Interpreting Charts

 Functional Nature

We learnt that Jupiter, Venus, waxing Moon and well-associated Mercury are natural benefics. We learned that Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu, waning Moon, and ill-associated Mercury are natural malefics. In addition, we have the concept of functional benefics and functional malefics.

The lords of trines from lagna are functional benefics. The lords of 3rd, 6th and 11th are functional malefics. The lord of a quadrant is a functional malefic if he is a natural benefic and functionally neutral if he is a natural malefic. The lords of 2nd, 8th and 12th are functionally neutral. Of these, the 8th house is more malefic than the other two.  Planet owning a quadrant and a trine becomes a yogakaraka (excellent planet).

 

Table: Functional nature of planets

Lagna	Yoga karaka	Functional Benefics	Functional neutrals	Functional malefics
Ar	-------	Sun, Mars, Jupiter	------	Mercury, Venus, Saturn
Ta	Saturn	Sun, Mercury, Saturn	Mars	Moon, Jupiter, Venus
Ge	-------	Venus	Moon, Mercury, Saturn	Sun, Mars, Jupiter
Cn	Mars	Moon, Mars, Jupiter	Sun, Saturn	Mercury, Venus
Le	Mars	Sun, Mars, Jupiter	Moon	Mercury, Venus, Saturn
Vi	------	Mercury, Venus	Sun, Saturn	Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Li	Saturn	Mercury, Venus, Saturn	____	Sun, Mars, Jupiter
Sc	------	Moon, Jupiter	Sun, Mars	Mercury, Venus, Saturn
Sg	------	Sun, Mars	Moon, Mercury, Jupiter	Venus, Saturn
Cp	Venus	Venus, Mercury, Saturn	Sun	Mars, Jupiter
Aq	Venus	Venus, Saturn	Sun, Mercury	Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Pi	-----	Moon, Mars	Jupiter	Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn

 

A functional benefic is a favorable planet in a chart. Placement of a functional

benefic in quadrants (sustenance) and trines (prosperity) brings good results.

Placement of a functional malefic in these houses is not good, unless it is very

strong. A functional malefic placed in the 3rd house and dusthanas (6th, 8th and 12th

houses) brings good results, by spoiling the significations of the bad houses.

 

Baadhakas:

 

For a house falling in a movable/fixed/dual rasi, the 11th/9th/7th house (respectively)

from there becomes baadhaka sthaana (troubling spot). Its lord is called a

“baadhaka” (troublemaker) for the original house. The list of baadhaka sthaanas and

baadhakas corresponding to each rasi is given in the below table

 

For example, suppose lagna in someone’s D-10 is in Ge. Then Jupiter is baadhaka

for lagna. The periods of Jupiter and planets in Sg can create some obstructions and

troubles in a career. Let us take another house. Aq is the 9th house and the 9th house in

D-10 shows the guidance one gets in one’s career. It can show managers and elders

giving guidance. Baadhaka sthana for Aq is Li. So the periods of Venus and

the occupants of Li can create some troubles related to the guidance one gets. There may

be some troubles related to the manager. Thus we can consider baadhaka from every

house and arudha pada in every divisional chart.

 

                                                   Table: Baadhakas

Rasi	Baadhaka sthaana	Baadhaka
Ar	Aq	Saturn & Rahu
Ta	Cp	Saturn
Ge	Sg	Jupiter
Cn	Ta	Venus
Le	Ar	Mars
Vi	Pi	Jupiter
Li	Le	Sun
Sc	Cn	Moon
Sg	Ge	Mercury
Cp	Sc	Mars & Ketu
Aq	Li	Venus
Pi	Vi	Mercury

 

Analyzing Charts

Basic Guidelines

When we analyze the charts, we should apply the knowledge so far we have learned.The following factors must be remembered:

(1) Divisional Chart: Use the correct divisional chart for the matter of interest. Suppose we are looking at happiness from a vehicle. D-16 is the best chart. Suppose we are trying to analyze a criminal’s psychology. D-30 is the best chart. Suppose we are analyzing marriage. D-9 is the best chart. Suppose we are analyzing marriage in a culture where marriage is not a dharma (duty) and a union of souls, but it is merely living together of two people, then rasi chart may be better than D-9. Suppose we want to study one’s religious activities. Then D- 20 is the chart. If we want to study one’s learning, D-24 is the chart. Suppose we want to study one’s career and achievements in society, D-10 chart is the correct chart. In this manner, we should choose the correct divisional chart.

(2) House: We should choose the correct house after choosing the correct divisional chart. Let us say that we are analyzing someone’s learning related activities and decided to look at D-24. If we want to see his education, we see the 4th house. If we want to see his intelligence, scholarship, academic reputation, academic distinctions/awards, students etc, we should look at the 5th house. If we want to see how one, in one’s pursuit of knowledge, interacts with others and what kind of people one interacts with, then we should see the 7th house. Like that, we choose the correct house for the matter of interest.

(3) Reference: We should choose the correct reference for counting houses. In the above example of D-24, academic reputation is related more to the perceived self (AL) than the true self (lagna). So it is seen from the 5th from arudha lagna (AL). Intelligence and scholarship, on the other hand, are related to the true self and  they are seen from the 5th from lagna. When the relevant karakas are stronger, we can use them as references instead of lagna. So scholarship can be seen from the 5th from Mercury. Students can be seen from the 5th lord. Intelligence can be seen from the 5th from Jupiter. Academic reputation can be seen in D-24 from the 5th from Sun.

(4) House vs Arudha: Sometimes, an arudha pada is more appropriate to see a matter than a house. For example, we can see darapada (A7) in D-24 to figure out what kind of people one typically interacts with in one’s learning related activities. We can see one’s academic distinctions/awards in A5, because they are maya (illusion) related to intelligence and scholarship. The world forms an impression about one’s intelligence and scholarship based on one’s scores, ranks, grades, distinctions and awards.

Influences: After we choose a house/arudha in a divisional chart to represent the matter of interest, the next step is to analyze the influences on it. Planets influence it with rasi drishti and graha drishti. We should also check for argala. We should judge the meaning of each influence. We can also judge the influences on a house by finding houses with respect to that house. Planets in the quadrants from a house sustain it. Planets in trines from a house let it prosper.  Planets in upachayas let it grow. Planets in dusthanas bring obstacles. Suppose we are analyzing A3 in an author’s D-10. While the 3rd house shows one’s writing skills, it is A3 that shows one’s books. If a planet is in a quadrant from A3, its periods may result in book writing. If a planet is in the 8th house from A3, its periods may bring obstacles in book writing. If a planet is a baadhaka from A3, it can create troubles in book-writing.

Standard Results: There are many standard results given in literature for various planets and house lords in various houses. These results should be mastered.

Attention should be paid to the strength of various planets and ashtakavarga strength of various houses. The presence of yogas should also be noted.

Family Members:

We can analyze the fortunes of family members from one’s chart. For parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts, we should see D-12. For children, children-in-law and grandchildren, we should see D-7. For brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, and sister-in-law, we should see D-3. For the spouse and his/her family members, we should see D-9. 

In each of these charts, we should look at the house that shows the person of interest and consider the rasi containing the lord of that house as lagna. We can consider the corresponding arudha pada also. For example, the 9th lord or the arudha pada of 9th house in D-12 shows father. The 4th lord or the arudha pada of 4th house in D-12 shows mother.

In D-3, we see siblings. The 3rd house shows younger siblings and the 11th house shows elder sibling. Being the 3rd from the 3rd house, the 5th house shows younger brother’s younger brother, i.e. second younger brother. Being the 11th from the 11th house, the 9th house shows elder brother’s elder brother, i.e. second elder brother. We take the 3rd lord, 5th lord, 7th lord etc as lagnas of first (immediate) younger sibling, second younger sibling, third younger sibling, etc. We take the 11th lord, 9th lord, 7th lord etc as lagnas of the first (immediate) elder sibling, second elder sibling, third elder sibling etc

Similarly, the 5th house house shows children in D-7. The 7th house is the 3rd from 5th and shows one’s child’s younger sibling. So the 5th lord shows the first child, the 7th lord shows the second child, the 9th house shows the third child, and so on.

When we count houses corresponding to siblings and children in D-3 and D-7, we count in the forward or backward direction based on whether lagna is odd or even (respectively). If lagna in D-7 is in Ge, Venus (lord of Li) shows the first child, Jupiter (lord of Sg) shows the second child and so on. On the other hand, if lagna in D-7 is in Cn, Jupiter (lord of Pi) shows the first child, Saturn (lord of Cp) shows the second child and so on.

NOTE: After covering all the odd or even signs, we move from odd to even signs oreven to odd signs, instead of coming back to where we started.