Birth of children is essential part of a vedic life. While other traditions view childbirth merely as an offshoot of marriage, Vedic traditions advocate continuation of lineage as a sacred duty of every human being. During the gestation period of an expectant mother, “Sundara Khandam” of Ramayana is still recited to produce children who have all the attributes of Lord Hanuman viz intelligence, strength, fame, courage, absence of fear, health, ability, eloquence, so on and so forth. Offering to manes and performance of obsequies constitute an important duty by which ancestors are propitiated and they in turn bless the living with all riches.
Scriptures advocate worship of Devas and Pitris: it is believed that the pre-existing debt of a human being at the time of birth towards Rishis is extinguished only with birth of children . In this write-up , we will examine how planets influence fertility, pregnancy and childbirth.
Generally Sun, Mars and Rahu are indicative of sons while Moon and Venus denote daughters. Fertility can also be recloned using the Saptamsa or the D-7 chart. Mercury and Saturn are non-masculine, non-feminine planets and are endowed with the capacity to deny progeny. It is also widely believed that curses result in a person becoming bereft of
progeny in this birth. When Rahu occupies a house of Jupiter it denotes the curse of the priest, Vedic pundit, astrologer or a person signified by Jupiter. Rahu is a karmic control Planet and while forming a malefic yoga in connection to Jupiter becomes a progeny- denying planet, through a curse. The Sattwic planets are Sun, Moon and Jupiter and and while in the 8th with malefic contact, deny progeny.
SIGNIFICATORS OF PROGENY
1. The 5th lord is the primary significator of progeny. In a female chart 9th lord denotes progeny. The role of the 2nd lord can hardly be underestimated in view of the fact that second house denotes family and a malefic in the second curtails, to a very great extent, the scope and magnitude of happiness in a person's family.
2. Jupiter is the Karaka of progeny. Jupiter denotes expansion, while Saturn denotes contraction. A strong Jupiter denotes multiple children, whereas Jupiter in 5 symbolifies daughters rather than sons.
3. If the influence of Saturn, Mercury and Mandi are there on the 5th , one is forced to take recourse to adoption as the only way to extend family lineage in view of the absence of tenable alternatives.
POSITIVE INFLUENCES ON PROGENY
When the following combinations are present, one is assured of progeny
1. Progeny is assured when 5th house and 5th lord get aspected by benefics.
2. When Jupiter is aspected by a benefic.
3. A strong lagna lord in 5 and Jupiter aspected by benefics.
4. Jupiter, being the 5th lord is strong.
5. When a strong lagna lord aspects Jupiter as the 5th lord,
6. Both Jupiter and the 5th lord are in Vaisheshikamsa , progeny is assured.
7. When lagna lord and the 5th lord are in conjunction or have mutual interchange or have mutual aspect, progeny is assured.
8. If lagna lord and the 5th lord occupy quadrants and the 2nd lord is strong, there will be birth of children.
9. Ascertain the Navamsa sign dispositor of 5th lord; if the lord is well placed or well aspected, birth of children is assured.
10. If lagna lord or 9th lord are in 7th house and the 2nd lord is in lagna, birth of children is assured.
11. If the navamsa sign dispositor of 7th lord is aspected by lord of 1,2 or 9 progeny is assured.
Beeja Sphuta and Kshetra Sphuta:
Adding the longitudes of Sun, Jupiter and Venus we get Beeja Sphuta in a male chart. Similarly, adding the longitudes of Mars, Jupiter and Moon in a female chart gives rise to Kshetra Sphuta. If Beeja Sphuta falls in an odd sign and kshetra sphuta falls in a female sign, progeny is assured. Further the influence of Rahu should not be there on Beeja Sphuta , kshetra sphuta or the 5th house in order to give rise to progeny.
Extinction of Family:
1) When a malefic occupies 4, Venus is in 7 and Moon is in 10, one's family gets extinct. This Yoga is termed “Vamsa Vicheda Yoga”.
2) Waning Moon in 5 with malefics in 1,7 and12;- the native is bereft of wife and children.
3) Malefics in 1,5,8 and 12.
4) Malefics in 4; Mercury and Venus in 7 and Jupiter in 5.
Birth of issues in Old age
If any of the combinations mentioned as follows are present, one will have issues in old age.
1) Mars in Ascendant , Moon in 8 and Sun in Taurus, Leo, Virgo or Scorpio.
2) Jupiter in 8, Mars in 12, Saturn in Ascendant and 5th house falling in Taurus, Leo, Virgo or Scorpio.
3) Malefic planets in Ascendant, malefics in 5th from Jupiter Moon in 12.
Conception
It is believed that conception on an odd night after menstruation gives rise to a male child while conception on an even night gives rise to a female child.
The best stars for conception are Mrigashirsha, Anuradha, Hasta, Swati, Sravana, Dhanishta, and Sadabhishek. The couple should be in an happy frame of mind at the time, they are having an union for the sake of producing a child.
The mind plays a very important role in childbirth. It is advisable for the couple to skip the process if due to some reason or the other, either of them are in a solemn mood.
ABORTION
Due to some reason or the other the foetus can get aborted. In olden days, expectant mothers use to do their daily chores till the date of delivery. However in present day, it is important to have complete bed rest from the date of conception till the ninetieth day, to avoid the possibility of an abortion.
A horary chart could easily detect the possibility of an abortion which is indicated if the following planetary features are present:
1) Mars in the 8th.
2) Mars with either Saturn or Rahu in Lagna or the 5th (without Jupiter's aspect)
3) Venus and Mars in conjunction or mutual aspect. 4) Jupiter in the 4th from Mars.
5) When Jupiter aspects the planet causing the dosha, there will be no abortion but childbirth could give some hassles.
Twins:
1) When Sun and Jupiter are present in Gemini or Sagittarius, male twins are born.
2) Venus, Mars and the Moon in Pisces or Virgo, aspected by Mercury, give rise to female twins.
3) Ascendant and the Moon in even signs, aspected by strong planets give rise to twins, one from either sex.
4) Twins are born when the Moon & Venus are rendered strong in even signs and Ascendant, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter occupy odd signs with strength.
The sign Gemini becomes prominent in twin births as Gemini denotes the 3rd house in the natural Zodiac denoting brothers. It is also a dual sign owned by Mercury, which plays a dominant role in twin births.
Adoption:
The following yogas indicate adoption of a child.
1) 5th house falls in Gemini, Virgo, Capricorn, or Aquarius aspected by Saturn or Mandi.
2) If the 7th lord is weak and is unconnected to lagna or 5th lord. 3) If 9th house is afflicted by Saturn or Mandi.
4) If the 5th house or the 5th lord is connected to Saturn or Mercury and also occupied by Mandi, while Juptier is strong.
5) If Moon occupies the 5th in the Rasi or Navamsa of Saturn.
Adoption is indicated when the 9th house is strong whereas there are weaknesses in the 5th house. Actually it is yoga for having grandchildren in the absence of biological children.
Timing the birth of children:
If the 5th lord is near the lagna or the 5th house, children are born , when the native is young. According as 5th lord is in Kendra, Panapara or Apoklima , children are born in youth, middle age or old age respectively.
Birth of children can happen in the dasha or bhukti of:
1) Lagna lord
2) 5th lord
3) 7th lord
4) Planet occupying or aspecting 5th house
5) Navamsa sign dispositor of 5th lord or Jupiter
6) Jupiter in its dasha or bhukthi can give a child.
In transit , Jupiter in a Rasi can give a child if it is placed in any of the following signs.
1) Sign occupied by 5th lord.
2) Navamsa occupied by 5th lord.
3) Sign of gulika or its trine.
4) Navamsa occupied by gulika or its trine.
5) Sign occupied by the 5th lord from Moon or Jupiter.
Out of the above houses, choose that house, which has a high number of bindus in the BAV chart of Jupiter.
In this article we have examined the areas of fertility,pregnancy and childbirth from almost all the astrological angles. Needless
to say,Astrology is a very important pointer to happiness in respect of children.While bringing up children it is essential that parents realise the importance of planetary influences and harness them in order to have a harmonious family life.