Before reading this post, I would request the readers to go through this post on my personal blog – Prestige Shantiniketan. Quoting from this page:

If you have or know anyone who has booked an apartment at Prestige Shantiniketan in Whitefield, Bangalore, please spread word this group in yahoo-groups - prestige_shantiniketan _at_ yahoogroups dot com. It is a pretty neat group with lot of action and information and ongoing discussions about project completion status, VAT/service tax, guidance value of the property, etc.

On a related note, I have some notes about how to predict acquisition of immovable property like a house, apartment, land etc. I would like to share it with the readers. Please take a look at comment on it.

Writing this article was tough :-). When we talk about “house” we generally mean the house in a horoscope. However, in this article, “house” means “a place to live” and “bhava” is used wherever I need to refer to a house in astrological sense.

Fourth bhava is very important in the chart for lot of reasons. It indicates happiness, affection through mother etc.. Fourth being one of the quadrants is also responsible for conferring Rajayoga on the person. Fourth lord is also one of the indicators that can govern foreign travel.

Purchase of big ticket items like vehicles, cars etc. and property (houses, apartments etc.) should also be looked at from fourth bhava. The karaka planets for these traits are different; Venus being vahanakaraka should be considered for movable property, and Mars mars being grihakaraka should be looked at for immovable property.

For our current discussion, the following should be considered as important:

1. Mars, the naisargik karaka for houses,
2. 4th bhava lord and
3. Planets aspecting the 4th bhava and/or 4th lord.

Predictably (pun intended), strength of these three factors and beneficial aspects on them is necessary for the prospect of owning a house. Please go through this post on strength of bhava and planets to judge if these factors are indeed strong. 4th bhava lord in quadrant or trine with beneficial aspect gives good houses. Jataka Parijata also suggests looking at the third bhava(twelfth from fourth) and placement of beneficial planets in this bhava along with a strong 4th lord in a trine or quadrant is said to bestow a big bungalow to the person. 4th lord by itself should not be placed in 3rd bhava.

If Mars and/or 4th bhava lord are weak and are placed badly (in 6th, 8th or 12th bhava), it indicates that the person will not be able to own a house. Specifically talking about the 12th bhava, this placement can indicate travel to a foreign land or symbolically living in someone else’s house. If there are malefic aspects on the 4th bhava lord while placed in 3rd bhava, it indicates kshaya or destruction of property. The nature of malefic aspect would show the type of damage to property.

When Mars and/or 4th bhava lord have strength by way of exaltation or other such factors, it would guarantee a house, but a simultaneous bad placement in one of 6th/8th/12th bhava would indicate unhappiness from the house.

Editor: Please use the following link to download the subscription form. Pricing and other details are mentioned in this subscription form.

http://www.planetarypositions.com/astrologicalmagazine/subscription-rs.pdf

Message from Mrs. Gayatri Devi Vasudev:

******

You will be glad to learn that I have just launched THE NEW ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, a monthly devoted to Jyotisha or astrology and other aspects of India’s rich intellectual heritage. The March 2009 issue which is now on the stands is the inaugural issue. THE NEW ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE seeks to uphold the highest traditions in astrological journalism pioneered by my late father Dr. B. V. Raman.

The inaugural issue of THE NEW ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE will be the March 2009 issue to be on the stands by mid-February and will be the “Dr.  B.V. Raman Memorial issue”  dedicated to the Father of Modern Astrology Dr. B.V. Raman. It will carry world predictions for the lunar year Virodhi (March 2009 to March 2010) apart from scholarly papers by well-known names in the field in addition to annual and monthly forecasts for the 12 Zodiacal signs.

THE NEW ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE will provide a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas as well as for research papers on different aspects of astrology — Phalita (natal predictive astrology), Samhita (mundane astrology) and Ganita (Indian astronomy) — as well as related areas of study. Our aim in bringing out this magazine is to continue Dr. B.V. Raman’s efforts to revive and rejuvenate the study of astrology as an academic subject. It will also strive to create respect for this ancient science for its rational and logical methods amongst the younger generation and dispel wrong notions on it in an effort to enthuse them to take to a diligent study of the subject.

It is our sincere wish that you associate with us in our work by joining our list of subscribers. I am attaching the subscription details for you to share with your friends.

******

The combinations for predicting adoption of a child by a couple are based on looking at the weakness of putrakaraka elements in the chart. The logic is simple – if there are no natural issues, adoption is the next possibility. The yogas therefore are more or less along the lines of malefic aspect on 5th (and 9th) lords/houses (thus denying children) and also on the 7th house (denying ability to procreate).

1. Effect of Saturn and Mars on 5th house either by occupation or aspect afflicts the house of children.
2. Lord of 5th house in barren signs, i.e. those signs belonging to Saturn and Mercury.
3. Affliction of 7th house indicates inability to procreate.
4. Association of lord of lagna with Mercury may also indicate inability to procreate.
5. Since a person will have a child to call his own after adoption, influence of a benefic on the 5th house or its lord is a must.

If this benefic influencing the 5th house is Jupiter, which is the naisargik putrakaraka, the influence almost guarantees birth of children as seen from various Parashari yogas. Therefore, it can mean that it is not Jupiter that influences 5th house in rule number 5 above, but it is rather Moon or Venus that are indicated here.

I would like to point out a problem with this approach. It does not consider a scenario where perfectly normal couple think about adopting a child even when they already have naturally born children. IMHO, it would be difficult to make a distinction between adopted children and naturally conceived children in such a case.

My newsletter server Zookoda is going down and as a result I will not be able to continue the monthly mailer till I figure out an alternative. Quoting from this page:

As a result we have decided to put the Zookoda platform on ice. Users will not be able to login effective January 1, 2009. We will do all we can to assist users in getting their email lists out of the system for use on another platform. We are not selling Zookoda and all user information and emails will remain protected. Think of it as cold storage.

Over last two years, this site has built a db of about 300 readers. I am thankful to each and every one of you. I will include your addresses automatically in my new service. Rest assured that I will keep them safe. I am an astrologer, not a spammer…

A birth in the family is matter of great joy for everyone. The institution of marriage is created to protect the unit of family and provide the greatest care to children who will carry forward humanity on our planet. This article attempts to briefly look at the factors that bestow the blessings of childbirth to a couple. It is important to analyze the chart of both husband and wife in order to come to any conclusion.

In Vedic Astrology, the process starts right at the time when charts are matched at the time of marriage. Afflictions to 7th house and its lord can adversely impact the fertility of a person. Nadi dosha can lead to conception followed by mishaps like still birth, miscarriages etc. Nadi dosha is therefore considered a strict no-no for horoscope compatibility. These factors therefore must be avoided while kundalis are being matched.

What I am not going to discuss in this article is determination of sex of children. It may have been okay in the past, but in current age and time, it is not right. It is my humble opinion that couples should not engage in such activities.

The following elements are important from perspective of having children:

1. Naisargika Putrakaraka, i.e. Jupiter.
2. Fifth house and its lord
3. Divisional chart Saptamsha
4. 9th house, by the principle of bhavat bhavam. 9th house is considered to be important when looking at the horoscope of women.
5. Dasha factors – to determine if the currently running dasha is conducive towards conception.

Any afflictions to these factors or elements would be considered detrimental to the ability of having children. The usual afflictions come from Saturn, Mars etc., and lords of 6th and 8th houses. Based on these rules, some of the yogas or combinations that can potentially lead to childlessness are:

• Lord of 5th house in debilitation or positioned in 6th, 8th or 12th house. This yoga should also applicable to lord of 5th from Sun or Moon.
• Malefic influence of Sun and/or Mars on 5th house and its lord. The influence could be through presence, drishti (aspect) or by hemming the house. These are fiery planets and they “burn away” the prospects of having children.
• Malefic influence of Saturn and Mercury as these are considered to be impotent planets.
• Malefic influence of 6th and 8th lords on 5th house as explained above. 6th house is important as by being 2nd from 5th, it becomes a maraka for factors determined by 5th, i.e. children. The lord of 6th house carries this power.
• Jupiter’s presence in 6th or 8th house.
• Planets powerless in Saptamsha

Very interestingly, Rahu is not a part of this list of malefic planets. I would like to quote from Dr. Raman’s book, Combination #220:

Rahu in 5th house in a Navamsha other than that of Saturn gives rise to bahuputra (large number of children) yoga.

There are various curses or sutakshaya yogas that are mentioned in Dr. B.V. Raman’s book “Three Hundred Important Combinations” that lead to loss of children – please go through combinations #212 through #219 for the same. All these combinations revolve around afflictions of 5th house and its lord but rather than being general statements, the combinations are properly defined.

Any good influence benefic planets, but most importantly Jupiter, would mitigate the problem. In such a case, the couple would not be denied of children, but rather miscarriages and difficulty in conception should be predicted. Influence from Rahu also brings in a degree of “unusual”.

These problems could very well be solved by appropriately seeking medical help. Astrologically, it would be necessary to strengthen Jupiter and 5th lord to overcome such problems. Worshipping Lord Krishna in His “Santan Gopal” form helps.

There are three tests for judging fertility: (a) Kshetra Sphuta (for a female nativity), (b) Beeja Sphuta (for a male nativity) and (c) Santana Tithi test but the calculation and explanations are beyond the scope of this article.