Stanza 71. To a query whether or not a woman is pregnant, the answer must be in the affirmative in case Rahu occupies the ascendant or Arudha or Chathra Rasi

Stanza 72. If Jupiter occupies or aspects the 5th, the 7th or the 9th from the ascendant or the Moon.

Stanza 73. If at the time of the query the Sun or the Moon is surrounded by a halo then the woman is pregnant. The nature of sex of the chiJd should be ascertained from the planets in the 7th.

Stanza 74. If the Moon is associated with benefics, the woman is pregnant.

NOTES The above four stanzas are from Gnana Pradeepika.

Stanza 75. If the lord of the 5th occupies an odd Rasi and an odd Navamsa and the lord of the ascendant is in a kendra from Gulika the woman can be said to be pregnant. The said sign being seershodaya, further confirms pregnancy. If the Moon or Rahu occupies or aspects the Navamsa of the lord of the 5th, then there are no prospects of pregnancy. If Mars aspects the Navamsa there will be abortion. If the Navamsa Rasi of the lord of the 5th is in a fixed sign and is adhomukha having the aspect or conjunction of Saturn, then the woman is not only not pregnant, but she does not even have regular monthly menstrual flow.

Stanza 76. If at the time of Prasna, any one of the following 14 signs is observed, the woman can be said to be pregnant: (1) a pregnant woman, (2) young children, (3) the roaring of thunder, (4) a male and a female bird pecking at each other, (5) the questioner or the messenger touching his own legs, or hands or nostrils, (6) something is taken out from an enclosed thing such as a bag or vessel, (7) Venus occupies the ascendant, (8) Venus aspects the ascendant, (9) Venus is in Arudha, (10) Venus aspects Arudha, (11) Venus occupies the 5th house from the ascendant and (12) Venus aspects the 5th house from the ascendant.

NOTES Item No. 5 includes three lakshanas.

Stanza 77. (1) Gulika and the Moon are in the 5th house, (2) Gulika and the Moon are in conjunction, (3) Mars aspects the Moon, (4) Mars conjoins the Moon, (5) benefics occupy the 9th house, (6) the lord of the 5th and Gulika conjoin, (7) Gulika aspects the lord of the 5th; and (8) the Navamsa of Gulika and the Moon are mutually connected. If any one of the above eight combinations is present at the time of Prasna, the woman can be said to be pregnant.

Stanza 78. The sign occupied by the pregnant woman when the question is put should be noted. From the lord of that sign should be deduced the taste of the woman — sweet or sour, etc. If the lord is weak, it is to be inferred that the lady suffers from diseases indicated by the inflammation of the dosha signified by the lord.

NOTES

This stanza gives an idea of the diseases the pregnant woman is likely to suffer from. And the next stanza gives lakshanas or signs indicative of abortion or disintegration of the Garbha.

Stanza 79. The signs revealing abortion are: The questioner or somebody leaves the prasna spot all of a sudden; or somebody comes and leaves the place suddenly; or the astrologer observes some one removing clist from his ear-pit or openings in the body; or the fifth leaf amongst the betel leaves given to the astrologer is found to be dotted with vermins either dead or half alive.

Stanza 80. Abortion will result under the following combinations: (a) Mars or the Sun occupies a kendra; Jupiter is in a non-kendra house. The 8th house is occupied by a planet; (b) The Moon in a quadrant, a planet in the 8th and Jupiter in a sign other than a kendra; (c) the Moon in the ascendant and a malefic in the 19th Drekkana from Lagna Drekkana; (d) Jupiter in a kendra, Mars in the 8th and the Moon in the ascendant.

Stanza 81. As suggested in Jnana Pradeepika, abortion will take place if parivesha is observed at the time of the question.

NOTES

Pariveshas are haloes round the Sun and the Moon. According to Varaha Mihira "the rays of the Sun and the Moon formed into a circle by the wind and reflected in the sky with a few clouds become haloes with colours and shapes. The different hues of these haloes and their effects on the earth are listed".

Stanza 82. According as the Moon occupies an odd or even sign the off-spring will be a male or female. Add together the numbers of the weekday, the constellation and the ascendant. If the resulting sign is odd, a male child will be born. If even, a female child will be born.

NOTES

According to the 2nd half of the stanza, add together the number of Nakshatras (counted from Aswini), the number of the weekday (counted from Sunday) and the number of the ascendant (counted from Aries). Suppose the Nakshatra, weekday and ascendant are respectively Mrigasira, Thursday and Aquarius. Add them together:

Mrigasira 5

Thursday 5

Aquarius 11

= 21

Expunging multiples of 12, the remainder is 9, i.e., the 9th sign or Sagittarius which is an odd sign and hence indicative of birth of a male issue. According to some, this part of the stanza can. also be interpreted to mean that if out of the lord of the weekday, the lord of the Nakshatra and the lord of the sign occupied by the Moon, if at least two lords are males, then a male issue will be born.