Snapshot Method of Interpreting a
Horoscope
INTRODUCTION
One of the biggest hurdle to any beginner in Jyotish that when a horosope is
present infront, one tend to get lost in the multitude of factors involved in
analysing a horosope. This cause frustration and devomotive one to study more
and go deeper into the discipline. This article tries to address the issue and
provides a guideline on how to go about analysing a horosope. This article is by
no means comprehensive as there is no substitute to hardwork and studying the
Jyotisha-shastras in original. However, I believe that this can give a good kickstart
to any beginner in Jyotish.
1. The Nature of the person can be known by the planets placed in the Lagna and
its Trine and those who are aspecting it. These planets shall confer their
naisargika (natural)nature to the native. Purest quality of planets are exhibited
when they are exalted and when placed alone/ isolated, whenever they are
conjoined with other planets they undergo modification. Different planets signify
different aspects of personality.
2. The placements and conjunctions of planets show their impact on the nature of
the person. However functional nature of planets based on lordships can indicate
the situations and events that the native will be placed with.
3. Kendras are houses of Happiness. Natural malefics in these house shows that
the native's life shall be full of struggles and it consitute something known as
Sarpa yoga, when all the kendras are occupied by Malefics. If not all the kendras
are occupied, then also the yoga shall manifest partially. However under such
circumstances, if benefics placed in the lagna or the 7th or aspect the lagna, then
the yoga is brocken and such significations shown by the benefic shall bring
bredth of fresh air in the life of the native.
4. If the malefic planets placed in the Kendras are placed in the Own house or
exalation, this constitute the Mahapurusha yogas and the person shall have
saintly nature based on the tattva of the planet consituting the mahapurusha
yogas.
5. If the malefic planets in the Kendras are placed in debilitation, the person
enjoys prosperity after periods of struggle.
6. Best place for malefics to be placed are the upachayas [3,6,10,11] among them
3,6,11 are the best positions.
But if malefics are placed in 6th house 4,8 and 12 (Sukha/happiness
trikona)unhappiness and misery. Specifically malefics placed in 4th gives
unhappiness at home or home country, in the 8th it will curtail longevity and in
the 12th house it will have asubha yoga (inauspicious combination) wrt lagna and
give unwanted expenses in concurrence with the nature of the malefic.
7. Best place for benefics are kendras and trines. Benefics placed in the 6th, 8th
and 12th house, do good to the significations of those houses but with the cost of
destroying their natural and functional significations.
STRENGTHS
1. Any house which is placed with benefics in kendra and trikona will prosper.
The house suffers if it is placed with malefics in kendra or trikona, provided they
are not the lord or karaka of the house concerned.
2. If lord of a house or karaka aspects (graha drishti or rashi drishti) the
significations of the house will prosper.
3. If natural benefic aspect a house, it then protects the house.
4. Protectors of a house are the Karaka and the lord. They shall always try to
protect the house and its significations. If they are strong, the protection is
strong, however, it they are afflicted (placed with enemies/ malefics) or weak
(placed in debilitation/ marana sthana), they might fail to protect the house/
natural significations.
5. A house suffers if they are afflicted (placed with enemies/ malefics). If the lord
is afflicted, the karaka comes to the rescue and if the karaka is afflicted the lord
comes to rescue. If both are afflicted, none can rescue the sigifications. If the lord
of any house is placed witht he karaka for the house, the house prospers.
WEAKNESS
1. Any planet aspected by a malefic, who is not a friend is said to be afflicted. [Sun
and Mars do not afflict Jupiter]. Please note the natural friendship and enemity
among the planets to understand this.
2. Nodes (Rahu and Ketu) afflict every other planet. Nodes cause corruption of
natural significations, being a shadowy planet.
Rahu-Jupiter: Guru Chandala Yoga- The native is skeptical to any form of
knowledge and the guru. Also show manusya hatya (death/killing of human)
Rahu-Mars: Vijaya Yoga- Win using any means available
Rahu-Mercury: Causes perverted logic
Rahu-Sun: Aditya Chandala yoga- Lack of conscience/ dharma
Rahu-Moon: Shakthi yoga- Mentally unsettled
One must see where the yoga is happening and its association with the lagna/
atmakaraka for the native's involvement in the bad yogas.
3. Malefic Enemies in conjunction or 1/7th from each other cause trouble in the
house whether they are placed. For example following yogas are dangerous and
shall harm the house where they are placed.
Sun-Saturn
Mars-Saturn
Rahu-Sun
Rahu-Mars etc.
4. Planets defeated in planetary war (two planets placed very near are said to be
in war, a planet that loses longitude has lost the war) fails to protect, its
signification and also the significations of house owned by it suffers.
5. Planet in debiliation is weak to ptotect its house and significations. A planet in
Maran Karak Sthana (MKS) is weak and it fails to protect its house (s).
6. A planet who is combust is also weak. However, it is seen that the natural
significations of a combust planet is enhanced due to brilliance and energy of
Sun, however, the house owned by the planet suffers.
7. Debiliated planets weaken the house they are placed in and also the planets
they are placed with. This is because, debilitated planet is like a resourceless guy,
trying to gain from its environment.
8. Benefics and karakas placed in 2 or 12 the promote the house. Benefics either
in the 2nd or 12th cause Subha yoga, whereas in both the house cause
subhakartari yoga.
9. Fifth house is house of inner harmony (inner peace) 'chitta' in sat-chit-ananda.
If placed with saturn or rahu person becomes restless and cannot be at peace as
they are quite opposed to the karaka Jupiter. Badhakesh placed in fifth with
affliction, person becomes insane.
10. If there is conflict between planet placed in fifth and lagna the native suffers
due to restlessness.
11. Functional nature of any lord placed in 6,8, or 12 from lagna suffers because
enemies (6th) or weakness of past life (8th nija dosha) or past debts (12th) or if
those dusthana lords are placed in those houses. Badhakesh placed in any house,
that house may suffer due to black magic.
12. If a house lord is placed in a Dusthana from the house itself then the external
significations of the house suffers, such as the relatives ruled by the house etc.
However, if it placed in a dusthana from the lagna, then the native suffers wrt to
the house under consideration and the internal significations, such as dhana
(2nd), parakrama (3rd), happiness (4th), power/ authority (5th) etc., shall suffer.
Thus for example, if the 4th lord is in eighth and the karaka Moon is weak, then
the person would be concerned about something related to his mother, however
the mother might not suffer as the lord is placed in the 5th from 8th.
13. A house suffers if its lord is in rasi sandhi or Gandanta. Whenever a planet is
placed in the Rasi Sandhi, it becomes very weak to protect its houses. The
duration of rasi sandhi would be 1 nakshatra pada (3d 20m) each side of rasi
junction. Among the Sandhi, the three gandanthas (sandhi between Pisces-Aries;
Cancer-Leo; Scorpio-Sagittarius) are the most harmful.
14. The controller of sukha trikona is the 4th house [kendra houses control the
trikona]. If 4th house is afflicted the person faces misery. If 4th house is badly
afflicted, person can have suicidal tendencies. This is aggravated if the 5th house
from Moon is also afflicted (with malefics).
CAREFULLY JUDGE THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF EACH HOUSE
AND THEIR KARAKA, THE AFFLICTIONS AND THE SALVAGING FACTORS &
THEN PRONOUNCE THE RESULTS, WHICH WOULD NOT GO WRONG.
ALONG WITH THIS GENERIC ANALYSIS, ONE NEED TO SEE THE NATURAL
YOGAS (GURU-MANGALA, SASI-CHANDRA etc.) AND THE FUNCTIONAL
YOGAS (DHARMA-KARMADHIPATI YOGA, DURYOGAS) ETC. TO DO A
COMPLETE ANALYSIS OF THE CHART.