Manglik Dosha Reconsidered ...
The term "Manglik Dosha" is itself contradictory — "Manglik" means auspiciousness, while "Dosha" means defect. How can auspicious and defect exist together? How can a planet whose very name is "Mangal" (auspicious) create a defect?
Yet in all sections of society, a certain confusion has persisted: that a Manglik bride must marry a Manglik groom. Along with this, the concept of Manglik Dosha has grown into a mass of misunderstanding, so much so that Manglik Dosha has become the biggest obstacle in chart matching for young people and their guardians. Because of this, many couples who would otherwise be excellent for each other are deprived of the sacred bond of marriage.
To remove this widespread misunderstanding, Manglik Dosha must be properly understood with great care and insight. We must examine it minutely.
In birth charts, Manglik Dosha is considered present simply when Mars occupies the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house, and such a native is called Manglik. Astrologers advise matching a Manglik bride or groom with another Manglik bride or groom — but this is nothing more than an old traditional school of thought. In common practice, besides examining the chart from the birth Lagna, some people also count Mars in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house from the Moon Lagna and Venus as Manglik Dosha. In this way the chances of forming Manglik Dosha in a chart more than double. Twelve Lagnas form in twenty-four hours, so by this count more than 50% of children born every day would become Manglik. And since the Moon travels through all signs in 27 days, there would be about 12 days in any month when Mars is in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house from the Moon. Now the chance of being Manglik grows even more. Think — should a combination with such a huge probability be called a defect?
To understand the justification of any custom or rule, we must understand the time, place and circumstances in which it was made. The rules regarding Mars are a legacy of the old society, when society was agrarian and far more patriarchal than today.
Mars is a male planet — Kshatriya varna, primarily a karaka of energy. Cruel nature, ferocity, heat and fear of fire, logic, land and agriculture, brave youth power, valour and violence, army and soldiers, fighting and quarrels, explosives, weapons — Mars is the commander of the army. War, accidents — in war, only the brave young warrior goes, and a Mars-dominant person steps forward for war. More wars mean more martyrs. Metal, electricity, fire, copper, steel, mercury, orpiment, land, bleeding, saffron, musk, paddy, masoor dal, red clothes, ripe fruits, copper, land, bricks and farming, a liquor shop, earthen pots, hotels, army, police, espionage, explosives, arms dealers — in technology, commerce or engineering, petrol, oil, water resources, export-import or liquid commodities, they also earn wealth. If sculpture, painting or musical instruments have influence in police or army work, the person's livelihood will be connected with secretary, programme controller, manager in private institutions, technical expert, inspector, director engineer, electrical expert, modern computer science and so on.
Mars is a planet that gives strength, enthusiasm and valour. When it becomes inauspicious, the person becomes listless and ineffective. It is not just to call such a planet a defect. Without it, a woman does not have menstruation. Irregular menstruation makes bearing children difficult. How can such a useful planet be called defective? Perhaps the reason is that Mars is a tamasic planet. In particular positions it increases the native's passion and makes him lustful. Secondly, Mars also symbolises accidents. When it attains maraka status it can even give death, and so on. But Mars alone cannot give death — Jupiter too, when it becomes a maraka, can give death in its dasha-bhukti. So why is only Mars blamed?
Our sages gave the greatest importance to tolerance. In a woman, tolerance is absolutely essential. Mars symbolises ferocity. A man is ferocious by nature; if a woman becomes ferocious too, the family becomes difficult to run. That is perhaps why our sages opposed ferocity in women. Today the structure of our society is such that if both — especially husband and wife — lack tolerance, running the family becomes difficult. If the lifespan is short, the life of the remaining family becomes difficult. Therefore, tolerance and longevity are absolutely essential for a happy family. Perhaps this is why Mars has been linked with widowhood of husband or wife.
Manglik Dosha is only the presence of inauspicious planets in sensitive houses. Many other yogas of this kind can be seen. Our point in writing is that besides Mars in sensitive houses, the presence of other inauspicious planets can also reduce marital happiness. Thus we find that the fear of widowhood lies at the root of society's concern about Manglik Dosha. Death cannot occur without the dasha-bhukti of maraka and badhaka planets.
There are many charts in which, despite Manglik Dosha, the husband and wife are seen happy and long-lived. Therefore we must understand Manglik Dosha minutely.
If we examine the above reasons in today's context, it becomes clear that Manglik Dosha no longer has justification. Now girls compete equally with boys in every field. How could higher education and professional competence be possible without a sharp Mars? On the other hand, when both husband and wife are employed — and today women, from social service to politics, work shoulder to shoulder with men in every field — mutual understanding and even the male ego have agreed to compromise as far as possible. This is why a reconsideration of Manglik Dosha becomes necessary.
In present circumstances, the hold of religious rituals and social conventions is weakening. Today's native is educated and sensible; he wants to marry the partner of his own choice. In such times we must think how our family and married life can be happy. Harmony cannot come into married life without tolerance. But this is possible only when the native and his parents use mind and intellect, and after considering the ten points above in the charts, get the Kundli Milan (Guna Milan) done along with a dasha matching.
Our aim here is by no means to refute or affirm any school of astrology — readers may agree or disagree according to their own judgement.
Therefore, the bride-groom Kundli Milan (Guna Milan) should be analysed only by an experienced astrologer who follows the K. S. Krishnamurti system.
