navāṁśasthitim ādāya phalaṁ grahasya niścinu | rāśiphalaṁ tu paścāt tat navāṁśo balavattaraḥ ||
First take up the navamsa position of every planet and decide its fruit from there; the rasi comes only afterwards, for between the two divisions the navamsa is the stronger witness. A planet seated poorly in the sign yet dignified in navamsa quietly keeps its promises, while the reverse placement betrays an outwardly bright promise.
The lord of the birth asterism is remembered as the first giver of results; resting upon his condition, the fruits of all other planets are declared. Whatever star the Moon occupied at birth, that star's lord becomes the opening voice of the horoscope, and every later pronouncement is tuned to him.
Verse 3 — Benefic or Malefic Is Decided by Lordship
svaguṇair na tu grahāṇāṁ śubhatā jāyate sadā | bhāvādhipatibhāvena tayor phalam udīryate ||
A planet's goodness is never born from his innate nature alone; it is through the houses he owns that his fruit is pronounced. Even gentle Jupiter turns harsh when he carries the lordship of sorrow-bearing houses, while a fierce planet turns protective once he guards the ascendant.
The lord of a trine — first, fifth or ninth — remains auspicious at all times, even though he be a cruel planet by nature. Though pressed by flaws, malefic conjunctions or debility, he still dispenses favourable fruit, for the dharma-houses purify whoever governs them.
Verse 5 — Lords of the Third, Sixth and Eleventh Inflict Harm
The rulers of the third, sixth and eleventh houses deliver painful fruit; joined with benefics their sting subsides and they cease to torment. Their periods demand effort, rivalry and expense, yet purified by benefic contact they convert struggle into hard-won gain.
Verse 6 — The Ladder of Planetary Dignity
उच्चं मूलं स्वक्षेत्रं च मित्रस्थं शत्रुगोचरः । क्रमेण बलमायाति ग्रहस्य फलमेव च ॥
uccaṁ mūlaṁ svakṣetraṁ ca mitrasthaṁ śatrugocaraḥ | krameṇa balam āyāti grahasya phalam eva ca ||
Exaltation, moolatrikona, own sign, friendly sign and enemy sign — in this descending order a planet's strength arrives, and with it his fruit. Reading any graha begins by locating his rung on this ladder, then refining it by his rung upon the same ladder in navamsa.
Verse 7 — Kendra Planet in Own or Exalted Navamsa Raises a Person
A planet standing in a kendra, fortified by occupation of his own or exalted navamsa, produces the yoga of heroic stature and confers eminence from birth. Such a graha becomes the pillar of the personality — his qualities stamp the body, the reputation and the course of life.
Verse 8 — The Ascendant and the Moon-Star Are the Twin Pillars
udayaṁ candranakṣatraṁ dve stambhau janmaphalasya tu | tābhyāṁ vinā na jātasya phalaṁ niścitam ucyate ||
The rising degree and the Moon's asterism are the two pillars on which the fruit of birth rests; without weighing both, no verdict about the native can be called certain. The lagna bears the body and visible fortune, the Moon's star bears the mind and the current beneath it.
Verse 9 — Combustion and Planetary War Drain a Graha
A planet burnt by the Sun or locked in planetary war releases his power, and his fruit runs thin; yet when rescued by benefic association his strength revives. Combustion is therefore a warning to be weighed, not a final sentence.
Verse 10 — Retrograde Motion Intensifies a Graha's Fruit
A retrograde planet is strong, and the fruit peculiar to his motion is exceptional; he delivers results early, shaped to his striving. Retrogression is read as intensification — what the graha gives, he gives sooner and in doubled measure.
Verse 11 — Full Fruit Only in the Dasa of a Strong Graha
In his own period the strong planet gives his fruit in full measure, while even a naturally benefic but strength-less graha yields thin results. Natal promise and timing must therefore agree: dignity at birth decides how much each dasa can actually pay out.
Verse 12 — Rasi Lagna Is the Body; Navamsa Lagna Is the Mind
Let the rasi ascendant be taken as the body and the navamsa ascendant as the mind; by weighing the strength of both, pronounce the fruit of the native. Outer circumstance and inner temperament each have their own anchor, and the two anchors rarely tell one story.