Place the particular planet in his Moolatrikona Rasi. Mark the lords of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th houses and also of the exaltation Rasi of the said planet. Planets reckoned twice are friends; those reckoned once are neutrals; the rest are enemies. But the Luminaries if invited once are considered friends.
Example : Take the case of Mars. His Moolatrikona Mesha. The lords of 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th and of his exaltation Rasi are respectively, Venus, the Moon, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Jupiter and Saturn.
So the Luminaries and Jupiter are friends of Mars. Venus and Saturn are neutrals. Mercury is his enemy. The reader is advised to work for himself the friends of other planets on similar lines.
Sloka 23 : 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; 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.
Sloka 24 : 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.
Sloka 25 : 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 younger brother and Jupiter, the eldest one. Mercury denotes the adopted son.
Notes
The fact that the Luminaries represent the two eyes is supported by Sloka No. 19 of Adhyaya XI of Shrimad Bhagwadgeeta.
Sloka 26 : 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.
Sloka 27-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.
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.
Sloka 28 : 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, horsegarm: The grain signified by Mars is Dhal. Mercury re-presents 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.
Sloka 29 : 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 Lapis lazuli or Turquoise are said to belong to the remaining planets Rahu and Ketu respectively.
Sloka 30 : 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 clothes 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.
Sloka 31 : Pungent bitter, salty, mixed, sweet sour (acid) and astringent are the flavours respectively of the Sun, Mars, the Moon Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.Sloka 32 : The Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars have their characteristics 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 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.
Sloka 33 : 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.
Sloka 34 : 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.
Sloka 35 : 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 natural to them. The rest are enemies.
Sloka 36 : 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.
Sloka 37 : The Sun represents trees that are inwardly strong and at the same time tall. The Moog and Venus indicate creeping plants. Ketu and Rahu signify a clump of tree 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 week trees are signified by Saturn. Rahu indicates (Shorea Robusta) trees.
Thus ends the 2nd Adhyaya on “Planets and their varieties” in the work Phaladeepika composed by Mantreswara.
