Book In Focus-
Vedic Astrology
Chandrashekhar Sharma, from Nagpur, is a
sanskrit scholar and a well known name in
the internet forums for his humbleness &
kindness to teach each and everyone. He has
been an ardent student of this science from
decades with deep thoughts into various
disciplines. He the author of the book "Vedic
Astrology Demystified", published by
Parimal Publications Delhi. He is currently
translating Guru Nadi for Saptarishis
Astrology.
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Demystified
Bhavas - An Exposition
By
Chandrashekhar Sharma, India
Readership Level: Intermediate To Advanced
[Publisher: This is extracted from the book
Vedic Astrology – Demystified, by
Chandrashekhar Sharma, a must for all Vedic
students. It is printed by Parimal
Publications, New Delhi and is available in
all book stores including Saptarishis
Astrology Bookshop. We have decided to
give 10 % discount on this book for the
month of July as a mark of respect to the
author.]
1. Strength of Bhavas
We have learnt what is a bhava and what is
the subtle difference between the terms
griha, bhava and bhavanas, in the earlier
chapter. Before we delve into this topic let
us remember, once again, that the terms
griha, bhava and bhavana are used
interchangeably in Jyotish and their
meaning has to be understood from the
context in which they are used. One more
thing to remember is that, sometimes, the
term sthana (place) is also used to indicate
either a bhava or a bhavana (house). An
example is the 2nd house in a chart could
either be called Kutumba bhava or Kutumba
sthana.
Let us now understand the principles
involved in the analysis of a bhava. The
basic principle that needs to be understood
in the analysis of a bhava is that bhava and
bhavesha strengthen each other. Bhavas derive strength from:
aspects received,
strength of their lord (bhavesha),
their karaka grahas,
strength of their lord's dispositor in the rasi chart,
strength of their karaka's dispositor in the rasi chart,
strength of their lord's dispositor in the navamsha,
strength of their karaka's dispositor in the navamsha,
strength of their rasi lord's dispositor, dispositor in the navamsha (this is called
navamshesh-lord of the navamsha rasi occupied by the dispositor),
strength of their rasi karaka's depositor, dispositor in the navamsha (again called
navamshesh)

Similarly bhavas receive strength when they are aspected by either of Guru, Shukra, Budha
or by its own lord. In my opinion, a bhava is also strengthened when it receives the aspect of
a graha that attains exaltation in that bhava, and looses it when aspected by the graha that
attains debilitation in that bhava.

Grahas acquire strength by:

being in their exaltation, own or friend’s rasis in natal and navamsha chart,
being in shubha (auspicious/benefic) bhavas like trikona or kendra, in natal and
navamsha chart.
strength of their sign dispositor,
strength of navamshesh of their sign dispositor,
when the bhava owned by them is strong,

Grahas loose strength by reason of being in debility or occupying enemy rasi, dusthanas and
weakness of their sign dispositor and weakness of navamshesh of their sign dispositor, in
similar fashion. Additionally, conjunction with the nodes afflicts grahas and bhavas get
affliction by their occupation by the nodes.

One should also take into consideration the shad-varga strength (strength in the primary 6
D-charts) and positional strength of a graha for finer assessment. Again it is necessary to
remember that strengths of bhavesha and karaka of a bhava are able to overrule indications
of the grahas themselves, placed in a bhava.
Now the most important thing to remember in analysis of bhava is to pay due importance to
the functional beneficence or malfeasance that a graha gets, by reason of owning a benefic or
malefic bhava, before going on to predict solely on the basis of natural malfeasance or
beneficence. This is more relevant when we want to time events and their nature through
application of Maha Dasha (period of influence of a graha) and other dashas within a
Mahadaasha.

“Sushlokshataka”, one of the commentaries on dasha interpretation on the basis of principles

of “Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra” says:
“¢ha> ola> ola naÇ saEMya> saEMya kdacn.1,3,
grahäù khaläù khalä nätra saumyäù saumyä kadäcana||1|3|

tt! tt! Swananusare[ ÉvNtIh ola> zuÉa,

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tat tat sthänänusäreëa bhavantéha khaläù çubhä |

zuÉa> olaStwa baeXyaStiÚ[Rymwae ï&[u.4.

çubhäù khalästathä bodhyästannirëayamatho çråëu ||4||”

Grahas are not khala (ashubha or malefic) or shubha (benefic) by themselves. They become khala or
shubha on the basis of their rasi placement (ownership of bhavas). Listen to how it is decided as to
whether they are khala or shubha.

2. Functional Beneficence / Malfeasance of Bhava Lords

Let us understand the functional beneficence/ malfeasance of bhava lords, in brief. Lords of
trikona are functional benefics if they are not simultaneously lords of trishadaaya or of the
8th house. Lords of kendra are strong functional benefics if they also own trikona, even if
naturally malefic and become Yoga karaka.

Benefics, if they are lords of a kendra but do not own a trikona simultaneously, are not able
to give their benefic effects and malefics when they are lords of a kendra are not able to
cause harm, if they do not, simultaneously occupy their own kendra house:

Sushlokshataka states:
One must remember that this phenomenon,
“keNÔaixpty> papa ÉvNyÇ zuÉa yt>, of contrary results of kendra ownership,
kendraadhipatayaù päpä bhavanyatra çubhä yataù | does not happen when the graha occupies
its exaltation rasi. This is a common
zuÉa> papaStwa baeXya> àblaíaeÄraeÄra>.5. mistake committed by astrologers.
çubhäù päpästathä bodhyäù prabaläçcottarottaräù ||5||”

The malefics when they own kendras are functional benefics if they occupy house other
than kendra and similarly the benefics become functional malefics if they own kendras and
occupy house other than their kendra house. They are stronger in the order of owning lagna,
4th , 7th and 10th house in ascending order.

In short, the benefics give malefic results and malefics loose their malfeasance when they
own kendras and do not occupy the kendra that they own. This blemish caused to the
benefics that occurs, on account of their ownership of a kendra, is called kendraadhipati
(kendra = square + adhipati = ownership) dosha (blemish). There are four grahas that are
natural benefics that is Guru, Shukra, Mercury (when not conjunct a malefic) and Chandra
(when he has paksha bala). The degree of their malfeasance, in descending order, when they
become kendraadhipatis, not occupying own sign in a kendra is Shukra, Guru, Budha and
Chandra.

In case of kendradhipati dosha attracted by benefics and good results delivered by malefics,
opposite results obtain when they occupy the rasi in the kendra, owned by them. It is well to
understand that when benefics occupy the kendra owned by them, both the bhava they
occupy and the bhavas they aspect will receive good results, whereas when malefics do this,
some indication of the bhava they occupy will get some harm, this will be to the relative
indicated by that bhava, as the malefic can not harm the Jataka himself being in own house,
though they will generally be benefic for that bhava but the bhava they aspect will have a

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higher degree of harm coming their way. This follows the principle enunciated by
“Mantreshwar” when he says in “Phaladeepika”:
papae=ip Svg&h< gt> zuÉkr>,
päpo'pi svagåhaà gataù çubhakaraù|

Even malefics give benefic results when they occupy their own house.

So when, placed in a kendra owned by them, the malefics would become shubha (auspicious)
but also attract dosha and therefore some of the indications of that bhava would suffer,
though others would fructify. An example would be a horoscope having Mars in Scorpio in
the 10th house. The Jataka would be very successful as indicated by Mars in 10th but at the
same time he is not likely to have much Pitru Sukha (happiness on account of father).
Similarly the dosha of kendra ownership of benefics is removed by occupying own rasi in a kendra.

One must remember that this phenomenon, of contrary results of kendra ownership, does
not happen when the graha occupies its exaltation rasi. This is a common mistake
committed by astrologers. An example would be Saturn occupying the 10th bhava in Tula
(Libra) rasi, for Makara (Capricorn) lagna. Saturn will not turn malefic in the 10th house but
would give good results of 10th bhava and even the harm to 12th , 4th and 7th houses that he
aspects will be minimal.

Now let us see the grahas that become functional malefics by reason of owning certain
bhavas.
“Sushlokashataka” tell us:
iÇ;faypit> papíaòmezStwaivx>,
triñaòäyapatiù päpaçcäñöameçastathävidhaù|

xnVyyeñraE caip zuÉazuÉyutaE ¢haE.8.

dhanavyayeçvarau cäpi çubhäçubhayutau grahau||8||

The trishadaayaadhipati grahas (lords of 3rd, 6th and 11th) are paapa (malefics) as is the lord
of the 8th bhava. Lords of 2nd and 12th become malefics or benefics by association with
functional benefic or malefic.

Thus the trishadaayaadhipati (lords of 3rd, 6th and 11th) are treated as functional malefics,
whereas the lords of the 2nd (a maraka sthana and evil) and the 12th, are not out and out
malefics but are neutral and give results depending on the grahas conjoining them being
functional benefics or malefics.
If the lords of 2nd and 12th are not joined by other grahas, then they are treated as neutrals. If they
own another bhava the results of that bhava being a malefic or benefic will ensue. The reason
for their being treated as neutral is that they give both good and bad results as we shall now see. So in
matter of bed pleasures, the 12th lord will give good results where as in matter of expenses it will give
more expense. Similarly for dhana or wealth, 2nd lord will give good results but would give
bad results with respect of health. This would have to be ascertained from transits operating
simultaneously with the dasha of those planets. One can say that generally they will give
evil results as one is maraka and other is lord of trika sthana. Again when we say joining, it

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includes any one of the different sambandhas that are acceptable. Sambandha is defined
below.

Trikesha (lords of the 6th, 8th and 12th) are strong functional malefics but amongst these the
lord of the 12th, as seen above, is not out and out malefic, but is neutral. This distinction
needs to be remembered. It follows that a neutral planet, if not conjunct a functional benefic,
would give some inimical results and some favorable results. One must understand that
though for the purpose of results in their dasha the lord of the 2nd is treated as a neutral,
lords of 2nd and 7th bhava are termed as marakesh (capable of killing) and are capable of
resulting in death in their dasha (period of influence). Other functional malefics can also act
as marakesh to a lesser degree.

3. Bhavas from Chandra

So far we are talking about various bhavas with respect to lagna. We have also seen how to
understand which grahas can be functional benefics or functional malefics. However
whenever bhava analysis is to be done all that applies to a bhava from lagna is also to be
applied to similar bhava from Chandra. The rasi occupied by Chandra is thus also called
Chandra lagna. It is true that Moon represents mana (mind) and has its own effects on the
personality represented by lagna. But that is not the primary reason that analysis from
Chandra rasi is important, had this been the case one would have been asked to analyze the
chart from Surya lagna also, since Surya rules the atmabala (self confidence) of the Jataka.
The primary reason for Chandra lagna being given the same importance as the lagna is the
fact that no assessment of planetary strength is possible with out assessing strength of the
Chandra, it is said:
caNÔ< vIy¡ vIyR bIj< ¢ha[a<.
cändraà véryaà vérya béjaà grahäëäà||

Strength of Chandra is the seed of strength of all planets.

4. Bhavat BhavaH and Bhava from Karaka Bhava

The next important principle is that of “Bhavat BhavaH” meaning, literally, bhava from a
bhava. When one considers a particular bhava from lagna, the bhava similarly ahead of the
bhava under consideration is also to be analyzed to understand the results generated by the
bhava. This is amplified in “Prashna Marga” as:
#òÉaviSwtaE l¶at Éa½.
iñöabhävasthitau lagnäta bhäcca||

A bhava under consideration is to be assessed both from lagna and the same distance from
the bhava under consideration, as that bhava is distant from the lagna.

An example is that if one wants to analyze the strength of say Putra bhava, which is 5th
from lagna, then one must also analyze the strength of 9th bhava, which is 5th from the 5th
bhava to understand about matters governed by 5th bhava.

Another important corollary to the above principle is based upon the importance accorded to
karaka of the bhava. When one looks at and analyses a bhava, it is also necessary to analyze

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 similar bhava from the bhava karaka to come to a more accurate analysis of the bhava
under consideration. For example assessment of 9th bhava is to be made from 5th bhava
(being 9th from 9th Bhava) but also 9th from Surya, the karaka for 9th bhava.

Now we would take into consideration some exceptions, related to grahas, which need to be
understood while analyzing a bhava, especially the 8th bhava. It would be good to remember
that the karaka graha in karaka sthana generally harms the karaka bhava. The stronger the graha
is the greater the harm to the bhava. An example is Putra karaka, Jupiter in the 5th house, in
exaltation, where he is likely to make the Jataka childless.

At the same time one has to apply one’s common sense and understand that Saturn in 8th
house will strengthen the house and not damage it, as he is bali (strong) there. Similarly
lordship of 8th house gives functional malfeasance to Ashtamesha (lord of the 8th bhava),
but not if he is also lord of ascendant and placed in 8th house. The luminaries, Surya and
Chandra, are free from Ashtamesha dosha (blemish on account of becoming the 8th lord).
We should also remember that amongst grahas getting kendradhipati dosha, Venus is the
most malefic, Jupiter, Mercury and Moon also give malefic results but in descending order
of strength.

Bad Years for Marriage by Late B.D.Dhanwantari

1. If Jupiter is in Ascendant then marriage done before the age of 22 will be most
fruitful and better.
2. Sun is in Asc and 7H is empty then one should marry before 24th year.
3. Moon in Asc then marriage done at the age of 24 destroys the mother and
wealth.
4. If Moon is in the 7H then marriage done at the age of 24 or 25 gives bad
results
5. Venus in Asc then marriage done at the age of 24 or 25 destroys the woman
and wealth.
6. If Venus is in the 4th house then marriage done at the age of 22, 24, 29, 32, 39,
45 is considered inauspicious and there would be chances of more than one
marriage.
7. If Venus is in the 7H then marriage should be done after the age of 25

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