The 12 Houses or Bhavas

The First Bhava

The first bhava indicates the health of the native, constitutions and structure of the body, countenance, character, nature of the person, complexion, longevity etc. All these qualities as already said in the outline may be subjected to many changes by the influence of aspects and the position of planet or planets situated in the bhava and also due to position of the bhava-lord in any auspicious or inauspicious bhava or by conjunction with malefic or benefic planet.

Second Bhava (Dhana Bhava)

Dhana bhava signifies Financial Prosperity, wealth (particularly accumulated wealth). Family, relatives, speech, mouth, tongue, eyes (vision). Initial rules in judging a horoscope are also to be applied at the time of analyzing the dhana bhava. It is needless to repeat here that in dealing with all houses the same rules as said before are applicable. First of all (1) the house, (2) its lord, (3) aspect on the house or/and its lord, association with them, (4) planets occupying the house. (5) position of natural karaka (indicator) etc. There are a few planets that give unfavorable result with regard to dhana bhava. They are Ravi, Mangal primarily and Sani and Rahu or Ketu secondarily. Besides the lords of dusthanas (6th, 8th and 12th) when placed in dhana bhava will not give good result even if they are naturally friendly to the lord of the 2nd, and/or their aspect on the 2nd bhava is not beneficial to dhana bhava. But waning moon or malefic planets (except Ravi and Mangal) if they are wealth-giving planets in a birth chart will help increase the native's wealth. Planets occupying or aspecting the 2nd house if predominantly indicator of wealth in a chart will give wealth to the native in their dasa and antardasas. So also the dhanpathi's effect. If the lord of the 2nd house is posited in his own house, in his house of exaltation, in his friend's house or gains 'Gapuramsa' Varga (if a planet gains 4 Vargas of one planet it is called 'Gapuramsa' Varga) or if the 2nd lord is posited in Kendra or Kona house from lagna the native becomes rich and passes his days cheerfully. If the 2nd house is occupied by an exalted planet or the same occupant is in his own or mooltrikona house and at the same time the 2nd lord acquires strength in Vargas the native becomes sweet tongued and his words will be infallible. If the lord of the 2nd and 9th houses being the one and the same planet is posited in the 2nd house and also is aspected by a benefic his words also may be infallible. If the 2nd lord conjoined with or aspected by benefic occupies Kendra or Kona house the native becomes pious, orator and protect or maintains relatives.

Third Bhava

The third house rules brothers, sisters and relatives in general. It signifies medicine, food specially fruits, courage, throat, ears, father's death. While judging the third house the following factors should be looked into viz., (a) The strength or otherwise of the bhava and its lord, (b) Planets occupying the bhava, (c) Natural indicator of the third bhava. Besides, general rules to assess the merit or demerit of a bhava or its lord are to be applied which will help the readers arrive at a correct decision. Third house denotes exclusively brothers and sisters. So, we look at brothers and sisters first and subsequently other matters are taken into consideration. If the third house is occupied by very malefic planets or the lord of the third house or the Karaka planet (viz., Mangal) is associated with very unfavorable planet the native loses his brother or sister in his/her childhood.

Fourth Bhava

The 4th house signifies mother, education, mental condition, vehicles, house, general happiness, prosperity, property—particularly immovable property. In determining the student's merit in academic career 4th house and its lord play an important role though the disposition of the 5th and 10th lords should not be overlooked. The Karakas of the 4th bhava are Vrhaspathi, Sukra and Budha of which Vrhaspathi stands for learning and wisdom, and Sukra and Budha for such education that helps the man enjoy material happiness. So, in considering the academic success of a native the Karaka planet's disposition also is to be taken into account. If the lagnadhipathi is not well-fortified simply favorable disposition of Karaka planets and of the 4th lord cannot give brilliant result in respect of university education. (a) If the 4th lord is favorably posited either in the 4th or in any other favorable house and the favorable planets are situated in any dusthan the native shall not be altogether deprived of good result expected from the 4th house, though the good result will be lessened to some extent.

Fifth Bhava

The fifth house denotes intellect, talent, devotion to God, royal favor, secret counsel, education and learning, wisdom and children. The fifth place is primarily termed as place concerning children ( Putrasthana). The Karaka planet is Vrhaspathi. But while giving judgment about children the fifth place from Chandra, Vrhaspathi and the 9th house are to be examined carefully. One may get children from those planets as well as the 5th and 9th lords during their dasa and antardasas. If the 5th or 7th place from lagna or Chandra is occupied or aspected by or conjoined with benefic planets good results may be predicted about son and wife both, on the other hand if those places or their lords become malefic due to aspect of or conjunction with unfavorable planets we can not expect any good result about children and wife.

Sixth Bhava

The Sixth house rules enemy, accidents, disease, mental afflictions, mother's brother, stepmother, co-wife, litigation and misfortunes. 1. If the sixth house falls in an auspicious sign (rasi) and the bhava is associated with or aspected by benefic planet unfavorable results signified by the Sixth bhava should not be expected. Contrary results may happen when the Sixth house falls in an inauspicious sign conjoined with or aspected by an unfavorable planet. If the 6th lord associates with or is aspected by a malefic and is situated in lagna the person will suffer from boils, if the 6th lord aspected by or conjoined with malefics is situated in the 5th house his son will suffer from boils, if such an afflicted 6th lord is posited in 4th the mother will suffer from boils etc. If the three weak malefic planets are posited in the 6th or 8th place or these two bhavas are aspected by three weak malefics the native remains sickly since his birth and all along suffers due to monetary loss. He is mentally troubled owing to activities of enemies. On the other hand if powerful Budha, Vrhaspathi, Sukra and favorable Chandra are situated in the 6th place the native's granary will be full of grain and cereals and the treasury also will never be empty. If Ravi associated with a friendly planet and benefic planet is placed in the 6th the native's enemies will be vanquished. If Ravi associated with a malefic and unfriendly planet is situated in the 6th house the person is always troubled by enemies. Weak and malefic Chandra in the 6th is the cause of suffering due to attack of various diseases. The debilitated Mangal in the 6th house causes danger to life and the native sustains monetary loss. A retrograde Vrhaspathi being in the 6th place when posited in an enemy house gives the native awful troubles due to activities of an enemy or enemies. If the 6th lord being in the 6th is associated with Sani and Rahu the native also suffers much due to activities of enemies. There is danger from fire or chance of loss of money due to activities of thieves if the 6th lord is combined with Sani and Mangal. If afflicted Ravi is placed in the 6th house the person suffers from headache, any disease due to poison, heart trouble, gastritis or any other disease due to defective secretion of biles.

Seventh Bhava (Jaya Bhava)

The seventh house denotes marriage, wife or husband, trade or business, buying and selling, partnership, short journey, sexual act, bladder, lost property etc. If the 7th bhava and its lord is associated with or aspected by a benefic planet the wife or the husband as the case may be will be beautiful to look at, their physical structure may be charming and the native's relation with his (or her) father-in-law may be cordial and domestic environment may be peaceful. All the rules of judging a horoscope are applicable also in case of this bhava. In case of a male Sukra, and in case of a female native both Sukra and Mangal signify the 7th bhava i.e. husband or wife. Therefore in judging the 7th bhava disposition of Sukra (in case of a male) or Sukra and Mangal (in case of a female) and the 7th house from these planets and their lords are to be taken into consideration. If they are well-disposed, acquires favorable Vargas or conjoined with or aspected by benefic planets the native's conjugal life will be happy. The husband's and wife's natal houses are thus interrelated and have to be judged in conjunction with each other. The status, family, health, wealth, education etc. of the husband and the wife are mirrored in the first and the seventh. If any of them is governed or aspected by an evil planet the disparities and afflictions should follow. Favorably governed and favorably aspected the results would be happy.

Eighth Bhava

The 8th house is the house of longevity. It covers the span of life. According to Hindu theory the beginning of life here below is the beginning of the barrier between the individual soul and God. In other words life begins when the individual soul starts, off the Universal soul to masquerade for its allotted span as an individual—the non-spiritual elements, though themselves also ultimately and basically spiritual—acting as the camouflage to obviously spiritual past. Sorrow, affliction, vicissitudes of forces are the inevitable incidents to a life on earth and it is from the 8th house that all these have to be calculated. In pessimistic language, the house represents also the house of action. For, action is the source of all vicissitudes of fortunes. The seventh house is described as the house of destruction. The 7th from the 8th house is the 2nd from lagna and the lord of the 2nd is therefore, indicated as the killer. According to this theory the 6th house attitude (i.e. the 6th bhava) is the house of sorrow and affliction. The house which destroys the 6th house attitude ( bhava ) is the 12th (the house of destruction of the 6th i.e. the house of sorrow and affliction ) which has been described as the house of salvation or release. The individual soul merges into the Universal soul, its sojourn on earth is completed. Superficially therefore, the 6th house and the 8th give nearly the same result.

Ninth Bhava (Bhagya Bhava)

The bhavas that are most essential to the determination of the quality and character of the horoscope are (1) Lagna, (2) Bhagya and (3) Karma bhavas. The three go together, they are integrated. For, it is easy enough to perceive that as there has to be a wall before there is a good painting on it, so, there has to be a strong lagna to have a good Bhagya and good Karma. And since Bhagya and Karma are really the same thing in the circular order karma determining the bhagya (destiny) and bhagya determining the karma—they would always go together with the lagna. In fact the trio are inseparable. Every lagna has its bhagya and every bhagya has its karma. The karma determines the bhagya and both effect the individual that is lagna. Graha Yamal an authoritative ancient text sets forth the sovereign importance of karma bhava and bhagya bhava in these words "The Karmasthana is very important and has to be studied very carefully. If there is no graha (planet) here or this house is not aspected by any graha the native roams about in abject poverty. Also when the bhagyasthana and the karmasthana are without any planet or unaspected, the result is deplorable". So, the dharna bhava (bhagya, dharma and 9th house are synonymous) and the karma bhava have to be rightly evaluated in a horoscope. Another name for bhagya bhava is Purba Janma (previous birth). A favorable 'daiva' helps the individual to take all hurdles without much difficulty. An unfavorable 'daiva' raises obstacles at every step. It is only when the individual is exceptionally favored with a strong karmasthana, that he can take all the obstacles in his stride and make satisfactory progress in life. The dhana bhava and karma bhava both are also included in bhagya bhava. The native's wealth, name and fame and distinction may be at their best if there is favorable bhagya yoga in the horoscope. As told before there is a link between previous birth and the worldly happiness and exuberant career of the present birth. In judging the beneficial condition of the bhagya lord we must note the condition of bhagya-karta, which is the secondary ruler of destiny. The lord of the rasi where: bhagyapathi is situated is the ruler or controller of the native's destiny. If the bhagya-karta planet is happily disposed, aspected by or conjoined with benefic planet or planets the native shall also be lucky. Of course, we must not overlook the quality of the 9th lord; both bhagyapathi and bhagya-karta being favorable will do immense good to the native.

The Tenth Bhava (Karma Bhava)

The tenth bhava signifies profession, vocation, supremacy, hon our, environment, father (particularly father's prosperity and wealth). The career of the native is to be judged from the 10th house and its lord. The characteristic of that planet (10th lord) may give a clue for finding out the nature of profession or vocation, though there are other factors too which will be discussed in the following paragraphs. But nevertheless it must be admitted that it is very difficult to give a decisive verdict about the nature of a man's professional career. Karma and the individual are almost synonymous. A man rises and falls, enjoys or suffers according to the kind of 'Karma' he does. The nature of 'Karma' again is determined by the nature of his personality itself which again is another name 'Bhagya'. In this sense destiny is character and character is destiny. The Tenth house in a horoscope has been affirmed as a symbol of Karma and naturally it is a most important house. The 9th and the 10th houses intertwine, that is to say, 'bhagya' and 'karma’ intertwine are quite a good basis for correct predictions. Some assert that the fifth house also is important. But then the lagna is the most important house, it takes precedence over the rest and the rasi (the house where moon is posited) comes next. If the Tenth bhava and its lord are good, good karma follows. As has been explained previously if the 10th house is occupied by benefics or aspected by them it is good, if otherwise it is bad or weak. Ravi is also a factor in promoting a man's karma because he indicates progress in one's career, supremacy, administrative distinction etc. So, we must discuss how and when Ravi helps rise a native.

Eleventh Bhava (Aya Bhava)

Eleventh house signifies gain in every way, all kinds of receipts, acquisition of gold and wealth, paternal prosperity, eldest brother or sister, paternal uncle, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother-in-law (sister-in-law too), knee, shank, ear, skill in practical arts etc. Difference between aya (11th) and dhana (2nd) bhavas is, from the 11th house we know whether income is easy or not, how of in what manner—honest or dishonest the native shall earn money. Dhana bhava indicates amount of income, accumulation of wealth; source of income can be determined from dhana and Aya bhavas. Both the bhavas are complementary to each other. If the dhana bhava or its lord is afflicted due to aspect or conjunction of malefic planets gain of money will not be easy, there must be some sort of difficulties in earning, so also the case with the 11th bhava. Thorough judgment of Aya bhava is to be made according to instructions noted in case of other bhavas. At the present time material values or to put it more directly, money values, the profit-and-loss nexus rules out nearly every other value. This in itself is the result of planetary evolution; but into cosmic scheme, we do not pretend to enter. The malefics so called have the power of bestowing on the native much greater wealth and importance to a very much greater extent than the so called benefic planets. The latter might have been more powerful in their own time, the Golden Age; but now the Ages of lead and evil ones are more powerful. Not that benefics utterly fail to redeem their promises in terms of money and influences, but the native gets only the irreducible minimum from them and hardly more. The malefics on the other hand, if they are well-placed, that is, in giving mood, usually give a lot more than the benefics do in money and influence.

Twelfth Bhava (Vyaya Bhava)

Twelfth house signifies expenditure, monetary loss, debt, punishment pronounced by lawful court, enjoyment and suffering, information about enemy, bedroom enjoyment, expenditure for just cause, salvation etc. A benefic planet occupying the 12th place makes the native live happily, he earns name and fame, he spends money for just cause. Ketu in the 12th is the cause of salvation. Sani, Ravi and Mangal being in the 11th make the native extravagant. He seldom enjoys material happiness, may not get family peace, and there is chance of his suffering from various ailments including disease in anus and eye.

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Essentials of Vedic Astrology - Lesson 4A The 12 bhavas ©2006 Astrosalon p/l