Ashtakavarga

System Of Prediction (Part -10) By Dr. E.S.NEELAKANTAN

Introduction We have just seen some of the rules pertaining to Mercury with reference to the Ashtakavarga system of prediction. We, now move to discuss further details about Mercury and its input on horoscopes. To recapitulate the last part of our article in Part-9 , we found -that Mercury in our navamsa will make one proficient in Fine Arts, poetry etc. - If the navamsa of Mars/Venus , one becomes a great poet or dramatist subject to a few conditions. - In debilitation navamsa one will become proficient in music, mimicry etc. subject to certain rules. Usually people with refined taste take to Fine Arts, Poetry etc. because it requires a mature intellect. Hence the requirement of Mercury in own navamsa as stated above. To be good at mimicry also requires skills but a person who writes poetry requires more intellectual ability than an artist who performs mimicry. So, we will now arrive at our conclusion. When Mercury has more number of bindus in Ashtakavarga , one will definitely have artistic taste and skills. If Mercury is in own navamsa , than those artistes will be good at intellectual field like poetry. When in weak navamsa , the strength of Mercury in Ashtakavarga will give artistic taste and skills but they may tend to branch out to areas like mimicry where less intellectual skills are sufficient.

Edison said Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration . But there is a contrary proverb also Geniuses are born , not made . So which of the two is correct? Astrology furnishes the answer. To be a genius in any field , you must have it in your birth chart. But if you start seeing horoscopes, you will note that many people with distinct Rajayogas in their birth chart , have fared poorly in their career. What is the reason? Planets impel but they do not compel. Without sincere effort , the promise shown in a horoscope ,may fail on account of proper initiatives being taken at the appropriate time. I wish to cite one analogy here when talking about whether birth or effort makes a person a genius . The noted Tamil poet Kannadasan was once advised to learn a little bit of English since it would be useful to him as his stature at that time was steadily rising . Actually he picked up his English lessons pretty fast . At that time he visited a friends house at night. Those days there never used to be calling bells and you have to tap the door. When Kannadasan tapped the door the inmate shouted , who is standing out? In a cool tone , Kannadasan replied , Outstanding poet standing out . I am citing this example to show that by his very birth Kannadasan was a genius in Tamil language. But since the poetic talent was latent in him with a little bit of English learning he could write wonderful sentences , like the one I have mentioned above. Now we will proceed to see some of the rules concerning Mercury in Ashtakavarga. 1. Mercury with 1 to 3 bindus in any bhava with navamsa in a female sign will destroy that bhava. We have to understand this rule in a deeper sense. In Astrology, there is a crucial link between the bhava and its occupant. Let us say for Pisces lagna , Jupiter is in Cancer. We may think that as the tenth lord is exalted , tenth house prospects are good. But in reality the maximum impart is felt by the 5th bhava in this case. When the 5th bhava is occupied by an exalted planet , it is a clear indication of excellent

poorva punya or merits of previous births. Coming to our rule here, Mercury becomes weak when it is placed with 3 or less bindus and when in a female navamsa it is not bound to do well. Hence the weakness of Mercury spills over to the bhava , rendering the bhava devoid of any merit. 2. When the lord of the bhava occupied by Mercury is in the 6th , 8th or 12th bhava from lagna , there will be many obstacles to education. As discussed in my previous article , education is accorded top priority in todays life. Your job prospects depend on your education and those who are not well educated end up in mediocre jobs. I wish to cite one example from my personal experience . There are people who practice Accountancy as a profession. They get all details from the clients make up the books and hand them over to an auditor for attestation. The Auditor , invariably will be a Chartered Accountant. In many cases , these Accountants are not properly remunerated because the clients seldom understand the efforts taken by them and secondly they do not have formal degree to command respect. Even Chartered Accountants , in spite of having a formal degree , tend to lose their dignity when they start dancing to the tunes of the clients.So it is very important to have formal education and it is even more important to preserve the dignity attached to that educational qualification . Merely looking into Mercurys placement is not enough . One has to understand how well the sign disposition of Mercury is placed . If that lord is in one of the three evil houses , 6,8 or 12, the continuity of education is bound to receive some setbacks. 3. Even though Mercury is (a) in debilitation (b) Combust (c) in an inimical house, still he confers the effects of the bhava provided he is associated with 4 or more bindus. One salient feature of astrology is that every rule has some exception. A planet in debilitation, in combustion or in an enemys house is virtually powerless and not only the planet proves unfavourable but in

the process renders the bhava over which it has control, ineffective. There are many doomsayers in the community of astrologers, who will not hesitate to give out evil forecasts whenever they come across such planets. Here ashtakavarga acts as a neutralizing factor. So even if Mercury is weak in your birth chart, all hope is not lost. Even a weak Mercury, with four or more bindus is capable of giving favourable results. This is one more area where there are compensatory features provided in Astrology. We know that there are rules for Neechabhanga, to support that the debilitation of a planet is adequately compensated by the pressure of other desirable features. Similarly kemadruma is warded off when kemadurama bhanga yogas are present. In law, there is a saying, A Man is Innocent unless proved guilty. On the same lines I wish to propound one rule which should act as a beacon for all building Astrologers. Every planet is favourable unless proved otherwise. Planets obtain strength in a variety of ways. They give out evil effects only when they are completely prevented from giving out positive vibrations. Astrologers make a Mountain out of a Mole hill by giving undue weightage to minor aberrations in the chart. It is sad to note that planets are looked upon in the same manner as ghosts and demons. Please note that according to Astrology, even the Sun and Moon are only considered as planets. Without the Sun, can activity in the world take place? Similarly all herbs in the world derive nourishment from the Moon. This is evidenced by the statement of Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Gita . Can any one say that Sun and Moon are capable of inflicting harm? What Astrology says is that when their vibrations do not reach us in a proper way , their beneficial qualities are curtailed , thereby bringing harm in the process. 4. Note the rasis which have more than 4 bindus in Mercurys Ashtakavarga chart. Transit of Mercury through this bhava is most auspicious for commencement of studies. Even a dull-witted student becomes proficient in studies by following this rule.

Many of us are fascinated by Astrology. But how many of us are benefitted by this great science? How many schools are willing to experiment on the above rule? All you need to do is , catch hold of all the dull students in a class. Find out when Mercury is favourably placed in transit for each of them . Then you advise their parents to devote an hour per day commencing from the date of Mercurys transit for learning the subject either on their own or from a tuition teacher . I am sure , there will not be many takers for this suggestion . The reason for this is that there are too many people who are skeptical about the effects of planets on day-to-day lives. Astrology , in our country is considered more as a superstition , than as a science. To change this state of affairs , lot of work needs to be done. 5. If a bindu is contributed by the Sun in the 2nd house from Mercury ones speech will be patronizing ; if by Saturn , mostly one will utter falsehood : if by Mars, harsh speech, Mercury , pleasing and witty. Jupiter , clean and intelligent. Venus ;interspersed with anecdotes. If the bindu is contributed by an unafflicted Moon, one will be a charming speaker ; if otherwise one will be careless in speech. It is said in Sanskrit, Lakshmir Vasathi Jihvagre (Goddess Lakshmi resides at the tip of your tongue). The message is clear ; your prosperity depends on how you speak. Sometimes, when a harsh message is given out in polite language, it has the desired impact without provoking the person to whom it is addressed. Some people also know how to use language in a clear way. I wish to cite one example here. The late Shri C.N.Annadurai former CM of Tamilnadu was adept in both English as well as in Tamil. He was once asked to speak a sentence in English with a single word being used thrice in immediate succession. He coined a sentence immediately and said : No sentence ends with because because because is a conjunction. This also shows that in English it is not the knowledge of grammar that is important but the sense of grammar. How various planets influence

the second house from Mercury is discussed in rule 5 above and in my view, it is quite self-explanatory and needs no further elaboration. THE END