Aspects and Argalas

 Introduction:

Planets aspect other planets, rasis and houses in astrology. A planet aspecting a house or a planet has some influence on the matters signified by that house or planet. The nature of the influence exerted and the degree to which that influence succeeds depends on the individual situation.

There are 2 kinds of aspects: (1) graha drishti and (2) rasi drishti. Drishti means aspect. Each planet aspects certain houses from it with graha drishti (planetary aspect). The houses aspected are fixed based on the planet. In addition, rasis aspect each other and a planet aspects the rasis aspected by the rasi occupied by it. This is called rasi drishti (sign aspect).

Graha Drishri:

All planets aspect the 7th house from them. For example, Sun in Ta aspects Sc. Mars in Ge aspects Sg. Moon in Le aspects Aq. Jupiter in Pi aspects Vi. Saturn in Cp aspects Cn. Find the 7th house from the planet and the planet aspects that house.

In addition, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have special aspects:

• Jupiter aspects the 5th and 9th houses from him, in addition to the 7th house.

• Mars aspects the 4th and 8th houses from him, in addition to the 7th house.

• Saturn aspects the 3rd and 10th houses from him, in addition to the 7th house.

Rasi Drishti:

Rasis aspect other rasis based on the following rules:

• A movable rasi aspects all fixed rasis except the one adjacent to it.

• A fixed rasi aspects all movable rasis except the one adjacent to it.

• A dual rasi aspects all other dual rasis.

For example, Ar is a movable sign. It aspects all the fixed signs except the one adjacent to it, i.e. Ta. So Ar aspects Le, Sc and Aq.

Ta is a fixed sign. It aspects all the movable signs except the one adjacent to it, i.e.  Ar. So Ta aspects Cn, Li and Cp.

Ge is a dual sign. It aspects all other dual signs. So Ge aspects Vi, Sg and Pi.

Graha Drishti vs Rasi Drishti:

A simple analogy will make things clearer. Look at planets as people. Let us take a priest as an example. Will he have some influence on his neighbors? Probably. Because he lives there, gets up early in the morning and recites mantras, it may influence his neighbors also. Because of the houses they live in, his neighbors come under his influence. How pious and god-fearing his influence makes his neighbors depends on other factors. If one of the neighbors is a dreaded criminal, he is not going to be influenced.

Let us take a dreaded criminal as another example. He may also have an influence on his neighbors. Youngsters living in the neighboring houses may enter the criminal world because of him. Ladies in the neighboring houses may stay inside their houses at night and not come out after certain time.

Thus we are influenced by people in neighboring houses. Influence exerted by planets by rasi drishti is similar to this influence. Compared to this limited influence on the neighbors, a priest may have greater influence in the matters of the nearby temple where he works. He may have a lot of influence on devotees who come to visit the temple and who approach him for performing poojas, homas etc. The influence exerted with graha drishti is similar to this influence.

The influence exerted by rasi drishti is due to the sign a planet is in. This is analogous to the influence people exert on their neighbors. All planets in a sign will have rasi drishti on the same signs, just as people living in the same house see the same neighbors everyday and exert some influence over the same neighbors. But the influence they exert may differ. A priest may tell his neighbors to pray to God. His movie-loving brother living in the same house may talk the same neighbors into watching all the movies of a particular actress. Thus, planets in the same sign exert influence on the same houses and planets through rasi drishti, but the nature of the influence varies from planet to planet.

Influence exerted by graha drishti is due to the inherent nature of a planet. Different planets in the same sign may aspect different houses and planets with graha drishti. A priest may have great influence over the devotees at the temple he works at and his movie-loving brother living in the same house may have great influence over his movie-loving classmates and co-members of the fan club of an actress, of which he is president. Similarly, planets in the same sign may influence planets in different houses. However, everyone in a house may have a strong influence over friends of the family who visit the house frequently. Similarly, all planets aspect the 7th house from them and have an influence over it.

Argala (Intervention):

In addition to the influence caused by planets with graha drishti and rasi drishti, there

is another influence called “argala”.

Argala is a very important concept in Vedic astrology. Literally speaking, argala

means “a bolt”. Argala on a house shows the influences that intervene in its affairs,

decide some parts of it, and close the bolt on it, so to speak. The planet having rasi drishti

has a small influence. Planets having graha drishti have a more concrete influence.

Planets with argala simply decide some parts of the matter signified by the house.

The influence caused by argala is decisive.

A planet or house in the 2nd, 4th, and 11th houses from a planet or house causes

primary argala on the latter. Argala by a benefic planet is called a “subhaargala”

(benefic intervention) and argala by a malefic planet is called a “paapaargala”

(malefic intervention). This simple concept can be better appreciated if some

examples are given.

The 4th house stands for education. The 2nd, 4th and 11th from the 4th house are 5th, 7th

and 2nd houses respectively. One’s intelligence (5th), interaction with others (7th) 

and overall character and samskara (2nd) make or break one education. If Jupiter is in

5th house, he will give intelligence and his subhargala (benefic intervention) on 4th

will help one’s education. If Rahu is in 5th house, his papargala (malefic intervention) on 4th will cause obstacles in one’s education by way of poor intelligence. Similarly, benefics and malefics in the houses causing argala cause good and bad intervention. Basically, the point is that intelligence, interaction and

samskara are the things that decide one’s education. They have a decisive role.

Virodhargala (Obstruction):

Virodhargala shows the obstruction of argala. Planets and houses in the 12th, 10th, 3rd

and 9th houses from a house or planet cause virodhargala and obstruct the argala on it

from the 2nd, 4th, 11th and 5th houses from it (respectively). For example, let us say

Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn are in Ge, Pi, Ar and Vi respectively. Saturn is in

the 4th from Mercury and Ge and he causes argala on them. With Saturn being a

malefic, this is a paapaargala (malefic intervention). But Jupiter is in the 10th from

Mercury and Ge. So he obstructs Saturn’s argala and averts the troubles. Venus is in

the 11th from Mercury and Ge and so he causes argala on them. With Venus being a

benefic, it is a subhaargala (benefic intervention). If Le (3rd from Ge) is empty, this

argala is unobstructed.

NOTE: If a sign contains Ketu, argalas, and virodhargalas on it are counted antizodiacally.

For example, let us say Ketu is in Vi. Then Le, Ge, Sc, and Ta are the 2nd,

4th, 11th and 5th from Vi (counted anti-zodiacally) and planets in those signs cause

argala on Vi and on the planets in Vi. Virodhargala is also counted similarly.