Astrology: Houses of Birth Chart PDF

# **THE FIRST HOUSE: THANU BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF THE SELF AND BEGINNINGS** * Karaka: Sun as atman, or soul * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Aries The first house, which includes the lagna, or rising degree, represents the eastern horizon where the Sun rises, and it symbolizes the soul rising up into a n...

# **THE FIRST HOUSE: THANU BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF THE SELF AND BEGINNINGS** * Karaka: Sun as atman, or soul * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Aries The first house, which includes the lagna, or rising degree, represents the eastern horizon where the Sun rises, and it symbolizes the soul rising up into a new life experience on Earth. The Sun as atman, or indicator of the soul, is the karaka for the first house. Thanu means “body,” and this house signifies the physical body, the top and back of the head, and the brain. The first house can show the circumstances surrounding birth. The ruler of the first house, or the birth chart ruler, is particularly important to assess for overall health and well-being, and for an individual’s capacity to achieve life goals. The first house ruler, planets in the house, and other planetary aspects to this house can influence our personality, physical appearance, and Ayurvedic constitution, or dosha. # **THE SECOND HOUSE: DHANA BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF POSSESSIONS** * Karaka: Jupiter as wealth; Mercury as speech and learning * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Taurus (Vrishabha) Dhana means “wealth,” and this house indicates our family of origin, our childhood, and our accumulated wealth. It is the house that represents the face and throat, including the mouth, gums, and teeth. This is the area of the body utilized for eating, speaking, learning (through oral teachings), singing, and speaking a foreign language, all of which are second-house matters. Eyesight is also observed from the second house. Jupiter, as the significator of this house, connects to wealth, and Mercury functions as an additional karaka indicating learning. # **THE THIRD HOUSE: BHRATRI BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF BROTHERS** * Karaka: Mars as vitality and courage * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Gemini The fiery warrior Mars is the karaka of the third house of courage, valor, and brothers. It is the house associated with accomplishments based upon one’s own actions. Karaka Mars is also representative of strength and vitality within this house. The third house includes our close friends that are not blood but are like a brother or sister. This house indicates journeys of short distances, which would usually be a few hours in length, rather than long-distance travel to a foreign country, which is represented by the ninth house. The third house also rules the shoulders, hands, and arms, all of which are required to do battle and to be of service to others. The third house shows our capacity for communication and our communication style. Hobbies and other interests, such as the arts, drama, and music, are derived from the third house. # **Graha Yuddha: Planetary Wars** Planets have the ability to go to war with one another, much like countries do. This planetary war is called graha yuddha and is a special condition that can occur when two or more planets are in the same sign and when they are within one degree of each other. The planets that can "go to war" are Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Much like with real battles, there is a winner and a loser. The winner is based upon a number of criteria associated with the strength and astronomical indications such as size, brightness, and speed. Since both planets are involved in the fighting, they are both weakened at the time of the war. # **THE FOURTH HOUSE: MATRI BHAVA, THE MOTHER** * Karaka: Moon as mother and mind, emotion, and intuition * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Cancer This house is sometimes called Bandhu Bhava since many of things we love (bandhu) are associated with this house. Items related to the home are categorized within the fourth house: mother, house, land, and vehicles. The fourth bhava is also the place where a person generally feels most at peace, which is usually at home or with the mother. The fourth house is important to assess when determining personal happiness. Emotions and intuition are also part of the fourth house connection to the natural fourth sign, which is watery and sensitive Cancer. We can understand how Cancer and the fourth house of the zodiac share similar energies. The Moon is karaka for the fourth house, and it signifies mother, so when you are judging the fourth-home matters, you will always look at the fourth house, the fourth house lord, and the Moon in all birth charts. We will go into more detail on use of karakas in the birth chart in chapter 6. The fourth house is associated with primary education, and it can show how kind or unkind a person might be and their level of trustworthiness. The part of the body represented is the chest and the heart. # **THE FIFTH HOUSE: PUTRA BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF CHILDREN** * Karaka: Jupiter as children and intellect * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Leo Jupiter as karaka for the fifth house demonstrates the connection to both wisdom and children. The capacity for an individual to give wise counsel to others can be seen from this house. It is a house of creativity, fun and romance, sports, and gambling. The fifth house represents our past life credit, or purva punya, and the ancient practice of mantras and yantras is associated with the fifth house. Jupiter as karaka also shows the spiritual qualities associated with this house. Some astrologers will associate the heart with the fourth house, and others with the fifth. Renowned medical astrologer Dr. K.S. Charak designates the fourth house as the heart and the fifth house as the stomach. As you deepen your studies in Jyotish, you will learn that there are many conflicting concepts that arise from different lineages, and the best way to determine which one works is to test them out. My wise teacher always said not to take his word for things, but to always test the theories! For the purposes of this book we will view the fifth house as the stomach and the fourth house as the heart. # **THE SIXTH HOUSE: ARI BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF ENEMIES** * Karaka: Saturn as disease and service * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Virgo The sixth house is sometimes alternately named Ripu Bhava: Ripu means "enemies.” The sixth house represents many of the harder elements of life that are a reality for most people: disease, debts, mundane jobs, daily routine, being of service to others, enemies, and the shadripus, which are the six (shad) weaknesses (ripus). The "enemies" referred to in this house include the enemies within. The shadripus are desire (kama), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), pride (mada), attachment (moha), and jealousy (matsarya). This house is often associated with those who are interested in health and healing, either for their own benefit or for the benefit of others. The sixth house is an important one to assess for digestive and elimination issues, and the parts it represents include the intestines and organs within the area of the waist # **THE SEVENTH HOUSE: KAMA BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF PARTNERSHIPS** * Karaka: Venus as spouse * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Libra The seventh house is most often associated with romantic relationships and marriage, but it is also about procreation. Libra is the natural seventh sign and is ruled by Venus. Venus rules the sperm, and Libra rules the lower abdomen, which includes the internal regenerative organs, also assessed from this house. In chapter 3 we learned about the scales of Libra, which are, in part, symbolic of the scales of justice; we can correlate that to the seventh-house meanings of lawful business and the institute of marriage. Venus is seventh house karaka for relationships in all charts, but some astrologers only use Venus as karaka if looking at the chart of a heterosexual male for a female partner. In this case, when viewing the chart of a female, one would consider Jupiter as karaka for a male spouse in a heterosexual relationship. # **THE EIGHTH HOUSE: MRTYU BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF DEATH, LONGEVITY, AND SUDDEN EVENTS** * Karaka: Saturn as longevity and death * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Scorpio The eighth house is the area of the celestial sky representative of the house just before the Sun sets. It is the house of death and longevity, inheritance and bankruptcy, our partner's family and their resources, and accidents or sudden events. Death as a metaphor for transformation is also part of the eighth house. Some say that eighth-house matters cannot be changed, and that events that are associated with this house are fated. Sudden events are seen in the eighth house, much like an attack from a scorpion, who is the symbol for the natural eighth sign of the zodiac. As the scorpion burrows and hides underground, buried treasure and hidden knowledge, such as occult sciences, are viewed from the eighth house. Research and litigation are also primary indications of this house. The body parts associated with the eighth house are the external genitalia and anus. # **THE NINTH HOUSE: BHAGYA, THE HOUSE OF SPIRITUALITY** * Karaka: Sun as father; Jupiter as dharma and teachers * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius The ninth house is considered to be the highest house of dharma, or right action. Philosophy and religion, luck and fortune, and higher education, such as college or spiritual education, are ninth-house matters. It is the house most associated with the father, and the Sun symbolizes the father in all birth charts. Some astrologers will use Saturn as karaka for father in a night birth and the Sun as karaka for father in a day birth. Other astrologers will assess the father from the tenth house. Jupiter as the second karaka for the ninth house can also represent spiritual wisdom, spiritual teachers, and those who might have teaching ability. Contracts, law, and virtue can be analyzed through the ninth house. Foreign travel, especially for spiritual purposes, is seen from this house. The thighs are the body parts associated with the ninth house. # **Karma and Vedic Astrology** Traditionally in India, the birth chart is viewed as a snapshot of karmas that the individual brings into the current lifetime, with the understanding that the individual is in the midst of a continuum of many lifetimes. The birth chart can aid in seeing the karmic patterns of an individual for the present lifetime. There are four main categories of karma: * **Sanchita karma** is our combined total of all actions both known and unknown, that which is yet to be experienced. * **Prarabdha karma** is part of sanchita karma, but it is the karma that is ready to be experienced now and can be seen from birth in the horoscope. * **Kriyaman karma** includes the actions we have done, either knowingly or not, since birth. * **Agama karma** includes any future actions that we are thinking about and planning on doing in our current lifetime that may impact our future and future lifetimes, too. # **THE TENTH HOUSE: KARMA, THE HOUSE OF CAREER** * Karaka: Mercury as business; Sun as fame and government; Jupiter as profession * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Capricorn The tenth house is considered to have the most influence in the birth chart out of all twelve houses. It is the 30-degree section of the sky that is directly overhead at the time of our birth, the zenith in the sky. The Sun and Mars are both strong (dig bala) in the tenth, and they can support an individual in fulfilling their karma, which this house is named for. The tenth house is most often associated with career, but another way to express this could be what we are known for in this lifetime, since not everyone is working at all times in their life. The most visible aspects of our career, such as reputation and fame, social status, and awards and achievements, are all tenth-house matters. Government and power can also be judged from this house. The knees are associated with the tenth house and connect to the natural tenth sign, Capricorn. Some astrologers also will use Saturn as a karaka for career. # **THE ELEVENTH HOUSE: LABHA BHAVA, THE HOUSE OF GAINS** * Karaka: Jupiter as gains * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Aquarius The eleventh house represents the money and resources earned from our career. It also shows the people that we meet through our work, casual acquaintances, and groups we may be associated with. It is this house that connects to our desires and to what we wish for in life. As with the second house, Jupiter is the karaka for wealth and gain in the eleventh house. Our older brothers and sisters, along with the spouse of an individual's children, are eleventh-house matters since this is the seventh house (of relationships) from the fifth house (of children). Calves, shins, and ankles are analyzed from the eleventh house and correspond to the natural eleventh zodiac sign, Aquarius. # **THE TWELFTH HOUSE: VYAYA, THE HOUSE OF ENDINGS AND DETACHMENTS** * Karaka: Saturn as loss * Corresponding Zodiac Sign: Pisces The final house of the horoscope represents antya adhi, or the end of everything. This house relates to the end of the day (sleep), the end of life and our final breath, and our feet, which are at the end of our body. Prisons, hospitals, and ashrams-which could be the end of freedom-and foreign lands are all twelfth-house matters. It is a house that signifies loss, which includes philanthropic activities that are planned and other deliberate losses. As the house that represents sleep and beds, this includes sexual activity. As a dusthana, or place of pain, it can represent misfortune, sorrow, and suffering. (We will learn about these special house designations next.) The twelfth house is a house of hidden things, such as the subconscious mind, yoga, and meditation. Health of the feet are analyzed from this house. # **HOUSE TYPES** As we learned in the first part of this chapter, each house has specific meanings, but there are additional designations assigned to the Jyotish bhavas that are also very significant. Jyotish has assigned the following house designations: * Kendras (angle) * Konas (trine) * Upachaya (improvement) * Dusthana (pain) * Maraka (death inflicting) These house designations play a very important role in chart interpretation, which we will learn how to integrate in chapter 6 when we put it all together in the birth chart. Please note in the following descriptions that some houses have more than one designation. Over time you will learn that this is a common theme in Jyotish: One component of the chart might point to different meanings. As we go through each term, please keep in mind the meanings of the houses explained earlier in this chapter. Note that the house lord or ruler of these houses also expresses the meanings of these houses wherever they are located within the birth chart. # **KENDRAS AND KONAS: VISHNU AND LAKSHMI STHANAS** The kendras are houses of action and preservation and are sometimes called Vishnu (the Preserver) sthanas (places or houses). These houses represent key components to sustain life on earth: our physical body and health, our home and mother, our spouse, and our career and what we are known for in this lifetime. Kona houses are connected to luck and fortune, dharma, and fruits of previous karmas and are therefore sometimes referred to as Lakshmi (Goddess of Prosperity) sthanas. Later in this chapter we will learn about the dharma houses since houses one, five, and nine are all dharma houses, and they also are konas. * **Kendras:** Kendras are angles of the horoscope, and they are houses one, four, seven, and ten. They form the four corners of the birth chart, and they represent houses of action. The tenth house is the strongest of the four houses, followed in descending order by the seventh, fourth, and first. The first house has the distinction of being a kendra and a kona, which we will learn about next. Planets in the tenth house are directly overhead at birth, and they will have a significant influence in the life of the individual. How that influence manifests is dependent upon what the planets represent in the birth chart. * **Konas:** These are the trines in the horoscope, and they are houses one, five, and nine, sometimes referred to as trikona (three konas). The ninth house is the strongest house, or highest house of dharma, followed by the fifth, and then the first. Notice that the first house is designated as a kendra and a kona. The trines are always a combination of three zodiac signs that represent the same element: fire, water, air, or earth. There is a special designation when two or more planets that rule the Vishnu and Lakshmi sthanas come together (for best results, in an angular house) to create a powerful combination in the birth chart called a yoga (union), which links a dharma house with a karma house. This is a powerful combination when one's dharma aligns with action, and under just the right circumstances it can create the opportunity for our actions to lead to wealth and success. We will explore this idea more in chapter 6 when we look at a birth chart example. # **UPACHAYAS: THE HOUSES OF IMPROVEMENT** The upachaya houses are houses of growth that can improve over time. Upachaya houses are three, six, ten, and eleven. Note that the tenth house is a kendra and an upachaya, under which a career can improve after hard work under the right circumstances and with the involvement of certain planetary combinations. More meaning about how the indications of upachaya houses can improve can be derived from a review of the description of the sixth house, or Ari Bhava (the House of Enemies), here. # **DUSTHANAS: THE HOUSES OF STRUGGLE** Du means "pain” and sthana means “place," so we have places of pain or struggle that can be analyzed from certain houses of the birth chart. These are houses three, six, eight, and twelve, which relate to siblings, courage, enemies, and illness, and death and loss, as we learned earlier in the chapter. Note that the third and sixth houses are also designated upachaya and are houses of improvement through our own efforts. # **TRIK HOUSES: THE THREE (TRI)** Houses six, eight, and twelve are considered to be the three most unfortunate of the four dusthanas and are difficult energies to manage as humans, especially for those not on a spiritual path. # **MARAKA STHANAS: HOUSES OF DEATH** The second and seventh houses are said to be the maraka sthanas, or the houses of death. Some astrologers interpret these houses more literally, others figuratively from a more spiritual evolutionary perspective. Again, we get into different schools of thought and some philosophical differences. # **THE FOUR AIMS OF LIFE-PURUSARTHAS** Now that we have a basic understanding of the meanings of the houses and some of their special designations, we can look deeper into the bhavas for additional nuances through the Purusharthas, or the Four Aims in Life. The Purusharthas were a theme within the epic story of the Mahabharata, which Sage Vyasa dictated to Ganesha to scribe. The Purusharthas are considered to be a major part of Indian philosophy. Maintaining equilibrium of the various aims at certain life phases can create a happier and more peace-filled existence. This may prove challenging, especially if someone has a multitude of planets in one or two of the houses associated with a particular aim (or aims) in life. # **DHARMA HOUSES: RIGHT ACTION OR RIGHTEOUSNESS** The dharma houses are the first, fifth, and ninth, and in the natural zodiac they correspond with the fire trikonas (trines) if we are starting from the natural first sign, Aries. Dharma means "right action" or "righteousness,” and in traditional Indian philosophy, this includes honoring our ancestors, our teachers, and our responsibility toward society. The highest house of dharma in the birth chart is the ninth house, which represents our spiritual path, teachers, and father. Dharma reveals our unique and individual life purposes and what we are here in this lifetime to learn and accomplish. If you go back and review the signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, you will connect important insights from these signs to the dharma houses. # **ARTHA HOUSES: ACQUISITION OR MATERIAL GAIN** The artha houses are the second, eighth, and tenth houses, and in the natural order of the twelve signs, these are the earth trikonas. They are generally associated with gain, either from our family of origin, through our partner or an inheritance, from the money we earn from our work, or from the knowledge that we have gained from our family of origin (second house). Revisit Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn in chapter 3 to understand the underlying connections between these signs and the artha houses. Keep in mind that regardless of the rising sign, the sign that represents the second, eighth, and eleventh houses will indicate artha. For example, a person who has Gemini rising (first house) will have Cancer as the second sign, and this will represent the second house, and Cancer will be a sign associated with artha. # **KAMA HOUSES: DESIRE OR PLEASURES OF THE SENSES** The kama houses are the third, seventh, and eleventh, and in the natural zodiac, these are the air trikona in the natural zodiac and are pleasure-oriented. The air signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are naturally more socially inclined than signs of the other elements. These signs relate to desires for friends and romantic partners and to the desires for what we want to achieve in life. Review Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius in chapter 3 to deepen your understanding of the kama houses. You can also learn more about kama through the story of Kamadeva, who is the Hindu god of love and desire. He is often depicted with a bow and five arrows made of fragrant flowers that stimulate the senses. # **MOKSHA HOUSES: SPIRITUAL LIBERATION** The moksha houses are the fourth, eighth, and twelfth and in the natural zodiac. Starting from Aries, the natural first house of the zodiac, these are the water signs, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. They represent the final houses of the cycle within the Purusharthas and the ability to be free from life, death, rebirth, and suffering. Now that we have covered the key components of the bhavas, let's follow the same exercise we did at the end of chapter 3, but instead place each planet in each one of the twelve houses and contemplate how that might influence a planet. Use the key meaning of each planet or the karaka to practice. Take, for example, the Moon as karaka for mother. How might the mind or relationship with the mother be influenced if the Moon were placed in the ninth house versus the eighth house? In the next chapter we will learn how to add another layer of meaning to planetary placements in the birth chart through the nakshatras, or mansions of the Moon.