Hindu Predictive Astrology Part 13: Ayurdaya (Longevity) and Marakas

Hindu Predictive Astrology — Complete Modern Guide

This is among the most profound chapters in the entire book. After the horoscope is cast, the primary question is the probable duration of life. However promising a horoscope may be, it is futile to study the future unless long life is assured.

Part 13 of 31 • Core Predictive Principles • Covers: Book Chapters XIV & XV — Ayurdaya (Longevity) + Marakas (Death-Inflicting Planets)

After the horoscope is cast, the primary question is necessarily the probable duration of life. When a child has poor longevity to its credit, it would be unnecessary to examine favourable combinations.

Astrology can forewarn parents of times of danger to their children. Astrologers really well-versed in the science can afford the physician a certain prognosis. An astrologer's work in this respect is priceless in value. First, determine which longevity category the horoscope falls into; then identify the Marakas (death-inflicting planets) and predict under whose Dasa period death may occur.

Ethical note: This chapter deals with the most sensitive area of astrology. Raman emphasises that longevity determination requires the skill of an experienced astrologer — not a beginner. The rules below are for study and understanding. Predictions about death should be approached with extreme responsibility, compassion, and caution.

The Four Divisions of Human Life

The span of human life can be brought under four important divisions:

0–8
8–32
33–75
75–120
CategorySanskritAge RangeMeaning
1Balarishta0 – 8 yearsInfant mortality. Death before the child is 8 years old.
2Alpayu8 – 32 yearsShort life. Death between 8 and 32 years.
3Madhyayu33 – 75 yearsMiddle life. The most common category for the majority of horoscopes.
4Purnayu75 – 120 yearsFull life. The maximum natural life span per the Vimshottari system.

Note: Some authors hold that Madhyayu extends from 32 to 70 and Purnayu to 100 years. But Raman observes that this classification does not have general acceptance, as the natural life span is 120 years according to Vimshottari Dasa, and consequently Purnayu must extend to this limit.

Balarishta: Combinations for Infant Mortality (0–8 Years)

The following combinations produce Balarishta. If several of these are present simultaneously, the indication is stronger:

30 Balarishta Combinations
  1. Malefics in the last navamsa of signs.
  2. The Moon in a kendra (quadrant) with malefics.
  3. The Moon in the 7th, 8th, or 12th houses with malefics and without benefic aspects.
  4. Birth 48 minutes before sunrise or after sunset when the Moon's hora is rising and malefics are in navamsas of malefic-ruled signs.
  5. Malefics in the 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 12th houses.
  6. Weak Moon in the ascendant or 8th with malefics in kendras.
  7. Moon in ascendant, Mars in 8th, Sun in 9th, Saturn in 12th.
  8. Weak Moon in ascendant with 5th, 8th, and 12th aspected by evil planets.
  9. Moon in 8th, Mars in 7th, Rahu in 9th, Jupiter in 3rd.
  10. Lord of the Dasa at birth conjoined with many evil planets.
  11. Birth at sunrise with malefics in kendras or trines and Venus in 6th or 12th.
  12. Lords of ascendant, 5th, or 9th in enemy's houses and in 8th or 9th.
  13. Ketu in the 4th with or aspected by malefics.
  14. Rahu in the 7th aspected by Sun and Moon.
  15. Ascendant lord's Dasa at birth, or Dasa of 8th lord, or antara of 8th lord in ascendant lord's Dasa (or vice versa).
  16. Lords of ascendant, navamsa lagna, and Moon's sign all conjoined with the Sun.
  17. Ascendant and 8th from Moon aspected by malefics.
  18. Moon in 8th, Mars in 7th, Saturn in ascendant.
  19. Moon aspected by Saturn in his 3rd Drishti (90° aspect).
  20. Moon in 6th or 8th without any aspects at all.
  21. Moon in ascendant with malefics and no benefic aspects → death of child with the mother.
  22. Moon in ascendant with Rahu, Mars in 8th → death of child and mother.
  23. Sun in ascendant with Saturn, Rahu and Mars in 8th → death of child and mother after surgical treatment.
  24. Evil planets in 5th, 8th, 9th with Sun or Moon in ascendant, no benefic conjunction or aspect.
  25. Saturn in 12th, Sun in 9th, Moon in ascendant, Mars in 8th, without Jupiter aspecting any of them. Cancelled if Jupiter is in the 5th.
  26. Saturn and Mars in ascendant, 8th, or 7th without benefic aspects.
  27. Moon at Mrityubhanga degrees (Aries 26°, Taurus 12°, Gemini 13°, Cancer 25°, Leo 24°, Virgo 11°, Libra 26°, Scorpio 14°, Sagittarius 13°, Capricorn 25°, Aquarius 5°, Pisces 12°) while in a kendra or 8th house.
  28. Lord of ascendant or Moon-sign lord weak and badly posited → child dies within years equal to the sign number from Aries.
  29. Moon in 6th or 8th with aspects of both malefics and benefics → child may live up to 4 years.
  30. Moon in 6th or 8th aspected by benefics alone → longevity up to 8 years.
10 Antidotes That Cancel Balarishta
  1. Jupiter powerfully posited in the ascendant removes Balarishta.
  2. Lord of Lagna powerfully situated with beneficial aspects.
  3. Moon in 8th but in the Drekkana of Mercury, Jupiter, or Venus → no danger.
  4. Full Moon in a beneficial sign with good aspects destroys Balarishta.
  5. Strong position of Mercury, Venus, or Jupiter is an antidote.
  6. Moon in 6th but in Drekkanas of Jupiter, Venus, or Mercury overcomes Balarishta.
  7. Full Moon between two benefics → no danger.
  8. Full Moon in 8th or 6th protects the child born during the night of Full Moon days.
  9. Full Moon aspects Lagna with Jupiter in quadrants → no fear.
  10. Malefics in beneficial Shadvargas aspected by benefics in auspicious navamsas overcome Balarishta.

Alpayu: Short Life (8–32 Years)

15 Alpayu Combinations
  1. Saturn in 8th, Mars in 5th, Ketu in ascendant.
  2. Malefics in 6th, 8th, and 12th houses.
  3. Saturn in ascendant with Sun, Moon, and Mars in 7th.
  4. Lord of 8th in ascendant with Ketu.
  5. Malefics in ascendant with Moon conjoined by evil planets.
  6. Lord of 8th in ascendant and ascendant lord powerless.
  7. Scorpio ascendant with Sun and Jupiter there, lord of 8th in any quadrant → death at 22.
  8. Rahu and Moon in 7th and 8th with Jupiter in ascendant → lives up to 22.
  9. Saturn in ascendant owned by malefics, benefics in 3, 6, 9, and 12 → death between 26 and 27.
  10. Lords of 1st and 8th join in 8th with malefics, no benefic aspects → death in 27th year.
  11. Evil planets in 1st, 2nd, and 8th, benefics not in kendras → death in 28th year.
  12. Lord of birth weak with lord of 8th in kendra → death in 30th year.
  13. Lords of ascendant and 8th in quadrants with a planet in 8th, no planets in kendras → death in 32nd year.
  14. Strong malefics in kendras with no benefic aspects → death before 32.
  15. Common sign as Lagna with Moon in common sign → death before 32.

Madhyayu: Middle Life (33–75 Years)

15 Madhyayu Combinations
  1. Lord of 3rd or 6th in a kendra → Madhyayu.
  2. At least two of the lords of 8th, 11th, ascendant, and 10th are powerful.
  3. Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus in the 2nd, 3rd, and 11th houses.
  4. All planets occupy the middle 4 houses from Lagna.
  5. Sun in Lagna (enemy's house) between two evil planets, no benefic aspects → death in 36th year.
  6. Birth lord in 6th or 8th with malefics, unaspected by benefics → lives up to 46.
  7. Saturn in birth, Moon in 8th or 12th, others in 11th → death in 51st year.
  8. Scorpio Lagna with Jupiter, Mars and Rahu in 8th → death in 57th year.
  9. Lord of 8th in 7th, Moon afflicted → death in 58th year.
  10. Evil planets in quadrants, Jupiter in 8th, Aries Lagna → 60 years assured.
  11. Saturn in birth, Moon in 4th, Mars in 7th, Rahu in 10th, Jupiter/Venus/Mercury unfavourable → 60 years.
  12. Mars and Mercury in quadrants, Venus in ascendant, exalted planets in 3rd and 11th → 60 years.
  13. Good planets in quadrants but not aspecting birth, birth lord aspected by evil planets → lives up to 70.
  14. Mars in 5th, Sun in 7th, Saturn debilitated → lives up to 70.
  15. Benefics in kendras and trikonas with powerful Saturn → 75 years.

Purnayu: Full Life (75–120 Years)

6 Purnayu Combinations
  1. Lagna aspected by its own lord, 8th house aspected by its lord, and Jupiter in a kendra.
  2. All benefics in the first 6 houses, all malefics in the last 6 → 80 years.
  3. Jupiter in a quadrant from the lord of birth, no malefics in quadrants → 100 years.
  4. Cancer ascendant with Jupiter there and one or more planets exalted.
  5. Birth lord and Sun in 10th, Saturn in birth, Jupiter in 4th.
  6. Jupiter in Lagna, Venus in 4th, Saturn and Moon in 10th.

Marakas: Death-Inflicting Planets (Chapter XV)

Marakas are planets possessed of the power of inflicting death. Death generally occurs during the Dasas and Bhuktis of such planets. The 8th house from Lagna and the 8th from that (= 3rd from Lagna) are called houses of life. The 2nd and 7th houses are called houses of death. The 2nd house is always stronger in inflicting death than the 7th.

The Maraka Hierarchy (Priority Order)

Death will be caused by the following planets, checked in this priority order. Move to the next level only if the higher-priority planet's Dasa doesn't fall within the determined life span.

1 Planets occupying the 2nd and 7th houses
Occupants of death houses are the strongest death-inflictors. Planets in the 2nd are stronger than those in the 7th.

2 Lords of the 2nd and 7th houses
The owners of the death houses, regardless of their current position in the chart.

3 Planets conjoined with the lords of the 2nd and 7th
Planets not owning or occupying death houses but joining with those lords acquire death-inflicting power.

4 Non-Yogakaraka evil planets conjoined with death-house lords
If levels 1–3 Dasas don't operate within the life span, evil planets associated with death lords become Marakas.

5 Lords of the 3rd and 8th houses
If none of the above Dasas come in time, lords of 3rd and 8th are probable death-causers.

6 The most malicious planet in the horoscope
If no death-inflicting Dasa comes at all, the most malefic planet by overall assessment becomes the Maraka.

Saturn's Special Role: Saturn, when inclined to produce evil by his conjunction with the lords of death houses, will cause death in preference to any of those planets. Saturn is the ultimate agent of karmic conclusion.

The Saturn Transit Death Formula

Raman provides a specific technique to narrow down the timing of death using Saturn's transit:

Add longitudes of Saturn + Jupiter + Sun + Moon
Expunge multiples of 12 signs (360°) → gives a point in the zodiac

Then:

  • For short life (Alpayu): death occurs when Saturn transits over this point in his 1st cycle (~30 years)
  • For middle life (Madhyayu): death occurs when Saturn transits over this point in his 2nd cycle (~60 years)
  • For long life (Purnayu): death occurs when Saturn transits over this point in his 3rd cycle (~90 years)

Integration: This transit formula must be used in conjunction with the Maraka Dasa analysis. Death is indicated when both conditions converge: the person is running a Maraka Dasa/Bhukti AND Saturn transits the sensitive zodiacal point. Neither condition alone is sufficient.

Source: Hindu Predictive Astrology by B.V. Raman, Chapter XIV — Ayurdaya or Longevity (pages 63–72) and Chapter XV — Marakas or Death Inflicting Planets (pages 73–74).

Key Takeaways

  1. First determine the longevity category: Balarishta (0–8), Alpayu (8–32), Madhyayu (33–75), or Purnayu (75–120)
    This sets the boundary within which death must occur. A Madhyayu chart cannot have death at 90.
  2. 30 Balarishta combinations exist, but 10 powerful antidotes can cancel them
    Jupiter in ascendant, Full Moon with benefics, and strong benefics are the key protectors against infant mortality.
  3. The Moon's condition is the primary indicator for Balarishta
    A weak, afflicted Moon in kendras, 6th, 8th, or 12th with malefics is the most common Balarishta trigger.
  4. Marakas follow a strict 6-level hierarchy: occupants → lords → associates → evil conjunctors → 3rd/8th lords → most malicious planet
    The 2nd house is stronger than the 7th for death. Saturn conjoined with death-house lords takes precedence over all.
  5. The Saturn transit formula: Saturn + Jupiter + Sun + Moon longitudes = death-sensitive point
    Saturn's 1st/2nd/3rd transit over this point corresponds to Alpayu/Madhyayu/Purnayu death timing.
  6. This is advanced material requiring experienced judgment — not for casual prediction
    Death prediction should be approached with extreme responsibility. Raman refers to his detailed work "How to Judge a Horoscope" for more examples.

In Part 14, we step back from this intense material to learn the general art of horoscope judgment — the meta-rules that govern all prediction: how trine lords always produce good, how benefics owning quadrants paradoxically become evil, and the key principles for assessing marriage, children, parents, and overall fortune.

Based on

Hindu Predictive Astrology

by B.V. Raman | First published 1938 | UBS Publishers' Distributors Ltd.