Stanza 16. If the lord of the 12th is exalted, the person will sleep on good cots and beds. If he is in debilitation, he will lie down on bare ground

Stanza 17. These points have been summarised below as given in another treatise. The 1st to 12th houses denote respectively the diner, crockery or plates to be used when taking food, Bhakshya or subsidiary food; drinks; the attitude or mood of the diner; upadamsa, liquid matter to be used; the main food; persons who take food along with the diner; satisfaction derived from food; nature of conversation at the time of meals; and rest and sleep after meals.

Stanza 18. According to Krishneeya, Venus governs sweet food (madhura); the Moon, soft and cold things (snigdha); Mercury and Jupiter govern pungent things (seetha and ruksha); the Sun saltish and pungent (lavana and kashayd); Saturn, sour and acidic (katuka); and Mars, bitter things (tikta).

Stanza 19. Some writers are of the opinion that Jupiter governs sweet things (madhura); the Sun acidic foods (teekshna); Saturn bitter (tikta) taste; Mercury, pungent (kashaya) taste; Venus sour taste; Mars, hot (katukd) and the Moon, saline taste.

Stanza 20. If the rising sign is owned by a benefic or a benefic occupies the rising sign, the food is sufficient. If the ascendant is an odd sign, the food will not be soft. If it is an even sign, it will be soft and agreeable to the taste.

Stanza 21. If Mars and the Sun occupy a non-watery sign (8th house), the food is either very dry or causing undue heat to the body. If they occupy an aquatic sign (8th house), then the food is accompanied with bhakshyas. If Saturn and Rahu occupy the 8th house, then the food eaten is very cold.

Stanza 22. If the Moon and Venus occupy a watery sign, the food is cold and is in a liquid form. If Mercury and Jupiter occupy a non-aquatic sign, the food is served with subsidiary dishes.

Stanzas 23 and 24. The Sun and Mars govern the meat of the stag. The Moon governs the meat of crab and fishes. Jupiter governs the meat of elephants and horses. Saturn governs the meat of pigs and she-buffaloes. Venus governs the meat of cows and she-buffaloes. The vegetables governed by the different signs will be according to their lords and the nature of the signs.

Stanza 25. Watery planets and watery signs govern watery vegetables. Village signs and planets indicate vegetables grown in rural places. Similarly forest signs and planets indicate forest products. Malefics indicate liquid food as rice water, barley water, etc., cooked with the grains appropriate to the planets. Benefics indicate the food prepared with the grains governed by them.

Stanza 26. The Moon indicates rice water. If he is aspected by Mercury, it is rice water along with other curries. If the Moon is aspected by Jupiter, it is rice water mixed with ghee. If there is the aspect of Venus, it is mixed with butter. Other planets indicate mixture with oil.

Stanza 27. The Sun and Mars indicate goat's milk. Venus denotes cow's milk or products. Similarly the milk of other animals corresponding to signs and planets associating or aspecting them can be guessed.

Stanzas 28 and 29. If Mars occupies the 7th, the liquid food is prepared with flesh; if Mercury, the liquid food has green colour; if Mercury and

Venus, the liquid prepared has variegated colours being formed by different ingredients as sambhar; if Saturn, liquid food contains dead matter of small animals; if the Sun, the food is prepared of 'Kashta Saka'. The Sun in the 7th indicates the death of the wife.

Stanza 30. Malefics govern the flesh of carnivorous animals. Benefics such as Venus govern the flesh of animals, that live on grass; Mercury governs the flesh of animals that live on flesh and grass. Jupiter governs the flesh of animals that live on grass and grains. The Moon governs the flesh of animals that live on fishes and vermins.

NOTES

Watery signs indicate the flesh of watery animals. Quadrupedal signs govern quadrupeds. Biped signs govern the flesh of bipeds, etc.

Stanza 31. The number that co-dine, the time, their caste and their appearance etc., all can be known from the planets. The plates used can also be ascertained. The 9th house and the lord of the 9th determine these.

Stanzas 32, 33 and 34. In determining the meat dishes, Aries indicates goat's flesh; Taurus, the flesh of cows; Gemini, Leo and Sagittarius, the flesh of fish. In regard to vegetables, Cancer Scorpio and Capricorn and Pisces govern the family of raw fruits; Libra, Virgo and Aquarius govern pure cooked rice. Jupiter rules payasa prepared with ghee; Venus governs food with honey, milk and bread.

Stanza 35. According as the Arudha is a move-able, a common or a fixed sign, the querent will have taken meals many times, twice or only once, respectively. If the Arudha being an odd sign is connected with benefics, the person who took food was hungry at the time. If Arudha being an even sign is connected with malefics, he was not hungry at the time of meals. From the gestures, words and actions of the questioner, the nature of food etc., can be known.

Stanza 36. Suppose the questioner wets his lips with his tongue or opens his eyes widely or looks up or lifts up the palm of his hands or laughs outright, it means he has had food.

Stanza 37. If the ascendant happening to be a benefic sign is occupied by benefic planets the querent had sumptuous meals. If the rising deca-nate is governed by the meat favouring planet, the querist eats meat dishes and food that is not tasty.

Stanza 38. In Bhojana Prasna, the Sun and other planets govern respectively quadrupeds, daughters, thieves, arguments and counter arguments, wealth and pretas. The Sun's connection indicates that the dining place was a cowshed; the Moon's the daugher served meals; Mars, the co-eaters were thieves; Mercury, heated exchange of words took place while eating; Jupiter, the quereut got not only food but money also; Venus, food served by wife; Saturn, it was food connected with shraddha or death ceremony.

Stanza 39. If Arudha is owned by benefics; or Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius or a Urdwa mukha sign happens to be the Arudha; and if benefics occupy quadrants and trines; the lords of the 2nd and 11th combine or occupy their own houses; or interchange houses; or they occupy or aspect the lord of Lagna; or if Jupiter and the lord of the 9th are strong and favourably placed, then the projected business will be successful.

Proshithogamana Prasna

Stanza 40. If Arudha is a moveable sign and benefics occupy the 4th and 8th, the person will return home. If the lord of the 10th is retrograde and occupies the 9th, the person will come back. If the lord of the 1st is in the 6th, the traveller has not reached his destination, but is on his way to it.

NOTES

This deals with queries regarding the return of a person who left his house and home and is in exile. Whether he will return or not, can be foretold by this prasna.

Stanza 41. If the lord of the ascendant occupies the 11th, 12th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd or if malefics occupy quadrants, the traveller will not come back. If the Moon occupies the 8th and quadrants are devoid of malefics, the person will return without any mishap. In this yoga, if benefics occupy quadrants, the person will return early with comfort. If the lords of the 1st and 10th occupy the 11th, 12th, 1st, 2nd or 3rd, the traveller may come back without reaching the destination.

Stanza 42. When the lord of the ascendant is exalted or is in Moolatrikona; or another planet in retrogression occupies the 7th house, the person who left the house will return home. When the lord of the ascendant is retrograde and occupies any house, and Jupiter is in a quadrant, the person will return home. All the signs indicated in Chapter II of this book may also be utilised in this context.

Stanza 43. If the lord of the ascendant or the planet, who indicates the return, is of slow velocity, the traveller will return late; if it is of ordinary speed, the return will be in a reasonable time; if the speed is rapid, the return will be early.

Stanza 44. If the ascendant is strong and the lord of the ascendant occupies a human sign or a human Navamsa-sign, the person will return home walking, along with many persons. If the ascendant lord is in a quadrupedal sign, the return will be in vehicles appropriate to the signs. If the lord of ascendant is in the decanate of bird, the return will be on horse-back; if the decanate happens to be watery, the return will be through watery routes; and if the sign is sthala, the return journey will be through land routes.

Stanza 45. If the lord of the ascendant is in Sakata Drekkana, the traveller will return in a carriage or a chariot. If the lord is in an ethereal sign or Navamsa, the return will be by a palanquin (or in style, may be an aeroplane). If the planet indicating the return is weak, the traveller will not come back though there may be reports of his return.

Stanza 46. Benefics occupying the 9th indicate the nature and good experiences of the journey. Malefics reveal the difficulties the person had to face. Planets in the 8th house denote both the good and bad experiences. The 7th house denotes all the experiences the person had after his return home.

Thus ends the Chapter XXVII

CHAPTER XXVIII

Suratha Prasna

Stanza 1. If the Sun occupies the rising sign or the 7th; or combines with or aspects the lords of the 1st or the 7th, there was no sexual union that day. If these combinations are absent, there was sexual union that day. According as the 7th is associated with or aspected by benefics or malefics, the union was happy or unhappy.

Stanza 2. If the 7th house is not joined or aspected by the Moon or Venus but is afflicted by malefics, then there was sexual union that day. Krishnacharya is of the opinion that if the Moon and Venus join or aspect the 7th house, co-habitation took place. If the Moon and Venus aspected or joined by the Sun, or benefics aspect the ascendant, then the lady had real love or passion for the husband at the time of the union. If the Moon and Venus subject to the aspect of malefics except the Sun, aspect the ascendant, then the woman had no real love for the husband.

Stanza 3. According as.the ascendant is aspec-ted by benefics or malefics, the woman loved or hated the husband. If the Moon is joined by malefics, the union was brought about by sheer force on an unwilling woman. If the Sun is joined by malefics, the union was the result of the woman's force on an unwilling man.

Stanza 4. If the Moon is associated with or aspected by the Sun, or is in the vargas of the Sun, the man has beauty and education, etc. If the Moon joins or aspects benefics or has the vargas of benefics, the woman has all the good qualities of a woman.

Stanza 5. If the planet that aspects the ascendant occupies its own vargas, then the union took place in one's own house. If that planet occupies the vargas of other planets, the union was with another woman in a foreign place. If the said planet is exalted, the union was with a woman belonging to a rich family; if he occupies the vargas of friends, the union was with a related woman. If the planet is in the vargas of enemies, the union was with a woman born of inimical families. If it is debilitated, then the sexual commerce was with a low-born woman. The caste of the woman, etc., is to be determined from the planet aspecting Lagna.

NOTES

If the questioner is a woman or the question is about a woman, the planet that aspects Lagna determines the nature of the man — his qualities, caste, etc.

Stanza 6. If the Sun, Mars or Venus occupies the 7th, there was sexual commerce with another woman. If Jupiter is in the 7th, the union was with the wife. If Mercury, a dancing girl. The age of the woman should be ascertained from the age of the Moon.

NOTES

If a weak Moon, the woman is young; if full Moon, the woman is in the prime of her youth. If the Moon is old, the woman also is old. Saturn in the 7th signifies a woman belonging to another caste (Moudhya Chandra denotes a dancing girl).

Stanza 7. Young Moon denotes a woman in her teens; Saturn and the Sun an old lady; Jupiter a woman who has given birth to a child; Mars, Venus a woman with a rough body. In this way, the age of the man also can be determined.

NOTES

The age of the partners with whom one has sex can be ascertained by the disposition of the planets in the 7th house, as narrated in this stanza.

Stanza 8. If the Sun occupying the vargas of the other planets aspects the ascendant, the union is with a royal beauty; if the Moon similarly placed, the union is with a Brahmin woman; if Venus, a Sudra woman; if Mars, a minister's wife; if Jupiter, hypocrite (...); Mercury, Saturn or Rahu similarly disposed, a woman belonging to other religions. The woman's accomplishments, her build, appearance and character can be read from the decanate of the ascendant or the planet that occupies or aspects the ascendant.

NOTES

One may question the utility of these details. But in cases of alleged rape and adultery, clues from the Prasna chart can be used to help the victim and court to track the culprit and place of the act.

Stanza 9. These can be considered from Chathra Rasi also. If Arudha is Chathra or the lord of Arudha occupies Chathra sign, the union was with one's own wife; if the friendly sign of the lord of Arudha happens to be Chathra, or a friendly planet occupies Chathra, the union was with a woman of a friendly or related family; similarly an inimical sign of the lord of Arudha happens to be Chathra or a foe occupies Chathra the union was with a woman belonging to an inimical family. Here friends and foes are to be determined as per verse “jeevo jeeva budho sitendatanayo”.

NOTES

The author wants the consideration of the planetary friendships and enmities as given by Varahamihira in his Brihat Jataka. Mihira seems to accept the views of Yavana-charya according to whom there are only friends and foes but not neutrals.

The 2nd part of the stanza elaborates the views of Satya-charya. From the Moolatrikona of a planet, the lords of the 2nd, the 4th, the 8th, the 12th, the 5th, the 9th and the lord of his exaltation sign are friends of the planet concerned. The rest are enemies.

Commenting on this stanza, Prof. B. Suryanarain Rao observes thus: On page 96 of the English translation of Brihat Jataka, "Bhattotpala observes rightly that according to Yavaneswara there are only friends and foes but not neutrals or acquaintances. According to Satyacharya, whom the author of Brihat Jataka holds in great admiration and respect, all the various shades of friendship and enmity are clearly traceable. The commentator here gives lengthy explanations with a view to simplify matters. I may quote here one or two cases so that the rest may easily be grasped. The Sun has his Moolatrikona in Leo. The 12th from Leo is Cancer. Its lord is the Moon and as he owns only one house he becomes the best friend of the Sun. The 4th from Leo is Scorpio, and 9th is Aries; their lord is Mars. The Sun is exalted in Aries. Therefore Mars is a friend of the Sun. The 5th and 8th from Leo are Sagittarius and Pisces. Their lord is Jupiter. Therefore Jupiter is an intimate friend of the Sun. The 2nd and 11th from Leo are Virgo and Gemini. Their lord is Mercury. The 2nd Rasi is mentioned but the 11th is not named, therefore Mercury is a neutral of the Sun. The 6th and 7th from Leo are Capricorn and Aquarius, and as both of those houses are not mentioned in the rule, their lord Saturn is a bitter enemy of the Sun. The 3rd and 10th from Leo are Libra and Taurus. Their lord is Venus. Both of these houses are not mentioned in the Sutra, and therefore Venus is a bitter enemy of the Sun. Take now Moon. His Moolatrikona is in Taurus. The 4th is Leo, its lord is the Sun, and therefore he is a friend of the Moon. The 2nd and 5th houses from Taurus are Gemini and Virgo. Mercury is their lord. Therefore he is a friend of the Moon, The 7th and 12th from Taurus are Scorpio and Aries. Their lord is Mars, 7th house is not mentioned but the 12th is named. Mars therefore is a neutral of the Moon. The 8th and 11th from Taurus are Sagittarius and Pisces. Their lord is Jupiter, as the 11th is not mentioned but the 8th is named and therefore Jupiter becomes neutral to the Moon. Moon is exalted in Taurus. The 6th from it is Libra, its lord is Venus. The 6th is not mentioned and therefore Venus becomes a neutral of the Moon. The 9th and 10th houses from Taurus are Capricorn and Aquarius. Their lord is Saturn. 10th is not named and therefore Saturn becomes a neutral of the Moon. For Mars, Aries is Moolatrikona. The fourth from it is Cancer, with the Moon as its lord. He owns only one house and therefore the Moon is the friend of Mars. The 5th from Aries is Leo. Its lord is the Sun, he owns only one house and as it is named the Sun becomes the friend of Mars. Similarly find out for all the planets from their Moolatri-konas. There are planets who own two houses while the Sun and the Moon own only one house each. If the planet owns two houses named in the Sutra (text), then he becomes a friend. If he owns two houses but one of them falls in the numbers named above and the other does not, then the planet becomes a neutral. But if a planet owns two houses and none of them is named in the Sutra, then he becomes an enemy.

Stanza 10. If the ascendant happens to be an odd sign or the planet aspecting the ascendant happens to occupy an odd sign, then the sexual act was done once. If the above happens to be even, then the act was conducted two times. If the vargas of the ascendant are owned by Mars and Venus exclusively, then the sex-act was conducted as per principles of Vatsyayana, many times. According as the varga of the ascendant is that of the Sun or the Moon, co-habitation took place during day or night time. The place of sexual act is to be ascertained from the ascendant.

Stanza 11. If the Moon and Mars occupy the 1st, 5th, 7th or 9th, the couple quarrelled and kept awake. If the Moon and Saturn are in the above houses, they dreamt that they had sexual commerce. If the Sun and the Moon are in the above houses, there was no enjoyment but he was allowed to feel the private organs; if the Moon and Venus, the couple managed to talk private matters and engage in private amusements.

Stanza 12. If the Moon and Jupiter are in the 1st, the 5tb, the 7th or the 9th, be had union with an accomplished woman and there is the prospect of pregnancy. If the Moon and Mercury, the union was not with his wife but with another woman; if Mars is in the ascendant and Saturn is in the 7th or vice-versa, there was no sleep for the couple because of fear from fire. The same effect can be told if these lords interchange houses.

Stanza 13. In the yoga described above, if the Moon occupies the sign joined by Mars or Saturn the couple went on quarrelling. If the Moon is in the 7th, the quarrel was due to the woman and if the Moon is in the ascendant, the dispute was due to the man. If Venus is associated with Mars, or Saturn occupies the ascendant or the 7th, the couple separated quarrelling and spent the night in different beds. If Mars is in the 3rd and the Moon is in the 7th, there was quarrel and separation and the couple had to sleep on the bare ground.

Stanzas 14 and 15. If the Moon and Venus occupy the 1st, the 3rd, the 4th or the 7tb, the couple quarrelled and the dress of the woman was cut off. The house in which the union took place is to be ascertained thus: If Saturn occupies the 1st or the 7th, the house is a repaired one; if Mars, a burnt house; if Mercury, a house constructed by many carpenters; if the Moon, a newly built house; if the Sun, a house made of much wood but not strong; if Venus, a new and ornamental house; and if Jupiter, a very strong house.

NOTES

This information can be used in various other types of questions such as delivery, theft, etc.

Stanza 16. There is another view. If the Sun is in a watery sign, the union took place in the bath house; the Sun in other signs, indicates kitchen. Mars governs the kitchen, Mercury rules playgrounds, Saturn governs a Sudra house or a cowshed. Rahu governs the house of low-born people or latrines. The Moon governs palaces or temples. A weak Venus governs an old house.

NOTES

Here the planetary position is with reference to the ascendant or the 7th house.

Stanza 17. There is still another view. If the ascendant is not aspected by any planet, then the house where co-habitation took place is to be determined from the nature of the ascendant. Hence it is given in the next verse.

Stanza 18. If Aries or Libra happens to be the ascendant, then the houses governed by Mars or Venus in the above are to be considered. If the ascendant is Taurus or a common sign, then the house governed by Mercury will be the enjoyment place. Leo rules the cowshed. Scorpio governs the house assigned for the Moon. Cancer governs the houses assigned for Jupiter. Capricorn a round-shaped house. And Aquarius rules the place where serpents are worshipped.

According to another view, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini rising indicate a grannery, the mill house where rice and other grains are powdered, the kitchen and the cowshed respectively.

Stanza 19. If the Moon occupies the signs or Navamsa signs of Saturn, or is aspected by or associated with Saturn or occupies the 4th house, or is posited in a watery sign, the couple had sex relation in a dark spot. If however the Sun aspects or associates with the Moon, the spot was not dark.

Stanza 20. Certain Lakshanas or indicative signs are read from the deepa (lit lamp) kept during daytime for luck, at the time of meals or any other auspicious occasion and during night time for the sake of light and general prosperity.

Stanza 21. Divide the enjoyment room into 12 signs and find out where the Sun stands. In the direction signified by the sign a lamp is kept burning, or in the direction implied by the sign where the Sun stands — as in Aries and its trines — east; Taurus and its trines — south: Gemini and its trines — west; and Cancer and its trines — north. If the ascendant is strong, the direction is to be ascertained thus: Aries and Taurus — east: Gemini — south-east; Cancer and Leo — south; Virgo — south-west, etc.

Stanza 22, Count 3 ghatikas, 45 vighatikas before sunrise and assume that Aries lasts till 1 gh. 15 vig. after sunrise. Then the next five ghatikas is Taurus, then Gemini 5 ghatikas, and in this order, signs come in succession. Note the sign occupied by the Sun; the direction indicated by this sign is the one where the lamp is kept lit. If the Sun occupies a fixed sign, the lamp is fixed to the wall or to the ground; if it is a moveable sign, the light is a lantern that can be moved from place to place; and if it is in a common sign, it is a hanging lantern.

Stanza 23. If at the time of Prasna, the Sun is strong, the flame of the lamp is clear and brilliant. If it is weak, the flame is feeble. In a similar manner if at the time of the query, the Moon is strong, the oil used is clear and pure and if he is weak, the oil is impure and mixed.

Stanzas 24 and 25. If the Moon occupies the Moon's Hora, the oil used for the lamp is ghee. If the Moon is in the Sun's Hora, cocoanut or gingelly oil is used. If the Moon is in the first part of the sign or Navamsa, then there is a large quantity of oil; and if it is in the last part of the Rasi or Amsa, the oil is about to end. The nature of the wick is to be read from the ascendant.

The nature of the wick is denoted by the planets occupying the ascendant. If there are no planets, then the respective lords reveal the nature of the wick in the lamp. The colour of the wick is to be known from the colour of the sign or Navamsa sign, whichever is stronger. If both sign and Navamsa are strong, the wick has both the colours. If the ascendant is a common sign, there are two wicks; if it happens to be in the earlier part of the sign, then the wick is long and only a small portion of it is burnt.

NOTES

Details pertaining to the colour of the wick, the direction where the lamp is kept, the nature of the flame, etc., cannot be quite relevant to modern times. What should impress a reader is the depth of detail even in regard to such matters, the ancient astrological writers had gone into by way of framing innumerable planetary combinations.

Where the sexual union took place, which caste the man or woman belongs to, whether it was by mutual consent or by force can be relevant even today in tackling cases of rape. It is for the readers to ponder over the details and judge for themselves their utility.

Thus ends the Chapter XXVIII

CHAPTER XXIX

Nashta Prasna

Stanza 1. Suppose a person makes a query without mentioning what it exactly is, it is termed as Nashta Prasna. How to answer such questions has been dealt with by the great writers Krishna Acharya and Madhava Acharya.

Stanzas 2 and 3. When the questioner without revealing the business underlying the query puts in a vague question, "I wish to know the result of something that is in my mind. Can you tell me the business and the result?" The answer must be given keeping in mind the following: If Jupiter or the Moon occupies Lagna or Arudha, it is Ayur Prasna (dealing about sickness and longevity). If Saturn occupies the 7th, the 8t'u or the 12th, consider that it is a Chora Prasna (dealing with the loss of wealth through theft). If Jupiter is in the 2nd, Venus in the 1st or the 4th, Mercury in the 10th, then it is about some business (Karya Prasna).

NOTES

In all these, Nimittas also should be carefully scrutinised.

Stanza 4. Suppose a planet occupies the 1st, the 4th, the 6th, the 7th, the 10th from Lagna or Arudha or the Moon. It has its Navamsa in Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces, then say that it is a Chora Prasna (some wealth has been stolen away by some thief). Similarly if a malefic occupies the 10th house from any one of these, say that it is a Chora Prasna.

NOTES

Here the planets occupying the 1st, the 4th, the 6th, the 7th, the 10th and the malefic in the 10th, are technically known as Chora planets. If you find more planets than one, weigh the strength and choose the strongest.

Stanza 5. Regarding this, the author of the famous treatise Shat Panchasika has semething to say:

(a) From the Navamsa of Lagna, determine the nature of the thing stolen; (b) the shape of the thief can be known from the Drekkana of Lagna; (c) from the Lagna Rasi, determine the time, the place where the stolen thing is kept and direction where it is; and (d) the caste and age of the thief from the lord of Lagna.

Stanza 6. The size and shape of the thief will be similar to Lagna Drekkana, and the lord of Lagna will show his build, colour, dress and vesha (appearance). Here also the strongest should be taken into consideration.