Tikkanikayatra (Ṭikkanikayātrā)

Chapter 1: The Fruits of Actions Under the Lunar Mansions

A lion unto the elephants of dense darkness, the lord of the mansion of the three worlds, the eye of the universe, / whose crest is the mountains of sunrise and sunset, the unique ornament of the firmament—victorious is the Sun!

With bowed head I revere Gaṇeśa and Sarasvatī, Parameśvara together with the Guardians of the Quarters, / the Lotus-born [Brahmā], the Lotus-rich Hari [Viṣṇu], and the Sun, the lamp of the three worlds.

Hereafter [is set forth] the procedure for a military expedition of an aspiring conqueror whose time of birth is known, / and who is intent on the pleasures and pains apportioned to every year, month, and day;

when the horā and the zodiacal sign are known, the acquisition of positional strength by the planets, / and the lifespan has been ascertained, the benefic or malefic fruit is to be declared.

When the subject matter is thus situated, the instruction of the text addresses contradictions in practice; / for some state the time of birth, while many others do not state it.

In a horary query of one intending to depart, when the rising ascendant is the natal lunar mansion or [natal ascendant], or either of the two, / and the third, sixth, or eleventh [houses], or signs rising by the head [prevail], there will be victory on the marches.

If the enemy's horā, zodiacal sign, its lord, the natal lunar mansion, or its lord / is in the seventh house or in the fourth house, the enemy is likewise declared to be slain.

At a horary query, pleasant ground and the sight of auspicious articles are commended; / if [the client] asks with deference, the astrologer should predict victory.

The nandā tithis, bhadrā tithis, vijayā tithis, riktā tithis, and pūrṇā tithis yield fruits corresponding to their names; / in the bright fortnight they are deficient, equal, or desired up to the tenth lunar day, while in the dark fortnight they are the reverse.

A lunar mansion covered by planetary enclosure, one arrived in the evening twilight, one pierced by planets, / one oppressed by malefics, or one corrupted by portents—all such are malefic.

Citrā, Svātī, Viśākhā, Bharaṇī, Maghā, Kṛttikā, and Āśleṣā / are not exceedingly benefic on an expedition; the remaining lunar mansions are benefic.

For one desiring to burn an enemy's territory, the south-eastern direction is auspicious except at sunrise; / not so during the forenoon of the day under Viśākhā, Rohiṇī, or the Uttara [lunar mansions].

One should avoid midday under Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Āśleṣā, and Ārdrā; / one should avoid a military expedition in the afternoon under Svātī, Aśvinī, Puṣya, and Hasta.

One may set out under Anurādhā, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Citrā, and Revatī, setting aside the early evening; / and under the three Pūrva [mansions], Bharaṇī, and Maghā, having avoided midnight.

Not in the last part of the night under Punarvasu and under the three [mansions] beginning with Śravaṇa; / all times whatsoever are auspicious under Śravaṇa, Jyeṣṭhā, Hasta, and Puṣya.

In order, seven lunar mansions each, beginning with Kṛttikā, [pertain to] the East and the other quarters; / in direct order, there is unity also of the two [pairs] of eastern, northern, and [southern] ears.

Those who advance transgressing the line between the fire and wind directions known as the parigha line, / as if [transgressing] the command of the Wielder of the Thunderbolt, soon fall into misfortune.

A group of four lunar mansions is designated as having doors on all sides: / Puṣya, Hasta, Aśvinī, and the lunar mansion belonging to Mitra [Anurādhā].

Jyeṣṭhā, Pūrvabhādrapadā, Rohiṇī, and Uttaraphalgunī / are astrological spikes in the East and subsequent [directions]; if one who has set out under them survives, it is a wonder.

The asterism reckonings are: natal, wealth, calamity-causing, safe, loss, benefic, difficult, / friendly, and very friendly; and these yield fruits corresponding to their names.

On the day of the Sun there is loss of wealth; on the Moon's, loss of strength and food; / on Mars's, diseases of fire, blood, and bile; on Mercury's, the acquisition of a friend;

on Jupiter's, obtaining victory and wealth; on Venus's, gains of women, garments, perfumes, and riches; / and on the day of the Sun's son [Saturn], one obtains misery, imprisonment, and disease.

On the day of a planet producing an upacaya house, success accrues to invading kings even if it is a malefic; / even when a benefic is not in an upacaya house, a military expedition is not auspicious for the expedition leader.

The half lunar days, with Gara, Vaṇij, and Viṣṭi excluded, are desired for the expedition leader; / Gara too is commended by some, and Vaṇij only in mercantile activities.

During the day [the auspicious moments are those presided over by] Śiva, Bhujaga, Mitra, the Pitṛs, the Vasus, Jala, the Viśvedevas, Viriñci, the Lotus-born [Brahmā], / Indra-Agni, Indra, the Night-wanderer, Varuṇa, and Aryaman as their sources.

By night the auspicious moments are named after Rudra, Aja-Ekapād, Ahirbudhnya, Pūṣan, Dakṣa, the Ender [Yama], Agni, Dhātṛ, / the Moon, Aditi, Guru, Hari, the Sun, Tvaṣṭṛ, and Anila.

The fifteenth part of the day and likewise of the night is designated a muhūrta; / and that is to be ascertained by those skilled in it through reason, with shadows, instruments, and water-clocks.

The parigha line and so forth of the auspicious moments should be considered like the lunar mansions, along with their presiding lords; / the fruit seen by Garga and others is indeed the same, and there are verses on that subject:

"A complete day-and-night is joined to the Moon's lunar mansion; / and the muhūrtas of that lunar mansion are recorded as possessing equal actions and virtues."

And that which is the eighth muhūrta, named after Viriñci, is designated as Abhijit; / during that [time] […] for one who has advanced far to the south, there is attainment of victory.

The [auspicious moment] named after the lord Viriñci, which is auspicious when equal to the eighth [part] in the daytime— / by that, setting out is commended in all directions under Abhijit, setting aside the south.

The Moon in an upacaya house or in the seventh house is auspicious on a military expedition, even in the natal lunar mansion, / or joined with a producer of victory, situated between benefics, […] auspicious.

The Moon, even if in the natal [sign], third, sixth, eleventh, or seventh, is not desired / if obstructed by the fifth, ninth, twelfth, eighth, fourth, or second; [otherwise] it bears the desired fruit.

When the Moon is benefic at the beginning of the bright fortnight, the fortnight is auspicious; when malefic, inauspicious; / in the dark fortnight, giving benefic results in planetary transit, it is not auspicious; in a [benefic] fortnight, anything other than this is auspicious.

One's own natal ascendant is desired, not the rising of the natal zodiacal sign; from the positions of the two, / the third and eleventh houses […] rising are beneficial, the rest are not desired.

In the eighth house of the enemy, there is slaughter of the enemy; if in the enemy's sixth house in the ascendant, there is slaughter of the expedition leader; / some have spoken thus, […] in the place of a malefic.

The zodiacal signs which are benefic in the eleventh house or the natal sign with the Sun in the second [house]— / those are commended in the ascendant; malefic planets are not desired […]

In ascendants rising by the head there is victory; in those rising by the back, defeat; / when the quarters are unobstructed, there is victory; when doors are closed, there is defeat in battle.

In Pisces the route is devious, [and] also when the Moon and ascendant are situated therein; / but travel by boat should be undertaken in a watery ascendant or in its navāṃśa.

When the Moon and Puṣya are in the navāṃśa, […] of malefics, / like one spoiled by youth, a wise man in his final days;

Prosperity belongs to one intending to depart when the navāṃśa ascendants belong to benefic planets, / like traversing the wilderness of youth skilfully for those possessing righteousness.

In a benefic navāṃśa ascendant, he brings about irresistible enjoyment of the enemy's army; / whatever is the fruit of that planet on that day, all of that [occurs] in its kālahorā.

The divisional chart of a planet in an upacaya house, even of a malefic, is praised in the ascendant, / and when the Moon is joined with a benefic that is the ruler of the chart.

Thus one should avoid malefics situated in the eighth house, the eighth house [itself], the ascendant, / and the Moon […] situated in the eighth house in all practical undertakings.

A military expedition devoid of an ascendant is like an intoxicated woman: / meeting with a degraded man, she slowly goes to ruin.

A military expedition governed by the ascendant is just like a noble woman endowed with good conduct; / the house-dispositions follow it, just as excellent virtues conform to [her] beauty.

Benefics placed in the ascendant bring health and mental contentment; / in the second house, accumulation of wealth; and in the third house, increase of warriors.

In the fourth house, increase of conveyances and friends; in the fifth, counsel and troop strength; / in the sixth, destruction of enemies; and in the seventh, they are beneficial, with the exception of Venus.

In the eighth house, with the exception of the Moon, they protect longevity; in the ninth asterism, abundance of wealth; / in the tenth, success in action; and by the eleventh, gain and gathering of military power.

From Mars, the Sun, Saturn, and the Moon in the ascendant arise slaughter, imprisonment, death, and terror; / from those in the second, loss of wealth; from those in the third, radiant fame;

separation from conveyances and kinsmen, betrayal of counsel, and destruction of enemies [occur] / in the fourth and following houses; and in the seventh, as well as with Venus [there], destruction of one's own territory.

From those in the eighth comes death; from those in the ninth, great distress for the army; / Mars and the Sun in the tenth bestow victory, while Saturn brings defeat.

Malefics in the eleventh house grant victory, while in the twelfth they bring division in one's own army; / except for the upacaya houses, the results of malefics are the reverse of those of benefics for the expedition leader.

Even a malefic favorably placed is commended in the ascendant, and even a benefic is unfavorable [if ill-disposed]; / a retrograde planet is not auspicious in a cardinal house, nor are its day, divisional chart, and ascendant.

Jupiter and Venus are masters of conciliation; Rahu, Ketu, Mercury, and Saturn of dissension; / the Sun and Mars of force; and the cool-rayed [Moon] of bribery.

The forest-dwellers, local enemies, ministers, hereditary troops, guilds, mercenaries, and commanders of valour / [are ruled] by the Sun and the other planets; when they are favorable, and by their rising divisional charts, success in those matters is attained.

Planets that are debilitated, defeated in planetary war, overpowered by the Sun, rayless, or diminished, / like serpents struck by a mantra, become powerless for any action in the ascendant.

Those on whose departure benefics occupy the ninth, fifth, and cardinal houses, and malefics occupy the third, sixth, and eleventh, / return again to their own dwellings with their purpose achieved, properly giving wealth to the twice-born as is appropriate.

If there is not even a single benefic planet in a cardinal house during an expedition, / or at birth, or in the tenth house, the teachers say that is not auspicious.

Rahu, the Sun, Mars, Ketu, and Venus are invading kings; the Moon is an ally in the rear; / Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn are city-bound kings, and the Sun too is a city-bound king in the morning.

With the invading planets well-disposed, one should march; with city-bound kings [favorable], one should engage in siege while stationary; / with benefics other than the city-bound ones, one should march with half the army.

Even when all are inauspicious, one should take refuge in auspicious destiny and the sovereign king; / military success comes through benefic results; with strong malefics comes victory in battle.

Marching in conformity with the solstices is beneficial when both the Sun and Moon are favorable; / by day and night one should march for victory; in the reverse case, hardship, defeat, and slaughter occur.

Wherever Venus has risen, or in transit during retrograde motion, or according to its day and asterism, / opposing Venus is of that kind; its rising must be avoided with great effort.

When Venus is in opposition, not even the smallest objective of expedition leaders succeeds; / let one who wishes to live march in the direction of opposing Venus at will, but not when Venus is set.

When Venus is stained in body, struck by another planet, retrograde, debilitated, or set, / an invading king, though endowed with army, falls under the power of the enemy.

In front, the Sun causes fear of fire; Mars, exhaustion of the treasury; / the son of the Moon, victory for the enemies; Jupiter, division in the army; / the son of the Sun, death; the king of the twice-born [the Moon], loss of soldiers for the king; / Venus, the bull among ministers of the demons, causes all of these combined.

Even if the lunar mansion, the lunar days, the half lunar day, the weekday, the planetary transit, / the decanate, the navāṃśa, […] the day of the planet, the ascendant, or the muhūrta, / and whatever other auspicious signs are declared are all excellent, / when Venus is in front, not even Indra himself can survive.

The king eager for victory in battle who sets out / keeping Venus behind him would conquer even the gods; / having sated the earth with floods of enemy blood, / he enjoys it for a long time, his vast fame renowned.

Like a boat without a helmsman, like a widowed bride, like the sky without the sun,

like the earth whose crops have failed, so is a military expedition when Venus has disappeared.

Even under such circumstances, if Mercury is favorably situated, one may march; / but when one marches with Mercury opposing, other planets are incapable of protecting him.

One should not march in that direction in which the regent of that direction is situated; / and when the regent of the direction is favorable and located in a cardinal house, one may set out.

On Vyatīpāta, Viṣṭi, Vaidhṛti, and the days, ascendants, and divisional charts of malefic planets, / thefts, ambushes, deceit, and battles meet with failure.

Having offered oblations into fire, bowed to the deities, had benedictions recited by the Brahmins, / and meditating on the regent of the direction, the king should set out without delay, in good spirits.

Some teachers state that if the ruler of the earth does not go himself due to necessity, / he should send forth auspicious victorious items such as his umbrella and weapons at departure.

No weight whatsoever should be given to unseasonal rain, lightning, and thunder, / up to seven days, nor likewise to celestial, atmospheric, and terrestrial portents.

Throbbing of the right side is auspicious, except for the chest and the back, / as well as purity of mind; and this verse has been spoken by the sages:

'Let all omens, auspicious and inauspicious, be on one side, / and the mind goes to the other; when that is pure, it brings victory.'

When the king mounts, if a horse, endowed with discipline, follows the expedition, neighs toward another horse, / or touches its right side with its muzzle, that horse quickly heaps up royal fortune for its master.

A horse that voids urine and dung repeatedly, that does not go along the route even when struck, / that is terrified without cause, and whose eyes are filled with tears, does not announce good fortune for its master.

Stumbling in its gait, suddenly drooping its ears, extremely miserable, breathing softly and very deeply, placing its foreleg upon the ground, / rapidly blinking its eyes, prone to sleeping, lethargic, bringing danger, consuming harmful things, and voiding blood and dung repeatedly—[such an elephant is malefic].

Crushing ant-hills, tree-stumps, thickets, grass, and trees at will, with a delighted glance, / if it should march in the direction of the military expedition with swift steps, raising its face high, / or if it produces a massive spray of droplets at the time of fastening its girth, or trumpets / at that moment, or upon coming into musth, or wrapping its trunk around its right tusk, it brings victory.

White mustard seeds, a mirror, milk, collyrium, an animal bound alone, meat, filled jars, / a turban, a water pitcher, a vardhamāna dish, a litter carried by men, a lute, and a parasol;

curd, honey, clarified butter, yellow rocanā pigment, young girls, banners, gold, lotuses, an auspicious seat, conches, / white bulls, flowers, garments, fish, Brahmins, courtesans, trusted persons, and people well dressed;

a blazing fire, fruit, unbroken grains, sugarcane, delicacies, elephant's ichor, an elephant goad, chowries, weapons, / and various kinds of gems headed by emerald, ruby, sapphire, and crystal—

if these spoken auspicious signs present themselves either prepared deliberately or without effort, / the [king], having honored them by grasping, looking at, touching, or hearing, then conquers the entire earth.

Cotton, medicine, black grain, salt, a eunuch, bones, oil, marrow, / mud, charcoal, molasses, snake-skin, and dung bring torment, as do diseased persons; / drunk, mad, stupefied, blind, deaf, and hunger-emaciated people, buttermilk, enemies, / shaven-headed men, those smeared with oil, those with disheveled hair, outcasts, and those wearing ochre robes are inauspicious.

One should take a path filled with the sharp sound of paṭaha drums, mṛdaṅgas, conches, bherī drums, and paṇavas; fronted by banners and archways; / whose dust has been laid by abundant flowers and water; and bearing fragrant and well-dressed people.

Whatever auspicious and inauspicious signs are prescribed here for those setting out / are benefic or malefic in dreams as well; being smeared with feces [in a dream] brings prosperity.

A gentle, favorable, and pleasantly smooth wind is praised, and similarly [sounds of] lutes; / a rainbow directly in front is not propitious, but elsewhere its result is praised.

Those bearing masculine names, the musk-shrew, the house-lizard, the Piṅgalā owl, the jackal, the blackbird, / the cuckoo, and the pig are praised on the left at the time of departure.

Those having feminine names, the bhāsa vulture, the curlew, the francolin partridge, the diver-bird, the kambu, the kiṃtsaka (?), / the peacock, the śrīkaṇṭha bird, the payīka (pippīka), the ruru deer, and falcons [are auspicious] on the right side […]

The sight of a Bhāradvāja lark, a peacock, a blue jay, and a mongoose brings prosperity; / [the sight] of an iguana, a snake, a dog, a hedgehog, a lizard, and a hare yields an unfavorable result.

Mentioning the names of the species of the blue jay, hare, iguana, snake, and boar is desirable, / but their cry and sight bring misfortune; for monkeys and bears it is the reverse.

Wild beasts and birds are praised [when passing] clockwise, and wild beasts in odd numbers; / upon seeing the king, it is just as upon departure, but upon re-entering [the city] the opposite holds true.

Given to reviling others, speaking harshly, having estranged servants, seducing other men's wives, / greedy, without allies, addicted to vices, ungrateful, a violator of established order, his realm ruined by taxes,

a betrayer of trust, subject to anger, cruel, vile, negligent, not learned, / and afflicted by celestial, atmospheric, and terrestrial portents—he is devoid of divine favor.

Attacked merely by a king endowed with the opposite qualities, such an enemy, / though great, quickly meets with destruction, his undertakings brought to ruin like a tree eaten by wood-worms.

Devoid of majesty due to the superior men assigned there, lacking heroism among its prime elephants, horses, and foremost warriors, / attended by portents and aberrations of the natural order, and afflicted with sorrow, the army of the enemy swiftly marches to ruin.

‘In battle, through the grace of the Brahmins and gods, we will conquer the enemy host swiftly without doubt!’— / When such popular talk arises among his army, a king, even with a small force, destroys an army of superior strength.

A king may destroy the enemy's city when situated in the direction where the enemy has inauspicious planets. / The time for battle is identical to that of the military expedition; and deceitful warfare [is waged] when malefic signs are in the ascendant.

Facing inward, birds perched upon the ramparts announce danger for the city-dwellers; / facing outward, they announce the destruction of the invader; and dogs, together with the birds, behave similarly.

From whichever direction comets, meteors, Saturn, Rāhu, solar spikes, and Mars enter the solar or lunar disk, / or in whichever direction a broken halo of the sun or moon is seen, / or from whichever direction jackals, dogs, snakes, ants, hares, deer, crows, and the like enter into the city / or into the army, from that side indeed one should strike the enemy's city.

When Rāhu and Ketu occupy the asterism corresponding to the fourth house of the enemy's city, cut off the water and cause the ramparts to fall; / when Mars occupies the seventh house or its navāṃśa, aspected by the son of the Moon (Mercury), fire is to be set.

Upon capturing the enemy's realm and city, the king must not seize the property of the pious, the gods, and Brahmins, / nor women of noble family; / nor should he kill those deprived of elephants, horses, and weapons, or those who are distressed and terrified; / he should enter it with a rejoiced army on an auspicious lunar day, weekday, and lunar mansion.

By conflagrations of the quarters, showers of blood, dust, and stones, and abnormalities such as thunderbolts and earthquakes, / and by wild beasts and birds uttering burning cries at the conclusion of battle, no good fortune comes to the king, even if victorious.

If wild beasts and birds are auspicious, the wind is gentle and delight-producing, / the planets have clear rays, the circle of the quarters is free from dust, […] / and nothing else abnormal occurs at the conclusion of victory, / then the king enjoys the realm of the enemy pleasantly and without obstacles.