Light

on Yogas
Assessing the Quality of Planetary
Combinations

by Marc Boney, M.A.

2
Table of Contents
Introduction 5
The Importance of the Lagna 5
The Quality and Strength of Yogas 12
Gaja Kesari Yoga 16
1st Illustration 18
2nd Illustration 22
3rd Illustration 25
4th Illustration 28
5th Illustration 31
6th Illustration— By Way Of Contrast 39
7th Illustration— By Way Of Contrast 41
8th Illustration— Lasting Infamy 45
9th Illustration— Woody Allen’s
47
Paradoxical Gaja Kesari Yoga
10th Illustration— Fructification in
53
Associated Sub-Periods
11th Illustration— Gaja Kesari Yoga With
55
Influence of Rahu-Ketu
12th Illustration— A Magnificent Gaja
58
Kesari Yoga

88
Assessing Any Yoga in a Birth Chart 64
Saraswati Yoga 66
Some Contrast 73
Sharper Contrast 76
Technical Summary 80
About the Author 85

89
 Dedicated to Shri K.N. Rao

Who ignited in me the light of Jyotisha

“Jyotisha is the art of seeing light, of guiding, of counseling
based on the truth called the horoscope. Jyotisha is the
pathway to God through the mazes of intuitions and the
brilliance of an organized science, like any other science.
Jyotisha is the fusion of the divine with the mundane, the
metaphysical with the scientific methodology, a divine chorus
of the music of the heavens and the dance of the stars. It is
that divine ballet, Jyotisha, which is at once both a divinity
and science that we are presenting.”

4
Introduction

The essence of Jyotisha is yogas and dashas. The first

indicate what a person is likely to experience in life
based on their past-life karma, and latter show when
this will happen.

From this standpoint, the analysis of a horoscope

becomes largely an analysis of the yogas in the birth
chart. This means:

1. Identifying them

2. Assessing their ability to give their promised

“fruits” in terms of:

- Fully
- Partially
- Not at all

3. Timing these results through the planetary

periods

The Importance of the Lagna

The birth lagna is the “pillar” around which a

horoscope revolves. It is for this reason that the over-
all condition of the lagna and lagna lord should be the
first point of analysis in a chart. The kinds of results a

5
horoscope will give over-all are a good deal dependent
on the favorable or unfavorable disposition of these
vital points. In general:

A lagna and lagna lord that are favorably disposed

help enable any good yoga in a birth chart to give
its results more fully. Conversely, they also tend
to inhibit the more bitter fruit of negative yogas.

A lagna and lagna lord that are not favorably

disposed tend to retard the sweeter fruit of good
yogas, and enable challenging combinations to
give more virulent results.

Factors that make the lagna strong and favorably

disposed are:

1. Occupied or aspected by the lagna lord

2. Occupied or aspected by natural benefics,
particularly if well dignified
3. Not being occupied or aspected by natural malefics
4. Being exclusively hemmed by natural benefics
(Shubha-Katari Yoga)
5. Benefic yogas forming in the lagna like Gaja
Kesari Yoga, raja yoga etc.
6. Vargottama lagna (Same lagna in navamsha as in
the birth chart)

6
Factors that make the lagna lord strong and favorably
disposed are:

1. When it well dignified (exalted, moolatrikona,

own sign etc.)
2. When it occupies an auspicious house (trines and
angles)
3. When it is associated or aspected by natural
benefics or lords of auspicious houses.
4. When it is hemmed by benefics
5. When it is not poorly dignified, combust, defeated
in a planetary war, in a sandhi, hemmed by
malefics, placed in an inauspicious house (6, 8, or
12) or associated with or aspected by natural
malefics or lords of inauspicious houses.

See the chart of actor, Paul Newman, given below:

7
It can be seen that his lagna fulfills many of these
conditions.

1. His lagna lord Jupiter is in its moolatrikona sign in

its own house and associated with two benefics.
2. The three best natural benefics, Venus, Jupiter, and
Mercury are situated in the lagna and Jupiter and
Mercury get directional strength in the 1 house.
st

3. Jupiter and Mercury combining form a significant

1-10 raja yoga, while Jupiter combining with
Venus gives a 1-11 dhana yoga.

His exalted Saturn does aspect lagna/lagna, but this is

the only blemish in an otherwise highly benefic picture.

The chart of billionaire entrepreneur Ross Perot

provides another good illustration.

1. The Moon and Jupiter forming a Gaja Kesari Yoga

occupy his lagna.
2. The two natural benefics, Mercury and Venus, are
in the houses on either side of the lagna, giving a
benefic “hemming,” or Shubha Katari Yoga.
3. Jupiter gets directional strength in the 1 house,
st

and its placement as the 10 lord in the 1 house is

th st

an excellent raja yoga.

8
Again, however, this disposition of the lagna is not
totally without some blemish, since the lagna also
contains the mildly malefic Sun, and the aspect of
Saturn. However, the latter is the 9 lord of this chart
th

and its mutual aspect with the 2 lord Moon is a dhana

nd

yoga, and it forms a 9-10 raja yoga with Jupiter. All in

all, this is an extremely powerful and well-disposed
lagna.

Let’s look now at the other side of the story.

Factors that make the lagna weak and unfavorably

disposed are:

1. When not occupied or aspected by its lord
2. When occupied or aspected by natural malefics,
particularly if debilitated, in an enemy’s sign,
combust or defeated in a planetary war
3. When hemmed by malefics or Papa Kartari Yoga.
4. When not occupied or aspected by natural benefics

9
 or lords of auspicious houses.
5. When adverse yogas form in the lagna.

Factors that make the lagna lord weak and unfavorably

disposed are:

1. When in a poor dignity like debilitation or great
enemy/enemy sign
2. When in an unfavorable condition like sandhi,
gandanta, combust, or defeated in a planetary war
3. When associated with or aspected by natural
malefics
4. When hemmed exclusively by natural malefics
5. When placed in adverse houses (6, 8, 12) and
under the additional malefic influence

The chart given below is illustrative, in that every

malefic influence is on the lagna.

10
 1. The 8 lord Mars, the 12 lord Sun and Rahu are in
th th

the lagna
2. The 6 lord Saturn aspects these planets in the
th

lagna and
3. There are no benefics aspecting the lagna, or the
lagna lord, Mercury.

Were it not for the miracle of modern medical science,

this woman would not be alive today, since she has
required two kidney transplants. But notice that the two
natural benefics Mercury and Jupiter are also hemming
the lagna, giving Shubha Katari Yoga. This was her
“saving grace.”

In the following chart, Rahu is very close to the degree

of the lagna, and the lagna lord, Mercury, goes in to the
6 house, Scorpio, in the sign of an enemy, is retrograde
th

and combust. Its dispositor, Mars, is debilitated and

conjunct the 8 lord Saturn. He has had a very difficult
th

life, and at times, has been an unemployed homeless

person, despite some good yogas in his chart.

11
The point being made here is that before assessing the
yogas in a chart and their potential results, never fail to
see the condition of the lagna/lagna lord and how these
either support or potentially militate against their giving
their results in full measure.

The Quality and Strength of Yogas

The real skill in this modern computer era is not so
much discovering the different yogas in a birth chart.
Today’s Jyotisha software programs can do that
instantly. The real skill of an astrologer is to be able to
assess their strength and quality.

By “strength” is meant the magnitude of the effect, and

by “quality” is meant the ability of the yoga to give its
effect in a more or less pure, unadulterated and
unblemished form.

12

Both of these issues are largely a matter of the over-all
condition and disposition of the planets forming the
yoga. Assessing the quality and strength of yogas in a
chart requires first and foremost the ability to assess the
over-all condition, disposition, and strength of planets.
Before looking at assessing yogas then, it would be
good to review what enables a planet to give strong and
more favorable results—or the reverse.

13
Summary of the Favorable Conditions of a Planet

Exalted (particularly moving towards and very
near its highest point)
Moolatrikona
Own Sign
Great Friend
Friend
Located in an “angle house” (1, 4, 7, 10)
Located in a “trine house” (1, 5, 9)
Located in the same sign in navamsha chart
(vargottama)
Directional Strength (Jupiter/Mercury in 1,
Moon/Venus in 4, Saturn in 7, Sun/Mars in 10)
Obtaining a good dignity in the navamsha (see first
four points)
Obtaining a good dignity (see first four points) in a
number of divisional charts in the dasa varga
scheme (10 divisions)
Conjunct or aspected by natural benefics
“Hemmed-in” or placed between natural benefics
Conjunct or aspected by planets ruling favorable
house (angles and trines)
Dispositor or “landlord” is in an especially good
dignity (own or exalted) and/or has a good house
placement (angle or trine)
Devoid of the influences of natural malefics, or
houses 6, 8, 12 and their lords
Nakshatra dispositor is in a good dignity (own or
exalted) and/or has a good house placement (angle

14
 or trine).

Whenever several of these factors apply to one planet

simultaneously, the strong and favorable effect is
intensified.

Summary of the Unfavorable Conditions of a Planet

Debilitated
Great Enemy
Enemy
Too close to the Sun (combustion)
Defeated in a planetary war
At the juncture point between two signs (either at
very early or late degrees)
Located in unfavorable houses (6, 8, 12)
Conjunct or aspected by malefics
Surrounded by or “hemmed-in” by malefics
Conjunct or aspected by planets ruling unfavorable
house (6, 8, 12)
Dispositor or “landlord” is in an especially poor
dignity like “debilitated” and/ or has an adverse
house placement (6, 8, 12)
Devoid of the influence of natural benefics or lords
of trine houses (1, 5, 9)
Poor dignity like debilitation in the navamsha
unless their is clear cancellation

15
 Poor dignity in a good number of important
divisional charts, particularly in the dasa varga (ten
divisions) scheme.

Whenever several of these factors apply to one planet

simultaneously, the weakening and unfavorable effect is
intensified.

Gaja Kesari Yoga

Take, for example, Gaja Kesari Yoga, probably the

most well-known and recognizable graha yoga of
Jyotisha—and probably the least understood. If
everyone who has this yoga in their chart were to
achieve “enduring fame”—one of the effects attributed
to this combination—nearly one third of the population
would qualify! Obviously, just because Jupiter falls in
an angle from the Moon in a chart doesn’t mean an
individual is going to get this result.

The name of the yoga consists of the combination of the

Sanskrit word for elephant (gaja) and lion (kesari). The
elephant is, of course, the largest, most powerful beast
of the jungle, and the lion is, well, the “king of beasts.”
The implication then is that the full fruit of this yoga
can make someone a prominent person, “a big name” in
their area of endeavor.

Two classics of Jyotisha give the following results:

16
"One born in Gaja Kesari Yoga is illustrious,
overpowering, virtuous, wealthy, intelligent, scholarly,
of royal bearing and enjoys lasting fame."

"One born in Gaja Kesari Yoga will be splendorous,

wealthy, intelligent, endowed with many laudable
virtues and will please the king."

Many factors can modify and even completely negate

the results given in the classics. But when Gaja Kesari
Yoga is really giving its fruits, the implication that a
person becomes a “prominent person” enjoying “lasting
fame” becomes remarkably true.

However, for Gaja Kesari Yoga to give these kinds of

results, Parashara stipulates that Jupiter should be
conjunct or aspected by another benefic, and not
debilitated, combust or in an enemy’s sign. To this I
would add what my jyotish-guru, K.N. Rao, has taught
me. He emphasizes that Jupiter’s angular position from
both the Moon and the birth lagna, the dignity and
house lordship of these planets, their house placement,
and their association with benefics and malefics, must
all be taken into account when judging the effects of
this yoga in a chart.

Most importantly, the individual must get either the

Moon or Jupiter dasha at the right time of life to enjoy
the full fruit of this yoga.

17
1 Illustration
st

A true Gaja Kesari Yoga in the chart of actress Susan

Sarandon gave her an Oscar for Best Actress in 1996
for her performance in Dead Man Walking, and made
her a Lioness of Hollywood.

Note some interesting features of her birth chart.

The birth lagna and Chandra lagna are the same

The lagna lord Saturn goes into the 7 house,

th

aspecting its own house, and is in a powerful 1-7

exchange with the 7 lord Moon. This position of
th

the lagna lord in an angle giving raja yoga and

involved in an exchange gives this chart
tremendous strength.

18
 Saturn in the 7 house also obtains directional
th

strength, and it is my repeated observation that

planets involved in an exchange seem to give their
results very strongly, almost as if they were “own
sign.”

In the navamsha, Saturn is again the lagna lord,
and again is involved in an even more powerful 1-
10 exchange with the 10 lord Mars. All of this
th

reflects the strong personality that she is, and the

strength of her lagna/lagna lord enables other
yogas in her chart to give their results powerfully.

Her chart shows Gaja Kesari Yoga, with Jupiter falling

10th from both the Moon and the lagna. It’s the
genuine article. Why? See these points.

In her case Jupiter falls in the most powerful angle, both

from the Moon and from the birth lagna, since they are
the same.

Jupiter and the Moon are both very strong. See the
reasons why carefully.

Jupiter:
1. Jupiter falls in the most powerful angle.
2. Jupiter is in its moolatrikona sign, Sagittarius, in
the navamsha.

19
 Navamsha Chart:

3. Jupiter is with another benefic, Mercury, per

Parashara’s stipulation
4. Jupiter’s dispositor is the yoga karaka planet
Venus, who is involved in a benefic 10-11
exchange with Mars, giving these planets great
strength. Mars additionally get directional strength
5. Jupiter’s nakshatra dispositor is Rahu, who is
exalted in the 5 house Taurus and giving the
th

results of the yoga karaka, Venus.

6. Jupiter is additionally involved in a raja yoga. As
an impressionable 12 lord, it gets impressed with
th

the angle-trine combination of its friend Mars as

the 4 lord, and the 9 lord Mercury.
th th

20
Moon:
1. The Moon is waxing and reasonably bright.
2. The Moon is vargottama.
3. It is configured in powerful raja yogas as well,
produced both by its placement as the 7 lord in the
th

1 house, and by the exchange with the lagna lord

st

Saturn.
4. This Moon continues to be involved in raja yogas
from Chandra Lagna in the navamsha (D-9).

For these reasons, Susan Sarandon’s Gaja Kesari Yoga

has the potency to actually make her a prominent
person among her peers, and bring enduring fame, but
the question arises, “In what profession?”

Note that both from the birth lagna and the Moon,
Jupiter is the 3 lord of acting in the 10 house of career
rd th

achievements.

As we have seen, this 3 lord Jupiter is configured in a

rd

powerful Gaja Kesari Yoga, as well as powerful raja

yogas. Her Jupiter falls in the artistic, Venus-ruled
rashi of Libra, and gives the result partly of Rahu,
whose nakshatra (Swati) it is in. Rahu in turn goes into
the Venus-ruled rashi of Taurus. The 3 house bent is
rd

in the direction of the arts, and therefore, her Jupiter can

bring her great success and fame as an actress. And
when? Now see the operation of the astonishing cosmic
clock that is the Vimshottari dasha.

21
She made her movie debut in 1971 during Rahu-
Jupiter. Rahu dasha has to raise her up since it is
exalted in the 5 house, giving the results of the 10 lord
th th

and yoga karaka Venus, who itself is involved in a 10-

11 exchange and aspects her Rahu. Come the Jupiter
sub-period, her 3 lord, and she becomes a movie
rd

actress. Note the connection between Rahu and Jupiter

created by Jupiter’s placement in Rahu nakshatra,
Swati.

Through the Rahu period she gets some good roles and
some acclaim, but is not able to achieve stardom. But
then comes the major period of Jupiter beginning in
1984. In Jupiter-Mercury, two planets conjunct in her
10 house, she shoots to major stardom for her role in
th

Thelma and Louise. But the best is still to come. In

Jupiter-Moon the full fruit of Gaja Kesari Yoga is
available to her and she wins the Oscar for Best Actress
and Hollywood immortality for “Dead Man Walking.”

Note how in both of these movies she plays powerful,

feisty, strong-willed woman. Mars is conjunct Jupiter
and aspects the Moon, and then recall the powerful 1-10
exchange between Mars and Saturn in the navamsha.
This is not a woman to trifle with!

2 Illustration
nd

Actor, writer, director, producer, and Hollywood

22
megastar, Sylvester Stallone, could not have been a
more obscure “wannabe” when he scored a huge
success with Rocky in 1976. He took the concept of
sequel to new heights and by 1980 he was a “top cat” in
Tinsel town, making $12 million per movie.

The Moon and Jupiter are together in the 10 house of
th

his chart forming Gaja Kesari Yoga. Like Susan

Sarandon’s, it’s the real deal.

It is forming in the strongest angle, and the house

of career.

Jupiter is in an angle from both the birth lagna and

the Moon.

23
As the 1 lord in the 10 house, Jupiter is also
st th

configured in an excellent raja yoga. It goes into

the sign of a Great Friend in the navamsha. Like in
the case of Susan Sarandon, we find the
lagna/lagna lord very strong and favorable.

Navamsha Chart:

Moon is very strong since it is vargottama,

waxing, and more than half full.

The Moon is also involved in an exchange of

signs/houses with Mercury. This qualifies as the
additional influence of a another benefic, per
Parashara’s stipulation, and the exchange between
the 8 lord Moon and 10 lord Mercury show the
th th

sudden, unexpected rise or “reversal” in his career

24
 fortunes.

The conjunction of this 10 lord Mercury of career

th

and 3 lord Saturn of the dramatic arts, with

rd

Venus, the planet of the arts, shows his career as

an actor.

The Gaja Kesari Yoga does get a “blemish,” given

Saturn’s aspect, but again it is the aspect of the 3 rd

lord of acting onto a benefic yoga in the 10 house

th

of career.

It was in his Jupiter-Venus period that the whole Rocky

phenomenon started in late 1976, and by July of 1979,
when he moved into Jupiter-Moon, he was a Hollywood
mega-star. His Gaja Kesari Yoga made him a screen
immortal playing a lovable lug that wanted to prove to
his girl friend and the world, that he “wasn’t just
another bum from the neighborhood.” I suspect it was
a case of art imitating life.

3 Illustration
rd

A true Gaja Kesari Yoga in the chart of child actress

Drew Barrymore made her a movie star at the tender
age of eight when she assisted E.T. to “phone home.”

25

In many ways, her Gaja Kesari Yoga is “textbook.”

The lagna lord, Venus, is exalted in a good house

with another well dignified benefic, Jupiter.

Jupiter, one half of the yoga, is strong in its own

sign Pisces and even stronger in
the navamsha where it goes into its exaltation sign,
Cancer.

Navamsha Chart:

26

Jupiter has the influence of another benefic, in this
case an exalted Venus, per Parashara’s additional
stipulation.

The Moon is waxing and 75% full and derives its

great strength from being in its exaltation sign,
Taurus in the navamsha.

The Moon is the 3 lord of acting with Saturn, the

rd

10 lord of career. Saturn is also the yoga karaka

th

for Taurus Lagna being the 9 and 10 lord.

th th

From the Moon, Jupiter is the 10 lord in the 10

th th

house with the 5 lord Venus, giving a dramatic

th

raja yoga.

27
It was exactly in the Jupiter-Moon period—giving the
full fruit of Gaja Kesari Yoga—when she appeared in
movie, E.T.

We have now seen illustrations of three strong and

high-quality Gaja Kesari Yogas that gave these cinema
artists prominence, great fame, and a lasting name when
this yoga got fully activated in Jupiter-Moon.

Let’s look now at two other examples where Gaja

Kesari Yoga is also giving very real and outstanding
results, but where the picture is just a bit inferior to
those we’ve seen thus far.




4 Illustration
th

Actor Larry Hagman is most known for his role in the

TV sit-com I Dream of Jeannie in the 60’s, but even
more so for his portrayal of the devilish oil baron, J.R
Ewing, of Dallas, one of the most popular TV shows of
the late 70’s and early 80’s.

If you look at his chart, you’ll see that he has a similar

pattern as Susan Sarandon in that both the birth lagna
and the Moon are Capricorn, and the Moon is involved
in Gaja Kesari Yoga, where Jupiter becomes the 3 lord rd

of the dramatic arts.

28


In Hagman’s case, Jupiter falls 7 from the Moon in

th

Cancer, its exaltation sign. Again it is a case of Jupiter

falling in an angle from both the birth lagna and the
Moon. The Moon is again configured in raja yoga as
the 7 lord in the 1 house.
th st

See, however, some subtle differences, that make it a

less powerful Gaja Kesari Yoga.

1. The lagna lord, Saturn, is not near as strong, going

into the 12 house. Note however, that Saturn's
th

dispositor is an exalted planet in an angle giving

Parvata Yoga.
2. Jupiter does not have the additional influence of
other natural benefics.
3. His Jupiter, though exalted in the birth chart, gets
debilitated in the navamsha, though with some
cancellation.

29
 4. His Moon is not vargottama like Susan’s
Sarandon, though it does have a good dignity in
navamsha (Friend sign).

Navamsha Chart:

Still, it is a good Gaja Kesari Yoga, falling on the

powerful 1-7 house axis, with the Moon 70% full, and
the yoga unblemished by the additional influence of
malefics, except than Mars’s aspect on the Moon from
the 10 house.
th

Accordingly, he landed the part in I Dream of Jeannie

just as he entered his Jupiter major period. Dallas
premiered thirteen years later when the yoga became
fully activated in Jupiter-Moon in 1978. Hagman
became a huge international celebrity when the popular

30
show was syndicated worldwide.

5 Illustration
th

Heather Locklear is another TV performer whose star
reached a zenith by way of her Gaja Kesari Yoga. Hers
is also slightly less stellar that ones we saw earlier, but
still quite powerful.

Her lagna lord, Jupiter, who is also one of the

constituents of the yoga, might appear weak, falling as
it does in its debilitation sign, Capricorn. However,
notice that it is in a good house, and involved in a 10-11
exchange with Saturn, which allows it to give
deceptively strong results.

It would also appear not to have the additional influence

of other natural benefics. Yet, Jupiter at 4 degrees of
Capricorn is in nearly exact angle relationship with

31
Mercury at 5 degrees of Libra. The mutual influence
caused by such a tight angle relationship is nearly as
strong as if they were in mutual aspect.

However, it was her Moon period, not Jupiter’s, that

brought the role on Melrose Place, the one for which
she is most known. Note that:

Her Moon is vargottama and 87% full (though

waning).

For a Pisces lagna, both the Moon and Jupiter have

good house lordships.

Both in the birth chart and in the navamsha, her

Moon is involved in a powerful Chandra-Mangala
Yoga in which both planets are vargottama.
Additionally, in the birth chart, the Moon and Mars
both rule excellent houses, the 5 and 9 .
th th

Navamsha Chart:

32

The 5 lord Moon’s mutual aspect with the 4 and
th th

7 lord Mercury also gives raja yoga.

th

It is not surprising then that her Moon period, since it is

so strong and involved in so many benefic yogas, has
proven extraordinary.

A role was created for her on Melrose Place to boost

flagging ratings, and after her appearance, the show
took off again, peaking in popularity in the 1996-1998
period when she was running Moon-Jupiter. Again, we
see a good Gaja Kesari Yoga giving its fruit when
activated in the dasha sequence.

These five illustrations of Gaja Kesari Yoga highlight

the fact that when assessing this combination the
following factors should always be considered:

33
1. Whether Jupiter falls in an angle from the birth
lagna, as well as from the Moon.

2. The strength of the two planets, particularly

Jupiter, in terms of planetary dignity, vargottama
placement, directional strength etc. This should be
considered in both the birth chart and the
navamsha, and for a more thorough assessment, in
the dasha varga scheme.

3. House placement of the Moon and Jupiter. These

two planets falling in angle houses are best.
Placement in trine houses and more neutral houses,
like 2 and 11, is better than placement in dusthana
(3, 6, 8, 12).

4. House lordship. Gaja Kesari Yoga formed in

instances where Jupiter and the Moon rule angle
and trine houses, as in the case of Pisces lagna, can
give some of the best results, since a raja yoga will
also ensue.

Outstanding examples of Gaja Kesari Yoga,

in which all four of the above mentioned
conditions are present, occur when the Moon
and Jupiter combine in a Cancer lagna chart

34
 in the 1 house, or in an Aries lagna chart in
st

the 4 house. These are rare in my

th

experience.

5. Parashara stipulates that Jupiter should be

associated or aspected by another natural benefic
for Gaja Kesari Yoga to show its truest colors.

6. Parashara further stipulates that Jupiter should not

be combust, debilitated, or in an enemy’s sign.
This caveat emphasizes the earlier point that the
best results come about when Jupiter is strong, and
that results may be non-existent if Jupiter is weak,
by virtue of being debilitated etc.

7. Ideally, Jupiter and the Moon should not come

under the influence of any of the natural malefics.
Association with these should be considered as a
"blemish," and thus the fruit will not be "pure and
unadulterated."

8. Activation of the yoga in the major periods of the

Moon and Jupiter, particularly the latter, is
absolutely essential. Otherwise, even a good Gaja
Kesari Yoga in a birth chart is something of an
empty promise. It is optimal when these periods
run in the prime of life.

35
Among these factors, I would like to emphasize the
importance of the strength of the Moon and Jupiter, vis-
à-vis their navamsha placement.

The following table summarizes the dignity of the

Moon and Jupiter in both the birth chart and the
navamsha in the five illustrations.

Moon in
Birth Chart Birth Moon
D-9

Sarandon Enemy Vargottama

Stallone Great Friend Vargottama

Barrymore Neutral Exalted

Hagman Friend Friend

Locklear Enemy Vargottama

36


Jupiter in
Birth Chart Birth Jupiter
D-9

Sarandon Neutral Moolatrikona

Stallone Neutral Neutral

Barrymore Own Sign Exalted

Hagman Exalted Debilitated*

Locklear Debilitated* Friend

37
Looking at this table, we can see in particular the
strength of the Moons in D-9, especially since the
dignities are unremarkable in the birth chart. Three of
them are vargottama, and one is exalted. In the case of
Jupiter’s debility in Heather Locklear’s birth chart and
Larry Hagman’s navamsha, both are clear instances of
cancellation and even “cancellation leading to raja
yoga” (neecha bhanga raja yoga).

The strength of planets forming yogas shows the

magnitude of the results they can bring, and for this, a
planet’s good placement in the navamsha, particularly a
vargottama position is particularly effective. A
debilitated Jupiter even if it gets cancellation, is not as
good as one that is moolatrikona in the navamsha, and
hence, Susan Sarandon’s Gaja Kesari Yoga is more
powerful than Heather Locklear’s. Sarandon’s won her
an Oscar and put her at the top of Hollywood’s “A-list,”
whereas Locklear’s made her the star of a popular TV
show.

It should be clear by now that the effects attributed to

Gaja Kesari Yoga given in the ancient classics are not
meaningless or hyperbolic. It can make a person
illustrious and give them enduring fame but only when
the yoga is operating under ideal, or nearly ideal
conditions.

Two more illustrations help make this point by way of

38
contrast.

6 Illustration—By Way Of Contrast

th

Earlier I emphasized that in order to enjoy the full fruit

of any good yoga it is critical that the individual get the
dasha of the planets involved, and at a time of life in
which they can take full advantage of it.

I was recently contacted by a person whose chart is

given below, complaining that astrologers have been
telling her that her horoscope shows very good “luck,’
but that “she’s never seen any of it.”

Look closely and you will see that this chart bears some
similarity to Heather Locklear’s in that the lagna is
Pisces, there is Gaja Kesari Yoga formed by the 1 and st

10 lord Jupiter with the 5 lord Moon, and Saturn and

th th

Venus are again in the 10 and 6 respectively.

th th

39
Assessing this chart and this yoga in the light of
previous criteria, it is easy to see why astrologers have
been telling her “she’s lucky.”

Jupiter, the lagna lord, and one half of the yoga,

goes into the 9 house of “luck” in the sign of a
th

Great Friend, and gets exalted in the navamsha.

Navamsha Chart:

Jupiter is in an angle relationship with the two
natural benefics Venus and Mercury, though the
degrees are fairly wide. Still, in my mind this
additional stipulation of Parashara’s would be
satisfied by these relationships.

The Moon is vargottama, but also debilitated. In

which case, it can’t give the very strong results that
a vargottama planet normally would.

40
 The yoga is not blemished by any additional
influence of natural malefics.

All in all, this is not a bad picture—but for one critically

important element. Other astrologers may have failed to
mention to her the importance of dasha for activating
this promise in her birth chart!

She was born in her Saturn period and this means that
she will never experience her Jupiter dasha in this
lifetime. Between the Moon and Jupiter, the later could
have brought the full benefit of the raja, dhana and
Gaja Kesari yogas formed by these two planets
combining in her 9 house of fortune.
th

As it is, she will get her Moon period starting at age 52,
which should bring some blessings, particularly from
the standpoint of spiritual progress and development but
these should be "ordinary" based on the weakness of the
Moon.

7 Illustration—By Way Of Contrast

th

The results of Gaja Kesari Yoga can also become

attenuated when it gets blemished in various ways.

In the chart given below, the 1 and 4 lord, Jupiter,

st th

combines with the 8 lord Moon, to give Gaja Kesari

th

41
Yoga in Pisces in the 4 house. The woman to whom
th

the chart belongs ran her Moon period from ages 35 to

45, the prime of life. The good points are:

1. The lagna lord, and one half of the yoga, Jupiter, is

in an angle house in its own sign, giving Hamsa
Mahapurusha Yoga as well.

2. Jupiter is falling in an angle from both the birth

lagna and Moon.

3. The Moon is vargottama.

4. The yoga repeats in the navamsha.

42
 Navamsha Chart:

However, the “blemishes” that make this yoga

deteriorate considerably are:

1. The Moon at 28-37 Pisces becomes vargottama at

these degrees, but also falls in a dangerous
gandanta position, the last 3 degrees of a water
sign, or first three degrees of a fire sign.

2. Jupiter does not come under the influence of any

additional natural benefics.

3. Saturn as a natural malefic, functional malefic, and

maraka aspects the yoga.

43
 4. Worse, the 4 house Pisces is “hemmed in” by
th

natural malefics falling on either side in Aquarius

and Aries. This, and the aspect of Saturn are
particularly damaging because the lagna lord and
both constituents of the yoga are all affected. This
makes the Jupiter-Moon combination an arishta
yoga, or misfortunate combination as well.

5. Its unlikely that she will get her Jupiter period,

which could have given her some of the better
benefits of the Hamsa Mahapurusha and the Gaja
Kesari Yoga, though quite blemished.

As it was, the Moon period did bring some blessings,

particularly as it pertained to 4 house matters. The
th

death of her husband’s father gave them an inheritance

that allowed them to purchase a long-desired home of
their own. See that the Moon rules the 8 house of
th

inheritances.

During Moon-Jupiter, the height of the yoga, they

upgraded to a much nicer home, and fulfilled a long-
standing dream of opening and operating a Yoga
Center. Since the Moon rules the 5 house from Moon,
th

and Jupiter is the natural karaka of children, she also

gave birth to a child at this time.

44
But the house needed a lot of work and renovation,
there was trouble with partnership in the Yoga Center,
and the child proved sickly as an infant. The strain of
this severely damaged her health (Jupiter is the 1 lord)st

and she developed chronic fatigue syndrome in the

subsequent period of Moon-Saturn, where she felt at
times as if she were dying.

Her very “blemished” Gaja Kesari Yoga could not

make her a prominent person enjoying enduring fame,
though it did give her a nice home that my teacher
described as having an atmosphere “like a temple" after
he stayed there.

8 Illustration—Lasting Infamy
th

A blemished Gaja Kesari Yoga involving adverse house
placement made former White House intern, Monica
Lewinsky, one of the most infamous woman of the
modern era.

During her Moon-Jupiter period, 70 million viewers

tuned in to see her tell her story to Barbara Walters on
national television, and a publishing house paid $1.5
million for a book contract. Earlier in Moon-Rahu
(which gives results similar to Moon-Jupiter) she was
the focus of one of the most intense media blitzes in
history.

The first thing to see in this regard is that her

45
 Moon falls in the 8 house of intrigue, scandal, and
th

humiliation.

The Moon is waning and less than half full. It’s
dispositor, Mars, is the 8 lord in the 7 house of
th th

relationships, aspected by the 6 lord Saturn.

th

Jupiter does not fall in an angle from the lagna, but

in the 5 house of love affairs.
th

Jupiter is aspected by another benefic (Mercury),

but it is debilitated.

The mutual aspect between Jupiter and Mercury

does give a inferior raja yoga.

46
 The yoga does repeat in the navamsha, but the
Moon is aspected by Rahu/Ketu, Mars, and Saturn,
while Jupiter is aspected by Mars and Saturn. In
other words, the dignity is unremarkable there and
both planets are grossly afflicted.

Navamsha Chart:

Her Moon-Jupiter combination was potent enough to

make her a “significant person” for a brief moment and
give a kind of enduring “name,” but marred in such a
way that it brought lasting infamy as the “scarlet
woman” in a scandalous affair that nearly toppled a
Presidency.

9 Illustration—Woody Allen’s Paradoxical Gaja

th

Kesari Yoga

Like many of us, actor and filmmaker, Woody Allen, is

47
something of a paradox. In his career he progressed
from comedy writer, to stand-up comedian, to writing,
acting, directing, and producing his own movies, the
vast majority of which are comedies. He has, in other
words, spent the majority of his life making others
laugh.

Yet biographical accounts emphasize his legendary

phobias, his lifelong psychoanalytic treatment (at one
point he went everyday for eight years), his depressive
tendencies and his eternal struggle with the existential
questions of life. He is also a renowned atheist/agnostic
who hated having to go to Temple as a child, and who
often mocks and pokes fun at religion and religious
people in his movies.

These aspects of his personality have all been used very

creatively in his work and depicted on screen with
comic effect, but one frequently gets the sense that
underlying it all is a deeply unhappy person, who in his
early career was once quoted as saying “I would rather
be anyone than who I am.”

In astrology, Jupiter is the planet that signifies good

humor, optimism, idealism, faith, hope, religiosity, and
a general buoyancy of spirit, whereas Saturn represents
depression, pessimism, nihilism, sadness, grief and a
general despondency of spirit.

48

It is interesting then to see how these two opposing
planetary archetypes strongly influence the three most
important elements of his birth chart—the lagna/lagna
lord, the Moon, and Sun, which represent the body,
mind, and spirit.

Jupiter is closely conjunct the Sun, who in his Leo

lagna chart is also the lagna lord, and is configured in
Gaja Kesari Yoga with the Moon. But Saturn is
conjunct his Moon, and in very close aspect with the
lagna lord Sun and the exact degree of the ascendant.
Being in its moolatrikona in the birth chart and its own
sign in the navamsha, it is very strong, and is a
dominant influence.

Navamsha Chart:

49
Here we see the image of the “sad clown” whom one
suspects would like to have faith, hope and belief in the
essential goodness of life and in the existence of a
Supreme Being, but who just can’t and can’t understand
how others can.

The heavy lead in his personality (Saturn) outweighs

and overshadows the more buoyant element (Jupiter),
such that the latter becomes primarily a coping
mechanism. Humor is a way of dealing with and trying
to overcome the depressive and despairing feelings
resulting from the dominant influence of Saturn. It’s
like he’s saying, “I’ll laugh, and make you laugh, as a
means to keep from crying.”

This is why I refer to his Gaja Kesari Yoga as a

“paradoxical” one. Due to its “blemishes,” it falls short
of giving fully some of the innate idealism and even
spirituality that can be a part of the fruit of this yoga
when pure and unadulterated.

50
One of these blemishes is due to the combustion of
Jupiter, which falls just 4 degrees from the Sun. This
weakens the effect of Jupiter and harms its
significations (like religion!). The classics of Jyotisha
suggest that combustion is a rather ruinous condition of
a planet and that such a graha is incapable of giving
good and favorable results. However, in my experience
this kind of interpretative principle needs to be balanced
(as always!) with other ameliorating factors.

Woody Allen ran his Jupiter period from 1956 to 1972

(ages 21 to 37), and it was exactly during this time that
he first became a star as a writer, performer, and
moviemaker. His Jupiter definitely did give strong and
favorable results despite its combustion, and the reasons
are:

His Jupiter is involved in multiple raja yogas in

addition to giving some of the effects of Gaja
Kesari Yoga.

It has other sources of strength.

As the 5 lord in the 4 house conjunct the lagna lord

th th

Sun, Jupiter very definitely gives raja yoga. Though

blemished by combustion and the close aspect of a
malefic, Saturn, the Gaja Kesari Yoga here is good in
other respects.

51
 1. Jupiter is in an angle from both the birth lagna and
the Moon

2. Jupiter has the additional association of a benefic,
in this case Mercury. The combination of the 5 th

lord Jupiter, the 1 lord Sun, and the 2 and 11

st nd th

lord Mercury is also a substantial dhana yoga.

3. Jupiter is in a Great Friend’s sign, the best avastha,

and obtains five good divisions in the dasa varga
scheme.

4. Jupiter’s dispositor, Mars is an exalted and
vargottama planet.

In his Jupiter-Moon period, activating his Gaja Kesari

Yoga, Allen appeared in Take the Money and Run, the
first of many comedies in which wrote the script and
starred as the main character.

This example of Gaja Kesari Yoga illustrates how

important it is to see all the conditions of a planet and
then “weigh them up” before making a judgment about
the fruit the yoga can bring. Parashara, when giving the
necessary qualifications for becoming a good predictive
astrologer, uses the phrase “uha poha patu,” which
means the ability to weigh different factors in arriving

52
at an accurate conclusion.

10 Illustration—Fructification in Associated Sub-

th

Periods

Thus far, the fruits of Gaja Kesari Yoga have been
shown mostly in terms of Jupiter-Moon, or Moon-
Jupiter periods. This is because, generally speaking, the
primary fruit of a yoga will always be most available in
the periods and sub-periods of the constituent planets.

Recall, however, that according to Parshara Hora

Shastra, in a true Gaja Kesari Yoga, Jupiter has the
additional association of another natural benefic.
Therefore in the Jupiter major period, the sub-periods of
an associated natural benefic will also bring the fruit of
this yoga, particularly if strong, well-placed and
configured in other benefic yogas as well.

The chart of actor Denzel Washington illustrates this

point.

Note first that his lagna lord, Mercury, is well placed in

an angle. His Gaja Kesari Yoga is similar to the one we
saw in the chart of Larry Hagman in that the Moon is in
Capricorn in mutual aspect with Jupiter in Cancer. In
his case, it is the wealth-giving 5-11 house axis of the
chart.

53
What is extraordinary here is that Jupiter is less than a
degree away from its highest point of exaltation at 5
degrees of Cancer, and note how it is the 3 lord of
rd

acting from the Moon. The other planetary influences

on Jupiter are Venus and Saturn, both very dignified in
Libra, and falling in an angle relationship with both the
Moon and Jupiter. Saturn make his full aspect, here,
but Venus should be considered strongly associated as
well, emphasizing what has been said earlier about
planets in angles strongly influencing each other, almost
as if they were in mutual aspect.

The best thing about Denzel Washington’s Gaja Kesari
Yoga is that he got the major period of Jupiter in the
very prime of his life beginning at age 30 in 1985.
According to the theory being illustrated here, the sub-
period of the Moon, but also the sub-period of the
Venus—the additional benefic associated with Jupiter
—should bring the fruit of this yoga.

54
1993 was a “banner” year for Denzel Washington. That
year he appeared in three major box office hits,
Philadelphia with Tom Hanks, Much Ado About
Nothing with Kenneth Branagh, and Pelican Brief with
Julia Roberts. It was his Jupiter-Venus period.

Interestingly, the earlier period of Jupiter-Saturn was

when he won his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in
Glory. It should be seen that Venus and Saturn
combining in Libra for this chart form a highly benefic
combination of the 9 and 5 lords, with the one in its
th th

own sign and the other exalted.

But then see it from Chandra Lagna. Now Saturn is the

1 lord in the 10 with the 10 lord and yoga karaka
st th th

planet, Venus! One would expect his stellar career to

continue since the major period of Saturn follows
Jupiter, beginning August 2001.

11 Illustration—Gaja Kesari Yoga With Influence of

th

Rahu-Ketu

We have seen how the strength and quality of the

results given by Gaja Kesari Yoga vary depending on
such factors as dignity, house placement, house
lordship, and other planets associated with the yoga.

The chart of comedian and actor Chevy Chase

illustrates the influence of the Rahu-Ketu axis on this
yoga.

55

Like we saw in the charts of Larry Hagman and Denzel
Washington, his Moon is in Capricorn in mutual aspect
with Jupiter exalted in Cancer. In this configuration,
not only does Jupiter again become the 3 lord of acting
rd

from the Moon, but from the birth lagna as well.

Note the following points:

The lagna lord Venus is reasonably well placed in

the 11 house.
th

Jupiter’s placement in the 10 house and the
th

Moon’s aspect on its own 10 house, makes the

th

effect very pronounced on the career.

Jupiter at 27 degrees of Cancer is not only in its

exaltation sign in the birth chart, but goes into its
own sign Pisces in the navamsha.

56
 See his Navamsha Chart below:

Accordingly, he shot to stardom just after moving into

his Jupiter major period in 1976 with his appearances
on Saturday Night Live. This quickly led to movie roles
in such comedy hits as Caddyshack, Foul Play, and
Fletch.

But his Gaja Kesari Yoga has a down side as well.

Closely wrapped around it is the Rahu-Ketu axis.
While the Nodes often times magnify the effects of any
yoga, in this case they also created severe problems
with drugs, alcohol, and prescription painkillers (Rahu)
in both his Rahu and Jupiter periods. As the 6 lord of
th

accidents, Jupiter also brought persistent back problems

from his comic “pratfalls” that led to an addiction to
pain killers. See also that this Jupiter is in a gandanta
position. His Gaja Kesari Yoga is not without its
blemishes.

57
12 Illustration—A Magnificent Gaja Kesari Yoga
th

Earlier I indicated that the results of yogas described in
the classical texts are often expressed in the hyperbolic
style characteristic of Sanskrit and should not be taken
literally. In actual practice, you will see infrequently
the yoga giving its “full fruits.” However, when all
conditions are “optimal,” the descriptions in the classics
can be astonishingly “right on.”

See again two descriptions of Gaja Kesari Yoga:

"One born in Gaja Kesari Yoga is illustrious,

overpowering, virtuous, wealthy, intelligent, scholarly,
of royal bearing and enjoys lasting fame."

"One born in Gaja Kesari Yoga will be splendorous,

wealthy, intelligent, endowed with many laudable
virtues and will please the king."

Now see the chart of legendary Christian evangelist and

religious leader, Billy Graham.

58


His chart shows a rather extraordinary Gaja Kesari

Yoga that also becomes an extraordinary raja yoga.

Jupiter and the Moon combining for a Pisces lagna can

give a particularly good Gaja Kesari Yoga because the
Moon rules a trine, and Jupiter rules only angle houses,
including the especially auspicious 1 house, and the
st

powerful 10 . th

Note first the position and condition of Jupiter:

1. It is the lagna lord well placed in an angle and in

the sign of a benefic. Its placement at 23 degrees
of Gemini puts it in its own nakshatra, Punarvasu,
which increases its ability to give strong and
favorable results.

2. Jupiter’s mutual aspect with the Moon in the 10 th

house gives Gaja Kesari Yoga in angles from the

59
 birth lagna.

3. However, the mutual aspect with Mars in the 10 is th

the best raja yoga possible for this lagna—a 9-10

Dharma-Karma Raja Yoga.

In some respects, the Moon’s condition is even better.

1. As the 5 lord in the 10 house, it gives raja yoga

th th

by itself.

2. It is not merely in mutual aspect with Jupiter, but
in Jupiter’s sign.

3. The Moon-Jupiter combination gives the 2 and 3 nd rd

best raja yogas for this lagna, the 5-10 and the 1-5
variety, occurring in the most powerful angle.

4. The 5 lord Moon combining with the 9 lord Mars

th th

is a special kind of raja yoga, and is also a wealth-

giving Chandra-Mangala Yoga.

5. At 5 degrees of Sagittarius, it gets exalted in the

navamsha, giving it even greater strength.

Navamsha Chart:

60


Needless to say, the raja, dhana, and graha yogas

formed by Jupiter, the Moon, and Mars are exceptional.

The objection could be raised here that Jupiter does not

get the additional influence of another natural benefic,
and could also be seen as “marred” due to the aspect of
Mars. It is a point well taken. However, as noted
earlier, Jupiter is in the sign of a benefic, and in its own
nakshatra. See also that it is in close trine relationship
to with Venus in its own sign Libra.

Furthermore, this is not Mars acting as an ordinary

natural malefic. It is among the best functional benefics
for this lagna, ruling the most auspicious house, the 9 . th

Its placement in the 10 alone is powerful raja yoga. It

th

is also placed in a benefic sign, Sagittarius, ruled by

Jupiter. Overall, Mars can hardly by a more benefic
Mars.

61
This Mars, ruling the house of religion and in mutual
aspect with the planet of religion, Jupiter, just shows
what kind of religious leader he was—a fiery evangelist
—aggressively preaching “the Word of God,” and
calling souls back from a life of sin. Notice Mars also
rules the 2 house of speech.
nd

No one has ever been more successful at it. It is

estimated that in Graham’s remarkable career he
preached to more people in live audiences than anyone
in history—more than 210 million in 185 countries. He
reached hundreds of millions more through the media of
radio, TV and print.

His remarkable career first took off coinciding with the

advent of his Moon period in 1948, configured in these
powerful yogas and exalted in the navamsha.

But then see how the dasha sequence favored

continuous and expanding success and fame for decade
after decade.

After the Moon period came the 7 years of Mars

(exalted in the dashamsha)

Dashamsha Chart:

62


Followed by 18 years of Rahu—in the 9 house

th

giving raja yoga, as well as the results of Mars

Followed by 16 years of Jupiter

All in all, this totals more than fifty years of unbroken

success as an evangelist and religious leader. Look
again at the results attributed to Gaja Kesari Yoga and
every word of it could be said to apply to Graham,
including “will please the King” since he was
consultant and spiritual advisor to several Presidents
and other Heads of State. Equally remarkable is that
fact that no scandal ever besmirched him or his
organization, unlike many other evangelist types.

His was a truly remarkable career—courtesy of a

63
remarkable Gaja Kesari Yoga.

Assessing Any Yoga in a Birth Chart

12 different Gaja Kesari Yogas have been shown here,

all of which gave their fruit to some degree in either the
Jupiter or Moon period depending on their quality and
the strength of the planets involved. Let me show you
one more.

At first glance, this Gaja Kesari Yoga looks rather
good.

Jupiter is in an angle both from the Moon and the

birth lagna, and is strong in its own moolatrikona
sign, Sagittarius

It gets the additional aspect of the natural benefic,

Venus, who is the 5 lord for Gemini lagna.
th

64
 He moved into his Jupiter major period starting at
age 36 and ran Jupiter-Moon starting around age
47.

Whereas the Jupiter period in general and Jupiter-

Venus, Jupiter-Moon in particular did bring some major
blessings into his life, he is not prominent in anyway or
known particularly outside his personal sphere. He is,
in fact, disabled due to a spinal injury that left him
without the use of his legs that occurred in his Rahu
period.

So what is wrong with this picture? Recall the

discussion at the beginning of this article about the
importance of the strength of the lagna and its lord for
any yoga in the chart to manifest fully. In his case we
find:

An exchange between the 1 and 12 lords with the

st th

additional influence of a malefic, albeit a mild one,

the Sun. This is an arishta yoga.

The lagna itself is “hemmed,” giving a Papa-

Katari Yoga. (Mercury must be counted as a
malefic here since it is associated with a malefic,
though a mild one)

65
 The Moon is also flanked by natural malefics in
houses on either side, giving a malefic Durudhara
Yoga.

This highlights how yogas need to be assessed on their

specific merits, but also in the context of the over-all
chart in which they appear. Interestingly though, he did
obtain a certain status among his peer group during
Jupiter-Moon. He was made a 32-degree Mason, the
highest level of that fraternal, quasi-religious
organization (Jupiter!).

The method of assessing the quality of yogas

demonstrated above for Gaja Kesari Yoga can, and
should, be applied to any yoga in a chart as illustrated
below.

Saraswati Yoga

A favorite combination of mine given in Mantreswara's

Phaladeepika, a Sanskrit classic of the Middle Ages, is
Saraswati Yoga. The definition given there is when all
three natural benefics falls in the angles, trines, or the
2nd house, and are "in strength," particularly, Jupiter.
Saraswati is the Vedic goddess of higher knowledge,
learning, wisdom, speech, the arts, and artistic self-
expressions. She is the "consort" of Brahma, the
creative aspect of the Divine, and represents his "shakti"

66
or power of expression. The effect attributed to the
yoga by Mantreswara is as follows:

"The native with Saraswati Yoga is highly intelligent,

good at dramatics, in prose composition, versifying
accounts and poetics. He/she is skilled in poetry,
narrative description and in the exposition of sacred
lore. He/she is well known and reputed all over the
world. He/she is prosperous and blessed with spouse
and children. He/she is fortunate and respected even by
the best of the rulers." (translation by S.S. Sareen)

This yoga in other words, strongly inclines an

individual towards learning and the arts, particularly in
classical forms (Jupiter!)

One of the best Saraswati Yogas I've yet come across

can be found in the birth chart of legendary Indian
classical musician, Ravi Shankar. See it below along
with his navamsha and dashamsha.

67
68
69
His is a exquisite and powerful Saraswati Yoga for the
following reasons:

It involves the lagna lord, Mercury so well-placed

in the highly auspicious 9th house, in a mutual
glance with the 9th lord Saturn, forming a superior
raja yoga for this ascendant. Though in a sandhi
position in the rashi, it derives strength from it's
swakshetra or own sign placement in the
navamsha.

Venus, planetary indicator of music and the arts in

general, and the best functional benefic for this
lagna, is placed in the strongest angle, the 10th
house of career, in its exaltation sign, Pisces.

Venus's dispositor, Jupiter, the third and most

important component of his Saraswati Yoga, is
also in its exaltation sign, Cancer, in the 2nd house
of speech and scared knowledge orally
transmitted. From there it also aspects back onto
to Venus and the 10th house.

Venus is conjoined with the Sun, but is 23 degrees

apart from it and therefore not at all combust, and

70
 the Sun here is the 3rd lord of performance in the
10th house of career with the planet of music,
where it gets dik bala or directional strength.

This yoga repeats from the position of the Moon in

Scorpio (Chandra lagna). From this perspective,
Mercury goes to the 4th house, Venus the 5th and
Jupiter the 9th.

See how this yoga also repeats in his career chart,

the dashamsha, with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter
all falling in angle houses, and Jupiter and Venus
both getting directional strength.

This is a rare picture and it made him one of the most

renowned and successful international artists of the past
century. But then see how the dasha sequence favors
him. In his educational and formative years he runs his
17-year Mercury period staring at age 14. Then later at
the peak of his maturity, he runs his 20-year Venus
period starting at age 38, which brought him huge
international stardom. As I have emphasized earlier, it
is not enough just to have a good yoga in a birth chart.
The individual must also get the right dasha at the right
time of life to receive the full benefit of it.

A somewhat similar Saraswati Yoga can be found in

71
chart of a man renowned world-wide for his genius and
knowledge, and someone pronounced by Time
Magazine as "The Greatest Mind of the 20th Century.
I am speaking, course of Albert Einstein.

The ascendant is again Gemini, and as you can see,

Mercury, Venus and Jupiter all fall in angle/trine
houses, with Venus again exalted. Mercury goes to its
debilitation sign but with considerable cancellation.
Jupiter is quite strong by virtue of its powerful 9-10
exchange with Saturn. Like we saw with Ravi Shankar,
the yoga repeats from the Moon in Scorpio. The Sun is
again in the 10 house getting directional strength.

The yoga in this case did not make him a renowned

72
musician (though he did play the violin), but rather a
renowned scientist, whose greatest work, like in the
case of Ravi Shankar, came in the period of his exalted
Venus, lord of the 5th house of dhi, or intelligence, and
falling in the 5th house from the Moon, conjoined with
the Sun, planetary indicator of mathematics and
physics. It was in this Venus period that he wrote all
his seminal papers containing his theory of relativity
and the famous equation, E=MC (squared), for which
he later received the 1921 Noble Prize for Physics.

Some Contrast

In some contrast see another Saraswati Yoga, one that is

also giving some good results, but one not so strong or
unblemished.

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This chart belongs to a woman whose whole life from a
very young age has been dedicated to musical
performance and music education. She has an
undergraduate degree in Violin Performance and a
Master's Degree in Literature from a very good
university, and received a Fulbright Scholarship to
further her studies in Germany.

Like in the case of Ravi Shankar and Albert Einstein,

her Venus is in its exaltation sign in an angle. Mercury
is also her lagna lord, and falls in a trine house. Jupiter
is in an angle in some strength since it get dik bala in
the 1st house. The yoga repeats from the Moon as well.
Therefore this Saraswati Yoga is also the "real deal"
and its effects tell the story of her life to a very great

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degree.

Beginning in her Rahu period, which gives the results

of this yoga since it gives the results of Jupiter and
Venus, she gained some measure of fame in Germany
for creating a series of concerts aimed at children and
educating them about classical music, during which she
performed as a violin soloist. Her following period of
Jupiter continued to give the fruits of this yoga and she
now performs as a violin soloist with community
orchestras to adult audiences, is on the faculty of a
notable music school, is the Co-Director of a Summer
Music Festival, and is a marketing/audience
development consultant to a major symphony. So it can
be seen that her Saraswati Yoga is also giving good
results, but hardly on the level of either Ravi Shankar's
or Albert Einstein's.

Some of the reasons have to do with the context of the

whole birth charts and divisional charts, but it can also
be seen that the constituent planets involved are not as
strong and/ or unblemished. Note that both Venus and
Jupiter in her chart are wrapped around the Lunar
Nodes, Rahu and Ketu. Saturn is also involved here, as
is the case with both Shankar and Einstein, but in her
chart as a vargottama and moolatrikona 6th lord, not as
a very auspicious 9th and impressionable neutral 8th
lord.

In the charts of Ravi Shankar and Albert Einstein, the

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emphasis of the Saraswati Yoga is the 10th house, while
hers is much more connected to the 7th house. As it
happens, her husband in a world-renowned violin
soloist and for a long time the concert master of a major
symphony. He has had much more the kind of musical
career she dreamed of as a child. The good news is that
her best periods for activating the yoga are still to come
and should bring the best and strongest fruit yet. She
know this and is encouraged by it.

Sharper Contrast

Lastly, see another chart of a woman friend that also

has a Saraswati Yoga

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Note that Mercury and Venus are together in her 10th
house forming a good 1-5 raja yoga, but since Jupiter
goes into the 2nd house from where it aspects these
planets, these placements of the three natural benefics
meet the conditions for Saraswati Yoga. Again the all-
important lagna lord is part of the yoga. The stipulation
that Jupiter must he "in strength" is satisfied by the fact
that her Jupiter falling in the last degrees of Gemini is
vargottama.

Since both she and her life history are very well-known
to me, I can tell you that the results of this yoga in her
birth chart are quite evident, and tell the story of her life
to a great degree as well. Between the ages of 10 and
26, her educations years, she ran her Jupiter
mahadasha. The ages 14 to 20 were particularly
noteworthy this way when she was running
consecutively:

Jupiter-Mercury
Jupiter-Ketu
Jupiter-Venus

These periods and sub-periods strongly activated

Saraswati Yoga in her chart, and accordingly she
describes these years as being ones when she was
completely absorbed in classical learning and the arts as
a student. She painted, sculpted, danced, and was on
the water ballet team both in high school and college.

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She played the cello, wrote poetry, and acted in plays
for which she also created sets and painted scenery.
She majored in foreign languages, and read/studied
classical French literature and poetry in particular. Later
in this period she trained in the graphic arts at a time
when it was all done by hand not computers, something
she continues to dabble in to this day.. Note Jupiter's
position in Gemini!

Now later in life she has been running her Mercury

period since age 45, again activating her Saraswati
Yoga. During this time she's been immersed in
classical learning and knowledge of a different kind,
that of Vedic tradition of ancient India, including
classical Indian philosophy, Yoga, Ayurveda, and
Jyotisha. She leads dance classes, regularly participates
in kirtans (devotional signing) and attends the concerts
of renowned kirtan artists. She is a continuous adult
learner, constantly attending different workshops and a
regular attendee at a wide variety of cultural events.

Her Saraswati Yoga is a clear demonstration of the

point made at the very beginning of this article that
yogas show certain karmic potentials, and dashas show
when these potentials actualize. But there is a very
different magnitude of effect and quality of fruit
experienced in her case than the other three. She is not
a renowned musician or artist, nor an eminent, noble
prize-winning scientist.

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Again this has to do with a variety of factors, including
divisional charts, but there are reasons enough apparent
in the rashi as well. Recall that both Ravi Shankar and
Albert Einstein realized some of the best fruit of their
Saraswati Yogas in the period of an exalted Venus in
the 10th house, disposited by a Jupiter who is also very
strong and well placed....and configured in multiple,
high-quality raja yogas.

Our violinist and music educator has experienced the

fruit of her Saraswati Yoga in her Rahu period giving
the results of again an exalted Venus, and a Jupiter with
directional strength...but also configured in multiple
raja yogas.

Now see again the last chart. She experienced the fruit
of the yoga first in her Jupiter period but there is no
additional raja yoga-giving fruit. Jupiter does form a
weak Gaja Kesari Yoga, being with the Moon. It did
give her some success and status among her peers, but
only a very ordinary variety. Mercury, the next major
period to activate this combination, has a weak dignity
in the rashi being in the sign of an enemy and is
unremarkable in the navamsha and other important
divisional charts. It is configured in a raja yoga with
Venus, and this has given her considerable career
success and put her in leadership positions, but again
the success is of an ordinary, everyday kind. Jupiter's
dispositor, Saturn, while exalted and in an exchange
with Venus, goes to the 6th house. The underlying

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exchange here between the 6th and 10th lords has
meant repeated conflicts with bosses, to the point of
near persecution in both her Saturn and Mercury major
periods.

It is axiomatic in Jyotisha that the more favorable

yogas that a planet participates in, the better results it
can give over-all in its periods and sub-periods. I refer
to this as the "pile on effect," meaning that one good
thing piles on another and so on. Mahadasha lords that
give the most dramatic effects as in the case of Ravi
Shankar's Venus period, almost invariably in my
experience exhibit this syndrome.

Technical Summary

Given that the essence of Jyotisha is yogas and
dashas one standard approach to the interpretation
of a birth chart is to identify the yogas and then see
their activation in the dasha sequence.

The identification of yogas in a birth chart is the

easy part and can be aided today by astrological
software, though I strongly recommend that
students not rely on this but come to recognize
these by themselves. The hard part and real crux
of the matter lies in qualifying the yoga, both in
terms of magnitude of effect and quality of the
fruit. This is no easy matter and requires a lot of

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judgment and weighing up of different factors,
sometime conflicting.

Begin by seeing the strength and over-all

dispostion/condition of the lagna and the lagna
lord.

A lagna and lagna lord that are favorably disposed

help enable any good yoga in a birth chart to give
its results more fully. Conversely, they also tend
to inhibit the more bitter fruit of negative yogas.

A lagna and lagna lord that are not favorably

disposed tend to retard the sweeter fruit of good
yogas, and enable challenging combinations to
give more virulent results.

Next see the strength of the constituent planets.

This shows the potential magnitude of effect. A
strong dignity like exaltation, own sign, great
friend or friend in the birth chart and navamsha is
a good start, but a deeper, dasa varga or 10
divisional chart assessment is what is
recommended in the classics

Other important measures of strength, both in the

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rashi and divisional charts must be seen including
vargottama status, directional strength and
retrograde motion.

Debilitated planets in the birth chart can

sometimes be deceiving this way when there is
significant cancellation or when they achieve a
good dignity in many other key divisions,
particularly navamsha, or when falling under the
preview of special exceptions (See my article
"That Great Parashara Exception.")

Next see the house placement of the constituent

planets. Placement in angle or trine houses or 2
and 11 are generally more favorable than the
dussthanas, 3, 6, 8, 12.

Note any special conditions of the constituent

planets. These could be favorable such as
approaching their extreme degree of exaltation, or
being hemmed by natural benefics, or these could
be unfavorable such as in an extreme gandanta
position or hemmed by natural malefics. Calibrate
your judgment of the fruit of the yoga accordingly.

See what are the other planetary influences on the

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constituent planets. The additional influences of
natural malefics or the lords of Trik houses can
blemish the fruit, while the influence of natural
benefics or the auspicious house lords, 5 and 9
may enhance the quality of the fruit.

Next see what other yogas in which the constituent

planets participate. If they are also benefic,
favorable yogas they can sweeten the fruit, but if
they are malefic, unfavorable yogas they can sour
the fruit, even make it quite bitter. An example
would be when a mahadasha lord gives raja yoga
and thus success in his career life, enhancing his
professional status, but it also gives a bad arishta
yoga, such that their is a battle with cancer during
this time as well. A friend of mine recently had
such an experience in the mahadasha of an exalted
Jupiter.

Finally, see the dasha sequence. Does the

individual ever run the major period of a
constituent planet? And at what time of life?
Keep in mind Parashara's admonishment that
predictions should be given only after
consideration of kaal, desha, patra, or the time, the
place and the cultural circumstance. A good dasha
too early or too late in life may not be able to be
taken as much advantage of as one running during

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 the prime of life.

My jyotish-guru, K.N. Rao, always emphasized the

importance of doing regular sadhana or spiritual
practice to be able to interpret a birth chart
correctly and become a good predictor.

Follow the methodology given in this article...and his

advise... and someday you too may be able to
shed....Light on Yogas.

All Praise to the Rishis and their Divine Science of

Jyotisha

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