As we have nine planets or grahas in which Hindu astrology is interested, similarly for each planet we also have a tertiary planet called upgraha. These are not physical entities but mathematically calculated sensitive points and are commonly called the adverse amshas of the concerned planer, generally giving adverse results. These are :
Planet Upgraha
Sun kala
Moon paridhi ya parivesh
Mars dhuma or mrityu
Mercury ardhprahara
Jupiter yamagantaka
Venus indrachapa or kodanda
Saturn mandi or gulika
Rahu pata or vyatipata
Ketu upketu or shikhi
Out of these upgrahas, the following five are calculated from the Sun’s position, as follows :
Planet Upgraha Method of calculation
Mars Dhuma = Sun’s longitude + 133°20′
Rahu Pata = 360° – Dhuma
Moon Paridhi = 180° + Pata
Venus Indrachapa = 360° – Paridhi
Ketu Upketu = Indrachapa + 16o 40′ or 330° + Sun’s longitude.
We can understand by taking an example also :
Take Sun’s longitude as 72°
Dhuma 72° + 133°20′ =205o 20’
Pata 360o – 205o 20’ =154o40’
Paridhi 180o + 154o 40’ = 334o 40’
Indrachapa 360 o – 334o 40’ = 25 o20 ‘
Upketu 25o 20’ +16o 40’ =42
The upgrahas of Moon, Mars, Venus, Rahu and Ketu are calculated as above. For the remaining four upgrahas of Sun (Kala), Mercury (Ardhaprahara), Jupiter (Yamagantaka), and Saturn (Mandi) the following method is employed. Mandi : Calculation of Mandl or Gulika has been described as follows : When the length of the day or night is equivalent to 30 ghatis, the position of Mandi will be at the end of the following ghatis. This will also depend on the weekday and the birth during day or night time.
Weekday birth during day birth during night
Sunday 26 10
Monday 22 6
Tuesday 18 2
Wednesday 14 26
Thursday 10 22
Friday 6 18
Saturday 2 14
Whenever the duration of the day or night is not exactly 30 ghatis, the above seven divisions should he increased or decreased accordingly.
In fact various methods are adopted by astrologers based on their experience, conventions and conditioning. Another method which is only a derivative of the method explained above is as follows The duration of the day or night is divided into eight equal parts. In case of birth during the day time, the first part is allotted to the lord of the day followed by remaining lords of the week in cyclic order. The 8th part is lordless or `nireesh .
Similarly if the birth is during night, cut of eight equal parts, the first seven are allotted to the lords of planets starting from the 5th weekday. The 8th period is again without lordship. In this method the period allotted to Saturn is called Mandl, Jupiter’s period is Yamagantaka, Sun’s period is Kala and Mercury’s period is called Ardhaprahara. For calculation of placement of these upgrahas in the horoscope, ascendant is calculated at the beginning of each period which gives the longitude of the corresponding upgraha.
There is however a controversy in this regard. When we divide the duration of day or night into eight equal parts and beginning of each part is taken as the longitude of the upgraha, the last or 8th part remains lordless. The duration of day or night signified by points A and B in the diagram is divided into eight parts by drawing seven equidistant lines. There is an acceptable view that the point of upgraha should be taken as the end of each period signified by x1, x2 … x7. In this scheme there will be no period left as lordless.
A—-x1—–x2—–x3—-x4—- x5—-x6—–x7—–B
There seems to be some logic in this reasoning. The ascendant therefore should be calculated for the end of each period and allotted in the cyclic order to the planets starting from the day of the week for day birth, and the 5th weekday for night birth, as explained above. Ignoring the controversy of calculation of ascendant for beginning or end of each period, which is left to the judgement and research by readers, the various upgrahas during day birth will start front the day of the week. For night birth however the starting period will be 5th from the lord of the day and thereafter will follow the cyclic order of weekdays and the corresponding upgrahas. The following two tables only suggest that on Sunday (day time birth) the 1st division will have upgraha Kala followed by the remaining divisions with their corresponding upgrahas. Similarly on a Tuesday (night time birth) the 1st division will have upgrahaMandi and so on.
Birth during day time
Weekday Lord upgraha
Sunday sun Kala
Monday moon Paridhi
Tuesday mars Dhuma
Wednesday mercury Ardhprahara
Thursday Jupiter Yamghanta
Friday veanus Indrachapa
Saturday saturn Mandi
Birth during night time
Weekdays Lord Upgraha
Sunday Jupiter Yamaganta
Monday Venus indrachapa
Tuesday Saturn Mandi
Wednesday Sun Kala
Thursday Moon Paridhi
Friday Mars Dhuma
Saturday Mercury Ardhprahara
In modem calculations 30 ghatis is equivalent to 12 hours. If the duration of day or night is 12 hours, the eight parts will comprise of 1 hour and 30 minutes each. This each division or period is to be added from the sunrise time to arrive at the division to be found. Further whenever the duration of day o night is more or less than 12 hours, the proportion will vary accordingly.
Acharya Radhanand Nath
PRANAM