Stanza 1. — After ascertaining whether the sick man will recover or die, the nature of treatment to be given should be considered. In order to give the best medical treatment, a careful diagnosis of the nature of disease, its cause, etc., is essential.
NOTES
In this chapter the author describes in his own inimitable way the various diseases, how they are caused, and how they are to be diagnased. He shows how astrology can be made use of in medical treatment.
Stanza 2. — Planets occupying anishta or unfavourable, houses bring about appropriate diseases. Planets occupying ishta or favourable houses indicate good health.
Stanza 3. — When malefics occupy the 3rd and 11th houses; benefics occupy houses other than 3rd, 6th, 12th and 8th ; and Gulika is in places other than the 5th, 9th, 8th or kendras; good health is indicated. Those occupying unfavourable places indicate ill-health and disease.
NOTES
Ishta Bhavas or favourable houses for malefics are 3rd and 11th. In the rest of the houses they are unfavourable. Ishta Bhavas for benefics are 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th. Gulika produces good results when occupying 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 11th and 12th.
When malefics, benefics and Gu'ika occupy houses other than those given in the above .paragraph, they denote ill-health and diseases. When favourably disposed, the querist will be healthy.
Stanza 4. — According to Sarasangraha planets become susthas in favourable houses giving rise to health and dusthas in unfavourable houses causing diseases.
Stanza 5. — Weak malefics occupying 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 12th and benefics occupying 6th, 8th and 12th become dusthas, Amongst dusthas, the bitter enemy of lord of Lagna is most violent in giving diseases and causing death. Planets that are found in conjunction with the Moon also give rise to results consistent with their own nature.
Stanza 6. — Diseases have to be read from the planets occupying 6th, 8th and 12th; those associating with or aspecting the lord of Lagna; those that occupy or aspect the Lagna. According as Lagna is moveble and urdhwamukha, or fixed and ihirayangmukha, and common and adhomukha the seat of disease will be above the neck, below the neck and above the waist, or below the waist respectively.
Stanza 7. — The eight planets from the Sun to Rahu signify respectively the stomach, heart, head, chest, thighs, face, knees and the feet. By considering the intensity of affliction or otherwise of these planets, the strength or weakness of the respective organs can be ascertained.
NOTES
Some say that the left foot is governed by Ketu.
Stanza 8. — The twelve houses signify the twelve organs from head to feet. Disease occurs in the part of the body indicated by the afflicted house or planet.
NOTES
Lagna and the lord of Lagna indicate the head, the 2nd Bhava and the lord of the 2nd indicate the face, the 3rd Bhava and the lord of the 3rd indicate the chest. In this way, the differert parts of the body should be assigned to different houses and their lords as Explained by Varaha-mihira in his Brihat Jataka.
The parts of the body signified by an afflicted house will be the seat of disease or disorder. Supposing the third house is afflicted. We can indicate that there is some disorder and trouble in the chest region. Similarly if the lord a of Bhava is afflicted, the part of the body signified by the Bhava in question will be the trouble-spot.
Stanza 9. — The location of the disease can be known, from the Rasi symbolical of the limb touched at the time of query, Arudha Lagna or Udaya Lagna. This has been explained already.
NOTES
Suppose the querist touches a certain Bhava in the Prasna chart; then the limb signified by that Bhava will be the seat of trouble. The limbs signified by that sign of Arudha Lagna or even the ascendant can also be taken as the seat of disease.
Stanza 10. — Varaha Mihira's classification of Thridoshas' has already explained. Below is given the view contained in Sarasangraha.
Stanza 11. — The Sun governs pitla(bile) combined with vata (wind); the Moon governs vata and kapha (phlegm); Mars rules pitta ; Budha indicates vata, pita and kapha; Jupiter rules over kapha with vata; Venus also denotes vata and kapha; and Satura governs vata combined with pitta; waning Moon brings about the dosha of the lord of the Rasi which he occupies; full Moon brings about kapha only.
NOTES
According to this view, we see that the Sun governs mostly pitta and little of vata. Saturn governs more of vata and a little of pitta. Jupiter indicates more of kapha and a little of vata.
Stanza 12. — The planets cause diseases befitting their Pancha Bhuta nature. And diseases appear at the various seasons governed by the planets.
Stanzas 13 to 15. — If the Sun and Mars become dusthas, diseases due to pitha will be caused; if the Moon and Venus, watery diseases; if Saturn, diseases due to vata; if Mercury, due to all the three doshas; Jupiter in an anishta place brings about diseases caused by akashabhuta. These diseases make their appearance in the Ritus or seasons signified by the concerned planets. Planets also indicate the appropriate dhatus from which diseases arise. The occurrence of diseases has also been dealt with in other treatises.
NOTES
The places where planets become dusthas have been enumerated in the stanzas 3. 4 and 5 above. Stanzas 13 to 15 deal with diseases due to vata (wind), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm), etc., caused by the planets becoming dusthas. If the Sun and Mars are dusthas, diseases due to the inflammation of pitta (bile) become manifested. According to the famous Ajurvedic scientist Vagbhata, pitta has the characteristic of fire (pittamvahnihi). Therefore if the Sun or Mars
becomes a dustha, ore suffers from diseases due to heat such as constipation, measles, ulcers, skin eruptions, small-pox, burning sensation, etc. The Moon and Venus as dusthas produce diseases caused by water such as swellings in different parts of the body. Saturn brings about diseases due to vata (wind). Mercury brings about diseases such as brain fever, typhoid, etc., due to the inflammation of all the three doshas. Jupiter brings about deafness. If in the biith horoscope, any planet is dustha, then, during the rim or season ruled by the dustha planet, the appropriate disease makes its appearance. The allocation of seasons to different planets should be taken according to Varahamihira. Venus rules Vasantharitu or spring (March-April); the Sun and Mars Greeshma or windy season (May-June); the Moon — Varsha or rainy season (July- August): Mercury — Sarat — Autumn (September-October); Jupiter — Hemanta or Fall (November-December) and Saturn — Sasira (January-February).
Suppose in a horoscope, the Sun is a dustha. The native is sensitive to the diseases of pitta and heat. The Sun rules the ritu or season of spring and the dhatu raktha or blood. Therefore during the season of spring, the native suffers from a disease due to blood impurity, caused by excessive heat and bile. In this way, the other planets should also be dealt with. The next sloka explains the method.
Stanza 16. — A man will suffer from the diseases affecting the dhatu governed by dustha or the lord of the Navamsa occupied by it.
NOTES
Reference may be made to sloka 3 of Chapter XI, for details about different dhatus and the planets governing them. According to this stanza not only the dustha but its Navamsa lord should also be considered.
Stanza 17. — There are other principles to ascertain the nature of the disease and they are enumerated in other works