Greetings Virinchi:

While I appreaciate the posts on such subjects as Mangal Dosha and Kuja Dosha, it might help those of us who practice western style astrology if you took the time in explaining the concepts of each. These may well be common concepts in Vedic but they simply go over the heads of most of those trained in western astrology.

Ben

rising sign at the time of birth is ascedent in western method.
it is called LAGNA in vedic.
this lagna is counted as 1 and each house is counted clockwise from there.
mangala/kuja is MARS and just check the position of mars from lagna.
Mars if placed in the 1,2,4,7,8,12, from lagna causes Kuja Dosha.
there're few exceptions for this.
if ascedent is aries, cancer, leo, libra,scorpio, pisces then MARS is good for them in any position.

but this bad effect of mars is said to exist only till a person gets married, and mars depending on its position from lagna influences a person

even good planets are useless sometimes

another misconception is that jupiter(cause of wealth) in 2nd house(wealth house) is great. and similar case with venus in 7th.

fact is different. There are Kaarakas(causes) of each house in a chart.
each house represents few aspects and planets are given ownership of causing effective results from these houses

1.lagna/self( aatma karaka is sun)
2.wealth/family( jupiter)
3.siblings/courage(mars)
4.mother/education/house/vehicles(moon)
5.children/meditation/concentration/mind control(mars,jupiter,ketu)
6.enemies/debts/diseases(saturn,mars,jupiter)
7.spouse,sexual life, pleasure(venus)
8.length of life, fitness,accidents(mars,saturn)
9.father,fame,wealth,social status(mercury,sun-if born durin day, saturn - if born during night, jupiter,rahu)
10.profession,job,career(saturn,sun,mars,mercury)
11.friends,gambling,specualtions(moon,mercury,ketu)
12.death,expenditure,travel(saturn,mars,rahu,ketu)

though few planets are good in few positions, few others destroy the effects of that house.

1. sun in lagna(1) makesup a weak personality, lack of comfortable life, lack of marital happiness(exceptions are for aries/leo ascedants)

2. jupiter in 2nd house destroys wealth(any house)

3. mars in 3rd kills/seperates siblings(exceptions are mars in scorpio,aries,capricorn)

4. moon in 4 gives bad mother, arguments with mother, lack of proper education etc(exceptions are moon in cancer/taurus)

more later...

5. ketu in 5 is considered bad as it'll cause abortions. others r ok

6. no planet is good here unless it owns that place.

7. venus is 7th will make one sexually highdriven but lacking a partner.(exceptions are venus owning good houses)

8. saturn is good here but mars is bad

9. sun/saturn here will cause differences with families, seperation from them, loss of wealth, defamation

10. anyone except a bad place owner and ketu are good here

11. moon here will make one get addicted to gambling and lose his $

12. saturn and ketu are only good planets here

]RETROGRADE PLANETS

few ppl/astrologers think that retrograde planets become weak or sometimes evil.
but this is false !
IT actually gains more power and also depends on general nature of planet, its ownerships, position etc.

natural benefics(moon closer to fullmoonday, mercury without conjuction of natural evil planets, jupiter, venus) when retro become more stronger in giving good results.

(exception is when they own square houses - 4,7,10.. then they do both good and bad with increased effect)

natural malefics(sun,mars,saturn.rahu,ketu) when retro become more stronger in giving bad results.

(exception is when they own square houses - 4,7,10.. then they do both good with increased effect)

planets debilated and retro become equivalent to exalted and vice-versa.

any planets owning only trines(5,9) and no ownership of 3,6,8,12 are benefics and if retro bcome more good.

all retro planets behave like rahu,ketu(which are retro by nature)