Longevity: a Vedic Approach

By Raj Kumar

The correct judgement of longevity is highly complex, but is equally important and sought after. "Knowing longeity is difficult even for gods" said sage Parashar. Any prediction made without considering it may make the prediction a laughing stock of both the astrologer and astrology. The time span between birth and death of a native is called his longevity. Longevity and death are not the same but are closely related. However it is not yet clear what death is. Our scriptures have at various places equated death with different types of Mrityu Tulya agonies which are different from physical death. Again the destiny of each one of us is interlinked with our close kith and kin and our relationship with them is pre-determined, predestined and irrevocable. Death is severing of final link of a native with them. Hence a native's death must get corroborated / confirmed in the horoscopes of his close relations. An attempt is made in this book to address all such issues. The book is a study of about 225 natives who had lived and died in different countries at different time, at different age and of different causes, applying known tools of astrology. The book is an attempt to help clear some mist and enable to have a better judgement of longevity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sagar Publications
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201134921

Book preview

Chapter- 1

Longevity & Death

1.1 Longevity

1.The time span between birth and death of a native is known as his longevity. In spite of all the miseries and travails in human life, every one wishes to have a long life or in most cases to live as long as possible. Shri Mantreshwar in Phaldeepika has stated that the first item to be checked by an astrologer should be the longevity of a native. Only thereafter any Rajyoga/ Dhanyoga / important event of native’s life should be predicted. The literature on determination of longevity is very vast. Almost all astrologers have given their opinion on the subject.

2.The life span is generally divided into following three groups-

*-Different astrologers have opined different upper age for medium life, viz. 65, 66 or 70 years of age. The author has taken the age of 66years as upper limit of medium age.

@-Some astrologers have suggested to keep full life up to 100years only and add a new group called Shatayu or Amritayu beyond 100 years of age. The author feels that there is no need for this additional grouping.

3.Alpayu has been further divided into following three groups-

i.Balarishta or Alpa-Alpa from 0 to 8 years

ii.Arishta yoga or Madhya-Alpa from 8 to 20 years

iii.Yogarishta or Purna-Alpa from 20 to 32 years

4.Similarly Madhya-ayu and Purna-ayu can also be subdivided in to three groups each.

1.2 Houses for longevity

1.1st house or Lagna- Lagna is the strength of a horoscope and is of supreme importance. The more auspicious and strong Lagna is longer the native will live in the happier circumstances. The Lagna represents self, physical body and beginning of life. It is strong when its lord aspects it or benefics are placed/ aspect it or it is hemmed between benefics or it is Vargottam or in benefic Navamsha or Dreshkon. The reverse makes the Lagna weak. Jupiter and Mercury get directional strength in Lagna.

2.8th house- It is universally accepted as house of longevity. However it is also the most dreaded Trika house as well. Therefore although it should be strong but not stronger than Lagna or 10th house, because in that case it will produce adverse results. Strong 8th lord if placed in a Kendra without any malefic influence, native will live long. But 8th lord or Lagnesh if in 8th house under malefic influence, native will have short life.

3.10th house- It is generally accepted that a native takes birth to do Karma as per his Prarbdha and one lives as long as the results of past karma and karma of this life are not exhausted. After Lagna, it is next most important house of the horoscope and represent zenith of a native’s life. For a long and happier life this house should be strong and definitely stronger than 8th house. It indicates profession and reputation of the native. The Fiery planets Sun and Mars get directional strength here. It indicates/rules over longevity because it is 3rd from 8th and 8th from 3rd house.

4.3rd house- By principle of Bhavet Bhavam, this house being 8th of 8th house also indicates longevity. This being a Trishadya house, should not be extra strong or at least be weaker than Lord of Lagna and 10th house.

1.3 Significators of Longevity-

1.Moon- rules over the life of a native during infancy up to 8 years.

2.Mercury- rules over the period of adolescent from 8to 20years.

3.Mars- rules over young age from 20 to 32 years.

4.Venus- rules over young middle age from 32 to45 years.

5.Jupiter- rules over middle age from 45 to 60 years.

6.Saturn- general Karaka for longevity and specially rules over period of old age beyond 60 years.

1.4 Gandarishta- These are of three types- Nakshtra/ Lagna or Rashi or Tithi Gandanta and affects adversely the longevity of the native.

1.Nakshtra Gandanta- It is also called Gandmool Nakshtra. It is effective during Sandhi of Nakshtra in its last or 1st quarter. During these periods of one hour each Lagna/ Moon becomes weak giving native/ his close relations bad health, unwanted fear/ phobia, poor longevity, mental worries etc. If Ketu also joins in, it causes disorder in brain or spinal cord. If Venus joins in, it causes eye troubles. If birth is in last quarter of Ashlesha/ Jyestha or 1st quarter of Mool, it is called big Mool and the propitiation can be done only after 27 days when the concerned Nakshtra falls again. If birth is in 1st quarter of Ashwani/ Magha or last quarter of Revati, it is called small Mool and the propitiation can be done on the same, 10th or on 19th day of birth of the native. As per Acharya Mukund Daivagya, these are of following three types-

i.Day Gandanta- When a native is born in day time with Lagna/ Moon at the Sandhi of Jyeshta & Moola Nakshtra and of Scorpio & Sagittarius signs.

ii.Night Gandantata- When a native is born in night with Lagna/ Moon at Sandhi of Ashlesha & Magha Nakshtra and of Cancer & Leo signs.

iii.Sandhya Gandanta- When a native is born at Sandhya (Conjunction of day & night) with Lagna/ Moon at Sandhi of Revati & Ashwani and of Pisces & Aries. Its duration is of 24 minutes- 12minutes on either side of Sandhya.

2.Rasi/ Sign Gandanta- It occurs if native is born, when Lagna/ Moon is at Sandhi of a Rasi/ sign or in 1st or last degree. In these cases, the significations of the concerned planet get reduced.

3.Tithi Gandanta- It occurs if native is born in the last 24 minutes of 5th, 10th or Poornima/ Amavasya or first 24 minutes of Pratipada, 6th or 11th Tithi of the Panchang. This holds good for both halves-bright & dark, of the Moon. It may cause eye trouble or imaginary insecurity.

4.All the above Gandantas indicate Balarishta. However any affliction due to these is neutralized if strong unafflicted Jupiter/ Lagnesh is posited in Lagna or aspects Lagna or the native is born in Abhijit Nakshtra.

1.5 Inauspicious yogas for Longevity

1.Yamganta- It occurs when at the time of birth of a native, Moon is in a specific Nakshtra on a specific day as under-

i.Sunday in Magha Nakshtra

ii.Monday in Vishakha Nakshtra

iii.Tuesday in Ardra Nakshtra

iv.Wednessday in Mool Nakshtra

v.Thursday in Krittika Nakshtra

vi.Friday in Rohini Nakshtra

vii.Saturday in Hasta Nakshtra

2.Kulika - Divide the Dinmann/ Ratrimann into 15 parts. Each part is called one Mahurat. The following parts on each day is inauspicious unless benefics are placed in Lagna and day/ night lord & Moon is strong-

i.Sunday- 14th part of day or 13th part of night

ii.Monday- 12th part of day or 11th part of night

iii.Tuesday- 10th part of day or 9th part of night

iv.Wednesday-8th part of day or 7th part of night

v.Thursday- 6th part of day or 5th part of night

vi.Friday- 4th part of day or 3rd part of night

vii.Saturday- 2nd part of day or 1st part of night

1.6 Death

1.Longevity and death is not the same thing but are closely related. Death is the end of longevity. Lord Krishna in Gita (Chapter 2-Sloka 27) says, Of that which is born, death is certain. On one of the vehicles designed to carry dead bodies, I read a caption, Death is will of some, happiness of many and certain end of all. Even after realizing the certainty of death, question remains what death is. If only one could win over the fear of death, one can lead much better life possible on this mother earth. This is what our classics/ saints have suggested. Classical texts states that apart from various "Mrityu Tulya Kastha" (Problems/ sufferings equivalent to death), the death is of following eight types-

i.e. Disgrace, shame, captivity, fear, disease, grief, loss of memory and physical end of the body are eight types of death.

2.Death requires two things to coincide- loss of longevity and loss of physical body. Mahirishi Parashar, in his exposition on longevity, has advised not to calculate longevity of a native up to 12 years as, in spite of longevity, a child may die due to fault of mother, father or planetary Duryogas. This suggests that death requires some thing more than mere loss of longevity. Apparently the additional factor is nothing other than the loss of physical body by disease, accident or other causes. 6th house is called house of health. The 12th house is in opposition to the house of health and as such, is ever ready to counter the health of a native by its complete destruction.

1.7 House of Death

1.In our astrological treatises, 8th house has been assigned to longevity. Nature and place of death are also ascribed to it by many astrologers. But it is a mute question whether it denotes death as well? It is worth pondering how complete and competent figure of 8 which cuts down even a zero(0)to two halves can denote death. In early Greek Astrology, we had Octotopos-eight houses only in a horoscope. In course of times, (Dodakatopos) 12 houses were introduced, but the original allotment of 8th house to death remained unchanged. Why should 12th house be not termed as death? The arguments against the 8th house are too many to ignore as mentioned in succeeding Para.

2.If we do accept 8th as house of death, what will be the relevance of subsequent houses- 9th , the great Trikone signifying luck, father & higher specialized learning, 10th the strongest Kendra denoting Karma & vocation and 11th, the house of elder brother, friends, all types of gain & fulfillment of desires.

3.In Vedic astrology, the 12th of any house is considered as bringing loss to the significations denoted by that particular house. If the 1st house is the house of creation/ beginning of life, it is logical to treat the 12th house as house of its destruction. Sage Parashar has also indicated 2nd and 7th house as principle Maraka houses because these are 12th to 8th and 3rd, the houses of longevity. He has not given any prominence to 8th as a Maraka.

4.Our astrology is based on religion and as such we have four aims of life- Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. The Moksha or water triplicity denotes various stage of liberty. The three relevant signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. 4th house/ Cancer indicate Sthula freedom from public activity. One enjoys rest & domestic peace at home without any physical activity. 8th house/ Scorpio denote Sukshma freedom- mind fights with worldly attractions and attachments and become supreme in renunciation, an essential ingredient for Sanyas. 12th house/ Pisces is Karana freedom- cause of life is death. Here human body is dead and human soul returns to the Divine soul for next rebirth according to his Karmas or the freeing of soul from the present clothing of human body.

5.6th, 8th and 12th houses are Trika houses or evil houses. As per Ramadayalu in Sanket-nidhi, the 6th house brings physical sufferings-diseases, debts, enemies, conflicts etc. The 8th house denotes mental sufferings like defeat, humiliation, imprisonment in fight, grief, miseries etc. The cause of life with its various physical and mental sufferings is death. One dies only to be reborn to experience the results of one’s Karmas. The biggest evil in life is death. So the last Trika house i.e. 12th should be the Karana or cause of death.

6.In Ashtakvarga chapter Sage Parashar has said that the first four houses are Balaka Khanda, the next four houses are Yuva Khanda while the last four houses are Vriddha Khanda. It clearly implies that 8th house can not be the house of death.

7.Maharishi Parashar has mentioned about 12th house as-

Ripham antadikam tatha ripham hani vyaya smrita

The question arises as to ‘anta’ or end of what? The life begins with the 1st house and ends in the 12th house. The 12th house is "Vyaya or loss of life itself by hani" or death.

8.With the above background I leave it to the readers to decide which is primary house of death- 8th or 12th. I, however, feel that 7th house should have a better control over death for following reasons-

i)7th house is 12th from 8th and 8th from 12th house. Thus it carries the cumulative maleficience of both.

ii)7th house from any house denotes its detrimental / setting position. So if life begins in Lagna, it should set in 7th.

iii)7th house is hemmed between two most evil houses-6th & 8th.

iv)Sage Parashar has also described it as major Maraka house.

9.The next important question is 7th, 8th or 12th from which house. In Mahabharat, there is a story that demon king Kans was afraid about the 8th child of Devki & Vasudev to cause his death as per Akashvani. Shortly thereafter Rishi Narad came to the court of Kans and said that taking Akashvani to be true, in a celestial formation it is possible for any number to be 8th. It is not possible to pinpoint the 8th house, because every house is 8th house from some other house taken as Ascendant. So given the adequate malefic strength and opportunity, any house through its lord is capable of inflicting death. This theory was accepted by Kans and his courtiers and should be accepted by present day astrologers.

1.8 Mrityu Bhag Degrees

1.The term Mrityu Bhag (M.B.) unnecessarily strikes fear in the hearts of neo-astrologers. Several astrologers did refer to it in their books. Mahirishi Parashar, however, never mentioned it in his works. The word Mtityu means death, but planets in Mrityu Bhag (MB) do not cause death, unless indications of death are present in the dasha-scheme itself. Before assessing effectiveness of a planet in MB, it is essential to stress that all the degrees of planets and Lagna must be calculated accurately using Chitra Paksh Ayanamsa. How fatal or otherwise will be the period / sub-period of a planet in (MB) is very difficult to predict. However, if other malefic factors are also there, the period/ sub-period of a planet in MB can be the beginning of a major mishap/ tragedy. My personal observations are-

i.If a benefic unaspected by a malefic is in MB, it may indicate mild troubles.

ii.If a planet in MB has malefic association as well, it may prove troublesome.

iii.If unafflicted Jupiter aspects the planet in MB, chances of surviving critical periods are very bright.

2.I now give modified table of Mrityu Bhag degrees for various planets & Lagna. I am told these are based on the vast experience and study of eminent astrologer Shri K.N.Rao. The remark column shows permissible variation in minutes for a planet to be in MB.

Table No.1: Mrityu Bhag Degrees for each Planet

As per Shri KN Rao

3.Timing of Event- The adverse effects of a planet in MB can not be and is not a life long effect, but is periodical only. It is observed that their effects are felt only during period/ sub-periods of the planet in MB or the lord of sign in which the planet is placed. The intensity of the trouble caused will depend on the aspect or association the planet in MB has. The principles which repeat themselves during period/ sub-period of the planet in MB are-

i.It affects the significations of the planets concerned e.g. Sun (father), Moon (mother, mind), Mars (land, brother), Jupiter (children, money) & Venus (wife) etc.

ii.Affects the ownership of the house of planet concerned.

iii.Passes on its influence to the lord of the house in which it is placed.

4.Example 1

The above chart is of a lady who had two Planets- Mercury & Venus in Mrityu bhag degrees but both are aspected by 2-5th lord Jupiter.

In 1979, the lady developed Appendicitis in Moon-Mercury period. It was controlled through medicine. But in Moon-Venus, it burst bringing her to brink of death. At that time, Saturn & Rahu were transiting Leo over Mercury in MB and Saturn aspected her natal Venus also in MB. Some how the native survived due to beneficiary aspect of Jupiter.

In Oct 1982, she had Mars-Mercury period and she had to undergo third operation within three years. Transit position was again frightening. Saturn was transiting at 2-58’ in Libra close to Venus. But the lady survived this operation also because Jupiter, Mercury & Venus were also transiting Libra.

Example-2

This native also had Two planets-Venus & Sun, in Mrityu bhag and their sub-periods comes one after another. Dasha lord Mars was Maraka. Venus has the company of weak Moon, Maraka Mars and Mercury in last degree, all aspected by Ketu. Jupiter, although is with Sun but is combust and is aspected by another Maraka 8th lord Saturn. In Mars period, Sub-period of Venus began in 1987 and of Sun in Late 1988. The young man died in Jan 1989.

Example-3: Mr. Amitabh Bachhan, the Cine star

The Native has Sun in Mrityu bhag in 8th house with Mars, Mercury & Venus, all combust. In Oct 1981, during Saturn-Sun Dasha, Saturn was transiting 8th house very close to Sun, he was almost fatally injured. However the saving grace was that 11th lord Jupiter who is exalted in the chart, was also transiting 8th house equally close to Sun on the other side of Sun and 8th lord Mercury was transiting 9th house.

1.9 Collection of sample Horoscopes for Longevity-

Against the above background, I have randomly selected a reasonably big data of 210 horoscopes spread over a vast area of time and