enumerated in Dr B V Raman’s Three Hundred Important Combinations may be cited for ready reference :
(1) Conjunction of Mercury and Gulika especially in the 6th,
(2) the Moon in conjunction with Ketu and Saturn,
(3) Saturn and Mars in an angle but causing Papadhi Yoga from Moon or from Mercury,
(4) Saturn and Rahu conjunction especially in the first degree of Virgo, Lagna being either Pisces or Virgo, and
(5) Mars powerfully aspecting or in conjunction with Mercury in the 6th or the 8th.
Jataka Parijata states, malefics in the 4th or the 5th (in malefic Shashtiamsa) and not aspected by benefics create mental disease. Rekha Yogas of different nature as per Jataka Parijata are as follows :
(1) Benefic planets in dusthanas (the 6th, the 8th, the 12th), malefics in angles and trines and the 11th lord powerless,
(2) the ascendant lord with malefics – Jupiter and Venus being invisible and the 4th lord associated with malefic planets,
(3) conjunction of the 5th and the 8th lord in the 5th and the ascendant lord debilitated or combust or eclipsed,
(4) ascendant lord powerless and aspected by the 8th lord and Jupiter, Pragnakaraka, being combust, and
(5) the 9th lord eclipsed and the lords of the 1st and 2nd powerless.
From an authoritative source a few combinations for mental derangement are enumerated as follows :
(a) If the Sun and the Moon are jointly posited in Lagna, the 5th or the 9th and Saturn with Jupiter in a kendra, Yoga for lunacy is created.
(b) If birth is on Saturday or Tuesday and Mercury along with the Moon is situated in a kendra and if these two planets fall in Navamsa of evil planets the native becomes insane.
(c) If the Moon is associated with evil planets or is associated with Rahu and placed in the 12th, the benefics being posited in the 8th the native tends to be erratic in behaviour and his nature becomes quarrelsome.
(d) If birth is on Saturday or Tuesday, Jupiter occupies the 3rd house, the Sun and the Moon are jointly placed in the 1st, the 5th, or the 9th, undoubtedly the native turns mad.
(e) If Jupiter is in Lagna aspected by Mars from the 7th, there is every chance of the native becoming insane, and
(f) if Mercury is posited in the 6th influenced by Saturn from any house, possibility of lunacy cannot be ruled out.
In regard to the yoga for lunacy we notice in Hora Shataka, Slokas 73 and 74 that the ascendant, the 4th house and the Moon relate to the feelings and emotions of man and the 5th house and Mercury stand for the quality of logical and rational thinking.
In the 4th house the Moon is powerful and he is karaka for the house and is the 4th lord of the natural zodiac. Hence if the Moon becomes the 4th lord (in case of Aries ascendant) and if he is under the exclusive influence of Rahu the person suffers from fits, swoons and morbidity, and if the Moon goes to the 8th being influenced by Rahu either by association or by aspect, the person suffers from epilepsy.
In Jataka Tatva, by Mahadeva a few rules have been enumerated for deciphering yogas for lunacy:
(i) If Jupiter is posited in Lagna and Mars is in the 7th the person will be a mad man, i.e. a man who is always crazy after something. He goes to the extreme in all respects.
(ii) If Saturn occupies Lagna and Mars occupies the 6th, the 8th or the 12th from Lagna, the person concerned will be mad and his nature will be violent.
(iii) Saturn in Lagna, the Sun in the 12th, the Moon and Mars in trine make the person concerned lose all his senses.
(iv) The 3rd lord ill-placed, eclipsed, depressed or in the 6th aspected by a malefic will cause madness through poison.
(v) The powerless Moon when combined with Saturn, placed in the 12th house, makes the native mad (this rule has been explained earlier).
(vi) If the 2nd lord with Saturn associates with any malefic in any house, madness will be caused through vayu or wind. Vayu, pitta and kapha are the three humors in human body. The derangement of any of them causes ailment (This has been adumbrated earlier).
(vii) The 2nd lord with Saturn being associated with the Sun bring lunacy through bilious disorder, and
(viii) If Mercury aspects Lagna where the Moon and Saturn are posited, the mind of the native will be much perturbed.
In summing up and from my experience I have come to the conclusion that Lagna, Lagna lord, the 4th, the 5th, lords of these two houses, affliction of the Moon and Mercury are generally responsible in bringing about diseases of the Mind. Severity of the disease depends upon the gravity of malefic influences. Yet a proper interpretation and a judicious probe into the various dicta and rules detailed under different categories in the preceding paragraphs, will reveal many a fact relating to the causation of mental maladies and as such sufficient care should be taken in applying the rules.
First powerless Lagna lord is enough to render the mental region shaky and brain power weak. If the chart in any way is powerful, the Yoga for mental aberrations becomes less effective; but along with this combination if other factors come to operate, the native is very likely to suffer from mental disequilibrium.
The Saturn-Moon combination is dreaded much as Saturn is a planet who coils within himself and the Moon finds joy in revelation. Here the combination creates a tug of war between inner thoughts and outer actions. This particular combination in certain houses is no doubt harmful for achievement of material pleasures. Particularly, when the Saturn-Moon combination occurs in Pisces and Lagna becomes Virgo – the man anticipates diseases at all times and is never happy. This is a case of phobia. But in earthly and fiery signs the Saturn-Moon combination bestows prosperity in many cases. The Saturn-Moon combination in Sagittarius for Sri Aurobindo, in Virgo for Swami Vivekananda and the same combination in Taurus in the horoscope of the revered Editor have elevated the native to the great height of name, fame and wisdom. Mechanical application of these rules verbatim will lead the astrologer to labyrinths of errors and confusions. Hence the study of the total horoscopic pattern is of vital necessity.
A divine subject like astrology does not operate within the frameworks of hard and fast rules and axioms only. The wisdom of the Rishis sprang forth from the lone hermitages when there were no modern facilities of press and publication. The truth was revealed from divination and intuition and it was bequeathed to their able disciples to foster it through ages and to leave an undying legacy to posterity.