BPHS Chapter 14 — Effects of The First House

सपापो देहपोऽष्टारिव्ययगो देहसौख्यहृत् ।
केन्द्रेकोणे स्थितोऽङ्गेश: सदा देहसुखं दिशेत् ॥ १ ॥

लग्नपोऽस्तगतो नीचे शत्रुभे रोगकृद् भवेत् ।
शुभाः केन्द्रत्रिकोणस्था सर्वरोगहरा: स्मृताः ॥ २ ॥

Verse 1–2

1-2. If the Ascendant Lord is together with a malefic or is situated in the 6th or 8th or 12th house he deprives the native of physical well-being and comforts; but if he is placed in a Kendra or a trikona (angle or trine) he indicates that the native will always enjoy bodily comforts. If the Ascendant lord be in combustion, In enemy's sign or in his sign of debilitation he causes diseases; benefics being placed in a kendra or trikona (angle or trine) from the Ascendant have been known to be destroyer of all diseases.

Translator's note

The first rule of Predictive Astrology is that the Lord of any Bhava or House being placed in the 6th or 8th or 12th house destroys the effects of the house. The placement of the Ascendant Lord in these evil houses means suffering losses concerning the body, as the Ascendant is related to the whole body. If the Ascendant is together with a malefic planet this loss will be twofold. The Ascendant is everything in everyway for the native. Therefore alongwith the body he will have to suffer losses in respect of wealth, reputation, personality etc. The Kendras or angles (1-4-7-10) and the Trikonas or Trines (5-9) in a horoscope have been regarded as auspicious or good houses. Therefore, the placement of the Ascendant Lord in these houses will be auspicious or good for the body and other things; also, the placement of a benefic in a Kendra (angle) or in a trikona (trine) will be beneficial to the body. If a planet is in combustion, in enemy's sign or in his debilitation sign he will destroy the effects of that house of which he is the Lord; the house in which he is situated will also suffer loss of its effects. On the contrary, a planet situated in his exaltation sign is beneficial and auspicious.

लग्ने चन्द्रेऽथवा क्रूरग्रेहैर्दृष्टेऽथवा युते ।
शुभदृष्टिविहीने च जन्तोर्देहसुखं न हि ॥ ३ ॥

Verse 3

The native will not enjoy health and comforts if the Ascend ant or the Moon is aspected by malefic planets or is together with them and is devoid of the aspect of any benefic.

लग्ने सौम्ये सुरूपः स्यात् क्रूरे रूपविवर्जितः ।
सौम्यखेटैर्युते दृष्टे लग्ने देहसुखान्वितः ॥ ४ ॥

Verse 4

If benefics are placed in the Ascendant the native will be handsome, if malefics are placed there he will be bereft of good appearance. The situation of benefics in the Ascendant or their aspect on it gives the native physical comforts.

लग्नेशो ज्ञो गुरुर्वाऽपि शुक्रो वा केन्द्रकोणगः ।
दीर्घायुर्धनवान् जातो बुद्धिमान् राजवल्लभः ॥५॥

लग्नेशे चरराशिस्थे शुभग्रहनिरीक्षिते ।
कीर्तिश्रीमान् महाभोगी देहसौख्यसमन्वितः ॥ ६ ॥

बुधो जीवोऽथवा शुक्रो लग्ने चन्द्रसमन्वितः ।
लग्नात् केन्द्रगतो वाऽपि राजलक्षणसंयुतः ॥ ७ ॥

Verse 5–7

5-7. When the Ascendant lord, Mercury, Jupiter or Venus are in a Kendra or a Trikona (angle or trine) the native will be longlived, wealthy, intelligent and favourite of the king. The Ascendant lord being placed in a movable sign and having the aspect of a benefic planet confers on the native fame, wealth, abundant pleasures and comforts of the body. If Mercury, Jupiter or Venus are situated in the Ascendant together with the Moon or if they are in a Kendra from the Ascendant the native is endowed with royal marks.

ससौरे सकुजे वापि लग्ने मेषे वृषे हरौ ।
राश्यंशसदृशै गात्रे स जातो नालवेष्टितः ॥ ८ ॥

Verse 8

If Saturn or Mars is placed in Aries or Taurus or Leo Ascendant then the child will be born with placenta coiled around it. The body will be like the sign whose Navamamsha rising is there in the Ascendant.

चतुष्पदगतो भानुः परे वीर्यसमन्विताः ।
द्विस्वभावगता जातौ यमलाविति निर्दिशेत् ॥ ९ ॥

Verse 9

When the Sun is situated in a quadruped sign and the other planets are in dual signs with strength the child will be born as one of the twins.

रवीन्दू एकभावस्थावेकांशकसमन्विती ।
त्रिमात्रा च त्रिभिर्मासैः पित्रा भ्रात्रा च पोषितः ॥ १० ॥

Verse 10

If at the time of birth the Sun and the Moon are together placed in the same house and are in the same Navamamsha rising the child is nurtured by 3 mothers (nurses) for three months and afterwards by its father and brother.

एवमेव फलं वाच्यं चन्द्रादपि सदा बुधैः ।
अथ जातनरस्याङ्गे व्रणचिह्नादिकं ब्रुवे ॥ ११ ॥

Verse 11

Prediction of Effects should be made in the same way from the Moon as well (i.e. taking the Moon as the Lagna or Ascendant). Now I shall explain to you the identity marks, ulcers etc. on the native's body.

शिरो नेत्रे तथा कर्णी नासिके च कपोलकौ ।
हनूर्मुखं च लग्नाद्या तनावाद्यदृकाणके ॥ १२ ॥

मध्यद्रेष्काणगे लग्ने कण्ठोऽसौ भुजौ च तथा ।
पार्श्वे च हृदये कोडे नाभिश्चेति यथाक्रमम् ॥ १३ ॥

वस्तिर्लिङ्गगुदे मुष्कावूरू जानू च जंघके।
पादश्वेत्युदितैर्वाममङ्गं ज्ञेयं तृतीयके ॥ १४ ॥

Verse 12–14

12-14. Head, eyes, ears, nose, temple, chin and face - these are the limbs indicated by the houses 1, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 respectively when there is the rise of the First Decanate of the Ascendant; neck, shoulder, arm, side, heart, stomach and navel when that of the 'second' one and Pelvis, anus and penis, testicles, thigh, Knee, calf and foot when that of the third one. The portion already risen (the six houses behind the Lagna i.e. 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 or the Uttarardha of the Lagna) indicates the left side of the body and, the one yet to rise (the six houses ahead of the Lagna i.e. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 or the Poorvardha of the Lagna) indicates the right side of the body.

Translator's note

To consider as to which limb of the native's body will have ulcer, injury, tumor, Identification mark, mole wart etc. the ancient Indian Sages imagined three portions of the body on the basis of the Drekkanas or Decantes and regarded the Ascendant etc. as representatives of the various organs of the body. The first part represents head, the second part comprises all organs below the neck and above the navel and the third part shows all the organs below the navel. If rising Drekkana or Decanate is the first it represents the head, if second it shows the organs below, the neck and above the navel and if the 3rd Drekkana or Decanate commences then the lower parts of the body from the navel are shown. The degrees yet to be covered by the Ascendant sign is the right side while the other portion is the left side of the head. The right and left sides of the neck, pelvis, face, navel, and feet are to be known following this principle. The 12th House from the Ascendant represents the left eye, the second house the right eye, the 11th house the left ear and the third house the right ear, the 10th house the left side of the nose and the 4th house the right side of the nose, the 9th house the left cheek and the 5th house the right cheek, the 8th house the left chin and the 6th the right chin. The 7th house represents the right and the left side of the face, some say that it represents the mouth. The head and the face have been said to be represented by the Ascendant and the 7th House. But in the Sloka (Verse) the right and the left sides of these organs is not clear. Therefore the bisecting line of the two should be drawn. From the middle of the Lagna or Ascendant the half portion towards the second house is to be understood as the right side and that towards the 12th House as the left side. The same thing is understood in the context of the seventh house.

The I Drekkana or Decanate

Diagram from BPHS chapter 14 — Diagram from the source text, BPHS chapter 14.

The degrees covered by the Ascendant in the rising sign indicate the left side of the neck while the degrees yet to be traversed in the sign show the right side of the neck. The 12th shows the left shoulder, the second house the right shoulder the 11th house the left arm, the 3rd house the right arm, the 10th house the left side, the 4th House the right side; the 9th house the left side of the heart, the 5th house the right side of the heart; the 8th house the left side of the stomach and the 6th house the right side of the stomach and; the 7th house indicates the right and the left side of the navel.

The II Drekkana or Decanate

When the rising sign is in the third Drekkana or Decanate the left and right sides of the part of the body below the navel are indicated as shown below. The degrees covered by the Ascendant in the sign indicate the left side of the pelvis while the other portion of the sign shows the right side of the pelvis. The 12th house shows the left side of the generative organ and anus, the second house their right side; the 11th house the left testicle, the 3rd house the right testicle; the 10th house the left thigh, the 4th house the right thigh; the 9th house the left knee, the 5th house the right knee; the 8th house the left calf and the 6th house the right calf and; the 7th house shows the left and right foot.

The III Drekkana or Decanate

यस्मिन्नङ्गे स्थितः पापो व्रणं तत्र समादिशेत् ।
नियतं सबुधैः क्रूरैः सौम्यैर्लक्ष्म वदेद् बुधः ॥ १५ ॥

Verse 15

If the bhava of limb is occupied by a malefic planet, the learned astrologer should tell that it will have ulcer and if it is occupied by Mercury and all the malefic planets it will certainly have ulcer and if it is aspected by benefics the limb will have only scars.

If Mercury joins two or three malefic planets in any house then that organ which is represented by that house will have wound. If such malefic planets have benefic aspect then there will be a black mole mark or spot just like leucoderma.