Glossary of Astrology & other terms   

HADDA INDEX

An index prepared on the basis of sign lord and Hadda lord of the sign. The latter is based on planetary lordship assigned to five non-luminaries on different areas of various signs. The Hadda division in different signs is given below. If the division lord and the sign lord are the same, full strength is assigned to the planet, usually measured as 15 units. In case one is a friendly planet, the strength is half, and the strength is only a quarter if one of them is inimical.

Table 5: Planetary Ruler ship over Different 
Hadda Divisions of the Signs

HALA CHAKRA

[(Hala = plough) + (Chakra = cyclic, order)]. A cyclic order of auspicious and inauspicious asterisms worked out on the basis of the number of asterisms between the Sun's asterism and that of the day in question. Sowing seeds or beginning a new agricultural activity is advised on the basis of this chakra.                     

Table 6: Hala Chakra

HALA-YOGA

One of the 20 combinations formed under Nabhasa-yoga (q.v.). It arises when all the planets are located in a group of triangular houses other than the ascendant. It will lead to all planets occupying the following three formations: (i) 2^nd, 6^th, and 10^th houses; (ii) 3^rd, 7^th, and 11^th houses; and (iii) 4^th, 8^th, and 12^th houses. According to another version, all planets occupying the 5^th and 9^th houses also give rise to Halayoga. Persons born under this combination are engaged in agricultural activities in an important way.

HAMSA-YOGA

(Hamsa = swan). One of the five Maha Purusha Yogas (q.v.) formed by Jupiter in exaltation or in its own sign and in strength occupying a cardinal house either from ascendant or from the Moon sign. It makes the person fortunate, well built and having the voice of a swan. He gets a beautiful wife and possesses all comfort. He is religiously inclined and favourably disposed towards spiritual studies. The combination is said to bestow a life of more than 82 years.

HARIHARA BRAHMA YOGA

Refers to 3 sets of planetary combinations: (i) Benefics placed in the 2^nd, 8^th, and 12^th houses from the sign in which the lord of the 2^nd house is placed; (ii) Jupiter, Moon, and Mercury posited in the 4^th, 9^th, and 8^th houses from the sign where the lord of the 7^th house is situated; and (iii) the Sun, Venus and Mars in the 4^th, 10^th, or 11 house from the ascendant lord. These combinations make the individual truthful, effective speaker, victorious, well-versed in religious scriptures, and philanthropic.

HASTHA

Hand; the 13^th asterism extending from 160⁰ to 173⁰ 20' of the zodiac. It consists of 5 stars and is ruled by Moon. Its presiding deity is Savitar, the Sun God. Its basic attribute is Tanias, sloth or inertia.

Hastha is characterized as Vaishya, the trading community and is classified as buffalo by species, godly by temperament, human by animal type and is said to be related with the Southern direction. Its motivating impulse is Moksha, Liberation. The asterism makes the individual always engaged in activities, especially at the physical level. If the individual is still on the evolutionary side of manifestation, he works enthusiastically for the satisfaction of his own desire and fulfillment of his ambition for spiritually evolving persons, it will help him in sustaining his philanthropic activities.

Hastha gives tremendous self-reliance and control over outgoing cosmic energy. It is always ready to proceed further. It contains within its radiation much generative power.

HATHA YOGA

A form of yogic discipline which aims at gaining mastery over one's breath and other bodily functions by effective exercise of will-power and control over one's involuntary responses and passions. It also aims at maintaining flexibility of limbs by adopting various types of physical postures known as Asanas. These postures lead to the purification of physical and other sheaths so that the divine influx can flow easily without any impediment produced by the lower self comprising body, emotion and mind.

Hatha Yoga is the opposite of Raja Yoga in the sense it establishes control over the lower self to attune it to receive the higher spiritual influx; in Raja Yoga, the development of spirituality and control of consciousness by meditation is attempted first to strengthen the transcendental forces to take sway of lower vehicles in order to spiritualize one's life.

HELIACAL RISING

It relates the visibility of planets in close proximity with the Sun. A star is said to have heliacal rising when it shows itself above the horizon exactly at sunrise. Planets are invisible to the naked eye for some days at the time of their conjunction with Sun. This phenomenon of invisibility is known as combust (q.v.) or heliacal setting of the planet. The opposite phenomenon is known as heliacal rising. In this condition the planet is with the Sun but still visible. The concept is primarily related with the method of observation employed by the ancient Chaldeans who (supposedly) watched the planets every day to determine the identity of a planet which ascended over the eastern horizon immediately prior to the rising of the Sun.

HELIOCENTRIC SYSTEM

The system in which cosmographic coordinates are given on the assumption that the Sun is at its center. It is a realistic approach. Ever since the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) discovered that the solar system revolved round the Sun, instead of the Earth, as its center, as assumed under the geocentric system (q.v.), the astronomers began finding discrepancies with regard to certain planetary positions, especially of Mercury and Venus. For outer planets, for astrological horoscopy, there is very little difference between the two systems. In heliocentric system, the position of a star or planet is determined as if the observer is positioned at the center of the Sun, while under the geocentric system he is assumed to be observing the stellar world from the earth's center. This difference makes the moving objects appear traversing in different directions.

HEMLAMBHI

The 31st year in the cycle of 60 Samvatsaras (q.v.). It is ruled by Vishnu. It makes the individual born during the year very affluent; he possesses many kinds of gems, jewels and precious metals. He is much respected among his relatives and in the society, yet he is a miser.

HIRANYAGARBHA

(Hiranya = gold; any vessel made of gold; semen virile; Garbha = womb); the inside, middle or interior of anything; the bed of a river); golden egg; the golden womb. A Vedic term used in the context of Cosmo genesis. It represents the stage when the 'one animating principle' begins to coagulate and decides the area for its manifestation. In Rig Veda, it is said to have arisen in the beginning, the one lord of all beings, who upholds heaven and earth, who gives life and breath, whose command even the gods obey, who is the God of all gods, and who is the one animating principle of their being. According to Manu, Hiranyagarbha was Brahma, the first male, formed by the indiscernible eternal First Cause in the egg resplendent as the Sun.

The Puranas describe Hiranyagarbha at one stage almost synonymous with Brahma. It is stated that Brahma created the Trinity (q.v.) and then he himself emerged from Manu. It refers to Brahma's reemergence as a creative principle after the three basic attributes, the Gunas (q.v.), and the three evolutionary principles of creation, preservation, and regeneration (or dissolution) were differentiated and externalized. At this stage, Brahma took further action to concretize the manifesting principle and appeared as Hiranyagarbha, or the Golden Egg. It was further fructified by the impact of the Divine Spark or the Radiant Ray. The One Lord of the Being, the one animating principle of gods and men, arose from the Golden Womb, which is the sphere of the universe. Hiranyagarbha is surrounded by its seven zones or planes, which are the realms of form and matter. These became the seven and fourteen Lokas (q.v.) with varieties of denizens in them functioning with different Tattwas (q.v.),

Mahabhutas (q.v.), and Indriyas (q.v.). The Puranas describe Hiranyagarbha containing within itself Brahma as the collective symbol of the seven universal forces. Hiranyagarbha is the limit of cosmos. Blavatsky mentions Hiranyagarbha as the radiant or the golden egg or womb. Esoterically, according to her, it represents the luminous 'fire-mist' or the ethereal stuff from which the universe is made of.

HORA

The rising of a radical sign; an hour; it represents a part of the zodiacal sign divided into two parts, each of which is owned by Sun or Moon. Sun's Hora is considered masculine and Moon's Hora is feminine. In even signs, the first part is ruled by Moon and the second by Sun; in odd signs, it is the other way round.

HORA LAGNA

A sort of ascendant worked out by multiplying the birth time after sunrise by two and dividing the product by five, and adding the result to the sunrise on the day.

HORA SHASTRA

A treatise on predictive astrology, but generally it refers to the science of astronomy and astrology both.

HORARY ASTROLOGY

(horary = pertaining to time). One of the four sections of horoscopy, the other three being (i) mundane, relative to meteorology, seismology, husbandry, etc., (ii) state, or civic, concerned with the fate of nations, kings and rulers, and (iii) genethliacal astrology, predicting the future of individuals on the basis of the moment of their birth. Horary astrology resolves doubts arising in the mind of an individual, or any query with regard to any personal or other problems arising spontaneously at any moment of time. Hindu astrology refers it under Prasna Shastra, the science dealing with queries which covers a wide variety of subjects, such as the possibility of the occurrence of any event, Muhurtha (q.v.) or electional astrology; Parihara, or remedial measures, and Nimittas, or the questions relating to omens. It also tackles problems relating to longevity, death, and diseases. Horary predictions depend on planetary positions at the moment of putting the query.

HORIZON, CELESTIAL

Extension of earthly horizon to space. Astronomically, horizon refers to the small circle of the celestial sphere whose plane is tangent to the earth at the position of a given observer or the plane of such a circle which is also known as the Sensible Horizon. The celestial horizon refers to the great circle of the celestial sphere whose plane passes through the center of the earth and is parallel to the sensible horizon.

HOROSCOPE

Also known as Janma Kundali (sk) literally meaning birth-serpent's coil. The natal chart depicting positions of different planets at the time of nativity or any event. It represents the zodiacal sign rising at the place of birth and the location of planets in various signs. The 12 zodiacal signs are related to so many houses in the horoscope relative to different aspects of life. A detailed horoscope relates the planets, houses, and minute divisions of the signs in order to show the strength and potential of the planets. A horoscope as such is merely a kind of astronomical chart depicting planets relative to the place and time of birth; predictions based on these details depend upon application of astrological principles relevant to the specific astronomical data incorporated in the horoscope or the natal chart.

HOROSCOPE OF SOLAR INGRESS

Planetary positions along with the ascendant and other horoscopes details for the moment when the Sun during its annual sojourn returns to its exact zodiacal position as at birth. This chart is used as an aid for annual forecasting.

HOUSE DIVISION

The division of the ecliptic in 12 sections. It begins with ascendant as the first house. These divisions are related to different aspects of one's life. The planetary relationships with these houses indicate the possibility of a result and the time of its occurrence. There are various ways of demarcating these houses. The equal house division assumes identity of the first house with the sign rising as ascendant and each of the following signs with the successive house divisions. There are some other systems of house division in which the synchronisation of signs is not assumed with these houses. (See Bhava Kundali)

The 12 house divisions generally signify the following aspects of an individual's life:

1^st House: (Ascendant). General personality, face, temperament, strength, and vitality (life-force contained in the incarnating soul).

2^nd House: (Dhana Bhava). Wealth and affluence, family relations, speech, right eye, neck, creative potential, and death.

3^rd House: (Sahaja Bhava). Siblings, individual prowess, collateral, short journeys, chest and right ear, longevity.

4^th House: (Sukhasthana). Immediate environment, home life, mother, emotion, landed property, dwelling place, personal conveyance, conditions at the fag end of life. It also refers to chest as well as peace of mind.

5^th House: (Suta Bhava). Children, creativity, learning, psychological disposition, speculation, intelligence, and physically it relates to stomach and back.

6^th House: (Ripu Sthana). Enemies, impediments, wounds on body, disappointments, debts, illnesses, servants, employment conditions. It also represents intestines and navel.

7^th House: (Kalatra or Jaya Bhava). Marriage and legally wedded wife, business partnerships, foreign travel recognition of merit overseas, dissipation of energy, sexual relationships; it represents the loin region and the urinary tract.

8^th House: (Mrityusthana). Death, generative organs, hidden aspects of an individual, occultism, legacy, unearned income, secret maneuverings, life of the spouse, place and surroundings of death.

9^th House: (Dharmasthana; Bhagyasthana). Religious philosophy and one's beliefs, luck, past righteous merits natural proclivities, unmerited rewards (especially resulting from deeds of past lives), institutional religious observations (rituals), long travels, father, and thigh.

10^th House: (Karmasthana). Profession, relationship with state and administration, primary activities for sustaining oneself, status in life, honor from the public, and knees.

11^th House: (Labhasthana). Gains, income, friendship, social life and permissive sexual relationships, elder brother, and ankles.

12^th House: (Vyayasthana). Expenditure, all kinds of outflows, e.g. expenditure, dissipation of energy, useless efforts, tiresome travels. It is also concerned with pleasures of bed and with the obstacles in life. It is concerned with life after death and with psychic experiences. It is related with feet.

HRISHIKESH

Paramatma. The lord of various sense organs. A name of Vishnu, Krishna. The 10^th month of a year (according to Indian calendar, corresponding to the month of Paushya). Pilgrimage to the foot of the Himalayas. One of the solar rays supposed to vitalize the various asterisms.