Dual signs do not indicate second marriage, cardinal signs do

It is widely believed that the placement of the 7^th lord in the dual signs is an indication for a second marriage. But that is not true. Actually, the placement of the 7^th lord in the cardinal signs strongly signifies the possibility of a second marriage, even though it is not the only factor deciding it. This has been unequivocally spelt out by the saptarishis (seven sages) in Saptarishi Nadi.

Saptarishi Nadi

Saptarishi Nadi is a collection of books containing discussions of horoscopes by the seven sages (saptarishis) and the consort of Lord Siva, Devi Parvati, herself. It is written in poetic form in the Tamil language. These books were compiled from palm manuscripts found in various parts of Tamilnadu, India, and published by the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras. Most importantly, they are a treasure house for those who want to analyze the predictions of the horoscopes by the ancient sages. I have discussed at length about this collection in the Saptarishi Nadi section. I have compiled the portions where the saptarishis put forth their arguments in favor of/against some of their predictions in the form of an eBook titled, “Elucidation of astrological predictions by saptarishis: Saptarishi Nadi, Aries ascendant collection.”

Indications for/against second marriage

Let’s take a look at horoscope 52 of the eBook, which illustrates this concept clearly.

The 7^th lord, Venus, is placed in Cancer, which is a cardinal sign. This happens to be the 4^th house and also one of the kendras. Mars — the lagna lord and the 8^th lord — aspects the 7^th house (Libra); no other planet aspects the kalathra sthanam.

The following is the discussion among the seven sages and Parvati devi on the possibilities for a second marriage. Color codes: pink for Parvati Devi and other colors for each of the saptarishis.

பாலிகை வயதுதீர்க்கம் பிருகுமே மறித்துச்சொல்வார்
வேல்வழி இரண்டுஎன்று விளம்புவோம் பாலனுக்கு
சாலவே விபரம்சொல்வாய் சத்தமத்தோன் சரத்தில்

இருப்பதால் தாரம்ரெண்டு இயம்புவோம் முனியேயானும்
குறுமுனி புகலுகின்றார் கூறொணா தாரம்ரெண்டு
வருமாறு சொல்லுமென்ன மதிக்கேழில் குருவும்தங்க
குருதியன் ஏழைப்பார்க்க கூறொணா தாரம்ரெண்டு

இதற்கு நேரிடையாகச் சாதகசுருதி இதிலேழாம் பாவத்தில்பாரு
அதில்சொல்லும் விபரம் ரெண்டேழோன் கேந்திர மாகிலும்கோ ணத்திலிருக்க
வதிபதி ஒன்றேவரைந்தனம் தாயே மன்னு வர்க்கினில் பரல்ஒன்று
சதியிலா திருக்கதாரம் ஒன்றே சாத்திய பலன்களைக் கேளாய்

As you can see, the only blemish sage Bhrigu mentions is the placement of the 7^th lord (Venus) in a cardinal sign (here, Cancer). Luckily for our jataka, other favorable factors mitigate this deleterious effect:

1. Venus happens to be in a kendra, and therefore the jataka will have only one wife.
2. Mars aspecting the 7^th house turns out to be beneficial, may be because he is the lagna lord.
3. In addition, the sages say that Jupiter in the 7^th house is favorable (here, counted from the Moon) which tilts the balance towards a single wife.

This is not a one-off mention in the Saptarishi Nadi series; this concept is encountered in many of the horoscopes discussed. I’m not sure if any of the sanskrit classics explains this concept, but I can quote two of the verses from Jataka alankaram, a Tamil astrology classic penned by Keeranur Natarajan in the 18^th century.

Reference from a Tamil classic

Jataka alangaram mentions this rule in verse 649:

ஏழ்வீட்டி னிற்கதிபன் சரத்தினிற்கில் இருமனைவி திரமதனி லிருக்கநன்றே
தாழ்விலா உபயத்தி லிருக்கின்மாதர் சாவின்றிப் பலருளராம் .....

If the 7th lord is placed in a cardinal sign, he will have two wives. If placed in a fixed sign, all is well. If placed in a mutable/dual sign, his wife will not die (he will have only one wife), but he will have many extramarital affairs.

In verse 658, the author also says,

கூறியவேழாமாதி குடும்பாதிபதியின்னோர்கள்
ஏறியேதிரிகோணத்துங் கேந்திரத்தினிலுநிற்கப்
பேறுடனவர்தம்வீட்டிற் பிரியமாயிருக்கத்தானும்
வேறுமோர்தாரம்வேண்டான் விரும்புவனேகதாரம்

If the 2nd/7th lords are placed in a kendra or trikona, he will be affectionate and stay loyal to his wife and wants no other.

Not convincing enough?

In case I was not persuasive enough, let us take a look at one more horoscope that exhibits this concept. Horoscope 32 of the eBook makes this point exceedingly clear once again.

In this horoscope, the 7^th lord, Venus, is placed in the 4^th house (Cancer) along with the Moon. Neither Saturn nor Mars aspects Venus, but Saturn does aspect the 7^th house. Certainly, Cancer is a cardinal sign, and it is a strong indication for a second marriage, per Parvati Devi herself!

When the sages predict that the jataka’s wife will live a long life, She rightfully questions the rationale behind it.

எப்படி வயதுதீர்க்கம் ஏழினுக் குடையோன்தானும்
தப்பாத சரத்திலேறச் சாற்றினீர் தீர்க்கமெவ்வார்
அப்படி சொல்லொணாது அந்தணர் குடும்பம்நிற்க
 மைப்படி மாதுஒன்று மருவாது வேறுதாரம்

Parvati Devi asks, “How did you say that his wife will live long? As the 7th lord is placed in a cardinal sign, how can you say so?”

“As Jupiter is in the 2nd house of family, he will have only one wife. A second wife is not a possibility.”

Here we have it once again! The 7^th lord being placed in a cardinal sign is detrimental for the longevity of the first wife. Thankfully, Jupiter in the 2^nd house is beneficial enough to thwart such a possibility.

Summing it up

It is exceedingly clear from the above discussion that the 7^th lord, if placed in a cardinal sign, indicates a strong possibility of a second marriage, as expounded by the Saptarishis. On the contrary, the 7^th lord being placed in a kendra or trikona is beneficial for a stable and prosperous marriage. Obviously, other factors do weigh in, as seen in this horoscope, in deciding the success and stability of marital life.

For an elaborate discussion on the cardinal, fixed, and dual signs, you may refer to this post by Vic DiCara.

Please note that the saptarishis used a tropical zodiac with sidereal nakshatras — which I have established conclusively in another article — and the rules discussed in Saptarishi Nadi were intended for interpretation of a chart computed with tropical zodiac, as opposed to sidereal zodiac.