Poorva punya yogam: the windfall of accumulated merit

Visualize this scenario. There are two persons, known or unknown to each other. Both had identical education. The family circumstances and environment were also the same. Both possess identical skills. Yet, a few years down the line, one of them might be in an enviable stage of life. So successful could he be in his career that he would be at life’s apex, having attained an unapproachable summit.

Contrast this with what is happening to the other guy, a fellow with similar skills, education and born in the same circumstances. You could even say that his talents are a bit more than the other guy. Still, he faces stagnation in life. Remains more or less where he was. He has not progressed much in his life. Neither would he have received the requisite breaks to advance in his career/life.

What do you think is the reason for the stark contrast in the lives of these two individuals? The answer, according to Indian astrology, is: poorva punya yogam, that is, the accumulated merit of our past lives.

To progress in life, as well as to escape from any tricky situation in our career, the poorva punya sthanam in one’s horoscope has to be powerful.

A person could be virtually clueless about where his next meal is going to from, one day, then find himself surrounded by millions of dollars or rupees another day. That again, my dear friend, is due to the power of the poorva punya sthanam in his/her horoscope.

So, how do we get to know about this poorva punya yogam?

Until recently, it was the practice in families, after the birth of a child, to approach the family astrologer to cast the baby’s horoscope. Irrespective of the time of the child’s birth, the horoscope, which determines the child’s fate, has to be written only at an auspicious time. The astrologer of those times, who was a good deal more dedicated to his profession, would, therefore, wait for the appropriate time—it could be days or weeks—before casting the horoscope.

That is the right approach, for the child is not going to be packed off to school today, sent to a job on the morrow, and married the day after. There is no need to be in a tearing hurry to get the child’s horoscope cast. It is not necessary to rush to the astrologer soon after the child is born and ask him to cast the horoscope immediately. Such a slam-bang approach can sometimes lead the astrologer to make casting errors.

And now we are in the computer age

Today, the computer rolls out a perfect, error-free horoscope, with the Lagna, Rasi, the stars and the planetary positions, provided we give the correct birth details, the time and the place. Now this is okay; it puts us in a comfort zone, though, strictly speaking, the situation is not in conformity with the sastras, scriptures. Still, it is not possible to adhere entirely to the sastras and ignore technology, since no astrologer at present has the patience to scan the panchangam and sit and write the horoscope of the new-born. We have to adapt ourselves to the new situation.

Janani janma sowbhagayanam

Vardhini kula sampradham

Padhavi poorva punyanaam

Likyathe janma patrike

This is a shloka that we astrologers write before casting the horoscope of the new-born. As readers could have observed, it shows the priority being given to the poorva punya factor. It also means that the janma patrika, the horoscope, of this well endowed (sowbhagya) baby would enable him/her to lead a life compatible with the merits accumulated during his/her poorva janma, previous incarnation.

Poorva punya refers to the accumulated merits of our previous birth. When we talk about a position or status, here, it does not mean that you have to be a celebrity, a judge, legislator or a person occupying a high position to be called lucky. An impressive career in any walk of life can make you a person of status. In fact, you could even say that a healthy, disease-free life is a kind of status. A loafer, a vagabond, too attains a stature when he gets married. If being the husband of someone gives him a position, his status is further enhanced when he becomes the father of a child. In a similar way, status is conferred on a woman when she becomes the wife of someone, then a mother, later a mother-in-law, and, finally, when she becomes a grandmother/great-grandmother. So, climbing up the ladder of life, in any discipline, gives one a position/status. Plainly put, it is the quantum of poorva punya in our horoscope that ensures a smooth progression in our life, and gives us a status, any status.

In the horoscope, the Fifth house from the Lagna gives us an indication of our poorva punya. If the Fifth house is powerful, it can take us from rags to riches. Conversely, if the Fifth house is weak, you will be perpetually swimming against the current in the sea of life. It is quite possible that you may never reach the shore.

Generally, Kadagam/Karka (Cancer) is the native of the Fifth house in the Meena (pisces) lagnam. The Fifth house belongs to the Moon. Should he be in the Ninth house, the person with that horoscope will be a millionaire/billionaire.

Similarly, it could be said that the Eight different manifestations of Wealth, the AshtaLakshmis, would shower their bounties on those born in the Vrishaba (Taurus) lagna, if Budha (Mercury) were to occupy the Fifth house.

For those born in the Kadagam/Karka lagna, riches, in the form of vast property, are assured if Sevvai (Mars), the native of the Fifth house in that lagna, is either powerful or in an exalted state.

It is not without reason that we, usually, invoke the term poorva punya, to describe a person well-endowed with wealth, an understanding spouse, gifted kids and sympathetic son/daughter-in-law.

It is the generally accepted rule in Indian astrology that the Fifth house will have a powerful influence in the horoscope of a person who has an accumulated storehouse of poorva punya.

The native of the Fifth house should not be in the Sixth, Eighth or the Twelfth house. He should not be debilitated either. Nor should he be seen with Rahu or Ketu.

On the other hand, you could expect to possess the legendary Akshaya pathram, or its modern equivalent, the ATM device, if the native graham of the Fifth house were to be allied with the native of the Second, Fourth, Ninth or the Eleventh house. He/she will never be short of funds. It is always a case of Any Time Money.

For those born in the Vrishaba lagna, I can say from experience, that it would be a dog’s life, in the early phase, if Budha is in the Ninth house in their horoscope. However, the later phase of life would be remarkably different.

Take the case of the matinee idol, Rajnikant, who was born in the Simha (Leo) lagna. Budha and Sukra (Venus) occupy the Fifth house. Naturally, his early life was ordinary, even miserable, but the later part has been extraordinary. He is now the Superstar of Indian cinema.

Or take another instance, this of a person born in the Dhanus (Sagittarius) lagna. Sevvai/Angaraka, Mars, the Lord of the Fifth house, was in the Eighth house in a debilitated state. He dabbled in various trades, never succeeded in any and lost all his money. The moral of the story: The Fifth house should be powerful in one’s horoscope.

Well, how does one accumulate a bank balance of poorva punya, at least for the next life?

Have a positive attitude. Do only good. Abhor evil. Be truthful in your dealings, in your everyday life. Have trust in the Divine. Think and act honestly, whatever you do. That way you will accumulate a lot of merit.

By the grace of God, may you have a glorious life in your present, as well as your future births.

Best wishes. ♦

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