Query and Response

Ref: MODERN ASTROLOGY-April 2021 issue-KEY FACTORS IN MATCHING HOROSCOPES II by DR S. Neelakantan

(1) Page 230/26-Second column last paragraph

• The Sun, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu also give rise to Dosha when in the 7^th. If Mars occupies the 7^th, then any two out of the above four planets above mentioned planets occupying the 7^th will neutralise the Dosha. 
• I think the dosha will increase due to the above 4 planets in addition to the dosha of Mars. Please clarify. 

(2) Page 231/27-First column 1^st & 2^nd paragraph

• Author says that Dosha of Mars aspecting the 7^th is just half of dosha when it occupies 7^th.
• Many authors calculate the dosha through papa-samyam by taking the position/occupation of Mars, Saturn, Sun. Rahu and Ketu from Lagna, Chandra and Venus on 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 7^th, 8^th and 12^th houses. Some do omit Ketu in this exercise quoting Ketu does not have aspect. Aspects of the above planets on 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 7^th, 8^th and 12^th are not considered. If aspects are also to be taken care off, please (editor/author) clarify and give the computation technique with numbers. 
• Similarly, author says that dosha of the boy is equal to or slightly higher than that of the girl.
• How much higher? Since lot of variations in computation of papa-samyam by different authors, there must be a reliable and proven method of computation. Please(editor/author) may publish an article on this issue quoting a few examples.

(3) Page 231/27-First column adage and further down.

• Longevity, Karma, Wealth, Education and death are pre-determined These matters It is better to analyse examine them for compatibility.
• Yes. Longevity has to be checked individually first before taking up matching of charts as told in many write-ups/books in astrology. It is true that Longevity is a hard nut to crack. Is it right for an Astrologer to advice the customer not to proceed for marriage when there is indication for Alpayu, say in a male chart though planets are favourably placed for marriage? In this context SATYAVAN/SAVITRI story comes to my mind. Do you feel it is only a story or does it give a moral especially wrt astrology? Since SATYAVAN/SAVITRI vrtham (Karadayaan nonbu) is being celebrated, from time immemorial by women, I dont think it is just a story. I feel the MANGALYA BALAM of a girl can ward off the probable early demise of would-be husband. Please throw some light on this issue; otherwise Alpayu males will never get married. 
• Since curse(s) of previous births could be seen in a horoscope, blessings of Saints/Acharyas/Brahmins/Elders/Punyatmas should also be evident from horoscopes. So, when an Alpayu male horoscope comes for matching, astrologers should not reject them saying Longevity not there. They should see the mangalya balam in the girls chart. If it is there, people be advised to go further, accordingly. Please comment.
• In earlier days, many women used to die during delivery in their prime age, due to non-availability of medical facility. Perhaps, there might have been indications of Alpayu in the female charts but marriage had taken place. How the astrologers of earlier days have advised this type of matching? Alpayu females can be advised marriage since males can marry second/third ¦time. I fail to understand how olden days astrologers reacted to this situation. Comments please.

(4) Page 231/272^nd column

• Item No. 14: The 7^th lord in 8^th and 12^th lord in 7^th. Item No. 20: The 7^th lord in 8^th.
• Item No. 14: I feel the word and to be replaced by “orâ€. Item No.20: It should be 8^th lord in 7^th. Please reconcile.

(5) Page 232/271^st column

• Usually, the conjunction of Saturn and Mars is harmful to spouse.
• How but their mutual aspect? If also harmful, what is the exception as one given for conjunction, if any?

(6) Page 233/29 Conclusion

I came across in internet about the presentation made by Mr Visti Larsen on Dasa Sandhi.

  Slide No. 1 0f 27 (PowerPoint)

Please see pdf wherein all power point 27 slides can be seen.

Slide No. 16: Depending on the house placement of Moon, different types of VimÅ›ottari arise. The heading says “Tradition on 4 types of dasaâ€. Is there any reference in earlier works on astrology about this OR it is only TRADITION followed in different part of India by astrologers? Please clarify.

Slide NO. 19: Marriage matchingShould the mahadasas of the bride and groom end within a year of each, the couple may face injury, tragedy or untimely death. Traditionally only Vimśottari is used for this. Very popularly used in south India, but using only Janma Vimśottari from the Moon. He is questioning whether it is correct. Kindly enlighten us on this point.

Slide No.21: He is justifying the event of paralysis Franklin D Roosevelt had experienced overnight by employing Vimśottari (adhana) for Eleanor (his wife) and Vimśottari (Utpanna) for Franklin. Is he justifying it clearly by his statement? Please clarify.

(7) Page 233/29Conclusion

Dasa sandhi will always be there in most of the charts coming for matching for marriage say, within a short time or quite later. What is the cut off period commonly used to reject the matching?  If it comes later, the couple is generally advised to live separately for that period. Is it acceptable to avoid any untoward happenings?

My Response

First of all, I wish to thank Shri H S Narayanan for the host of queries raised which if clarified, would enlighten not only his perspective but also that the reader.

1. When two out of the four planets- Sun, Saturn, Rahu or Ketu- combine with Mars, the dosha arising out of Mars is neutralised. This means, if Mars dosha has to function either it has to be alone or at most with one other malefic. To explain this, I will give an example from Chemistry. Hydrogen is an inflammable element. So is Oxygen. But when hydrogen combines with oxygen, you get water which effectively puts out fire. Here Mars is a fiery planet. So, for Mars to give rise to that dosha, it has to function without interference from another planet. In this context, we are discussing about Mars dosha, not about Papa samya, which is to be computed for reckoning the overall dosha in a chart. For example, Mars with Saturn can give additional points for computing Papa samya but as I mentioned earlier Kuja dosha is functional either when Kuja is alone or with maximum one other planet.

2. When Mars occupies the 7^th they say it gives rise to one unit of Papa or dosha for computing Papa samya. For instance, if the weightage given to Mars is 2, then Saturn and Rahu carry a weightage of 1 each, while Sun and Ketu carry a weightage of 1/2 each. This effectively means that the dosha ascribed to Saturn or Rahu is twice that of Sun or Ketu. Compared to Rahu or Saturn, Mars carries double the dosha. It is difficult to compute dosha in arithmetical terms.  I have explained the above-mentioned subject, keeping in mind, the practice prevalent in Kerala. 

3.It would be an ideal situation if the boy and girl, live together for a sufficiently long while; Once they become old and die of natural causes, their traditions will be continued by their children. So horoscope matching is intended to ensure their happiness and the continuity of the family. The trouble comes when one of them predeceases the other at a young age. To avoid this scenario, both of them should have full span of longevity. The mangalya balam of a girl cannot augment or protect the longevity of the would-be husband. The story of Satyavan and Savitri is just a story- nothing more, nothing less. There is no astrological suggestion or moral in this story. Only the significance attributed to chastity has to be imbibed by women as a model. Beyond this, I do not read this story as a guide to horoscope matching. So, the astrologer who matches an Alpayu boy chart with that of a girl, should also inform the involved parties, about the inherent risk associated with such a matching. I believe marriages are made in heaven. So an astrologer is also part of an overall destiny which governs the cosmos. When two persons are destined to get married, there Is nothing that an astrologer can either do or abstain from doing to make or prevent that event from happening.

Take the case of a lawyer who argues a case upholding a particular view.The opposite view is taken by the rival advocate. Once the lawyer loses the case it means the rival advocates view is the correct law. That means if this advocate were to become a judge and a similar case comes up for hearing, what is it that he is supposed to do? Hold on to his views or uphold the correct law? As a judge he is supposed to write the same judgment, based which the rival advocate had argued the case against him and won. So, the role of a judge is different from that of an Advocate, though he may be the same person in a different Avatar.

Like wise we have three categories of Astrologers; –

1. Astrologer being consulted on behalf of the would-be-groom.
2. Astrologer being consulted on behalf of the would-be-bride.
3. An Astrologer who is unknown to the parties to the marriage and who looks at Horoscope Matching as a science.

As far as the first two categories of Astrologers are concerned,the objective is to choose the best out of the horoscopes available for selection.If one  boy has Gaja Kesari Yoga and another boy has Kemadruma Yoga,can you guess which one he will select? Naturally the boy with Gaja Kesari Yoga.He has no personal enmity with the second persons chart. It is his duty to select a good chart for his client.

4 Whenever an Astrologer comes across an Alpayu chart, he should advise the performance of an appropriate remedy such as Ayushya Homam or  Mrityunjaya  Homam. Astrologers facilitate a mutually loving and supportive couple to coexist,in peace and Happiness. They cannot be endowed with the task of writing or rewriting the destiny of the world. The opening verse in every issue of Modern Astrology captures this golden view from Jataka Chandrika.

5 Dosha can arise out of

1. 7^th Lord in 8
2. 7^th Lord in 8, while at the same time 12^th Lord occupies the 7^th

Both are giving rise to doshas but the second one is more intense than the first .So there is a  qualitative difference.

6 Vimshottari stands for the number 120. One year of Vimshottari dasha of a planet equals 360 days. So, if we add all the years ascribed to each of the nine planets it comes to 120. If a person were to live for 120 years, he would have lived a full span of life, having experienced all the possible permutations and combinations of dashas, buktis, anthras, sookshmas, so on and so forth.

7.The opinion of scholars is that  the mahadasas of the boy and girl should not end within a span of six months. Some astrologers opine that there should be a gap of one year. A balanced view would be that the concept of dasa sandhi can be leniently viewed, if the involved planets are functional benefics.

8 . As  mentioned in my article , the horoscope of wife should not be used as a reference guide for making predictions about the husband. Each horoscope is unique and to attribute an event from another horoscope would be to defeat the underlying principles of Astrology.

9 To live separately during dasha sandhi periods is a concept easier said than done. The purpose of marriage itself is to ensure that the couple live together as a happy family. It is better to ensure proper horoscope matching rather than trying to find an unscientific solution for dasa sandhi in the midst of ones married life.

THE END