13. Judgement of Houses

अरिष्टं तत्प्रभङ्गं च श्रुतं त्वत्तो मया मुने! ।
कस्माद् भावात् फलं किं किं विचार्यमिति ? मे वद ॥ १ ॥

1. O Sage, I have heard from you of the evils and the antidotes thereof. Now kindly tell me what is to be deduced from each of these houses.

देहं रूपं च ज्ञानं च वर्णं चैव बलाबलम् ।
सुखं दुःखं स्वभावञ्च लग्नभावान्निरीक्षयेत् ॥ २ ॥

2. Indications of the First House: The Sage Parasara replies: The First house represents Physique, appearance, intellect, complexion, vigour, weakness, joy and sorrow and innate nature. All these are to be considered from it.

धनधान्यं कुटुम्बांश्च मृत्युजालममित्रकम् ।
धातुरत्नादिकं सर्वं धनस्थानान्निरीक्षयेत् ॥ ३ ॥

3. The Second House: From the Second House are to be assessed wealth, grains (food etc.) family, enemies, metals, precious stones etc.

विक्रमं भृत्यभ्रात्रादि चोपदेशप्रयाणकम् ।
पित्रोर्वै मरणं विज्ञो दुश्चिक्याच्च निरीक्षयेत् ॥ ४ ॥

4. The Third House: The third house stands for valour, servants or attendants, brothers and sisters, initiatory instructions, journeys and parents' death. The learned astrologer should consider these from this house.

वाहनान्यथ बन्धूंश्च मातृसौख्यादिकान्यपि ।
निधि क्षेत्रं गृहं चापि चतुर्थात् परिचिन्तयेत् ॥ ५ ॥

5. The Fourth House: The Fourth house is indicative of conveyance, relatives, mother, happiness, treasure, lands and houses.

यन्त्र-मन्त्रौ तथा विद्यां बुद्धेश्चैव प्रबन्धकम् ।
पुत्रराज्यापभ्रंशादीन् पश्येत् पुत्रालयाद् बुधः ॥ ६ ॥

6. The Fifth House: From the Fifth House are to be seen amulets, sacred spells, learning, the splendour of the intellect, sons, capacity or ability to manage affairs and falling from position etc..

मातुलान्तकशंकानां शत्रूंश्चैव व्रणादिकान् ।
सपत्नीमातरं चापि षष्ठभावान्निरीक्षयेत् ॥ ७ ॥

7. The Sixth House: The Sixth House is representative of doubt about the death of maternal uncle, enemies, ulcers (wounds, abscesses, ulcers etc.) and step mother.

जायामध्वप्रयाणं च वाणिज्यं नष्टवीक्षणम् ।
मरणं च स्वदेहस्य जायाभावान्निरीक्षयेत् ॥ ८ ॥

8. The Seventh House: From the Seventh House are to be considered wife, journey, trade, something vanishing away from sight, and death.

Notes: In a book published from Varanasi there is the reading 'हृतवीक्षणम्' in place of 'नष्टवीक्षणम्' 'हृत' is a derivation from the verb which means stealing. Some learned writers have interpreted it as 'a thing vanished from sight'. So 'something stolen away by somebody' seems to us to be more appropriate. Several of the ancient books of **Horary System** have enjoined to consider 'something stolen away' from the seventh house. For example, in 'प्रश्नशिरोमाणि' there is the verse (sloka).

'तनुपतौ स्मरगे स्मरपे तनौगत धनं समुपौत च सप्तमे'

i.e. if the Lord of the Ascendant is in the Seventh House and the Lord of the Seventh House occupies the Ascendant the native gets back the stolen thing.

आयू रणं रिपुं चापि दुर्गं मृतधनं तथा ।
गत्यनुकादिकं सर्वं पश्येद्रन्ध्राद्विचक्षणः ॥ ९ ॥

9. The Eighth House: The Eighth House is to be consulted to know about the longevity, battle, enemies, forts, wealth of the dead, the details or knowledge of past and future lives.

ऋणदानग्रहणयोर्गुदे चैवांकुरायः ।
गत्यनुक्तादिकं सर्वं पश्येद्रंधाद्विचक्षणः ॥

which is translated in this way "Borrowing or lending, diseases of the anus (Piles, Fistula etc.), details or Knowledge of the Past and Future life, all these are to be examined from the Eighth House.

Another commentator has interpreted instead of 'details or knowledge of Past and Future life' as 'movement or travelling. But here movement means the movement of the 'jivatma' or soul after death and not travelling. Therefore, we prefer the meaning: details or Knowledge of Past and Future life. According to this verse it is from the eighth House that the wealth of the dead is to be consider ed. The wealth to be obtained from the will or the testament of the dead should be examined from this house, the 8th House.

भाग्यं श्यालं च धर्मं च भ्रातृपल्यादिकांस्तथा ।
तीर्थयात्रादिकं सर्वं धर्मस्थानान्निरीक्षयेत् ॥ १० ॥

10. The Ninth House: The Ninth House represents Fortunes, wife's brother, religion, brother's wife, pilgrimages and visits to Shrines etc.

राज्यं चाकाशवृत्तिं च मानं चैव पितुस्तथा ।
प्रवासस्य ऋणस्यापि व्योमस्थानान्निरीक्षणम् ॥ ११ ॥

11. The Tenth House: The Tenth House indicates royalty (authority), place, profession (means of livelihood of unstable Nature), honour, father, living in foreign lands and debts also.

नानावस्तुभवस्यापि पुत्रजायादिकस्य च ।
आयं वृद्धिं पशूनां च भवस्थानान्निरीक्षणम् ॥ १२ ॥

12. The Eleventh House: The Eleventh House is to be consulted to ascertain receipt of various articles, son's wife, income, prosperity and quadrupeds.

व्ययं च वैरिवृत्तान्त - रि:फमन्त्यादिकं तथा ।
व्ययाच्चैव हि ज्ञातव्यमिति सर्वत्र धीमता ॥ १३ ॥

13. The Twelfth House: From the Twelfth the learned astrologer should consult expenses, Knowledge about the enemy, one's own death etc.

यो यो शुभैर्युतो दृष्टो भावो वा पतिदृष्टयुक् ।
युवा प्रवृद्धो राज्यस्थ: कुमारो वाऽपि यत्पतिः ॥ १४ ॥

तदीक्षणवशात् तत्तद्भावसौख्यं वदेद् बुधः ।
यद्यद् भावपतिर्नष्टस्त्रिकेशाद्यैश्च संयुतः ॥ १५ ॥

भावं न वीक्षते सम्यक् सुप्तो वृद्धोमृतोऽथवा ।
पीडितो वाऽस्य भावस्य फलं नष्टं वदेद् ध्रुवम् ॥ १६ ॥

14-16. Prosperity or annihilation of a House: The learned should predict the prosperity of the house in which there is the occupation of, or which is aspected by benefics or its own lord, or when the Lord of the house is in good state / Avastha (like....) ('युवावस्था' in 'प्रबुद्धावस्था' or 'कौमारावस्थ') or in the Tenth House. In all these situations or conditions the learned astrologer may indicate the well being of the House, and the House gives good results. On the other hand, the House whose Lord is destroyed, or is in conjunction with malefics, or is not aspected by its own lord or by benefics or is in combination with the lords of the evil Houses (Viz. 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, and 12th.), or is defeated in a planetary war or is in any one of the three states/Avasthas ('old', dead or asleep') the learned astrologer may predict with certainty that the native will suffer losses in the things indicated by that house.

*Notes: The 'avasthas' of the planets have been dealt in detail in Chapter 47.