Marriage Matching by Iranganti Rangacharya

Article by Iranganti Rangacharya

Opinions differ in the number of factors that are to be judged in marriage matching. For instance, Narada opines on 12 factors, while Garga on 18 factors. Besides we find opinions differing in practice varying from place to place and their corresponding traditions. But the majority astrologers accept 8 factors, given in Muhurta Chintamani, the universally accepted text on elections by Rama Daivagna. Marriage matching is chiefly done on the basis of the birth stars of the boy and the girl. If the birth-star of the girl is not known, matching may be judged between the birth-star of the boy, and the name-star of the girl. If the birth-stars of the boy and the girl are not known, matching may be judged between the name-stars of both. But matching should not be judged between the name-star of the boy and the birth-star of the girl. This is the opinion of Kaalamirtham one of the most favoured texts on elections.

The following are the 8 factors as given in Muhurta Chinthamani:

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(1) Varna; (2) Vasya; (3) Tara; (4) Yoni; (5) Grahamaitri; (6) Gana (7) Rasi; (8) Nadi.

1. Varna

The Varna of the boy’s birth-sign (sign occupied by the Moon) should be superior to the Varna of the girl’s birth-sign. Then it gains 1 mark. Though the Varna of the boy’s birth-sign is inferior, if the Varna of the boy’s birth-sign lord is superior, one mark allotted to Varna is deemed to be gained.

Brahmin – Meena, Vrischika, Kataka; Kshatriya – Mesha, Dhanus, Simha; Vaisya – Vrishabha, Kanya, Makara; Sudra – Mithuna, Thula, Kumbha; Brahmin – Jupiter, Venus; Kashatriya – Sun, Mars; Vaisya – Moon; Sudra – Mercury; and Chandala – Saturn.

Varna table

2. Vasya

Signs are classified into the five following groups.

Nara: Mithuna, Kanya, Thula, Kumbha, the 1^st half of Dhanus.

Chathushpada: Vrishabha, Mesha, the 2^nd half of Dhanus, 1^st half of Makara.

Jalachara: Kataka, 2^nd half of Makara, Meena, (Vrischika = Keeta)

Vanachara: Simha

Vasya Table

3. Tara

Count from the star of the girl to the star of the boy. Count the star of the boy from the star of the girl. In each case divide the number by 9. The remainders 3, 5, 7 are not good, while the remainders 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 are not good, Tara does not score any mark. If one is good, while the other is bad, Tara scores 1 ½ marks. If both are good Tara scores 3 marks.

4. Yoni

Marks may be assigned to the friendship etc. of the animals represented by the stars.

Aswini, Satabhisha – Horse; Swati, Hasta – Buffalo; Dhanishta, Poorvashada – Lion; Bharani, Revati – Elephant; Pushyami, Krittika – Goat; Sravana, Poorvashada – Monkey; Uttarashada, Abhijit – Mongoose; Mrigasira, Rohini – Snake; Jyeshta, Anuradha – Deer; Moola, Aridra – Dog; Punarvasu, Aslesha – Cat; Makha, Pubba – Rat; Visakha, Chitta – Tiger and Uttara, Uttarashada – Cow.

See Table for the rating of marks according to the class of animals of the boy and the girl.

Yoni Table

5. Grahamaitri

Assign marks according to the friendship, enmity and neutrality of the Moon-sign lords of the boy and the girl from the Table.

Grahamaitri Table

6. Gana

Stars are divided into three groups of Gana, viz. Deva, Rakshasa and Manushya.

Deva Gana: Anuradha, Punarvasu, Mrigasira, Sravana, Revati, Swati, Hasta, Aswini, Pushyami.

Manushya Gana: Poorvaphalguni, Poorvashadha, Poorvabhadra, Uttara, Uttarashada, Rohini, Bharani, Aridra.

Rakshasa gana: Makha, Aslesha, Dhanishta, Jyeshta, Moola, Satabhisha, Krittika, Chitta, Visakha.

Gana Table

7. Rasi

Assign the marks according to the Kendra, Kona etc., positions of the boy’s birth-sign from the girl’s birth sign.

If the Rasi of the boy is in the 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, 7^th, same sign, 10^th or 11^th from the girl’s, assign 7 points. If the Rasi of the boy is in the 2^nd, 5^th, 6^th, 9^th, 8^th or 12^th from the girl’s, assign 0 points.

8. Nadi

See Table below for rating of marks. The stars are divided into three groups of Nadi. They are Adi, Madhya, Antya. The birth-star of the boy and the girl should not come under the same category of Nadi. Adi Nadi: Aswini, Aridra, Punarvasu, Uttara, Hasta, Jyeshta, Moola, Satabhisha, Poorvabhadra.

Madhya Nadi: Bharani, Mrigasira, Pushyami, Pubba, Chitta, Anuradha, Poorvabhadra, Dhanishta, Uttarabhadra.

Antya Nadi: Krittika, Rohini, Aslesha, Makha, Swati, Visaka, Uttarashada, Sravana, Revati.

Nadi Table

The maximum score of the 8 Kutas is 36. Find out the total number of marks, as got from the 8 Tables of the stars of the boy and the girl. The pass mark is 18. This rating is not the be-all and end-all, unless two more factors are judged. They are:

1. Exceptions
2. Weightage
3. Exceptions
4. If Vasya merits two marks, Yoni also merits two marks, though Yoni enmity is present.
5. Despite the absence of Grahamaitri in Rasi charts the presence of Grahamaitri in Navamsa merits 5 marks.
6. Gana merits 6 marks despite its enmity when Grahamaitri and Rasimaitri are present.
7. In the presence of Rasimaitri, the Graha, the Varna and the Nadi merit 5, 1, 8 marks respectively, despite their evil effects.
8. In the presence of Grahamaitri, Gana merits 6 marks, despite its evil.
9. In the presence of Grahamaitri, Rasi merits 7 marks despite its evil.
10. In the presence of Rasimaitri, graham merits 5 marks despite its enmity.
11. If the Rasi of the boy and the girl is the same, and the stars differ, Nadi, despite its evil, merits 8 marks and Gana merits 6 marks despite its evil. Some say in this 8^th case, that the boy’s star should precede the girl’s star, but not the other way round.
12. If the star of the boy and the girl is the same and the Rasis differ, Nadi merits 8 marks despite its evil, and Graha-maitri despite its evil gets 5 marks.
13. If both the star and Rasi of the boy and the girl are same, Nadi and Gana though evil merit 8 and 6 marks respectively. But the restriction is that the Padas of the star of the boy and the girl should differ.
14. Weightage
15. Kuja Dosha (Evil of Mars): Some astrologers view the evil of Mars through the magnifying glass and seek a number of alternatives for its cancellation given in some faulty Sanskrit verses, particularly in Devakeralam. The following are some of the examples of faulty verifications.

In the above mentioned underlined four padas the readers can know that the ‘Vina’ is tagged to either genitive or locative, which gives us ungrammatical expression. ‘Vina’ should connect only either accusative, instrumental or ablative cases.

Kuja Dosha occurs when Mars occupies the 2^nd, 4^th, 7^th and 12^th from Lagna or from the Moon or from Venus. I give it a score of 2 marks. If Kuja Dosha is present in one case either in the boy’s chart or the girl’s chart, reduce 2 marks. In both the charts, kuja Dosha merits 2 marks.

2. Judgement of Janma Lagna: If Janma Lagna of the boy and the girl is the same or in Samasaptaka (1 & 7), 2 marks can be given by weightage. Janma Lagna is Shashtashtaka (6 & 12) forfeits 2 marks.
3. Lagna Lords: If Lagna lords are mutually natural friends and are in Kendra or Kona-labha positions, 2 marks may be given. Otherwise 2 marks are to be forfeited.
4. 7^th House Lords: If the 7^th house lords are equally in strength like being in exaltation, etc., 2 marks may be graced. Otherwise 2 marks may be forfeited.
5. 8^th House: If the 8^th houses are occupied by the same number of planets, 2 marks may be given. But, if one is vacant while the other is occupied by a planet, 2 marks may be forfeited.

N.B: In the case of the Name-stars of the boy and the girl, the method of weightage is of no avail.

Examples

Male: Born 23-9-1926 at 10.20 a.m.

Rasi: Scorpio – Ascendant; Sagittarius – Ketu; Capricorn – Jupiter; Pisces – Moon; Aries – Mars; Gemini – Rahu; Leo – venus; Virgo – Sun and Mercury; and Libra – Saturn. Navamsa: Cancer – Ascendant; Leo – Jupiter; Virgo – Venus and Ketu; Scorpio – Mars; Aquarius – Sun and Moon; Pisces – Mercury and Rahu; and Gemini – Saturn.

Female: Born on 2-10-1932 at 11.00 a.m.

Rasi: Scorpio – Ascendant; Aquarius – Rahu; Cancer – Mars; Leo – Venus, Jupiter and Ketu; Virgo – Sun and Mercury; and Libra – Moon. Navamsa: Pisces – Ascendant; Aries – Venus and Rahu; Taurus – Sun; Gemini – Mercury; Virgo – Jupiter; Libra – Ketu; Scorpio – Mars; Capricorn – Moon; and Aquarius – Saturn.

Birth-star of the male – Revati – 3 in Meena Rasi. Birth-star of the female – Swati – 2 in Thula Rasi.

(1) Varna – 1 mark; (2) Vasya – ½ ; (3) Tara – 1 ½ ; Yoni – 1; (5) Graha – ½ ; (6) Gana – 6; (7) Rasi – 0; and (8) Nadi – 0; Total: 10 ½ .

1. Exceptions
2. In Navamsa due to Grahamaitri, Saturn being the lord of Kumbha (male) and Makara (female) 5 marks may be graced instead of ½ as given before, i.e., 15 marks.
3. Weightage
4. Kuja Dosha: In the male chart, Mars is in the 2^nd from Moon. In the female chart, Mars is in the 12^th from Venus. Hence +2 marks.
5. Vrischika is the Janma Lagna of the male and the female +2 marks.
6. Lagna lord, Mars, is the same and in mutually Kendra positions +2 marks.
7. Venus the 7^th lord in Simha, in both the charts +2.
8. The 8^th house of Lagna in male chart is occupied by Rahu, while the 8^th house in female chart is vacant – 2. By weightage, 6 marks are gained. Hence the total = 15 + 6 = 21.

The native of the chart belongs to an orthodox Brahmin community, but he is handicapped due to infantile paralysis. An astrologer was consulted for his matrimonial alliance, with a fair complexioned girl. He gave a green signal in matching the boy’s star with girl’s star, whose chart is herewith illustrated. Though 10 ½ marks were scored, the natives of the two charts are living a peaceful and happy life. The readers may note that 21 marks are gained, which is the astrological factor explaining their happy married life.