Use Of Bhava Arudhas

Arudha padas show the maya (illusion) of material world. Arudha pada of nth house shows the maya associated with the matters signified by of nth house.

For example, 1st house stands for self. While the first house from lagna stands for true self, its arudha pada (AL) stands for the maya associated with self. It shows the how the native is perceived in the material world. It shows the status of the native.

The 4th house in D-16 shows happiness from vehicle. It shows true happiness from a vehicle.

One may be very happy with a Bajaj Chetak (an inexpensive two-wheel vehicle popular in India) or even a bicycle and one owning three Mercedes Benz cars may be unhappy with them and always dreaming of owning a better vehicle. One’s true happiness from vehicle has nothing to do with the type of vehicle owned. However, people perceive one with 3 Mercedes Benz cars as a happier person in the matter of vehicle, compared to a Chetak owner. This is the maya associated with “happiness from vehicle” in this material world. So this is shown by A4.

Benefics influencing the 4th house in D-16 show someone who is happy with his vehicle(s). Benefics influencing A4 in D-16 show someone who is perceived to be happy with his vehicle(s). So planets influencing A4 in D-16 shed light on the physical vehicle owned by a person. Someone with Venus in own sign in A4 and Saturn in 4th (in D-16) may own luxurious vehicles (i.e. perceived to be happy with respect to vehicle) but not be happy. Someone with Saturn in A4 and Venus and Jupiter in 4th (in D-16) may own a small vehicle (i.e. perceived to be unhappy with respect to vehicles), but be happy with it.

As shown above, 4th house in D-16 deals with happiness from vehicles. In D-24, 4th house deals with learning and education. A4 in D-24 deals with the maya (illusion) associated with learning. What is it?

If someone studied at IIT (a top engineering institute of India), people may think that he is very knowledgable. If someone studied at an obscure university, people may not get the same impression. But it is possible that people’s perceptions are wrong and the person who studied at IIT is less knowledgable.

So A4 in D-24 shows the school or university and the environment in which one’s learning takes place. Usually that decides what impression people form about one’s learning.

Similarly, A10 in D-10 shows the maya associated with one’s karma (action – career). We form an impression about one’s career based on the place and environment where one’s work takes place. So A10 in D-10 shows one’s workplace. One with Mars in A10 in D-10 may work at dynamic places or engineering companies. One with Jupiter in A10 in D-10 may work at a university or college or a court of law or a temple.

One important arudha pada used in Jyotish is upapada lagna (UL) – the arudha pada of the 12th house. This shows one’s marriage and spouse. Planets in UL show the kind of marriage one has and the kind of spouse one gets. For example, Mercury in UL can show intelligent (when good) or indecisive (when bad) spouse. Ketu in UL can show spiritual (when good) or short-tempered (when bad) spouse. Sun in UL can show a charming spouse from a respectable family. It can also show an authoritative spouse. Mars in UL may show a bold spouse (when good) and a quarrelsome spouse (when bad).

The 8th house from UL shows the longevity of marriage and the 2nd and 7th houses from UL show the end of marriage. Malefics like Mars, Saturn and nodes in these houses from UL can result in troubles for the marriage and even a divorce.

Nature of spouse and the length of the marriage are two different issues. If Mars and Saturn are in UL and Jupiter is in the 8th from UL, it may show a long marriage to an argumentative and mean spouse. If Jupiter is in UL and Mars and Saturn in the 8th from it, one may have a noble spouse but the marital life will be very rough and there can even be a divorce.
The 7th house shows relations and A7 (darapada) shows the illusion associated with them, i.e. the kind of people one usually interacts with. Based on the kind of people one deals with, we perceive the nature of one’s relations. If one has a friend who is a prostitute, people may get a negative impression about one’s dealings. If one has a friend who is a famous film star, there is some glamour associated with one’s relations. Thus darapada shows the kind of people one associates with and that plays an important role in forming people’s impressions about one’s relations. In D-10, darapada may show professional associates. In D-24, it may show friends at college or colleagues in the pursuit of knowledge. In D-20, it may show colleagues or friends in religious activities.

The 3rd house shows one’s boldness. The 3rd house from lagna and the 3rd house from Mars show one’s true boldness and the 3rd house from AL shows how bold one is perceived. In addition, A3 shows the maya surrounding one’s boldness. It shows what drives the perceptions of people about one’s boldness. The weapons one possesses may drive those perceptions and A3 may show one’s weapons.

The 3rd house also shows one’s communication skills. The 3rd house in D-24 (chart of learning and knowledge) and D-10 (achievements in society) may show one’s writing skills. A3 shows the maya associated with one’s writing skills. One may have excellent writing skills, but not write any book. In such a case, people may not really appreciate one’s writing skills. One may be an average writer, but end up writing 20 books. In such a case, people may perceive him as a great writer. Thus the exact books written by one decide the perceptions of the world about one’s writing skills. So A3 in D-24 and D-10 may show the books or articles written by him. In this author’s D-10, for example, A3 is in Pisces. This can mean that he will be known for some books on saattwik and traditional subjects and astrology certainly fits the bill.

Let us take the 5th house as another example. It shows intelligence, following, devotion etc. The 5th house in D-20, the chart of religious activities, shows one’s devotion (bhakti) in religious activities. A5 in D-20 shows the things based on which the world forms an impression about one’s devotion. The mantras one recites, the poojas and the religious rituals one performs control the impression of the world about one’s devotion in religious matters. So A5 shows them.

The 5th house in D-10, the chart of career, shows the following one has. The world forms an impression about one’s following based on the power wielded by one. A political leader in a position of power is assumed to have a lot of following. So A5 can show the trappings of power enjoyed by one. It can also show awards.

In D-24, the chart of learning, the 5th house may show intelligence. A5 in D-24 shows the things based on which the world forms an impression about one’s intelligence in learning. These impressions are usually formed based on one’s performances in examinations, one’s scores in tests and one’s academic distinctions. So that is what A5 in D-24 shows.

Similarly, the 9th house shows one’s fortune. In D-24, it may show fortune related to learning. It can show the guidance received by one (i.e. guru – teacher). But the world forms an impression about one’s fortune in learning, based on the degrees received by one. One with an advanced degree is assumed to be more fortunate with respect to learning than one with a simple degree. So A9 can show one’s higher degrees.

In this manner, intelligent and blessed students can clearly understand the meanings of various arudha padas in various divisional charts. One cannot become a good Vedic astrologer by memorizing a lot of tables. One needs to understand the basics clearly and apply them intelligently.

All the principles of Vedic astrology should be understood and applied in the context of “desa” (country – place), “kaala” (time – age) and “paatra” (nature and class of the persons involved). When we interpret arudha padas, we are talking about the things based on which the world forms an impression about an aspect of the native. The things that drive the world’s perceptions can be different based on which world we are living in. They vary significantly from one place to another, from one age to another and from one class to another. Intelligent use of arudhas requires an astrologer to understand the world that the native lives in.

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