Shankha Yoga - Results ,Relevance and Logic of Shankha Yoga - A lateral View on Vedic Astrology Yogas! :-

Sankha( Shankha) Yoga - Relevance and Logic of Sankha Yoga - A lateral View on Vedic Astrology! :-

By Raveendranath Menon, M.J.,MBA, CAIIB,B.Com.

Of the many Raja yogas and Dhana yogas illustrated in many an astrological text Sankha( Shankha) Yoga is one which is distinctly unique and also perhaps a little less talked about. I have wondered many a time how the association of a dusthana ( malefic house) lord with  a favourable lord could produce one of the excellent Maha ( Great)  yogas that ensures wealth, Good family, Children and long and healthy life for the natives? Before we proceed further  I need to explain what is Shankha Yoga all about and what are the results stated in the classical texts for Sankha( Shanka) Yoga?

What is Shankha Yoga or how it is formed? What are the results of Shankha Yoga as per classical text on Vedic Astrology?

If the lords of the 5th and the 6th  houses from the Lagna ( Ascendant) in a vedic Astrology birth chart happened to be in mutual Kendras and if the lord of Lagna is powerful, Shankha Yoga  is said to occur….

The Result of Shankha Yoga:-

The  people born with Shankha Yoga in their Birth  chart are fond of pleasures,  are humanitarian, blessed with good wife, children , lands and houses. They are righteously inclined, and would be doing good deeds. They are learned in sciences, and lives up to a good old age .

In fact should one analyse the literal meaning of the results of Shankha yoga , one would be baffled by the wider connotations of this rare and unique yoga . No other yoga as per vedic astrology either among the Dhana yogas  or among the Raja  Yogas. has attributed  such variety of benefits for the natives of charts with the Shankha yoga. It not only focus on wealth, but also on  happiness from the family , Character and good disposition of the individual, and Knowledge and Longevity of the native. In fact it bestows the owner with all the Purusharthas  viz.Dharma Artha  and Kama  leaving only one of the 4 ends of a human life viz Moksha. But reading between the lines , it also hints at Moksha by assuring the native good longevity with all carnal desires full filled during one’s life time preparing one for the last journey to the permanent abode .Perhaps no other  Raja yoga or Dhana Yoga in the Vedic Astrology has assigned such high benefits for the native. Going by the deep wisdom and the sharp intuition of the great seers of this motherland who have discovered the Yoga tens of thousands  of years ago  , I have no doubt or reservations in accepting the Yoga as such. However as a student of this great science some scattered thoughts that comes to my mind might be well do good as food for thought for the thousands of Vedic astrology Enquirers .

Shankha Yoga Explained from  different Angles:-

Shankha Yoga is  the simplest among all yogas to form and also to observe without having any complicated principles of references or connections to dispositors or stellar lords or even  to Divisional lords or to their strength being prescribed. Shankha yoga is based on just 2 factors viz. The strength of the lagna Lord and  the mutual angle positions ( Kendras) of 5^th Lord and the 6^th Lord. If the 5^th and 6^th lords are in angles to each other It could be placed together in any house in the chart or it could be in mutual angle position with reference to each other and not necessarily to be placed in angles with refrence to lagna  . The strength of Lagna lord though does not call for any explanation we can say that the Lagna lord may not be debilitated  either in Rasi or in Navamsa Or cannot be placed in Dusthanaas viz.  8^th or 12^th without being   either in own house or  in own Navamsa or in Vargothama or in its exaltation . One would raise his eyebrow when one read the above sentence since I have avoided the 6^th house!!  First,  6^th is not only a dusthana but also an upachaya house . Secondly the Sankha yoga itself is based on the lord of 6^th and as such I cannot see any logic in treating 6^th as a malefic house.  I Have the backing of the basic principles of Vedic Astrology in as much as the treatment of  6^th house is concerned. A benefic planet placed in 6^th from lagna is considered as constituting  Adhi yoga and not being taken as  un favourably placed . Further in all Dhana yogas 6^th plays a vital role. Hence this exception to 6^th.  I have also practically observed this phenomenon in many horoscopes which would be illustrated later in an article on applied Shankha Yoga.

The Rationale of Shankha Yoga Analysed ??!!

The 6^th house is known as Artha ( wealth, material benefits) trikona. Trikona otherwise referred as Trine in English terminology is the 5^th and 9^th houses besides the Lagna , lagna being both a trine and an  Angle. When we refer a trine house from the house of wealth viz 2^nd we get 2 houses viz. the 6^th and the 10^th. Thus 6^th comes into prominence . It is in fact this qualification of the 6^th house makes it eligible to form various Dhana yogas viz. Adhi yoga , Shankha yoga etc. On a similar analogy if someone refers the mutual angle position of 5^th and 10^th lord it could be also another Sankha yoga perhaps a better one being the upper Artha thrikona. However the learned and erudite sages has referred Shankha yoga only in reference to the 5^th and 6^th lord and not from 5^th and 10^{th for reason unknown}. The mutual angle position of 5^th and 10^th in fact makes a powerful Dharma karmadhipathi yoga only if they are in 180 degrees apart that is only when they are  in diametrically opposite to each other in the chart.

Another dimension to the Shankha yoga is again with reference to the House of wealth 2^nd. 5^th house being an angle (4^th) to the second and 6^th being a trine(5^th) the mutual angle position of these two add value to the wealth of the native. Of course this applies to the 10^th house also. But why then Sankha yoga is taken only from 6^th and not from 10^th?

Shankha yoga is being referred not only as a Dhana ( Wealth) yoga but also as a yoga that bestow the person, longevity, Knowledge , Good family and Children besides righteous deeds and benevolence. How these traits are derived from the 6^th house? Let us examine this one by one…

The accumulation of wealth is being derived from the combination of  Artha  Trikona and Artha Kendra ( ?) on the same analogy of any combination consisting of  of Kendra and Tri Kona( Trine and angle combinations). As far as the longevity is concerned the same is to be reckoned from the 8^th house. The 5^th being the 9th of 8^th the best Kona( Trine) of 8^th and the 6^th being the 10^th of 8^th the best Kendra( Angle) of 8^th the result is all the more convincing……

As far as the Knowledge and family ( Spouse and children)are  concerned the second house again comes into focus.. In fact the 2^nd house is not only a dhana sthana it is also a house of family, learning speech as well as the house that helps the sustenance of the life itself. Hence the combination of 5^th and 6^th lord give rise to the prosperity of all these faculties and achievements viz. Wealth, family, learning and even looks as the second house represents the face and the facial features.

Having agreed to all the above traits that is being assigned for a powerful  Sankha yoga, how come the righteous actions and benevolence comes in to picture? These being the basic pillars of Good karma and that which decides the future course of destiny of a soul..?

The Dharma that is based on righteous deeds and love of all is represented by the best Trine the 9^th . The 5^th being the 9^th to the 9^th and the 6^th being the 10^th to the 9^th there cannot be any dispute with regard to the results assigned by the masters and the great sages of India for this otherwise less analysed yoga.. I can but only bow to their unlimited wisdom and uncanny ability of intuition and knowledge that baffle me as a student of this great science.

Finally before I conclude this write up, I would like to add one more dimension to this Yoga that is perhaps concealed in the words of the great masters and not explicitly written .. that is Moksha or final emancipation! When one is bestowed by all the three purushaarthas ( Basic Human Ends), it is but natural to follow the 4^th one that is Moksha. The Phala shruthi of Shankha  yoga does not make a mention of Moksha for the Shankha yoga but the same would also be bestowed on the natives of charts having Shankha yoga… One would not have any desire left when the person is blessed with all the three Dharma Artha and Kama in life and as such it is a perfect situation that could lead to the liberation from desires paving way to the eternal freedom of the soul from the cycle of birth and death.

If you have personal queries  You could request a reading here if you so desire.

With Prayers to my Eternal Master Lord Shiva and with Salutations to the Great Sages  who authoured  this divine Yoga…

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Written on 7^th December 2014.

Karthikai./.Vrischika ….21^st 1424/1190.