Parashara: the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra · Chapter 8 of 9

#The ashtakavarga

#Why it is given (BPHS 66.7–11)

The BPHS introduces the ashtakavarga with a remarkable admission: even the great sages could not be certain in their predictions, because the planets' motions are subtle; the ashtakavarga is offered as a method that makes judgement more secure.

#Dots and lines (BPHS 66.13–15)

The BPHS marks the inauspicious places with dots (bindu) and the auspicious ones with lines (rekha) — the reverse of the modern habit of calling the good points "bindus". Always check which convention a book uses.

#The benefic places (BPHS 66.43–68)

The BPHS lists, for each planet, its auspicious places counted from the eight sources (the seven planets and the ascendant). These are the same lists as Varahamihira's (Varahamihira Book, chapter 7), totalling 48, 49, 39, 54, 56, 52 and 39 for the Sun to Saturn, and 337 in all. In the transcription read, the lists for the Sun, Mars and Saturn match the standard table exactly; the others differ in a few places that appear to be copying errors (for example in the Moon's and Mercury's tables).

#The reductions (BPHS 67–68)

Triangle reduction (67): in each group of three signs of one element, subtract the smallest number from all three; if any of the three is zero, leave them; if all three are equal, make them all zero.

Same-lord reduction (68), for the two signs of Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn (Cancer and Leo are exempt):

• both signs occupied by planets: no change;
• both empty and equal: both become zero;
• both empty and unequal: both take the smaller number;
• one occupied, one empty: the empty sign is reduced (by the occupied sign's number, or to zero).

(Aiyar's notes to the Brihat Jataka give a slightly different set of rules — for example, no reduction when one sign is already zero. The books differ.)

#The pinda (BPHS 69)

The reduced numbers are multiplied by fixed sign multipliers — Aries 7, Taurus 10, Gemini 8, Cancer 4, Leo 10, Virgo 5, Libra 7, Scorpio 8, Sagittarius 9, Capricorn 5, Aquarius 11, Pisces 12 — and by planet multipliers for the signs the planets occupy — Sun 5, Moon 5, Mars 8, Mercury 5, Jupiter 10, Venus 7, Saturn 5 — and added to give the pinda, used in the following chapters for longevity and other timings (history only). The verse text in the transcription read gives some different numbers from the printed table; the table is usually followed.

#Summary

• The ashtakavarga is offered to reduce the uncertainty of prediction (66.7–11).
• Dots mark bad places, lines good ones in the BPHS (66.13–15).
• The benefic places are Varahamihira's, total 337 (66.43–68).
• Triangle and same-lord reductions (67–68), the pinda and its multipliers (69).

#Exercises

1. In the BPHS, are good places marked with dots or lines?
2. Apply the triangle reduction to 6, 4, 9. To 3, 0, 5.
3. Both of Jupiter's signs are empty, with 4 and 6. What does the same-lord reduction give?

Answers: 1. Lines (rekha). 2. 2, 0, 5; no change (one is zero). 3. Both become 4.