It is said that time is the only true unit of measure. The indisputably valuable time should be utilized for the benefit of mankind. The Sun and time are inseparable. The Sun creates, sustains and destroys not only mankind, but everything on this cosmic world. Time is the evidence to that. The relationship between the Sun and time plays a major role in astrology. The Sun being the most important factor for the life on earth, is considered as the King of the solar system, ruling over all celestial bodies. Solar ingress is an important aspect in astrological studies. The Solar ingress in Aries, which occurs in mid-April each year, is a unique national, traditional & cultural festival for Sri Lankans.
The concept of ‘Kaalapurusha’ or the cosmic man is widely used in astrology. “Kaala” means time and ‘purusha’ means man. According to Indian astrology the entire zodiac is supposed to represent the body of ‘Kaalapurusha’ and the ascendant sign of this cosmic man is Aries. Predictive ability becomes easier when the concept of ‘cosmic man’ is applied to horoscope reading in parallel to the natal chart. For instance, whatever the ascendant sign of a native is at the time of birth, his/her horoscope so cast can be studied by considering Aries as the ascendant in addition to the normal method of reading, especially when it comes to medical astrology. This concept of cosmic man also can be used for ‘electional astrology’ which is a branch of astrology that is used to select auspicious times to begin new ventures or undertakings based on astrological considerations. Thus, if the horoscope cast for a particular auspicious time has Aries as ascendant, the results, whether good or bad as per that horoscope will be doubled since the ascendant is same as that of ‘kaalapurusha’ chart. On such occasions if the Moon, is placed in the ascendant the results become threefold and the Sun too in the ascendant will only add to the negative or positive impacts depicted in the chart.
It is with great enthusiasm that most Sri Lankans look forward to the dawn of New Year, which falls in mid-April depending on the exact time of ingress of the Sun from Pisces to Aries. This is called ‘Mesha Sankranti’ in Sanskrit. The almanac for the relevant year gives the auspicious times pertaining to various traditional & cultural rituals carried out with the arrival of the Sinhala and Hindu New Year.
The almanac for 2017 is already in the market and the auspicious times applicable to New Year celebrations are given thereby. Rituals are many and the most important of these is the ritual of ‘commencing work, transactions and partaking of the first meal’ in the New Year which as per almanac 2017 is at 07:05 AM on 14th April. An auspicious time or in Sinhala what we call ‘nakatha’ is calculated after considering many astrological factors. Basic rules and guidance in selecting a good Muhurta [nakatha] are given by ancient Rishis who possessed highly developed minds.
Thus, let us analyze the time given above to verify whether it abides by the basic astrological rules that should be adhered to when fixing an auspiciousmuhurta. First and foremost the rising ascendant of the particular moment plays a huge role in deciding whether the time is auspicious or not. The horoscope cast at 07:05 am on 14th April 2017 for Colombo, Sri Lanka is as follows:
Before going further let me state two basic rules that determine whether a particular horoscope is strong or weak. The first is that all natural benefic planets should be placed in quadrants [Kendra] and/or in trines [thrikona]. The quadrants in a horoscope, also named as ‘Vishnusthaana’ [abodes of Lord Vishnu] are the 1st, the 4th, the 7th and the 10th houses. Trines or ‘Lakshmisthaanas’ [abodes of Goddess Lakshmi] are the 5th and the 9th. It should be noted that the 1st house or the ascendant is also a trine as well as aquadrant. The quadrants are the pillars of a horoscope and the trines are the most beneficial houses in a horoscope. The second rule is that all natural malefic planets should be placed in ‘upachaya’ houses or houses of growth. Upachaya houses, which indicate struggle, competition and activity, are the 3rd, the 6th, the 11th and the 10th house is a quadrant as well as an upachayahouse.Hence, natural malefic planets placed here possess courage, patience and stamina to overcome any adverse situation. If a natal horoscope or electional horoscope satisfies the above rules, the chart can be considered as very strong. Otherwise it is a weak chart on the face of it and may not give auspicious or expected results. One cannot change the karma of a native. Hence, we cannot expect a natal horoscope to have planets placed in the most ideal places. Yet, when fixing an auspicious time, the astrologer should use his free will to cast the best ascendant chart possible by giving due respect to ancient scriptures which stand the test of time. By doing so the effect of adverse cosmic forces could be minimized if not totally avoided.
Natural benefic planets according to Sage Parashara are Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and strong Moon.Natural malefic planets are Saturn, Mars, Sun, Rahu, and Ketu. But out of these four benefic planets, the Moon and Mercury can become ineffective or malefic if they are in the company of malefic planets or come under their influence. The Moon is strong when it is not very near the Sun.
The ascendant rising at the so called auspicious time given above, for the ritual of ‘start work, transactions and partaking of the first meal’, is Aries. The natural benefic planets are Jupiter, Venus and the Moon. Mercury is conjunct with the Sun, a natural malefic. Rahu placed in the 5th house inflicts its malefic nature on Mercury by its 9th aspect. Additionally, Mercury is the 3rd and the 6th lord for Aries ascendant and an enemy of the Aries Lagna Lord Mars. Thus, it becomes a dire malefic in this case. The Moon though waning, but in Krishna Paksha Tritiya tithi, is placed far from the Sun.Hence, the Moon is a benefic here.
Jupiter is placed in the 6th house and Venus is placed in the 12th house. The Moon is placed in the 8th house, the most doomed house in a horoscope. The 6th, 8th and 12th houses in a horoscope are the most fearful houses and are calledtrika houses in Sanskrit. These houses are responsible for all calamities in life. Thus,when natural benefic planets are placed in these houses, as in this particular instance where all natural benefic planets are placed in trikahouses, the outcome can never be good or auspicious.
The Sun and Mercury are placed in the rising ascendant, Rahu in the 5th house and Saturn in the 9th house. The only malefic in an Upachaya house is Ketu. The 3 trines in this horoscope are occupied by the most malefic planets and the benefic planets occupy trika houses. Thus, this electional horoscope rising at 07:05 am on 14th April 2014 is very weak. The situation is aggravated since the rising sign Aries, is the ascendant of the cosmic man or the ‘Vishva Kendra’. It becomes worse as the Sun is also placed in the ascendant. This electional chart completely ignores the basic rules that should be adhered to, in casting an auspicious horoscope. Any sensible astrologer would not cast such a weak horoscope for a ritual observed nationally from time immemorial.
Another extremely weak placement in this horoscope is the placement of the Moon. The Moon signifies the people, masses, women in general, public opinion, quality of life, water& food supplies, health, natural resources etc. in mundane astrology. When afflicted it results in unrest and discord among people. It is a basic rule that the 8th house in an electional horoscope should be empty. On the other hand it is specifically stated that the Moon should not be placed in the 8th house in an electional horoscope at any cost. The Moon rules the mind and is the closest planet to the earth and transits faster than all the other planets. Hence, its position in an electional chart should be undoubtedly dignified. Defying this important rule, sadly, the ascendant rising at this so called auspicious time turns out to be inauspicious due to this unfavourable placement of the Moon in the most malefic 8th house from the ascendant.
One more negative feature in the above chart is Gulika [also called as Maandi] placed in the ascendant itself. Like Rahu and Ketu it does not have any physical existence. According to astrological classics Gulika is considered as the most malefic entity in a chart. It denotes a certain segment of time controlled by Saturn.Dr. Suresh Chandra Mishra, a renowned Indian astrologer, author of many astrology books and a scholar in Sanskrit says, “Gulika spoils the benefic significations of most of the houses by occupying them. Thus, all troubles ensue when Gulika occupies lagna.” The classics explain the results of affliction by Gulika in conjunction with other planets. In our chart Gulika is in conjunction with the Sun and Mercury. In Mundane astrology, the Sun signifies the government, the head of the nation etc. Hence, affliction by Gulika may result in tension in these areas. Mercury signifies communication, media, transportation and travel, intellectual trends, education etc. Gulika in conjunction with Mercury may result in an increased rate of traffic fatalities, suppression of information, problems related to education etc.
In fixing an auspicious time importance is given to the Sun and the Moon and their relative positions.Panchanga or the 5 variable elements considered to fix an auspicious time are based on this relationship. Even if ‘panchanga’ are beneficial, but the electional horoscope is weak, the expected auspicious results are denied. On the other hand a weak feature of a panchanga may be offset by a strong electional chart. One element of the panchanga is hora which is calculated by dividing the duration of the day [from sunrise to sunset] into 12 equal parts and similarly duration of the night [from sunset to sunrise] into 12 equal parts. The hora should be beneficial relative to the task and to the electional horoscope. Each Hora is ruled by a particular planet and again this hora is divided into 5 sub Horas, ruled by 5 different planets. These are ancient concepts given by highly exalted Rishis. The time chosen for the ritual above is 07:05 AM, which belongs to Mercury main hora and Mercury sub hora. Mercury is a functional malefic for the Aries Sign as it is the owner of the 3rd and the 6th house from the Aries ascendant.Besides, Mercury is the dire enemy of the ascendant lord Mars and being placed in the ascendant itself is harmful to this chart. Hence, the time given fails to stand as auspicious from this angle too.
When a nation as a whole adheres to an inauspicious time to commence an important ritual, negative impacts will be felt by everyone. If the time given is inauspicious, the next step is to find a better time to commence this ritual.
Let us consider Pisces ascendant rising at 05:53 AM on 14th April 2017.
The ascendant is Pisces and two benefic planets, namely Venus and Jupiter are placed in the 1st and the 7th houses respectively. Benefic Moon is placed in the 9th house. Thus, all three benefic planets are well placed, giving strength to the chart. Three upachaya houses are tenanted by three malefic planets. They are Mars in the 3rd house, Rahu in the 6th house and Saturn in the 10th house. These are excellently placed. This enhances the strength of this electional horoscope. The Moon though debilitated in Scorpio but placed in the 9th house from the ascendant, is well dignified by being the 5th lord placed in the 5th from the 5th house.
The ascendant lord of Pisces is Jupiter which aspects the ascendant giving more positive energies to the chart. If the ascendant lord aspects the rising ascendant it is highly desirable. At this time the Sub Hora lord is Jupiter, the ascendant lord itself, giving its beneficial aspect to the ascendant. In the Pisces Sign ascending horoscope, Gulika is placed in the 11th house from the ascendant, the only place where Gulika fails to inflict its malevolence.Hence, the auspicious time for the ritual of ‘start work, transactions and partaking of the first meal’ should be at 05:53 AM on 14th April 2017. The auspicious time for lighting the hearth for the preparation of the meal should be advanced to 05: 05 AM from 05:41 AM, the given time in 2017 almanac.
Astrology should be used only for the welfare of the people. Electional astrology is the astrology of choice. Of course, there is no perfect chart. But it is the responsibility of the learned astrologers to cast the best horoscope minimizing afflictions as much as possible, in order to enhance the auspiciousness of the given event.
