History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.419

v6.c82.419

A very important doctrine of Indian astrology is that of *dṛṣṭi* (lit. glance, i e aspect) The Bṛ. J. II. 13, Laghujātaka II. 8, Sārāvalī IV. 32-33, Muhūrtadarśana I. 27 lay down the following rules. All planets⁸⁷⁶ have a full aspect (pūrṇa dṛṣṭi) on the 7th house from the one which each occupies Besides, Saturn has full aspect on the 3rd and 10th rāśi from the one which it occupies and on the planet which is 3rd or 10th from its own position. Similarly, Jupiter has full aspect on the 5th and 9th rāśi from the one it occupies and also on the planet that is 5th or 9th from itself; Mars has full dṛṣṭi on the 4th and 8th rāśis and the planet in the same. So the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus have full dṛṣṭi only on the 7th rāśi from the one each of them occupies and on the planet that is 7th from them. Besides, all planets have 1/4th dṛṣṭi on the 3rd and 10th, half dṛṣṭi on 5th and 9th, 3/4 dṛṣṭi on 4th and 9th There is no aspect of any planet on any *rāśi* or *sthāna* except the seven expressly mentioned (viz 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th) and in the case of partial dṛṣṭis the fruit also is partial (i e. 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4) The Tetrabiblos (I. 13 and 20) treats of four aspects viz. opposition (7th house of Varāha), trine (5th and 9th houses), quartile (4th and 10th), sextile (difference of 60 degrees and two signs) and does not distinguish between fractions of dṛṣṭis as Varāha does. So in the matter of aspects also there is substantial difference between Ptolemy and Varāha-mihira.