The lord of a house is the planet that rules the house's sign. Jataka Parijata judges a house partly by where its lord sits. A lord exalted, in its moolatrikona or in a friend's sign strengthens the house. A lord debilitated or in an enemy's sign weakens it. The lord's place is counted twice: from the lagna, and from the house itself. From either point, the 6th, 8th and 12th count against the house.
☕ The owner of the room
If each house is a room, its lord is the owner. The owner may be at home or away, comfortable or ill at ease. Jataka Parijata opens its chapter on the houses with rules about this owner.
First, the lord's sign. In its exaltation sign, its moolatrikona or a friend's sign, the lord strengthens the house it rules. Debilitated or in an enemy's sign, it weakens that house (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 3, p. 710).
Second, the lord's place counted from the lagna. A lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th house counts against the house it rules (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 4, pp. 710–711). A strong lord in a kendra or trikona counts for it (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 5, p. 711).
Third, the lord's place counted from the house itself, the house being 1. A lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th from its own house counts against it (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 7, p. 712; Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 8, p. 712). A lord, or its friends, in the 2nd, 3rd or 11th from the house count for it (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 11, p. 713).
These are weights, not verdicts. The same verses say a benefic's aspect changes the result. An astrologer weighs all of them together before saying anything about a house.
At a glance
- The lord's sign: exalted, moolatrikona or a friend's sign strengthens; debilitated or an enemy's sign weakens (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 3, p. 710)
- From the lagna: the lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th weakens; strong in a kendra or trikona strengthens (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 4, pp. 710–711; Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 5, p. 711)
- From the house itself: the lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th weakens (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 7, p. 712; Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 8, p. 712)
- From the house itself: the lord, its friends or its exaltation lord in the 2nd, 3rd or 11th strengthen (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 11, p. 713)
- The lord's own dispositor, well or badly placed, adds to the picture (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 10, p. 713)
- Two counts, two starting points: the 6th from the lagna is not the 6th from the house.
- A lord in its own house is in the 1st from that house, which is a kendra and a trikona from it.
- One weak point does not decide a house. The books weigh the aspect of benefics as well.
- These rules say how a house is weighed. They do not say what will happen.
Frequently asked questions
Why count from the house as well as from the lagna?
Because Jataka Parijata uses both. One verse counts the lord's place from the lagna, another from the house itself. Treating each house as its own 1st shows how its lord stands towards it.
What if the lord sits in its own house?
Then the lord is in its own sign. The book counts a planet in its own sign as turning good (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XI, v. 9, p. 712). Counted from the house, it is in the 1st, a kendra and a trikona. Both points count for the house.
Does Parashara say the same?
In part. Parashara says a house thrives when its lord is in a good state or in the 10th, and suffers when the lord sits with a malefic or with the lords of the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th or 12th (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 11, vv. 14–16, pp. 123–126). The two books are one line of tradition, so their agreement is not separate proof.
Does the Nava app judge each house this way?
No. The Nava app does not give a house-by-house verdict from these rules. This page explains how the book counts.
Deep dive: a worked example
One lord, counted from two points. What to read before and after.
🔑 The 4th house for a Mesha lagna
Take Mesha (Aries) lagna. The 4th house is Kataka (Cancer). Its lord is the Moon. Say the Moon sits in Kumbha (Aquarius).
- From the lagna: Kumbha (Aquarius) is the 11th. That is not a 6th, 8th or 12th, so this count does not weigh against the 4th.
- From the house: count Kataka (Cancer) as 1. Kumbha (Aquarius) is then the 8th. The book counts this as a weakness for the 4th house.
- The lord's sign: Kumbha (Aquarius) is ruled by Saturn. Whether that is a friend's or an enemy's sign for the Moon is the next thing to check.
One lord, two counts, two different answers. That is why both are taught.
📚 Before and after this page
This page builds on the twelve houses and the house groups. For the lord's sign, read exaltation and debilitation and natural friendship.