History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.613
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.613
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v6.c82.613.1
In Indian Astrology the most important matters are the *rāśis*, the planets and the twelve *bhāvas* (or places). Take the *rāśis* first. What is the reason for naming certain groups of stars or constellations as Meṣa or Vṛṣabha &c.? There are no Rams and Bulls in the sky. Some observers on the earth imagined that certain constellations presented to the eye the appearance of certain animals, human figures and mythical beings. As shown above (p. 565) the Chinese and Japanese name them differently. Therefore, there is a great element of arbitrariness and imaginary analogies in naming the so-called *rāśis*. Once named, the *rāśis* are classified in various ways and predictions are based on the class to which a *rāśi* belongs. All these classifications are based on ideas of symmetrical sequence and fancy. Why should Meṣa and Mithuna (which is represented as 'twins' man and woman) be called male, while Vṛṣabha and Vṛścika be classed as female? There is no explanation except this that the twelve *rāśis* had to be classified in two groups, male and female, and symmetry required that they be alternately called male and female. For the same reason of symmetrical order Meṣa and Karka are grouped as *cara* (mobile), while Simha and Vṛścika are classified as *sthira* (firm immobile).
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The Sun (the giver of all light and support of the world) is called *krūra* or *pāpa* (a malefic) planet along with Mars and Saturn, while Jupiter and Venus are classed as beneficent and the waning Moon is also held to be malefic. Here association of ideas and analogy play a great part Jupiter and Venus are both brilliant and white or whitish, while Mars is red (the colour of blood). Besides, the first two are supposed to be the preceptors of the gods and *asuras* respectively. Therefore, they are beneficent and the blood-red Mars is malefic. The Sun, Jupiter and Mars are said to be masculine, the Moon and Venus feminine and Mercury and Saturn neuter for the same reason, *viz.* association of ideas and analogy. The Moon and Venus are beautiful and mild, therefore they are feminine, while the Sun (that has fierce heat), Mars (with blood red hue) and Jupiter (the *ācārya* of the gods) are masculine. Modern astronomy declares that the Moon is dry and waterless and contains the remains of extinct volcanoes; yet if the astrologers be followed we shall have to regard the Moon as feminine. In classical Sanskrit the Moon is called 'Śaśāṅka'. The Japanese Moon Goddess Gwaten is drawn with a hare. Vide figure opposite p. 18 in Prof. Zinner's 'The stars above us.' Then we may consider the doctrines of *svagṛhas* and *uccas* (exaltations of planets). There are twelve *rāśis* and seven planets;
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five must be given two *rāśis* as *svagṛhas* and the other two only one *rāśi* each as *svagṛha*. The Br J. assigns only one *rāśi* as *svagṛha* to the Sun and Moon, *viz.* Simha (Lion) and Karka (Crab) respectively, while two *rāśis* are assigned to each of the other five planets. There is absolutely no logical or satisfactory explanation of this. Moreover, in assigning two *rāśis* as *svagṛhas* the only principle that seems to have been followed is that of sequence, *viz.* one *rāśi* beyond Simha and one beyond Karka i. e. Kanyā and Mithuna to Mercury and in the same way to the remaining planets in the order of distance. The result is that Vṛṣabha and Tulā (Scales) are the *svagṛhas* of the beautiful and brilliant planet Venus and Dhanus (Archer) and Mīna (Fishes) are the *svagṛhas* of Jupiter. If one turns to the doctrine of exaltation, no rational or astronomical explanation is given why Aja (goat), Vṛṣabha (Bull), Makara, Kanyā, Karka, Mīna and Tulā should be the *uccas* of the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn respectively. The naming and arrangement of the twelve *bhāvas* hardly follows any rational basis. One may at the most concede that the first *bhāva* in which the sign rising at a person's birth is placed is plausibly called *tanu* (body) and that regarding the 7th *bhāva* therefrom as the one on which love and marriage may be considered has also some plausibility. Birth and death are the two ends of a person's life.
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If the first *bhāva* is called *tanu*, the *bhāva* about death should be the 12th, the last, but in the Bṛhaj-jātaka and other works, it is the 8th *bhāva* that is called *mṛtyu* (death). Some of the *bhāvas* have too many matters crowded into them. For example, the 4th *bhāva* is supposed to be the one on which a person's relatives, friends, house, happiness and conveyance are to be considered.