The Mathematics of Yogas, part 3: Budhaditya, Kesari, Kujadosha

Budhaditya Yoga

Budhaditya Yoga, deemed the signature of an intellect capable of analysis, communication and discrimination, is found frequently… Or less so, depending on our definition.

The basic requirement is that the Sun and Mercury be in the same sign. Since Mercury is an “inferior” planet whose orbit lies within Earth’s, it is never more than 28 degrees from the Sun.

No matter what sign the Sun is, we’ll see Mercury in the same sign, the one before, or the one after. In other words, regarding the Sun’s proximity, Mercury can only be in three signs out of 12, ie, 1/4, or 25% of the time.

A more rigorous definition of Budhaditya Yoga demands one of the following three conditions in addition:

1. The Sun/Mercury pair occupies or aspects the 1st or 5th house. The 1st is the atma, or Self; the 5th house is the buddhi, or intellect. The Sun/Mercury pair can only occupy or aspect the 1st or 5th house from four houses – the 1st, 5th, 7th or 11th. Four houses out of 12 qualify, so 1/3, ie, 33% of the time.
2. The Sun rules the 1st or 5th house. If the ascendant is Leo (Sun-ruled) then the Sun/Mercury pair can occupy any house. If the ascendant is Aries, the 5th house (Leo) is ruled by the Sun, and again the Sun/Mercury pair can be anywhere. This happens two times out of 12, or 1/6, ie, 16.7% of the time.
3. Mercury rules the 1st or 5th house. This comes easier because Mercury owns two signs. If Gemini or Virgo rises, Mercury rules the ascendant. If Aquarius or Taurus rises, Mercury rules the 5th house (Gemini or Virgo, respectively). This happens four times out of 12, or 1/3, ie, 33% of the time.

So what are the final odds of forming Budhaditya Yoga under the more demanding definition?

For Sun/Mercury together, while occupying or aspecting a key house, odds are: 1/4 * 1/3 = 1/12, or 8.3% of the time.

For Sun/Mercury together, while the Sun rules a key house, odds are: 1/4 * 1/6 = 1/24, or 4.2% of the time.

For Sun/Mercury together, while Mercury rules a key house, odds are: 1/4 * 1/3 = 1/12, or 8.3% of the time.

Since each of these is an independent condition, the chance of one or the other forming is the sum of their odds: 8.3 + 4.2 + 8.3 = 20.8%. In other words, one in five people has a “qualified” Budhaditya Yoga.

Kesari Yoga

Phaladeepika defines Kesari Yoga as any situation where the Moon and Jupiter are in kendra to each other. This is relatively common. Imagine Jupiter occupies a movable sign. Now as the Moon circles the zodiac, it will become angular to Jupiter four times – in each of the movable signs. Similarly, if Jupiter is in fixed signs, the Moon will form Kesari Yoga when in fixed signs. And so on for dual signs. Thus the Moon has four chances in 12, or 33%, to be kendra to Jupiter.

Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra defines a more demanding version – the Gaja Kesari Yoga – in requiring that Jupiter be in an angle from the ascendant or the Moon, and be conjoined with or aspected by benefics without being debilitated, combust, or in an enemy’s sign.

But as Hart deFouw says in Light on Life, it’s still important for Jupiter and the Moon to be in good houses from the ascendant, ie, not in dusthana. How often does a planet occupy a bad house? Since there are four dusthanas (3rd, 6th, 8th, 12th) then a planet is poorly placed one-third of the time, therefore in a positive house two-thirds of the time.

So for Moon to be kendra to Jupiter and in a positive house, we can calculate the odds: 1/3 * 2/3 = 2/9, or 22.2%.

We might also suggest that, for the yoga to be strong, Jupiter and/or the Moon should be in good signs. Moon occupies Cancer or Taurus two times out of 12. So for the Moon to be kendra to Jupiter, in a positive house and in a good sign, the odds are: 1/3 * 2/3 * 1/6 = 2/54, or 3.7%.

Jupiter occupies its signs of dignity – Cancer, Sagittarius and Pisces – three times out of 12. So for the Jupiter to be kendra to the Moon, in a positive house and in a good sign, the odds are: 1/3 * 2/3 * 1/4 = 2/36, or 5.5%.

Although there are other sources of strength to consider, eg, full Moon, retrograde Jupiter, and dig bala for either planet, this brief analysis gives you an idea of relative frequency. The entry level Kesari Yoga occurs in a third of all charts, but a strong planet well-placed in that yoga will be seen on only one chart out of 20, or 5% of the time.

If you find a strong Kesari Yoga in a chart, chances are the individual will manifest some guru-like qualities, similar to what we’d find in any good teacher or advisor. These are optimism, self-knowledge, comfort in social situations, the ability to gain rapport with others, and a capacity to educate or counsel people.

Kujadosha

Whereas an astrological “yoga” is a pattern typically denoting some benefit, a “dosha” is one that indicates a blemish or defect.

Kujadosha or mangaladosha (manglik) is a pattern wherein Mars afflicts the houses of family or relationship, and thus creates marital discord. This happens with Mars in houses 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, or 12 – from whence it will either occupy or aspect the 2nd or 7th houses. This condition can be aggravated from the perspective of either the ascendant, the Moon or Venus.

The ascendant represents the Self, the Moon is the manas or emotional mind, and Venus represents the affections. To have one or the other agitated by Mars is common enough, but to have all three disturbed is potentially the sign of a difficult love life.

What are the odds?

Since Mars can create kujadosha in six out of 12 houses, then the chances are 50/50 from the perspective of the ascendant. Likewise from the Moon, and the same again from Venus. But for kujadosha to occur from all three, the odds are 1/2 * 1/2 * 1/2 = 1/8, or 12.5%.

A weak Mars would make such a condition even worse. Mars is debilitated in Cancer, but that is only one sign out of 12. So for a person to have triple kujadosha with a weak Mars, the odds would be 1/8 * 1/12 = 1/96, or just 1%.

Some pundits say an active kujadosha can only be matched with another kujadosha. For a couple to each have triple kujadosha in their charts, irrespective of Mars’ condition, the odds would be 1/8 * 1/8 = 1/64, or 1.5%. This could make for a rare couple – although perhaps rare in that they might scarcely get any peace from each other. As in, man who fight all day get no piece at night.

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Alan Annand is a graduate of the American College of Vedic Astrology and a former tutor for the British Faculty of Astrological Studies. 

His New Age Noir crime novels (Scorpio Rising, Felonious Monk, Soma County) feature astrologer and palmist Axel Crowe, whom one reviewer has dubbed “Sherlock Holmes with a horoscope.”

He’s also the author of several non-fiction books. Stellar Astrology offers a compilation of techniques, in-depth celebrity profiles, and analysis of world events. Parivartana Yoga is a reference text for one of the most common yet powerful planetary combinations in jyotish. Mutual Reception is an expanded companion volume for western practitioners, covering the same subject of planetary exchange through the lens of traditional astrology.

Websites: www.navamsa.com, www.sextile.com

You can find his books on Amazon, Apple, Barnes&Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.