BPHS Ch.35 Nabhasa Yogas (32 Sky-Pattern Yogas): Asraya=Raju(All Chara)+Musala(All Sthira)+Nala(All Dvisva); Dala=Mala(Benefics in 3 Kendras)+Sarpa(Malefics in 3 Kendras); Akriti=20 Shape Yogas (Gada/Sakata/Vihanga/Sringataka/Hala/Vajra/Yava/Kamala/Vapi+11 more); Sankhya=7 Number Yogas (Vallaki=7H to Gola=1H); Priority: Asraya>Dala>Akriti>Sankhya
Nabhasa yogas = "sky patterns" — formed purely by zodiacal sign positions of 7 classical planets in D1 only; no dignity/strength consideration; 32 yogas with 1800 variations. Four types: (1) Asraya (3) — sign modality: Raju = all planets in Chara (movable = Aries/Cancer/Libra/Capricorn) = constant travel, relocation; Musala = all in Sthira (fixed = Taurus/Leo/Scorpio/Aquarius) = perseverance, immovability, deep roots; Nala = all in Dvisva (dual = Gemini/Virgo/Sag/Pisces) = channel/transmitter, versatile, mediator. (2) Dala (2) — Mala = natural benefics in 3 Kendras (4/7/10) = garland; blessed in home/marriage/career environments; Sarpa = natural malefics in 3 Kendras = snake bites; difficult environments in key areas ("not destruction — life bites back; strong lagna lord can still navigate"). (3) Akriti (20) — shapes: Gada (2 consecutive Kendras = mace; concentrated power); Sakata (1st+7th = wheel; self-other axis revolves); Vihanga (4th+10th = bird; spans private to public life; "10th = midday sky, 4th = Patala underworld; bird traverses full vertical axis"); Sringataka (1/5/9 = three peaks; trikona emphasis; fortune and purva punya dominate); Hala (3/7/11 = plow; must labor hard; persistent striving); Vajra (benefics 1+7, malefics 4+10 = good birth/death, hard middle); Yava (malefics 1+7, benefics 4+10 = good middle, hard beginning/end); Kamala (all 4 Kendras = lotus; all-directional strength); Vapi (3/6/11 = reservoir; slow upachaya accumulation); Yupa/Sara/Shakti/Danda (consecutive half-charts 1-4/4-7/7-10/10-1); Nauka/Kutha (first/second half of chart); Chakra/Samudra (alternating houses). (4) Sankhya (7) — occupied houses count: Vallaki=7 houses (veena; harmonious, diverse), Dama=6 (cord; moderate), Pasha=5 (noose; entangled), Kedara=4 (field; hard-working), Shola=3 (thorn; specialized), Yuga=2 (yoke; paired), Gola=1 (ball; maximum concentration, no breadth). Priority when multiple co-present: Asraya > Dala > Akriti > Sankhya. "Nabhasa yogas give background texture — they modify but don't override Ch.34 functional benefic/malefic rules."
"These Nabhasa yogas are sky patterns — the shape the planets make in the horoscope by their zodiacal positions alone. No dignity, no house, no friendship. Just: where are the planets? A Vihanga yoga person has all planets in the 4th and 10th houses. The 10th is the midday sky — the highest point. The 4th is Patala — the underworld, the midnight sun. The bird traverses from sky to underworld and back. That is their life. Two worlds, always moving between home and the outer world, seeing both."
— P.V.R. Narasimha Rao
BPHS Ch.35 — Nabhasa Yogas: Overview
"Nabhasa" = "in the sky" (Nabha = sky/atmosphere)
Definition: Yogas formed purely by the zodiacal placement (sign positions) of planets — not by dignity, exaltation, friendship, or other quality. Pure pattern/configuration in the sky.
Key distinctions:
- Applicable only in Rasi chart (D1) — based on physical planetary positions
- NOT applied in divisional charts
- Do not depend on strength, dignity, or functional nature
- Simply: "where are all the planets placed?"
Total: 32 Nabhasa Yogas (but PVNR notes Parashara says there are 1,800 variations when accounting for which planets occupy positions)
PVNR:
— PVNR"Ch.34 closes by saying there are other yogas that can override benefic/malefic determinations — Ch.35 delivers on that promise. These are Nabhasa Yogas — sky-patterns that can strengthen or modify the results of any chart."
Classification (4 main types):
- Asraya Yogas (3) — based on sign modality (movable/fixed/dual)
- Dala/Tala Yogas (2) — based on benefics vs. malefics in Kendra houses
- Akriti Yogas (20) — based on geometric shapes/patterns of all planets
- Sankhya Yogas (7) — based on number of occupied houses
Asraya Yogas (3) — Sign Modality Yogas
Condition: All 7 classical planets occupy a single modality class
Raju Yoga
- All planets in Chara (movable) signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn
- "Raju" = rope, noose, thread
- Result: Person always moving, traveling; never stays in one place; life is like a rope — stretched, always going somewhere
- Restlessness, constant movement, frequent relocations
- If negative emphasis: like a noose — pulled by circumstances from place to place
Musala Yoga
- All planets in Sthira (fixed) signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius
- "Musala" = pestle (grinding tool); also "fortress"
- Result: Firmly established; great perseverance; will not move even under pressure
- Stays put; loyal; determined; can be stubborn
- Positive: great endurance, deep roots, long career in one field
Nala Yoga
- All planets in Dvisva (dual/mutable) signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces
- "Nala" = pipe, tube, hollow reed (things that transmit/flow through)
- Result: Adaptable; good communicator; transmits ideas/teachings; person serves as a channel
- Versatile; can shift between roles; good mediators
- PVNR note: "Dual signs = the priest-scholar-administrator of the zodiac; dual yoga = life as transmitter"
Dala/Tala Yogas (2) — Benefic/Malefic in Kendras
Condition: Natural benefics OR natural malefics in the 3 angular (Kendra) houses other than lagna (i.e., 4th, 7th, 10th)
Note: 3 Kendras because lagna is always occupied by at least the lagna-point; so 3 available
Mala Yoga
- Natural benefics (Jupiter, Venus, waxing Moon, unafflicted Mercury) occupy 3 Kendra houses (4th, 7th, 10th)
- "Mala" = garland of flowers
- Result: Auspicious; blessed life; good fortune; things come garlanded with benefits
- Person surrounded by supportive people; gracious outcomes; beauty in circumstances
Sarpa Yoga (Bhujanga Yoga)
- Natural malefics (Sun, Mars, Saturn, waning Moon, Rahu, Ketu) occupy the 3 Kendra houses
- "Sarpa" = snake; "Bhujanga" = great serpent
- Result: Difficult; circumstances bite; hardship in environments; surrounded by challenging energies in key life areas (home, marriage, career)
- PVNR: "Sarpa yoga doesn't mean destruction — it means life bites back. There are struggles in exactly those houses. But a strong lagna lord can still navigate."
Akriti Yogas (20) — Shape/Configuration Yogas
"Akriti" = form, shape, geometric pattern
All 7 planets must be within the specified houses to form the yoga. Counted from lagna.
Gada Yoga
- All planets in 2 consecutive Kendra houses (e.g., 1st+4th, or 4th+7th, or 7th+10th, or 10th+1st)
- "Gada" = mace (Vishnu's weapon); heavy, powerful, focused force
- Result: Person has concentrated strength; can strike hard in the area those two Kendras represent; powerful but narrow focus
Sakata Yoga
- All planets in 1st and 7th houses (axis of self vs. others)
- "Sakata" = cart, vehicle; also = wheel
- Result: Life revolves around the 1-7 axis; self and partners; relationships and desires dominate
- Can go back and forth between self-interest and other-interest like a wheel
- Also suggests communication (cart = conveying/transporting ideas)
Vihanga Yoga
- All planets in 4th and 10th houses (the vertical axis)
- "Vihanga" = bird (one who flies in the sky; free)
- Result: Person has a bird's-eye view; soars between home/private life and career/public life
- Strong in both home and profession; can see both worlds
- 10th = midheaven (sky/noon sun); 4th = Patala (underground/midnight) → the full vertical span
PVNR note on 10th/4th symbolism:
— PVNR"10th house = the sky at midday; the highest point the sun reaches. 4th house = Patala, the underworld, midnight sun. Vihanga yoga = bird who traverses from sky to underworld — the full vertical axis of existence."
Sringataka Yoga
- All planets in trine houses (1st, 5th, 9th)
- "Sringataka" = three peaks; also triangular military formation
- Result: Strongly Trikona emphasis; person works through blessings, purva punya, fortune, divine grace
- Life shaped by past karma (positive); things come without proportional effort
- Highly spiritual configuration
Hala Yoga
- All planets in trine houses from 11th house (= 11th, 3rd, 7th; the Upachaya/struggle trikonas)
- "Hala" = plow
- Result: Life like plowing — must work hard to achieve; person digs through obstacles; persistent labor
- The 3/7/11 axis: houses of desire, struggle, and gain → life centered on striving
Vajra Yoga
- Natural benefics in 1st and 7th + natural malefics in 4th and 10th
- "Vajra" = thunderbolt (Indra's weapon); diamond
- Result: Beginnings and ends blessed (birth/death, self/partners) but middle life has hardships; career and home present challenges
- Positive beginning and end of life; struggles in the middle career/domestic period
Yava Yoga
- Natural malefics in 1st and 7th + natural benefics in 4th and 10th
- "Yava" = barley grain (oval shape; middle is fat, ends are thin)
- Result: Opposite of Vajra — middle life blessed but beginning and end difficult; career and home flourish while self and relationships struggle
Remaining Akriti Yogas (listed by name)
PVNR provides names and brief definitions for the remaining 13:
| Yoga Name | Pattern | Key Result |
|---|---|---|
| Kamala | All planets in 4 Kendra houses | Lotus-like; all-directional strength; Lakshmi yoga |
| Vapi | All planets in 3/6/11 houses (Upachaya) | Reservoir/well; accumulates slowly but steadily; gains |
| Yupa | All planets in consecutive houses 1-4 | Sacrificial post; dedication, austerity, dharmic life |
| Sara | All planets in consecutive houses 4-7 | Arrow; sharp, direct, moves far; life focused outward |
| Shakti | All planets in consecutive houses 7-10 | Power/energy; strong in career half of life |
| Danda | All planets in consecutive houses 10-1 | Staff/rod; authority, command, discipline; position/status |
| Nauka | All planets in houses 1-7 (half chart) | Boat; life traverses the sea; public half dominant |
| Kutha | All planets in 7-1 (other half) | Pitcher/pot; private, withdrawn, inner life dominant |
| Chakra | All planets in 6 alternate houses | Wheel; cyclic events; good at rotational progress |
| Samudra | All planets in remaining 6 alternate houses | Ocean; vast, spread wide; expansive reach |
| Adhyajandra | All planets in 7 houses | Moon-like spread; moderate range; average yoga |
| Dhanusha | Bow-shaped distribution | Archer's yoga; strategic, aims far |
| Vajra (shape variant) | Diamond distribution | Reinforced results |
PVNR:
— PVNR"These 20 Akriti yogas are named for objects because the shape the planets make in the horoscope resembles that object. The object's symbolism gives the life result. A Nauka (boat) person's life is like a boat on the sea — always in motion on a vast medium."
Sankhya Yogas (7) — Number-of-Occupied-Houses Yogas
Sankhya = number, count
Condition: Count how many of the 12 houses are occupied by at least one planet
| Houses Occupied | Yoga Name | Meaning/Result |
|---|---|---|
| 7 houses occupied | Vallaki | Lute/veena — musical, artistic, harmonious life |
| 6 houses occupied | Dama | String/cord — somewhat bound; moderate; tied to duties |
| 5 houses occupied | Pasha | Noose/snare — bound by circumstances; entangled in obligations |
| 4 houses occupied | Kedara | Agricultural field — hard-working, agricultural/earth-oriented |
| 3 houses occupied | Shola | Needle/thorn — pointed, sharp, narrow focus; specialized |
| 2 houses occupied | Yuga | Yoke/epoch — paired existence; strong coupling between two areas |
| 1 house occupied | Gola | Ball/sphere — extremely concentrated; one-dimensional but intense |
Key teaching:
— PVNR"The fewer houses occupied, the more concentrated the energy — but also less versatility. Gola = one point: all energy in one area, extremely intense but no breadth. Vallaki = 7 houses occupied = life like a veena, with many strings making music. More spread = more harmony and range."
PVNR note:
- Most charts have 5-7 houses occupied (planets are never evenly spread because some move fast)
- Pasha and Yuga/Gola are rare; indicate unusual concentration
- In practice: identify which Sankhya yoga applies and use it as background color for the chart interpretation
Using Nabhasa Yogas in Practice
PVNR rules:
- Identify which Nabhasa yogas are present (a chart can have more than one type simultaneously — e.g., Musala + Mala)
- Multiple yogas = combine results
- Stronger yoga overrides weaker: Asraya > Dala > Akriti > Sankhya in priority
- Nabhasa yogas give the "background texture" — the overall flavor of life
- They do NOT override house-based functional benefic/malefic rules from Ch.34 — they MODIFY or add context
Example (PVNR):
— PVNR"A person with Sarpa yoga (malefics in 3 Kendras) will have difficult environments in home, marriage, career. But if their Vimshottari dasha lord is very strong and yogakaraka, they can navigate it. The Nabhasa yoga is the sea — the dasha lord is the boat."