Houses
Introduction
The zodiac consists of 12 rasis. Each rasi is said to form a house. When we talk
about houses, we always have a point of reference. The rasi containing the point of
reference is the 1st house. The next rasi is the 2nd house. The rasi after that is the 3rd
house. Suppose Moon is in Aquarius and suppose we want houses with respect to
Moon. Then Aquarius is the 1st house, Pisces is the 2nd house, Aries is the 3rd house,
Taurus is the 4th house and so on. As we go around the zodiac, we reach Capricorn
when we find the 12th house.
In the same chart, Sun may be in Taurus. When we find houses with respect to Sun,
Taurus contains the 1st house, Gemini contains the 2nd house, Cancer contains the 3rd
house and so on. If Ghati Lagna is in Virgo in the same chart, then the 1st, 2nd and 3rd
houses with respect to Ghati Lagna are in Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio respectively.
Thus we can find houses with respect to different references. The same sign may
contain the 2nd house with respect to one reference and the 6th house with respect to
another reference. If we mention houses without clearly specifying the reference
used, it means that the reference used is Lagna (ascendant). Lagna is the default
reference when finding houses.
Different houses stand for different matters. The matters signified by a house also
depend on the reference used. Each reference throws light on matters of a specific
nature and that colors the meaning of a house. For example, the 11th house from
lagna may stand for something and the 11th house from arudha lagna may stand for
something else. It depends on the kind of matters shown by the two references –
lagna and arudha lagna.
In addition, the matters signified by a house depend on the divisional chart in which
we are finding houses. Each divisional chart throws light on matters of a specific
nature. Again, that colors the meaning of a house. The 4th house from Lagna in D-16
may mean something and the 4th house from Lagna in D-24 may mean something else.
We have already listed the areas of life seen from various divisional charts in
the chapter on “Divisional Charts”.
Significations of Houses
The matters signified by various houses are listed below.
First House: Physical body, complexion, appearance, head, intelligence, strength,
energy, fame, success, nature of birth, caste.
Second House: Wealth, assets, family, speech, eyes, mouth, face, voice, food.
Third House: Younger co-borns, confidants, courage, mental strength,
communication skills, creativity, throat, ears, arms, father’s death (7th from 9th),
expenditure on vehicles and house (12th from 4th), travels.
Fourth House: Mother, vehicles, house, lands, immovable property, motherland,
childhood, wealth from real estate, education, relatives, happiness, comforts,
pleasures, peace, state of mind, heart.
Fifth House: Children, poorvapunya (good deeds of previous lives), intelligence,
knowledge & scholarship, devotion, mantras (prayers), stomach, digestive system,
authority/power, fame, love, affection, emotions, judgment, speculation.
Sixth House: Enemies, service, servants, relatives, mental tension, injuries, health,
diseases, agriculture, accidents, mental affliction, mother’s younger brother, hips.
Seventh House: Marriage, marital life, life partner, sex, passion (and related
happiness), long journeys, partners, business, death, the portion of the body below
the navel.
Eighth House: Longevity, debts, disease, ill-fame, inheritance, loss of friends,
occult studies, evils, gifts, unearned wealth, windfall, disgrace, secrets, genitals.
Ninth House: Father, teacher, boss, fortune, religiousness, spirituality, God, higher
studies & high knowledge, fortune in a foreign land, foreign trips, diksha (joining a
religious order), past life and the cause of birth, grandchildren, principles, dharma,
intuition, compassion, sympathy, leadership, charity, thighs.
Tenth House: Growth, profession, career, karma (action), conduct in society, fame,
honors, awards, self-respect, dignity, knees.
Eleventh House: Elder co-borns, income, gains, realization of hopes, friends,
ankles.
Twelfth House: Losses, expenditure, punishment, imprisonment, hospitalization,
pleasures in bed, misfortune, bad habits, sleep, meditation, donation, secret enemies,
heaven, left eye, feet, residence away from the place of birth, moksha
(emancipation/liberation). We can find houses from houses and concatenate the meanings in some places. For
example, the 3rd house shows a younger brother. The 2nd house from the 3rd house is
the 4th house (count 1, 2 from 3rd and get 3rd, 4th). So the 4th house shows the wealth,
speech etc. of the younger brother. The 7th house from the 3rd house is the 9th house and it
can show younger sibling’s spouse. The 11th house from Lagna shows friends and the
4th house from lagna is nothing but the 6th house from the 11th house. So the 4th house
stands for enemies, diseases, and debts of friends. In this manner, we can deduce
many additional meanings of various houses.
Common References for Houses
It may be noted from the list above that each house shows many matters. It may be
confusing at first to pick the right meaning that is relevant in a particular analysis. It
becomes easier with experience. We have to note the area of life seen in the
divisional chart under examination. We have to choose the meanings of houses that
are relevant in that area of life. For example, the 4th house shows education, vehicle,
house and mother (among other things). A list of the areas of life seen in various
divisional charts is given in the chapter on “Divisional Charts”. We see from it that
learning is seen from D-24, pleasures and comforts from D-16, house and
immovable property from D-4 and parents from D-12. So the 4th houses in D-24, D-
16, D-4 and D-12 show education, vehicle, house and mother (respectively).
We should also take cognisance of the kind of matters shown by various references
and interpret the meaning of a house accordingly. The 4th house from lagna, the 4th
house from arudha lagna and the 4th house from paaka lagna can mean different
things, depending on the matters shown by lagna, arudha lagna and paaka lagna.
Now we will learn about the most common references used in finding houses and the
matters shown by them.
Depending on the matter we are analyzing, we should look at the correct divisional
chart, the correct reference and the correct house. Then only good results can be
obtained. All this complexity may be perplexing to new students. However, there is
something we should realize. Human existence is a very complicated thing and it is
silly and unscientific to expect a simplistic model for the complicated human life.
Though Vedic astrology has too many parameters used in chart analysis, they are all
important as they give us the degrees of freedom necessary for modeling something
as complicated as human life. However, if we do not understand what each
parameter means and end up using them in a mixed-up way, we will get nowhere. So
readers should strive to understand these basics very clearly.
Lagna:
Lagna is the most commonly used reference when finding houses. Lagna shows one's true self. If we are trying to understand someone’s status in society, Lagna may not be the correct reference. Status does not relate to “true self”.
It is a part of the illusion of this world. However, if we are trying to understand
someone’s intentions in doing something or someone’s knowledge or someone’s
persistence, it relates to the “true self”. So they are seen from the houses counted from
lagna. Lagna shows one's true self. It shows the overall spirit of “I” (self).
Chandra Lagna (Moon lagna):
Chandra lagna means Moon taken as a reference. We can find houses from the Moon.
Because the Moon is the significator of the mind, these houses show things from the
perspective of the mind. For example, someone may be working in a routine job, but he
may have an active and enterprising mind and he may be using it in his career. In
that case, the 10th house (career) from Lagna may have the influence of Saturn
(routine job) and the 10th house from Moon may have the influence of Mars (active
and enterprising). Houses counted from the Moon are useful in looking at things from the point of view of
mind. When we judge how happy one is, how ambitious one is and how one views
one’s career, the role of mind is paramount. So Chandra lagna should not be ignored.
Ravi Lagna (Sun lagna):
Ravi lagna means Sun taken as a reference. We can find houses from the Sun. Because
Sun is the significator of the soul, these houses show things from the perspective of the soul.
For things related to physical vitality, the Sun is an important reference.
Arudha Lagna:
Arudha Lagna shows how a native is perceived in the world. It also shows the status of a native.
A planet in the 10th house from Lagna may give some important developments in
one’s profession. A planet in the 10th house from Chandra Lagna may give some
important mental activity in one’s profession. A planet in the 10th house from Arudha Lagna may give some important developments in one’s professional status.
Paaka Lagna:
Paaka lagna is important when analyzing the natal chart, dasas and transits. Paaka
lagna is nothing but lagna lord taken as a reference. If someone with Pisces lagna has
Jupiter in Cancer, then Cancer becomes paaka lagna. If someone with Leo lagna has
Sun in Virgo, Virgo becomes paaka lagna.
Rasis represent situations and forces influencing the course of a native’s life and
planets represent individual beings. Lagna lord represents the physical self of a
native. So that is what paaka lagna shows. Houses counted from paaka lagna throw
light on matters related to the physical self of a native.
Karakamsa Lagna:
Atma karaka stands for the soul of the person. Atma karaka is an important reference
point in a chart. Because the soul is an important factor in deciding the nature of
the inner self rather than the physical existence, atma karaka is an important reference point in
navamsa chart. Navamsa chart throws light on the inner self and the rasi occupied by
atma karaka in it is called “Karakamsa”. We can analyze the Navamsa chart with respect
to Karakamsa. The 12th house from Karakamsa shows the liberation of the soul and
the situation of Ketu there is conducive to moksha. Propitiation of the deities
corresponding to the strongest planet in the 12th house in Navamsa from Karakamsa
lagna can take one’s soul towards moksha.
Hora Lagna:
Hora lagna (HL) shows self, from the point of view of wealth. This reference is
important when analyzing one’s wealth.
Graha Lagnas:
Apart from the above references, we use several “graha lagnas” or planetary
references. For each house, a planet works as the natural significator. To see matters
signified by a house, we can take the relevant planet as the reference. The list of
houses that can be seen from each planet is given in the table below.
Houses signified by planets
Planets | Houses |
Sun | 9th, 10th, 11th |
Moon | 4th, 1st, 2nd, 11th, 9th |
Mars | 3rd |
Mercury | 6th |
Jupiter | 5th |
Venus | 7th |
Saturn | 8th, 12th |
When we analyze courage or persistence or weapons or younger brothers or the
expenditure on house or the expenditure on car, we have to analyze the 3rd house in
the relevant divisional chart. In all those cases, we can see the 3rd house from lagna
and the 3rd house from Mars and draw conclusions based on the strength of both. If
Mars is stronger than lagna, then the 3rd house from Mars may be more important
than the 3rd house from lagna. Similarly, we see the 4th from lagna and the 4th from
Moon for mother. We see the 9th from Sun and the 9th from lagna for father. We see
the 12th from lagna and the 12th from Saturn for losses. We see the 5th from lagna and
the 5th from Jupiter for progeny. We see the 7th from lagna and the 7th from Venus
for marriage.
Special Categories
There are some special categories of houses:
(1) The 1st, 5th and 9th houses form a triangle and they are known as “konas” or
“trikonas” or “trines”.
(2) The 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses are called “kendras” or “quadrants” or “angles”.
(3) The 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th houses are called “panapharas” or “succedants”. These
are basically the quadrants from the 2nd house.
(4) The 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th houses are called “apoklimas” or “precedants”. These
are basically the quadrants from the 3rd house.
(5) The 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th houses are called “upachayas”.
(6) The 6th, 8th and 12th houses are called “trik sthanas” or “dusthanas” (bad/evil
houses).
(7) The 4th and 8th houses are called “chaturasras”.
Trines:
Trines are the abode of Goddess Lakshmi, who rules prosperity. Trines from any
reference are houses that are beneficial to the reference. They bring prosperity and
well-being to the reference. For example, trines from lagna show the prosperity of self.
In Hinduism, there are 4 purushaarthas (purposes/goals of man) – (1) Dharma:
righteousness and adherence to one’s duty, (2) Artha: money and career, (3) Kaama:
desiring things and getting them, and, (4) Moksha: final liberation of the soul.
Dharma is shown by the trines from the 1st house – 1st, 5th and 9th – and they show
the prosperity of self, intelligence, and dharma. They are called “dharma trikonas”
(trines of duty). The character of a person, his intelligence, and his righteousness
decide how one follows dharma – the first purpose of human existence.
Quadrants:
Quadrants are the abode of Sri Maha Vishnu, the Supreme Lord who sustains this
universe as per Hinduism. Quadrants from any reference show its sustenance. The 1st
house (self), 4th house (comforts), 7th house (marriage and relations with others) and
the 10th house (profession) sustain each other.
Upachayas:
Upachayas from a reference show forces causing gains and growth to the matters
signified by the reference. For example, arudha lagna shows one’s status and the
upachayas from arudha lagna show improvement of status.
Planets in mutual quadrants17 have a sustaining effect on each other.
Dusthanas:
Dusthanas from a reference show forces causing setbacks to the matters signified by
it. If a dusthana is fortified or afflicted by malefics, it may show serious obstacles. If
a dusthana is weak, it shows that obstacles will be easily overcome. For example,
exalted 8th lord may show a lot of troubles and debilitated 8th lord may show easy
sailing
Visible Half and Invisible Half:
The zodiac is divided into two halves in every chart: The 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and
12th houses form the “visible half” of the zodiac. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th
houses form the “invisible half” of the zodiac. The houses in the visible half of the
zodiac with respect to a reference give results that can be seen in the material world
and the houses in the invisible half of the zodiac give results that cannot be easily
seen. It is for this reason that the bases of dharma trikona (1st house) and moksha
trikona (4th house) are in the invisible half and the bases of artha trikona (10th house)
and kaama trikona (7th house) are in the visible half.
Quick Summary
Trines: Prosperity and flourishing
Quadrants: Sustenance and vital activity
Upachayas: Gains and growth
Dusthanas: Setbacks and obstacles
Argala sthanas: Decisive influences