Sage Atri’s Vidyashram by Shri Steven Stuckey
Article by Shri Steven Stuckey
Attri is the Rishi present in all Manvantras. He was among the three main seers who propounded the sacred thread (after Brihaspati) which has three strands symbolizing Creation (Brahma and the letter A), Sustenance (Vishnu and the letter U) and Dissolution (Shiva {m} and the letter M). Together these three strands show the vow that a Brahmin takes to recite and adhere to “Aum.” Brahmarsi Atri is the seer of the fifth mandala (book) of the Rigveda. He had many sons, including Soma, Datta, and Durvasa, who are the incarnations of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra. He is among the Sapta Rishi (seven luminous or eternal sages in the sky) symbolized by the great bear and the seven stars around it. Named Megrez in Latin. The star is also considered as δ (Delta) or the 4th star in the Great Bear constellation.
Jataka Tatva Commentary
1)Chp 3 Prakirna Tatva, Panchama Viveka, Verse 149 (Page 132)
If the lord of the 12th house is in the 10th or the 1st the native shall not have sons.
Guru Shri Steven Stuckey:
There is a very clear distinction being made in this shloka between male and female progeny–as the placement of the 12th lord does not negate the birth of female children. Nothing else is mentioned regarding the nature of the 12th lord or of the situation of the 5th house and its lord, or of the strength or weakness of Jupiter as the karaka for both the 5th house and for progeny—some of the things that we may normally look at to determine the sex of the child or for the likelihood of actually having children.
We might think that it is the author’s intention to have us assume that when he is speaking of the 12th lord, he is in fact talking about the 8th lord from the 5th. In this case the 8th lord would occupy the 9th house and the 6th house from the 5th. These placements might cause some damage to the interests of the 5th house or to the happiness or health of the children, but how would it limit the male issues and permit the female?
I believe if we take the author at his word and assume that we are dealing with the 12th, the 1st and the 10th from the lagna, perhaps we may find a simple and logical explanation for this shloka.
The Kendras are considered the most powerful houses in the chart in general and of those, the 10th and the 1st are the most powerful in that order respectively. The 10th because that is the area where the Sun shines the brightest at midday and the 1st because, not only is it representative of sunrise but it also rules the energetic passion, physicality and main direction of the life. Planets placed in the Kendras and especially in these two houses, give an emphasis towards a strong and active life.
If we think of the natural meaning of the houses in terms of male verses female energy or active verses passive energy, and lacking any signs or planetary placements to help guide us, we might make an assumption that the 10th and the 1st houses are the most active and therefore the most male dominated of the twelve houses.
In contradistinction to houses 10 and 1, we have house 12. An Apoklima or cadent house, it rules the background of life, away from the limelight. It can also rule confinement or imprisonment, spiritual renunciation, time spent in ashrams, loss of authority, expenditures illness etc. The 12th house may be the least ‘material’ of all houses and in fact one might argue that it is the house most directly opposite to the energetic and forward movement of life as represented by the kendras.
If we combine the energies of the 12th house with those of the 1st and 10th, by placing the lord of 12 in those houses, we may certainly take something away from the ‘thrust’ of life and lessen significantly the male energy of the chart. Of course here we are talking about the basic predisposition of the native himself and not his children. Is it possible that the author of our shloka was inferring that the balance between the male and female energies in a person’s chart is a factor in determining the sex of the children?
Lord of the 12th in the 1st is generally considered detrimental to the physical body and life force and tends to humble the person who has it in some way. If the person otherwise has a good chart for spiritual life, then this placement may enhance the spiritual side, otherwise it may serve as a weakening and frustrating factor and prevent one from fully expressing his ego drives in the material world. The lord of the 12th in the 10th can act in a similar manner by frustrating one’s desire for power, fame and recognition.
The 1st and 10th houses, if fortified, will allow the native to push forth many of his objectives in the world through ways typically stereotyped as masculine or male by being aggressive and assertive, authoritative competitive, forceful and confident.
The 12th lord interference with this ego expression may make one more introverted, shy, humble and yielding and in this way may exert a more feminine influence upon the chart. Would this influence be enough to minimize or deny the birth of male children of the native? We couldn’t say for certain, but it is one possible explanation for the rationale behind this shloka.
One can find many examples to both prove and disprove this shloka. Something additional to consider here is the location of the 12th lord in both the Rasi and Bhava chakras as there can often be a difference in its placement between the two charts.
One very excellent example that proves the merits of the shloka is the chart of Jeff Bridges, winner of this year’s Academy Award for best actor. His data is Dec. 4, 1949 @ 11:58 PM PST in Los Angeles, Ca. Jeff has three daughters only, so it is certainly not through a lack of trying that he has no sons.
2)Chp 3 Prakirna Tatva, Shashta Viveka, Verse 46 (page 147)
If Moon and the Sun are in Leo or Cancer, the native shall be a T.B. patient.
Guru Shri Steven Stuckey:
To help us understand the rationale behind this shloka, it might be helpful to understand a few facts about TB.
Tuberculosis has been around for many thousands of years. Despite effective treatment today with antibiotics, T.B. is still considered a major disease in developing countries, mainly due to a rise in HIV infections and a neglect of adequate control programs.
The infection normally begins in the lungs but may spread to other organs such as the throat, stomach and intestines. The disease is caused by a tiny bacterium and is contracted much as one would catch a cold, by sneezing, coughing etc. There is a latent form also where one may have been infected but does not develop the disease due to its suppression by the immune system. Generally it seems that a constitutional weakness, lowered immune function, unclean living conditions or poor nutrition may all contribute to making one susceptible to the disease.
Mahadeva is pairing together the Sun and Moon in either Cancer or Leo as one cause for contracting TB. The Moon naturally becomes the focus here as it is extraordinarily weak when in combustion. Even if out of the combustion range, it essentially has no light and is obliterated by the Sun. As Moon rules the mind and emotions, it is a powerful factor for health in general and its affliction can lead to both mental and physical disease. The Moon therefore may be the most important planet underlying a strong immune system. And as stated before, one with a weakened immune system may be more susceptible to TB (and many other diseases as well).
Beginning from Aries, the 4th and 5th houses of the Kalapurusha, Cancer and Leo respectively, are generally related to the lungs, heart, stomach and upper abdomen. A weakened and afflicted Moon in Cancer or Leo may thus lead to disease in the chest cavity or upper abdomen.
While malefics such as Saturn and Rahu and a weakened lagna and lagnesh are more often associated with TB, the focus on the Moon points to contracting the disease by undermining the health primarily due to a mental affliction. Naturally a certain number of the charts with these Sun/Moon conjunctions would also include the Nodes during eclipse times, thus bringing harm to the Sun also.
Astrological predictions must always be considered for time and place under which planetary combinations are occurring. Although we can find many examples today of natal charts that possess the above conjunction of Sun and Moon, with no hint of TB present in the life, we also have the added factors of improved medical care with vaccines and antibiotics that target TB, sanitary living conditions and better nutritional standards that may help to offset a natal predisposition to contract the disease.
3)Chp 3 Prakirna Tatva, Saptama Viveka, Verse 129 & 130 (page 180)
If the lord of the 7th house is associated with a benefic planet the partner shall have large breasts.
If the lord of the 7th house is associated with a malefic, the partner shall have a large clitoris and private parts.
Guru Shri Steven Stuckey:
If the lord of the 7th house is associated with a benefic the partner shall have large breasts.
If the lord of the 7th house is associated with a malefic, the partner shall have a large clitoris and private parts.
The 7th house and its lord are indicative of the partner and specifically the physical attributes of the partner, as the 7th becomes the 1st house of the partner.
The 7th lord’s associations and aspects would further define the physical characteristics and overall health and fortune of the partner. Association with benefics would generally enhance the partner’s status, appearance, health luck etc and conversely association with malefics would increase the possibilities of ill health, misfortune, unattractive appearance etc.
A number of classical texts, including the Brihat Samhita and the Garuda Purana, describe various aspects of women’s physiology. Well developed, firm and evenly proportioned breasts are considered attributes of a ‘queenly’ disposition and thus are considered as more desirable and therefore ‘benefic’.
Women possessing a ‘hidden’ clitoris are also in the favored category and thus by inference, women with a large and protruding genitalia could be classified as less fortunate and thus somewhat ‘malefic’.
Large genitalia for both sexes are considered less auspicious in general by ancient texts.
The 4th house rules over the breasts and the 7th and 8th houses would describe the external genitalia. Women whose own Rasi chart has Jupiter ruling or Jupiter and Venus occupying the 4th (or 4th from Chandra lagna) generally have large breasts. Planets in Cancer or the Moon’s association with the 4th lord may also increase the size of the breasts.
Malefics, especially Saturn, occupying the 8th house may give large genitalia for both men and women.
The two shlokas point one generally in the direction of benefic vs malefic results of the 7th lord in association, but in practical examples of charts, these simple associations by themselves, don’t often yield the results described in the shlokas.
4)Chp 3 Prakirna Tatva, Dasama Viveka, Verse 121 (page 233)
If a moveable sign other than Libra is Ascending and Mars, Jupiter and the Sun are in their respective exaltation, a King is born
Guru Shri Steven Stuckey:
The exaltations of Mars, Jupiter and Sun are all in moveable or cardinal signs and therefore will all occupy kendras when a moveable sign rises. These placements naturally also form Mahapurusha Yoga’s for Mars and Jupiter.
Libra lagna is excluded as both Mars and Jupiter become malefic by house rulership with Mars also acting as Maraka or death inflictor by becoming lord of both 2nd and 7th houses. Sun by its rulership of house 11 is also considered to be malefic by many authorities.
Capricorn lagna would not be entirely free from troubles as both Jupiter and Mars are considered malefic by BPHS, although Mars’ rulership over house 4 improves its status somewhat.
Cancer and Aries lagna’s would be the best, as the three planets are generally considered benefic for these Ascendants, with the exception of the Sun as lord of the 2nd for Cancer, and that blemish may be ameliorated by Sun’s association with a benefic.
Sun, Mars and Jupiter are all mutual friends and their occupying the kendras in full force could certainly bring about a kingly status to the charts owner. However, as with all yoga combinations, each planet should be judged carefully for its many strengths and weaknesses. Aspects by, or association with malefics, poor placement in varga charts, Rx motion, papakartari yoga, and many other factors may render these combinations as merely ordinary. This was the case in 1956 when these exaltations occurred while Saturn and Rahu were in the sign of Scorpio and were thereby aspecting both Mars and Jupiter.
We would be hard pressed to find such a combination at full potential in the charts of the world’s current political leaders or so called ‘kings’, as these exalted placements give a certain amount of good character along with power. These more benefic qualities seem to be conspicuously absent from the majority of both military and political elites of our time.
These three planets in exaltation are not that common. The reason for this is that Mars is required to be in Capricorn in the April/May timeframe only (when the Sun tenants Aries) during a year when Jupiter is in Cancer. Mars occupies Capricorn every two years, but moves in a backward motion through the various months as the year’s progress. For instance in 2009, Mars entered Capricorn in late January, in 2011 it will enter in early January and in 2012 will enter in late December. If we combine this motion with Mars’ Rx movement, and then additionally require Mars to be in Capricorn only in the Spring during a year when Jupiter tenants Cancer, we may be waiting a long time.
The last time the three planets were all in exaltation was the Spring of 2003. The time previous to that was 1956 and before that, the year 1813. The next time this occurs will be in the year 2050.
In 2003, Prince Moulay Al Hassan, the heir apparent to the throne of Morocco was born on May 8 @ 6:40 AM GMT in Rabat, Morocco. His father and mother are the current King and Princess of Morocco. In the celebration of his birth, his father released 9,459 prisoners from jail and reduced the sentences of over 38,500 others. Prince Moulay has Taurus lagna along with all the above exalted planets. Although his chart does not meet the requirement of a moveable Ascendant, his Lagnesh Venus is also exalted in Pisces while his Moon occupies Pushya nakshatra.
On May 3rd and 4th of 2003 the Moon was also exalted, giving a total of five exalted planets. If we place these planets in Cancer or Aries lagna, we indeed have a combination for a very powerful kingly personality who may currently be walking among us. This same combination will not happen again until May of 2193.
About Author: Steven Stuckey (Shastrakara Das) began his study of Astrology in 1968. He started teaching classes in both Western sidereal and Jyotish techniques in 1979 and was instrumental in the initial introduction of Jyotish in the United States. He currently resides in southern Oregon where he continues to teach and advise an international clientele. He is no doubt famous for his predictive skills but more important as per us is he is one of the kindest astrologers you will ever find. He may be reached by email at: shastra@gotsky.com
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