Varahamihira: the Brihat Jataka, the Brihat Samhita and the Panchasiddhantika · Chapter 14 of 22 · Part Two · The Brihat Jataka

#Difficult yogas, women's charts and death

Brihat Jataka, chapters XXIII–XXV

These three chapters are the hardest in the Brihat Jataka to read today. They predict misfortune, they judge women by the standards of sixth-century society, and they describe how a person will die. This chapter explains what they contain, as history, without repeating their predictions in a form that could be used on anyone.

#Chapter XXIII: the malefic yogas

Chapter XXIII collects configurations said to bring misfortune: in marriage (malefics around Venus, Venus afflicted in the 7th, XXIII.2–7), in health (afflictions of the Moon and the lights, XXIII.8–10 and following), and in social standing.

Its first verse is protective: if the 5th and 7th from the ascendant or the Moon are occupied or aspected by benefics, certain of the evils that follow do not occur (XXIII.1). As elsewhere in the tradition, the difficulties come with conditions.

These rules are the source of many of the later "doshas". The course (Chapter 44) traces how narrow classical rules of this kind grew into the broad modern doshas.

#Chapter XXIV: women's charts

The chapter on women's charts begins with a principle:

The same remarks apply to the horoscopy of women as to the horoscopy of men; but the effects which are suitable will alone affect women, and the rest will [apply to their husbands] (XXIV.1).

In other words, a woman's chart is read by the same rules — but, in the society of the time, much of its meaning was transferred to her husband. The chapter goes on to judge a woman's character from the trimsamsa of the ascendant and the Moon (XXIV.2–6), and to give rules for her husband, widowhood and children. One of them — Mars in the 7th from the ascendant or Moon, aspected by malefics (XXIV.8) — is the narrow classical root of the modern "Mangala dosha" (course Chapter 41).

This chapter is valuable as a record of how women were seen in its time. It is not a guide to anyone's life now. This book reads the 7th house of any chart, man's or woman's, as the person's partner.

#Chapter XXV: death

Chapter XXV gives the manner, place and circumstances of death from the 8th house and the planets aspecting it: an empty 8th aspected by a strong planet gives death by the nature of that planet (XXV.1), and many other configurations follow (XXV.2 onward).

Like the methods of chapter VII (chapter 5 of this book), these rules are not applied to anyone. Predictions of death have never been shown to work, and they cause real harm.

#Reading these chapters today

Three things can be learned from them:

1. History. They record the fears, values and social order of sixth-century India: the importance of marriage and sons, the dependence of women, the dangers of illness and violence.
2. The origins of later doctrines. Much of the "dosha" literature grew from these chapters, usually by dropping their conditions.
3. The tradition's own limits. Even here, Varahamihira gives protective conditions (XXIII.1) and states that the same rules apply to all (XXIV.1). The harshness lies in applying such rules without their conditions, and to real people.

#Summary

• Chapter XXIII lists "malefic yogas" for marriage, health and standing, beginning with a protective condition (XXIII.1).
• Chapter XXIV reads women's charts by the same rules as men's (XXIV.1), but in the social terms of its time; XXIV.8 is the narrow root of Mangala dosha.
• Chapter XXV gives the manner and place of death; it is history and is not applied.

#Exercises

1. What does XXIII.1 say, and why is it important?
2. What principle opens the chapter on women's charts?
3. Which verse is the classical root of Mangala dosha, and what does it actually require?
4. Why are the death rules of chapter XXV not applied today?

Answers: 1. That benefics occupying or aspecting the 5th and 7th prevent certain of the evils — the difficulties have conditions. 2. That the same rules apply to women as to men (XXIV.1). 3. XXIV.8: Mars in the 7th from the ascendant or Moon, aspected by malefics. 4. Because they have never been shown to work and they cause harm.