Friday, October 30, 2015

Some notes on Pada and Upapada

!!Some notes on Pada and Upapada!!
Reproduced from Modern Astrology, October 2015

1-    Upapada
                                                                                              1-4-1 Jaimini sutras

The Sanskrit/Hindi term ‘Upa’ is comparable to the English prefix ‘vice’. Thus, the terms ‘Pada’ and ‘Upapada’ can be understood similarly to ‘president’ and ‘vice president’; we might even say ‘Pada’ and ‘vice Pada’ in English. Suppose the ascendant is considered the 'president,' with its Pada being the main Pada. In that case, we must identify which house, next to the ascendant, can govern the horoscope if the ascendant is weak or compromised. ‘Anuchar’ means a follower, the one who is next and can assume power in the absence of the principal. Upapada is also known as ‘Gouna Pada’; ‘Gouna’ is a Sanskrit/Hindi word signifying secondary status.

According to the KTPY system, the word ‘Pitra’ signifies the ascendant. The question then arises: which house is the follower, next to the ascendant, that can assume the ascendant's power in a given horoscope? Scholars hold divergent views on this matter. Some consider it to be the 2nd house or the 12th house; others suggest the 5th house, and some propose it is the house where the ascendant lord is posited. This diversity of interpretations leads to a perplexing situation when trying to determine the correct meaning of the Sutra. Each scholar presents arguments and examples to substantiate their view. Astrology offers considerable scope for proving even erroneous opinions amidst thousands of prediction rules, much like the difficulty of identifying a few thieves among many saints. The varied interpretations of a single verse sufficiently illustrate this point.

If we are studying the Jaimini system and trust Jaimini Rishi, he consistently preferred the seventh house when the ascendant is weak. Upapada is associated with matters related to marriage. A basic theme of the ‘Pada’ system is that a Pada pertains to the affairs of the house for which it is calculated. Since the Pada of the ascendant functions like the ascendant itself, the Pada of the 9th house, for instance, deals with all matters connected to the 9th house. Therefore, it is logical to study marriage-related matters through the Pada of the 7th house. As Upapada is known for such matters, Jaimini Rishi appears to indicate the 7th house by using the word ‘Anuchar’.

The 2nd house signifies family, household (Kutumb), and finance. The 12th house is known for loss, bed pleasures, sleep, secrecy (including secret sins), and salvation, among other things.

Arguments in favor of the 2nd house: Proponents argue that ‘Pitra’ signifies the ascendant (as per the KTPY system) and ‘Anuchar’ means a follower—the next sign to potentially replace the ascendant. However, an individual can have a family or household without marriage or a spouse; one is part of a family from birth. Thus, this house may not hold such paramount importance concerning a spouse that Rishi Jaimini would describe as a separate Pada for it, imbuing it with an importance comparable to the Pada of the ascendant.

Arguments in favor of the 12th house: Advocates suggest ‘Anuchar’ (the follower) refers to one who stands just behind the ascendant (‘Pitra’), similar to a disciple behind a master, which corresponds to the 12th sign. Although the 12th house relates to bed pleasures, these are typically associated with sleep or intimacy of a secret (potentially sinful) nature. It is unlikely that Rishi Jaimini would assign matters of marriage, a socially accepted institution where intimacy is a recognized aspect, to the 12th house. How could he indicate the 12th house by the word ‘Anuchar’ in this context?

Arguments in favor of the 5th house: Some interpret ‘Pitra’ as father and ‘Anuchar’ as his son, which the 5th house represents. This interpretation takes both words literally, without applying the KTPY system. The 5th house is primarily known for progeny, which is the fruit of marriage. It is improbable that Rishi Jaimini would assign both marriage and progeny to the same indicator. Therefore, considering the 5th house for Upapada seems illogical. Another objection is that if this interpretation were true, the word ‘Pitra’ would be taken without the KTPY system, and the entire Sutra would not involve this coding method. It is a general principle that in each Sutra, usually only one word is decoded using the KTPY system.

The house where the ascendant lord is placed is indeed a very important position in a horoscope. However, the word ‘Anuchar’ offers no hint towards this placement. Hence, we cannot adopt this interpretation for Upapada, though it might constitute a separate method for examining a horoscope.

Dr. Suresh Chandra Mishra, in his Hindi commentary on Jaimini Sutram, notes that the oldest commentators on Jaimini Sutram have taken the Pada of the 7th house for Upapada, stating ‘Saptamatpadmupadm,’ even though Dr. Mishra himself supported the Pada of the 12th house.

Some commentators used the word [पित्र्यानुचरात्] instead of [पित्रनुचरात्] and interpreted it in support of the 7th house by applying the KTPY system, as [पित्र्यानुचरात् ] leaves a remainder of seven (e.g., 26011 ÷ 12 gives a remainder of 7).

 
                                         
  

1.    Calculation Method of a Pada

 According to the definition of Pada: "As far as a Sign-lord is away from its sign, that far away is the 'Pada' from the sign-lord."

The question now concerns the unit of measurement. Should it be by house sign, or should it be longitudinal?

First, observe the two Jaimini Sutras below:




Rishi Jaimini describes the mutual disposition of the Pada of the ascendant and the Pada of the seventh house. He states that the Pada of the seventh house is auspicious and promotes a friendly attitude if it falls in Kendra (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th), Kona (1st, 5th, 9th), or Upachaya (3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th) houses from the Pada of the ascendant. Conversely, if it is in the 6th, 8th, or 12th house from the Pada of the ascendant, disharmony between the couple is feared.

If we count house-wise, only odd-numbered houses from the ascendant (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) can become a Pada. Consequently, a mutual 6th, 8th, or 12th position relative to the ascendant Pada is not possible with house-wise counting. Secondly, with house-wise calculation, we cannot examine further subdivisions of a Pada. Therefore, longitudinal distance must be preferred to obtain the Pada of a house. The formula is thus:

Pada = Longitude of house lord – Longitude of house cusp + Longitude of house lord

For the best results, in my experience, the calculation of the house cusps should be according to the Sripati method.

3. Exceptions

Some argue that the first and seventh houses are not eligible to attain the rank of Pada and that, instead, the 10th and 4th houses take their respective ranks. This is, in my view, an incorrect interpretation. They quote two Sutras to support their view, but these Sutras are merely illustrative examples related to the principle, not exceptions to it. No Sutras suggest that the 10th and 4th houses should be used instead of the 1st and 7th.

Observe the related Sutras:


Only a word in a Sutra can have its hidden meaning deciphered using the KTPY system. It is a general scheme in Jaimini Sutram that Jaimini Rishi referred to only one word per Sutra via the KTPY scheme, although in some cases, more than one word might denote the same entity (e.g., house, sign, or planet). Therefore, in this context, we cannot interpret both ‘SWA’ and ‘DARA’ or both ‘SUT’ and ‘JANM’ using the KTPY system. Only one word in each of these Sutras, namely ‘SWA’ and ‘SUT’, is subject to the KTPY scheme. The word ‘SWA’ signifies four, and ‘SUT’ signifies seven as per the KTPY scheme. The true meaning of these Sutras is that if the ascendant lord is in the 4th house, the Pada will be in the 7th house (DARA), and if the ascendant lord is in the 7th house, the Pada will be in the 1st house (JANMA).

4. Which House is Important to Examine from Upapada: Upapada Itself or the Second Therefrom?

To understand the significance of a house, we always examine the house itself to discern trends related to its indications, not the second house from it. It is logical to examine the house itself. Even in the Jaimini system, Pada itself is important; so why would Jaimini Rishi prefer the 2nd house over Upapada itself for matters of marriage?

Perhaps it is thought that the 2nd house is related to marriage matters. No, not at all. The 2nd house has no primary connection to marriage matters; any association is tertiary at best. The 7th house is the prime house for marriage, and Upapada is calculated for this house. Therefore, Upapada itself holds the importance.

Commentators seem to have erred in their interpretation of the word ‘Tatra’ in this context. They have interpreted this word using the KTPY scheme, which is not appropriate for the following Sutra:


‘Tatra’ is the opposite of ‘Atra’; ‘Tatra’ means ‘there,’ and ‘Atra’ means ‘here.’ Wherever the word ‘Atra’ is used in Jaimini Sutram, it signifies only ‘here.’ Therefore, the true meaning of the word ‘Tatra’ in such contexts is ‘there,’ referring to Upapada itself.

I have observed several Sutras in Jaimini Sutram containing the word ‘Tatra’ and found that in most instances, it clearly means ‘there.’ However, in a few places, its meaning is ambiguous, potentially indicating either ‘there’ or ‘two/seconds.’ Whenever Rishi Jaimini wanted to indicate a second house, he typically used the word ‘Bhagya.’ Why would he use a potentially confusing word like ‘Tatra’ for the second house? Let us examine some Sutras:



  • Hence, the word ‘Tatra’ does not consistently indicate the 2nd house in the Jaimini Sutram in the context of Upapada's primary focus.

    Every Sutra has a hidden meaning, requiring extensive practical study and logical thinking. While a Rishi might have spent a lifetime completing a single profound work, some modern authors produce numerous books within a short period. It sometimes seems there is a race among them to have more books published under their names.

    Commentators on Jaimini Sutram have often been heavily dependent on other works written much later than Jaimini Sutram itself. Some of these older scriptures may have been manipulated over time (Prakshipta: containing interpolations, polluted, or having verses added later). I believe there may be a missing link between the oldest and later astrological works.
  • Now let us see some examples-
1-    1-    She rejected her husband on account of his crazy behavior after having a child.

DOB- female: December 24, 1973, 3h 36m at Piparia (78E21, 22N45) (M.P.)

Pada (P1): 0s-07° 54`; Upapada (P7): 11s-18° 58`


Her Pada (P1) at Aries and Upapada (P7) at Pisces are mutually in the 2-12th relationship. Her P7 is 6th from the ascendant and 12th from P1. P7 falls in the 6th house and within the aspect of afflicted Saturn.

1-    Husband of the above female-

DOB- male- March 2, 1961, 11h05m at Nagpur (79E06, 21N09)

His P1 is on Aquarius, and his P7 is at the sign Capricorn; both are mutually in the 2nd-12th position. His P7 is occupied by its lord Saturn, but with a planet in debility and within the aspect of Mars. Hence, P7 and its lord are both in affliction.

3-    Male- He and his wife both are not accepting each other. A court case for divorce was filed by both after about two years of marriage.

DOB- March 3, 1977, 04h 00m at Narsinghpur (79E15, 22N58), M.P.


His P1 and P7 are both mutually in the 6th-8th relationship. The Upapada (P7) sign Cancer with its lord Moon, but Moon is in debility in the Navamsa. Further, the P7 and its lord are both under the heavy influence of Saturn and Mars.

4-    Wife of the above native- DOB: May 12, 1981, 6h 15m at Jabalpur (79E57, 23N10), M.P.

P1: 0s-04° 40` and P7: 5s-29° 02`


Her P1 and P7 are both mutually in the 6th-8th relationship. Further, her P7 at sign Virgo is under the impact of Saturn by position and of Ketu through aspect. In the Navamsa chart, this point is posited by Mars within the aspect of Saturn. Learned readers can imagine the Navamsa chart.

1-    Female-DOB: January 17, 1983, at 5h 40m at Pipariya (78E21, 22N45), M.P.

Her husband caught her red-handed with her lover one night and divorced her within about two years of marriage.

P1: 6s-08° 54` and P7: 3s-19° 10`

Her P7 (Cancer) and P1 (Libra) both are in a 4th-10th mutual relationship. Some consider this square aspect as a hostile aspect. Her P7 is at sign Cancer and is 8th from her ascendant within the aspect of Saturn. In the Navamsa chart, this point is occupied by weak Venus and Ketu and aspected by Saturn, Sun, and Rahu. Observe the chart-




6-    Menaka Gandhi- DOB: August 26, 1956, 05h00m at Delhi (77E13, 28N39)
Learned readers are familiar with the tragedy that happened to her as she became a widow at a young age. Observe the chart-
P1: 8-05/10 and P7: 4-10/20



HHer Upapada falls in the 2nd house from the ascendant, and the 2nd house also can carry the ill effect of the 8th house, as it remains always within the aspect of it, that is also a reason for considering the ill result of Saturn`s transit from this house during the process of Sade Saati. Though her P7 is occupied by its lord Jupiter, she had some blissful marriage years by this influence, but it is within the aspect of ill-positioned Mars and afflicted Saturn. Further in the Navamsa chart, her Upapada is positioned by Saturn and within the aspect of Ketu.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Raghvendra Khare


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