Mental Health Case (1982, Pisces Lagna) — D30 Mercury Bhadaka in Lagna, Sri Rama Remedy (Sun+Mercury Combined) & Why Mahavidyas Are Not for Material Well-Being

Example chart

Lagna: Pisces, about 12½°.

What the student brought

• The native finished a degree and a post-graduate degree in finance, then started a bachelor's in medicine. It is "going up and down" and is not complete.
• He now has a mental affliction and is in hospital.
• Running Sun–Jupiter in Vimshottari; Sun–Saturn starts next (27 April).
• The student had told him to wear yellow sapphire for health and wanted the class to check that. He also had a doubt about the Dasamsa.

Birth time

• If the time is 1 minute 4 seconds earlier, the lagna drops below 12° and the D10 lagna changes from Pisces to Aquarius. D30 changes too.
• The student kept Pisces because D30 with this time was the only chart that tallied with the present hospitalisation. The teacher went with it: "if it makes sense with Pisces, we can move on."

Sun and Mercury are the troublemakers

• Rasi: Sun (6th lord) and Mercury (4th and 7th lord — 7th is the badhaka sthana for a dual lagna) are together in Taurus, the 3rd house. Taurus is the Arudha Lagna. 6th lord and badhaka lord on AL hurt the health of the tangible self.
• Trimsamsa (D30): lagna is again Pisces, so Sun and Mercury are again 6th lord and badhaka lord — and here they sit in lagna itself, "which is even worse."
• Shashthamsa (D6): lagna Sagittarius. Sun is the 9th lord in lagna — better. Mercury is in the 2nd, "not too bad, but again he is badhaka lord."
• Mercury is badhaka lord in all three charts, afflicting lagna in one and Arudha Lagna in another.
• Periods of concern: Sun dasha–Mercury antardasha and Mercury dasha–Sun antardasha. He is in Sun dasha now, and during it the results given may be Mercury's.

6th lord in the 3rd is not automatically good

A student said 6th lord in the 3rd should be good. The teacher:

• 6th lord in the 3rd is good for lagna. But here he is not alone and not with the 8th or 12th lord. He is with the badhaka lord, a kendra lord.
• For Viparita Raja Yoga you need the 3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th lords together. Sun with Mercury is not that.
• "Badhaka lord is badhaka lord," whichever house he is in.
• 6th lord in Arudha Lagna is one negative factor. Do not jump to conclusions — not everyone with the 6th or 8th lord in AL falls ill in that dasha. It depends on the divisional charts.

The rule for mental instability

A student asked whether Moon should also be afflicted.

"For mental stability, either Moon or Mercury have to be afflicted. Because Mercury is the planet of the whole nervous system and the overall balance. He is the earthy element — the balance, the groundedness."

• Moon is the manah karaka. One of the two has to be afflicted.
• Here Mercury is the badhaka lord in the lagna of Trimsamsa. "You don't even have to look at Rasi."
• General form: if Mercury is badhakesha, 6th lord or 8th lord and afflicts lagna or Moon, there is some problem with the nervous system and the stability of the person. "That itself is enough."

Mental-Health Case — Career from the Dasamsa

All placements in this part are in D10 (lagna Pisces).

The student's doubt

• Jupiter is in his own sign in the 10th with Saturn. The student had predicted a job in Sun–Saturn, coming from Jupiter and Saturn — finance or teaching. Nothing links to medicine. That did not convince the native.
• The teacher: this is not a known past that fails to fit. It is a prediction that looks implausible against what he is doing now. "His career is just starting… who knows, this person may actually end up being a teacher."

Reading the D10

• 10th house is strong: Jupiter and Saturn in Sagittarius, both retrograde. Jupiter is lagna lord and 10th lord in the 10th — Hamsa yoga. Teaching, or a field shown by Jupiter. Jupiter and Sagittarius can both show finance.
• Sun is the 6th lord (service) and shows medicine. He is with Venus, an important graha for the medical profession, so Sun wants to give a medical career. But he is in Taurus, an inimical sign, and Venus there is strong in his own sign as 3rd and 8th lord — breaks in work, instability, contract work. Sun is not strong, so the medical career will not be strong.
• A student quoted a rule from a Dasamsa article: a planet in a fiery sign gives results easily; in an airy sign obstacles must be bitten through; in an earthy sign a lot of effort. Sun is in an earthy sign.
• Verdict: he may study medicine and try a medical career in Sun dasha, and then move on. Teaching is more likely — medicine or finance, or a niche that joins the two. "He will have a successful career." It will come late: "related to teaching rather than cutting bodies with a knife."

A8 in the 10th house

A student asked what A8 with Jupiter means.

• A8 is in Sagittarius, the 10th. In general that is not good: changes, disturbance and instability in career.
• A8 is in a kendra from AL (AL is in Gemini). This is harmony between the image and an inauspicious arudha, so it is not auspicious in itself.
• The planet in A8 decides. Judge whether that planet is a functional benefic or malefic from lagna, not from A8.

"A8 can either mean sudden rise, sudden unexpected opportunity, or it can also mean a big fall. Here with a good planet being in A8, what Jupiter wants to give is sudden good breaks in the career."

• A9 (Bhagyapada) is in lagna. Its lord Jupiter is associated with A8. When Jupiter gets control: a sudden blooming of fortune through something he did not expect.
• Saturn in A8 is bad. He is a significator of the 8th, shows trouble and hard work, and owns the 12th, the house of losses. He is a functional malefic. (The teacher first called him badhakesha and withdrew it.)
• Jupiter and Saturn exchange results. Saturn's results come in Jupiter's antardasha — the negative side of A8. Jupiter's results come in Saturn's periods — the positive side.
• So: a sudden good development in career is expected in the year after 27 April (Sun–Saturn). Later Saturn dasha and Saturn antardashas are also auspicious for him.

The dashas ahead

• Moon dasha: so-so. Moon is the 5th lord in the 8th, his marana karaka sthana. He is in A5 (recognition) but with UL (compromise, loss). 5th is recognition, not the work itself. Moon in the 8th is frustration at not getting recognition, and a change. A switch of career is likely in Moon–Moon or Moon–Jupiter.
• Mars dasha: good. Mars is the 9th lord with Mercury (4th and 7th lord) in Cancer, a functional benefic in the 2nd from AL. Jupiter in Sagittarius has a three-quarter graha aspect on Mars in the 8th sign from him, the two are friends, and they own the 9th and 10th. So Mars dasha — Mars–Jupiter above all — gives some of Jupiter's results.
• Jupiter dasha comes very late in life. He works through his antardashas and through planets he influences.
• The next 12–13 years are not good. He will not settle easily. Instability first, settling late.
• Switching to teaching is unlikely in Sun dasha. In Moon dasha a change is likely.

Mental-Health Case — Gemstone and Mantras

Which stone

• Ruby — no. Sun is karaka for health but here he is the 6th lord, with the badhaka lord. The student had already given only propitiation for Sun, no gemstone.
• Emerald — no. Mercury is badhaka lord. "Those planets are quite malefic. They are troublemakers. So you only propitiate them. You do not wear their gemstone."
• The three trine lords are Jupiter, Moon and Mars.
  • Mars: in the 7th, the badhaka sthana, with Saturn, aspecting lagna. Not good.
  • Moon / pearl: 5th lord in the 6th can carry purva punya into health. But in D6 he is the 8th lord. "It's dicey" — not recommended.
  • Diamond — never, though Venus is the Arudha Lagna lord. He has bad significations in Rasi, Shashthamsa and Trimsamsa.
• Yellow sapphire — yes. Jupiter is badly placed in the 8th in Rasi, but he is the lagna lord and wants to rescue the person.
  • Right-hand ring finger. Keeping the body healthy is its dharma, so the stone is worn for dharma, not artha, kama or moksha.
  • Set in gold, not silver.
  • Put it on a Thursday morning soon after sunrise, after praying to Jupiter.
• The student chose a stone because the native will not sit and pray on his own.

The stone is a good idea, not a great one

• Jupiter's leverage on Sun and Mercury in this chart is limited.
• The teacher's picture: enemies are conspiring against you, and you bring a well-wisher to live in your house. If he has no influence over them he cannot do much.

"It is a good idea, but not a great idea. Propitiation is a much better idea."

• Sun is so bad here that "you have to kneel down before him and say, please spare me."

Surya ashtakshari

• Aditya Hridayam or any Surya mantra is good — every day, or at least every Sunday. If Aditya Hridayam is too long: Om Ghrinih Surya Adityah.
• It is in the Surya Upanishad, which says Manu got this mantra from Surya.
• Eight syllables: Om (1), Ghri-nih (2), Sur-yah (2), A-di-tyah (3).
• With sandhi the visarga drops and it becomes "Surya Aditya", said without a break. Or keep it as four separate words. Putting a break in the sandhi form is wrong. Some add Om or Hrim; the teacher recommends the Upanishad form.
• Most mantras are in the fourth case — "to you, I bow" (Ramaya, Gurave, Vishnave namah). This one is in the first case. It does not pray. It declares. Its purpose is to give strength of the soul, inner strength.
• Use it for health, and for weakness in the houses Sun signifies: lagna, 9th and 10th.
• Father or mother can do it for him. Best if he does it himself.

One mantra for Sun and Mercury together

A student proposed addressing Sun and Mercury together, since Sun is not the only problem. The teacher called this very logical.

• Among the devatas of Sun is Rama. Rama is also a Vishnu avatara, which satisfies Mercury.
• The mantra: Sri Rama Rama Rama — the Amrita mantra of Ramachandra, seven syllables. By the shloka "Sri Rama Rama Rameti…" it is held equal to reciting Vishnu Sahasranama.
• One hour every day, sitting continuously, by him or by someone for him. Take the sankalpa, at least mentally, that it is for this person's health.

Palana Devata — and Why Not the Mahavidyas

Finding the devata

The devata who looks after material needs is seen from the 6th from the Amatyakaraka in Navamsa.

• Amatyakaraka is Mercury. In D9 he is in Gemini.
• 6th from Gemini is Scorpio. Its lords are Mars and Ketu.
• Mars is stronger. He is in Pisces, Jupiter's sign, with rasi drishti from Jupiter (Sagittarius) and from Mercury and Moon (Gemini). Ketu is alone in Libra.
• Suggestions from the class: Kartikeya, Hanuman, Narasimha. The teacher added Bagalamukhi, Chamunda, Pratyangira or Narasimhi as possible.
• Mars is in Jupiter's sign, so Jupiter's influence dominates. Final pick: Hanuman. Kartikeya is also good.
• If he does Sri Rama Rama Rama, Hanuman is pleased anyway. No separate mantra is needed.

"If he or somebody for him does Sri Rama Rama Rama for an hour every day, his material needs will be reasonably taken care of and his health will be taken care of."

Must it be a form of the Mother?

A student asked whether this devata must be female.

• No. There is such a teaching — the logic being that it is the mother who feeds you — and it was taught as "the palana devata should be one of the Dasa Mahavidyas." The teacher does not see the justification.
• There are lower forms of the Mother whose specific purpose is your livelihood and keeping you materially blessed.

"Mahavidyas are not at all for that purpose. They are not for keeping you materially successful. Their purpose is, if necessary, to take away everything from you but give you the highest knowledge — moksha, the brahma jnana."

• So suggesting a Mahavidya as palana devata is not wise. Suggesting a Mahavidya as Ishta devata is logical.
• Vishnu avataras for Ishta devata is also only the convention of one tradition. Parasara mentions all devatas in the context of the 12th from Atmakaraka.
• "You can suggest anybody."