Chapter on the Determination of Iṣṭa (Benefic Quantum) and Kaṣṭa (Malefic Quantum) — Bṛhat-Pārāśara-Horāśāstra, Adhyāya 29

इष्ट-कष्ट-विवेचनाध्यायः

The complete Chapter on the Determination of Iṣṭa (Benefic Quantum) and Kaṣṭa (Malefic Quantum) chapter of the Bṛhat-Pārāśara-Horāśāstra — all 17 verses, each in the original Sanskrit with VedicSpace's clean-room English translation, cited by śloka. Translated from the Chaukhamba (Devachandra Jha) edition and audited against the printed plates.

Śloka 1 — Invocation / statement of subject — iṣṭa-kaṣṭa of the grahas

शृणु मैत्रेय ! ते वच्मि खेटानामिष्टकष्टकम् । दशाशुभाशुभफलं यद्वशात् प्रदिशन्ति ते ॥ १ ॥

Listen, Maitreya! I shall declare to you the iṣṭa (benefic quantum) and kaṣṭa (malefic quantum) of the grahas, by force of which they deliver the auspicious and inauspicious results of the daśās.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 1

Śloka 2 — Computation of the ucca-raśmi (exaltation ray)

नीचोनं तु ग्रहं भार्धाधिक्ये चक्राद् विशोधयेत् । उच्चरश्मिर्भवेद्राशिः सैको द्विघ्नांशसंयुतः ॥ २ ॥

From the graha subtract its own point of debilitation; if [the remainder] exceeds half the circle of signs (six rāśis), subtract it from the whole circle (twelve rāśis). The rāśi-figure so obtained, increased by one and joined with the doubled degrees, becomes the ucca-raśmi.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 2

Śloka 3 — Ceṣṭā-raśmi for Mars and the rest, from the previously stated ceṣṭā-kendra

भौमादीनां पुरोक्तं यच्चेष्टाकेन्द्रं द्विजोत्तम । ततः संसाधयेत् तेषां रश्मिमुक्तोच्चरश्मिवत् ॥ ३ ॥

O best of the twice-born, that ceṣṭā-kendra of Mars and the rest which has been stated earlier — from it their raśmi is to be worked out exactly as the ucca-raśmi was described.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 3

Śloka 4 — Ceṣṭā-kendra of the Sun and the Moon

सत्रिभः सायनार्कोऽथ व्यर्केन्दुश्च यथाक्रमम् । चेष्टाकेन्द्रं रवीन्द्वोस्तच्छोध्यमङ्गाधिकेऽर्कतः ॥ ४ ॥

The sāyana Sun increased by three rāśis, and the Moon diminished by the Sun — these respectively are the ceṣṭā-kendra of the Sun and of the Moon. If that exceeds six [rāśis], it is to be subtracted from twelve.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 4

Śloka 5 — Śubha-raśmi and aśubha-raśmi

उच्चरश्मिवदानीय चेष्टारश्मिं द्वयोर्युतेः । दलं तु शुभरश्मिः स्यादष्टभ्यो वर्जितोऽशुभः ॥ ५ ॥

Having derived the ceṣṭā-raśmi in the same manner as the ucca-raśmi, half the sum of the two becomes the śubha-raśmi; that same subtracted from eight is the aśubha (raśmi).

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 5

Śloka 6 — Deriving iṣṭa and kaṣṭa (in ṣaṣṭyaṃśas)

व्येकौ चेष्टोच्चरश्मी तु संगुण्य दशभिस्तयोः । योगार्धमिष्टमुदितं कष्टमिष्टोनखाङ्गकम् ॥ ६ ॥

The ceṣṭā-raśmi and the ucca-raśmi, each diminished by one and multiplied by ten — half of the sum of those two is declared to be the iṣṭa; and sixty diminished by the iṣṭa is the kaṣṭa.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 6

Śloka 7-8 — Śubha value of a graha by its dignity of placement (ucca through nīca)

स्वोच्चे मूलत्रिकोणे च स्वर्क्षेऽधिसुहृदि द्विज ! । मित्रर्क्षे च समर्क्षे च शत्रुभे चातिशत्रुभे ॥ ७ ॥ नीचे च षष्टि-पञ्चाधि-खाग्न्याकृतिशरेन्दवः । नागा वेदाः करौ शून्यं शुभमेतत् फलं क्रमात् ॥ ८ ॥

O twice-born, when a graha is in its own ucca, in mūlatrikoṇa, in its own rāśi, in the house of a great friend, in a friend's rāśi, in a neutral's rāśi, in an enemy's rāśi, in a bitter enemy's rāśi, and in its nīca — the śubha result is respectively sixty, forty-five, thirty, twenty-two, fifteen, eight, four, two and zero.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 7-8

Śloka 9 — Aśubha value, and halving for the other vargas

वर्जितं षष्टितश्चैतदवशिष्टमसद्गृहे । तदर्धं तु फलं प्रोक्तमन्यवर्गे शुभाशुभम् ॥ ९ ॥

These same figures subtracted from sixty, the remainder is the inauspicious (aśubha) figure for that house. Half of that is declared to be the śubha and aśubha result in the other vargas.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 9

Śloka 10 — Which dignities count as iṣṭa, sama and aśubha

पञ्चस्विष्टफलं षष्ठे समे तस्मात् परं त्रिषु । अशुभं तु फलं ज्ञेयमिति विज्ञैरुदाहृतम् ॥ १० ॥

In the first five [positions] the result is iṣṭa (favourable); in the sixth, which is the neutral's, it is neutral; in the three beyond that the result is to be known as aśubha — thus it has been declared by the wise.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 10

Śloka 11-12 — Dik-phala and dina-phala; predominance decides daśā- and bhāva-results

दिग्बलं दिक्फलं तस्य तथा दिनफलं भवेत् । तयोः फलं शुभं प्रोक्तमूनितं षष्टितोऽशुभम् ॥ ११ ॥ शुभाधिक्ये फलं सत्स्यादितरच्च ततोऽन्यथा । दशाफलं तथा भाव-फलं ग्रहगणस्य वै ॥ १२ ॥

The dig-bala of a graha is its dik-phala, and likewise [the dina-bala is] its dina-phala. The figure obtained from those two is declared the śubha; diminished from sixty it is the aśubha. When the śubha predominates the result is good; otherwise it is the reverse — and this holds for the daśā-result as well as the bhāva-result of the whole assembly of grahas.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 11-12

Śloka 13-14 — Proportioning the result by the six balas; śubha/pāpa dṛṣṭi and bala

बलैः षड्भिस्तु संगुण्य हरेत्तद्बलयोगतः । तत्तद्बलफलानि स्युरशुभानि शुभानि च ॥ १३ ॥ शुभपापफलाभ्यां च दृष्टिं हन्याद् बलं तदा । शुभपापोत्थिते दृष्टी बले स्यातां तथैव ते ॥ १४ ॥

Multiplying [the result already obtained] by each of the six balas severally and dividing by the sum of those balas, one gets the respective auspicious and inauspicious results of each bala. Then multiply the dṛṣṭi, and likewise the bala, by the śubha and the pāpa results; thus arise the benefic and malefic dṛṣṭis, and in the same way the benefic and malefic balas.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 13-14

Śloka 15-16 — Combining bhāva-result with the result of the bhāva-lord; benefic/malefic association

भावानां च फले प्रोक्ते पतीनां च फले उभे । राशिः सद्ग्रहयुक्तश्चेद् भावसाधनजं फलम् ॥ १५ ॥ शुभे युञ्ज्याद् वियुञ्ज्याच्चाशुभे तत्स्फुटं भवेत् । पापश्चेदन्यथा चैवं बले दृष्ट्यां द्विजोत्तम ! ॥ १६ ॥

The results of the bhāvas and the results of their lords — both of these — have been stated [and the two are to be joined, their sum being the real result]. If the rāśi is joined by a benefic graha, then the result arising from the bhāva-computation is to be added in the śubha and subtracted in the aśubha — thus it becomes exact (sphuṭa). If a malefic [joins the rāśi], do the contrary; and in the same way with the bala and with the dṛṣṭi, O best of the twice-born.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 15-16

Śloka 17 — Correction by the graha's own dignity of placement

तुङ्गादिस्थे फलं युञ्ज्यान्नीचारिस्थे गृहेऽन्यथा । इत्थं विज्ञाय वक्तव्यं शुभाशुभफलं बुधैः ॥ १७ ॥

When [the graha] stands in exaltation and the like, add the result [to the benefic side]; when it stands in debilitation or an enemy's house, do the reverse. Having ascertained it in this way, the wise should pronounce the auspicious and inauspicious result.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 17

Śloka 18 — The same method applied in aṣṭakavarga (sthāna vs. karaṇa)

एवं रीत्याष्टवर्गेऽपि फलं ज्ञेयं मनीषिभिः । स्थान-संकलनं कार्यं करणे तु तदन्यथा ॥ १८ ॥

By this same procedure the thoughtful should know the result in the aṣṭakavarga also: the sthāna (the benefic count) is to be added, but in the karaṇa (the reduction, the inauspicious count) the opposite is to be done.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 18

Śloka 19 — A bhāva spanning two rāśis

राशिद्वयगते भावे तद्राश्यधिपतेः क्रिया । स्थानाधिकेन भावेन भावलाभः प्रकीर्तितः ॥ १९ ॥

When a bhāva falls across two rāśis, the operation is to be carried out with reference to the lords of both those rāśis; and the gain of that bhāva is declared to accrue through whichever of the two has the greater sthāna (count of points).

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 19

Śloka 20 — When the two rāśis of a bhāva are equal in sthāna

तत्समाने च तद्भावे तदानीं स्थानदान् ग्रहान् । संयोज्य स्थानसंख्याया दलमेतत् फलं भवेत् ॥ २० ॥

And when the two are equal in that bhāva, then, having combined the grahas that give the sthāna, half of the total sthāna-count becomes the result.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 20

Śloka 20 (trailing unnumbered half-verse) — Closing statement of the chapter

शुभाशुभफलं बोध्यमेवं सग्रहभावजम् ।

In this manner the auspicious and inauspicious result arising from the grahas together with the bhāvas is to be understood.

BPHS Adhyāya 29, śloka 20 (trailing unnumbered half-verse)