Hindu Predictive Astrology Part 23: Source and Nature of Death
Having established when death occurs (Parts 13 & 22), this chapter reveals the how, where, and what comes after. It integrates astrology with Ayurveda through the Tridosha system and extends into the metaphysical territory of past/future births and final liberation.
Part 23 of 31 • Applied Prediction • Covers: Book Chapter XXV — Source and Nature of Death
Death does not come suddenly; neither does birth take place so. Some mysterious and subtle power controls the various phases of human existence, operating in a definite order and often transcending reason.
By ascertaining the nature and source of death beforehand, it may be possible to prevent many catastrophes. Raman also notes that yoga and other remedies prescribed by the ancient Maharshis may, according to some, prolong life.
The Disease That Causes Death
The planet in the 8th house (or aspecting it, or its lord) determines the disease. The body part affected is that represented by the 8th house sign under the Kalapurusha system (Part 21). The priority for determining the death-disease planet is: (1) planet occupying the 8th, (2) planet aspecting the 8th, (3) lord of the 8th.
| Planet | Specific Diseases Causing Death | Tridosha (Humour) |
|---|---|---|
| ☉ Sun | Fevers, apoplexy, paralysis | Bile / Heat |
| ☽ Moon | Watery diseases, drowning, loose motions, diarrhoea, dysentery, blood impurities | Wind & Bile |
| ♂ Mars | Pneumonia, cholera, plague, epidemics, haemorrhage, bronchitis, abortion, gun-shot accidents, surgical operations | Bile / Heat |
| ☿ Mercury | Brain fever, smallpox, ague, nervous disorders, sleeping sickness, kala-azar, whooping cough, assaults | Wind, Phlegm & Bile |
| ♃ Jupiter | Mental worry, unknown diseases, pleurisy, liver disease, lung inflammation, heart failure, spasms | Phlegm |
| ♀ Venus | Excessive thirst, fasting, excessive heating, syphilis, gonorrhoea | Phlegm & Wind |
| ♄ Saturn | Suffocation, burns, rheumatic fever, paralysis, melancholia, consumption | Wind |
Accidental and Unnatural Death Combinations
| Combination | Mode of Death |
|---|---|
| Sun and Mars in 10th and 4th | Stone-throwing injuries |
| Saturn, Moon, Mars in 4th, 7th, 10th | Drowning or falling into a well |
| Sun and Moon in Virgo with/aspected by malefics | Drinking poison or being poisoned |
| Mars and Saturn afflicted | Suffocation |
| Saturn in Taurus + malefic | Hanging |
| Saturn aspects Sun/Moon rising | Death in prison |
| Saturn in quadruped sign + Sun | Shipwreck, building collapse, fall from heights |
| Saturn in Cancer, Moon in Capricorn | Dropsy |
| Moon in Mars sign/Virgo hemmed by malefics | Emaciation of body |
| Moon in Capricorn/Aquarius hemmed by malefics | Suicide or fall from mountain |
| Two malefics in 5th and 9th, no benefic aspects | Death in prison |
| Mars + Sun in 4th, Saturn in 10th | Crucifixion |
| Mars, Sun, Saturn in 4th, 7th, 10th | Fire and weapons |
| Saturn, Moon, Mars in 2nd, 4th, 10th | Insect bites or body wounds |
| Saturn in 8th + weak Moon aspected by Mars | Surgical operation, piles, fistula |
The 22nd Drekkana Method
The 22nd drekkana (decanate) from the Ascendant — which is the first drekkana of the 8th house — declares the cause of death. Its lord kills the person by the disease attributed to that planet (see table above).
The place where death occurs is determined by the sign occupied by the lord of the Navamsa in which the Ascendant falls:
| ☉ Sun | Temple, forest, religious institution |
| ☽ Moon | Fertile place with green vegetation, garden |
| ♂ Mars | Hospital, operation room, special wards |
| ☿ Mercury | Playground, sports club, gambling den |
| ♃ Jupiter | Treasury, public office, court, lawyer's house |
| ♀ Venus | Rich flats, apartments, nursing homes |
| ♄ Saturn | Dirty places, dens of prostitutes |
Period of Unconsciousness Before Death
The duration of unconsciousness before death equals the time of oblique ascension of the remaining portion of the rising sign below the horizon. This is doubled if the Ascendant lord aspects the birth, and trebled if benefics aspect it.
Remaining degrees: 30° − 25° = 5°
Gemini's full duration at 28°N: 5 ghatis
Time for 5°: (5/30) × (5/6) ghatis = 50 vighatis
= 50/60 × 2/5 hours = ⅓ hour = 20 minutes
Mercury (lord of Gemini) aspects Lagna → double:
20 × 2 = 40 minutes unconscious before death.
Nature of Cremation or Burial
Determined by the element of the 22nd drekkana (first decanate of the 8th house):
Fiery Drekkana
Body cremated and turned to ashes
Watery Drekkana
Body thrown into rivers or tanks
Neither Fire nor Water
Body uncared for, dissolved by atmospheric forces
Past and Future Births: The Four Lokas
The past birth is determined by the ruler of the decanate occupied by the stronger of the Sun or Moon. The future birth is determined by the strongest planet in the 6th, 7th, or 8th houses (or if none, by the strongest decanate rising in those houses):
| Decanate Lord | Loka (World) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ♃ Jupiter | Deva Loka | World of Immortals (celestial realm) |
| ☽ Moon / ♀ Venus | Pitru Loka | World of Manes (ancestral realm) |
| ☉ Sun / ♂ Mars | Tiryag Loka | World of Lower Animals |
| ♄ Saturn / ☿ Mercury | Naraka Loka | Infernal Regions |
The status in the previous birth (high, mediocre, or low) corresponds to whether the lord of that drekkana is exalted, ordinary, or debilitated.
One is said to secure Moksha or final emancipation if Jupiter occupies the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th, or 10th from the Ascendant. According to the Sastras, Moksha or highest spiritual bliss is to be sought in preference to all other states of existence.
Key Takeaways
- The planet in/aspecting/owning the 8th house determines the death-causing disease via the Tridosha system
Priority: occupant > aspecting planet > lord. Multiple planets = multiple humour imbalances. - 15 specific accidental death combinations are given — check for them in every chart
Mars + Saturn afflicted = suffocation. Moon hemmed by malefics in Capricorn/Aquarius = suicide. Saturn aspecting luminaries = prison death. - The 22nd Drekkana (1st decanate of 8th house) determines cause, place, and disposition of the body
Fiery drekkana = cremation. Watery = immersion. Neither = dissolution by elements. - Place of death comes from the sign of the Navamsa Lagna lord's Rasi dispositor
Sun = temple/forest. Mars = hospital. Jupiter = court/office. Venus = nursing home. Saturn = dirty places. - Past and future births are mapped to four Lokas via the decanate lords of Sun/Moon and 6th-7th-8th houses
Jupiter = Deva Loka. Moon/Venus = Pitru Loka. Sun/Mars = Tiryag Loka. Saturn/Mercury = Naraka Loka. - Jupiter in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th, or 10th from Ascendant = Moksha (final emancipation)
The highest spiritual attainment, to be sought above all other states of existence.
In Part 24, we study the Ashtakavarga System — an elegant mathematical framework that assigns numerical "bindus" (points) to each sign for each planet, enabling precise transit predictions and longevity calculations.
Based on
Hindu Predictive Astrology
by B.V. Raman | First published 1938 | UBS Publishers' Distributors Ltd.