Ashtakavarga

System Of Prediction (Part -10)

By Dr. E.S.NEELAKANTAN

Introduction
We have just seen some of the rules pertaining to Mercury with
reference to the Ashtakavarga system of prediction. We, now move to
discuss further details about Mercury and its input on horoscopes.
To recapitulate the last part of our article in Part-9 , we found
-that Mercury in our navamsa will make one proficient in Fine Arts,
poetry etc.
- If the navamsa of Mars/Venus , one becomes a great poet or
dramatist subject to a few conditions.
- In debilitation navamsa one will become proficient in music, mimicry
etc. subject to certain rules.
Usually people with refined taste take to Fine Arts, Poetry etc.
because it requires a mature intellect. Hence the requirement of
Mercury in own navamsa as stated above. To be good at mimicry also
requires skills but a person who writes poetry requires more
intellectual ability than an artist who performs mimicry. So, we will now
arrive at our conclusion. When Mercury has more number of bindus in
Ashtakavarga , one will definitely have artistic taste and skills. If
Mercury is in own navamsa , than those artistes will be good at
intellectual field like poetry. When in weak navamsa , the strength of
Mercury in Ashtakavarga will give artistic taste and skills but they may
tend to branch out to areas like mimicry where less intellectual skills
are sufficient.

Edison said Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration .

But there is a contrary proverb also Geniuses are born , not made .
So which of the two is correct? Astrology furnishes the answer. To be a
genius in any field , you must have it in your birth chart. But if you start
seeing horoscopes, you will note that many people with distinct
Rajayogas in their birth chart , have fared poorly in their career. What is
the reason? Planets impel but they do not compel. Without sincere
effort , the promise shown in a horoscope ,may fail on account of
proper initiatives being taken at the appropriate time.
I wish to cite one analogy here when talking about whether
birth or effort makes a person a genius . The noted Tamil poet
Kannadasan was once advised to learn a little bit of English since it
would be useful to him as his stature at that time was steadily rising .
Actually he picked up his English lessons pretty fast . At that time he
visited a friends house at night. Those days there never used to be
calling bells and you have to tap the door. When Kannadasan tapped
the door the inmate shouted , who is standing out? In a cool tone ,
Kannadasan replied , Outstanding poet standing out . I am citing this
example to show that by his very birth Kannadasan was a genius in
Tamil language. But since the poetic talent was latent in him with a
little bit of English learning he could write wonderful sentences , like
the one I have mentioned above.
Now we will proceed to see some of the rules concerning
Mercury in Ashtakavarga.
1. Mercury with 1 to 3 bindus in any bhava with navamsa in a female
sign will destroy that bhava.
We have to understand this rule in a deeper sense. In Astrology, there
is a crucial link between the bhava and its occupant. Let us say for
Pisces lagna , Jupiter is in Cancer. We may think that as the tenth lord
is exalted , tenth house prospects are good. But in reality the maximum
impart is felt by the 5th bhava in this case. When the 5th bhava is
occupied by an exalted planet , it is a clear indication of excellent

poorva punya or merits of previous births. Coming to our rule here,

Mercury becomes weak when it is placed with 3 or less bindus and
when in a female navamsa it is not bound to do well. Hence the
weakness of Mercury spills over to the bhava , rendering the bhava
devoid of any merit.
2. When the lord of the bhava occupied by Mercury is in the 6th , 8th or
12th bhava from lagna , there will be many obstacles to education.
As discussed in my previous article , education is accorded top priority
in todays life. Your job prospects depend on your education and those
who are not well educated end up in mediocre jobs. I wish to cite one
example from my personal experience . There are people who practice
Accountancy as a profession. They get all details from the clients make
up the books and hand them over to an auditor for attestation. The
Auditor , invariably will be a Chartered Accountant. In many cases ,
these Accountants are not properly remunerated because the clients
seldom understand the efforts taken by them and secondly they do not
have formal degree to command respect. Even Chartered Accountants ,
in spite of having a formal degree , tend to lose their dignity when they
start dancing to the tunes of the clients.So it is very important to have
formal education and it is even more important to preserve the
dignity attached to that educational qualification . Merely looking into
Mercurys placement is not enough . One has to understand how well
the sign disposition of Mercury is placed . If that lord is in one of the
three evil houses , 6,8 or 12, the continuity of education is bound to
receive some setbacks.
3. Even though Mercury is (a) in debilitation (b) Combust (c) in an
inimical house, still he confers the effects of the bhava provided he is
associated with 4 or more bindus.
One salient feature of astrology is that every rule has some exception.
A planet in debilitation, in combustion or in an enemys house is
virtually powerless and not only the planet proves unfavourable but in

the process renders the bhava over which it has control, ineffective.
There are many doomsayers in the community of astrologers, who will
not hesitate to give out evil forecasts whenever they come across such
planets. Here ashtakavarga acts as a neutralizing factor. So even if
Mercury is weak in your birth chart, all hope is not lost. Even a weak
Mercury, with four or more bindus is capable of giving favourable
results. This is one more area where there are compensatory features
provided in Astrology. We know that there are rules for
Neechabhanga, to support that the debilitation of a planet is
adequately compensated by the pressure of other desirable features.
Similarly kemadruma is warded off when kemadurama bhanga yogas
are present.
In law, there is a saying, A Man is Innocent unless proved guilty.
On the same lines I wish to propound one rule which should act as a
beacon for all building Astrologers. Every planet is favourable unless
proved otherwise. Planets obtain strength in a variety of ways. They
give out evil effects only when they are completely prevented from
giving out positive vibrations. Astrologers make a Mountain out of a
Mole hill by giving undue weightage to minor aberrations in the chart.
It is sad to note that planets are looked upon in the same manner as
ghosts and demons.
Please note that according to Astrology, even the Sun and Moon
are only considered as planets. Without the Sun, can activity in the
world take place? Similarly all herbs in the world derive nourishment
from the Moon. This is evidenced by the statement of Lord Krishna in
Bhagwad Gita . Can any one say that Sun and Moon are capable of
inflicting harm? What Astrology says is that when their vibrations do
not reach us in a proper way , their beneficial qualities are curtailed ,
thereby bringing harm in the process.
4. Note the rasis which have more than 4 bindus in Mercurys
Ashtakavarga chart. Transit of Mercury through this bhava is most
auspicious for commencement of studies. Even a dull-witted student
becomes proficient in studies by following this rule.

Many of us are fascinated by Astrology. But how many of us are

benefitted by this great science? How many schools are willing to
experiment on the above rule? All you need to do is , catch hold of all
the dull students in a class. Find out when Mercury is favourably placed
in transit for each of them . Then you advise their parents to devote an
hour per day commencing from the date of Mercurys transit for
learning the subject either on their own or from a tuition teacher . I am
sure , there will not be many takers for this suggestion . The reason for
this is that there are too many people who are skeptical about the
effects of planets on day-to-day lives. Astrology , in our country is
considered more as a superstition , than as a science. To change this
state of affairs , lot of work needs to be done.
5. If a bindu is contributed by the Sun in the 2nd house from Mercury
ones speech will be patronizing ; if by Saturn , mostly one will utter
falsehood : if by Mars, harsh speech, Mercury , pleasing and witty.
Jupiter , clean and intelligent. Venus ;interspersed with anecdotes. If
the bindu is contributed by an unafflicted Moon, one will be a charming
speaker ; if otherwise one will be careless in speech.
It is said in Sanskrit, Lakshmir Vasathi Jihvagre (Goddess
Lakshmi resides at the tip of your tongue). The message is clear ; your
prosperity depends on how you speak. Sometimes, when a harsh
message is given out in polite language, it has the desired impact
without provoking the person to whom it is addressed. Some people
also know how to use language in a clear way. I wish to cite one
example here. The late Shri C.N.Annadurai former CM of Tamilnadu
was adept in both English as well as in Tamil. He was once asked to
speak a sentence in English with a single word being used thrice in
immediate succession. He coined a sentence immediately and said :
No sentence ends with because because because is a conjunction.
This also shows that in English it is not the knowledge of grammar that
is important but the sense of grammar. How various planets influence

the second house from Mercury is discussed in rule 5 above and in my

view, it is quite self-explanatory and needs no further elaboration.
THE END