Vedic astrology lessons

The twelve Bhavas or Houses
An individuals horoscope is divided into 12 Bhavas or houses, based on the position of ones lagna in the chart. The nature and qualities of the rasis, planets and the nakshatras explained so far are their basic inherent qualities. Once a persons chart is analyzed from the lagna point of view, based on the way these planets and rasis are placed from lagna, gives them a personal touch and helps us to understand the various aspects and events of ones life.

The sign in which your lagna or ascendant is placed becomes your 1st house. The sign next to that (clockwise in the south chart and anticlockwise in a north chart), becomes your 2nd house. The one next to that is your 3rd house and so on till the 12th house.

The 1st, 5th, and 9th houses are called Trikonas or trine houses. They are the most powerful and auspicious houses. They are also called Lakshmi sthanas as the rule all kinds of prosperities.

The 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses are called Kendras or quadrants. They are also auspicious and powerful houses next to the konas.
The 3rd and the 11th houses are called Upachayas or houses of growth.
The 6th, 8th, and 12 houses are called Dusthanas or bad houses.

1, 5, and 9 are Dharma houses.
2, 6, and 10 are Artha houses.
3, 7, and 11 are Kama houses.
4, 8, and 12 are Moksha houses.

The 12 houses and what they signify and represent in your life.

The First house or Lagna called Tanu sthana, represents your birth, body looks and soul, personality traits and inclinations, longevity, health, character and nature. It also rules your head the head, longevity, health, character and nature of the native. It is a kendra a trikona and Dharma bhava, and it is at the same time . It is one of the most important and auspicious house in the horoscope.

If you don't know your Lagna click here to use onsite instant calculator

The Second house called Dhana sthana, represents your wealth, speech, family, face, right eye, mouth and the food you eat and charity and death.
The Third house called Bhatru sthana represents your younger brothers and sisters, courage, servants and subordinates, communications, talents and skills, sports, business, short distance travels.
The Fourth bhava called Matru sthana, represents mother, home, relatives, office or factory, emotions, domestic and house related happiness, landed property and conveyances, education mental peace and chest and lungs.
The Fifth house called Putra sthana, represents children, education and intellect, creativity, mantra, tantra and pooja.
The Sixth house called Shatru sthana, represents health, illness, injuries, loans, sports, maternal uncle, enemies and opposition.

The Seventh house called Kalatra sthana, represents spouse, sex life, reproduction and genital organs, partners, enjoyments and Kundalini shakti and death.

The Eight house called Ayu sthana, represents destruction, accidents, physical pains, inheritance, legacies, death and insurance.

The Ninth house called bhagya sthana, represents luck, prosperity, guru, father, religious and spiritual progress and knowledge of the scriptures, sadhana, pilgrimages, foreign travel and foreign trade, grandchildren.

The Tenth house represents your profession, business, authority and power and honours and achievements.
The Eleventh house represents gains and income, good news, money, elder brothers and sisters, friends, long distance travels, air lines and entertainment.
The Twelfth house represents losses, waste, expenses, foreign countries, imprisonment, death, sadhana and Moksha or final liberation.

Each of the 9 different planets, while placed in the 12 different houses, produce different, and at times totally opposite results. Again each of them produce some good results and some bad results. Remember this important fact.

As there are 12 houses and only 9 planets, there will always be some vacant houses. In most horoscopes there are more than one planet in a house. The lords of the rasis as mentioned earlier in lesson 1, i.e., Mars for Aries, Venus for Taurus etc., become the lords of your houses falling in those rasis. Which house lord is placed in which house is a very important factor. Again each house lord placed in the other houses has some good results and some bad. Again because of the dual ownership rasis by planets, a planet placed in a particular house as lord of one house may be good, but bad as lord of the other house.

This is the third important parameter to remember.

Let us see the example horoscope to make things clear.

Remember the house counting is done from the lagna, which is the 1st house.

South Indian - Count clockwise North Indian - Count anti-clockwise

In this horoscope:

The lagna or the 1st house falls in Vrischika rasi or Scorpio. Scorpio is owned by Mars. So the lagna lord is mars. He is placed in Gemini, the 8th house counted from lagna.( the counting starts from lagna)

The 2nd house is Dhanu or Sagittarius, its owner is jupiter. So the 2nd lord is placed in Libra, the 12th house from lagna.

The 3rd house is Makara or Capricorn, owned by saturn, who is placed in Aries, the sixth house.

The 4th house is Kumbha or Aquarius, owned by saturn, who is placed in Aries, the sixth house.

The 5th house is Meena or Pisces, owned by jupiter, who is placed in the 12th house.

The 6th house is Mesha or Aries, whose lord mars is in the 8th house. You may interested to note that mars as the important lagna lord placed in the 8th house is bad and inauspicious, but in the 2nd case as the owner of a bad 6th house placed in another bad 8th house, he very good and auspicious.

The 7th house is Vrishabha or Taurus, whose lord venus is placed in the 8th house.

The 8th house is Mithuna or Gemini, whose lord is placed in the 6th house. (This is good)

The 9th house is Karka or Cancer, whose lord moon is in the 4th house.

The 10th house is Simha or Leo and the lord sun is in the 7th house.

The 11th house is Kanya or Virgo and the lord is in the 6th house. (This is bad)

The 12th house lord Venus placed in the 8th house.( Again note venus as the bad 12th lord in the bad 8th house is good, but as the important 7th lord in the bad 8th he is bad)

For every lagna some planets are benific, some are malefic and some are neutral. Again how they are placed in the chart is a very important point to be considered. however the following are the basic thumb rules:

Lords of 1,5,9 houses are always benefics.
Lords of 4, 7, 10 houses if placed in auspicious houses produce good results.
Lords of 6, 8, 12 house if placed in 6, 8, or 12 houses produce good results but are bad if placed in the good houses.
2nd and 11th lords are better placed in the auspicious houses.

When two or more planets are placed in a house, it is called the conjunction of planets. The results of these conjunctions of planets will depend on whether they are benefics or malefics from the lagna point of view. The conjunction of the Kendra lords or the Kona lords or the Kendra or Kona lords is highly auspicious. These are called Raja yoga combinations. The Raja yoga combinations give rise to authority, power, position and wealth. However, if a dusthana lord. i.e., 6th, 8th or 12th lord joins them it spoils the rajayogas.

When two planets exchange houses, i.e., let us say Mars is in Venus house and Venus in in Mars house, it is called Parivartana Yoga or Exchange Yoga. The Parivartana Yoga is a very powerful one. The Parivartana Yoga becomes auspicious if the exchange is between two auspicious houses, i.e., between the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th houses. Similarly if two dusthana lords, i.e., 6th, 8th and 12th, exchange houses then also it is auspicious. However, if a benefic house lord exchanges houses with a malefic house lord, like 9th lord with the 12th lord, then the exchange is inauspicious.

Similarly if exalted planets are placed in Kendras etc. it again causes Rajayogas. There are several hundred raja yoga combinations mentioned in the Shastras.

For details of houses & house lords in houses see Parashara Hora Sastra Here

For details of Rajayoga combinations see Saravali > Here

For details of planets in various signs see Saravali > Here

For details of planets in various houses see Saravali > Here

For details of planetary effects for each lagna see > Lagna-wise analysis

Next >> Lesson 5

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