One of the critical areas of vediis Graha Drishti. It can be confusing to most people when astrologers rattle off ‘aspects’ of planets and talk about benign and malign influences. A particular planet can only have one aspect while another has two or more.
To understand Graha Drishti, you need to think of your home. Do you live in a community? In an apartment block complex? In a residential colony? Your home will overlook houses or apartments across yours, next to yours, even behind your house.
It means that you get easy views of these houses and their people. Equally, people living in these houses can also get a look into your home. Many of these people might be your friends or adversaries. If you happen to like your neighbours or they like you, every time you see them, you will get a friendly wave, a smile, and invitations to drop in. They will even be there for you in times of trouble. On the other hand, if your neighbours are your adversaries, they may ignore you, trouble you, or pick a fight with you. There could be times when you complain to your family, “I don’t like the way our neighbour, Mr X, looks at us.”
It means that you get easy views of these houses and their people. Equally, people living in these houses can also get a look into your home. Many of these people might be your friends or adversaries. If you happen to like your neighbours or they like you, every time you see them, you will get a friendly wave, a smile, and invitations to drop in. They will even be there for you in times of trouble. On the other hand, if your neighbours are your adversaries, they may ignore you, trouble you, or pick a fight with you. There could be times when you complain to your family, “I don’t like the way our neighbour, Mr X, looks at us.”
It is the principle of Graha Drishti in Vedic Astrology at work. In other words, it is a validation of the truth that life is all about watching and being watched. Sometimes it’s a positive experience, and at other times, it spooks you.
There is a similar concept in your birth chart: the houses or bhavas are like a community, and the planets occupying the houses are like the people residing in that community. They exchange looks, keep a watch on each other, act protective if all are positive, cast baleful glances, and deliberately interfere in the goings-on of a house if they don’t get along.
Planets essentially perform the duties of a watchman. Their primary responsibility is to see, observe, and watch from wherever they are positioned in your birth chart. This ability to see or watch is called Drishti or the Gaze. Wherever the eye travels or rests upon, that is Drishti. And Graha means House, so Graha Drishti is gazing from a house.
So, let’s have a 101 Class on understanding the effects of Graha Drishti in Vedic Astrology and how it impacts your happiness.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 1
Planets are not always friendly.
Yes, you read that right. I have often said that though we would like to believe that planets are our friends, it’s not so. Of course, there are occasions when the planets and the zodiac signs they occupy shine a bright light on our destiny, but they can also create problems.
The planet’s Graha Drishti has a multi-layered function and covers times of pain and pleasure in an individual’s life. It’s a vast concept, but I shall try to simplify it.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 2
Planets can impact a house even if they are not placed in it.
Remember that I mentioned that you could feel good or bad based on your neighbour’s glance or gaze? It’s the same with planets. They will influence the house they occupy and their own and impact the house that receives their Graha Drishti. Look at it this way: you will control the place you rent, the home you own even if you don’t live there (after all, you are the owner and will always have a say), and the houses you can see from where you are placed.
Let’s place it in the context of a birth chart: For example, the planet Sun will impact the house it is situated in, the house that is the 7th house from where it is on which it will cast its Drishti, and the house of Leo which it owns. It is the fundamental precept. Many senior astrologers lack the basic understanding of Graha Drishti in Vedic Astrology.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 3
It’s not just about the house the planet occupies; it’s also about where it looks from its position.
Okay, so the planet is seeing, but what is it seeing, and what is its glance leading to?
The trick to knowing Graha Drishti is this: it is not about where a planet is but where it is; which house/house receives its aspect? That’s the critical issue. Often, this point is not stressed enough, and thus, people fail to understand the real significance of graha placement.
Remember: Graha Drishti activates Desire, making us act according to its diktat.
This is the paradigm shift we need to understand its importance.
For example, Jupiter in Lagna or 1st House is a superb placement. Why? Because it has a Graha Drishti on the gyana bhavas, the 5th, and the 9th Houses. It boosts the individual’s knowledge, wisdom, and thought, pushing them to higher horizons.
The truth is that different planets have different abilities and different strengths of vision to cast a Drishti. Most astrologers don’t consider this aspect when predicting or assessing Drishti.
For example, why does Mars in the 7th house cause conflicts and challenges? (Because Mars has the weakest Drishti on the 7th House of Relationships, Marriage etc., as a bachelor).
It is essential to know these BTS (Behind-The-Scenes) facts for an accurate reading of a birth chart.
This is the fine print that should be read about the planet’s placement and the impact they create. How is the planet manifesting your karma? Does it make you happy, or does it hammer you and create obstacles? It’s all about the placement because it leads to results through aspect.
There are many hidden sutras where the knowledge is between the lines. A seasoned astrologer knows this.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 4
All planets do not have similar privileges.
What is the various Drishti’s cast by the planets? Here is a primer:
- Saturn or Shani Graha Drishti: It casts an aspect on the 3rd House and 10th house from where it is placed. These houses or bhavas are called the Upachaya Houses or Houses of Growth, whose prospects improve with time.
- Jupiter or Guru Graha Drishti casts Drishti on the 5th House and 9th House from its placement. The 5th and 9th houses are called the Kona or Triangle Houses, and they represent Knowledge.
- Rahu Graha Drishti: It casts Drishti on the 2nd,5th, and 9th Houses. It’s the only planet that can see behind, 12th from its placement.
- Mars or Mangal Graha Drishti: Its Drishti is on the 4th and 8th Houses, also called Chaturashara or Protection.
- Sun or Surya Graha Drishti: Sun has only one Drishti, on the 7th House from itself. The 7th House is also called the Kama House or House of Desire.
- Venus or Shukra Graha Drishti: Same as the Sun.
- Mercury or Budh Graha Drishti: Same as the Sun.
- Moon or Chandra Grah Drishti: Same as the Sun.
- Ketu Graha Drishti: No aspect (it does not have eyes, only a lower body. We will get to this later in this blog).
As we can see in the above illustration, planets further away from the Sun have ‘Special Aspects’. They have a helicopter or a bird’s eye view due to their distance from the Sun, giving them higher qualities or attributes. So, we can divide the planets thus:
Exterior karakas: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn.
Interior karakas: Venus, Mercury, Moon, Sun, Moon.
The Sun (King) and the planets below it only have ‘Desire’; hence they can see activities opposite their station – in the 7th house only.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 5
What do the Special Aspects signify?
They present opportunities for the evolution of thought and the application of free will. The Special Aspects or Superior Drishti holds the potential of causing a yoga between a house and planet, and it is a critical element to analyse in Vedic Astrology. This yoga or yogas have immense relevance vis-a-vis the Dasa or Mahadasa in an individual’s birth chart or kundli.
Saturn’s Drishti on the 3rd and 10th Houses lead to Growth and progress through awareness and contemplation. Saturn has a unique ability to see you in your Kama (3rd house of sexuality) and Karma (10th house of office/work). Saturn, therefore, is the primary karaka for the 10th house.
Jupiter, the Guru, the planet of Wisdom, has the unique ability to see your past (9th House) and affect your future (5th house). These are the best aspects of your chart, so mark them as your blessing!
Jupiter’s Drishti is all about Gyan (Knowledge), Bhagya (Good Fortune), and Schooling as a metaphor for evolution. Jupiter wants always to bless you.
Mars is a warrior and is all about Protection. It has two Drishti – on the 4th House and 8th House. The 4th House Graha Drishti is about protecting the House significations, and in the 8th House, it is about how long to preserve the house for the jataka.
Rahu is as intelligent as Jupiter and gets the Drishti for the 5th House, 9th House and the 2nd Houses (straight count) from where it is. It is the only planet with the ability to see what’s happening behind his back – so crucial for politicians and entrepreneurs.
The remaining planets only get one Drishti from their placement on the 7th House. The 7th House is also called Kama bhava or House of Desire, and Desire leads to Karmic acts, which cause rebirth to work off the negative karmas. So, it is an inferior Drishti as it promotes base desires.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 6
Ketu does not have a 7th House aspect. Why? Read on.
People who have an interest in astrology know about the 7th house aspects. Every house aspects the 7th house from itself. But does Ketu aspect the 7th house too? That’s important to understand. Ketu is the planet that gives you Moksha (Salvation/Liberation from the cycle of Birth and Death). And 7th House is the house of rebirth, among other things. So, if Ketu has a 7th House aspect, how will it function? Can there be Rebirth and Moksha at the same time? No.
All planets can cause karma and rebirth, but only Ketu can sift the grain from the chaff.
Have Vedic astrologers underplayed this fact? How many of them clarify how to read Ketu’s 7th house aspect?
However, Ketu’s 7th House aspect is used in jadatma readings, which means if you cast a birth chart for a nation, a company, etc., they do not align with the principle of moksha. So we can consider Ketu’s 7th House aspect. However, for human beings, or jivatmas, Ketu’s 7th house aspect is not considered.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 7
When you talk of Grahas, can Grahan be far behind?
What does that mean? Graha means Planet, and Grahan is the Eclipse caused by that planet. The eclipse is metaphorical and means obfuscation, clouding, or obscuring the mind.
All planets have Drishti, and all cause grahan in some form or the other.
The fact is, the planets take up positions in certain houses at your birth due to your past karmas. When they cast a positive Drishti on a particular house, it rewards your good deeds. The negative drsihtis create challenges to teach you lessons in this lifetime and make you atone for your past misdeeds.
So, based on the Drishti and the houses, you need to understand where and why the planets are eclipsing your mind. A Vedic astrologer must help you see this pattern.
The house is the home office of a planet, it works from there, and its Drishti manifests the results.
Let me give you an example of how the eclipse or grahan works. A.K. is a 40-year-old with a flourishing career. But he has a problem. “I am a great karma yogi, a tireless worker, but my workaholism made my wife run away with someone.’ He has a powerful 10th House of Work and Rewards, but his 7th House of Marriage and Relationships is affected. Therefore, he is low on marital happiness. If you were an excellent partner to your spouse in your previous life, your 7th house in this life is vital. But if you were a lousy spouse, your present life 7th house will not be strong.
Let’s take another example. B. is a doting housewife. She is wholly devoted to her husband’s needs, and she makes sure all of them are met. But in the process, her ambitions fall by the wayside, and she gets no opportunity to use her skills and intelligence to build a career for herself. Clearly, her 10th House activities are not fulfilling her ambition, and she is not destined for a job.
It is critical to know the potential of the 12 houses in your birth chart to understand your roadmap. If you are not destined to be an actor, why waste your time failing every time? Remember, your calling is based on your karmas. There is free will, but it will take a direction depending on how weak or strong your karma accumulation is.
So, you see how this works? It’s like a SWOT analysis of your karmic blueprint. Graha Drishti is critical to understanding the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in our birth chart.
Do you know why sanyasis or ascetics prefer not to see women? It might awaken Desire and thus start the cycle of karma.
As they say, what you don’t see, you don’t want.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 8
What is the 4-pada Drishti? How does it impact our karma?
‘Pada’ means division. The 4-pada Drishti principle follows from the distance of planets from each other and the houses on which they cast Drishti. Different planets have different abilities to see, and that’s the bottom line. Based on their placement, they will be ascribed padas for their Drishti.
First pada: 25% Drishti. It is inconsequential and barely has an impact, good or bad. Any planet with 25% Drishti will not activate the significations of the house it is casting Drishti on. So, if you want to achieve the qualities of a particular house, the planet will not help you positively or negatively.
- Exception: Saturn is the only planet whose 25% Drishti also creates problems if it is negative. Saturn’s side glance, tirchi nazar or looking askance can be deadly.
- Second pada: 50%: This is a half-measure impact, and it will be able to arouse Iccha Shakti, which means the planet has the power to promote a little bit of willpower.
- Third pada: 75%. This has a powerful impact, as it promotes both Ichha and Kriya Shakti, which means the Will and Action to accomplish a task.
- Poorna (Full) pada: 100%. This enables Iccha, Kriya, and Jnana Shaktis to manifest. The planet promotes Will, Action, and Knowledge. It can give a full solution for either Positive outcomes or Negative outcomes.
Note: All planets have a poorna Drishti on the 7th house from their placement.
The percentage’s ability is directly related to the planet’s benign or malefic nature. It can create good or bad in a jataka’s life based on the pada and its power or lack.
The relation between Desire, Action, and Knowledge, whether positive or negative, is a critical factor in a birth chart to determine if the individual can accomplish their goals fully or not.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 9
The Shaktis for each type of Graha Drishti.
Three types of Shaktis or Powers influence planets’ Drishti:
- Iccha Shakti: Iccha means Desire. It is about the planet’s desire to activate its desires.
- Gyana Shakti: Gyana means Knowledge. The planet can give Knowledge or information and create a GPS to follow.
- Kriya shakti: Kriya means action. It is about the planet’s ability to promote efforts to fulfil goals.
Our journey of life is made of these three Shaktis of the planets.
These Shaktis are activated fully or partially, or minimally based on the padas or aspect strengths.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 10
Understand the interconnectedness of Graha Drishti and Destiny in Vedic Astrology.
Our horoscope is a map based on our past life, and the planetary placements and aspects in our current life birth chart reveal our previous unfulfilled missions and blunders. Check for houses with three or more malefic planets aspecting them and put a red dot on them. Activities related to that house shall torment you throughout your life and more so in the dashas of those malefic planets aspecting the house.
On the other hand, aspects of the benefic planet give you success and the ability to learn/change, and those houses are your blessings. In houses or bhavas with mixed aspects will take up most of your time. For example, the 7th House is a house of marriage, and if you have a combination of benefics and malefics aspecting it, marriage is a constant struggle. The benefic planets ensure you love your spouse, and the malefics guarantee a continuous battle resulting in a marriage that is tough to break and hard to live with.
Take another example. Mars and Saturn, both taskmasters, are aspecting the 6th House of Enemies. It can be a double whammy because you will have more challenges than you can handle.
Saturn’s special Drishti is associated with Kama (3rd House) and Karma (10th House). Saturn says you need to work hard, and its message must be read with care. The 3rd house is also about guru upadesa, which not many know about, so the 3rd and 11th house (which is about Hearing) are connected. Are you listening to your guru? If your 11th House is afflicted, you will not. And Saturn will ensure that you learn the discipline of listening to your guru with its 3rd House aspect. It will make you work hard in that area it aspects.
In another example of the interconnectedness of the planets and their Graha Drishti, the 6th and 10th Houses are connected. So, if there are benefics in the 6th, 10th, or 11th houses, the upachaya 3rd House will work to your good.
GRAHA DRISHTI LESSON 11
Why calculating Graha Drishti is like paying attention to the weather forecast.
When you know there is a storm heading your way; you are grateful for the warning so you can go to a safe place. Or, when you head out for a long drive, it helps to know there will be clear skies, so you enjoy the outing.
Calculating Graha Drishti in your birth chart is like tuning in to the weather forecast, and it helps you prepare. Remember, Knowledge is Power. The more you know, the less you will struggle to figure things out in life. Would you rather be aware of the blessings and challenges in your horoscope or get knocked out by a sudden setback? It’s never too late to be prepared for the rest of your life, and I am happy to help you understand the interplay of Graha Drishtis in your birth chart. Reach out to me; our Helpdesk is always at your service. Want to share your thoughts, clear your doubts, or speak your mind on transits? I would love to hear from you in the Comments section.
