Health and Disease of the Heart
Kalapurusha and the Curious Role of the
Third House
Tamiko Fischer
n the Kalapurusha, or the cosmic
personification of time as depicted
by the signs and houses of the Zodiac
as they correspond to the human body,
the heart is a part of the body whose
house and sign significations are
subject to some difference of opinion,
and so the factors for vulnerability to
heart attack or heart disease are also
open to some debate.
In his very systematic and exceptionally clear book Essentials of Medical Astrology, Dr. K S Charak makes
mention of this debate:
As can be seen, there is some
difference of opinions in these main
divisions. The most glaring difference
is that according to the celebrated
Varahamihira the heart falls in the
4th house of Kalapurusha, i.e., Karka,
while according to the author of the
Vamana Purana it falls in the 5th
house of the Kalapurusha, i.e., Simha.
Varahamihiras distribution is simple
in that the first four signs of the
zodiac extend from the head to the
diaphragm of the Kalapurusha, the
next four signs from the diaphragm
to the perineum (i.e., representing
abdomen, pelvis and private part)
while the last four signs represent
the lower limbs from the level of the
hip joints. However, in our present
understanding of the ailments of the
heart, when we consider the individual houses (as different from signs)
in a horoscope, we will be inclined
to consider the 5th house for heart
ailments.1
Tamiko Fischer is an American who began her
study of Jyotish in 1998. Since 1997 she has
spent half of the time in Kerala, India, at M.A.
Math, the ashram of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi
Devi, where she practices Jyotish. She can be
reached at:
[email protected].
Vedic Astrology / Volume 11, Number 1
In the chapter on heart disease that
follows later in this book, Dr. Charak
presents the following points that must
be examined in order to determine
cardiac illness:
1. Affliction to the Sun: This is by far
the most important factor in causing
cardiac illness. The Sun may suffer
affliction as given below:
(a) Association or aspect of Mars,
Saturn and RKA
(b) Debilitation
(c) Paapakartari, i.e., being surrounded on either side by malefics
(d) Relationship with the 6th, the 8th,
or the 12th houses or lords
2. Affliction of Simha: By malefic association or aspect.
3. Affliction to the fifth house: By association or aspect of natural malefics
or the lords of Trika houses. Here
it is important to consider the fifth
house:
(a) from the lagna;
(b) from the Sun;
(c) from the MD and AD lords
4. Affliction to the fifth lord: Affliction
by natural malefics, by lords of
the Trika houses or by retrograde
planets.
5. The fourth house: Affliction to the
fourth house from the lagna or
the Sun indicates chest complications or surgical treatment of
heart disease. Predominance of
benefic influence here, as on the
Sun and the 5th house/5th lord,
indicates conservative treatment
and recovery.
6. The dasha scheme: In the presence
of sufficient affliction, the dasha of
the planets associating with the Sun,
the fifth house, the fifth lord, etc.,
lead to cardiac illness. The AD of a
retrograde planet in the fifth house,
in the MD of a malefic planet, is of
particular importance.2
While honoring the above-mentioned factors as primary (especially
considering that Dr. Charak is both
an astrologer and a surgeon!), in this
article I would like to humbly propose
the importance of yet another factor
to be examined when assessing the
health or disease of the heart: here I
would like to study the very striking
role of the 3rd house and 3rd lord, as
specifically seen in the case of heart
disease and heart attack.
In Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra,
the Kalapurusha is described in the
following way:
The 12 signs beginning from Aries are respectively the head, face, arms,
heart, stomach, hip, space below navel,
the private parts, thighs, knees, ankles
and feet of the Kalapurusha.3
Here it is helpful to reflect more
on the role of two different houses,
signs and even planets representing attributes of the heart before specifically
focusing on the role of the 3rd house.
The Sun, the sign of Simha (Leo),
and the 5th house rule the heart as a
specific physical organ of circulation
and vitality, while the Moon, the sign
of Karka (Cancer) and the 4th house
correspond to the general physical
area of the chest where the heart is
located, the blood (and blood-related
disease), as well as to the receptive and
feeling qualities associated with the
heart chakra as a seat of consciousness.
With both luminaries single-handedly
ruling attributes of the heart- and as
an organ simultaneously signified by
both an active and a receptive planetthe heart is given special status in
Jyotish as a seat of equal physical
and emotional power and expression.
These dual significations of the Sun
and the Moon suggest that the Rishis
saw the heart (and its health) as an
interrelation of physical and emotional
25
factors more directly than with any
other internal organ.
Regarding the 3rd house and its specific relationship to the health of the
heart:
1. On the most fundamental level,
the 3rd house is 12 houses away from
the 4th, which inherently makes this
house one of negation or obstruction
to the 4th. Planets in the 3rd house
during their dashas and sub-periods
create an unsettling influence to 4th
house meanings.
2. The 3rd house governs willful and
forceful energy (which perhaps can
include ailments characterized by
suddenness, such as attacks or seizures), where the natural karaka for
this house is Mars. As an Upachaya
house, it is a house of goals and effort.
In the Phaladeepika, the attributes of
the native who has a prominent 3rd
house is described as follows:
When the lord of the 3rd house
and that of the Ascendant are connected, by their mutual exchange of
places and are strong, the native shall
be brave, valorous, friendly to his
brothers and capable of performing
daring acts.4
3. When the 3rd house is very prominent the native is energetic, yet the
vulnerability of this attribute is overexertion or a strong sense of personal
doer-ship, where mental repose and
physical rest go unvalued.
At its worst, the 3rd house can also
be a house of grasping, impulsiveness
and risk-taking. From my own observations, as the least refined of the Kama
Sthanas, or houses of enjoyment, this
house is very often prominent in the
charts of people in the grip of compulsive behaviors such as various
substance abuse tendencies, sexual
compulsiveness, gambling, reckless
spending, reckless driving, etc.
In considering Mercury as another
natural karaka of the 3rd house
since this planet rules the 3rd sign
of Gemini in the natural zodiac:
Mercury governs the natural skill and
dexterity associated with the 3rd house,
as this house governs communications,
26
systematic or technical writing, as well
as the hands and arms. As a karaka
that represents the intellect, Mercurys
nature can act in conflict with the
centered heart. Periods of MercuryMoon or Moon-Mercury running in
combination in the dasha sequence of
the natal chart are often characterized
by the native wavering between the
feeling intelligence of the emotional
heart and the rational skill of the mind,
where these periods can be mentally
unsettling and confusing, sometimes
even when both of these planets are
strong and well placed.
According to some schools of
thought, such as in Brihat Jataka, the
3rd house governs some portion of
the highest area of the upper chest.5
Considering this view, malefic influence to this house begins to affect the
region approaching the heart.
Here one could assume that malefic
planets that are in or that aspect the
3rd house late in degree (and where
they would be approaching the 4th
house) would become more malefic
to the heart as compared to malefic
planets influencing the beginning of
the 3rd house. This is an area for research. When a planet is very late in
degree it will also more likely change
bhavas in the Bhava chart, where a
planet in the 3rd house may fall in
the 4th bhava.
The following are several example
charts to illustrate the role of the 3rd
house in cases of heart attack and
heart disease:
Chart 1
Example 1 is the birth chart of wellknown English comic actor Peter
Sellers (born on September 8, 1925;
at 6:00 hrs; South Sea, Hampshire
England, 50N47, 01W04), who died
July 24, 1980, of a heart attack at the
age of 55.
Third house factors: Saturn as 6th
and 7th (Maraka) lord is placed in
the 3rd house, and while exalted,
Saturn is at the mercy of its debilitated dispositor Venus placed 12
houses away from its own house.
Saturn
Ketu
Rahu
Chart-1
September 8, 1925 Lagna
Sun
Mercury
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
(R)
Rahu
Venus
Moon
Lagna
Sun
Mercury
Mars
8
5
11
Moon
Jupiter
(R)
12
10
Venus
Ketu
Lagna
1622
Mars
2357
Venus
2748
Sun
2212
Mercury
0445
Saturn
1726
Moon
0134
Jupiter (R)
1952
Rahu
1102
Saturn
Ketu
Mercury
Jupiter (R)
Venus
6
Sun
Rahu
Mars
Navamsha
Mars
Sun
Rahu
Jupiter
(R)
Venus
5
11
Lagna
Moon
Lagna
Mercury
1
Ketu
9
10
12
Moon
Saturn
Vedic Astrology / Volume 11, Number 1
Vimshottari dasha: Mr. Sellers
death occurred at the very start of
the Saturn dasha, in the period of
Saturn-Saturn-Saturn.
In addition to the malefic Saturn as
dasha lord placed in the 3rd house
where from here it single-handedly
aspects both the 5th house and 5th
lord, with the assumption that the
time of birth is accurate within
several minutes, in the Vargas Saturn is also in the 3rd house in the
Drekkana, the Dwadashamsha, as
well as several of the other divisional charts that are unrelated to
physical health (not pictured).
Additional factors: In the birth
chart the 4th lord Mars is severely
combust; the Sun as Karaka of
the heart is in close conjunction
with a Mars very strong in Shad
Bala. While Mars is a yoga karaka
planet for a Leo (and a planet that
no doubt contributed greatly to the
yogas for his fame), the extremely
fiery Sun-Mars conjunction in the
1st house is questionable for the
health of the heart.
If we are to also consider the Moon
as indicator of the emotional heart:
Even though the Moon is exalted, it
is both isolated in Kemadruma yoga
and directionally weak in the 10th
house, a placement that can make
the Manas, or the feeling mind,
somewhat dependent on public
approval or achievement instead of
centered in the heart.
By transit, at the time of death the
dasha lord Saturn was passing over the
1st house at 2944 Leo and is in the
3rd Drekkana, or the last third of a sign,
where Saturn is classically believed
to deliver its full results in transit6.
From its transit over the 1st house
Saturn simultaneously aspects the 3rd
house while transiting the 4th lord.
Chart 2
Example 2 (female native, born on
August 19, 1949) is a chart that appears
in the Essentials of Medical Astrology
as an example chart to illustrate the
factors for heart disease.
Vedic Astrology / Volume 11, Number 1
Moon
Mars
Rahu
12
11
Rahu
Lagna
Jupiter
Chart-2
August 19, 1949
(R)
Lagna
Jupiter
(R)
10
1
Sun
Mercury
Saturn
7
6
2
3
Venus
Ketu
Venus
Ketu
Sun
Mercury
Saturn
Moon
Mars
Lagna
0044
Mars
2452
Venus
0536
Sun
0259
Mercury
2343
Saturn
1440
Moon
0207
Jupiter(R)
0037
Rahu
2456
Sun
Venus
Rahu
Mars
12
11
Lagna
Jupiter
Sun
Navamsha
Saturn
Ketu
(R)
10
4
Mars
Mercury Moon
Saturn
Ketu
Moon
12
Saturn
11
Lagna
Jupiter
Rahu
(R)
Mars
Mercury
Drekkana
Sun
(R)
Saturn
Moon
Mars
Mercury Ketu
Lagna
Jupiter
Mercury
(R)
Venus
Rahu
Lagna
Jupiter
Venus
In the commentary on this chart,
Dr. Charak states:
This lady suffers from cardiomyopathy, a progressive, crippling genetic disorder of the heart muscle, from which
she can have little chance of cure.
In regard to the timing, he writes:
The symptoms have been particularly
severe since the onset of Saturn in the
Vimshottari dasha, coinciding with
Sankata (Rahu) in the Yogini dasha....7
In this chart there are multiple afflictions to general health.
Third house factors: Here not only
is the 3rd lord Jupiter retrograde
10
4
Ketu
Rahu
7
6
Venus
Moon
Sun
and debilitated in the lagna with
its dispositor adversely placed in
the 8th house, but this placement
of the 3rd lord debilitated in the
lagna repeats in the Vargas, in the
Navamsha and the Drekkana, as
well as in the Dwadashamsha (not
pictured).
Vimshottari Dasha: In regard to
the provided information of the
start of Saturn dasha being the
period of particularly severity of
symptoms: while this may have
been the timing for a health crisis,
in the birth chart both Rahu and
27
Jupiter-the planets ruling the two
previous dashas- are connected to
the 3rd house by position and rulership, and it can be assumed that
the heart condition was diagnosed
or developed under the influence of
these two previous dasha lords.
Additional factors: In the birth chart
there is affliction to the Sun in the
8th house conjunct Saturn and 6th
lord Mercury. Here the 4th lord is adversely placed in the 6th house, and
the 5th lord is debilitated and conjoined with Ketu. Also, the Moon is
afflicted due to its placement in the
6th house and conjoined with Mars.
Chart 3
Example 3 (born on October 27, 1916;
at 2:30 hours EST; at Cleveland Ohio,
USA 41N29, 81W41) is the chart of
a female who died on June 26, 2006
at the advanced age of 89 years. In
June 2002 she was first diagnosed
with the advanced stages of heart
disease following her first heart attack, after which time she experienced
Jupiter
(R)
numerous minor heart attacks and
several major attacks before dying
peacefully after a long life.
Third house factors: Here the Sun
as lagna lord and karaka of the
heart is debilitated in the 3rd house,
conjoined with the 12th lord Moon
(which additionally makes for a
dark Moon). Both planets are receiving the aspect of the 8th lord Jupiter.
The lagna lord participates in a
Parivartana Yoga, exchanging places
with 3rd lord Venus in the lagna.
Vimshottari dasha: In June of 2002,
during the period of Sun-Jupiter
the native suffered her first heart
attack. This period was ruled by
the dasha of the Sun as Karaka of
the heart placed in the 3rd house,
and the sub-period of the 8th lord
who aspects both the 3rd house
and lagna lord.
Shortly before her death, during the
period of Sun-Venus-Ketu, which is
the dasha of lagna lord in the 3rd
house and the bhukti of the 3rd
lord, the native suffered a major
7
Mercury
Sun 6
Moon
Lagna
Venus
Saturn
Ketu
Chart-3
October 27, 1916 Lagna
Rahu
Venus
Mars
5
11
12
Jupiter
(R)
Rahu
Lagna
1832
Mars
1102
Venus
2924
Sun
1051
Mercury
2425
Saturn
0740
Moon
1638
Jupiter(R)
0712
Rahu
0040
Mercury
Mars
Jupiter
(R)
7
8
Lagna
Saturn
Ketu
Moon
Venus
Navamsha
28
10
Sun Mercury
Moon
Mars
Saturn
Ketu
Sun
Rahu
Mercury
Venus
Lagna
Saturn
Mars
6
12
10
Sun
Rahu
11
Moon
Ketu
Jupiter
(R)
2
1
heart attack, and survived this heart
episode before passing away at the
very start of the Moon dasha which
is the period of the 12th lord in the
3rd house, in the period of MoonMoon-Mars.
Additional factors: While Mars is
stable in its own sign in the 4th
house, it is a fiery planet that is
also very strong in Shad Bala.
This placement has given excellent
fortune in regard to ownership of
land and property; however, for the
physical body it is still a naturally
malefic planet in a house that points
to vulnerability to the heart. Also,
the fifth lord Jupiter is receiving the
aspect of 6th lord Saturn, where the
aspect is exact in degree.
Chart 4
Example 4 is the chart of legendary
and enduring English rock musician
David Bowie (born on January 8,
1947; at 23:50 hours GMT; at Brixton, England, 51N28 01W00), who
underwent an emergency angioplasty
procedure to clear a blocked artery
on June 25, 2004, while on a concert
tour and suffering what he initially
believed to be simply a pinched nerve
in the shoulder.
Third house factors: In the birth
chart, lagna lord Mercury is conjoined with Mars who is 3rd and
8th lord placed in the 4th house.
Here, the 3rd lord Mars is combust
within less than one degree of the
Sun, where the Sun also happens
to be 12th lord. There is some difference of opinion as to the effects
of combustion when it is within
less than one degree and whether
this placement weakens a planet
or instead bestows an especially
strong, laser-like quality known as
Cazimi, where a planet is said to
be in the very heart of the Sun and
thus especially strong.
In the 3rd house itself is Ketu, giving effects of its dispositor Mars as
well as Venus by conjunction. Venus
is a functional benefic, but as 2nd
lord has Maraka potential.
Vedic Astrology / Volume 11, Number 1
Rahu
Moon
Saturn
Chart-4
January 8, 1947
Sun
Mars Venus
Mercury Ketu
Jupiter
Venus 7
Ketu
Lagna
Saturn
(R)
Sun
6
Mars
9
3
Mercury
12
(R)
10
Jupiter
5 Moon
11
Lagna
Rahu
Lagna
1653
Mars
2406
Venus
0933
Sun
2446
Mercury
1603
Saturn(R)
1342
Moon
1956
Jupiter
2837
Rahu
1808
Lagna
Jupiter
Rahu
Mercury
Moon
Ketu
Venus
(R)
Vimshottari dasha: Bowie underwent
emergency surgery during the dasha
period of Mars-Jupiter-Saturn, a period that for a Virgo lagna combines
the influence of the 3rd lord Mars,
4th lord Jupiter and 5th lord Saturn.
Additional factors: The Moon is afflicted, conjunct the 6th lord Saturn
Vedic Astrology / Volume 11, Number 1
Lagna
Jupiter
Rahu
6
12
Mercury
Sun
Mars
Saturn
In conclusion, with the pair of
houses, signs and even planets
representing various attributes of
the human heart, there are many
permutations possible with what
the potential for heart disease may
look like in the birth chart.
May the proposal of the additional
significance of 3rd house factors
serve as a valid and helpful tool
for practical use.
References and Notes:
Venus
Navamsha
were transiting Dusthanas, where
Jupiter as Bhukti lord was transiting the 12th house, while Rahu
was transiting the 8th house.
Sun
Mars
Saturn (R)
Moon
Ketu
11
10
and receiving the aspect of 3rd and
8th lord Mars.
By transit, Saturn was transiting
the 10th house and from here
it aspects the 4th house. It had
just entered the 3rd Drekkana the
week before the time of surgery.
The other slow-moving Grahas
1. Dr. K.S. Charak: Essentials of Medical
Astrology, New Delhi: UMA Publications,
2002. p. 41.
2. Ibid. p. 164.
3. Maharshi Parashara: Brihat Parashara Hora
Sastra, Vol. 1. Trans. Girish Chand Sharma.
New Delhi: Sagar Publications, 1995. p. 51.
4. Mantreshwara. Phaladeepikas Trans S.S.
Sareen. New Delhi: Sagar Publications, 1992.
p. 169.
5. An example of the 3rd house ruling the
chest appears in Varahamihiras Brihat Jataka,
Chapter 1- Stanza 4. (Trans. B.S. Rao. New
Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1986.
pp 35-36).
6. This mentioned principle of Saturn giving
its full results in the 3rd Drekkana of a sign
appears in Phaladeepika, Shloka 26-stanza 25.
(Sagar Publications, p. 303). This principle
also can be found in various translations
of both Brihat Jataka and Namboodiris
Prashna Marga.
7. Charak. pp164-166.
29
