The Sanskrit term jyotish includes both phalit or predictive portion as well as ganit or mathematical portion. In the modern era the predictive portion is known as astrology and the mathematical portion is astronomy.
In ganit jyotish the strength of planets from Sun to Saturn is calculated on the basis of shadbala which are sthanbala, digbala, kaalbala, neisergabala, chestabala and drigbala. The kendradi bala is a part of sthanabala so the planets planets occupying first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses get a numeric strength of sixty units and those occupying panaphara or second, fifth, eighth and eleventh houses get a numeric strength of thirty units and those occupying apoklima houses or third, sixth, ninth and twelfth houses get a numeric strength of fifteen units.
Source: Mansagari
This indicates that the first house or lagna is considered as one of the strongest kendra houses but nowhere in the ancient texts based on jyotish gave any reasoning behind considering it in one of the triangular houses among first, fifth & ninth houses. But one can understand it through the standard rashi chart format given below:
All the kendra houses including the first house or lagna exist in the center part of the chart.The Sanskrit word kendra means center. The blue dash lines emanating from the top middle of the format or lagna house or first house touch the fifth and ninth houses respectively and form a trikona or a triangle. This clearly indicates that without considering lagna as trikona house the fifth and ninth houses never be considered as trikona houses. This format indicates that the first house or lagna is the first vertex of the trikona or triangle shown in blue lines in the above format.
So it is clear that from a geometric point of view that first house or lagna is considered a kendra or quadrant house as well as a trikona or triangular house.
But unless it is not found valid from a predictive point of view this cannot become a dictum. A house or bhava is ruled by a planet known as bhavesh or lord of house so the nature of the lord of the first house is helpful to solve this consideration on a predictive basis.
The prosperity or wellbeing of a house occupied by the lord of the first house or the lord of a house in conjunction with or aspecting the lord of ascendant is almost certain.
Source: First half of shloka 9, chapter 15, Phaladeepika by Mantreswara.
So In Vedic jyotish lord of ascendant or lagnesh is considered to be an auspicious planet irrespective of its inherent nature.
Now let us assume that the lagna is a kendra not a trikona or a triangular house. Then the following various results occur for various lagna:
Mars as the lord of Aries ascendant becomes malefic as it also becomes the eighth lord.
Venus as the lord of Taurus ascendant becomes malefic as it also owns the sixth house.
Mercury as the lord of Gemini ascendant becomes malefic as being fourth lord also it will suffer on account of kendradhipatyam dosha.
Moon being natural benefic becomes malefic for Cancer ascendant as the natural benefics owning kendra become malefic.
Sun being the lord of Leo ascendant remains beneficial for Leo ascendant as natural malefics become auspicious whenever they own kendra.
Mercury the lord of Virgo ascendant becomes malefic on account of suffering from kendradhipatyam dosha.
Venus the lord of Libra ascendant becomes malefic as it also owns the eighth house.
Mars the lord of Scorpio ascendant becomes malefic by owning the sixth house also.
Jupiter the lord of Sagittarius ascendant becomes malefic on account of suffering from kandradhipatyam disha.
Saturn the lord of Capricorn ascendant becomes malefic because it also owns the death inflecting second house.
Saturn the lord of Aquarius ascendant also becomes malefic by owning the twelfth house.
Jupiter the lord of Pisces ascendant also becomes malefic on account of suffering from kendradhipatyam dosha.
The aforesaid results indicate that only Sun becomes auspicious for Leo ascendant and rest of all planets become malefic as lord of ascendants. So our assumption to consider the lagna as kendra only becomes totally wrong. There must be a solid reasoning favoring lagna lord to become benefic.
To judge extremely benefic or yogyakarta or rajyogakarka planet Vedic muni Parashar gives a simple but effective rule which in the form of a Sanskrit shloka is given below:
Lakshmisthanam trikonam ch Vishunsthanam ch Kendrakam
Tayo sambandhmatren rajyogadikam bhavet
Source: Shloka 37, Poorvakhand, Chapter: 24, Brihit Parashara Hora Shaastra.
The meaning of the aforesaid Sanskrit shloka is that trikona is the place of Lakshmi and kendra is Vishnu’s place so the relationship between these two houses constitute rajyoga.
To understand this concept more precisely the following example are being given below:
For Taurus ascendant ninth or a trikona and tenth or a kendra lord Saturn becomes extremely benefic or rajyogakarka.
For Cancer ascendant fifth or trikona lord and tenth or kendra lord Mars becomes rajyogakarka or extremely benefic.
For Leo ascendant fourth or kendra lord and ninth or trikona lord Mars becomes rajyogyakarka or extremely benefic.
For Libra ascendant fourth or kendra lord and fifth or trikona lord Saturn becomes rajyogakarka or extremely benefic.
For Capricorn ascendant fifth or trikona lord and tenth or kendra lord Venus becomes rajyogakarka or extremely benefic planet.
For Aquarius ascendant fourth or kendra lord and ninth or trikona lord Venus becomes rajyogakarka or extremely benefic planet.
So it is clear that out of twelve ascendants the six ascendants have their rajyogakarka planets or extremely benefic planets.
Now let us assume that the first house is a kendra as well as a trikona then being kendra & trikona lord Mars becomes yogakarka or benefic planet for Aries & Scorpio ascendants by being the lord of Aries & Scorpio ascendants, Venus becomes yogakarka for Taurus and Libra ascendants by being their lord, Mercury becomes rajyogakarka or extremely benefic for Gemini and Virgo ascendants by being their lord, Moon becomes yogakarka or benefic for Cancer ascendant by being its lord, Sun becomes rajyogakarka as being the ruler of Leo, Jupiter becomes rajyogakarka for Sagittarius and Pisces ascendants by being their lord and Saturn the owner of Capricorn and Aquarius becomes yogakarka or a benefic planet by being their lord.
So it is clear that by considering the first house as a kendra & trikona the lord of every ascendant becomes yogakarka or benefic which is in agreement with the rule of the classical theory of Vedic jyotish written earlier. So our assumption to consider the first house a kendra and trikona becomes valid.
Written on Thursday, December 23, 2021 at 23:52 (IST) by
Vishal Aksh
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Copyright©2021 Vishal Aksh
