The classical principles that those houses become strong whose lords aspect their own houses and that the planets placed in inimical signs are troubled, are contradictory to some extent. The reality shows that a functional benefic planet which aspects its own sign though placed in its inimical sign, is not troubled and is capable of protecting its house if the dispositor of such a planet does not suffer from weakness. For making the house strong the owner of the house has to be strong.

Three very prominent confusions are; (i) placement strength of angular or trinal position of planets from the house they own; (ii) placement relationship amongst various planets; and (iii) 6th/8th positions of the lords of the operating sub-periods and the main period.

A planet, irrespective of its angular or trinal position from its house, is rendered weak if placed in malefic houses. For example, the lord of the fourth house relegated to the eighth or twelfth house will become weak. Planetary relationship by way of placement i.e. angular/trinal position amongst them will prove to be beneficial only if it is in the auspicious houses. If the main and sub-period lords are placed in the 6th/8th houses but are in the good houses like the fourth and ninth or tenth and fifth, it will always prove to be good. However, 6th/8th positions of planets one of which falls in the malefic house always proves harmful to the native. There are certain limitations also. The concept of Varshphala and Ashtakvarga etc. cannot mitigate weakness of weak and afflicted planets in the natal chart and hence renders the usefulness of these concepts to futility. Any planet which is weak and afflicted in a natal chart and has become a functional malefic planet, in its operating sub-periods will only cause sufferings to the native irrespective of the promising combinations in Varshphala, transit, etc. The construction of the system of Vedic Astrology is of a pyramid nature, thus combinations have to be considered on the basic principles and not to be read and applied in isolation.

The significators are in a position to help with the fructification of their significations only if they are strong and/or are connected with the concerned house, the ascendant, the lord of the concerned house or the ascendant/ascendant lord of the corresponding divisional chart.

The Sun, Jupiter and Saturn, when exalted, depend upon their dispositors for strength. Because of this situation, in similar circumstances, a planet in its own mooltrikona sign proves more beneficial in a larger number of cases. The reason for the persistence of confusions and contradictions has been due to a lack of an integrated systems' approach. Some further confusions/contradictions have been taken up in the subsequent paragraphs.

Treating each Bhava as Ascendant: The prevalent method of identifying the results of any particular house by treating it as an ascendant does not give accurate results. For example, if we have to delineate the results of the fifth house, its lord or any other planet(s) posited in the sixth house or eighth house from the ascendant cannot be taken as posited in the second or fourth house from the fifth house. Such placement of the lord of the fifth house in the sixth or eighth house makes it weak as per its location in the dusthana houses. Such a planet can never promote the significations of the fifth house for the native during its sub-period in the main period of functional malefic planets, weak and afflicted planets and even in the main period of functional benefic planets. The significations of the fifth house during the main period of unconnected (having no relationship with the fifth house) strong functional benefic planets may even suffer due to the placement of the lord of the fifth house in any of the malefic houses during the sub-periods of the fifth lord. The sub-period of a planet or the lord of the fifth house placed in the sixth or the twelfth house from the fifth house would produce good results because of their occupying angles from ascendant if they are otherwise strong and are functional benefic planets.

The other dimension is knowing about the relative of a person signified by a particular house in cases where the horoscope of the relative concerned is not available. In such cases also the applicability is to a limited extent. However, the placement of the lord of the house ruling the relative of a person and the significator of the relative would guide the matters pertaining to that relative. For example, for considering the position of one’s father we have to study the ninth and fourth houses and the significator for father, the Sun.

Sign of Exaltation of Rahu:

There are various views about the results of periods of Rahu and its exaltation sign. Briefly, we will touch upon both of these points. The sub-period of Rahu gives a lot of impetus and courage to the native if Rahu is occupying benefic signs, placed in angles or trines, its dispositor is in good strength and Rahu is not involved in any conjunction and/or aspect with a weak planet/house. The results of Rahu are always very fluctuating in nature, i.e. affluent if beneficially poised orresorting to low morals and meanness if malefically poised. Experience shows beyond a doubt that Taurus is the sign where Rahu gives results of its exaltation and Scorpio is its sign of debilitation which creates problems and obstructions for the native during its sub-periods. Similarly, Ketu's exaltation sign is Scorpio and debilitation sign is Taurus. The readers may see and find for themselves the truthfulness of the results attributed to Rahu in this paragraph.

Exchange of Stellar Lordship:

This term is quoted if a planet has exchanged nakshatras with another planet. Studies show that the exchange or placement of a planet in the nakshatra of another planet does not make any difference. This will be quite evident if the results are derived with the integrated System's Approach. For example, if being a functional benefic planet, Jupiter has exchanged nakshatras with Ketu and is in the signs Aries or Leo, it will be in friendly signs whereas in Sagittarius it will be in its own mooltrikona sign, and such a Jupiter, when strong, will not give the malefic results of Ketu and the results of Ketu will depend on the house, sign and its sign’s dispositor. In other words if Jupiter is strong in any of the three signs, and is in the nakshatra of Ketu and Jupiter is a functional benefic planet and if at the same time its dispositor is with good strength, mere placement of Jupiter in the nakshatra of Ketu does not produce bad results. The only effect of the placement of the Moon in the nakshatra of any planet is that the clock starts ticking in with the main period of the nakshatra lord.

Dasa Chhidra:

The ending part of the main period of any planet is known as dasa chhidra and it is traditionally believed that during dasa chhidra the native does not enjoy good results. This is also baseless. The reasons can be brought out very clearly. If the lord of the last sub-period in the main period of any planet is beneficially poised and is strong, it will bestow beneficial results even in dasa chhidra. There is one more misnomer that Saturn gives its results in its last part as it is a planet with slow pace. Both of these so-called concepts are even in contradiction amongst themselves. Jupiter's sub-period comes at the end of Saturn's main period. Jupiter is a natural benefic planet and if it is a functional benefic and strong, it will always produce good results during dasa chhidra. If it is functionally malefic and at the same time being placed in a malefic house or even in a benefic house, during its sub-period it will produce malefic results in the main period of Saturn. Both of these concepts of dasa chhidra and Saturn's good results in its ending periods are totally baseless and appear to be the product of such people who do not follow a systematic analytical approach and fail to derive the correct reasons for malefic results in dasa chhidra or attributing slow results to Saturn in the end of its main period.

To sum up, the science of Vedic Astrology is an integrated system and the application of any principle in isolation would only lead to erroneous judgments. Therefore, the use of Systems' Approach helps. In contrast to weak combinations, the factors which are not weak and are strong and beneficially aspected, help in manifestation of favorable results of the corresponding significations.

One very pertinent aspect is whether a person will suffer with regard to the significations of a house whose lord and significator are weak without being blessed with the signification or whether he/she will first acquire it and then lose it. For example, if a person is destined to suffer on account of progeny matters whether he will not be blessed with progeny at all, or he will not be blessed with a son, or his children will not keep good health, or his children will die before him, etc. If a planet is otherwise weak, placed in a dusthana and at the same time the planet, the significator and the house concerned suffer affliction through functional malefic planets and these factors are devoid of the influence of a functional benefic planet the native is not blessed with the significations of the house where its mooltrikona sign falls. If a planet is weak but its location is in an angle or in a trine or in its own sign (weak in this case on account of combustion, for example), and the planet as well as the concerned house are under the influence of functional benefic planets, the native stands the chances of getting results in the favorable periods and subsequently facing deterioration in the periods of weak/afflicting planets/significators.

The mooltrikona sign lords of the natural zodiac act as secondary significators for houses where their mooltrikona signs fall. For example, Mars is lord of the first house in the natural zodiac. In addition to the Sun as the significator for the first house, Mars also acts as the secondary significator for the first house. The Moon, the Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn become secondary significators for fourth, fifth, sixth, ninth, seventh and eleventh houses, respectively. When all the five factors, i.e. the lord of the house, the significator, the secondary significator, the house itself and the lord of the ascendant of the concerned divisional chart are weak and afflicted, it generally becomes the case of a total denial.

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