Chapter 5: Balarishta — Early Death

If, at the time of birth of a child the rising sign be not aspected by the Moon, the father will not be near when the child is born — and if in such a case, the Sun should occupy the 9th or the 8th house, the father would be in a foreign country if the house be a movable sign ; in his own country if the house be a fixed sign ; and would be returning to his country if the house be a common sign.

If, at the time of birth, Saturn be in the rising sign or Mars in the setting sign, or the Moon between («) Mercury and Venus, the father will not be near.

If, at the time of birth, the Moon be in the Drek- kana of Mars and if benefic planets be in the 2nd and llth houses from the rising sign, the issue will be a serpent. If the sign (£)of a malefic planet be the ascendant sign, and if the Drekkana of Mars should then be rising, and if benefic planets occupy the 2nd and the llth houses the CH. V.] Brihat Jdtakd. 41 issue will be a child born with a serpent coiled round its body.

If, at the time of birth, the Sun be in a quadruped sign and the other planets be all powerful and in the common signs, the issue will be twins.

If, at the time of birth, Aries, Leo or Taurus be the rising sign, and if Saturn or Mars be in such sign, the issue will be a child born with the umbilical cord twined round the part of body indicated by the rising Navainsa («).

If Jupiter, at the time of birth, fail to aspect both the ascendant sign and the Moon or the Moon when in conjunction with the Sun, or if the Moon be in conjunction with the Sun when he is accompanied by a malefic planet, the issue will be an illegitimate child.

If, at the time of birth, two malefic planets («) occupy one of the malefic signs ($)aud if such sign be the 5th, 7th, or the 9th house from the Sun, the father of the child will be in custody at the time. If the Sun occupy a movable sign, the father will be so in foreign lands ; if he occupy a fixed sign, the father will be in custody in his own country ; and if he occupy a common sign, the father will be so on his way to his native country.

If the Moon be full and in Cancer, if Mercury be in the rising sign and Jupiter in the 4th house, the birth will occur in a boat. Again, if the watery signs begin to rise and if the Moon be in the 7th house, then, too, the birth will occur in a boat.

If a watery sign begin to rise, birth will certainly occur on the banks of waters, if (1), the Moon be also in a watery sign, or (2), if the Moon be full and aspect the ris- ing sign, or (3), if the Moon be in the 10th or 4th house or in the L/agna.

If the Moon occupy the rising sign and if Saturn occupy the 12th house and be aspected by a malefic planet, the birth will occur in a prison. Again, if either Scorpio or Cancer begin to rise and be occupied by Sa- turn and aspected by the Moon, the birth will occur in a ditch. CH. V.] Brihat Jdtakd. 43 U. If a watery sign begin to rise and if Saturn occupy it and be aspected by Mercury, the Sun, or the Moon, the birth will occur respectively in a pleasure house, a temple or sterile ground.

If a biped sign be rising, and if Saturn occupy it and be aspected by Mars, the birth will be in cremation ground ; if aspected by Venus and the Moon, the birth will occur in some beautiful and agreeable spot ; if as- pected by Jupiter, then in the Agnihotra Sala ; if as- pected by the Sun, then in the King's palace or a temple or a cow shed ; and if aspected by Mercury, the birth will occur in an artist's working room. NOTES; A place where the sacred fire is kept and worshipped. .13. The birth will occur in places represented by the rising sign or Navamsa, whichever is powerful. If such sign or Navamsa be a movable one, the birth will occur in roads ; if fixed, then within a building (3). If the rising Navamsa be a Vargottama one, the birth will be in the mother's own house.

If, at the time of birth, Mars and Saturn oc- cupy a single sign, and if the Sun or the Moon occupy the 5th or the 9th house from them, the child will be deserted by its mother ; but if the Sun or the Moon be aspected by Jupiter, the child, though abandoned by its mother, will live long and in comfort.

If a malefic planet (a] aspect the Moon in the rising sign, Mars occupying the 7th house, or if Mars and Saturn occupy the llth house from the Moon when in the rising sign aspected by a malefic planet (6) the child deserted by its mother will die. If the Moon be also aspected by a powerful benefic planet, the deserted child will fall into the hands of the class of men repre- sented by the aspecting benefic planet and will live. If the aspecting malefic planet be powerful, the deserted child will fall into the hands of others and will perish.

If a paternal planet be powerful, the birth will occur in the father's house (a] ; if a maternal planet be powerful, the birth will occur in the mother's house ; if three benefic planets be in their depression signs the birth will occur at the foot of walls, trees and the like; and if the three planets occupying a single sign fail to aspect the Lagna and the Moon also occupying a single sign, the birth will occur in a forest (<tf),

If the Moon occupy the Navamsa of Saturn or the 4th house from the Lagna, or if she be aspected by Saturn, or if she occupy a watery Navainsa (3) or the same house as Saturn, the birth will occur in a dark spot. If three or more planets be in their Neecha signs (d}, the birth will occur on the bare ground. The birth will follow the manner in which the rising sign reaches the horizon (/). If malefic planets occupy the 4th or 7th house, from the Moon the mother will suffer much from travail. JfOTES. Yavanachariar uses the word Kendfa, meaning the 1st, 4th, 7th and the 10th houses. (£) Water Navamsas are those of Cancer and Pisces. If the Sun be powerful and be aspected by Mars, there will be no darkness. According to Saravali, if the Moon occupy the Lagna or the 4th house and be in his depression sign, the birth will also occur on the bare ground. On ground covered with straw according to the Commentator. (/) That is, if the sign be one that rises with its head, then the head of the child will appear first ; if the sign be one that rises with its leg, the leg of the child will appear first ; and if it be one that rises with both its head and leg, as sign Pisces, the hands will appear first. According to certain Commentators, this part of the text is interpreted as follows : " If the lord of the rising sign be in his direct course, the birth will be a natural one ; and if in his retrograde motion) the birth will be an irregular one." This meaning has the support of Manittha. (£) Or if malefic planets occupy .the same sign as the Moon, the mother will suffer from travail. CH. V.] BriJiat JdtaM. 47

The oil shall be determined from the Moon, the wick from the rising sign (<5) ; the fixed or other nature of the lamp shall be determined from the sign occu- pied by the Sun. The entrance to the room will be in the direction of the powerful planet occupying a Kendra or in that of the most powerful planet.

If Saturn be powerful, the birth will occur in a house which, having become old, has been rebuilt. If Mars be powerful, the birth will occur in a house partly burnt ; if the Moon be powerful, then, in a newly built house ; if the Sun be powerful, the birth will occur in a house built of wood but weak ; if Mercury be powerful, then in a house built by several builders ; if Venus be powerful, then in a beautiful new house adorned with pictures ; and if Jupiter be powerful, the birth will occur in a strong built house. The houses on the four sides shall be described similarly by the planets in the Rasi Chakra (£).

If either the ascendant sign, or the ascendant Navamsa, (whichever is powerful) be that of Aries, Cancer, Libra, Scorpio, or Aquarius, the delivery room will be in the eastern portion of the house ; if it be that of Sagittari, Pisces, Gemini or Virgo, then in the northern portion of the house ; if it be that of Taurus, then in the western portion; and if it be that of Capricorn or Leo, the delivery room will be in the southern portion of the house.

If the rising sign be Aries or Taurus, the bed of the woman in labour will be in the eastern portion of the room ; if the rising sign be Gemini, it will be in the south eastern portion ; if Cancer or Leo, then in the south- ern portion ; and if Virgo, then in the south-western portion ; if Libra or Scorpio, then in the western portion ; and if Sagittari, then in the north-western portion; if 7 Capricorn or Aquarius be the rising sign, the bed will be i.n the northern portion of the room, and if Pisces be the rising sign, it will be in the north-eastern portion of the room, The same rule applies as regards the place in the bed or cot, where the woman might lie. As regards the cot, again, its two front legs occupy the quarters assigned to the 12th and the 3rd houses from the ascendant and its two hind legs occupy the quarters assigned to the 6th and the 9th houses.

The number of midwives will be the number of the planets between the rising sign and the Moon. Of these planets, the number of those in the visible hemi- sphere will be the number of midwives outside the room, and the number of planets in the invisible hemisphere *CH. V.] Brihat Jdtakd. si will be the number of mid wives inside the room. Accord- ing to some, this order is reversed,

The structure £>ud other peculiarities («) of the body shall be determined from the lord of the rising Na- vamsa or from the most powerful planet ; and the color of the body shall be determined from the (lord of the) Navamsa occupied by the Moon ; and the size of the several parts of the body will follow the signs repre- senting them, beginning from the rising sign which repre- sents the head,