Chapter 2: Planets and their varieties

It is through the Sun that a wise man ought to ascertain about a person's copper, gold, father, anything, auspicious, one's own self, happiness, prowess, courage, power, victory in war, service under the sovereign, glory, any work relating to the God Siva, trip to forest or mountainous regions, taking an active part in Homas or Yajnas, temple, acuteness and enthusiasm.

It is from the Moon that one ought to determine the welfare of the mother, mental tranquillity, sea-bath, white chowrie, umbrella, good fan, fruits, tenderness, flowers, corn, agriculture, fame, acquisition of pearls, bell-metal, silver, sweet substances, milk, etc., cloth, water, cows, women, good meals, bodily health and beauty.

It is through Mars that a person should ascertain his strength, products derived from the Earth, the qualities of his brothers, cruelty, battle, daring act, odium, kitchen, fire, gold, kindred, weapon, thieves, enemies, energy, attachment to females not his own, uttering falsehood, prowess, mental dignity (loftiness of thought), sin, commanding an army, and wounds.

It is Mercury that influences one's learning, eloquence, skill in the fine arts, eulogy from the learned, maternal uncle, dexterity in speech, cleverness in religious meditation and the like, aptness for acquiring knowledge, intelligence, sacrifice, any religious rite relating to Vishnu, truth - speaking, oyster-shell, place of recreation, skill in mechanical arts, relations, the rank of an heir-apparent, friends and one's sister's son or daughter, etc.

It is through Jupiter that one ought to seek information about one's knowledge, good qualities, sons, minister, behaviour, teaching, magnanimity, knowledge of Vedas, Sastras and Smritis, prosperity in everything, beatitude, reverence to Gods and Brahmins, sacrifice, penance, religious faith, treasure-house, wisdom (learning), conquering of the senses, happiness of the husband, honour and compassion.

Information regarding one's wealth, vehicles, cloths, ornaments, hoarded goods, triple symphony (union of song, dance and instrumental music), wife, happiness, scents, flowers, sexual intercourse, couch, house, prosperity, pleasure in poetry, addiction to many women, sport, lasciviousness, ministership, charming speech, marriage and festivity should be sought for through Venus.

As regards one's longevity, death, fear, degradation, misery, humiliation, sickness, poverty, labourer, reproach, sin, impurity, censure, misfortune, constancy, resorting to low people, buffalo, drowsiness, debts, iron, servitude, agricultural implements, jail and captivity, one ought to guess through Saturn.

The Sun is of a bilious temperament and is strong in bones in the body. He has a limited quantity of hair, and possesses a dark-red form. He has eyes of a reddish brown colour. He is clad in red and has a square-built body. He is valiant and wrathful, and has massive arms.

The Moon has a huge body, and is young as well as old ; he is lean and white ; has fine lovely eyes, black and thin hair. He governs blood. He is soft in speech, wears a white garment and is beautiful in complexion. He has wind and phlegm in his composition and is mild in temperament.

Mars has a slender waist, curled and shining hair. He has fierce eyes ; he is bilious and cruel in nature. He wears a red garment, and is of a reddish hue. He is wrathful but exceedingly generous. He has a youthful appearance and governs marrow in the body.

Mercury is green as the blade of Durva or panic grass. He is a mixture of the three humours (Vata - wind), (Pittha - bile) and (Kapha - phlegm). His body is full of veins. He is pleasant in his speech. He has red and long eyes and clad in green. He governs the skin, is fond of fun and possesses even limbs.

Jupiter has a body of yellowish hue. His eyes and hair are brown. He has got a fat and elevated chest and possesses a big body. He is phlegmatic in temperament and is exceedingly intelligent. His voice is similar to that of a lion or the sound of the conch. He is always after wealth. If [Sanskrit word] be the reading, the translation will be, "He governs fat."

Venus is clad in a garment of variegated colour. He has black curled hair. His limbs and body are huge. He has much wind and phlegm in his composition. His body has the colour of the Durva sprout. He is very lovely and has broad eyes. He has treasured his virile power.

Saturn is dark in form, lame, and has wind in his composition. He has got deep eyes, and a lean and tall body full of arteries and veins. He is idle, and is exceedingly calumniating. He governs the muscle in the body. He is cruel, and has no pity. He is dull-headed. He has got large nails, teeth, stiff hair and limbs. He is dirty and is of sinful disposition. He is fierce and is a personification of anger. He is ripe with old age and wears a black garment.

The following are the places frequented by the Sun : A temple belonging to Siva, an open area, an open place where there is light, a region destitute of water and the Eastern quarter. The Moon's abodes are the place where Goddess Parvati is kept, the spot occupied by a female, a place where there is water, a herb or plant, a spot where honey or liquor is kept and the North-west quarter. The places resorted to by thieves, or occupied by low people, one where there is fire, a battle-field and the Southern quarter are declared to belong to Mars. Mercury governs the places frequented by learned men, the spot where God Vishnu is kept, an assembly, a recreation ground, a mathematical hall and the Northern quarter.

The places belonging to Jupiter are : Treasury, the Aswattha (Pipul) tree, the dwellings of Gods and Brahmins, and the North-east quarter. The places of Venus are : courtesan's quarters, the harem, the dancing hall, the bed room, and the South-east quarter. Saturn's abodes are the lines where low people (out-casts) live, dirty places, Western quarter and the temple of the deity (Sasta-generally known as [Tamil word] in Tamil and analogous to [Kannada word] in Kannada). The places of Rahu and Ketu are : an ant-hill, the dark holes occupied by serpents and the South-western direction.

A worshipper of Siva, a physician, a king, a performer of a sacrifice, a minister, tiger, deer, and the ruddy goose, are signified by the Sun. One who worships (Sasta) deity, a female, a washerman, a cultivator, an aquatic animal, a hare, an antelope, crane and the Greek partridge are denoted by the Moon.

Matters relating to the cook (in the kitchen), an arms-bearer, a goldsmith, a ram, a cock, a jackal, a monkey, a vulture and a thief belong to Mars. A cowherd, a learned man, an artisan, a clever accountant, a Vishnu bhakta (worshipper of Vishnu), Garuda, a Chataka bird, a parrot and a cat are represented by Mercury.

An astrologer, a minister, a preceptor, a Brahmin, a Sanyasi-chief, an important personage, a pigeon, a horse and a swan relate to Jupiter. About a musician, a wealthy man, a sensualist, a merchant, a dancer, a weaver, a courtezan, a peacock, a buffalo, a parrot and a cow, one ought to ascertain through Venus.

An oil monger, a servant, a vile person, a hunter, a blacksmith, an elephant, a crow, and the cuckoo— these have to be assigned to Saturn. A Buddhist, a snake-catcher, an ass, a ram, a wolf, a camel, a serpent, a place enveloped in darkness and the like, a mosquito, a bug, an insect and an owl — all these should be declared to belong to Rahu and Ketu.

Mercury is the Sun's neutral; Saturn and Venus are his enemies. The Moon's friends are the Sun and Mercury; the rest are all neutrals to him. Mars' neutrals are Venus and Saturn, and Mercury is his enemy. The Moon is Mercury's enemy ; Venus and the Sun are his friends.

Venus and Mercury are the enemies of Jupiter; Saturn is neutral to him. Jupiter and Mars are neutral towards Venus. Saturn and Mercury are his friends. Jupiter is neutral towards Saturn. Venus and Mercury are his friends. In cases where certain planets have been omitted, they must be considered to fulfil the relationship that has not been mentioned.

Planets are mutually friendly for the time being when they occupy the 3rd, the 4th, the 2nd, the 10th, the 12th and the 11th from one another. Ascertain what planets are naturally friendly, what are naturally neutral and what are inimical and then deduce from these two kinds of friendship those that are very friendly and those that are very inimical. Saturn casts a full glance at the 3rd and 10th houses ; Jupiter at the 5th and 9th; and Mars at the 4th and 8th. All planets cast a quarter glance at the 3rd and 10th houses, half a glance at the 5th and 9th ; three-quarters of a glance at the 4th and 8th ; and a full eye at the 7th.

The planets from the Sun onwards sway over periods of half a year, a Muhurta (2 ghatikas), a day, two months, one month, 15 days and a year respectively. Venus and Jupiter are Brahmins; the Sun and Mars are Kshatriyas. The Moon is a Vaisya ; Mercury is the lord of the Sudra community. Saturn is the leader of the outcastes. The Moon, Jupiter and the Sun are planets typifying (Satva). Venus and Mercury are essentially the planets of Rajas or passion. Mars and Saturn own Tamas or darkness as their distinguishing characteristic. The lords of the six seasons reckoning from Greeshma are (1) The Sun and Mars, (2) The Moon, (3) Mercury, (4) Jupiter, (5) Saturn and (6) Venus.

The Sun and Venus are termed father and mother respectively of the child born in the day ; Saturn and the Moon, during the night. Failing to play the role of parents, each of these pairs of planets gets the designation of paternal uncle and maternal aunt. The Moon represents the left eye, while the Sun, the right one. Mars represents the youngest brother and Jupiter, the eldest one. Mercury denotes the adopted son.

The Moon represents the body, and the Sun, the soul. Mars and the other planets denote the five senses. The enemies of the Sun, viz., Rahu, Gulika and Ketu will cause trouble to the body and the soul. Mercury governs smell, (nose); Venus and the Moon, taste ; the Sun and Mars, govern sight ; Jupiter, sound. The rest, viz., Saturn, Rahu and Ketu govern touch.

The waning Moon, the Sun, Mars, Rahu, Ketu and Saturn are known as malefic planets. Mercury too in conjunction with any of them is malignant also. Ketu, Mercury, and Saturn are eunuchs. Venus, Rahu, and the Moon are females. The rest, viz., the Sun, Mars and Jupiter are males. Rudra (Siva), Amba (Parvati), Guha (Kumara), Vishnu, Brahman, Lakshmi, Kala (Yama), the serpent Adisesha and Brahman are the presiding deities of the planets from the Sun in their order. Fire, water, fire, earth, ether, water and air are the constituents respectively of the Sun and other planets taken in their order.

The Sun's grain is wheat ; the Moon's, rice ; the grain belonging to Saturn is sesamum ; that of Jupiter, Bengal gram ; that of Ketu, horsegram. The grain signified by Mars is Dhal. Mercury represents green gram ; Dolichos lablab or cowgram is denoted by Venus, and black gram by Rahu. The countries signified by the nine planets, Rahu, the Sun, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, the Moon, Ketu and Venus are respectively : (1) Ambara, (2) Kalinga, (3) Saurashtra, (4) Avanti, (5) Sindhu, (6) Magadha, (7) Yavana, (8) Parvata and (9) Keekata.

The ruby is the Sun's precious stone; the pure spotless pearl which is fit to be beautifully worn belongs to the Moon. Coral belongs to Mars. Mercury's precious stone is the emerald shaped like the bird Garuda. Topaz belongs to Jupiter. Venus owns diamond. Saturn's gem is the stainless sapphire. Agate and the Lapislazuli or Turkois are said to belong to the remaining planets Rahu and Ketu respectively.

The substances ascribed to the planets from the Sun onwards are copper, bell-metal, copper ore, lead, gold, silver and iron. The articles of apparel for the several planets will be such cloths as bear their respective colours. But the one belonging to Saturn is a rag while the one appropriate to Mars will be a cloth singed by fire.

Pungent, bitter, saltish, mixed, sweet, sour (acid) and astringent are the flavours respectively of the Sun, Mars, the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.

The Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars have their characteristic mark or token on the right side. The rest have their marks on the other side. The planets from the Sun onwards have marks on the hip, on the head, on the back, on the arm-pit, on the shoulder, on the face, and on the leg. The Sun is a person of 50 years. The Moon is one of 70 years; Mars is 16 years old. Mercury is a lad of 20 years. Jupiter is a person 30 years old. Venus is a child of 7 years. Saturn and Rahu are each 100 years old.

Rahu is black in colour, tall in stature, and of a low caste ; he has got skin-disease ; he is a heretic ; he has got hic-cough ; he speaks falsehood ; he is cunning ; he suffers from leprosy ; he reviles others and is devoid of intelligence.

Ketu has a red and fierce look, a venomous tongue, and an elevated body ; he is armed ; he is an outcast, of a smoky colour, and is inhaling smoke always ; he has bruised limbs ; he is lean and is malicious.

Lead and an old garment belong to Rahu, while a mud vessel and a mixed cloth of variegated colour have been allotted to Ketu. Mercury, Saturn and Venus are the friends of Rahu as well as Ketu. Mars is neutral to them. The rest are enemies.

Planets are said to be badly-placed when they are eclipsed, debilitated (occupy a depression sign or Amsa), when they are posited in the house of an enemy, or when they occupy the 8th, the 6th or the 12th house. In other positions, they are said to be well-placed. If the Moon be in the 12th, 11th, 1st, 6th, 5th, or the 7th house at the time of a query about water in a big irrigation project, increase of water can safely be predicted.

The Sun represents trees that are inwardly strong and at the same time tall. The Moon and Venus indicate creeping plants. Ketu and Rahu signify a clump of trees or a bush. Mars and Saturn indicate thorny trees. Jupiter and Mercury signify respectively fruit-bearing and fruitless trees. Venus and the Moon represent those that are sappy and blossoming. The Moon represents herbs ; all sapless and weak trees are signified by Saturn. Rahu indicates trees.