ASTROLOGICAL PRINCIPLES FOR JUDGING CHILDLESSNESS

Children, even if they are not your own, are a great source of joy. We take immense delight in listening to their prattle or watching them at play. Some people believe there is no happy family life either without children and childlessness is considered a great misfortune for a married couple.

ASTROLOGY CAN OFFER AN EXPLANATION

Childlessness can result either from a physical or a biological defect or an aberration which requires medical advice and remedy or several other causes which only an expert astrologer can account for.

Most people get children as a matter of course. Some poor people find children a great burden and get them even when they are not wanted. Some couples resort to various means to prevent unwanted pregnancies. However, childless couples yearn for progeny and consider that life is not worth living without a child. Astrology provides explanations for all these situations.

MENTAL TRAUMA

Childlessness can mean either denial of an offspring in the absence of fertility and biological factors or the death of children soon after birth, in infancy or later in life. Mental trauma caused in all these cases may leave a couple in a state of misery in their entire lifetime. The reasons for childlessness can be found out from one’s horoscope.

FACTORS CAUSING CHILDLESSNESS

Afflictions to the 5th House deny children. The 9th House in a male chart becomes important in assessing the capability for producing progeny. The 7th House holds the clue to the procreative capability of the couple. Jupiter is Putrakaraka and afflicted Jupiter can deny children. Therefore, an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the 5th and 9th Bhavas, their lords and those of Jupiter is an imperative for judging whether a couple would have children.

Following planetary combinations account for childlessness either due to fertility and biological factors or to death of children.

■the 5th House and its lord hemmed in between malefics and Jupiter, Karaka for children afflicted by malefics.

■the lords of the 1st, 7th and 5th Bhavas and Jupiter afflicted due to the aspect or occupation by malefics or conjunction with them.

■the 5th lord is weak and without benefic aspect and a malefic is in the 5th House.

■the 5th lord is conjunct with the lords of the 6th, 8th or the 12th without benefic conjunction or aspect.

■the lords of the 5th from Jamma Lagna and Chandra Lagna, Moon and Jupiter are in evil Houses.

■mars and Saturn aspect the 5th House. The weak lord of the 2nd or the 7th house is in the 5th House.

■the lord of the 5th House is in conjunction with Mars and or Rahu.

■the lord of the 5th House and Jupiter are in conjunction with Mars.

■sun and Venus are in conjunction with the 5th lord

■a malefic is in the 1st, 1st lord Is in the 5th. 5th lord is in the 3rd lord and the Moon are in the 4th House.

■the 5th lord is a malefic and in the 12th from the Ascendant

■ketu is in the 5th from the Ascendant or with the 5th lord.

Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo and Leo are considered barren Rashis. Indian astrologers have discovered from research that Saturn in the 12th (8th from the 5th) denies progeny to Sagittarius Ascendants. In the case of Cancer natives too Saturn in the 12th denies them children. Accounting for this phenomenon, astrologers say both Sagittarius and Cancer Ascendants have Mars as the lord of the 5th House.

There are several other factors too to be examined in judging whether the native will have children. Among them is the Napunsaka Yoga occurring in the horoscope. According to Brihat Parasara Hora,

■if the Moon and Venus posited in Lagna conjoin with Saturn or Mars and the 5th House is occupied or aspected by a malefic in a female Birth Chart, the native would be barren.

■if either the Moon or the Ascendant is in Mercury’s Houses in The Rashi Chart of a female, or in Saturn’s Houses in Thrimsamsa (30th division of a Rashi) it signifies that the woman is barren. According to Brihat Jataka Napunsaka Yoga occurs when Moon is in an even sign and the Sun is in an odd sign and the two are in mutual aspect.

(To be continued)