Bhavartha Ratnakara Part 21: Health and Longevity - A Modern Guide
A modern English guide to the classical Vedic astrology text by Sri Ramanujacharya, translated and annotated by B.V. Raman.
Part 21 of 28
Chapter Vii
Health And Longevity
Jupiter is the indicator (karaka) of fortune, children and body. Good longevity is indicated if he is combined with the lord of Lagna.
Long life will be conferred if Saturn is in conjunction with (or aspected by) the 8th lord.
Long life is indicated if Saturn is in the 8th. The 8th lord in Lagna combined with Ketu confers short life.
The author dispenses with the question of longevity rather briefly. His observations are short, concise and full of meaning. The importance of Lagna—indicating body, and the 8th indicating longevity is recognised.
Jupiter is said to be the karaka of sharira or body. Several noted writers have opined that the Sun is the Thanu karaka or indicator of body. Irrespective of the fact that Jupiter is or is not the karaka of the body, his association with lord of Lagna assures good longevity. The span of human life can be brought under four important divisions, viz., Bala rasis or infant mortality (death before 8 years), Alpayu or short life (death between 8 and 32 years), Madhyayu or middle life (death between 33 and 75) and Purnayu or full life (from 75 to 120). For fuller information on the subject I could refer the readers to my Hindu Predictive Astrology and How to Judge a Horoscope.
Saturn is the Ayushkaraka or indicator of longevity and if he is situated in the 8th house good longevity is assured. The position of the 8th lord in Lagna is not at all conducive for long life.
The person's father will be long lived if the Sun is combined with the lord of the 9th.
The father of the person will be short-lived if the Sun is in the 9th. The mother will be short-lived if the Moon is in the 4th house.
The native's father will be short-lived if the Sun and the 9th lord are in the 9th. If however the lord of the 9th is in the 11th the father will live long.
If the Moon is combined with the lord of the 4th the mother will have long life
Compare this to stanza 4:
lord and the Moon is good so
far as mother's longevity is
concerned, but the Moon
should not occupy the 4th.
The Moon's situation in the
4th is decidedly harmful if he
is with Saturn also. In
the 4th in conjunction with
Saturn. The 4th lord Venus
is also not well disposed.
Hence the native lost his
mother in his second year.
The combination of the 4th
Rahu Moon Saturn Lagna CHART NO 38 Jupiter Mars Mercury Venus Kethu
If Mars is in the 3rd, the brothers
will be short lived. If Jupiter is in the 3rd, evil
is caused to brothers.
If the 3rd happens to be owned
and occupied by Jupiter, the native will have
only one brother.
In stanza 6 the author uses the term Bhratustvadipa
sevutham for Mars in the 3rd, while the term used for Jupiter's
position in the 3rd is Bhratrubhagham vadanshth. Anishta
also means loss or death. But in this particular case I
interpret anishta as meaning evil. Thus, if Mars is in the 3rd,
the brothers will be short lived, while Jupiter in the 3rd
indicates evil to brothers. When the word brothers will not
thrive or prosper well. Stanza 9 requires that in order to have
only one brother, Jupiter must be in the 3rd, but also the third
must be as shown by Jupiter. This is possible only in
respect of persons born in Libra and Capricorn, in which house
Jupiter becomes the 3rd lord.
Jupiter in the 5th diminishes
the longevity of the son. Venus in 7th makes the wife short-lived.
Predict long life to the native's mother if the 4th lord and the Moon are in the 10th, 11th or 5th.
The learned in astrology say that if the 4th lord is in the 4th and it happens to be Moolathrikona for the 4th lord, then the mother will be long-lived.
If the 4th lord and waning Moon are in the 4th aspected by Saturn, the native's mother will be short-lived.
only confirms the common dictum that a Karaka in his respective bhava destroys the indications of the bhava connected. Jupiter in the 5th makes the son short-lived, Venus in the 7th makes the wife short-lived. With due deference to the great author of this work, I have to submit that my own personal experience (which is not large) warrants that I should respectfully disagree with the common notion that Jupiter in the 5th and Venus in the 7th are bad for these two bhavas. If Jupiter is in the 5th the native will not only have a son as the first issue but he will live long. Similarly, Venus in the 7th makes the wife beautiful, fair and passionate. If Jupiter and Venus are afflicted by Mars, the native will not even have much happiness from the sons and the wife. If Rahu or Saturn be the afflicting body, then you can predict short life to the sons or wife.
Thus ends the Seventh Chapter entitled Health and Longevity in Bhavartha Ratnakara of Sri Ramanujacharya