12 Bhavas

First (Tanu) Bhāva
We have seen in earlier articles how various planets can manifest in charts. In that analysis
we have used interpretation of bhāvas to understand why certain events happened and at
certain times, by interpreting the bhāva position of the planets. We have also used this
information in our article on diseases.
In this next series of articles we shall try to understand what the 12 bhāvas represent. We
shall also try to understand the way planets owning certain bhāvas may give their results on
account of occupation of certain other bhāvas, where appropriate.
Let us first understand what is meant by the word “Bhāva”. Here we must know that Sanskrit
has multiple meanings for the word Bhāva, depending on the context in which the word is
used. We shall look at meanings that are relevant to us here. These multiple meanings of the
word will also help make it clear to the reader the reasoning behind the manner in which I
look at the 1st bhāva which is called the lagna bhāva.
Bhāva:
1. becoming, being, existing, occurring, appearance.
2. turning or transition into.
3. continuance (opp. to cessation), continuity of the thread of existence through
successive births.
4. the state of being a child, childhood.
5. true condition or state, truth, reality.
6. manner of being, nature, temperament, character.
7. manner of acting, conduct, behavior.
8. any state of mind or body, way of thinking or feeling, sentiment, opinion, disposition,
intention.
9. an astrological house or a lunar mansion.
Having understood the different meanings of the word “Bhāva”, we shall now begin with the
first bhāva of the horoscope. The first bhāva indicates the rāshi arising on the eastern horizon
at the time and place of birth of the Jātaka. This bhāva is called “Udita (literally rising)
Lagna” or “Lagna” in Sanskrit and “Ascendant” in English language. I shall try to explain
how I look at the first bhāva, in depth, so as to make the logic behind what shall be stated
later in this article, and subsequent articles, on bhāvas.
Being indicative of the rāshi rising at the time of birth of the Jātaka, this first bhāva also
called the lagna, to my mind, indicates the energy field present at the time of birth of the
Jātaka that influences his brain. This in turn influences his entire personality as modified by
planetary influence on the first bhāva and rāshi occupied by that Bhāva.
Kalyān Verman in his astrological classic “Sārāvali” states:
ṛkṣaṁ bhavananāmāni rāśiḥ kṣetraṁ bhameva vā|

३ ८
uktāni pūrvamunibhistulyārtha pratipattaye||3|8||
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First (Tanu) Bhāva
Meaning: Rikhsa, Rāshi, Bhavana, Kshetra and Bha are used as synonyms by the ancient
sages.
This also will make it clear to the readers as to why in certain cases one also tends to look at
the rāshis from the point of view of their bhāva ownership in natural zodiac, where the lagna
is assumed to be Aries. Looking at the chart in this fashion is the reason that Venus in the 12th
bhāva is understood to cause a raj yoga irrespective of the rāshi occupied by it in the chart.
This is so because the 12th bhāva is also assumed to give the same results as Pisces which
happens to be the 12th bhāva in the natural zodiac. Having explained that the terms “Riksha”,
“Rāshi”, “Bhavana”, “Kshetra” and “Bha” are sometimes used interchangeably by the
learned, Kalyān Verman goes on to tell the importance of the Bhavana in the following
manner.
bhavanādhipaiḥ samastaṁ Jātakavihitaṁ vicintayenmatimān|

३ १२
ebhirvinā na śakyaṁ padamapi gantu mahāśāstre||3|12|
Meaning: The learned think of (effects of) all the lords of bhāvas (and their placements) when
they give results of what is destined for the Jātaka. Without the bhāva lords (and bhāva
analysis) it is not possible to move even one foot (step) ahead in this great science
(astrology).
The first bhāva is referred to by different names indicative of the area of life, organ and state
of mind of a Jātaka, because it represents the entire personality of the Jātaka in an all
inclusive manner. It is referred to as lagna because it is indicative of the sign rising on the
eastern horizon at the moment of birth of the Jātaka. It is called the “Tanu” bhāva as it is
representative of the entire body of the Jātaka. It is called the “Shakti” bhāva as it indicates
strength of mind, and the body of the Jātaka. Since it represents the body structure and colour
of the Jātaka, it is also called “Murti” (statue) bhāva. Being the first bhāva it is sometimes
called the “Ādya Bhāva” meaning the first bhāva. It is called “Vilagna, as it indicates the time
past which led to the moment of birth of a Jātaka, and it is also called “Horā” indicating the
time of birth of a Jātaka.
Amongst the body parts of the Jātaka the lagna represents the head of the Jātaka. Some
learned divide the body of the Jātaka, on the basis of the dreshkāna rising at the time of birth,
thus:
Bhāva 1st Dreshkāna 2nd Dreshkāna 3rd Dreshkāna

1st bhāva/lagna Risen portion of lagnaRisen portion of lagna Risen portion of lagna
is left side of head and
is left side of throat and is left side of *Basti
the yet to rise portion
the yet to rise portion is and the yet to rise
is the right side of the
the right side of the portion is the right
head throat, where it joins side of the *Basti
trunk
*Basti is defined as the upper half part of a straight line drawn from navel to root of
sexual organ.
First (Tanu) Bhāva
It is in the lagna bhāva that “Jupiter”, the planet of knowledge, and “Mercury”, the planet of
intellect, gain directional strength. We have to understand that though the lagna does
represent the body and entire personality of the Jātaka, as that body will act on the basis of
his mind whose karaka is Moon, the rāshi occupied by Moon is also given much importance
in astrology. Thus a chart is erected with the Moon rāshi as lagna which is also called
Chandra lagna Kundali and the rāshi itself is referred to as Chandra lagna. This rāshi, its
placement in the natal chart, and influences on it and by implication on Moon, give an
indication of the health of a Jātaka and his mother at the time of birth and till about 8 years
from birth. This is so, as Moon rules the first 8 years of a Jātaka’s life and is karaka for
mother, in addition to being karaka for mind.
We have already understood that the lagna represents the whole personality of a Jātaka,
including his body, self confidence, and nature/thought process. Therefore all the 12 bhāvas
relate to various limbs of a Jātaka and their state shall depend upon the harm to or strength of
those bhāvas. Similarly, the nature/thinking of the Jātaka, or the way the Jātaka feels, about
different areas/persons represented by the relevant bhāvas will also depend on the influences
on the relevant bhāvas.
We must also understand when dealing with bhāvas that as a bhāva represents many factors
that include both animate and inanimate beings, the lord of the bhāva is primarily concerned
with the body of the person represented by a bhāva while the bhāva itself shall be
representative of both animate and inanimate beings. It should also be remembered that the
bhāvas and their lords called “Bhāvesha”, influence each-other. Therefore strength of a bhāva
shall strengthen the bhāva lord and vise-a-versa also holds true. One more aspect to be
understood is the bhāvāt bhāva principle which simply means a bhāva placed as many places
away as the original bhāva is from lagna bhāva. For example, being 5th from the lagna the 9th
bhāva which is 5th bhāva when counted from the 5th bhāva also gives effects similar to the 5th
bhāva. A variation of this principle is used for some matter or person for whom a specific
bhāva is to be ascertained. Here what is done is you count as many bhāvas from the original
bhāva to arrive at a bhāva whose relation with that bhāva is similar to that of a certain bhāva
for the Jātaka. Thus we know that 5th bhāva relates to the son/daughter and 7th refers to
spouse. So we can count 7th from the 5th bhāva to arrive at 11th bhāva which shall be
understood to be the bhāva for son-in-law/daughter-in law and so on.
The next step in analyzing a bhāva, obviously, will be how to know exactly what area shall
be afflicted or strengthened. It is here the beauty of correlation of Hindu religious precepts,
with ancient sciences come to the fore. Hindu philosophy has always envisaged looking at
abstract, to locate its precise position, in a three dimensional manner to understand its true
nature, as against the two dimensional view of sciences taken by other cultures. Thus we have
God manifesting as Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, nature of a person also called Gunas
manifest as Satwa, Rajas and Tamas, matter is classified as Dhātu, Moola and Jeeva, and
even the bodily humours are divided into Kapha, Pitta and Vāta.
So in Vedic astrology we have the Bhāva, the Bhāvesha, and the Kāraka that are to be studied
together to understand exactly what area of life of a Jātaka will be affected when analyzing
the chart. Having understood, so far, how the analysis of bhāvas and their lords is to be
carried out and then how to find out which area amongst many indicated by both the bhāva
and bhāvesha will be affected by judicious use of effects of Karakas, we shall now try to
First (Tanu) Bhāva
understand how to use this information in analyzing a chart. Here we can also keep in mind
the fact that the bhāva itself being static in relation to lagna and the bhāvesha being movable,
the position of the Bhāvesha and effects on it tell us more about a Jātaka, though the effects
on bhāva are also of great importance. Let us see how the learned looked at the 1st bhāva,
generally referred to as lagna, and it’s Lord referred to as Lagnesha. It is well to remember
that a bhāva gains strength if under aspect of own lord, Jupiter (Guru) or Mercury (Budha).
It is said that Lagnesha occupying the lagna will give a healthy body and if Sun who is also
the karaka for ātmabala (self confidence) as the tanu bhāva is bhāva of ātma (self and
sometimes thought to be connected with ātmā, that is the soul) is also bestowed with strength,
the Jātaka could be either extremely self confident or an egoist. Here if the lagna lord is a
benefic the Jātaka is likely to appear extremely self confident even if an egoist, whereas if the
lagna lord is a malefic he may appear an egoist even if merely self confident. This basic
structure will be modified by the aspects on both the lagna and the lagnesha by
benefics/malefics or a combination of the two.
Lagnesha placed in the trika bhāvas that is the 6th, 8th or the 12th and afflicted by malefics, by
aspect or conjunction, can indicate health problems to the Jātaka. Should Chandra itself be
placed in the trika bhāva and be influenced by malefics the Jātaka could have had health
issues till 8 years of age. If simultaneously the lagna and lagnesha are strong he would
overcome the health issues faced when young. Similarly the 6th or 8th lord occupying the
lagna or the lagna being influenced by malefics will also indicate some health issues to the
Jātaka. Should a malefic lagnesha occupy the lagna or the Chandra lagna there could be
health problems. These problems could be overcome if the Lagnesha, simultaneously,
occupies a square (Kendra), trine (Trikona) or 11th (Lābha) bhāva. Now we know that lagna
itself is a Kendra bhāva and what happens when a malefic Lagnesha occupies the lagna or
aspects it? Here being malefic, the Jātaka will certainly have health problems but on account
of innate strength obtained by both lagna lord and lagna, he will be able to overcome them, to
a large extent on account of own efforts and self confidence.
When any planet conjoins the Moon (Chandra) the planet is said to be in “Samāgama” and
gains strength. Therefore should Lagnesha conjoin Chandra lagna and the Chandra lagna
(rāshi occupied by Chandra) be placed in good houses, the Jātaka shall have good health.
Obviously the reverse also holds true and Lagnesha occupying its rāshi of debility, enemy
rāshi or rāshi owned by Sun (where all planets lose some of their strength) and placed in the
2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, or the 12th, bhāva shall indicate health problems to the Jātaka. It is also said
that Lagnesha or the lord of the Chandra lagna being weak, debilitated, or occupying an
enemy house while occupying 3rd, 6th, or 8th house, makes one lean and subject to many
diseases. Here we see the importance given to the lord of Chandra lagna on equal footing
with that of Lagnesha. The application of the principle of Chandra being the seed of strength
of all grahas is very obvious here. When we look at what has been said so far we can
understand that not only functional, but also the natural, malefics can cause harm to one’s
physique if influencing the lagna or lagnesha.
Other matter that can be understood from the lagna bhāva, applying the bhāvāt bhāva
principle and it variation are Jātaka’s great-grandfather, 2nd younger brother of his father,
property/place where he works (4th from 10th), his office transport, Income of his immediate
younger brother, his mother’s career, the sense of duty of his son/daughter, legacy of his
maternal uncle, the area of “Basti” of his spouse, litigation connected with his legacy, his
First (Tanu) Bhāva
father’s intellect, his son or daughter-in-law’s younger brother/sister and income that he
might earn from distant lands and nature of his dreams.
I have elaborated on the various aspects indicated by the 1st bhāva here in order to make the
readers understand principles that are applicable to all bhāvas and may not go to this depth
when writing on other bhāvas. I am sure the readers being Jyotish students and experts shall
be able to understand how the “bhāvāt bhāva” principle and its variations are to be used.
They will also understand that what is true in case of placement of lagna lord and influences
on lagna shall also hold true for other bhāvas. I am not going in to yogas here for fear of
making the article too long leading to losing the focus in understanding the bhāva. However
let me indicate here that the grahas occupying or aspecting the lagna bhāva shall indicate
influence of the persons indicated by those bhāva and also the other matter indicative of those
bhāvas. Thus if 4th lord or Moon occupies or aspects the lagna there is influence of Mother on
the Jātaka and should the 9th lord or Sun occupy the lagna there would be some influence of
father on the Jātaka. It is obvious if the lagna lord occupies some other bhāva the Jātaka will
influence person indicated by that bhāva or try to give own results with the qualities of that
bhāva being expressed by the Jātaka himself. An example would be occupation of 6th bhāva
(which is bhāva of “Ripu” that is the enemy) by the lagna lord, where the Jātaka tends to
harm himself through own acts and thus in effect he manifests as own enemy. So in such a
case the Jātaka’s own actions or decisions will, possibly, harm him.
I will close this article by another aphorism by the learned Vaidyanātha, in his astrological
classic Jātaka Pārijāta, where he talks about importance of bhāva in the following manner.
“ haeral»ar muOyàÉvzuÉ)ladIin svaRi[ pu<sa<,

horälaìkära mukhyaprabhavaçubhaphalädéni sarväëi puàsäà |
tÄÑavaedœ Évain *ucrblvza*ain tain àviCm,11,1.
tattadbhävod bhaväni dyucarabalavaçadyäni täni pravacmi |11.1|”
Meaning: Bhāva phala (results of bhāva) is the ornament in Horā Jyotish as it analyses the
important and good results in the life of a native. I shall now proceed to tell the results of
bhāva on account of strength or weakness of grahas (connected with that bhāva).
Second (Dhana) Bhāva
We have seen, in the article on first bhāva, what is meant by bhāvas and how they are to be
analyzed. We have understood the manifestation of their lords placed in other bhāva. We
have also seen how other planets, by occupation and aspects, exercise own influence over the
bhāvas themselves. We have also understood that one has to use the kārakas of bhāvas, and
planets skillfully to understand how the final results will be modified on account of the
placement and influences on the kārakas too. Having understood the basics of bhāva and
bhāva lord (bhāvesha) analysis, we shall now try to understand how all these manifest in
respect of the second bhāva.
We know that the first bhāva represents the bhāva that is rising at the time of birth. Obviously
the subsequent bhāvas that follow the first bhāva can, in a manner of speaking indicate the
Jātaka’s journey from the point of birth, beginning from the first bhāva and ending in the 12th
bhāva. Similarly the body parts of a Jātaka, as we have seen in the article on first bhāvas, are
also distributed from head to feet from the first to the 12th bhāva. Having understood this and
taking into consideration how a Jātaka progresses form the moment of his birth to his last day
in this world it would not be difficult for the reader to understand why various attributes are
given to the 2nd bhāva. For example the Jātaka having left the mother’s womb and entered
this world the first thing he does is cry out loud as he inhales his first breath and the 2nd bhāva
is also called the Vacha sthana (the house/bhāva of speech) and so on. If one thinks in this
manner, it might be possible to understand what could be the attributes of the 2 nd bhāva even
when not specifically mentioned in the classic texts. Let us now understand the different
names given by the sages to, and the indications that we analyze from, the second bhāva.
The second bhāva is variously referred to as the Vāchā (speech) bhāva, Vidyā (learning)
bhāva, Kutumba (family) bhāva and Dhana (wealth including ornaments and dresses or
honour) bhāva. The Jātaka’s face and his right eye are also to be analyzed form the second
bhāva. The food that the Jātaka shall like or eat can also be seen from the 2nd bhāva since it is
mouth of the Jātaka. Some are of the opinion that the Jātaka’s throat should be analyzed from
the 2nd bhāva, however I differ in this regard. I consider throat from the 3rd bhāva.
However since each of the 12 bhāvas are indicative of many matters the 2nd bhāva also is
indicative of many other things. We can understand these additional matters by application of
the “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle. Therefore being 12th to 3rd bhāva it indicates expenditure of
siblings (younger) in general, being 11th from the 4th it represents income of mother and
rental from self earned property, being 10th from 5th it will indicate work of elder child, and
being 9th from the 6th bhāva it indicates the sense of duties of relatives (especially of mother’s
siblings). The 2nd bhāva is the 8th bhāva from the 7th bhāva and thus is indicative of
constitutional health problems of spouse, being 7th from the 8th bhāva it represents the spouse
of second sibling of mother, being 6th from the 9th it indicates the diseases of father, being 5th
from the 10th it can represent the knowledge acquired at work place, being the 4th from the
11th it indicates the house of elder sibling and son/daughter-in-law and being 3rd from 12th
(12th being 7th from 6th) it will also indicate the valour of spouse of mother’s first sibling.
Besides the indications discussed it can also indicate many other matter by logical application
of the principles of “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” to each of the 12 bhāvas logically.
Now if we go back and look at the names given to the 2nd bhāva by our sages and try to
contemplate what they have in common, what strikes us is that these are the things by which
a person is perceived to have as qualities by public at large and this perception might or
might not be correct. In order to illustrate what I am trying to convey, let us see in what
different way we can perceive a person. We tend to decide whether a person is

knowledgeable or not by the way he speaks, we decide if a person is cultured or not by the
family to which he belongs, we tend to assume a person’s wealth from the ornaments and
clothes that he wears and we may assume that a person is learned because he is literate.
Whether our perception of a person’s various attributes is correct or not will depend on the
nature of planets occupying and aspecting the 2nd bhāva and the strength or otherwise of other
bhāvas. This is where the knowledge about various grahas (planets) that we have tried to
understand, in depth will come to our assistance.
If we see Ketu in the 2nd bhāva, un-aspected by malefics, (Ketu being karaka for moksha, that
is giving up and also given to sudden bursts or temper), it is likely that the Jātaka might not
talk at all when he/she gets angry and may even live away from family, though he could be a
donor to social causes. However if the same Ketu is aspected by a malefic it is likely that the
Jātaka might have speech defect. Again the 2nd bhāva being the house of “Dhana” meaning
accumulated wealth, the planets occupying the 2nd bhāva, aspecting the 8th house could also
be indicative of the persons from whom the Jātaka might get legacy, should the 8th lord be
well placed and the 8th bhāva not be otherwise weak.
We know that the 2nd bhāva is also called Vidyā (learning) sthāna (place) or bhāva. Now to
understand what it indicates we have to go back to the times when the shastra (science) was
revealed. In ancient times the education of a Jātaka used to begin much before he would go to
the “Gurukula” (equivalent to, but much evolved than, today’s boarding School) and that
began with his mother teaching him not only to speak but also making him recite various
shlokas (couplets with deep meaning) and telling him/her stories from ancient scriptures and
mythology that contained much knowledge. This way of teaching is called “Maukhik Vidya”
(or knowledge conveyed and consolidated through speech). In today’s times we can equate
this to the education at school level and any harm to the 2nd could be indicative of trouble
including break at school level and Ketu there can also be indicative of change of one school
for another.
Again if there is harm to the 2nd bhāva that could also be indicative of some strife within his
immediate family, the extent being dependant on the extent of the virulence of the malefic
aspecting or occupying the 2nd bhāva and strength or weakness of the 2nd bhāva and its lord.
Similarly if any of the kārakas of eyes, that is any one of Sun, Moon, or Venus is occupying
the 2nd house and be under aspect of a strong malefic and un-aspected by a benefic, there is a
possibility of harm to the right eye and more so if it is the Sun that is weak and is placed in
the 2nd with aspect of a powerful malefic on it as Sun is also the karaka for right eye. If the
malefics so aspecting or occupying become mild on account of aspect of benefics there would
only be occasional pain in that area but not any great problem in eyesight. The food that the
Jātaka will eat can also be understood by analyzing the 2nd bhāva in the matter previously
explained but here the nature of the grahas occupying and aspecting the 2nd house matter the
most.
One more thing that needs to be understood is that since the 2nd bhāva aspects the 8th bhāva,
not only can it indicate the legacy that might be received the planets occupying the 2nd, by
virtue of their aspect on the 8th bhāva, can indicate the constitutional health issues that the
Jātaka should guard against. In order to understand how this is to be applied the readers may
like to read the article on diseases that is already uploaded.
As with malefic aspects causing harm to indications of the second bhāva, we can easily
understand that benefics occupying/aspecting it shall enhance its indications while benefics
aspecting the malefics occupying/aspecting the 2nd bhāva shall reduce the harm to the
indications of the second bhāva. Naturally if benefics occupying or aspecting the 2nd bhāva
are under aspect of malefics again the good results on that account will be modified and
reduced.
I must again caution the readers that while analyzing the effects of planets
aspecting/occupying the 2nd bhāva close attention must be given to the basic nature of the
grahas (planets) involved and also their karakatwas in order to arrive at any final conclusions
as to how the bhāva and its indications shall manifest in the Jātaka’s life. Here much care
should be taken and the strength or weakness derived by planets from Navamsha should be
weighed before pronouncing judgment.
I shall close the article on 2nd bhāva by giving below the shloka from “Jātaka Pārijāta” where
the learned Vaidyanātha gives his opinion about matters that should be analyzed from the 2nd
bhāva:
११ ४६
vittaṁ netraṁ mukhaṁ vidyā vāk kuṭumbāśanāni ca|
dvitīyasthānajanyāni kramājjyotirvido viduḥ||11|46||
Meaning: The learned astrologer should think of (analyze) wealth, eyes, learning, speech,
family and food one eats from the 2nd sthana (bhāva).
Third (Parākrama) Bhāva
The third bhāva is variously called as the Sahaja (sibling), Parākrama (valour), Dhairya
(courage) or the Tritiya (3rd) bhāva. Amongst the limbs of the Kālpurusha the 3rd bhāva
represents area of its shoulders, throat, the right ear and the notes emanating from throat of
the Jātaka. This bhāva rules communication and it also represents personal servants of the
Jātaka. It belongs to the group of three bhāvas that are referred to as trishadāya bhāvas
meaning, literally, the 3rd, the 6th and the 11th bhāvas. Lords of the trishadāya bhāvas,
generally, tend to give negative results in their dashās though this is not universally
applicable. Again it is good to remember that one lord of the trishadāya bhāva placed in
another trishadāya bhāva is said to give rājyoga. The term rājyoga is not to be taken literally
but it does mean one who will be well-off.
Applying the “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle, we should understand that the third bhāva being
the 12th from 4th indicates expenditure of mother, house, vehicle etc. It being the 11th from the
5th indicates income of progeny (first as well as progeny in general) and being 10th from the
6th indicates the work of maternal uncle and relatives in general. The third bhāva is placed in
the 9th position from the 7th and is indicative of the sense of duties of the spouse (some also
consider the father of the spouse from the 3rd bhāva). This bhāva also acts as secondary
Āyush (life) sthāna, being 8th bhāva from 8th bhāva which is known as the Āyush sthāna.
Personal servants of the Jātaka can also be seen from the 3rd bhāva. The 3rd bhāva being the
7th from the 9th bhāva is indicative of wife of the Guru and the boss. Proceeding ahead it is 6th
from the 10th bhāva indicating enemies at work or disputes at work and being 5th from the
11th indicates acquired knowledge of friends and son-in-law/daughter-in-law. The 3rd bhāva
is placed in the 4th bhāva from the 12th and therefore can also indicate happiness in bed-
pleasures, as well as house / happiness of spouse of maternal uncle/aunt. Similarly 3rd bhāva
being the 2nd from the 2nd bhāva can indicate wealth of family in general and also that earned
from speaking/learning.
Besides above attributes, there are many other ways we can skillfully look at the results of the
3rd bhāva through use of the “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle. Having understood the various
areas of life that can be understood from the third bhāva let us now try to understand how we
can use this information for analysis of the 3rd bhāva. We shall concentrate on 3rd bhāva alone
so as to avoid getting confused on account of information overload leading to dilution in our
understanding of the bhāva.
Third bhāva, as we have seen earlier, is called the Sahaja bhāva. Sahaja means siblings.
Therefore a malefic influence/presence in this bhāva can harm relations between Jātaka and
his siblings, deny him siblings, or make him stay away from siblings. The third bhāva being
indicative of siblings in general and especially the younger siblings, female planets there can
indicate female siblings, though Ketu there can also indicate female siblings. Planets like
Saturn and Rāhu, who are considered hermaphrodite, can give both male and female siblings
to the Jātaka. Usually younger siblings are seen from the 3rd bhāva whereas the elder sibling
is seen from the 11th bhāva, though siblings in general are seen from 3rd bhāva alone.
Similarly, it is said that if malefics aspect the 3rd bhāva the Jātaka may be unconscious at the
moment of his death and benefics so aspecting the 3rd bhāva he will have prescience of his
death. Personally, I think this only means when malefics influence the 3rd bhāva one may
suffer some sickness at the time of death and when benefics so influence the 3rd bhāva he will
perhaps be active till the moment of death. The reason behind this is not difficult to see. We
have already seen that the 3rd bhāva being 8th from 8th bhāva is the secondary Āyush bhāva
Third (Parākrama) Bhāva
and as such harm to it indicates problems at the time of death and its strength will indicate a
comfortable death, if death can be called comfortable. The possibility of being unconscious at
the time of death with malefic influence on the 3rd bhāva is easy to understand. We know that
the 3rd bhāva, the bhāva of throat and communication, indicating the possibility of the Jātaka
not being able to express himself, at the point of death. Again it is said that the planets in the
3rd house can indicate how the voice of the person can sound and therefore placement of
Moon with its being a watery planet with variable nature can lead to a good vocal singer.
It is said that malefics occupying the 3rd bhāva give good results in the matter of success to
the Jātaka and his valour, courage etcetera. This might appear to be a bit contradictory at first,
as one expects benefics to give good results and malefics ill results, so why good results is a
natural question that must arise in one’s mind? Again one might find that in charts of some
very successful persons there is no malefic in the 3rd bhāva. So what is missing must be a
question that rises in a discriminating mind. If we think of the proposition logically, we can
understand that when a malefic occupies the 3rd bhāva, it naturally aspects the 9th bhāva of
dharma or righteous behavior and it is this harm to the righteous behavior that can lead to
success in this material world as the Jātaka might be ruthless in pursuit of his goals leading to
above average success.
This trait of his could also set him apart from his siblings leading to his either not having
good relations with them or staying away from them. Thus we should understand that
malefics occupying or aspecting the 9th can also make a person valorous, even if there is no
malefic planet occupying the 3rd bhāva. It thus follows that if benefics occupy the 3rd (9th
being devoid of aspect/presence of a malefic) it makes a Jātaka too scrupulous to enable him
to have material success in this materialistic world. This is described as the Jātaka being
“Bheeru”, meaning afraid of or coward as a result of placement of a benefic in the 3rd bhāva.
However this meaning should not be taken literally, if understood in the sense of the Jātaka
not wanting to trample over others to achieve success, as aspect of the benefic on the 9th
bhāva will make him afraid of hurting others.
There are many other things that can be seen from the 3rd bhāva, but understand that many of
them would be a result of the work or efforts put in by the Jātaka himself. This again is when
the third bhāva is also said to be indicative of ornaments and clothes of honour, while the
same are also attributed to the 2nd bhāva, we should understand that in case of the former the
reason of the Jātaka getting ornaments and robes of honour will be legacy or his wealth,
whereas in case of 3rd bhāva it will be on account his own sheer efforts/valour.
We shall now close this article by quoting, as is our custom, the venerable Vaidyanātha who
tells the attributes associated with third bhāva in Jātaka Pārijāta as:
१२ १
jyeṣṭhānujasthitiparākramasāhasāni kaṇṭhasvaraśrutivarābharaṇāṁśukāni|
dhairyaṁ ca vīryabalamūlaphalāśanāni vakṣye tṛtīya bhavanāt
kramaśo'khilāni||12|1||
Meaning: Look for the elder and younger brothers’ (includes sisters) condition, aggression,
courage, throat, musical notes, what is heard (scriptural matter), ornaments, clothes,
courage, strength, eating of tuber crops etcetera from the third bhāva.
Fourth (Sukha) Bhāva
The fourth bhāva is known by many names. It is called Sukha (happiness), Veshma (house),
Mātru (mother), Pātāla (the netherworld as around Midnight Sun is posited in that bhāva),
Bandhu (relatives), Hibuka, and the Chaturtha (fourth) bhāva. It is considered to be the bhāva
for vehicles and hidden treasures. Fourth bhāva is called Vidyā bhāva and thus indicative of
education. It indicates the landed property of the Jātaka. This 4th bhāva is also the apex of the
Moksha (emancipation) trikona (trine) consisting of the 4th, the 8th and the 12th bhāvas. In the
body parts of Kālpurusha it rules the chest and by implication lungs as well the heart.
Now, applying the Bhāvāt Bhāvam principle to the 4th bhāva, we can understand that being
3rd from the 2nd bhāva it will indicate the valour of the family of the Jātaka, being 2nd bhāva
from the 3rd it can indicate the wealth of the brother (younger) and being 12 th to the 5th bhāva
the 4th bhāva can also indicate the expenditure, sleep etc. of the Jātaka’s progeny. The 4th
bhāva is placed in 11th from the 6th and thus can indicate the wealth of relatives, in general,
and maternal relatives in particular. It is also the 10th bhāva from the 7th bhāva and therefore
can indicate the karma/work of the spouse as well as father-in-law while being the 9th bhāva
from the 8th it indicates the fate of the ancestral property, 8th being the bhāva of legacy. The
4th bhāva is placed in 8th house from the 9th bhāva and can be considered the bhāva of
life/death for his father, and being 7th from the 10th the travels undertaken in Jātaka’s course
of work as also the mother-in-law. The 4th bhāva is 6th from the 11th bhāva and hence
indicator of disease of the elder brother whereas being the 5th bhāva from 12th bhāva it
represents the acquired knowledge or higher learning of maternal grandfather or intuitive
dreams.
Readers, having diligently read the article on 2nd bhāva, might be puzzled as to why both the
2nd and the 4th bhāva are called the Vidyā bhāva? They could be even more puzzled if they
learn that some authorities also consider the 5th bhāva as the bhāva of education. However
they need not be confused, if they try to understand what is common between the various
matters indicated by the fourth bhāva. We can easily see that the 4th bhāva is indicative of all
the matter that gives the Jātaka a feeling of safety. Thus this bhāva, in the matter of
education, is related to the minimum level of education that the Jātaka perceives to be good
enough for him to be recognized as being educated, by the society at large and thus enables
him to earn his livelihood. This level of education will obviously go on changing according to
the times and country in which the Jātaka lives. Therefore an astrologer has to apply his logic
to understand what could be the level of education indicated by the 4th bhāva for a Jātaka. In
the current time, in India, the 4th bhāva would be indicated by College level graduation while
in the western world it could be indicated by High school level graduation. However in times
to come it might become indicative of higher levels of education, per requirement of the
countries concerned and the times under review. This again is why some learned astrologers
call Vidyā (education) related to the 2nd bhāva as the Maukhik (verbal) Vidyā, and the Vidyā
related to the 4th bhāva as the Likhita (written) Vidyā.
Applying basic principles of astrology, we can understand that when the 4th bhāva is subject
to harm on account of presence or aspect of malefics (excluding Saturn whose presence does
not harm but aspect does) there would be some problem in the indications of the 4th bhāva
and benefic influence on it shall indicate growth or happiness from those very indications.
However one must be careful while applying these principles in matter of education. If the
education is in the area ruled by those malefics, the person might not do badly at graduation
level or if the person is involved in activities related to such malefic there may not be any
problem at graduation level. An example would be Mars. Here we can see that if the person is
Fourth (Sukha) Bhāva
pursuing medical or engineering education and/or is a sportsperson of fairly good caliber,

he/she may not have any problem at graduation level.
If the fourth lord goes to the 12th bhāva there is a possibility of the person not being satisfied
at his place of birth and being able to do well abroad. The 4th lord in the 5th can indicate
higher studies in the same stream as that at the graduation level and Ketu in the 4th bhāva can
indicate someone who either changes course at graduation level, gives up education at
graduation level, or is good at taxation viz. study to become a Chartered Accountant or
C.F.A. etcetera.
It is interesting to note that Moon occupying the 4th bhāva, many a times leads to his/her own
mother interfering in his/her life leading to marital strife or general unhappiness, though the
Jātaka might be very attached to his/her mother. The type of house that one might own, and
the vehicle one will be attracted to, can also be analyzed from the planetary influence on the
4th bhāva. A proper analysis of the 4th bhāva can also help us guide the Jātaka about the
reasons for his unhappiness and how to overcome it, to some extent, by modifying his/her
own behaviour. We should also understand that, though not specifically mentioned in the
classics, 4th bhāva is also the bhāva indicating the motherland of the Jātaka and his/her
happiness or otherwise in own motherland.
Again in these days of health issues, analysis of the 4th bhāva can help the astrologer to
analyze about the possibility of the Jātaka suffering from lung infections, breast cancer, heart
problems etc. by analyzing simultaneously the relevant planets and strength of the Lagna and
Lagna lord. As has been our practice, so far, we shall come to the end of this article by
looking at what the learned Vaidyanātha, author of Jātaka Pārijāta, opines about the matter
indicated by the 4th bhāva:
१२ ५९
vadanti vidyājananīsukhāni sugandhagobandhumanoguṇāni|
mahīpayānakṣitimandirāṇi caturthabhāvaprabhavāni tazjñāḥ||12|59||
Meaning: The experts say that, the fourth bhāva indicates (or influences) the education,
mother, happiness, perfumes (pleasant smells), cow, mind or psyche, kingdom, vehicles, land
and houses/temples.
Fifth (Putra) Bhāva
The fifth bhāva is called the Putra bhāva (bhāva for progeny). It is also called the Buddhi
(intellect) bhāva or the mantra bhāva. As indicated in the article on the fourth bhāva some
authorities also call it the Vidyā bhāva. “Jātakābharana” says:
buddhiprabandhātmajatantravidyāvineyagarbhasthitinītisaṁsthaḥ|
sutābhidhāne bhavane narāṇāṁ horāgamajñaiḥ paricintanīyam||
Meaning: Intellect, Thesis, Progeny, Tantra, Education, Student, health of the foetus, Morals
and acquisition of knowledge (or traditional sciences) should be understood from the bhāva
called the Suta bhāva (5th bhāva).
This bhāva being a trine bhāva is a functionally benefic bhāva and its lord gives good results,
if it does not own any other, functionally, malefic bhāva. Being the bhāva for intellect it
should not be difficult to understand that any malefic influence on this bhāva is likely to
make the Jātaka think emotionally as against logically. The reader could be confused about
this bhāva too being called the Vidyā bhāva, especially after he has understood the difference
between the Vidyā indicated by the 2nd and the 4th bhāva. The natural question would be what
more formal studies are now left to be pursued for this bhāva to indicate Vidyā again. It is not
very difficult to understand if we look around and find some people who get the minimum
qualification needed to be called well educated and stop there whereas some go for higher
studies, for academic interest or better prospects. In today’s world we could equate the
education indicated by this bhāva as post college graduation education generally referred to
as Masters level of education, of course again after applying our logic and sense of proportion
based on the country where the Jātaka is born or spent most of his formative life.
Now we shall try to find what else can be analyzed from the 5th bhāva by applying the Bhāvāt
Bhāvam principle. The 5th bhāva is the 4th bhāva from the 2nd and we can analyze the house
and property of the family of the Jātaka from the 5th bhāva. Being 3rd from the 3rd bhāva it
represents the 2nd younger brother/sister, being 2nd to the 4th it indicates the face, wealth or
speech of mother. The 5th bhāva being 12th to the 6th bhāva indicate losses to enemy and
recuperation from disease. Being 11th from the 7th it can indicate the income of spouse,
business or partner and being the 10th from the 8th it can indicate the profession of the
ancestors of the Jātaka. The 5th bhāva is 9th from the 9th bhāva and thus not only is capable of
giving results of the 9th bhāva and thus considered the secondary 9th bhāva, it also indicates
the grandfather of the Jātaka. The discriminatory student can perhaps now understand why it
is noticed that the jātaka’s progeny, many a times, has some shades of the personality of his
grandfather. The 5th bhāva being the 8th bhāva from the 10th bhāva can be analyzed for the
duration or cessation of the job of the Jātaka especially based on influence of transit planets
on it. 5th bhāva being the 7th from the 11th bhāva indicates spouse of elder sibling and being
6th bhāva from the 12th bhāva it is indicative of the disease of paternal grandmother or her
maternal uncle and relatives in general. It can also indicate the reasons for loss of sleep or
strife with spouse as the 12th house is also called the Shayana sthāna (the house of sleep and
bed-pleasures).
When the lord of the 5th bhāva and lord of the ascendant conjoin in the ascendant then this is
said to give rise to Mahārāj yoga. The reason is easy to understand as the 5th bhāva is a trine
Fifth (Putra) Bhāva
and ascendant is a square bhāva and placed in the ascendant this will give the Jātaka both the
self confidence as ascendant gains strength and that will be on account of the acquired
knowledge of the Jātaka as 5th lord occupies the ascendant and this expresses itself through
the entire personality of the Jātaka. This yoga also occurs when the 5th lord and the ascendant
are in mutual exchange or are in own rashi, navāmsha, exaltation etc. Again it is said that if
the 5th bhāva lord aspects the lagna, the Jātaka is intelligent, the reason being self evident. It
is also well to remember that the 5th bhāva represents the stomach of the Kālpurusha (time
personified) and hence malefics influence on it could also indicate disease connected with the
stomach.
We can also observe that when the 5th bhāva, the 5th lord, Mercury the planet of quick grasp
and discrimination and Moon the karaka for mind are all afflicted the Jātaka could have
mental problems including epileptic fits. It is said that the 7th lord going to the 5th is capable
of denying progeny, though I would also look at the 5th lord and Jupiter the karaka for
progeny also to be afflicted before declaring that result. 5th bhāva being 12th to the 6th that is
the job for service, its coming under malefic influence in transit many a times makes the
Jātaka dissatisfied with his job resulting him either giving it up or being in tension at job
place. One should also understand that if the 5th bhāva is under malefic influence, in the natal
chart, the Jātaka could take important decisions of his life, more on the basis of emotions than
logic. Again it is well to remember that Saturn and Moon getting connected with the 5 th
bhāva can lead to a Jātaka going into depression or negative spiral of thoughts, when under
mental stress. Obviously if benefics influence the 5th bhāva the Jātaka will tend to take logical
decisions, instead of emotional decisions, when under pressure.
Some learned are of the opinion that the influence on the 5th bhāva is indicative of the deity
that the Jātaka is likely to worship, or be influenced by. We have already seen that the 5th
bhāva is the bhāva for mantra. Now it is well to remember that though mantra means sacred
chants, the reference is also to what is called as “MantraNā”, in Sanskrit language, meaning
advice. Thus those with benefic aspects on the 5th are usually good advisers. 5th bhāva being
the bhāva for progeny the sex of planets influencing it are also indicative of the sex of the
progeny (1st) that a Jātaka is likely to have. It is well to remember that Moon aspecting the 5th
bhāva will give at least one progeny to the Jātaka, in line with the aphorism “ChandraiNeka
PutraH”. One can also surmise that should the 5th lord occupy the 12th bhāva the Jātaka could
get higher education in distant lands, his progeny stay in distant lands or his acquired
knowledge shall make him succeed in distant lands. Similarly the 5th lord in the 8th can give
interest in occult sciences or research to the Jātaka or he may not have happiness from his
progeny. We know that the 5th bhāva is a functionally benefic bhāva, yet it is well to
remember that it is a Māraka bhāva for the jātaka’s mother who could attain death during
operation of its dashā, especially if the second rashi that the lord of the 5th bhāva owns is
placed in a functionally malefic bhāva.
It has been our practice to come to the close of our articles on bhāva with the opinion of the
learned Vaidyanātha the author of “Jātaka Pārijāta”, therefore let us see what he says about
the 5th bhāva in the 1st line of first shloka of chapter 13 of that great astrological text, below:
१३ १
putrāddevamahīpaputrapitṛdhīpuṇyāni sañcayet| ||13|1||
Meaning: Progeny, deity, son of the king, intellect and Punya (results of good deeds in past
lives), should be seen from the 5th bhāva.
Sixth (Ripu) Bhāva
The sixth bhāva, as with other bhāvas, is known by many names including the ShashTha
(sixth) bhāva, Ripu (enemies) bhāva, Roga (disease) bhāva, “Gāyatri” or “Dhnyāti”
(relatives) bhāva and so on. Even though the 6th bhāva rules over relatives in general it is
more specifically connected to the maternal aunts and uncles, being 3 rd from the 4th bhāva.
One of its names is also “Mātul” (maternal uncle) bhāva. The very names of the 6th bhāva
indicate the area of life that can be analyzed from this bhāva. In addition to the above one can
also look at job or service of a Jātaka from this bhāva. This is the bhāva that is indicative of
efforts one needs to do on behalf of their employer/boss/father as it being 10th from 9th is
indicative of work of the boss/father/guru/employer and all those indicated by the 9 th bhāva.
The sixth bhāva refers to what is called “Parshwa” i.e. the sides of the Kālpurusha. “Parshwa”
is to be understood to be the region of one’s waist, including the area of kidneys, ovaries,
liver and other organs in that region.
Again if we look at the indications of this bhāva, it will be clear that most of what happens
here is, barring the relatives, voluntary. This is why the diseases indicated by this bhāva are
understood to have some element of the diseases being brought about on account of the
Jātaka’s own action and could be indicative of disease that the Jātaka might be visited upon
with, on account of his own actions/habits. Therefore taking corrective measures based on
that information can be a way to cure the diseases that may arise on account of harm to the 6th
bhāva. Same will hold true about the enemies that the Jātaka may face in his life. The nature
and tatwas of the planets, having already been elaborated upon in the articles on grahas, are
not repeated here.
If we apply the “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle to the 6th bhāva we can understand that besides
what has already been stated above, we can understand that being 5th from the 2nd bhāva, it
indicates the family deity. 6th bhāva being the 4th from the 3rd bhāva is indicative of house of
the younger brother, being 3rd from the 4th it is valour as well as younger sibling of Jātaka’s
mother. Again being the 2nd from the 5th bhāva it indicates the wealth accumulated on account
the Jātaka’s acquired knowledge as well as the wealth of his first progeny. 6th bhāva is the
12th bhāva from the 7th bhāva and therefore indicates the expenditure, bed pleasures and sleep
of Jātaka’s spouse. It is the 11th from the 8th bhāva and thus indicates income from the
Jātaka’s ancestral property or legacy. Being the 10th from 9th it can indicate the karma of
Jātaka’s father while being the 9th from the 10th it indicates the sense of duty of the Jātaka,
related to his own karma or career. The 6th bhāva is the 8th bhāva from the 11th bhāva and
therefore can indicate longevity of his source of income, especially through his job or service.
Lastly the 6th bhāva happens to be the 7th bhāva from the 12th bhāva of expenditure and can
indicate the Jātaka’s grandmother.
The 6th bhāva is one of the trishadāya bhāvas and therefore a malefic in this bhāva is said to
give good results. But we must also remember that 6th bhāva is also a trika bhāva. The 6th, the
8th and the 12th bhāvas are called the trika bhāvas. Trika means a triad, loins, a triangular
frame on the well etc. and are treated as strong dusthānas. Therefore one must remember that
though malefics in the 6th are considered good, it is in the matter of valour or ability to repay
loans or cover expenses and not health, as the planet occupying it can indicated diseases on
account of the Jātaka’s lifestyle or habits. 6th bhāva is also one of the upachayas and thus a
bhāva of growth. Some learned are of the opinion that it is bhāva of growth in a good sense if
it does not have any malefic influence and some that when its lord is not under malefic
influence. My opinion is that it is the bhāva of growth in matters governed by it, the results
being indicated by placement of its lord and influence on the lord and the bhāva.
Sixth (Ripu) Bhāva
Some are of the opinion that lord of the lagna in the 6th bhāva makes a person intelligent. My
personal opinion is that it leads to the decisions of the Jātaka only hurting himself, in the long
run. Again 6th lord occupying the lagna is indicative of the Jātaka suffering from some
disease that is brought upon by actions of the Jātaka, himself. It is said that lord of one trika
bhāva posited in another trika bhāva leads to an rājyoga. It is also good to remember that
though this is right, lord of the 6th going to 8th or 8th going to the 6th can indicate an acute
disease turning chronic. If lord of the 6th bhāva occupies the 10th bhāva, though on one hand it
might indicate enemies at work, it will also indicate hard work in career leading to success.
Should Moon occupy the 6th there is a possibility of either the Jātaka having enmity with
mother or being raised by his maternal aunt or his being attached to her. One important thing
that must be remembered is that the planets occupying or aspecting the 6th bhāva can also
indicate the enemies of the Jātaka. This is to be analyzed by the personality, caste, kārakatwa
of the planets involved.
We are aware that the 6th bhāva is the bhāva of job and 5th bhāva is the 12th from it, and also
the bhāva of logic, therefore aspect of malefic on the 5th bhāva, in transit, can indicate the
Jātaka thinking of change of job on account of some frustration while aspect of a malefic on
the 6th could indicate the Jātaka giving up his job. Of course the final result will be based on
other planets aspecting it and the dashās operating at that time. Again the 6th bhāva is also the
bhāva of enemies and malefics there help overcome the enemies. However it must be
remembered that to be overcome there have to be enemies in the first place. The nature of the
enemies is indicated by the grahas present in the 6th bhāva and also how they could be
overcome by the caste of the planets involved as well as the people represented by the planets
there or aspecting it. Here the word caste is not to be taken literally but by the means indicted
by such castes, in Hindu system of castes, i.e. by their nature and type of work they do.
It is worth noting that whereas Pārāshara opines that Mars is the lone karaka for the 6th bhāva,
other learned are of the opinion that Saturn is also the karaka for the 6th bhāva. I think the
logic behind Mars being the karaka for 6th bhāva is that Mars being Karaka for the 3rd bhāva
which is, amongst others, bhāva of one’s personal servants and the 6th bhāva is indicative of
service and employees at lower level in the job or profession. Saturn being the karaka for
sorrow, its connection with the 6th bhāva needs no explanation as 6th bhāva is the bhāva of
enemies and diseases.
Following our convention of looking at what the learned Vaidyanātha says about bhāvas in
his astrological classic Jātaka Pārijāta, we shall see his opinion on the 6th bhāva, below.
Vaidyanātha says:
१३ ७१
roagārivyasanakṣatāni vasudhāputrāritaścintayeduktaṁ rogakaraṁ tadeva ripuge
jīve jitārirbhavet|
ṣaṇḍho'rīśabudhau vidhuntudayutau lagneśasambandhinau liṅasyāmayakṛd
vraṇena rudhiraḥ ṣaṣṭhe salagnādhipaḥ||13|71||
Sixth (Ripu) Bhāva
Meaning: Disease, enemies, addictions, wounds should be assessed from the 6th bhāva and
Mangal (Mars). Jupiter in the 6th indicates the Jātaka wining over his enemies, though he
gives diseases related to him (Jupiter). Should the lord of the 6th be conjunct Mercury, Rāhu
and be connected with lord of the ascendant, the Jātaka is impotent. If Mars occupies the 6th
bhāva along with the lord of ascendant the Jātaka would have disease caused by wound to
his reproductive organ (or wound will be caused to the reproductive organ on account of
disease).
Seventh (Dārā) Bhāva
Seventh bhāva is variously called, Saptama (7th), Dārā (wife, take to be wife, marry), Jāyā
(bringing forth of wife), Kalatra (wife, female of the species) and the Asta (“setting”, as this
bhāva indicates the rāshi on the western horizon at the time of birth) bhāva etcetera.
There are many other matters indicated by the 7th bhāva. “Jātakābharanam” describes them as
under:
raṇāṅgaṇaṁ cāpi vaṇik kriyāśca jāyāvicārāgamanaprayāṇam|

śāstrapravīṇairhi vicāraṇīyaṁ kalatrabhāve kila sarvamatet||
Meaning: War, trading/business, spouse, to and fro travel, expertise in sciences, should
indeed be analyzed from the Kalatra bhāva.
Let us see what else can be analyzed from the 7th bhāva. Being the 6th from the 2nd it could
indicate the enemies of the family or hindrance in education at school level and being the 5th
from the 3rd the first child and acquired knowledge or higher studies of younger sibling. 7th
bhāva is 4th bhāva from the 4th and therefore indicates both the happiness and house of the
Jātaka’s mother; whereas being the 3rd from the 5th it indicates both, the 2nd progeny as well
as the valour of first progeny or valour of acquired knowledge of the Jātaka. The 7th bhāva is
2nd from the 6th bhāva and therefore indicative of wealth of relatives, and being 12th to the 8th
bhāva of “Āyush” i.e. life, it also indicates cessation of life and therefore is known as a strong
Māraka bhāva (killer bhāva). The 7th bhāva being the 11th from the 9th bhāva not only
indicates the earning of the Jātaka’s father, it also is indicative of earning of Jātaka’s 3rd
progeny. 7th bhāva is placed in 10th house from the 10th bhāva and thus can indicate the actual
work being done by the Jātaka in his career/place of work. Again being the 9th from the
11th it is indicative of the sense of duty of the Jātaka in earning the fruits of his labour,
whereas being the 8th from the 12th bhāva it can indicate the legacy of maternal aunt/uncle’s
spouse or the longevity of his sleep or bed-pleasures and also perhaps the tenacity of his
search for spirituality. Obviously if there are benefic influences on the 7th bhāva and its lord,
and the karaka also being endowed with strength, the effects would be benefic whereas they
being weak and the influence on them malefic, negative results may be obtained.
This 7th bhāva is placed exactly opposite the Lagna bhāva and is both complimentary as well
as competitive to that bhāva. If we look at the attributes of this bhāva carefully, we find that
this bhāva represents constant change, to some extent. War as we know does not last forever,
trade or business has up and down cycles, and to and fro travel obviously is constant change
of place due to travel. When one marries, one changes one’s state from a bachelor to a
married person and from state of being carefree bird to one who has to shoulder responsibility
of the family and so on. This again is the reason it is also considered as the bhāva of partners.
One may however wonder why the author of Jātakābharanam has attributed expertise in
sciences to the 7th bhāva, when 2nd, 4th and 5th are already said to be the Vidyā bhāvas, in
ascending order of learning. If one thinks carefully about what happens in everyday life
around us, we find that it is not necessary that all learned are recognized as being expert in
their sciences. This happens due the fact that only those who can apply the knowledge that
they have acquired to variable situations that arise, and find solutions to them are called
experts in science. Again those that find new interpretation to previously propounded
theories, when faced with evidence to the contrary, are also called experts in science. This
again is why the 7th bhāva is not called the bhāva of science or learning but bhāva indicating
an expert in application of a science, irrespective of whether one has been academically
trained for the science or has acquired the knowledge of that science, without any formal
training.
An important matter that is to be remembered in case of the 7th bhāva in the area of spouse is
that whereas for both male and female Jātaka, the 7th bhāva karaka is Venus, in case of
female Jātaka, Jupiter gets additional kārakatwas as Patikāraka (karaka for husband). It might
interest readers to know that in Nādi texts, Mars is considered as the karaka for husband and
Venus for wife. In analysis of 7th bhāva, regarding longevity or otherwise of the marital bond,
it is well to remember that unless there is harm to the 7th bhāva, its lord and its karaka,
simultaneously, one should not jump to a conclusion that marriage would be denied or break
down. One must also remember that aspect of Jupiter on the 7th bhāva tends to reduce the
intensity of harm to the 7th bhāva, the possible exception being when Jupiter occupies the
ascendant and Mars the 7th bhāva leading to what is called the Unmāda yoga (yoga leading to
mania, madness), which can indicate long time separation or complete breakdown of a
marriage.
An astrologer might be asked the direction in which the prospective spouse be born or living.
It is said that the direction of the place of birth of the spouse is indicated by rāshi occupied by
the 7th lord whereas the direction of the spouse’s living is indicated by rashis that trine the
one occupied by Venus. I must caution the readers that this should not be taken literally, but
only as a possibility. The reason is that earth being round and distance between the place of
residence or birth of the spouse not being known, is say the direction indicated east, once the
distance from place of birth of Jātaka increases to half the circumference of earth it will lie in
the west. On the other hand the spouse could have been born in the same city and hospital in
a room just to the east of the Jātaka’s mother’s room, but on a different date and time.
One can deduce from what is already said that if malefics influence the 7th bhāva the person
might not be able to have long partnerships and if there is serious harm to the 7th he might not
be one who is good at business, unless it is a type of business where change is the norm, or
the Jātaka might himself changes his business direction often. One can also deduce that in
case of overcoming one’s opponent, aspect of malefics on the 7th bhāva in transit, will
indicate success to the Jātaka whereas their aspect on the lagna will indicate his defeat.
It is also not difficult to understand that one who has malefic influence on the 7th will like to
travel while those with benefic influence there may be reluctant traveler. One has to
understand that in case of Moon occupying or influencing the 7th bhāva, its very nature being
variable the Jātaka might like travels and also would want to change the direction of his
business. In case of expertise in sciences influence of benefics on the 7 th coupled with its
occupation by lords of 2nd, 4th, 5th or the 9th can make one expert in sciences. Whether the
expertise will be in the area of his formal education or acquired knowledge will depend on
the ownership of bhāva of such lord.
As has been our practice let us close this article by looking at the opinion of the learned
Vaidyanātha who in his classic Jātaka Pārijāta where he says:
yātrāputrakalatrasaukhyamakhilaṁ sañcintayetsaptamāduktaṁ
putrasukhāsukhāgamaphalaṁ sarvaṁ ca yattadvadet|
Meaning: Travels, progeny (2nd), happiness of spouse (marriage), happiness and unhappiness
of progeny and travels etcetera should all be analyzed and predicted from the 7th bhāva.
Eighth (Āyush) Bhāva
The eighth bhāva is more often called the Mrityu bhāva (bhāva of death), though its proper
nomenclature should be Āyush bhāva or bhāva of life. This is so because any harm to 8th
bhāva or its lord can indicate harm to life and even death. Another reason is that a planet
occupying this bhāva is said to become weak and the bhāva owned by such a planet is also
said to suffer weakness, though there are many exception to this general rule. This bhāva is
also called the “Randhra” bhāva. “Randhra” means a crevice/chasm/fissure/anterior
fontanelle/vulva etc., in Sanskrit language, and does represent all of these in different
manner. This bhāva is also the bhāva of unexpected gains, occult, and legacy.
We shall first try to see what other area of the Jātaka’s life can be understood from analysis of
the 8th bhāva, applying the “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle. The 8th bhāva is 7th bhāva to the 2nd
bhāva and shows the travels of family; being the 6th from the 3rd it shows the disease and
enemies of younger sibling and being 5th from the 4th bhāva it can also show the grandfather
of mother and her acquired or higher knowledge. Again 8th bhāva is the 4th bhāva from the 5th
bhāva and thus represents the house and self earned property of the first progeny, while being
the 3rd from the 6th bhāva it shows the second sibling of mother and valour of her immediate
younger sibling. The 8th bhāva being the 2nd bhāva from the 7th bhāva indicates both the
speech and the wealth of spouse and being 12th to the 9th indicates father’s expenditure, sleep
and genes that pass on to the Jātaka. The 8th house is also the 11th bhāva counted from the 10th
bhāva and therefore indicates the income from wealth of father and thus the legacy. We can
also see that the 8th bhāva is the 10th bhāva from the 11th bhāva and therefore indicative of
career of Jātaka’s elder brother/younger uncle and friends, whereas being the 9th from the 12th
it indicates maternal aunt/uncle’s father-in-law or whether the Jātaka will be able to follow
the righteous duties that can lead him to final emancipation.
Let us try to understand what the 8th bhāva represents, besides life and why. This is where the
Indian scriptures and philosophy make it easy to understand Vedic astrology. Hindu
scriptures talk about 10 Prānas of whom 5 are those that we experience, physically while the
other five Prānas are at the subtle level.
The five perceptible Prānas are known as:
 Prāna (air inhaled)

 Apāna (air expelled through rectum)
 Samāna (digestive breath),
 Udāna (air passing through throat)
 Vyāna which is responsible for circulation of all Prānas through body (or carrying
oxygen to blood/brain).
The 5 subtle Prānas are:
 “Nāga” is the Prāna which facilitates opening and closing of eyes, mouth etc.
 “Krikara” is the Prāna which increases appetite.
 “Kurma” is the Prāna which helps contraction of body parts.
 “Devadatta” is the Prāna causing wide opening of mouth, as in yawning.
 “Dhananjaya” is the name of Prāna indicating the air which sustains life itself.
It is said that the body decomposes when the Prāna called Dhananjaya leaves it. Now let us
see how Prāna which rules over life is connected with the 8th bhāva of astrology and why the
bhāva is called both the Āyush and the Mrityu bhāva. Yama (the lord of death) explains the
process of birth and death to sage Nachiketa in Kathopanishad thus:
॥१।३।१॥
ṛtaṁ pibantu sukṛtasya loke guhāṁ praviṣṭau parame parārdhe
chāyā tapau brahmavido vadanti pañcāgnayo ye ca triṇāciketāḥ ||1|3|1||
Meaning: Having enjoyed the fruits of good deeds (on this earth), the mortals enter the secret
place (chasm, fissure) on the opposite side (reborn). The knower of Brahman call this as
shadow and heat (going from the stage of being mortal to immortal and back), which is
controlled by the five fires (Prānas).
We have already seen that one of the names of the 8th bhāva is “Randhra” and one of the
numerous meanings of this name is “anterior fontanelle”. Let us see how exactly does the
anterior fontanelle look and where it is situated to understand exactly what the ancients were
indicating by naming the bhāva as “Randhra”, besides its commonly known name as “Āyush”
bhāva.
As we can see the anterior fontanelle does look like a crevice and is situate at the top of
human skull. This is open at birth and closes over a period of time. This again is in
consonance with principles of yoga and Hindu scriptures. This is the crevice through which
the “Prāna”, meaning life itself, is said to enter the newborn giving it life/existence of its
own, as separate from sustenance drawn from his mother. It is said that yogis try to force out
their Prāna, at the time of their death, through this crevice so that they can obtain final
emancipation. Having thus understood why the 8th bhāva is called both Āyush (life) and
Mrityu (death), it is not difficult to understand why some astrologers, including me, call it the
bhāva of transformation. The 8th bhāva also represents the legacy, the sexual organs, anus,
deep crevice, research and physical ailments which are constitutional or hereditary. Here, by
hereditary, we should understand that these are ailments that are other than those brought
upon partially through the Jātaka’s own actions. Therefore one can observe that when a
planet like Mars aspects the 8th bhāva in natal chart, the Jātaka could be accident prone, suffer
from acidity despite of being cautious or following a Satwik diet or he might suffer from
bleeding piles. Again the planets influencing the 8th bhāva could give an indication of ease, or
problems, in enjoying legacy and so on.
We have seen that this is also the bhāva of the unexpected events. Therefore its lord
occupying some other bhāva will indicate something unexpected occurring in connection
with the indications of that bhāva. Here it is well to remember that 8th bhāva also being bhāva
of termination and new beginning (Mrityu and Āyush), and one of the trika bhāvas, the planet
occupying it loses strength and the bhāva owned by that planet suffers. Again the bhāva
occupied by the lord of the 8th also gets weakened. Here one has to understand that the lords
of 6th, 8th and 12th bhāvas occupying any of the other two bhāvas are said to give rise to
rājyoga. Here one has to be clear in interpreting the 6th lord going to the 8th bhāva and 8th lord
going to 6th bhāva could also indicate the Jātaka’s acute ailments going chronic and chronic
subclinical ailments leading to acute health problems to the Jātaka respectively, though in the
matter of wealth they might give good yoga. Another matter to be kept in mind is that, at first
glance it might appear that applying above principle the lord of the lagna occupying the 8th
bhāva should indicate short life to the Jātaka. However the 8th bhāva primarily being the
bhāva of Āyush, that is life, the Jātaka will be seen to enjoy good health for most part of his
life. Again Saturn being Āyush kāraka gives long life to Jātaka when occupying the 8th bhāva,
putting the “Kārako bhāva nāshaH” (kāraka of a bhāva harm occupying that bhāva) theory
under severe scrutiny.
Vaidyanātha who in his classic Jātaka Pārijāta where he says:
।
॥१४।४८॥
āyurdāyamaniṣṭahetumudayavyomāyurīśārkajairuktaṁ tatsakalaṁ tathāpi
nidhanaprāptiṁ pravakṣye punaḥ|
alpāyurvyayagate'thavā ripugate pāpānvite randhrape lagneśena yute tu tatra vibale
jāto'lpajīvī naraḥ||14|48||
Meaning: We have already told about longevity from the lords of the ascendant, 10th bhāva
and 8th bhāva as well as Saturn, yet let us look at death from the 8th bhāva. Should the lord of
the 8th occupy the 12th or the 6th bhāva and be conjunct malefic/s or should he conjoin a weak
lord of the ascendant in the 12th or 6th bhāva, the Jātaka has short life (span).
Ninth (Dharma/Bhāgya) Bhāva
The ninth bhāva of a horoscope is variously called the Navama (ninth), Dharma
(duties/religion), Bhāgya (fortune), Pitru (father) and Tritrikona (third bhāva of the three
trines, beginning from ascendant) bhāva. Sage Pārāshara opines that Sun is the kāraka of this
bhāva and that is right with respect to father, whereas in connection with the teacher or
preceptor Guru becomes the kāraka for the 9th bhāva. This is also the most powerful amongst
the three trikona (trine) bhāvas, namely the ascendant, the 5th bhāva and the 9th bhāva.
Let us see what area of life of a Jātaka, besides those already indicated above, can be
analyzed from this bhāva. The 9th bhāva being the 8th from the 2nd bhāva can indicate hidden
meaning of the speech of the Jātaka, as also the legacy of the family of Jātaka. Ninth bhāva
being the 7th bhāva to the 3rd bhāva indicates the spouse of Jātaka’s younger sibling and being
6th from the 4th indicates the diseases and maternal relatives of his mother. Ninth bhāva is the
5th bhāva from the 5th bhāva and as such applying “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle it is not only
the secondary bhāva of Jātaka’s progeny, it also represents very high knowledge of Jātaka
indicating Doctoral (PhD.) or Post Doctoral studies and could also include spiritual
knowledge. The 9th bhāva happens to be placed in the 4th bhāva from the 6th and therefore
indicates the dwelling or house of the maternal relatives and being the 3rd from the 7th is
indicative of the younger sibling of spouse as also spouse’s valour. Again the 9th bhāva is the
2nd from the 8th bhāva and could indicate the wealth, ornaments etc. received by the Jātaka as
legacy.
It might be interesting to know that both the 9th and the 10th bhāva are called as bhāva for
father of the Jātaka, in astrological texts and even the venerable Pārāshara seems to say so as
evidenced by the following two shlokas:
७ ३९
navame'pi piturjñānaṁ sūryācca navamae'thavā|
yatkiñciddaśame lābhe tatsūryāddaśame bhave||7|39|||bṛhat pārāśara horāśāstra|
Meaning: One should analyze the father of the Jātaka from the 9th bhāva or 9th from Sun
(Surya), similarly the indications of the 10th and the 11th bhāvas are also to be analyzed from
the 10th and 11th bhāva from the Sun.
Here sage Pārāshara, very unambiguously says that one should analyze the father of the
Jātaka from the 9th bhāva. However as we go ahead we see the following Shloka in the 11th
chapter when he talks about father to be seen from the 10th bhāva:
rājyaṁ cākāśaṁvṛttiṁ ca mānaṁ caiva pitustathā|

pravāsasya ṛṇasyāpi vyomastānānnirikṣam||11|11||
|bṛhat pārāśara horāśāstra|
Meaning: Kingdom, space, career, honour, father, loans/expenditure for travels etc. should
be analyzed from the 10th bhāva.
A student of astrology might sometimes be confused as to why the sages have given father as
indication of both the 9th and 10th bhāva. In order to unravel this apparent contradiction, we
must understand two things here. The first is that in all Hindu sciences, whenever there is any
apparent contradiction between principles given by two sages, or even the principles told at
different places by the same sage, one should try to rationalize the two. The second thing we
must understand is that the bhāvas and their indications are to be seen as perceived by the
Jātaka and not as understood by others.
Let us now look at the 9th and the 10th bhāvas, in this fashion. It will now be clear that when
we are referring to the 9th bhāva as father of the Jātaka from the Jātaka’s point of view, it is
someone who sets the rules of behavior and duties for the Jātaka and grants privileges in
proportion to his following those rules, much like a king, boss or teacher (spiritual or
otherwise). On the other hand when the 10th bhāva is being analyzed, then it is more
concerned with the relations between the Jātaka’s father and mother as a married couple. This
again is why for all other relatives of the Jātaka the 7th bhāva from any bhāva indicates the
spouse of the person indicated by the concerned bhāva, but whereas the mother of the Jātaka
is seen from the 4th bhāva but the father is to be analyzed from the 9th bhāva. This is so
because, from the Jātaka’s point of view mother is one who protects, and father the one who
sets the rules. Having understood this, now let us try to understand how we can use this
information in analyzing charts.
Here we should also look into Hindu mythology where Sun and Saturn are said to be father
and son who do not see eye to eye and have almost diametrically opposite nature. We are
aware that the kāraka for 9th bhāva, primarily, is Sun (in relation to father) and therefore it
will be seen that Saturn aspecting the 9th can indicate some lack of happiness in the Jātaka’s
relations with his father. Depending on the strength of Saturn and weakness of Sun and the 9th
bhāva it could range from death of father when the Jātaka is young, to the two not being able
to remain together for long, perhaps due to constant travel of the father or the two having
different approach to life in general. Any other malefic aspect on the 9th bhāva can also show
some difference with father or lack of happiness, in that area. This will also naturally extend
to those seen as in position of immediate superiority to the Jātaka in his field of work as well.
Again if the 9th bhāva lord is placed in the 12th bhāva of distant lands and expenditure, the
Jātaka might not be able to reap all the benefits of his abilities in motherland but could
prosper much in distant lands. We can see that 9th bhāva is also related to the sense of duties
as well as religion and therefore benefic influence on the 9th bhāva could indicate the ability
of the Jātaka to carry out religious activities for a longer period of time. Similarly the nature
of planet influencing the 9th bhāva can indicate the way he would perform or think about
spiritual activities. For example, Mars who is connected with Dambha or external show
would indicate one who likes elaborate rituals more than the spiritual side of religion,
whereas Saturn influencing the 9th bhāva might show inclination towards internalizing the
religious percepts and so on.
We have to remember that the 5th bhāva being 5th from the 9th bhāva can also influence one’s
inclination towards religion at a secondary level. 9th lord occupying the 6th could indicate one
who has ability to rise above his status at birth by sheer dint of his hard work. If he does not
exert himself then of course the Jātaka might not be able to achieve his aims or might even
not work at all. It is also possible that the Jātaka might not have the happiness from father
which can manifest in any of the manner already explained earlier. Thus such a person may
be better advised to work away from father to gain his fortune fully.
We can understand that if malefics occupy the 4th or the 2nd bhāva, they being 8th and 6th from
9th, the father of the Jātaka could have problems to his health and such malefic being
extremely strong it could even indicate possibility of early death of father. It could also
indicate either the Jātaka or his father having forsaken the other.
One should also understand that though only benefic influence on the 9th bhāva is desirable,
for spiritual and religious benefit, there should also be some malefic influence there if one has
to attain material success in this materialistic world.
In case of wanting to prescribe remedies like mantra and rituals, it might be a good idea to
analyze the influence on both the 5th and the 9th bhāva. This will help understand whether
they would really help the Jātaka as these are to be performed by the Jātaka with full faith and
malefic influence here may not enable him to concentrate his mind on the mantras. We must
also remember that Saturn, Jupiter and the 9th bhāva being connected in some way or other
may lead the Jātaka to be more spiritual than one who is interested in rituals.
It is well to remember that 9th bhāva is one of the important bhāvas that helps us analyze the
sense of duties of the Jātaka. It is also the secondary indicator of intellect or logical thoughts
being the 5th from the 5th bhāva. The placement of lord of the 9th in another bhāva will
indicate how the influence of the Jātaka’s father/guru/teacher or acquired higher knowledge
shall manifest in the life of the Jātaka. Sun being primary kāraka of this bhāva its placement
could also, to some extent, give similar results. Placement of 9th lord in any of the bhāvas of
Vidyā (learning) would indicate the influence of the father on the Jātaka’s learning, too.
We also must remember that though Surya (Sun) is the primary kāraka of the 9 th bhāva, in
matter of teacher or preceptor it is Guru (Jupiter) who is considered the kāraka and thus a
secondary kāraka for the 9th bhāva. Therefore when one wants to analyze the Guru of the
Jātaka, one may analyze the 9th bhāva of the chart and also the 9th bhāva from Guru (Jupiter).
Vaidyanātha who in his classic “Jātaka Pārijāta” says:
४ ६५
bhāgyaprabhāvagurudharmatapaḥśubhāni
sañcintayennavamadevapurohitābhyām||14|65|1||
Meaning: Jātaka’s fortune, influence on others, preceptor or teacher, dharma (duties or

religion), austerities and auspicious things should be analyzed from the 9th bhāva and
Jupiter.
Tenth (Karma) Bhāva
The tenth bhāva is most commonly known as Karma bhāva in vedic astrology. It is variously
called the Dashama Bhāva (10th Brava), Karma (occupation, religious acts, work), Rājya
(Kingdom), Māna (honour/recognition), Ākāsha (sky or ethereal space), Āgyā (command),
Yasha (success) etcetera.
Let us see what area of life of a Jātaka, besides those already indicated above, can be
analyzed from this bhāva, utilizing the “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle. The 10th bhāva is the 9th
bhāva from the 2nd bhāva and can therefore indicate the actual work or means used to acquire
the wealth accumulated by a Jātaka. The 2nd bhāva being the bhāva for basic education
(including learning from traditions) and the 10th bhāva being bhāva of career, it could also be
indicative of how much of fundamental principles of his learning (both academic and
traditional) might be used by the Jātaka in his career or honours received by him. We can
also analyze the health of siblings and the legacy they might get from analyzing the 10th
bhāva as it is the 8th bhāva from the 3rd bhāva. The 10th bhāva being the 7th bhāva from the
4th, it can indicate the lower abdomen of his mother and her associates/partners/travels etc.,
while being 6th bhāva to the 5th bhāva, the 10th bhāva indicates the diseases/enemies and job
that the first progeny of the Jātaka might pursue. We can see that the 10th bhāva is the 5th
bhāva from the 6th bhāva and thus can also indicate the Jātaka’s maternal cousins as well as
expertise at his job. The 10th bhāva is the 4th bhāva from the 7th bhāva, and can therefore
indicate if the Jātaka gets happiness from travels and partners/spouse, while being the 3rd
bhāva from the 8th bhāva the 10th bhāva can indicate the valour of his ancestors (performance
of last right of the ancestors). The 10th bhāva is the 2nd bhāva from the 9th and therefore
indicates the wealth and speech of Jātaka’s father as 9th bhāva is indicator of Jātaka’s father.
It can also indicate the manner in which he will speak about religion or duties performed by
him. Obviously good influence on the 10th bhāva will indicate good results in these areas,
while malefics influence could indicate something negative in the area. One must also
understand that the planets involved in such influence will also indicate the manner in which
the Jātaka will act and the way the influence manifests.
The tenth bhāva is said to be the strongest of the four kendras (squares). The reason is
obvious. Whatever qualities one might possess, they are of not use to anyone including the
Jātaka unless he works in the right direction to utilize these inherent qualities properly, and
get their full results in this life. This again is why Māna or honour is attributed to this bhāva.
We must also know that the two powerful malefics that is Sun and Mars attain Digbala, that
is directional strength, in the 10th bhāva. Looking at attributes of these malefics we can see
that Sun being the natural leader (king) of people is an administrator and Mars is the one who
likes to fight any challenge and rules logic, it is natural that these qualities applied to the
pursuit of career can elevate the Jātaka much, and can also earn him reputation, if they are
strong. We can also understand that in this position the malefics aspect the 4th house of
happiness and home. It does not take much to understand that one who wants success at
career and recognition cannot afford to sit at home enjoying comforts, if he really wants to
succeed.
Pārāshara has given kārakatwa (indications) of this bhāva to Budha (Mercury). It is obvious
that one must have good grasp over the work he does and one must also understand that one
has to negotiate the various difficulties that he might have to face in pursuit of his career.
Which can be the planet who is better than Mercury whose caste is defined as Vaishya (trader
community), and whose nature is to act according to those he comes in contact with, to be
able to do this? It is also worth noting that other learned have given such kārakatwa to Sun,
Jupiter and Saturn too, in addition to Mercury. This is not incorrect as if we look at the way
work was allotted to the four castes as defined in Hindu system of administrative units, Sun
represents the ruler, Jupiter those imparting knowledge, Mercury the traders and Saturn
represents the labour class.
At the risk of inviting ire of both devout Hindus, and those trying to perpetuate the caste
system as a system of oppression of the downtrodden, I must mention here that the caste
system amongst the Hindus is one of the most misunderstood system of division of work, not
only by those of other religion, and nationality, but by most Hindus themselves. This arises
from the assumption of modern Hindus, and scholars, that the caste system is rigid and one
has to be born in a particular caste to be recognized as belonging to that caste. I would invite
the discriminating reader’s attention to the following shloka (aphorism) of “Bhagvadgeeta”
one of the most respected preaching of essence of Hindu religion and importance of karma,
where Lord Krishna tells Arjuna about how the “ChāturvarNa” (four castes) were created,
when he says:
४।१३।१
cāturvarṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇakarma vibhāgaśaḥ||4|13|1||
Meaning: The four castes are created by me on the basis of their qualities and work
(jobs/career).
It is thus obvious that the castes are to be understood on the basis of the nature and career of a
human being. Thus Jupiter and Venus being Brahmin grahas will indicate one engaged in
karma that needs brain power, Sun and Mars being Kshatriya will indicate one who works by
fighting/dominating others, Mercury and Moon being Vaishya will indicate working through
the ability to negotiate and trade, whereas Saturn being Shudra graha will indicate work
where hard work is essential. This again could be the reason that other sages thought it fit to
allot kārakatwa of the 10th bhāva to Sun, Jupiter and Saturn as indicators of the 4 primary
classes of karma that a Jātaka can perform.
We have to understand that the kārakatwas given being indicative of the class of work, the
other planets belonging to identical class occupying or influencing the 10th can indicate
similar work/career but modified by the specific nature of the relevant graha (planet). The
nodes (Rāhu and Ketu) have a tendency to behave according to the bhāvas occupied or the
bhāva lords they conjoin and hence they are not given specific kārakatwa for the 10th bhāva.
However Rāhu being described as the outcaste will indicate work involving the downtrodden,
non traditional methods, or foreign element in the work being carried out by the Jātaka and
Ketu occupying it could indicate the Jātaka who might give up his job (and take up own
profession, perhaps in different area).
Before closing this article on the 10th bhāva, I would like to draw the attention of readers to
one very important thing that must be remembered in connection of the 10th bhāva. Always
remember that in the chapter on indication of life span, the venerated Pārāshara has given
equal importance to the 10th bhāva lord and Saturn as is given to the lord of the 8th bhāva, in
the matter of both career and lifespan in the following shloka:
।
१९।३
evaṁ hi śaninā cintā kāryā tarkaivicakṣaṇaiḥ|
karmādhipena ca tathā cintanaṁ kāryamāyuṣaḥ||19|3||
Meaning: As one thinks of the karma of the Jātaka, from lord of the Karma (10th lord) and
Saturn, lifespan of the Jātaka from Saturn and the 10th bhāva lord (in a fashion similar to
analysis of the 8th lord for of the Jātaka).
Vaidyanātha, who in his classic Jātaka Pārijāta says:
।
१५।१
ājñāmānavibhūṣaṇāni vasanavyāpāranidrākṛṣi
pravrajyāgamakarmajīvanayaśovijñānavidyāḥ kramāt|
karmasvāmidineśabodhanagurucchāyāsutaiścintayeduktāni pravihāya
pūrvamaśubhe mānī vimāno bhavet||15|1||
Meaning: Giving commands, honour, splendor/ornaments, clothes/garments, trade, not

sleeping, agriculture activities, renunciation, work related to sacred sciences, success in life
and knowledge of sciences are to be understood from the lord of the 10th bhāva, Sun,
Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn respectively. Should malefic occupy the earlier (10th bhāva) the
Jātaka loses his honour/reputation.
Eleventh (Lābha) Bhāva
The eleventh bhāva is called the Āya or the Lābha bhāva. It also goes by the name of
“Bhava” or “Hara” bhāva. “Bhava” and Hara are names of Lord Shiva who manifests in form
of 11 Rudras (one who makes one cry), thus on the basis of an encryption system used in
Sanskrit language, which is called Bhoot Samkhyā (numbers represented by different beings)
we see 11th bhāva also being called “Bhava” or “Hara” bhāva. Another reason for this could
be that the bhāva next to the 11th bhāva, that is the 12th bhāva, is connected with final
emancipation which is possible only after death and Lord Shiva is the destroyer. The eleventh
bhāva, besides Āya (income) or Lābha (profits), is also indicator of the elder sibling of the
Jātaka, his left ear and also hearing in general. The 11th bhāva also relates to the friends of the
Jātaka, as a friend who is supposed to protect one as should the elder sibling. This bhāva
represents the leg of Kālpurusha, is an upachaya bhāva (bhāva of growth) and one of the
trishadāya bhāvas. It is said that all planets give good results when occupying the 11th bhāva,
perhaps because they indicate the source or manner of income. Barring matters of income, the
lord of the 11th does not give good results in its own dashā.
Let us now find out how the 11th bhāva will manifest when we apply the “Bhāvāt Bhāvam”
principle to this bhāva. We find that 11th bhāva is the 10th bhāva from the 2nd and therefore is
indicative of all the work done to accumulate wealth and also the family career/business of
the Jātaka’s family. Being 9th bhāva from the 3rd bhāva it is indicative of the sense of duties
of the Jātaka’s siblings and being 8th from the 4th it is also the bhāva ruling over the life of
Jātaka’s mother and her legacy. The 11th bhāva is placed in 7th from the 5th bhāva and thus
indicates spouse of progeny whereas being 6th from the 6th indicates diseases on a secondary
level and also enemy of maternal relatives. The 11th bhāva is 5th bhāva from the 7th bhāva and
can indicate higher education or acquired knowledge of his spouse. The 11th bhāva is placed
at 4th place from the 8th bhāva and thus can indicate not only the ancestral house but also the
place to which his ancestors belonged. The 11th house is the 3rd from the 9th house and thus
indicator of the younger paternal uncle and valour of the Jātaka’s father, as also the way
sense of duty of Jātaka might manifest. Again being the 2nd from the 10th bhāva it indicates
the wealth earned by the Jātaka, through his career, as opposed to wealth in general. We also
find that the 11th bhāva is placed in the 12th house from the 12th bhāva and thus indicative of
loss of expenditure, which in practical terms would mean that the 11th being stronger than the
12th will indicate that the Jātaka’s income will be higher than his spending.
One can easily understand from this that whenever there are benefic influences on the 11 th
bhāva the way he earns will be by good means while malefic influences there can indicate
earning through malefic means. Now, one has to understand that in the matter of earning, it is
necessary to remember that one should not jump to conclusion without looking at influences
on the 5th and 9th bhāva also, simultaneously, before declaring the earning being through good
or bad means. This is so as malefics influencing might merely be indicative of source of his
income through trades/career indicated by such malefics. An example would be Rāhu
occupying the 11th which could be indicative of the Jātaka earning through dishonest means
and theft as these qualities are attributed to Rāhu. However if we understand that Rāhu is also
referred to as MlecCha (foreigner) and an outcaste, it is quite possible that one might earn
from foreigners, outcastes or career that is non-traditional if there are benefic influences on
5th or 9th or both the 5th or 9th bhāvas. In this case, however it is possible that his friends or
elder brother might not be straightforward and he could be deprived of some of his earnings
by them, especially if 12th bhāva is under the influence of malefics.
Similarly Saturn influencing the 11th bhāva can indicate income from coal, gas, petroleum
products, arial waves, work where huge data of material is to be handled and one which
requires hard work whereas Mars can indicate technical lines, restaurants, defense services
and so on. It is also well to understand that the kārakatwa of the planet, occupying the 11th
bhāva and the house owned by him would also be indicative of the source of the Jātaka’s
earning. Naturally if the 12th lord occupies the 11th bhāva, the Jātaka could either earn in/from
distant lands or his expenditure will exceed his income. Similarly when the lord of the 11 th
occupies the 12th bhāva, one can surmise that the Jātaka will be well advised to seek his
income abroad or he may find it difficult to earn in own country/culture.
We know that the 11th bhāva is indicative of the left ear and also hearing in general.
Therefore benefic influence over it would indicate that the Jātaka might hear or like to hear
knowledge based conversation, religious lectures and good music (perhaps classical) whereas
malefic influence might indicate he liking harsh music, stories of war and strife or bad news
in general. Obviously any harm to this bhāva can also indicate one being hard of hearing,
especially if Guru (Jupiter) is also afflicted. Thus the nature of planets influencing the 11th
can be utilized to analyze what the Jātaka may like to listen to and learn. The question that
might arise in one’s mind would be why type of learning should be one of the attributes of the
11th bhāva, when the bhāva only rules over hearing? This has perhaps more to do with the
way ancient Hindus gave more importance to knowledge obtained through hearing it from
mouth of Guru (preceptor). We must remember that 11th bhāva being the 7th bhāva from the
5th is a bhāva complimentary to the 5th which is the bhāva for higher learning and thus this
learning will be higher level of learning obtained through direct interaction with the Guru
(preceptor).
One must never forget that the 11th bhāva is placed in the 6th house from the 6th house and
would be able to influence one’s diseases too. Therefore malefic influences on the 11th bhāva,
11th lord and the Ascendant or Lord of Ascendant could indicate health issue in which the
Jātaka’s lifestyle could be a contributory factor. I shall not go more in to depth of this as I
have already dwelt on diseases, in depth, in the article on disease posted earlier. We also must
remember that being one of the trishadāya bhāva, the lord of 11th posited in other trishadāya
bhāvas, that is the 3rd or the 6th bhāva can be indicative of a rājyoga. However this yoga
should not be applied blindly. When the 11th lord occupies the 6th bhāva it can indicate that
the Jātaka will earn by dint of his hard work, but it is also true that if he does not work hard,
he might be dependent on maternal relatives for his income or may not have good relation
with his elder sibling. Same holds true for lord of 11th in the 3rd bhāva, which indicates that
the Jātaka earns through own efforts but it is also possible that the younger sibling is wealthy.
Again one must understand that though generally placement of lord of a trishadāya bhāva is
not considered good when occupying own bhāva that is not the case with the 11th bhāva, the
saying being “ ” (“lābhe sarve grahāḥ praśastāḥ||”), meaning all planets
th
give good results in the 11 bhāva. Of course one has to understand that this is so, in respect
of earning and not in respect of all areas indicated by the 11th bhāva.
Vaidyanātha who in his classic Jātaka Pārijāta says:
१५।६६।१
lābhasthānena lagnādakhiladhanacayaprāptimicchanti sarve
lābhasthānopayātaḥ sakalabalayutaḥ khecaro vittadaḥ syāt||15|66|1||
Meaning: All the learned sages have told (astrologers) to analyze earning of all types of
wealth from the 11th bhāva from the Lagna (ascendant). All strong planets occupying the 11th
bhāva are indicative of all type of earning, whereas those in 10th bhāva indicate wealth
earned through the career of the Jātaka.
Twelfth (Vyaya) Bhāva
Coming to the end of the series of our articles, on bhāvas, we shall try to understand the
qualities of the 12th bhāva which are not specifically commented upon in astrological texts.
The 12th bhāva is important in the analysis of a chart, but is much neglected barring focus on
its use to understand expenditure of a Jātaka on account of its name as “Vyaya” (expenditure)
bhāva.
The 12th bhāva in a chart rises on the eastern horizon, prior to the risen (Lagna/ascendant)
bhāva, which indicates the birth of the Jātaka, and is indicative of state of a Jātaka before his
birth.
If we try to understand the state of a soul before birth according to the Hindu philosophy, we
can understand importance of the 12th bhāva in influencing the personality of a Jātaka. It is
believed in Hindu philosophy that the soul of the Jātaka, having enjoyed/suffered the karmas
of his previous birth, enters the nakshatra Loka for re-entry in a new body, prior to his birth.
It is this nakshatra Loka which can be said to be represented by the 12th bhāva. This then can
also be equated to the womb of the Jātaka’s mother where he stays till the time of his actual
birth. This perhaps is also the reason that the 12th bhāva representing the afterlife, together
with the 8th bhāva representing the stomach of mother and perhaps the umbilical cord of the
Jātaka, forms the base of the moksha trikona, whose apex is the 4th bhāva indicating the
mother of the Jātaka.
Besides the oft used name “Vyaya” (expenditure) bhāva, the twelfth bhāva is also called the
“Shayana” (sleep/bed-pleasures) bhāva by the learned. It is also sometimes referred to as
“Bhoga” (enjoyment) or “Moksha” (final emancipation) bhāva though more in context to
those qualities than directly. This being the last of the articles on bhāvas, I would like to
invite attention of the readers to the following shloka of Sage Pārāshara, lest they be confused
on account of some learned astrologer calling bhāvas by names other than those in regular
usage. It will also help understand why bhāvas are known by many names other than what
they are called by Pārāshara or other Sages;
७ ३७
७ ३८
tanurdhanaṁ ca sahajo bandhuputrārayastathā|
yuvatirandhradharmākhyakarmalābhavyayāḥ kramāt||7|37||
saṁkṣepeṇaitaduditamanyad budhyanusārataḥ|
kincidviśeṣaṁ vakṣyāmi yathā brahmamukhācchrutam||7|38||
Meaning: The (twelve) bhāvas are called “Tanu”, “Dhana”, “Sahaja”, “Bandhu”, “Putra”,
“Ari”, “Yuvati”, “Randhra”, “Dharma”, “Karma”, “Lābha” and “Vyaya” respectively
(beginning from 1st to the 12th). These names are given in brief and the learned should
understand their (other) names according to their own intellect. I shall tell other special
things (about bhāva analysis) that I have heard from the mouth of Lord Brahma (he tells
about analysis of bhāvas by analyzing bhāvas as many number away from karaka for the
bhāva in the following shloka).
Having, thus, understood why bhāva might be known by various names, let us now look at
the various areas of life that the 12th bhāva can represent by application of the “Bhāvāt
Bhāvam” principle. The above shloka of Sage Pārāshara will also help the readers understand
why we have been applying not only “Bhāvāt Bhāvam” principle when looking at what a
bhāva can give, but also applying a modification of the same principle to other bhāvas from
the karaka to understand what else a bhāva can represent for the Jātaka.
The 12th bhāva is placed in the 11th from the 2nd and can indicate the income of the Jātaka’s
family (as against the Jātaka’s own income). Again being placed in 10th house from the 3rd
bhāva it indicates the karma/career of younger brother and being 9th bhāva from the 4th bhāva
it indicates the maternal grandfather as well as the dharma (sense of duty) of mother. The 12 th
bhāva is placed in the 8th bhāva from the 5th bhāva and therefore indicates both the
life/death/legacy of the first progeny and the area the Jātaka might want to research for sake
of furthering own knowledge. Again we find that the 12th bhāva occupies the 7th bhāva from
the 6th bhāva and is therefore indicative of spouse of mother’s siblings as also the place where
he may have to travel for short time or for example expenses of hospitals incurred in
connection with his sickness (6th being Roga/disease bhāva) and also include prison as well
as visits to courts as result of litigation (also represented by the 6th bhāva). The 12th bhāva is
placed in 6th house from the 7th bhāva and is indicative of the spouse’s disease, maternal
relatives, enemies, and so on whereas being 5th from the 8th bhāva it indicates the higher level
of research that the Jātaka might undertake including the way thoughts of death affects the
Jātaka and his interest in afterlife or emancipation. The 12th bhāva is placed in the 4th house to
the 9th bhāva and as such is indicative of the house/happiness of father/ maternal grandmother
and happiness one might experience on doing his righteous duties or being religious. The 12th
bhāva is again the 3rd bhāva from the 10th indicating the valour of karma. Here we must
understand that to Hindus, karma here will indicate good karma leading to final
emancipation. Similarly 12h bhāva being bhāva of Shayana (sleep) and distant lands, malefic
aspects on the 12th bhāva and benefic influence on the 10th bhāva can also indicate the
capacity of the Jātaka to give up his sleep or take travels to distant lands for sake of good
karma. The 12th bhāva is the 2nd bhāva from the 11th bhāva and therefore is indicative of
wealth of elder brother or wealth of the spouse of first progeny. Again, being 2nd from the
bhāva of earned income, that is the 11th bhāva, malefic influence on the 12th can also indicate
inability of the Jātaka to save/accumulate the wealth earned from own efforts.
We should keep in mind that whenever there is simultaneous damage to the 4th, the 7th and
the 12th bhāva, the Jātaka will be subject to harm in these areas in his/her place of birth, but
not in distant lands. If one understands this principle of interpretation, it helps an astrologer
suggest right course of action to the Jātaka in such cases. This again is the reason an
astrologer might be astonished why in some cases when lord of the 2nd going to the 12th
bhāva or the lord of the 12th bhāva occupying the 2nd bhāva, instead of giving results of the
classic “Dāridrya” (poverty) yoga, seems to bless the Jātaka with great wealth. A closer
examination of such a chart will show that the Jātaka has earned his wealth in/from distant
lands. The concept of distant lands also needs to be understood properly. The 12th bhāva
being the bhāva indicative of sleep/state of dream/final emancipation etcetera, it can be
equated to a place where the Jātaka feels he has no control over events occurring there. So a
place which is distinctly different in culture to the Jātaka’s own culture, can also come under
the classification of distant lands. This will be more prominently experienced in countries
which themselves are almost the size of continents or those countries where various cultures
are practiced in well defined areas.
Before coming to the close of this series of articles on bhāvas, let me clarify that in my
opinion, one must analyze the results of the bhāvas as perceived by the Jātaka.
This approach to interpretation of a chart will certainly help unravel the mystery of final
effects of the bhāvas (and their lords) which are called the nectar of the science of astrology.
As has been our practice, so far in the series of articles on bhāvas, let us close this article by
looking at the opinion of the learned Vaidyanātha who in his classic Jātaka Pārijāta says:
१५ ७२
lagnādantyatadīśabhānutanayairdūrāṭanaṁ durgatiṁ dātṛtvaṁ
śayanādisaukhyavibhavaṁ vittakṣayaṁ cintayet|
riṣphasthe carakhecare caragṛhe duḥsthānanāthe'thavā nānādeśavanāṭano hi śaninā
yukte'thavā''lokite||15|72||
Meaning: Travels to distant lands, sorrow, philanthropy (donations), bed pleasures, wealth,
and expenditure should be analyzed from the 12th bhāva from lagna (ascendant), its lord, and
Saturn. Should a chara (mobile) planet (like Moon or other fast movers) occupy a chara
(cardinal) rāshi in the 12th bhāva or should a malefic occupy it and/or should the 12th bhāva
be occupied or aspected by Saturn the Jātaka has to travel to different distant lands.

12 Bhavas

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12 Bhavas

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First (Tanu) Bhāva

ṛkṣaṁ bhavananāmāni rāśiḥ kṣetraṁ bhameva vā|

bhavanādhipaiḥ samastaṁ Jātakavihitaṁ vicintayenmatimān|

Bhāva 1st Dreshkāna 2nd Dreshkāna 3rd Dreshkāna

“ haeral»ar muOyàÉvzuÉ)ladIin svaRi[ pu<sa<,

different way we can perceive a person. We tend to decide whether a person is

pursuing medical or engineering education and/or is a sportsperson of fairly good caliber,

raṇāṅgaṇaṁ cāpi vaṇik kriyāśca jāyāvicārāgamanaprayāṇam|

The five perceptible Prānas are known as:

 Prāna (air inhaled)

The 5 subtle Prānas are:

rājyaṁ cākāśaṁvṛttiṁ ca mānaṁ caiva pitustathā|

Meaning: Jātaka’s fortune, influence on others, preceptor or teacher, dharma (duties or

Meaning: Giving commands, honour, splendor/ornaments, clothes/garments, trade, not

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