Meaning
In the Brihat Jataka's figure of the cosmic person "Mars is strength", and among the grahas Mars is the general (II.1, Iyer 1885). The same chapter lists its other names, among them Ara, Vakra and Avaneya, "son of Earth", and gives it the south and the element fire.
Modern readings follow the general: energy, courage, initiative and action, with land and siblings among its old significations and conflict as its shadow. The tradition also uses Mangala's place in the matching of charts, a rule we do not compute or show.
It is a natural malefic in the Brihat Jataka's classification, which describes the graha's nature in the system. In the chart it is written Ma, with R beside it when it is retrograde.
Rashis and dignities
Mangala rules two rashis, Mesha and Vrishchika, and its moolatrikona is Mesha. It is exalted at the 28th degree of Makara and debilitated in Karka (Brihat Jataka I.6, I.13 and I.14). Besides the seventh rashi from itself, its drishti also falls on the fourth and the eighth, one of three grahas with such special aspects. It is the Vimshottari lord of Mrigashira, Chitra and Dhanishta.
Its period
In the Vimshottari dasha Mangala holds seven of the cycle's 120 years, the fifth period in the order Ketu, Shukra, Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Rahu, Guru, Shani, Budha. A person whose Moon stands in Mrigashira, Chitra or Dhanishta at birth begins life in Mangala's period, counting only the part still to run; for any other Moon it comes later in the sequence. Each period is divided into nine sub-periods in the same order.
Our chart's reading of the period, in our words: "The seven-year Mangala mahadasha tends to bring energy, initiative and courage to the fore, with an emphasis on action and effort. It often suits decisive, disciplined work and asks for patience where impulses run hot." The tradition's reading of this period, not a prediction of events, and not advice on health, money, legal matters or relationships. The dates follow the chart's conventions, years of 365.25 days and the Lahiri ayanamsa; other tools differ from ours by days.
Correspondences
Each item with how it stands: “sourced” is in the work cited, “our construction” is EsoTerrier’s own, and “disputed” means the sources disagree.
- To the Kalapurusha (Brihat Jataka II.1, Iyer 1885)
- "Mars is strength" sourced
- Rank among the grahas (II.1)
- the general sourced
- Natural nature (Brihat Jataka)
- malefic sourced
- Moolatrikona rashi (I.14)
- Mesha sourced
- Element and gender (II.6)
- fire; male sourced
- Themes in modern readings, our summary
- energy, courage, action, land and siblings, and conflict our construction
How the schools read it
- The Brihat Jataka (Varahamihira, 6th century; Iyer 1885)
- Strength to the Kalapurusha and the general among the grahas; lord of Mesha and Vrishchika; exalted at 28° Makara and debilitated in Karka; a malefic; colour red; the south; element fire.
- The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, as printed
- Seven years in the Vimshottari order; the lord of Mrigashira, Chitra and Dhanishta.
- Modern Jyotisha
- Energy, courage, action, land and siblings, and conflict.
- Western tropical astrology
- Mars of the Western chart, the same body measured from the equinox; Western astrology gives Scorpio a modern co-ruler, Jyotisha keeps Mangala alone.
- EsoTerrier
- Shown as Ma in the boxes, with its degree; R beside it when it is retrograde (vakri).
Claims about it
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The dasha of this graha foretells events to the day.
unverifiedWhat the record shows: Dasha dates move with the ayanamsa, the year length and the Moon's degree; tools differ by days. We give the period with its conventions stated, as the tradition's theme for a stretch of years.
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This graha's place foretells illness, wealth or marriage, and doshas cause misfortune.
unverifiedWhat the record shows: These are claims of the tradition and of the commercial kundli. We compute no doshas.
Elsewhere on EsoTerrier
- Rashi 1: Mesha, Aries its own rashi
- Rashi 8: Vrishchika, Scorpio its own rashi
- Rashi 10: Makara, Capricorn where it is exalted
- Nakshatra 5: Mrigashira a nakshatra it rules as Vimshottari lord
- Nakshatra 14: Chitra a nakshatra it rules as Vimshottari lord
- Nakshatra 23: Dhanishta a nakshatra it rules as Vimshottari lord
- Natal Chart (Tropical): Mars the same body in the Western chart
