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Transit of Saturn on and around the Moon
Q. What is Sadhe-sati? Does every horoscope have it?
A. Sadhe-sati is a transit phenomenon which occurs to every one periodically. It is an expression which in astrological parlance means a period of 7 ½ years when Saturn transits 3 particular houses successively. These 3 houses are : the 12th, the 1st and the 2nd from the natal Moon. Since it takes roughly 2 ½ years to traverse 3 rashis.
For instance, if a person had his Moon in Aries, his Sadhe-sati began in December `95 when Saturn entered Pisces. It would end after 7 ½ years when Saturn would have completed the transit of Pisces, Aries and Taurus. And this would be true for every single person whose moon is in Aries irrespective of the position of the other planets in the natal chart or in transit.
Q. Statistically speaking, does it not mean that ¼ th of the humanity at any time is undergoing Sadhe-sati?
A. Yes, you are absolutely right. Saturn in any one sign will be causing Sadhe-sati to persons of 3 different Moon signs.
Q. Does the Sadhe-sati phenomenon occur only once in the life time of a native?
A. No! Given a reasonable life span it I repeated. Saturn comes back to the same zodiacal point after nearly every 30 years. Therefore, a person below 30 years experiences his 1st Sadhe-sati. Once it is complete it would come back after 22 ½ years. Thus, many people go through the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd Sadhe-satis in one life time. The 1st Sadhe-sati is said to affect the parents, the 2nd the self and the 3rd the children.
Q. Does the Sadhe-sati begin simultaneously for each person having the same rashi (Moon-sign)?
A. It is a good question. When does Sadhe-sati actually begin? Traditionally speaking most astrologers ignore the actual degrees of the Moon. They go only by the sign since in most of the astrological considerations the signs and the houses are considered synonymous. This approach does not satisfy those astrologers who are mathematically better oriented.
This question was first raised by a maharashtrin astrologer, Shri Katwe, who put forward the view that the Sadhe-sati for native must begin when Saturn is behind his natal Moon exactly by 450 and it should end when by 450 . Thus it would cover a span of 450 + 450 = 900 = 3 signs = 3 X 2 ½ = 7 ¼ years of Saturn's transit.
For example, if a native's radical Moon is at 5s100 (i.e., 1600 ) then his Sadhe-sati would begin when Saturn comes at 3s250 (1150) and would end when Saturn crosses 6s250(2050). Thus different people will begin to experience Sadhe-sati at different times even though they have the same Janma rashi.
Q. Most astrologers are known to be referring to Sadhe-sati as something very sinister. Is it necessarily or inevitably so?
A. Not really. Although the underlying stance always is that the period of Sadhe-sati is evil, Saturn being the most malefic planet, yet Sadhe-sati proves to be evil for some, neutral for others and even good for still others. It depends on several factors in the horoscope which make different people experience Sadhe-sati differently. The examples commonly cited are those of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi Morarji Desai and Charan Singh, who all became Prime Ministers of India in their respective periods of Sadhe-sati. Prime Ministership is a very significant achievement for any political person but it is also true that "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." Professional elevation yes, but tremendous responsibilities and accompanying stress, strain and anxiety too.
Q. Why does Saturn interacting with the Moon cause stress and strain or anxiety?
A. It is a general principle in astrology that a house is affected by the planets occupying adjacent houses. So is true about planets and more so about the Moon which is the most 'impressionable' planet. To substantiate this point I would like to draw your attention to the various yogas that are formed due to the presence or absence of planets in the adjacent houses. Paap-Kartari and Shubha-Kartari are the yogas that come to the mind instantly.
Then there are special Chandra-yogas, e.g., the Sunbapha, the Anapha, the Durudhara and the Kemadrum which underline the fact of special vulnerability of the Moon towards neighbors. The Moon needs support; on its own it acts like an orphan.
In we look at Sadhe-sati with this background it is easy to appreciate why Saturn, the hard task-master transiting the Moon, the set of mind and emotions, gives such a tough time to the king as well as the commoner.
In the examples of the Prime Ministers of India, it should be remembered that if Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister in her Sadhe-sati, she also lost her father in the same period. Morarji and Charan Singh also lost the coveted post in their sadhe-satis. Sanjay Gandhi became an M.P. and also died in his Sadhe-sati. Mahatma Gandhi won the freedom struggle for India but was also assassinated in his Sadhe-sati. More recently, Narsimha Rao completed his 5 year-term as the PM, most of which was in his Sadhe-sati, but hew is also facing a spate of most obnoxious court cases during the same continuing period.
Besides these, Saturn transiting over the 4th and the 8th houses from the Moon, the later known as Ashtama-Shani, also causes stressful periods.
When in the 4th house from he Moon, Saturn aspects the Moon and the 10th house from the Moon. When in the 8th from the Moon, it again aspects the 10th house from the Moon (as also the 2nd and the 5th houses from it.).
It would seem logical to add 2 ½ years of Saturn's transit in the 11th from the Moon also to the years of Sadhe-sati and make it a round figure of decade. After all, Saturn casts its 3rd aspect on the Moon from the 11th houses. In such a situation, the nomenclature of Sadhe-sati would have to be changed- probably to "the devilish decade". But that's not to be.
Another astrological principle overrules this situation. Saturn s in fact auspicious in the 11th form the Moon. It is a commonly known principle that transiting Saturn is auspicious in the 3rd, 6th and 11th from the natal Moon.
Q. What then are the factors that determine whether Sadhe-sati will be good or bad and upto what extent?
A. The horoscope has to be examined in its entirety with a special reference to Saturn and the Moon to outline the effects of Sadhe-sati. The different factors that play important roles in this regard may be grouped as under:
Rashi & Nakshata of the Moon
What is the rashi and the nakshatra of the natal Moon? I they belong to Saturn, namely, Capricorn or Aquarius rashis and Pushya, Anuradha or U. Bhardrapada nakshatras, then Sadhe-sati is not too stressful A Moon that is natally familiar with the ways of Saturn is not disturbed too badly due to the transit of Saturn during Sadhe-sati!
Nakshatra of transiting Saturn
(a) Another factor to examine is which nakshatras Saturn is transiting when reckoned from the Janma nakshatra (the nakshatra in which the natal Moon is placed). The transit of planets over different nakshatrs gives results as per the following scheme. The numerals given below represent the nakshatra counted from the Janma Nakshatra as one.
Since only the 12th, the 1st and the 2nd houses are taken for the consideration of Sadhe-sati, all the nakshatras given above will not be transited by Saturn during this period. Only 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th are likely to come into play and their results can be ascertained, whether good or bad, as given above.
(b) Another observation necessary is to see which nakshatas Saturn is transiting over and what is the relation of Saturn with those nakshatra lords. Thus Saturn transiting over its friend's nakshatras, namely Venus and Mercury, may be beneficial. Similarly, one should give due consideration to the lordship of the nakshatra lord for the particular nativity. Thus even if Saturn is transiting over the nakshatas of the Sun, but if the Sun happens to be the trikona lord (fro the main lagna or the Moon lagna), results of this transit may not be too adverse.
The Moon in the 8th house
It is also to be noted that a Sadhe-Sati around a Moon located in the eighth house is particularly adverse. As is well known, the Moon in the eighth house is normally vulnerable. Transit of Saturn over and around this Moon only increase its adverse propensity. This also coincides with the transit of Saturn in the eighth house from the lagna which is in fact an Ashtam-Shani from the lagna, thereby stressing its maleficence further.
Rashi Tattwa of the Ascendant
Which Tatttwa does the lagna belong to: Fiery, Earthy Airy or Watery? If it belongs to Fiery rashis-Aries, Leo or Sagittarius, the Sadhe-sati will be adverse. The reason for this is that only for Fiery rashis, neither Saturn nor the Moon are trikona lords. When either of them is a trkona lord, Sadhe-sati does not deliver very bad results.
For Taurus and Libra ascendants for whom Saturn is a yogakaraka, Sadhe-sati is generally not adverse.
Ashtakavarga
Ashtakavarg offers a simple yet effective method of finding out whether a certain section of Sadhe-sati will be good or bad. The basic technique lies in dividing the entire 7 ½ yar period into smaller periods.
Sarvashtakavarga : In this method the entire 7 ½ year period is divided into 3 nearly equal periods.
If the 12th, 1st and 2nd and houses from the Moon all have high benefic bindus (above 28) then the entire period of 7 ½ years goes well. That period of 2 ½ years suffers which has fewer than 28 bindus. The more the bindus, the better, the lesser, the worse. For example, if the 12th form the Moon has 36 bindus the first portion of 7 ½ years will be quite good. If there are only 22 bindus where the Moon is posited, this sudden decline of 14 bindus can upset the apple cart in the 2nd portion of 7 ½ years. And if the 2nd house fomr the Moon has 43 bindus, implying a q1uantum jump of 21 bindus, it would be a case of spectacular recovery in the 3rd portion of 7 ½ years.
Bhinnashtakavarga of Saturn: Sarva-shtakavarga is the sum total of seven Bhinnashtakavargas generated by the benefic influences bestowed upon a sign with reference to the seven planets (excluding Rah and Ketu) and the lagna. For finer judgement of transit results, the Bhinnashtakavarga of the transiting planet, in this case Saturn, is strongly recommended. The method is similar to what has been described above for the Sarvashtakavarga except that the maximum bindus in any sign can be 8 in the individual Bhinnashtakavarga. Therefore, the signs having four or more bindus in Saturn's Bhinnashtakavarga will fare well during Sadhe-sati. If the three relevant signs have 6, 7 or 8 bindus, the Sadhe-sati can be very good instead of being evil.
Bhinnashtakavarga of the Moon : The classical method of judging the results of transit of a planet is to check the bindus in the Bhinnashtakavarga of the same planet only. But certain authors, defying the basic principles, have recommended the use of the Moon's Bhinnashtakavarga instead of Saturn's. One may try both and see which gives more appropriate results, while doing astrological 'post-mortem' of an event. After all it is a case of interction between the Moon and Saturn.
A Bindu by Saturn for the Moon: This author is inclined to believe that in the Moon's Bhinnashtakavarga, in the three rashis that are relevant to Sadhe-sati, one should check whether Saturn has contributed a bindu or not. If it has, Saturn will not be inimical to the Moon. Therefore, Sadhe-sati will not be adverse - at least during the 2 ½ year period in which it is transiting over a rashi having a bindu contributed by Saturn. It has to be checked in the Moon's Prastarachakra, an expanded version of the bhinnashtaka.
Sadhe-sati Kakshya-byKakshya: The concept of 'kakshya' is also important in the evaluation of the Sadhe-sti. To judge the result of Sadhe-sati find out which kakshya Saturn is transiting t any particular time. Check in the Prastarachakra of Saturn (and also of the Moon) whether the kakshya lord has contributed a binu or not in the relevant sign. I it has, then the transit result of Saturn in that kakshya is good otherwise bad.
Thus one has to divide the entire period of 7 ½ years into 3 x 8 = 24 kakshyas and result found out kakshya by kakshya Presence of a bindu in the relevant kakshya is indicative of good time. It may be pointed out herer that some astrologers calculate Ashtkavarga and kakshya as per Bhava Kundali and not Janma Kundali.
Ashtakavarga method being purely numerical, computer programmers can be persuaded to include this calculation about Sadhe-sati in their programmes.
Transit of other major planets: Seven-and-a-half years is a long period. While Sadhe-sati of Saturn is progressing, the other planets are not sitting still. Therefore, one should examine the results of transit of slow moving planets such as Jupiter, Rahu and Ketu. During those periods when Jupiter's (or Rahu's and Ketu's) transit results are favourable, Sadhe-sati can't be too adverse. For example, those periods when majority of planets are in the 11th from the Moon, the 11th being a gainful house, they would be inclined to do good as per their own portfolios. Thus the negativity of Sadhe-sati would get reduced.
Dasha-Antardasha: Last but not the least is the dasha analysis. What is the dasha-antardasha, etc., running at the time when Sadhe-sati is running? If the dasha is good, Sadhe-sati can't be too bad. If the dasha and Sadhe-sati both are bad then only the full force of evil Sadhe-sati is felt. If both are good then Sadhe-sati is a period to look forward to. Let us not orget that transit is always subservient to the dasha.
For dasha interpretation the general principles of dasha-analysis have to be applied.
Ashtakavarga by its very structure takes into accont the positions of all the planets in a horoscope. Therefore, Ashtakavarga enthusiasts say that if one has applied Ashtakavarga to Sasdhe-sati it may be construed that the horoscope has been examined in it entirety, as suggested earlier.
Q. When Sadhe-sati does strike, is their any remedy for reducing its wrath?
A. Several remedial measures have been recommend for this purpose. The gem therapist might suggest wearing a blue sapphire on the middle finger, on a Saturday. If he does not find the gem suitable he may suggest an iron ring instead In south India there are special temples where Shani-shanti pooja (propitiation of Saturn) is done and believers claim benefit from it. For the devout, mantra-therapy may be useful. To our mind Saturn only wants to bring one's attention to the metaphysical questions like "meaning or purpose of life". Therefore, turning inward and devoting time to the understanding of the non-materialistic side of life gives solace.
Q. When so many different factors affect and modify results of Sadhe-sati, why do astrologers create such a hype in the name of Sadhe-sati?
A. It may be due to business reasons. If there is no frightening Sadhe-sati, there is no Shni-shanti. And if there is no Shani-shanti, it is bad for business.
Catastrophies can befall any one whether he is running Sadhe-sati or not. There are enough instances of people doing pretty well even when they are running Sadhe-sati. More over, Sadhe-sati results are not uniform for all the 7 ½ years. Therefore, it does not behove a god-fearing astrologer to create a fear psychosis in the minds of laymen in the name of Sadhe-sati. The astrologers should themselves recognize the role of Saturn as the dispenser of justice and ought to know that even they are not out of the pruview of the same Saturn.
Q. Statistically speaking, does it not mean that ¼ th of the humanity at any time is undergoing Sadhe-sati?
A. Yes, you are absolutely right. Saturn in any one sign will be causing Sadhe-sati to persons of 3 different Moon signs.
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