Ubhayachari Yoga

Definition

Ubhayachari is a solar yoga (Surya, the Sun) — a planetary combination that forms when planets other than the Moon sit in both the 2nd and the 12th houses from the Sun, flanking it on either side. Saravali adds that the nodes don't count here. You can think of it as the two one-sided solar yogas joined: Vesi (planets in the 2nd from the Sun) plus Vasi (planets in the 12th from the Sun). It is the Sun's counterpart to the Moon's Durudhura.

In Tradition

Both Jataka Parijata and Saravali read Ubhayachari — planets flanking the Sun in the 2nd and 12th — as a combination held to bring king-like fortune. Jataka Parijata says that when those planets sit in their own, friendly, or exaltation signs, a person can "command vast wealth and comforts on a par with kings"; Saravali likewise makes such a person "equal to a king," fortunate, learned, and full of everything.

In Practice

To spot Ubhayachari, an astrologer checks whether planets other than the Moon fall in both the 2nd and the 12th bhava (house) from the Sun, then weighs the result by which planets they are. Jataka Parijata splits the outcome by cause: when benefic (helpful) planets form it, the person is read as princely, wealthy, and beloved for their warmth and compassion; when malefic (harsh) planets form it, the person is read as wicked, diseased, in service to others, and poor. And when the planets sit in their own, friendly, or exaltation signs, that person can command wealth and comforts on a par with kings. Saravali, for its part, describes someone with forbearance, great fortune, an even and deeply strong body, learning, happiness, many servants, the protection of relatives, and a king-like, ever-eager temperament that enjoys every pleasure.

Historical Origin

Ubhayachari is set down in two classical Sanskrit jyotisha (Indian astrology) texts. Vaidyanatha Dikshita's Jataka Parijata covers it at Chapter 7, verses 121-124 (in the V. Subramanya Sastri translation). Kalyana Varma's Saravali covers it at Chapter 14, verses 1 and 11 (in the R. Santhanam translation).

Further Reading

• Vaidyanatha Dikshita, Jataka Parijata
• Kalyana Varma, Saravali