According to Varahamira,
“If the Sun conjoins the Moon, the person will be skilled in machinery and masonry. ” (Brihat Jataka XTV-1)
In his commentary to this verse Prof. B. S.Rao says:
The Sun and the Moon in conjunction produce men skilled in making, handling or dealing with all machinery and under this head, we may bring in mechanics, engineers, chemists and other workmen.
According to Jataka Parijata,
“If a person is born in Amavasya, he will be credulous and devoted to the worship of the manes and the Gods”(IX-37)
Further,
“If the Sun is in conjunction with the Moon, the chart holder will be submissive to his wife and clever in every work he undertakes “(Ibid, VIII-1).
Both these learned authors seem to concur in their view that a person who has the Sun- Moon conjunction would be skilful in his work. Therefore, the combustion of the Moon cannot be considered a blemish. On the other hand, the Yoga of the Sun with the Moon, which inter alia may include the phenomenon of combustion of the Moon, would produce a child who would have reverence for pitris (manes) and towards God, both laudable traits. In southern parts of India people prefer to buy jewellery on the New Moon day rather than the succeeding day, Prathama, since the latter is considered an evil- producing day whereas Amavasya is considered good, mainly because people take the blessings of their ancestors by offering oblations in the form of Pitru Tarpana.
An inauspicious Yoga name Rekha Yoga is produced when three planets are either depressed or obscured by the Sun’s rays (Jataka Parijata VI-32). A person born under Rekha Yoga has neither knowledge nor wealth; he is penurious, hostile, lustful and wrathful. His mind is always distressed, he is disagreeable, having no beauty or grace; he lives on alms; he is filthy and quarrelsome; he is full of envy and rage; he reviles Gods and Brahmins and he in turn is reviled by his wife, children and his whole family.
My humble observation on Rekha Yoga is that it is not just that three planets should be debilitated or combust but also the 5th house denoting Poorvapunya must be considered before one can judge whether the above effects will come to pass. Further I wish to add, combust planets increase the probability of the occurence of Rekha Yoga and therefore one needs to examine the role of combust planets in the formation of such adverse Yogas.
Chart 1: Jacques Chirac: Born November 29, 1932 at 12h.00m. at Paris, with a balance of 4 years 4 months 9 days of Ketu Dasa at birth.
Jacques Chirac (Chart 1), Former President of France, has combust Mercury in the 11th in conjunction with the Sun, which generates a Budha Aditya Yoga. It is worth noting that Mercury is also retrograde. Further a planet who is simultaneously combust as well as retrograde cannot be called as a weak planet by dismissing the benefits of retrogression. The Uttarakalamrtam view applies here elevating Mercury to the status of an exalted planet. Needless to say, Mercury as 9th lord did not deny royal fortune to Chirac in spite of his combustion.
Chart 2: Charlie Chaplin: Born April 16, 1889 at 20h. 00m. at London with a balance of 3 years 11 months 12 days of Rahu Dasa at birth.
In Chart 2 of noted British actor Charlie Chaplin, both Mars and Mercury are combust. The Dasa of Mercury operated between 1928 and 1945. A combust planet in the 6th is more a boon than a bane. Further, Mercury causes a partial Vipareeta Raja Yoga. In Mercury Dasa, Charlie Chaplin scaled dizzy heights in his career starring in such hits as City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940).
Chart 3: Deepak Chopra: Born October 22, 1946 at 15h.45m. at New Delhi with a balance of 1 year 11 months 13 days of Sun Dasa at birth.
Noted physician and New Age author Deepak Chopra (Chart 3) has a combusted Jupiter in the 9th. The Dasa of Jupiter operate from 1983 to 1999 and in this period Chopra acquired world-wide name and fame through his books. The Way of the Wizard, Return of the Rishi, Ageless Body Timeless Mind and The Seven Spiritual laws of Success were some of the best sellers he authored in this period. Needless to say, combust Jupiter did not affect his career growth. On the other hand, he climbed greater heights in Jupiter Dasa.
Interpreting Combust Planets
(a)If the lord of the sign where combustion takes place is in his own, exalted or friend’s sign, the bad effects of combustion get mitigated.
(b)A person becomes issueless if the 5th lord is combust and is conjunct a malefic.In such cases though combustion can eventually lead to denial of progeny.remedial measures as prescribed in the Dhanna Saslras mitigate the evil effects of such planets and confer the boon of progeny.A fatalistic approach should be shunned in such cases.The benefit of the doubt should be given to Purushakara (free-will) rather than Daiva (destiny)
(c)A planet in exaltation gives good results even when in combustion.
(d)Venus and Saturn do not lose their strength when they are combust (Uttarakalamrita 4.15)
(e)When a combust planet is aspected by a Yogakaraka, the former is bestowed with the power of gifting a Raja Yoga.
(j) A combust planet exalted in Navamsa would confer good results in the latter half of his Dasa period.
(g) The lords of the 6th, 8th and 12th are inauspicious planets by virtue of ownership of Dustanas. Needless to say, they promote the beneficial effects of a chart not by their strength but by their weakness. Giving strength to them tantamounts to giving the key to a house to a thief or a knife to a murderer. The less empowered they are to do evil, the better it is for the native. When the lords of 6th, 8th or 12th are combust, there is nothing to mourn; on the other hand, there is every reason to rejoice. The 6th house denotes the enemy. If the lord of the 6th is combust or if a combust planet occupies the 6th, the one who has to worry is not the native but his foe. Yogas like Hamsa, Vimala and Sarala operate on this dictum by mitigating the impact of evil lordship.
Muhurtha Matters
Auspicious events such as marriage, upanayana, ear piercing , tonsure are to be avoided when Jupiter or Venus is combust while in transit. However, there are exceptions to this rule:
a) The evil effect of Jupiter’s combustion is overcome by Venus in the ascendant.
b) The evil effect of Venus in combustion is overcome by Jupiter in the Ascendant and malefics in the 3rd, 6th or 11th.
Conclusion
Though textbooks on astrology uniformly state that combustion is evil, it is important to study the overall influence of a planet before it is classified as a malefic. To brand a planet as malefic merely on the basis of combustion would be to do injustice to astrology and one runs the grave risk of coming to erroneous conclusions. A balanced and judicious interpretation of a combust planet is needed without just dismissing it outright as evil.
