The enigma of Bhavat Bhavam

The concept of Bhavat Bhavam is probably one of the most powerful and yet one of most underutilized tools of jyotiSa.

The simplest way to I can think of explaning it is that it helps identify the “twin” bhaava of each of the 12 bhaava in a kundali. The “twin” house in addition to its own characteristics also imbibes the characteristics of the bhaava that it is a twin two. I know, that’s confusing.

Here’s an example. We all know that 5th Bhava is 5th from the lagna. Now the 5th Bhava from the 5th Bhava would be the 9th Bhava. Hence, the 9th bhaava becomes the “twin” for the 5th Bhava according to the Bhavat Bhavam principle. In other words if a Bhava is X away from the Lagna, the “twin” bhaava would be X away from there or 2X away from the Lagna. I realize it sounds like a lot but just visualize it with the help of a chart and you’ll see how simple and straightforward it is.

Bhava	Bhavat Bhavam
1st	1st from 1st = 1st
2nd	2nd from 2nd = 3rd
3rd	3rd from 3rd = 5th
4th	4th from 4th = 7th
5th	5th from 5th = 9th
6th	6th from 6th = 11th
7th	7th from 7th = 1st
8th	8th from 8th = 3rd
9th	9th from 9th = 5th
10th	10th from 10th = 7th
11th	11th from 11th = 9th
12th	12th from 12th = 11th

As you can see from the above table it is a very symmertical system wherein only the odd Bhavas have the good fortune of becoming a “twin” to another bhaava. You could argue that being a “twin” to a dusthana might not be such a good thing. But again, as with everything in jyotiSa, there is no absolute good or absolute bad. It is all relative from the angle of interpretation and purpose.

Examples

Here are a few examples of how this principle can be used in interpretation.

Let’s start with a simple use. For a native looking to know favorable periods for a child birth, we usually look at,

• The Dashas and Bhuktis of the 5th lord (children being the purview of the 5th Bhava),
• Planets in the 5th house,
• Planets associated with the 5th lord and the Karaka (Jupiter).

Using the principle, the 9th house, because it is 5th from the 5th also represents children and hence,

• Periods of the 9th lord,
• Planets in the 9th house,
• Planets associated with the 9th lord

also hold the potential for child birth.

A more nuanced used of the principle would be the following. We know that 1st, 3rd, 10th and 11th houses in a chart represent deliberate action. The 10th house represents govt. and hence 1st, 3rd, 10th and 11th from 10th i.e. 10th, 12th, 7th and 8th represent possible deliberate action taken by govt. Therefore, the 12th lord in 2nd could indicate monetary losses due to govt. orders.