Parashara’s Mutual Yoga Karakas

By Ernst Wilhelm
www.astrology-videos.com

Planets in angles from each other are considered to be of great importance in all systems of
astrology. Western astrologers place particular emphasis to planets in square, 90 degrees, or 4/10
position from each other. They consider these planets to indicate developmental tension that is a
result of some early stress that the native has to work out and develop into something useful.
Western astrologers consider planets in square to indicate great potential for the native, which
one may be able to utilize with the proper effort. It is only through the techniques offered in Vedic
astrology, however, that it can be determined whether this potential will be utilized. The Mutual
Yoga Karaka Planets will indicate this. These are provided towards the end of the “Karaka” chapter
in Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra. These Yoga Karaka Planets are different than the Yoga Karaka planets
that are simply determined by the Lagna Rasi.
Karaka means: “producer, causer.” Mutual Yoga Karaka Planets are two or more planets that join
forces to produce “yoga,” an attachment to a karmic fruit, in this context that of success. These
planets assist each other in producing success and so they exponentially increase the degree of
effects over that which would be given if they had no support.

Two or more planets in angles identical with own, exaltation, or natural friend’s Rasi
become Yoga Karakas. Some say planets in their own Navamsa qualify as well. Any such
planet in the 10th Rasi from the Lagna is particularly powerful.

Planets placed in mutual angles to each other (1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th) in own, exaltation or
natural friends Rasi, but in houses other than angles, also become Mutual Yoga Karakas,
though of lesser power.

Some additional rules for judging the inter-relationship of Yoga Karaka Planets are being given:
1. The Sun in the 10th house from the Lagna as a Mutual Yoga Karaka is especially significant for
giving success.
2. The Mutual Yoga Karaka in the tenth house from another Mutual Yoga Karaka is the more
significant for giving success.
3. The planets occupying the 4th and 10th from a planet in the Lagna are the Karakas to the planet
in the Lagna, but the planet in the Lagna is not a Karaka to them. These Karakas in the 4th and
10th operate to the benefit of the planet in the Lagna.
4. An extension of the above principle applies to a planet not only in the Lagna, but also to any
planet with Yoga Karaka Planets in the 4th and 10th from it. This lends credit to the potential
Western astrologers attribute to the T-square and Grand Cross.

Yoga Karaka Planets strengthen the horoscope in the following ways:

1. They assist the native in rising above the family average.
2. They give success in their Dasas.
3. They Other Yogas in the horoscope significantly improve and are more productive in the event
that the planets forming them benefit as Mutual Yoga Karakas.