Pancha mahapurusha yogas are yogas that are easy to find in a horoscope. To begin our analysis for this group of yogas, we note the position of the ascendant and the Moon.
The Moon is an exceptionally important planet in Indian astrology, and for this reason, we can use the sign the Moon is in as an alternative ascendant. So if we look for yoga’s we can look for them from the ascendant but we can also take the Moon as a starting point in our search for yoga’s.
For instance, if we say that a certain planet must be placed in a kendra house to be considered as a planet making a yoga, the kendra house is calculated from either the ascendant or from the sign the Moon is in.
Example: We have a Moon placed in the fifth house. Kendra houses calculated from the ascendant are the first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses. Kendra houses calculated from the Moon in this example, are the fifth (first house calculated from the Moon), eighth (fourth house calculated from the Moon), eleventh (seventh house calculated from the Moon) and the second (tenth house calculated from the Moon) houses.
And now to the yogas and their consequences:
- Ruchaka yoga: Mars in its own sign or in exaltation, and in a kendra house - brave, arrogant, the victor.
- Bhadra yoga: Mercury in its own sign or in exaltation, and in a kendra house - intellectual, learned, rich.
- Hamsa yoga: Jupiter in its own sign or in exaltation, and in a kendra house - religious, very fortunate.
- Malavaya yoga: Venus in its own sign or in exaltation, and in a kendra house - wealthy, loves life, sometimes self-indulgent, good marriage, strong sense of justice.
- Shasya yoga: Saturn in its own sign or in exaltation, and in a kendra house - powerful, strict, position of authority. In short, the characteristics of a certain planet are strongly emphasised in a pancha mahapurusha yoga. Example of a ruchaka yoga: Adolf Hitler had Mars in Aries in the seventh house. Mars is in its own sign (also a moolatrikona sign) and in a kendra house (the seventh house). How he used the ruchaka yoga is evident. This yoga need not be used is this manner. Many sports people have a ruchaka yoga in their horoscope. A bhadra yoga enables a person to become good in commerce and communicating. A hamsa yoga could be seen in the horoscope of a learned person, a clergyman or someone who has a lot of good fortune in his life. We could expect a malavaya yoga in the horoscope of a millionaire or a beauty queen. We can see a malavaya yoga in John F. Kennedy's horoscope (which has been enclosed with the course). In his horoscope, Venus is in its own sign, in the ninth house (this is a kendra house as seen from the Moon). In his horoscope, this resulted in great riches and because of meeting many beautiful women, a great deal of sexual enjoyment. However, we can see this yoga also in the horoscope of the peaceable Gandhi. In this horoscope, Venus is in the first house in a moolatrikona sign. In both examples, we see expressions of Venus (peace, sexual enjoyment, riches) but, depending on the rest of the horoscope, the malavaya yoga has unfolded in different ways. A shasya yoga is fitting for the horoscope of a politician or a director. Let us not forget we find pancha mahapurusha yogas in the horoscopes of approximately of half the population, and certainly not everyone is famous. Only the appearance of such a yoga is by no means enough to warrant fame. Other aspects in the horoscope must also support this.