BABEL'S TOWER

THE ASTROLOGY OF POLYGLOTS

Genesis: 111-9

It was my karma to grow up in a Catholic family. Prominently displayed on a table in our living room was a very large
Bible. It contained colored prints of paintings depicting biblical scenes resembling the Tower of Babel by the Dutch
Renaissance master, Pieter Brueghel, and shown on the cover page of this article. As a very young child, I can re-
member musing over such pictures even before being able to read, wondering about the stories they illustrated.

The tale of the Tower of Babel that appears in chapter 11, verses 1-9 of Genesis, explains the origins of the
multiplicity of languages. Most scholars regard Genesis, the first book of the Bible, to be a collection of origin
myths. They belong to the etiology genre or an explanation of a phenomenon. Etiologies are narratives that explain
the origin of a custom, ritual, geographical feature, name, or another phenomenon. What follows are relevant pas-
sages in English translation as they appear in the famous King James Bible:

1. Now the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shibar; and they dwelt there.

3. And they said one to another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and asphalt
had they for mortar.

4. And they said, "Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make a name for
ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."

5. But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

6. And the Lord said, "Indeed, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: now nothing will be
restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."

7. "Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth: and they ceased building the city.

9. Therefore the name is called Babel; because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth: and from there did the Lord
scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

The gist is that descendants of Noah who survived the great flood were living in the area of Mesopotamia in Babylon. They settled in
a land named Shinar. The population was growing and they all spoke one language. The people decided to build a tall, proud symbol
of how great they had made their nation. The Babylonians wanted a tower that would "reach to the heavens" so that they could be
like God and that they would not need Him. They began to construct a great ziggurat.

God did not like the pride and arrogance in the hearts of the people. God caused the people to suddenly speak
different languages so they could not communicate and work together to build the tower. This caused the people to
scatter across the land. The tower was named The Tower of Babel because the word Babel means confusion. For
"true believers" the story is a powerful reminder of how important it is to obey God's Word and to not think that one
can build a successful but godless life on one's own.

Like with most origin myths, comparable ones can be found in ancient traditions around the globe including from
locations as far distant from each other as Mexico, Africa, and Nepal. See these excerpts from Wikipedia:

Another story, attributed by the native historian Fernando de Alva Cortes (c. 1565-1648) to the ancient Toltecs,
states that after men had multiplied following a great deluge, they erected a tall zacuali or tower, to preserve
themselves in the event of a second deluge. However, their languages were confounded and they went to separate
parts of the earth.

Psychological theorists like Carl Jung saw such parallel origin myths emerging independently for disparate cultures
worldwide as evidence for what he called the "collective unconscious."

Language

However it came to be, there are an astonishing number of languages spoken by humankind. Language is, of course, one of the
main things that differentiate humankind (homo sapiens) from other primates. Humans and chimpanzees share anywhere from 85%
to 95% of the same DNA, yet there is a vast difference between our cognitive ability and ability to communicate through language.

The total number of languages is estimated to be between three thousand and eight thousand. It is difficult to give a more accurate
number since linguists sometimes disagree on what are distinct languages and what are dialects of the same language. The Ethno-
logue catalog of world languages, which is one of the best linguistic resources, currently lists 6909 living languages. About 6% of
them have more than a million speakers each and collectively account for 94% of the world population. On the other hand, about half
of the languages are spoken by fewer than ten thousand people, and about quarter have fewer than one thousand speakers.

The top ten languages and the number of their native speakers are as follows, according to the Ethnologue statistics:

Language Speakers

Mandarin 845 million

Spanish 329 million

English 328 million

Hindi 182 million

Bengali 181 million

Portuguese 178 million

Japanese 122 million

German 90 million

Javanese 85 million

Many people, especially in this age of globalization, learn to speak more than one language. However, as can be seen from the
following statistical estimates, only a very small percentage (13%) speak three. Less than 1 % of the world's population are true "poly-
glots" a term used to describe a person fluent in five or more languages.

Monolingual:
A person knowing only one language (40% of world population).

Bilingual:
A person, using or able to use, two languages especially with equal fluency (43% of world population).

Trilingual:
A person speaking three languages fluently (13% of world population).

Multilingual:
A person who speaks more than two languages, but commonly used for four languages or more (3% of world population speak more
than 4 languages).

Polyglot:
Someone with a high degree of proficiency in several languages (less than 1 % of world population speaks 5 languages fluently.)

Recently a student of mine shared with me that she has a daughter in college who is majoring in linguistics, the scientific study of
language. In addition to the daughter's chart, she was able to obtain a good number of her classmate's charts pursuing a similar
course of study. This got me thinking about those astrological factors that would incline a person to want to study language and to
acquire language skills. There is no question that some people are born with an unusual facility for this. What in their birth charts would
indicate such an innate static potential? What periods are active in the dasa sequence when they are intensely involved in language
acquisition? These are the questions that began to interest me, and so I decided to make a micro-study of this, starting with the
charts of some famous polyglots just to "see what I could see." What follows are my findings, along with some additional observa-
tions about astrology and language.

The Astrology of Language

Every first-year student of Jyotisa learns that Mercury is the primary planetary indicator of speech, and by extension, language. One
of the earliest chapters in the Brhat Parasara Hora Sastra, entitled Planetary Characters and Descriptions, identifies this karakatwa
of Mercury in the following verse:

"The Sun is the soul of all. The Moon is the mind. Mars is one's strength. Mercury is the speech-giver, while Jupiter confers
knowledge and happiness. Venus governs semen, (potency) while Saturn indicates grief."

In addition to Mercury, though I cannot cite a reference for this in some Sanskrit classic of Jyotisa, my teacher, K.N. Rao, insisted that
the Rahu-Ketu axis, and especially Ketu played a major role in inclining individuals towards the acquisition of languages other than
their mother tongue. Shiv Kumar Chadha in his excellent reference Significators in Astrology gives Jupiter as a prime factor, which
makes sense to me only in that this graha pertains to learning and the acquisition of knowledge in general.

Of course, astrological significations are expressed on more than just the level of the grahas. The signs, naksatras, and houses all
have their significations as well. In which case it is logical to assume that Mercury-ruled signs, especially Gemini, might be significant
this way. The 2nd house is identified in the Jyotisa Sastra as pertaining to speech and hence language.

However, my approach here is purely empirical. I simply studied the birth charts of those individuals who gained fluency in a number
of foreign languages. I was particularly interested in when this was happening and what grahas were being activated in their birth
charts in the VimsottarTdasa sequence at that time. I also wanted to see the condition of these grahas in terms of placement by sign,
naksatras, and house, as well as their strength and associations. I actually tried not to have any preconceived notions of what I was
looking for or what I would find.

The first person that came to mind this way was a fascinating character from 19th century Victorian England, Sir Richard Burton. By
the end of his life, Burton is said to have mastered at least 26 languages, or 40, if distinct dialects are counted. From Wikipedia:

"Sir Richard Francis Burton was an English explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist,
spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well
as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke 29 European, Asian and African
languages.

Burton's best-known achievements include: a well-documented journey to Mecca in disguise, at a time when Europeans were
forbidden access on pain of death; an unexpurgated translation of The Arabian Nights in English; the publication of the Kama
Sutra in English; and a journey to visit the Great Lakes of Africa in search of the source of the Nile.

Burton defied many aspects of the pervasive British ethnocentrism of his day, relishing personal contact with human cultures
in all their variety. His works and letters extensively criticized colonial policies of the British Empire, even to the detriment
of his career. Although his university education aborted, he became a prolific and erudite author and wrote numerous books
and scholarly articles about subjects including human behavior, travel, falconry, fencing, sexual practices, and ethnography. A
characteristic feature of his books is the copious footnotes and appendices containing remarkable observations and information.

Burton was a captain in the army of the East India Company, serving in India and later, briefly, in the Crimean War. Following this,
he was engaged by the Royal Geographical Society to explore the east coast of Africa and led an expedition guided by locals and
was the first European known to have seen Lake Tanganyika. In later life, he served as British consul in Fernando Po, Santo, Dam-
ascus, and finally Trieste. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was awarded a knighthood (KCMG) in 1886."
 Rashi Dl General Rashi Dl General
SU7-37
MOi JPIS"^
M 817.-29'
Ke122c20' Sa22"55'
6 Pis 7 Ari 8 Tau 9 Gem
•13° 54'
Ma 22-43'
Ra 22-20'
Ve 20-58'
5 Aqu 10 Can
®
Sir Richard Burton
Mon. 3/19/1821 21:30:00
Torquay, UK K©22o20
4 Cap 11 Leo
/
MOi9°40'

ASi3054-
3 Sag 2 SCO 1 Libr 12 Virg

As you would suspect, such an extraordinary man had an extraordinary birth chart. For anyone with Libra lagna, combinations
involving the 10th lord, Moon, the 9th lord Mercury and the yogakaraka 4th and 5th lord, Saturn can give exceptional "name and
fame," as they form superior raja yogas. This will be particularly so when the Moon is very bright and Burton's is just past complete
fullness.

Yet there is considerably more going on here than just raja yoga. The mutual glance with Jupiter also gives KesarTYoga, and more
significantly, all the benefics in houses 6th and 7th house from the Moon gives a variant of Chandra Adhi Yoga. It is interesting to
note with regards to this later combination that he did achieve any number of "firsts" in his life, which is what the Sanskrit word Adhi
means.

This 10th lord Moon falling is the 12th house shows his career and achievements in foreign lands. Burton spent almost the entirety of
his adult life outside of England where he was born, and even a good portion of his childhood when the family moved to France. Fie is
most famous for his explorations into the African interior in search of the source of the Nile where no European had ever been before.
Yet this 10th lord, Moon, in a dussthana aspected by two malefics also gives a variant of Dur Yoga, a combination that can mean real
ups and downs in one's professional life and loss of position, which characterized his career in the British Foreign Service. Burton did
not suffer fools gladly and was quite outspoken, which continually made him enemies in high places who blocked his advancement.
He was repeatedly given "backwater" postings far beneath his abilities. He got summarily fired from his most significant position,
British Consul to Damascus, for vehemently disagreeing with the decisions of his superiors, even though no one was more qualified
to understand the complex geopolitical environment of the Middle East at that time. His warnings about untenable British policies in
the area and the dire consequences that would result later proved correct.

Another distinctive feature of his chart is Shula Yoga, one of the nabhasa or "celestial pattern" yogas, defined by when all the grahas
excluding Rahu and Ketu fall in just three signs, in his case mostly concentrating in the 6th house. It is said to make a person
"wrathful," "of a violent disposition," and "poor," all of which was quite literally true of Burton. Once when asked by a doctor how it
felt to kill a man he replied (with some facetiousness I suspect), "Jolly good! How does it feel when you do it?"

Burton became bilingual at a very young age when the family moved to Tours, France when he was just four years old. It was in his
Mars-Rahu period, with Mars being his 2nd lord of speech, conjunct the Rabu-Ketu axis within less than a degree, and falling in
Jupiter's naksatras, Purva Bhadrapada. His is a powerful 2nd lord, since Mars achieves a score of 14 out of 20 in Vimsopakabala
using the dasa varga scheme, having own sign placements in both the navarhsa and shashtiamasha,

However, it was when he became an officer in the army of the British East India Company and was stationed in the Indian sub-
continent for a period of years that he first became a polyglot. During this time period, he achieved fluency in Hindustani, Gujarati,
Punjabi, Sindhi, Saraiki, and Marathi, as well as Persian and Arabic. This coincided with his Rahu major period, with this chaya graha
exceptionally strong in its own sign and giving the results of the 2nd lord, Mars. This intensive foreign language study began in the
Venus sub-period, with Venus being the lagna lord closely conjunct the 2nd lord Mars and Rahu. It appeared to peak in the Rahu-
Mars period.

What is noteworthy about this timing is:

Both the 2nd lord from the birth lagna (Mars) and from Chandra lagna (Venus) are closely conjunct this strong Rahu.

Even from Surya lagna, Mars becomes the 2nd lord again and the pattern repeats.

From dasa lagna when he ran the consecutive major periods of Mars and Rahu, the 2nd house becomes so energized
and powerful, with the influence of five grahas, including the lord, Jupiter, svaksetra.
 Sign chart from Rahu Sign chart from Rahu
Me ; ■ xv Su 7 3,- Su7.3r
Sa22»55' JpiT9' J P1309'
MS 17*29'
S^22■55,
\l2/ Vejo-sff \ 10/ 2 Pis 3 Ah 4 Tau 5 Gem
1 R322°16' Vg
Ma22•43,
Ma22*43'
Ra22*iS'
^^20*58'
\11/ 1 Aqu 6 Can
2m 0
/5 \
Sir Richard Burton
Mon. 3/19/1821 21:30:00 K§22-ial
Torquay, UK
Ke22-16- 12 Cap 7 Leo
3
/\ ^ AS 13054'
4 / 6
\
M O - 9*41)'
AS 13*54'
MOi9D40'
11 Sag 10 SCO 9 Libr 8 Virg

Jaimini's Chara dasa when Burton was learning all these languages also clearly shows this trend and in the same manner. One
primary way in which sign-based dasas are used is to make the sign a lagna and seeing which houses get emphasized from there.
Burton's time in the Indian sub-continent coincided exactly with his 11 -year Aquarius period, from where Pisces, with the influence of
so many grahas, again becomes the 2nd house.

The man had a voracious intellect, and to alleviate the tedium and boredom of life on an army base he would hire local language tutors
who he would spend hours with, one after another, his head draped in a wet towel against the stifling heat of summer on the Indian
sub-continent. His language acquisition also became a means of advancement and for securing interesting assignments, since his
ability to speak native languages made him a valuable asset to the British East India Company as a translator. Later he became adept
at disguising himself as a native, which enabled him to be employed as a spy by his superiors.

On a final note regards this chart, one might wonder at first how a retrograde Mercury in its debilitation sign could exist in the birth
chart of a man who mastered so many forms of speech. Being with its sign lord, Jupiter gives his Mercury one of the most effective
forms of cancellation, and the proof of this was his literary production in the Mercury major period, which is also when he was
knighted. Obviously, Mercury is giving very strongly the results of the raja yogas in which it is configured.

There are several excellent biographies of Burton available, and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in reading about an
extraordinary life, while at the same time seeing the astrological correlates from his birth chart.

Sir Richard Burton could certainly be considered a linguist, which is to say someone who systematically and scientifically studies
language, but it was never his occupation per se. For French linguist, Claude Hagege, a contemporary polyglot, it has been the focus
of his entire life. Fie speaks (or is knowledgeable) about fifty languages, including Italian, English, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Russian,
Guarani, Hungarian, Navajo, Nocte, Punjabi, Persian, Malay, Hindi, Malagasy, Fula, Quechua, Tamil, Tetela, Turkish and Japanese.

Rashi Dl General Rashi Dl General

l\/l0i7o5' ASs^g'

ASs'g' Kg 19-48
4 2/
\ / 10 Pis 11 Ah 12 Tau 1 Gem
5 Vi
X KGiq^S1

SG-IS0-]1
\3X 9 Aqu 2 Can
6 @112 MOiy-s1
X9\
M^26053, Claude Hagege
Wed. 1/1/1936 16:15:00
M629053, Tunis, TUN
8 Cap 3 Leo
TX
8 R3l9°4a' 1
Td\ ^^ 3°i'
Me 29.53 Jp18048
v SUiy^' Maw . Raig-48-
JPl8048' Su17.4- V G4°42,
VS4.42' 7 Sag 6 Sco 5 Libr 4 Virg

The first thing that caught my eye about this chart is the Gemini lagna with Ketu placed therein and the lagna lord, Mercury
vargottama, conjunct Rahu, and in a Budhaditya Yoga. The second thing was how the 2nd lord of speech and language is so
strongly placed in the 10th house of career in Mercury's naksatras, RevatT, aspected by its sign lord, Jupiter. The third was the close
angular relationship between this 2nd lord of speech and the Rahu-Ketu axis. Mark this point. The fourth was that this placement of
the Moon means that he spent the first 23 years of his life, key educational and language acquisition years, in the Mercury and Ketu
periods.

There is not a lot of biographical information available online about him and the timing in his life, but he was elected to the College de
France in 1988, considered to be France's most prestigious research establishment and received several awards for his work. These
included Le Grand Prix du Roman, given each year by the Academie franqaise and the CNRS Gold Medal, the highest scientific re-
search award in France.
Below is the chart of a famous Spanish polyglot. Rafael Cansinos-Assens was a poet, novelist, essayist, translator and literary critic.
He translated the Arabian Nights into Spanish, as well as the works of Dostoevsky, and the complete works of Goethe and Shake-
speare. This means he was fluent in Spanish, Arabic, Russian, German, and English.

Rashi (D-1) General Rashi (D-1) General

/
K6?R'?7' \ / AS13.2Z K6?,.?/ 1^1 03"3® JjSj-a'
Sa7fl°4y/" / 5329-42'
Mo3.36' \ 1 / \ ^ .
1 Pis 2 Ari 3 Tau 4 Gem
2'>( As ,3-22. XlO

Jj37-8' \l2/ \
12 Aqu 5 Can
/ 3 @9 \
\ / ®
Rafael Cansinos-Assens
Fri. 11/24/1882 14:00:00
Sevilla, SPAIN
/ VG.-,! 3D
11 Cap 6 Leo
4 8
X X Ma,4.37
/5 \ / 7
SU^-r V Ra?a.?7'
\ /'' 27 Ma14.3y M 627*34'
M627'34' X^ SUiot
10 Sag 9 Sco 8 Libr 7Virg

Again, we see a very strong Mercury, svaksetra in D-9 and with 17 Vimsopakahala points. Like in the previous chart of Claude
Hagege, it is conjunct Rahu, in this case within less than a degree, and receives the aspect of Jupiter.

The lagna lord, Jupiter, is in Gemini and is also svaksetra in D-9.

What additionally seems so noteworthy about his chart as it pertains to his facility with languages is the fact that 8 out of 9 grahas are
connected to either the 2nd house or the 2nd lord:

the 2nd house is occupied by Saturn and Ketu, while Mercury and Rahu influence from the 8th house.

His 2nd lord Mars is incredibly powerful, being svaksetra and vargottama, and achieves a whopping 18 out of 20
score in Vimsopakahala using the dasa varga scheme.
 • Mars is with the Sun and Venus and aspect by a nearly perfectly full and perfectly exalted 5th lord, Moon.

Those who have read and absorbed my article A Literary Love Affair should also be able to see all the indicators of a lifetime of
successful authorship, both from the Parashari and Jaimini perspective. Both karakas of authorship, Mercury and Jupiter are in their
own sign in his navarh'sa. The exceptional condition of his 5th lord, Moon, has already been noted, and his 3rd lord Venus aspects its
own 3rd house and is exalted in D-9. From the Jaimini point of view all the benefics in strength influence svams'a lagna (Pisces) by
occupation or sign aspect, and the 5th lord Moon from there sign aspects its own 5th house.

Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse

SaKeJo A Sui/ Me
Ve
\ 9 Z As z/ Ra
7/ 5 Pis 6 Ari 7 Tau 8 Gem
10
X Ma X6

/Mo/ \ Mo
4 Aqu 9 Can
(5)
\ w
/

3 Cap 10 Leo
Ve V , y4
3
\ Ke /Ma
/ \ /
Su
SaJo As
\ MeRa , \
2 Sag 1 Sco 12 Libr 11 Virg

In Vim'sottarT he ran the dasa of his 2nd lord, Mars, from age 12 to 19, again key educational years, and then Rahu up to age 37.
Though I could not find any exact information about this, these had to be periods when Assens was developing fluency in so many
languages, especially the Rahu mahadasa. Just like we saw with Sir Richard Burton's chart, using Rahu's sign as dasa lagna results
in a very powerful 2nd house, with Mars as the 2nd lord in the 2nd with all the strength noted earlier, along with the additional influ-
ence of three other grahas, including the Sun and an exceptionally powerful Moon.
 Sign chart from Rahu
SUio°r
M 314-37' As 13-22 Ke23-27' Mo JB7-8.
Sa-x.ar
\ VS^s-nn'
8 ,/ \ 6 /' 6 Pis 7 Ari 8 Tau 9 Gem
9 \( M© 27-34' X5
R37R-77'

XT/ 5 Aqu 10 Can

10® 4 0
/TV
Rafael Cansinos-Assens
Fri. 11/24/1882 14:00:00
Sevilla, SPAIN
S329'42'
4 Cap 11 Leo
11: K628°27' /K3
/12\
Jj^y 8 Ra,,,.
VSys'so1
Ma u.37. Me?'-'!
As 13-22' SUIQ-V
MO 3-36' 3 Sag 2 Sco 1 Libr 12 Virg

The following chart is of a German Hebrew scholar who was one of the most learned Orientalists of the 16th Century. He served as
the editor of a Hebrew Bible published in Hamburg from 1587-88, of the great Polyglot Bible in 1599, and of the New Testament in
12 languages. In addition, he wrote many other linguistic works. His own copy of the Old Testament in Hebrew held notes that were
physiological, alchemist and astrological in nature, and included his own birth chart.
 Rashi Dl General Rashi Dl General
Ma0-w
Ve
SelMV
JPIOSB' i5-8- 8123-53
\6 / \4 X Rajs-ss' 8 Pis 9 Ari lOTau 11 Gem
7 /'.' MOloMO' X3 Me 15-28
Mao'is- SU202 3'
AS-IQMe'
VecT
\sX 7 Aqu 12 Can
8® 2 /
/11\ ®
M Ol0040
Elias Hutter
Tue. 7/3/1554 8:30:00 ASi9046'
Gbrlitz, GER
6 Cap 1 Leo
9V Xi
/■10\ , 'i12 \
V T/
ixep.rs.T \ Ke23°53

SBl V71 jpio-se1

5 Sag 4 Sco 3 Libr 2 Virg

Remarkably, he also has a strong svaksetra Mercury in Gemini conjunct Rahu, and if the lagna is correct, Mercury is also the lord of
the 2nd house. Taking into account kendra relationships, this 2nd lord/2nd house comes under the influence of 6 out of the 9 grahas.
The publication of great Polyglot Bible in 1599, for which he is most known, coincided with Rahu-RaJiu in the VimsottarTdasa. In
Jaimini's Chara dasa it was the Aquarius major period, from where the 2nd house, Pisces, gets the influence of 6 grahas including its
lord Jupiter, Mercury, and the Rah~u-Ketu ax\s.
 Rashi Dl General Rashi Dl General
Keo°ir
IVI39046'

\7 /' \5 7 Pis 8 Ah 9 Tau 10 Gem

8 v •••: 4
VSlH'IV
AS2907'

\ 6/ 6 Aqu 11 Can
9®3
MG26°26' /12\ 0
0 , IVIO28o50' Ramon Maria Aller Ulloa KGcnr
J P29 34 x Sun. 2/3/1878 0:30:00
SU2r53, Lalin, SPAIN
5 Cap 12 Leo
Sl^rsa1 X2
/I \
M023°5O;/' Jp29034' AS2907'
0326°16' \
jr VSteis' M626026'
Racnr M 3 9 46 4 Sag 3 Sco 2 Libr 1 Virg

This is the chart of an astronomer, mathematician, and Catholic priest who was fluent in 10 languages. Though his birth time does
come from a birth certificate the time gives a degree of lagna right on the edge between Virgo and Libra. Given that he was a priest,
Virgo is likely correct since Mercury would be the lord of the 1st and 10th houses in Jupiter's sign and conjunct a svaksetra and var-
gottama Jupiter. In which case, the 2nd lord becomes Venus, conjunct Rahu.

From Chandra lagna (Capricorn), the 2nd house has its own lord, Saturn, in the 2nd house with a strong Rahu in~its own sign, along
with yogakaraka Venus, who gets exalted in D-9.

He was in his Rahu period in V7mso'ffar7Trom age 4 to 22, again encompassing key educational years, when presumably he began
acquiring language skills.

I was particularly interested in the following birth chart because it is that of a man who was listed in the Guinness Book of World
Records during the 1980s as one of the world's greatest living linguists. He could speak and write fluently in at least 44 languages
and had a working knowledge of perhaps 20 others!

The birth time comes from a birth certificate, and the degree of his Libra lagna is right in the middle of the sign, so it is likely an
accurate horoscope, at least in so far as the ras/T

Rashi Dl General Rashi Dl General

S8lO°13 M 07° 1 y

R321033
\ 8 z" \ 6 / Ma/S? 6 Pis 7 Ari 8 Tau 9 Gem
9 5
X ASi30io' Mei3ls4
Ve3°24'

SU23053' SU23°53
/\?/\ 5 Aqu 10 Can
IDM4
\ M ® Ve3-241
George Campbell Me n-54'
Fri. 8/9/1912 12:50:00 Ma2i-57'
Dingwall, UK
4 Cap 11 Leo
HA X3
l\2\ / 2\ 1
M07-17 • K621°33
/ \
®ai0-13- JP^SQ' AS-|3°lO'
3 Sag 2 Sco 1 Libr 12 Virg

Again, we find a powerful Mercury, resulting from a vargottama condition in his case, and conjunct both the lagna lord and the 2nd
lord, Mars. Five grahas influence the 2nd house/2nd lord.

What appears different from his birth chart versus all those discussed previously is the lack of the influence of the Rahu-Ketu axis
on either Mercury or the 2nd house/2nd lord. Or is there? Rahu is in Jupiter's sign and aspected by Jupiter, and therefore gives the
results of this graha almost exclusively, while Jupiter is in the 2nd house. He grew up in his Rahu period, followed by Jupiter up to
age 33, during which he must have begun acquiring his astonishing ability with languages. His monumental work, A Compendium
of the World's Languages, was published in 2000 when he was 88 years old in his Venus-Jupiter period.

Given this man's level of erudition, especially regards languages, I would mention in passing that my teacher, K.N. Rao, always
included placement of the natural benefics in the 11th house when defining SarasvatT Yoga. Dr. B.V. Raman in his book, Three
Hundred Important Combinations, does as well. In which case, this yoga would certainly apply to this chart, with all the benefics
having good sources of strength. Mercury is vargottama, Venus is svaksetra in D-9 and Jupiter is in the sign of a great Friend, in the
best baladi avastha and achieves a Vimsopakabala score of 15.8 in the dasa varga scheme. During his long lifetime, he ran the major
periods of all the grahas comprising this yoga.
The next birth chart is of a remarkable Polish news correspondent, explorer, and traveler. He was also a polyglot speaking Spanish,
English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Guarani, and Xavante. For over twenty years, he and his wife hosted over three hundred
TV shows and series for Polish Television. He also created over four hundred documentary films, wrote thirteen books and many press
articles.

Rashi Dl General Rashi Dl General

R38°5r
KOS^i'

5 Pis 6 Ari 7 Tau 8 Gem

Siw AS-|404'
M6i5»48 SaiMr VG26048' MOiS'g'

Jp25°30l M E\2\048[
\ 8/ 4 Aqu 9 Can
M32r48' nWs /
/2 \ / ®
0
MOiSMS'
V626 48' Tony Halik
SU-|0°50' Mon. 1/24/1921 5:00:00 J P 25°30'
Torun, POL
12
3 Cap 10 Leo
4
X
1 3 Mo^-g
/ \ /

ASi^' R38°51' 83^41.

KSg-sv 2 Sag 1 Sco 12 Libr 11 Virg

His chart features very superior raja yoga. For a Scorpio lagna, when the Sun and Moon are in a mutual aspect it is the best possible
angle-trine combination since the Sun only rules the strongest kendra and the Moon only rules the best trikona. If they are in mutual
aspect it will mean that the Moon is quite full, as it is here, in fact, nearly perfectly so. If then the Sun and the Moon have sources of
strength and are un-afflicted, then there is a raja yoga par excellence. Besides being full, his Moon is also svaksetra, while the Sun
goes to its exaltation sign in D-9.
 Navamsha D9 Dharm a/Spouse Navamsha D9 Dharma/Spouse

\ RaZ\ Mo Su
VeKe'
As \ / Ma Me
\7X 5 Pis 6 Ari 7Tau 8 Gem
Sa X6,
Je

\8/ \ 4 Aqu 9 Can

11® 5
/ 2\ / 0
Sa
Me \ /
3 Cap 10 Leo
12%
1
X4
/ \ p\
Mo
Ra JgAs

/SuMa VeKe 2 Sag 1 Sco 12 Libr 11 Virg

He was fortunate enough to run the consecutive dasas of the Sun and the Moon during his middle to late middle age, thus getting
the full fruit of the beautiful yoga. This combination falling along the 3-9 axis of the birth chart shows his career as traveling, exploring
correspondent for NBC news for a period of 30 years, and also his TV and film career.

As to his language acquisition, here we find another polyglot with a Mercury having very good sources of strength. See that it is
involved in a parivartana yogas in both the birth chart and in the nava'rrisa. His 2nd lord is Jupiter, aspecting back onto its own 2nd
house, is very strongly placed in the 10th house and is also configured in raja yoga-forming angle-trine combinations.

This chart raised a question for me regards possible factors indicating learning foreign languages. We have seen in the charts of these
polyglots very strong and energized 2nd houses/2nd lords, and repeatedly the influence of the Rahu-Ketu axis on these factors,
which is conspicuously absent in this case. However, the thought that occurred to me even before doing this research was whether
2-12 connections could incline a person this way since the 2nd house rules speech and the 12th house rules foreign countries/
places. In Halik's chart, the 2nd lord Jupiter is in a very close mutual aspect with the 12th lord, Venus. From a strong Chandra lagna
this 2-12 connections repeats.

What got me thinking this way was the chart of a Russian woman who translates my articles from English to Russian and is fluent in
Italian.
 Rashi (D-1) General Rashi (D-1) General
Me 314 ves-'s 1
K(j5)2fi0?r
Ma24»ir// Sa26°31' M028°37'
0
\6X 6 Pis 7 Ari 8 Tau 9 Gem
J PI 049' SU- i 2i' X5
EaJ£2\' / AS-|6«

XjV 5 Aqu 10 Can

10® >4
/XX

028 37
4 Cap 11 Leo
UV
/i2\
R32602T Ma2401 1'

JPIOMg' Meso-K' SU I \°2V VOS^S'

3 Sag 2 SCO 1 Libr 12 Virg

Note the exchange of house lords between the 2nd lord Mars and 12th lord, Mercury. Her translations of my articles, for Russian
students began in the Mercury major period and continues in Ketu, giving partially the result of Mercury.

Please understand, I am not suggesting at this point that 2-12 connections are some reliable predictive parameter for individuals
learning foreign languages, but rather suggesting it as a line of research, and will comment more about this later in the article.

The charts of polyglots shown thus far are those who learned an extraordinary number of languages. To be designated as a polyglot
a person must know at least five. The popular Colombian singer, songwriter, and dancer, Shakira qualifies. In addition to Spanish, she
is fluent in Portuguese, English, Italian and French. The following is purported to be her birth chart.
 Rashi (D-1) General
Ke
VGe^g1 KGa'ss'
Jp AS24°4i Jp28oir
Ve SUon"?
1 Pis 2 Ari 3 Tau 4 Gem

As Ma! MOI°34'

S3i9!>521
Me
12 Aqu 5 Can
0
o
SU20 7'
Shakira
Mano- Wed. 2/2/1977 10:08:00
Mor34. Barranquilla, COL
11 Cap 6 Leo
Sa 19-52'
MG25037

R33°55'
Ra 10 Sag 9 Sco 8 Libr 7 Virg

I say "purported" because the source of the birth time in unverified. If it is, indeed, her birth chart, then it does fit in some ways with
what has been seen in the chart of the other polyglots. The Rahu-Ketu axis is influencing the 2nd house. The 2nd lord Mars is so
strong, in its exaltation sign and vargottama, while aspecting on to its own 2nd house. Taking into account kendra relationships, 7
out of 9 grahas influence the 2nd house/2nd lord. Her Mercury is very prominently placed in the 10th house in the sign of Jupiter and
aspected by Jupiter. She is 40 years old and has been running the Mercury and Ketu major periods since age 21.

There are 22 major languages in India, written in 13 different scripts, with over 720 dialects. The official Indian languages are Hindi
(with approximately 420 million speakers) and English, which is also widely spoken. It is more the norm then that educated Indians
are at least bi-lingual, and many know more than two languages.

The following chart is that of an Indian woman, a very lovely soul, who has lived for most of her adult life in the U.S. Both she had
her husband are doctors who emigrated to the United States when doing their medical residencies. Among her seemingly endless
number of talents is a gift for languages. She also qualifies as a polyglot since she knows Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telegu, English, and
recently has become a serious student of Sanskrit.
 Rashi (D-1) General Rashi (D-1) General
o 7
MO4 -|0' z /
\ MO4.10.
\ k"(R)9Q=47/// \ / ^ 28"5-
\2 / \12/ 12 Pis 1 Ah 2Tau 3 Gem
3
X yiix
AS28"5'
J P 24-27

\l/„ 11 Aqu 4 Can

4M0
/ 7 \ > 0 Man-231
JP24027' su17.9'
^ei7-48-
Ma1123VS' . Sa22056, /
10 Cap 5 Leo
su17=9' X9
/8. \
^#'48' / / 6 -BSw'iy
Ra->0°42' Me 9.55.

y7 Me 9° 55' \ 9 Sag 8 Sco 7 Libr 6 Virg

Her chart continues to fit the pattern since she has an exalted Mercury, but in addition has Ketu in the 2nd house.

Her 2nd lord, Venus, is particularly interesting to consider, given certain classical interpretive principles. Indications of a house are said
to flourish when the lord is well placed and in other good conditions, while un-afflicted and not suffering from any negative conditions.
On the one hand, her second lord, Venus, is quite well placed in the 5th house, and best of all gets beautifully hemmed by two exalted
natural benefics. On the other hand it is with the natural malefic Mars and is within 14 minutes of the Sun. Yet at the same time, the
combination of Venus, Mars and the Sun form both raja and dhana yogas.

She ran her 20-year Venus period from ages 41 to 61. What happened? Did Venus fail to give its promised result because it is so
"burnt?" Quite the contrary. She was very successful and prosperous through the period. In other words, Venus gave its promised
effect of raja and dhana yoga. This is consistent with my researches about such planets so close to the Sun that I wrote about in my
article The Icarus Factor. Far from becoming impotent, they appear to become powerhouses, in keeping with the concept of Cazimi
from Arabian astrology. My point here is that like in the charts of other polyglots discussed thus far, hers is a very powerful 2nd lord
of speech.

Previously I highlighted the 2nd lord and/or Mercury in an angular relationship with the Rahu-Ketu axis as being a way the Nodes can
strongly influence these factors. See that it exists here, such that the total influence on the 2nd house/2nd lord is five grahas. This
number increases to seven when considering the hemming of the planets in the 5th house

As a final comment about this chart, see the condition of both Mercury and the 2nd lord, Venus, in her navarhsa. Both fall in there
debilitation signs, but in a mutual glance. In my experience this is a very effective form of cancellation. They are also both connected
with the Rahu-Ketu axis in this birth chart.

Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse

Ra
Sa
Me
Vio, ■ \ 8 7/ 4 Pis 5 Ah 6 Tau 7 Gem
Jp 11 As X
Ma
Jp
Ke
\9 . 3 Aqu 8 Can
Ra lagfe Ve )> 0
yW\
Mo
Me Su

2 Cap 9 Leo
1X x5
/
Ve
Sa / XMo
As
KeSu
Ma \ 1 Sag 12 Sco 11 Libr 10 Virg

Here is the chart of another woman friend of mine who speaks six languages and is the most linguistically talented person that I know
personally. She was born in Austria and grew up speaking German and English, and at age 10 started learning French. This was in
her Mercury maAiacfasaT From ages 23 to 26 she learned Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian in her Ketu period. In her current Moon pe-
riod she is learning Chinese.

Her Mercury is strongly placed by house, falling in the 10th. Its only visible source of strength in its involvement in a parivartana yoga
in D-9.
 Rashi (D-1) General Rashi (D-1) General

Ma,8.27.
J Pn'^a' g \ 6/ Ra2216
6 Pis 7 Ari 8 Tau 9 Gem
Sai9-4' yC ASi2°2r X5 V62o°12
SU4.4 Ks^-iy Mo^-io-
Me23•23,
\7/ M G 23 23'
5 Aqu 10 Can
1C®4 MO12.10.
/TV 0 SU4.4
V220..2
Ea^is

4 Cap 11 Leo
11: X3
/2\ X
KP
r\S22°15 l
// \\
Sa ^.4
JPo^s' As, 2-2, ■
Maia^r
3 Sag 2 Sco 1 Libr 12 Virg

Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse

Me Ma
JoKe Su

Xn X \ 9, ■ 3 Pis 4 Ari 5 Tau 6 Gem

12V ys

As
x Ra \ Me
/ Je \ Z
1 7
2 Aqu 7 Can
\ M
4 Mo
0
Ke Ve
\ / x As
Su \ X Sa
xx 1 Cap 8 Leo
2
X X
/ 3\ /5 \
Mo
Sa
RaVe
Ma
& 12 Sag 11 Sco 10 Libr 9 Virg
Her 2nd lord Mars achieves a high score of 157 in shad bala and aspects its own 2nd house. Note the close kendra relationship
with Rahu-Ketu axis. See also how strong the 2nd house becomes from Chandra lagna with Rahu placed therein.

Some Observations

We have now seen the charts of 10 bona fide polyglots. It is a small sample size, but enough of a micro study to look for common
features. What can be seen? Here are some observations:

Mercury, the planet of speech and language, very often, though not invariably, was well placed and had sources of
strength either in the rasf or navarhsa.

There was also a high frequency of Mercury being under the influence of Jupiter, either by conjunction, aspect, or
dispositorship.

There was some repetition of Mercury being under the influence of the Rahu-Ketu axis.

The table below summarized the condition of Mercury for each of these polyglots.

Polyglot Mercury

Sir Richard Burton NTcabhahga and configured in significant rafa yogas and Chandra Adhi Yoga. Has the influence of
four grahas, and is in Jupiter's sign with Jupiter.

Claude Hagege Placed in an angle and vargottama in Jupiter's sign. Configured in Budhaditya Yoga and with Rahu.~

Rafael Cansinos-Assens Svaksetra in D-9, conjunct Rahu and aspected by Jupiter.

Elias Hutter Svaksetra in D-1, conjunct Rahu, and in a close kendra relationship with Jupiter. Influence of five
grahas on Mercury.

Ramon Maria Aller Ulloa Placed in an angle in Jupiter's sign with a svaksetra, vargottama Jupiter.

George Campbell Vargottama, close kendra relationship with Jupiter, total influence of four grahas.

Tony Halik In an exchange in both the ras/'and navarhsa, kendra with the Rahu-Ketu axis.

Shakira In the strongest angle, in Jupiter's sign and aspected by Jupiter.

 Woman Friend #1 Exalted in D-1, nicabhahga in D-9.

Woman Friend #2 Placed in the strongest angle and in an exchange in D-9.

The 2nd house/2nd lord of speech was also of great interest in the charts of the polyglots.

In almost everyone these cases, the 2nd lord has a good source of strength or aspects on to its own 2nd house
and is well placed (angle/trine/2nd/11th).

In 7 out of 10 charts either the 2nd house or the 2nd lord comes under the influence of the Rahu-Ketu axis.

Frequently there are a preponderance of planetary influence on the 2nd house/Lord.

Polyglot 2nd House/2nd Lord

Sir Richard Burton 2nd lord well placed in the 5th house, with Rahu, and svaksetra in D-9.

Claude Flagege 2nd lord in the strong angle in Jupiter's sign and aspected by Jupiter.

Rafael Cansinos- 2nd lord svaksetra and vargottama, Ketu in the 2nd house, total influence of seven grahas on 2nd
Assens house/lord.

Ellas Mutter Svaksetra and conjunct Rahu, total influence of five grahas on 2nd house/lord.

Ramon Maria Aller Ulloa 2nd lord exalted in D-9 and conjunct Rahu in the D-1

George Campbell 2nd lord aspects 2nd house, is well placed, and configured in multiple raja yogas. Natural benefic in
the 2nd. Total influence of four grahas on the 2nd house/lord.

Tony Malik 2nd lord Jupiter aspects its own 2nd house and is strongly placed in the 10th house configured in
raja yogas.

Shakira 2nd lord Mars is exalted, vargottama and aspects it own 2nd house. Ketu in the 2nd with a benefic.
Total influence of seven grahas on 2nd house/lord.

Woman Friend #1 Ketu in the 2nd house. 2nd lord well placed in the 5th, forming raja and dhana yogas, hemmed by
exalted benefics, and in a kendra relationship with the Rahu-Ketu axis. Total influence of six grahas
on 2nd house/lord including the hemming planets.

Woman Friend #2 2nd lord Mars aspects its own 7th house and is in a kendra relationship with the Rahu-Ketu axis.
The Role of the 5th House/Lord

Search online and you will find references to many studies about the correlation between intelligence and language acquisition. From
a brief perusal of these, the research appears to support this correlation, which stands to reason. Evaluating intellectual capabilities
astrologically involves many factors, but a primary one is the over-all condition and disposition of the 5th house/5th lord. Vidya,
or knowledge is one of the words used in Parasara flora to describe the effects of the 5th house, as is viveka or intellectual
discrimination.

It is appropriate then to look at the 5th house/5th lords of these individuals who displayed an exceptional, sometimes extraordinary
ability, to learn languages.

Polyglot 5nd House/5th Lord

Sir Richard Burton Burton had an enormous intellect and intellectual curiosity. The lagna lord is in the 5th in an intellectual
rasi, and its dispositor is a svaksetra Jupiter. Then note that every graha is either in the 5th house, or
influencing the 5th lord Saturn, including the intellectual planets Mercury and Jupiter. Saturn is svakse-
tra in D-9.

Claude Hagege His 5th lord, Venus, is not that well placed, but is with Jupiter and disposited by an exalted Mars.

Rafael Cansinos- His 5th house has Jupiter, and his 5th lord Mercury is in the 9th house in an intellectual rasi, is~as-
Assens pected by Jupiter, and is svaksetra in D-9.

Elias Mutter Taking into account kendra relationships, his 5th house Jupiter in Mercury's sign gets the influence of
five grahas.

Ramon Maria Aller His 5th house is the focal point of a Subha Ubhayachari Yoga, and the 5th lord Saturn is in its mula-
Ulloa trikona sign. The 5th house has the Sun and Moon and is flanked by five planets on both sides also
forming a benefic Dhurudhara Yoga.

George Campbell The 5th lord Saturn aspects its own 5th house and has the additional influence of two natural benefics.

Tony Malik 5th lord Jupiter is strongly placed in the 10th house and configured in raja yogas.

Shakira 5th lord Moon is in the 5th house and has the total influence of six grahas, and forms KesarTYoga with
Jupiter.

Woman Friend #1 5th lord is in the 5th house and both the lord and the house are hemmed by exalted benefics.
 Woman Friend #2 5th lord aspects the 5th house and is in Jupiter's sign and with Jupiter.

2-5 PAC Connections

Based on certain suiras of Jaimini and a large number of statements in other classics like Jataka Tattva, my teacher, K.N. Rao, always
emphasized the 5th house for learning and education. If the 2nd house is language and speech and the 5th house is learning and
education, the thought came to mind as to whether people who are strongly inclined to learn languages would have PAC connections
between the 2nd house/lord and the 5th house/lord. PAC means connections by placement, conjunctions or aspects, so I looked at
this factor.

Polyglot PAC Connections - 2 and 5

Sir Richard Burton His 2nd lord, Mars, is in the 5th house

Claude Hagege No PAC

Rafael Cansinos-Assens His 2nd lord, Jupiter, is in the 5th

Elias Mutter 5th lord, Jupiter, is in the 2nd

Ramon Maria Aller Ulloa 2nd lord Venus is conjunct the 5th lord

George Campbell 5th lord aspects the 2nd house and the 2nd and 5th lords are in mutual kendras.

Tony Malik Jupiter is both the 2nd and 5th lord

Shakira Exalted 2nd lord, Mars, aspects the 5th house and svaksetra 5th lord, Moon

Woman Friend #1 2nd Venus and 5th lord Sun are conjunct in the 5th house

Woman Friend #2 2nd lord Mars aspects 5th lord Saturn

As can be seen, 9 out of 10 of these polyglots had this 2-5 connection, and rather strongly since four had either the 2nd lord in the
5th, or the 5th lord in the 2nd, while 2 had these lords conjunct or in a mutual aspect.

2-12 PAC Connections

Since the 12th house pertains to foreign countries, I raised the question earlier as to whether 2-12 connections might incline a person
to acquire foreign languages, so I wanted to look that this association as well.
 Polyglot PAC Connections - 2 and 12

Sir Richard Burton 2nd lord Mars aspects 12th house, Virgo

Claude Hagege No PAC

Rafael Cansinos-Assens 12 lord, Saturn aspects 2nd lord Jupiter

Elias Hutter No PAC

Ramon Maria Aller Ulloa 2nd lord, Venus, aspects 12th house, Leo

George Campbell 2nd lord, Mars, conjunct the 12th lord, Mercury

Tony Halik 2nd lord, Jupiter, in a mutual aspect with 12th lord, Venus

Shakira 12th lord Saturn in the 2nd house

Woman Friend #1 No PAC

Woman Friend #2 No PAC

The 2-12 connection is not as frequent though does exist 6 out of 10 cases.

Summary Conclusions

What then can be extracted from this micro study of 10 charts of polyglots? Do these findings give any reliable predictive parameters
regards a strong inclination towards learning multiple languages?

The answer is likely no because you cannot extract highly reliable predictive parameters from so small a sample pool. However,
certain of the findings are highly suggestive this way and can be stated as follows.

A strong Mercury in chart won't always means that a person learns multiple languages, but having one appears to be
helpful, and possibly something of a requisite.

The influence of Jupiter on Mercury may be a factor and this appeared in seven of the 10 charts.

The influence of the Rahu-Ketu axis on either Mercury, the planetary karaRa of speech, and/or the 2nd house/lord of
speech does appear to incline a person towards learning foreign languages.
 A strong and prominent 2nd house/2nd lord won't necessarily mean a person becomes multilingual, but clearly
people who do, have very strong and energized 2nd houses and 2nd lords. In this sense it is a reliable predictive
parameter.

PAC connections between the 2nd house/lord of speech and the 5th house/lord of learning may correlate to an
inclination to study languages, but this would have to be researched on a much larger scale using hundreds of charts
before using it as a predictive parameter.

The same can be said for 2-12 PAC connections. The correlation in 6 out of 10 of these charts could just be happen-
stance and not an astrological causative factor.

Language/Linguistic Majors

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that the idea for it was sparked by getting a number of birth charts of college students that
were focusing on language/linguistic studies from a student of mine. Whenever you get the charts of a good number of people who
are having a shared experience it becomes fruitful for doing astrological researches.

When researching the charts of polyglots I was not always able to get information about the time in their life when they were acquiring
this or that language, whereas in the case of all these student, the specific timing can be seen.

Before looking at these, the chart of a long-time woman friend came to mind because as an undergraduate she also was a language
major.
 Rashi (D-1) General Rashi (D-1) General
Jp MoKe Ma / K®6*66
Sul5.51. AS10-40' MO^-js"
Ma29.r J P26'5€'
\3 / 11 Pis 12 Ari 1 Tau 2 Gem
4X As 112
Su
Me24.55,
V e6-53
Me
10 Aqu 3 Can
5W11 > 0

Ve

9 Cap 4 Leo
6X X10
/7 \ /9 ' .
Sa,,--.".
BSe-ss
Sa \/Ra 8 Sag 7 Sco 6 Libr 5 Virg

In keeping with what was seen in the charts of the polyglots, note that:

Her Mercury is strongly placed in the 10th house with a benefic, the lagna lord, Venus, and these two are aspected
by a vargottama, Jupiter in the 2nd house in Mercury's sign, Gemini. Mark the influence of Jupiter on Mercury in
particular.

Mercury, Venus and Jupiter together form a good SarasvatT Yoga that repeats from the Moon.

There is the influence of the Rafiu-Ketu axis on the 2nd house.

Jupiter-Moon in the VimsdttarT c/asa marked the peak of her language studies, the period and sub-period of two planets together in
her 2nd house conjunct Ketu forming KesarTYoga.

Charts of Current Language/Linguistic Majors

What follows are the charts of current language/linguistic majors chosen randomly from a batch. I will comment only briefly regards
static potentials and focus primarily on the timing in the Vimsotfari dasa when they are all study language.

Please bear in mind that I am "blind testing" here since I had not seen these charts prior to studying and doing the write up on the
charts of the polyglots.

Student #1

Rashi (D-1) General Rashi (D-1) General

Ra Su5.,
Mai7-48-
Me23-3r
As Sa „-25'
9 Pis 10 Ari 11 Tau 12 Gem

AS4-23'
Ke 16-29'

8 Aqu 1 Can
(IT)

Ve 18-55' Ra 16-29'
Sa
Me 7 Cap 2 Leo
Mo Ve
Ma
Su M 0l7-22'

KeJp 6 Sag 5 Sco 4 Libr 3 Virg

Mercury is well placed in the 9th house involved in a four-planet conjunction that includes the 2nd lord Sun, thus forming a 2-12
connection. Mercury is in Jupiter's sign, debilitated, but see that its dispositor is in an exchange with Saturn. In my article about
debilitated planets giving strong results, An Enigma Wrapped in a Mystery, I discuss my repeated observation that this appears to
cancel debility and enables the planet to give strong results.

The conjunction of the Sun with Mars is the 2nd lord with the 5th lord.

The Rahu-Ketu axis influences the 2nd house and she is currently running the Ketu-Rahu period. See in particular all the planets
falling in the 2nd house from dasa Tagna.

Student #2
 Rashi (D-1) General
RaMe/ Sa9°45'
JP3°24'

\ / Su Ma28053'

>< a
7 Pis 8 Ari 9 Tau 10 Gem
s>< As

/
V ©1032'

<
0
Ma K©7°36' SU22057'
6 Aqu 11 Can
/ 9 j§)3
\ 0
MSOMI'

N
5 Cap 12 Leo
1oX \2

/ \ Jp
AS t 1=40'
KeMo Sa \ 4 Sag 3 Sco 2 Libr 1 Virg

Mercury is her 1st and 10th lords in the 12th house with Rahu. The 2nd lord Venus is vargottama and with the 12th lord, Sun, and
in a mutual kendra with the 5th lord Saturn. The current period when she is majoring in language studies is Jupiter-Venus. Jupiter is
in the 2nd lord in the 2nd house from Chandra lagna, and Venus is the 2nd lord from the birth lagna. They are in close mutual trines,
with Jupiter aspecting Venus.

Student #3
 Rashi (D-1) General RashjJD-1) General

JESMO' Sag.jy.
M 027*3'
\8/ As3=4r \ 6 /'' 6 Pis 7 Ah 8 Tau 9 Gem
9 )< X5 Ma o*53'
R^7339 Ve5.w

Me28-16' Me^a-iR*
\7/ Su 25.54 5 Aqu 10 Can
lOg) 4
/Tx VSs'ie1 X)
^^0o53'

Ks ,■ 39
4 Cap 11 Leo
11 : V3
/12 \ / 2\
S a 9.47.
M027°3'
As3.4r

JP" 10' 3 Sag 2 Sco 1 Libr 12 Virg

The 2nd lord, Mars, is in its debilitation sign, but vargottama. I refer readers to my article, Double Trouble or Saving Grace?, about
such planets where I demonstrate they give their results strongly. Mars is also getting directional strength here in the 10th house.

The Mars-Mercury conjunction is that of the 2nd lord with the 12th lord, and both are in kendra from the 5th lord, Saturn. Mercury
is again getting the influence of Jupiter. The current period is Venus-Kahu. Venus is conjunct both Mercury and the 2nd lord, Mars,
and Rahu falls in the 2nd house from dasaTagna.

Student # 4
 Rashi (D-1) General

Sa-i r
Su M 021*28'

Me 6 Pis 7 Ah 8 Tau 9 Gem

As
Ve
Jp-JQ'AIV
Ra Ke?^ Ma20.46.
Ma
7 5 Aqu 10 Can
1004
0 : Ra7-32-
Vei3*30'
Me14.22.
Ke SU 25-55
4 Cap 11 Leo
11/
12
Sa
AS17-6.

Mo 3 Sag 2 Sco 1 Libr 12 Virg

Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse

RaJo
As
As Sa
1 Pis 2 Ari 3 Tau 4 Gem
2
X 10
Mo
.x Ma
X Ra
\12/ 12 Aqu 5 Can
<( Sa 3®9
/6\ 0
Ve
Jp Ke
7
Su Ma Me
11 Cap 6 Leo
Mo v: Vs
/ 0 \ / 7
\
Ke Su

VeMe 10 Sag 9 Sco 8 Libr 7Virg

Mars is again the 2nd lord in its debilitation sign but goes to its exaltation sign in D-9 and is again strongly placed in the 10th house
getting dik bala. This is actually a very powerful 2nd lord.

Mercury, as the 12th lord again is with Rahu and aspecting the 5th house and has the influence of Jupiter. This student is currently
running Rahu-Ketu.

Student #5
Rashi (D-1) General
Su / Mo8.8.
JEa-w Sa9.14. Ve8^i
As
MOqoQ. Ma16.17.
MGOo48'
5 Ve8°2r 10 Pis 11 Ah 12 Tau 1 Gem
Rayss'
ASc^g.
Sa 9 14 804.39'
Ma16.17
K67-58

P>:12 9 Aqu 2 Can

0
MeQ-48'
RS7-58

8 Cap 3 Leo

Ke7

7 Sag 6 Sco 5 Libr 4 Virg

Since many of these students were born in the year, the birth charts will have common features at times. This one also has Mercury
conjunct Rahu, with Mercury as the lagna lord, given the Gemini ascendant.

Since Venus is both the 5th lord and the 12th lord, its conjunction with the 2nd lord, Moon, in Mercury's sign, Gemini is a 2-5 and
2-12 PAC.

The current period is Jupiter-Saturn, with Saturn in the 2nd house from Jupiter.

Student # 6
The planetary placements in this chart are identical to the previous one as they were born less than 24 hours a part. The 2nd lord
Saturn goes into the 5th house here, and the 12th lord Mars aspects the 2nd house. This student is studying languages in their
Rahu-Mars period.

Rashl (D-1) General Rashi (D-1) General

JP4012' 539=13' Mo2.37 Mai6-i

vej'sy
Kefl '0' \10, 4 Pis 5 Ari 6 Tau 7 Gem
11 As
SII4"16'
Kea-tr
,4" 12' 9 3 Aqu 8 Can
12® 6
'T 0
Meo°3i'
Ra„-o'
Sa Ma16.r
2 Cap 9 Leo
V 07O53' 5
Ra8.o'
M02°37' Me 0*31 /
AS 12=38'

Su 4° 16' 1 Sag 12 Sco 11 Libr 10 Virg

Student #7
 Rashi (D-1) General
Su,,.,,,.
Ra
I\^a22°33'
3327-11
Me27.27'
v7/ A \5y 7 Pis 8 Ah 9 Tau 10 Gem
sx As X4
-fP 17-58'
KSl6*34'
MOn^
6 6 Aqu 11 Can
9^3
''12 0
V S24-w Ra16-34'

MaMe 5 Cap 12 Leo

10:
-ir
Su Sa
Ve As, 3.45.

MoKe Jp 4 Sag 3 Sco 2 Libr 1 Virg

Mercury is the lagna lord, vargottama and getting the same kind of cancellation of debility as mentioned in the first student chart.

The 2nd lord Venus is in the 5th and she is currently running Jupiter-Venus. Also like in the first chart, Jupiter is the 2nd lord from
Chandra lagna with the influence of the RatTu-Ketu axis.

Student #8
 Rashi (D-1) General
M0q 27
M0n-2'
1 Sa., 4^
KSpris / Ma2S°40-
\ii / V64■14, \ g Su 22-46 3 Pis 4 Ari 5 Tau 6 Gem
Moir2. 1
v\ As ! r4o X®
Sai9-45' JP23°5S' KSzris

\10/ 2 Aqu 7 Can

1
M7
4 0
As 11-40
JP23°58 Ve4-14 Ra?i-i5'

1 Cap 8 Leo
2X' 6
/3 \ / 5\
M a / -do S U 22-45'
Ra2ri6' \ Meg-pr

12 Sag 11 Sco 10 Libr 9 Virg

Mercury is svaksetra in D-9, the 2nd lord, Saturn is strong by virtue of the exchange with it sign lord, Jupiter, and the Rahu-Ketu axis
is influencing the 2nd house. The current period is Mercury-f?aAiu~period.

Student #9
 Rashi (D-1) General
Ve0.24'
Sa 19=52'
Sa19-52'
JP23=0'
\12/' 10/ Ma 24=6' 2 Pis 3 Ari 4 Tau 5 Gem
1
X K071H1' X9 M01g=21
/\S22=27' M 07=42' AS22-27'
K^srai

XII/ 1 Aqu 6 Can

sWs S U 10=46'
/o\ 0
jpjJ.Q.
V Ra^rai'

12 Cap 7 Leo
sV /V
4 \ /6 \
Ma 24=6'
MOI9=21' SU 16.46'
Me7=42'
11 Sag 10 Sco 9 Libr 8 Virg

This person was born just a few days before the previous one, so again many identical planetary placements. The exchange of Saturn
and Jupiter now becomes a 2-12 exchange. Mercury goes into its own sign Gemini in the navarhsa again.
 Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse Navamsha (D-9) Dharma/Spouse

Me
KeAs
Me \ /
12 Pis 1 Ari 2 Tau 3 Gem
aX Ke .xii

As / \
Jp

/ \i// 11 Aqu 4 Can

< 4®10 y*

Jp / \ Ve Ve
/
Sa
10 Cap 5 Leo
Ra
'X" X
Mo
Su
SaSu Ra
Ma
Mo Ma 9 Sag 8 Sco 7 Libr 6 Virg

The current period when she is focused on languages is Moon-Jupiter. Jupiter is the 2nd lord of the birth chart and falls in the 2nd
house from the Moon.

Student #10
 Rashi (D-1) General RashiJD-1) General
fvl a y /S u i r / ®Uir43- /
MOl8»17' \ Sa.-^rc PvlSof,-?:! Me . v
Ma27«29' ^S23-16- M018-iy
Sa28"o'
2 , \ 12/ J P • 9'2ff 12 Pis 1 Ari 2 Tau 3 Gem
3 XV Ke,e.,4-
x
AS23-16' Vena'
K6IRM4'
JPI9'28' VS-MS'
\ 1/ 11 Aqu 4 Can
4@10
/f\ 0
fiaw

10 Cap 5 Leo
Ra-o-M' sV 9
— /6 \ 8

9 Sag 8 Sco 7 Libr 6 Virg

2nd lord, Venus is svaksetra in D-9, conjunct the 12th lord, Jupiter and under the influence of the Rahu-Ketu axis. She is currently
running F?a/7t/-Mercury, with all the planets in Pisces aspecting the 7th house from dasa lagna.

I will leave it to the reader to decide to what degree the charts of these language/linguistic students support the provisional,
suggestive parameters for language acquisition derived from the charts of the polyglots. I will summarize the timing in the following
table and comment.

Period/Sub-Period

1. Ketu-Rahu

2. Jupiter-Venus

3. Venus-fta/iu

4. Rahu-Ketu

5. Jupiter-Saturn

6. R ah u-Mars
 7. Jupiter-Venus

8 Mercury-RaAiu

9. Moon-Jupiter

10. Ffa/iu-Mercury

It is interesting to note that Raliu and Ketu appear as a period or sub-period lord eight times, while Mercury and Jupiter show up in
six instances. It brought to mind the statement from Paras'afa Hora about interpreting periods and sub-periods based on what they
naturally signify in addition to what houses that they rule and where they are placed etc.

The other notable theme in this timing is how often the 2nd lord appears in the dasa sequence, and some instances of when the sub-
period lord falls in the 2nd house from the period lord (dasa I'agna).

Whereas this article is not meant to be a definitive study of the astrology of language acquisition and its timing, hopefully students will
find it useful as a start for seeing the result ot..Babel's Tower.