Relevance to Hora
Mercury is an earthy planet. The earth element has the attribute of ‘holding’ (dharana). Memory refers to the mental power of remembering a number of things and in another sense, the information is stored or held in the brain. So memory comes under the earth element, and therefore under Mercury. Though intelligence is different from memory, a good and sharp memory is the first factor that characterises intelligence. So along with Jupiter, Mercury becomes an important Karaka for intelligence, education, knowledge and prudence. Mercury rules speech also. So the charts of those born in Budhastambha period and in particular, the dates close to Mercury turning retrograde and becoming direct, need to be studied in detail for insanity, failure in educational career etc. Though the conjunction the of the Sun and Mercury is referred to as Budhaditya Yoga which is said to make one intelligent, scholarly etc., the Sun-Mercury conjunction when Mercury is in direct motion is more likely to give the result of intelligence.
This young lad (Chart 1) studying for C.A. met with a motor bike accident and suffered a serious head injury on December 18, 2000. He was in coma right from then till his death on August 31, 2002. Mercury, the 8th lord from the Ascendant, turned direct on 20th March, just a day before his birth. The following may be noted :-
1.The Moon is in Krittika, a Kroora or cruel Nakshatra,
2. Ketu is in the Ascendant,
3. Jupiter, 8th lord from the Moon, is hemmed between Rahu and Mars, and is in Makha, a Kroora Nakshatra. But in addition to all these, the main point is motionless (Stambha) 8th lord Mercury in the Ascendant. These factors explain the accidental death but the prolonged coma condition of nearly 20 months in which no sensations are felt (brain paralysed condition) is the result of motionless Mercury, the Karaka for the senses. The death coincided with Virgo Stambha of Mercury.
Chart 1: Male: Born March 21, 1980 at 4h.50m. at 19 N 10, 73 E 05 with a balance of 2 years
3 months 2 days of Sun Dasa at birth.
Chart 2: Female: Born May 17, 1990 at 1h.35m. at 19 N 00, 73 E 07 with a balance of 2 years
4 months 9 days of Ravi Dasa at birth.
The native of Chart 2 was attacked by goondas on the evening of April 22, 2007. This was when Mercury was combust. She fell unconscious and was in coma till her death in February 2009. Mercury turned direct on February 1, 2009. In this case, Mercury, the 8th lord from the Ascendant, was motionless at her birth becoming direct on May 17th only. Here, the murder can be explained as due to:-
1)The Sun, 8th lord from the Moon in Krittika, a Kroora, Nakshatra.
2)Mars, a fiery planet, in the Ascendant, aspects the Sun, 8th lord from the Moon.
3)The Moon in conjunction with Rahu. But the prolonged coma condition for nearly 22 months can be explained only by the motionless Mercury, 8th lord and Karaka for the senses.
Chart 3: Male: Born March 25, 1970 at 14h.16m. at 19 N 10, 73 E 51 with a balance of 1 year 8 months 23 days of Sun Dasa at birth.
Chart 4: Male: Born December 28, 1970 at 13h.21m. at 18 N 56, 72 E 50 with a balance of 1 year 1 months 23 days of Ketu Dasa at birth.
The native of Chart 3 joined the Navy and met with a fatal accident in the training camp on September 21, 1993. He was asked to dive from a height much higher than was allowed during his training . He did not come up for quite a long time and was subsequently declared dead. The sad news was communicated late to his parents which led to suspicion in their mind. His mother, a high school teacher, is still fighting a legal battle with naval authorities to find out the truth about his mysterious death. Mercury, the Ascendant lord, turned direct on May 22, 1970, just 3 days before his birth. The Ascendant lord is in the 8th in conjunction with Saturn and Mars, the 8th lord is in the 10th house aspecting the Ascendant. In addition, Mercury in Aries Stambha, is moving very slow at the pace of 0° 15′ per day. The mystery behind the death may also be attributed to Mercury.
An engineer with MBA degree and a very high posting in a multinational bank, the native of Chart 4 was seriously ill for nearly 4 months from December 2015. He was operated thrice during this period for ulceration of the colon. He was kept in isolation for this period and after a gap of nearly 6 months, has now rejoined service. Birth is on a New Moon day, Mercury is retrograde and combust. Mercury, 7th lord both from the Ascendant and the Moon-sign, is in conjunction with the Sun, 6th lord from the Ascendant and the Moon, 8th lord from the Moon-sign. Mercury has the lordship of sign Virgo which governs the stomach and digestive system. Mars, the fiery planet in the 8th along with Venus, 8th lord, is also one of the reasons for this prolonged illness due to ulcers. But the time coincided with Mercury’s retrograde motion and combustion in Capricorn and Sagittarius, on the natal Sun, Moon and Mercury (though not to the exact degree). Transit Mercury was retrograde from January 6 to 26, 2016 and in Sagittarius from January 12, 2016 onwards.
The struggle for life is shown by transit Mercury in retrogression in the case of natives with Mercury retrograde in the natal chart.
Chart 5: Female: Born July 17, 1999 at 20h.05m. at 19 N 12, 72 E 51 with a balance of 5 years 14 days of Sun Dasa at birth.
Chart 6: Male: Born January 8, 1971 at at 13h.00m. at 16 N 03, 73 E 28 with a balance of 5 years 9 months 21 days of Moon Dasa at birth.
Chart 5 is of an autistic girl. Born to middle-class educated parents, this girl’s paternal grandmother is an Ayurvedic doctor. Though this girl is not mentally retarded, she is a cause of worry for her parents. Mercury turned retrograde on July 13 and became combust on July 16, 1999, one day before her birth. Though 1) the Sun is Vargottama in Cancer, 2) Mercury, the Karaka for education and common sense, is in Pushyami, 3) Jupiter and Mars, 5th and 9th lords respectively from the Moon-sign, are in exact opposition, she is autistic and could not complete school. The main defect is retrograde and combust Mercury in conjunction with Rahu and moving very slowly at 0° 17′ per day.
Chart 6 is of a person who lacks in confidence and could not clear his matriculation examination. He is still not settled in life and jobless. In spite of Moon being exalted and Vargottama and the Sun, 5th lord in the 9th house, he could not clear the examination. Even his memory is also very poor. Mercury, 5th lord from the Moon, just turned direct on his birth date. This motionless Mercury in Sagittarius Stambha can be said to be the main reason for his problem. Mercury is also the 6th lord from the Ascendant which resulted in a jobless situation. His younger sister died at a young age due to brain tumour. Mercury is the 3rd lord also.
