Maraka Sthana and Pathaga Sthana

The calculation differs for every Lagnas (Ascendants). The Lagnas are
divided into 3 categories Sara, Sthara and Upaya Lagnas.

Sara Lagna Category: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn Ascendants

Sthara Lagna Category: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius Ascendants.

Upaya Lagna Category: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces Ascendants.

For Sara Lagna: The 2nd & 7th house and their house lords becomes the
“Maraka Sthana’ and “Maraka Grahas”. The 11th house and its Lord
become “Pathaga Sthana” and “Pathaga Graha”

For Sthara Lagna: The 3rd and the 8th house and their house lords
becomes the “Maraka Sthana’ and “Maraka Grahas”. The 9th house and its
Lord become “Pathaga Sthana” and “Pathaga Graha”

Important: The 9th house lord is considered to be highly benefice in the Vedic
Astrology; but for the Sthara Lagna category, the same 9th house would also
become Pathaga Sthana and the 9th house lord becomes “Pathaga Graha”

For Upaya Lagna: The 7th and the 11th house and their house lords
becomes the “Maraka Sthana’ and “Maraka Grahas”. The 7th house and its
Lord become “Pathaga Sthana” and “Pathaga Graha”

Definition of “Maraka Sthana”: A House that can induce either “Death” (or)
“Troubles equivalent to Death” through its House Lord (or) any other Planets
that are associated with that House (or) House Lord.

Definition of “Pathaga Sthana”: A House that can induce either “Collateral

Damages” (or) “Troubles equalling the Collateral Damages” through its
House Lord (or) any other Planets that are associated with that House (or)
House Lord.

For more details on Pathaga & Maraka Sthana/Graha, please read my

answer in quora Meganathan Gnanamani (மேகநாதன் ஞானேணி)'s
answer to What are the effects of a maraka planet? Does it always bring
death in its Mahadash
 Maraka Graha and Maraha Dasha:

The word “Maraka” means “Death”; thus the Maraka Graha denotes Planets
that would indicate/bring death; and the Maraka Sthana means House that
denotes death. Let us see, who are all the Maraka Graha and Maraka
Sthana’s for every Lagna (Ascendant).

1. If the Maraka Graha is placed in the benefice house, then it would

do the minimum damages; but definetly damage the properties of
the House that it occupies.
2. If the Maraka Graha is placed in the malefic house, then it would do
more damages; and completly damages the properties of the House
that it occupies.
3. If the Maraka Graha is associated with 3rd house, then it would do
damage the mental health, status and reputation.
4. If the Maraka Graha is associated with 6th house, then it would
deliver damages in the form of debts/troubles/litigations/health
issues.
5. If the Maraka Graha is associated with 8th house, then it would
deliver damages that are capable of impacting the whole life.
6. If the Maraka Graha is associated with 12th house, then it would
deliver either death (or) troubles equivalent to death.
Note: You must also take into account of the following astrological
parameters.

1. The Star Lord of Maraka Graha; and its position & strength.
2. The Star Lord of the House Lord, where the Maraka Graha is placed;
and its position & strength.
3. The position of Maraka Graha from Lagna/Lagna Lord; and also
from Moon Sign.
4. The aspection and association of all other planets with the Maraka
Graha
5. The position & strength of Maraka Graha in the divisional charts
 While reading a Horoscope the very first thing we look is how planets are
related to each other. Any Rajyoga simple or special
rajyoga and Dhanyoga can only happen when planets are involved with each
other and there are few ways planets makes relation with each other.
Ideally, these relations should happen between auspicious house lords and
malefic house lord shouldn’t make relation with these auspicious lord i.e
Kendra & Trine houses.

I have classified these planetary relations in two categories:

1. MAJOR
2. MINOR
1. MAJOR WAYS OF PLANETARY RELATIONSHIP
1.1 CONJUNCTION OF PLANETS: The conjunction is most known and a
frequent occurrence in horoscopes. Conjunction can be btw many planets
but more than three or four planets making conjunction is kind of rare. The
conjunction of two planets is the most common kind of conjunction in
horoscopes.

EXAMPLE NO.1
You can see in example horoscope no.1. MOON and Venus are in 7th house,
where Venus lord of 4th house and Venus is lord of 7th house itself.

2. MUTUAL ASPECT BETWEEN PLANETS

The mutual aspect between planets is also a common occurrence and can
happen in the following manners.

A. DIRECT MUTUAL ASPECT: Here, two planets are placed 7th house away
from each other which means they are exactly opposite to each other. Check
example horoscope no.2 where Saturn and Jupiter are in Mutual aspect
creating Dharmakarmadhipati Yoga.

EXAMPLE NO.2
B. INDIRECT MUTUAL ASPECT: This applies to planets which have
additional aspect i.e Jupiter, Mars and Saturn. Check example no 3.
horoscope for a better understanding of Indirect mutual aspect.

EXAMPLE NO.3
Here Mars is in 6th house and Saturn is in 9th house. Mars is aspecting
Saturn via his 4th aspect and Saturn is aspecting Mars via its 10th aspect.
This makes mutual aspect relation with them and is ignored by most
beginners of astrology.
3. KENDRA RELATIONSHIP
Planets in Kendra, which means planets in conjunction, 4th house, 7th house
and 10th house from each other will be related to each other and it is an
advanced version of conjunction and mutual aspect. This also is ignored by
beginners of astrology and its importance can be understood from
Gajakesari Yoga, where the vital conditions for it are Kendra relation
between Moon and Jupiter. This explains why planets in the Kendra house
are related to each other.

EXAMPLE NO.4
Check example horoscope NO.4 which belongs to Shri K.N Rao here Moon is
in ascendant and Jupiter is in 10th house creating Gajakesari Yoga.
This Kendra relationship serves very well with the natural signification of
planets like Moon-Venus in 1 – 10 from each other and will give benefits or
career in the art field. Same way Mars in ascendant and Saturn in 10th is
good for property. I have Mars in ascendant and Saturn in 10th house and I
inherited a good amount of lands from my father.
4. TRINE RELATIONSHIP
Though not much popular in Parashar astrology but frequently used in Nadi
astrology. Here, planets should be in trine with each other. Here, trine
means 5th or 9th from each other.

EXAMPLE NO.5
In example horoscope no.5, Mars is in ascendant and Moon is in 9th house,
which means Mars is 5th house away from Moon and Moon is 9 house away
from Moon. Which makes Mars and Moon trine to each other.
5. EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP
This is the strongest relationship two planets can have. This is quite easy to
detect but requires skills to makes interpretation of them. It is formed when
two planets are in each other signs. Suppose Venus is in Virgo and Mercury
is in Libra here, they are in each other sign and exchange relation will be
established.
You can check Virat Kohli horoscope and can see exchange is happening
between 9th and 10th lord creating DHARMA KARMADHIPATI YOGA.
The other famous example of exchange in horoscope belongs to the first
female prime minister of India and you can see three exchange in her
horoscope.
I have written a detailed article on the exchange between planets which you
can refer for the complete understanding of it.
6. NAKSHATRA PLACEMENT
The relation between planets are also very important and is used in giving
results of dashas.
 1. Planet occupying the constellation of a planet shall be considered related
to that planet. Thus, when the Sun is in a constellation of Jupiter it may
also give results that Jupiter indicates in the birth chart.
2. When two or more planets are placed in the same constellation of a
planet, they would be related to each other. Suppose Venus and Jupiter are
in Rohini constellation of the moon. Here, Venus and Jupiter shall be
considered related to each other, though they may be in different signs.
So far, I have covered Major ways on how planets establish a relationship
with each other and now I will be mentioning the minor ways in the
following paragraph. These might be minor but still, are important especially
in dasha results.
B. INDIRECT WAYS FOR PLANETARY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLANETS
1. The owner of a sign projects an aspect to a planet placed his sign. For
example, if Venus is placed in Pisces and Jupiter aspects it via 5th or
9th then Venus and Jupiter will be in relationship, where Jupiter will have
total control on Venus.
Suppose here Venus is malefic and Jupiter is benefic then Jupiter can alter
the bad results of Venus in Venus periods.
The second version of it is in the same tune but have different meaning
while judging horoscope.
2. A planet in a sign projects an aspect to the owner of the sign. Let us take
Mars in Taurus and Venus in Leo. Mars will project an aspect to Venus and
this way there will be relation btw them.
1. Two planets would be related if the depositor is in relation to the depositor of
the other in the birth or navamsha chart. Let us suppose that Jupiter and
Saturn are together in a sign. Let us also suppose that Rahu is placed in
Pisces and the Moon is in Capricorn. Here, Rahu and Moon to be related to
each other due to conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter.
2. A planet placed in any sign in the navamsha chart, would be considered
associated with any planet that occupies the same sign in the birth chart.
Suppose Mars is in Libra in the navamsha chart. If Mercury is in Libra in
the birth chart then Mars and Mercury would be considered in an
association.
3. A planet placed in a sign in the birth chart shall be considered associated
with any planet that occupies that sign in the navamsha chart.
These are the ways planets make relation with each other and create yogas.
Usually, we considered only major ways of planetary association but the
minor ways are also important especially for making minute dasha
predictions.

The Process of Qualifying Yogas

by Hank Friedman

[Note: I learned Vedic astrology from the master Jyotishi Hart deFouw.
Without his teachings, none of my Vedic articles could have been written.
Also, thanks to Bette Timm for her valuable feedback and suggestions.]

Definitions:

In order to make this article more useable for beginners, I've added a set of
definitions of the Vedic terms and concepts used here.

Planets:

Benefics

The benefics in Vedic astrology are Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon, plus
Mercury when it is either not influenced by a malefic, or is influenced by a
benefic. However, in the creation of yogas, Mercury is always treated as a
benefic.

Malefics

The malefic planets in Vedic astrology are Mars, Saturn, Rahu (the North
Node), and Ketu (the South Node), plus Mercury if it is only influenced by
other malefics (not counting the Sun), and, for some assessments, the Sun.

True Planet: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are classified as
true planets for determining planetary war and combustion and in yogas.

Types of Houses:

Dusthanas: Also called Trikasthanas or Trik houses, these are the "bad"
houses. Houses 6, 8, and 12 govern many of the unpleasant themes of life
(e.g. debt, obstacles, loss, death, disease, anxiety, enemies, etc.), and
therefore planets ruling these houses embody challenging themes, as do
planets occupying these houses.

Trikonas: Also called Trines, houses 1, 5, and 9 are the most fortunate
houses, in that they represent blessings, opportunities, good fortune,
wisdom, and spirituality, and planets in them and ruling them bring positive
themes to the life.
Kendras: Called angles or angular houses in the West, houses 1, 4, 7, and
10 boost the power, action, and initiative of planets, and therefore can
support greater success.

Lagna: The Ascendant or Rising sign. Also the First House itself, as in the
phrase "a planet in the Lagna". The owner of the Ascendant and the planets
in the First House both represent the person more than any other planets.
Planets aspecting either the ruler of the First House or the First House itself
also are quite influential, and their influence is integrated into the person's
makeup.

Chandra Lagna: A chart constructed by rotating the horoscope until the

Moon occupies the First House. This is also used to calculate yogas, and a
yoga that occurs in both the Lagna chart and the Chandra Lagna chart will
be much more powerful.

Surya Lagna: A chart constructed by rotating the horoscope until the Sun
occupies the First House. This is also used to calculate yogas, and a yoga
that occurs in both the Lagna chart and the Surya Lagna chart will be more
powerful.

Temporal Benefics and Malefics: Also called Functional Benefics and

Malefics. When a planet only rules bad houses it becomes a temporal
malefic, bringing challenges into the person's life. If a planet only rules good
houses (especially kendras and trikonas), it brings positive experiences into
the person's life. (Note: for assessing a planet's temporal nature, houses 2
and 11 are considered mildly good, and house 3 as mildly bad. So Jupiter
ruling the 8th and 11th would still be considered a temporal malefic, and
Mars ruling the 3rd and 10th a temporal benefic.)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Aspect: When one planet "sees", i.e. influences, another planet (or house) by
being in a specific angular relationship with the other planet (or house). (See
the next two items.)

Vedic astrologers use Whole Sign aspects, where planets affect every planet
in the aspected house, regardless of orb.

Mutual Aspects: In Vedic astrology, when planets occupy the same house or
are in opposite houses, they are said to aspect each other, I.e. to see and
influence and impact each other, mutually. (In classical Jyotish texts,
planets in the same house are said to be in association with each other.)

Aspects to Houses: All planets aspect the house opposite to the one that
they occupy, whether there are any planets in that house or not.

Unilateral Aspects: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have special unilateral

aspects (I.e. they see and influence other planets who do not see or influence
them).
Mars aspects all planets (and houses) four and eight houses ahead (counting
the house occupied by Mars), Jupiter planets (and houses) five and nine
houses ahead (I.e. in the same element as Jupiter), and Saturn aspects
planets (and houses) three and ten houses ahead.

Whole Sign Houses: Unlike modern Western astrology, Vedic astrology uses
whole sign houses, I.e. where each house is one whole sign (i.e. begins at
zero degrees and ends at thirty degrees of the sign), and every planet in one
sign occupies the same house as the others in the same sign.

Planetary Weaknesses:

Planetary war: When a true planet is within 1 degree of another true planet,
a planetary war takes place. It is as if they are fighting for territory, and even
the victor of the war gets bloodied. (The victor can be the planet having
higher latitude and/or brightness.)

[Note: Planetary wars never involve the Sun, Moon, Rahu, or Ketu.]

Debilitated: The sign a planet is weakest in. This is called Fall in Western
astrology. I.e. Sun in Libra, Moon in Scorpio, Mercury in Pisces, Venus in
Virgo, Mars in Cancer, Jupiter in Capricorn, and Saturn in Aries. The degree
of deepest debilitation, after which strength begins to return to the planet,
is, respectively, 10, 3, 15, 27, 28, 5, 20. E.g. Jupiter is weakest at 5 degrees
Capricorn.

Dark Moon: When the Moon is within 72 degrees of the Sun, it grows dark
and loses strength. A waning Moon is significantly weaker than a waxing
Moon (given their distances from the Sun being equal).

Combust: When a true planet is within 6 degrees of the Sun, it is said to be

combust. If within 3 degrees, it is seriously combust. A combust planet has
difficulty expressing its gifts, is weaker, and the themes of the houses it
rules can become challenging.

Planetary Strengths:

Rulership: Like Hellenistic and Medieval Western astrologies, Vedic astrology

employs traditional sign rulerships: Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Venus
rules Taurus and Libra, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, the Moon rules
Cancer, the Sun rules Leo, Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and Saturn
rules Capricorn and Aquarius. Planets are strong and stable in the signs
they rule.

Exalted: The sign a planet is strongest in. The sign opposite to the
debilitation sign: Sun in Aries, Moon in Taurus, Mercury in Virgo, Venus in
Pisces, Mars in Capricorn, Jupiter in Cancer, and Saturn in Libra.

[Note the degree of deepest exaltation is the same as the degree of deepest
debilitation, just in the opposite sign. E.g. Saturn is strongest at 20 degrees
of Libra.]
Bright Moon: If the Moon is in the sign opposite to the Sun, or in either of
the two adjacent signs, then it is considered bright. E.g. if the Sun is in
Gemini, the Moon is bright in Scorpio, Sagittarius (the opposite sign to the
Sun), and Capricorn.

Retrograde: While both Western and Vedic astrology recognize

retrogradation as the movement of a planet in the opposite direction across
the sky, Vedic astrologers utilize the fact that retrograde planets are at their
brightest and largest (closest to the Earth), and that therefore, retrograde
planets are strong.

Dig Bala: Aka directional strength. Each planet has its favorite house (akin
to the Traditional Western notion of Joy). When in that house, the planet
gains both strength and stability. The houses in which planets gain dig bala
in are: Jupiter and Mercury in the 1st, the Moon and Venus in the 4th,
Saturn in the 7th, and the Sun and Mars in the 10th.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The "AND" principle: Unlike planetary strength systems like Astrodynes in

Western astrology, which add and subtract points to determine the final
strength of a planet, in Vedic astrology, if a planet is both strong and weak,
then both its strength and its weakness will express themselves in a
person's life. E.g. Mars in Cancer (debilitated) in the 10th house (dig bala),
will manifest in both pioneering strength in career, and in career instability.

Yogas:

Yoga: a specific configuration defined by one or more planets in specific

signs, houses, or relationship with other planets. While there are many
challenging yogas, Vedic astrologers usually focus upon the yogas that uplift
ones life. Therefore, in this article and most others, unless otherwise
specified, the word yoga implies a positive yoga.

Maha Purusha Yoga: A true planet in its own sign or exalted sign in a
Kendra. This makes the planet very powerful and increases the person's
success.

Dhana Yoga: Wealth-producing combinations. The ruler of house 1, 2, 5, 9,

or 11 in mutual aspect to the ruler of another of these five houses.

Raja Yoga: There are many configurations that create these "kingly yogas",
but the predominant ones are the ruler of a Trikona (1, 5, 9) in mutual
aspect (usually in the same sign or opposite sign) as the ruler of either
another Trikona, or a Kendra (1, 5, 7, 10).

The most powerful Raja Yogas occur when there is a mutual aspect or
association between the lords of the 9th and 10th houses, or the lords of the
4th and 5th houses.
Principles for Qualifying Yogas

Finding yogas in a person's chart is an essential part of Vedic horoscopic

analysis. Positive yogas show where a person has their greatest gifts and
achievements, while negative yogas indicate the areas of most challenge. A
simple rule: Where will the blessings of a positive yoga occur? For the house
themes of the house where the yoga-forming planets reside.

For example, if a person has a powerful yoga in the 4th house, they may
own wonderful homes, or drive great cars, or come from a revered lineage, or
have a deep understanding of psychology, or have an amazing mother, or
any other 4th house theme might be enhanced, depending upon the nature
of the planets involved.

Yogas vary in their impact upon a person's life. It is important to determine

how effectively each yoga is going to operate. I am calling this
process qualifying yogas.

After finding yogas in a person's chart, we need to assess to what degree

each yoga will manifest by examining additional conditions. There are many
different factors to evaluate. In most cases, what makes a good yoga more
fortuitous is the opposite of what makes a bad yoga more difficult. E.g. if a
good yoga is formed by strong planets, it becomes more auspicious; while if
a bad yoga is formed by weak planets, it becomes more harmful.

A. Relationship of Yoga-Forming Planets to the Specific Ascendant of the

Chart

Vedic astrologers understand that planets perform differently for each

Ascendant. In fact, this is the basis of the concept of functional or temporal
benefics and malefics. E.g. Jupiter does not function well for Libra and
Taurus (Venus) Ascendants because of the houses it rules for each Lagna.
For Taurus rising, Jupiter rules the 8th and 11th houses; for Libra rising,
Jupiter rules the 3rd and 6th houses. Positive yogas formed by Jupiter for
these Ascendants have less potency. This illustrates how important the
Ascendant's influence is upon the effectiveness of yogas. The following table
shows the most productive and least productive planets for each Ascendant.

Best and Worst Planets for Each Ascendant (Yogakarakas are shown in
bold.)

Ascendant Best House Rulerships Worst House Rulerships

Aries Sun, Moon Mercury
Taurus Saturn, Mercury Jupiter, Moon
Gemini Mercury, Moon Mars, Sun
Cancer Mars, Moon, Sun Mercury
 Leo Mars, Sun Moon
Virgo Mercury, Venus Mars, Sun
Libra Saturn, Moon Jupiter
Scorpio Moon, Sun, Jupiter Venus, Mercury
Sagittarius Sun, Jupiter Venus, Moon
Capricorn Venus, Saturn, Moon Jupiter, Sun
Aquarius Venus, Sun Moon
Pisces Moon, Jupiter, Mars Venus, Sun

In John Belushi's chart, below, his powerful Dhana yoga, formed by Jupiter
as lord of the 1st and Venus as lord of the 11th, is weakened by Venus'
unhappy rulership of the 6th house, and by the planetary war between them.

John Belushi's Chart

His Venus not only kept the yoga from giving him as much wealth as it
would have, but indicated (as the 6th lord) his insecurities, health issues,
and eventually fatal drug addiction.

(His Moon, debilitated, dark, waning, and in a dusthana as ruler of the 8th,
also contributed to his addiction patterns and emotional angst.)

A planet having challenging rulerships for a specific Ascendant noticeably

weakens its ability to uplift a life through the positive yogas it forms (and
magnifies the challenges in a person's life through the negative yogas it
forms). It does not, however, nullify a positive yoga completely; and one
must always take all of the relevant factors into account.

B. The Strength of Yoga-Forming Planets

Many yogas, by definition, require at least one of the yoga-forming planets to

be in its own sign or exalted. Nevertheless, for any positive yoga to have a
notably uplifting effect upon a person's life, at least one of the yoga-forming
planets should be strong. If none of the yoga-forming planets is strong, then
the yoga may still be beneficial to a lesser degree.

Planets gain strength by being in their own sign, or exalted (or even in own
nakshatra, ), by direction (dig bala), by brightness (Bright Moon or
retrograde planet), in the same sign as in the Navamsha (Vargottama), or in
Parivartana Yoga (mutual exchange, I.e. in each other's signs) with another
planet. The more types of strength a yoga-forming planet has, the more
powerful the yoga.

For a negative yoga to be seriously problematic in a person's life, the yoga-

forming planets should be weak. Weakness can be by sign (the sign of
debilitation), by dimness (combustion or Dark Moon), or by proximity to
another planet (planetary war).

In Marilyn Monroe's chart, one of the major reasons why the Sasa Yoga
formed by Saturn is powerful is because Saturn is doubly strong (retrograde
and exalted).

Marilyn Monroe's Chart

It brought her, along with many other things, very powerful life partners
(since, as lord of the 7th, Saturn represents her spouses). These men
definitely added to her fame and fortune.

C. Yogas Reproduced from Chandra or Surya Lagnas

For most of the yogas commonly found in charts, such as the Maha Purusha
Yogas (where a true planet -- Mercury through Saturn -- is in an angle and
either in its own sign or exalted), the presence of the same yoga in the
Chandra Lagna or Surya Lagna chart gives it significantly greater influence.

In the chart of Marilyn Monroe, above, Saturn is also in an angle from the
Moon; therefore her Sasa yoga is even more significant.

D. Aspects to Yoga-Forming Planets

When planets forming a positive yoga receive no aspects or only aspects

from benefics, then the yoga is much better able to function. The aspect of
even one malefic can significantly impair the expression of a positive yoga.

When planets forming a negative yoga are aspected by one or more malefics,
the yoga becomes more arduous. If a strong benefic aspects a planet
participating in a challenging yoga, significant amelioration of that yoga will
occur.

In Arnold Schwarzenegger's chart, his Bhadra yoga has only the aspects of
Jupiter and the Bright (and waxing) Moon and no malefic aspects ; and it
repeats from the Chandra Lagna.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Chart

His Mercury, in other words, is completely well-supported in his chart, and

has brought him great success and prosperity.
E. Placement by House

While many yogas, by definition, must occur in kendras (angular houses),

others do not. When positive yogas occur in houses 6, 8, or 12 (the
dusthanas) or in Dagdha Rashis, they still can deliver benefits, but often not
as easily nor as prominently as yogas occurring in positive houses. When
negative yogas occur in dusthanas, their challenging effects are amplified.

Again, in Arnold's chart, above, Mercury is in the best house it could be in,
because the Lagna (First House) is a very positive house, and because
Mercury rules the Lagna, and because it gets directional strength (dig bala)
in the First House. All of these further contributed to his phenomenal rise in
life.

F. The Connection of Yogas to the Lagna

Since the Lagna (First House) and its lord represent the person, for an
individual to be able to fully utilize the gifts represented by a yoga, the yoga-
forming planets need to have a relationship with either the First House or
the Lord of the First House (or both). Yogas without any connection to the
First House or its Lord are more difficult for the person to access, and
therefore less likely to transform a person's life.

In Arnold Schwarzenegger's chart, Mercury is both in and lord of the First

House.

G. The Strength of the Lagna

Not only does the strength of the ruler of the Ascendant (and the First House
itself) determine a person's vitality, likeability, popularity, common sense,
and ability to bounce back from life's travails, but also the degree to which a
yoga can fully manifest.

If the First House is occupied by malefics (not in their own sign or exalted)
or aspected by malefics, and not occupied or aspected by benefics, while the
ruler of the Ascendant is similarly only connected to malefics and is weak,
then these weaknesses can very well prevent yogas in the chart from fully
expressing themselves.

Conversely, if the First House and the ruler of the First House are only
influenced by benefics, and the ruler of the First House is strong, even
weaker yogas will find easy expression.

For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Ascendant and Ascendant lord

Mercury meet the conditions for a strong Ascendant very well, and he has
been popular, resilient, and greatly successful.

H. Reinforced Yogas.
When a yoga-forming planet participates in more than one yoga, the yogas
augment each other. In other words, there is a synergistic effect.

In Arnold's chart, Mercury forms two Bhadra Maha Purusha yogas (in its
own sign in a kendra from both Lagna and Moon), a Dhana Yoga with the
Moon (Lords of the First and Second in mutual aspect), a Shubha Vasi yoga
(Mercury in the house before the Sun), and a Chamara Yoga (First House
and Lord only influenced by benefics). Therefore, Mercury is an incredibly
powerful yoga-forming planet and will bring great blessings to Arnold even
during its bhuktis.

A much subtler but noteworthy example of reinforced yogas exists in

Marilyn Monroe's chart. The association of Mars and Jupiter in her chart
doesn't, at first glance, look very promising. Neither has strength, they are in
the 8th house, and neither has any relationship with the Lagna or Lagnesa.
While neither planet receives any aspects from malefics, and both are
friends of the Lord of the First (the Moon), these factors are not enough to
explain her huge celebrity.

However, Mars and Jupiter together create two of the most important Raja
yogas. Mars and Jupiter are Lords of the Ninth and the Tenth, and Lords of
the Fifth and the Ninth. The combined effect of two such incredibly
important Raja Yogas more than compensates for the lack of other
distinguishing factors.

I. Running the Relevant Dashas and Bhuktis

A yoga will only reach full fruition when a person runs the dasha of one or
more of the yoga-forming planets. From then one (I.e. for the rest of the
person's life) the yoga will be active.

Marilyn Monroe achieved great fame during her Jupiter dasha, when the
above-mentioned yogas became activated.

Even if one doesn't run the dasha of a positive yoga-forming planet during
one's lifetime, the bhuktis of that planet can also give very good results.

J. The Influence of Orbs

While Vedic astrologers see planets as aspecting whole houses and every
planet in them, they do, just like Western astrologers, do pay attention to
orb, and know that planets with tighter aspects (smaller orbs) are more
potent. Therefore, in the formation of yogas, the stronger the connection --
by orb -- between the yoga-forming planets, the stronger the yoga.

In John Belushi's chart, above, his Jupiter and Venus are very close, which
strengthened his Dhana yoga.

Two situations where closeness of connection weakens the yoga are when a
yoga-forming planet is combust (within 6o of the Sun) and when the planet
forms a planetary war (two true planets within 1o of each other).
The serious evaluation of yogas must take into account these
considerations. Otherwise, Jyotishis will over-emphasize yogas that cannot
deliver their full promise, or pay too little attention to yogas that may
significantly affect a person's life. Being able to distinguish which yogas are
the most important adds life and depth to each chart reading

A Checklist for Qualifying Yogas

In order to use the principles in this article easily, I decided to create the
following checklist for assessing positive yogas.

Major considerations:

1. Are any of the yoga-forming planets strong? If not, then the yoga is not
likely to give rise to much success unless the yoga-forming planets are
participating in more than one yoga. So the corollary question is: Are the
yoga-forming planets creating more than one yoga?

2. Does the yoga recur (involving the same planets) from the Chandra or
Surya Lagnas? If so, then the yoga is more powerful.

3. Do the yoga-forming planets receive aspects from malefics? If so, the

magnitude of the yoga's effects will be notably diminished, and additional
issues might arise.

4. Do the yoga-forming planets have any relationship with the First House
or the ruler of the First House? If not, the abilities and gifts represented by
the yoga will be hard to access.

5. Are the Ascendant and lord of the Ascendant predominately strong or

weak? If both are strong and influenced by benefics, then the yoga will be
easily expressed, if both are weak and influenced by malefics, then not.

6. Is the person running or going to run the dasa of one of the yoga-forming
planets? If so, then the yoga is likely to reach full fruition. If not, then has
the person already run the dasa of one of the yoga-forming planets? If not,
then the yoga may not reach full fruition.

7. For the person's specific Ascendant, do either or both of the yoga-forming

planets have good house rulerships? If not, then the yoga's effect will be
significantly diminished.

Minor Considerations:

8. Does the yoga take place in houses 6, 8, or 12? If so, then the themes of
that house will be enhanced (e.g. medical skill for the 6th, or occult gifts for
the 8th), but the yoga may not give as notable results in conventional ways.

9. Are the yoga-forming planets close to each other by orb? If so, then the
yoga may be a bit more powerful.