ROLE OF MARS IN CAUSATION OF EVENTS By Dr.E.S.Neelakantan

Mars, we all know is the reddish planet we see at night, on a clear sky. It is the planet of violent upheavals, hasty actions, mutinies, revolutions , violent killings and in general, all actions taken without discrimination. This is all about an afflicted Mars. A good Mars gives immovable property, vehicles, firm disposition, freedom from debts and diseases and an ability to manage difficult situations. Mars is Bhoomi Karaka or the planet which governs the Earth and all Earth - related matters. In this article we will discuss, how events are triggered by Mars, especially those related to man - made as well as natural calamities.

MARS AND THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE

Both Moon and Mars influence the Female Reproductive system and become the main cause for occurrence of menstrual periods. To understand whether the cycle is conducive for conception or not, one has to ascertain the house occupied by Moon on the day menses occurs, counted from the Janma Lagna. If the Moon occupies a non - Upachaya house in a girl`s chart on that day and the Moon is aspected by Mars, then it is to be understood, that it is a fertile period for occurrence of conception. On the other hand, if the Moon on the date of menses, occupies a Upachaya house (meaning 3,6,10 or 11) from the Janma Lagna of the girl, then the cycle will be a sterile one.

PLANETARY CONJUNCTIONS INVOLVING MARS

There are eight possibilities when it comes to conjunctions involving Mars. Mars is a fiery planet, so also Sun. So the Sun - Mars Conjunction is an undesirable feature in any chart. In natives with this Yoga, domestic harmony is disrupted and one is inclined towards frequent quarrels and cruel deeds. On the health front chicken pox and viral infections are the diseases one becomes susceptible to, owing to the high Pitta generated in the body.

Moon is a watery planet. It promotes the growth of herbs, through its light (which is nothing but Sun`s light getting reflected by its water) rendering it cool and nourishing. So the Yoga of Mars and Moon is a healthy one, since the heat of Mars is neutralized by the chillness of Moon. This Yoga is termed as Sasi - Mangala Yoga and the native is blessed in abundance by Goddess Mahalakshmi .

Where the Yoga of Mars with Mercury is present, one is blessed with incisive intelligence; one excels in Accounts and Audit. If Mercury is afflicted by joining a malefic Mars, one is erratic in thinking, illogical in decision making and fails to uphold the moral law.

One becomes the benefactor of the world if there is a conjunction between Mars and Jupiter (Refer chart of Sri Aurobindo for a case study). Such people attain greatness through spiritual Sadhana and are able to give spiritual direction to the world. They become prophets and World Teachers. The Divine element present in Jupiter gets fully activated by the fiery element in Mars and they give vent to their spiritual urge. If this Yoga is present in good houses, they invariably achieve their goal in life.

The most dangerous conjunction is the Mars- Venus conjunction. On the positive side one who has this Yoga will purchase immovable properties out of his own occupation. The other good thing is that one will be interested in Movies,Fine Arts and Sports.( Please refer to Charlie Chaplin's chart which is illustrative of this dictum) One will have relations with women, whether morally and socially acceptable or not. This is why a warning has been issued by the great astrological savant, Dr. B.V.Raman in “Muhurtha†when he wrote: “ Children born when there is a Venus - Mars conjunction should be brought up in a disciplined manner and should be made to avoid dissipating habits of immediate pleasure… Venus -Mars disposition is an important factor for physical attraction…Venus - Mars conjunction makes one fond of pleasure, demonstrative and adds zest to one`s sensual life…Venus in a good sign or constellation can temper the roughness of Mars but if Rahu is also involved, it makes one lascivious, lewd and wicked (Pages 62,63).

The conjunction of Mars with Saturn in 7 spells disaster for married life. Paradoxically enough, Mantreswara in Phala Deepika states that Mars and Saturn in 7 in Cancer confers a chaste wife who is beautiful and fortunate (Chapter 10 , Verse 3) . Obviously Mantreswara refers to someone born in Capricorn Ascendant for whom Saturn is Lagna Lord and in that sign Mars is exalted. When Mars is in Cancer it gets debilitated and its debilitation is cancelled by the Yoga of Saturn. So, a Neechabhanga Raja Yoga occurs in the 7th and like a philosopher's stone transmitting base metal into gold, the alchemy of the Mars - Saturn Yoga takes place and the Yoga becomes a fortunate one. Now, we should realize that blind application of astrological rules is avoidable and as they say even a thorn is an ally, when we are engaged in pulling out another thorn.

The Yoga which is least understood properly by Astrologers is the yoga of Ketu with Mars.Here the planet of wisdom and emancipation is Ketu.Mars confers aggression.When this Yoga is present the native has the drive and aggression to seek Moksha and for this purpose the native resorts to reckless and hasty endeavours.According to Yoga Vasishta the qualities for a Moksha aspirant are Viveka ( discrimination) and Vairagya(detachment) But in cases where this Yoga is present the tendency is to seek Moksha through sudden rush of blood and these natives always seem to be in undue haste to make their present birth,the last one in the endless birth-death cycle .If Ketu is favourable this Yoga is one that confers Moksha.

Mars in a Muhurtha Chart

In a Muhurtha chart, any planet in the 8th is taboo. This principle especially applies to Mars and the dosha is termed as “Kujashtamaâ€. This happens to be one of the 21 major Mehadoshas in a Muhurtha chart. Kuja in 8 denotes destruction of subject matter. In a travel Muhurtha , Mars in 8 or aspecting the 8th as a functional malefic can trigger an accident.

Mars in the 8th - A comparison between Male and Female charts

In a Male chart, Mars in 8 curtails longevity whereas in a Female chart Mars in 8 confers widowhood. There are exceptions to this rule and what is broadly stated above needs to be viewed holistically. For instance, there is no dosha in a Female chart, if the girl is born in Libra Lagna and Mars is in Taurus. Here Mars owns the 7th house and rules over marriage - so it does not afflict the 8th. Further the 7th house, Aries denotes husband. From the husband`s point of view Lagna is Aries. So Mars is Lagna Lord in 2 aspecting 8th. 8th Lord aspecting 8th confers long life. If the husband is destined to live a long life, ipso facto, the Vaidavya Dosha (widowhood Yoga) of the girl is automatically annulled. Similarly in a Male Chart if the 8th Lord occupies the 8th ,it confers long life. So Mars in the 8th is not a taboo in a male chart, if the Lagna is Aries or Virgo, for instance.Lagna lord in 8 also confers longevity for which I can cite an example,say Mars in Gemini where the Ascendant is Scorpio.

Dasha of Mars - A unique perspective

According to Mantreswara,the dasha of Mars proves to be inauspicious if it happens to own the 5th from one`s Janma Nakshatra (vide Phaladeepika, Chapter 20, Verse 24).This possibility exists for a person who is born in the stars, Ashwini, Makha or Moola. The rule has to be applied carefully in the sense that if the Chart holder has a well placed Mars or Mars operating as a functional benefic, then one may beget good results. In the absence of any benefic influences, Mars dasha for the above mentioned natives may prove to be adverse.

Mars in Ashtakavarga

One can know more about Mars and its significations in an individual`s chart by looking at the Bhinnashtakavarga (BAV) chart. It can also offer valuable clues while trying to fix a Muhurtha for an individual.

One should purchase land, gold , etc. when Mars passes through a sign housing the highest number of bindus in the BAV Chart. When Mars has 8 bindus and occupies Aries, Scorpio or Capricorn while in the houses 1, 4, 9 or 10, one becomes enormously wealthy. Under the above planetary positions, one becomes a king. On the other hand when Mars in transit passes through a zero- bindu, Rasi, one gets headache and other diseases attributable to blood and bile.
With these observations, we now know move on to a few case studies.

The horoscope of Sri Aurobindo throws much light on the behavior of Mars. Sri Aurobindo was born in Cnacer Lagna, for which Mars is a Yoga Karaka. The conjunction of Mars (as a quadrant Lord) with Jupiter a trinal Lord is a first rate Parasari Raja Yoga which encompasses within itself a Neechabhanga Raja Yoga.Sri Aurobindo was a revolutionary who later became a divine apostle. Initially the war - like qualities of Mars, showed its impact on him but later Mars influencing Jupiter, the Lord of Dharma, gave its impetus to the flowering of the spiritual genius latent in him. Commenting on his birth chart, Dr. B V Raman says : “Obviously he (Sri Aurobindo) must have passed through stages of intense mental and spiritual conflict before he realized that the ancient Yoga systems of India sought to cut the Gordian knot of mundane existence by treating it as a field of self - preparation which is to be transcended in taking possession of the highest state of abiding peace(Notable Horoscopes, Page 237).

The warlike qualities of Mars find clear application in the chart of Olympic Gold Medalist and two time world Heavy Weight Boxing Champion, George Foreman. In Foreman`s Chart, not only is Mars exalted as a Yogakaraka but also occupies its own Navamsa. Further the healthy alignment of planets in Foreman`s chart, made him an international celebrity in Boxing.

How Mars behaves when it influences Venus, the planet of movies, arts and music is evident from the Chart of the English comic actor and film maker, Charlie Chaplin. He starred in some of the all time greatest hits such as the Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times and The Great Dictator. In his chart Mars forms an excellent Yoga with Lagna Lord Venus and Lagna Karaka, the exalted Sun, aspected by Jupiter and Yogakaraka Saturn.All these factors catapulted him to the pinnacle of glory in the tinsel world.