CANCELLATION OF DEBILITATION & NEECHABHANGA RAJA YOGAS
Debilitated planets always play an important role in the horoscope. In general, they are first-rate malefics, even a benefic that is debilitated will harm those planets and houses it joins or aspects (particularly true for rasi aspects). Debilitated planets also indicate the ruin and loss of those things that they rule, including the things they naturally rule, the houses they rule, and anything that falls in their rasis, navamsas and nakshatras. There are certain factors that cancel debilitation. These factors cancel debilitation in different ways with different results, from reducing the ill effects of the debilitated planet to actually increasing the success of the native. The dasas, antardasas, etc. of debilitated planets, even with cancellation of debilitation, cause difficulty. The avastha of a debilitated planet is Bhita, alarmed, so their dasas will always be a period of stress, but the factor that cancels the debilitation will help the native hold things together. First I will explain the conditions that reduce the ill effects of a debilitated planet.
1. The debilitated planet is exalted in the navamsa, or in its own navamsa.
If the planet is exalted in the navamsa it will actually support and be a giver of anything that it rules in the rasi, in the navamsa, or through nakshatra. Whatever house the planet is in, whatever houses the planet aspects (especially through rasi aspect), and any planets it joins or aspects (especially through rasi aspect) will be furthered. If the planet is in its own navamsa it will give similar results but not to the same degree. Generally, the 2nd half of the planets dasa, antardasa, etc. will be more favorable then the first half. This is the best factor to remove the ills of debilitation.
2. The debilitated planet is joined with an exalted planet, or with a planet in its own rasi.
If the planet is with an exalted planet it will cause stress and difficulty to the house it is in, to the house it rules, to the houses it aspects (especially through rasi aspect), to any planets it joins or aspects (especially through rasi aspect) and to anything in its rasi, navamsa and nakshatra, but the exalted planet will hold things together. If the planet is in its own navamsa, the same will be the results, but to a lesser degree.
3. The debilitated planet and its lord have exchanged rasis.
If the debilitated planet and its lord have exchanged rasis, the debilitated planet will cause trouble to the house it rules as well as the house it is in, but the other planet will hold things together. The interchange can cause an auspiscious Maha Yoga if the interchange is between any of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, or 11th houses. It can cause an auspiscious Vipareet Raja Yoga if the interchange is between the 6th, 8th and 12th houses, as long as no other house lords join who are not the lords of the 6th, 8th or 12th. It can cause an up and down Khala Yoga if the interchange is between the 3rd house and any of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, or 11th. Or, it can cause the inauspiscious Dainya Yoga if the interchange is between the 6th, 8th or 12th, and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, or 11th.
4. The lord of the debilitated planet aspects the debilitated planet.
If the lord of the debilitated planet aspects the debilitated planet the debilitated planet stresses the house it is in, the planets it is with, the houses it rules, and those things that fall in its rasis, navamsas and nakshatras, but its lord holds things together. I consider this through rasi aspect.
5. The debilitated planet is retrograde.
If the debilitated planet is retrograde its capacity to do harm is reduced. There is an important mathematical technique to quantify how much good or ill a planet may give. (This is only to be applied after it is determined what the planet will give through yoga, etc. in order to determine how much of that will be reaped.) In this technique the first part is to calculate the Ishta (desired) and Kashta (ill) of the planet. Two factors are taken in this calculation, how far the planet is from its deep exaltation, and the planets Cheshta Bala. If the planets is at its deep exaltation and has its highest Cheshta Bala it’s Ishta (desired) is highest. If the planet is at its deep debilitation and has its lowest Cheshta Bala its Kashta (ill) is highest. (Then some further calculations are made to find how much good or ill a planet can give.) A planet’s Cheshta is highest at exaltation. When a planet is debilitated its capacity for ill is high, when a planet is retrograde its Cheshta is high, which means its capacity for good is high, so when a planet is retrograde and debilitated its capacity for good or ill is medium and its debilitation is effectively cancelled and it is no longer the destroyer and causer of loss that it would be if it were simply debilitated.
6. The debilitated planet is on an angle from the Lagna or the Moon.
If the planet is on an angle for the lagna or the Moon it still has a bit of capacity to support those things it rules because angles also give some manifesting strength to the planets in them, however, the house the planet is in, and the houses and planets it aspects (especially through rasi aspect) will still suffer. This is the least effective cancellation of debilitation.
Certain factors will cancel the debilitation of a planet in such a way as to actually raise the native in life, these are known as Neechabhanga Raja Yogas:
1. The planet that rules the rasi in which the debilitated planet is placed is on an angle from the Lagna or the Moon.
2. The planet that is exalted in the rasi in which the debilitated planet is placed is on an angle from the Lagna or the Moon.
3. The lord of the rasi in which the debilitated planet is exalted is on an angle from the Lagna or the Moon.
In these first three Neechabhanga Raja Yogas, the planet that cancels the debilitation gains strength and motivation from the debilitated planet and uplifts the native. The dasa of the planet canceling the debilitation will give the success, while the dasa of the debilitated planet will be troublesome. The planet canceling the debilitation also supports the indications of the debilitated planet.
4. The lord of the planet's debilitation rasi and the lord of its exaltation rasi are joined or on angles from each other.
In this case the dasas of these two lords give the success, while the dasa of the debilitated planet is troublesome. Again, the planets canceling the debilitation support the indications of the debilitated planet.
Bill Clinton
In the horoscope of Bill Clinton, Venus is debilitated. Jupiter, the lord of Venus’ exaltation rasi, Pisces, is on an angle from the Moon, forming a Neechabhanga Raja Yoga. Mercury, Venus’ debilitation lord, is also on the angle from the Moon, forming yet another Neechabhanga Raja Yoga. Venus is the debilitated 2nd lord of family and wealth, and the 9th lord of father. His father died before he was born, his family life was disrupted while his mother went to school during which he was raised by his grandparents. His mother remarried, but to an alchoholic who abused his mother, verbally abused Bill, and wasted his mother’s earnings. All this suffering gave a great deal of motivation to be something through the planets that cancel Venus’ debilitation, Jupiter and Mercury. In Jupiter Mercury he became president of the US. In Venus antardasa, Clinton suffered on account of his affair with Monika Lewinsky, on account of Venus’ debilitation. The dasa and antardasa of the debilitated planet is still troublesome even if there is a Neechabhanga Raja Yoga.
Florence Chadwick
In the horoscope of swimmer Florence Chadwick, the Sun is debilitated. The lord of the Sun’s exaltation rasi, Mars, is on an angle from the lagna, forming a Neechabhanga Raja Yoga. Venus, the lord of the Sun’s debilitation rasi, is on an angle from the Moon, forming a second Neechabhanga Raja Yoga. In Rahu dasa she had outstanding success. Rahu is in the rasi of Mars and therefore gives the results of Mars, of the Neechabhanga Raja Yoga. In Rahu/Venus, Venus forming the Neechabhanga Raja Yoga, Chadwick became the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, setting a new record of 13hr 20min from France to England. In Rahu/Mars, Mars being the other planet forming a Neechabhanga Raja Yoga, she set a new world record for the southward crossing from English to France.
William Harrison
In the horoscope of William Harrison, Mars is debilitated. Saturn, Mars’ exaltation lord, and the Moon, Mars’ debilitation lord are joined, forming Neechabhanga Raja Yoga. Mars is retrograde so he does not cause the severe harm we would otherwise, so Mars did not prevent him from having a difficult life, even though it was the debilitated lagna lord. He was born in a well to do family and sent to the best of schools to learn medicine. In Saturn/Moon, the dasa and antardasa of the Neechabhanga Raja Yoga forming planets, Harrison was elected ninth president of the US. Saturn and the Moon are also forming other yogas, most notably Indra Yoga formed by the interchange of the 5th and 11th lords while the Moon is also in the 5th. To have the type of success as Harrison the success producing planets must be forming many auspiscious Yogas, the Neechabhanga Raja Yoga was one of them.
Ernst Wilhelm is a practicing Vedic Astrologer living in Southern, California. He regularly teaches astrology classes, and is the author of Vault of the Heavens, Treatise on Vedic Astrology, and the designer of Kala- Vedic Astrology Software. His new book on astrological yogas, Core Yogas, will be available in June, 2002. For related subjects please visit his website at www.vedic-astrology.net