Sakata means a wheel in Tamil; like a point in a wheel goes up and down in succession, in the case of sakata dosha (or yoga), the fortunes of a jataka will fluctuate.
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Sakata dosha defined
Sage Pulippani defines sakata dosha:
சீரேநீ குருவுக்கு வியமாறெட்டில் செழுமதியு மதிலிருக்க சகடயோகம்
ஆரேநீ அமடுபயம் பொருளும்நஷ்டம் அப்பனே பேர்விளங்கும் நிதியுமுள்ளோன்
கூறேநீ குருவுக்கு கேந்திரகோணம் குழவிக்கு நிதிகல்வி மெத்தவுண்டு
பாரேநீ போகருட கடாக்ஷத்தாலே பாடினேன் புலிப்பாணி பதமாய்த்தானே
If the Moon is in 6, 8, or 12th position to Jupiter, it is sakata yoga. One will suffer distress, fear, and loss of wealth; he will also be famous and bestowed with wealth. But, if the Moon is in kendra or trikona to Jupiter, the jataka will be blessed with wealth and education. I, Pulippani, said so with the blessings of sage Bhogar.
To clarify, kendra is the 1, 4, 7, or 10th position counted from a sign, commonly the ascendant, and trikona is the 1, 5, or 9th position.
Sage Pulippani says that a jataka with sakata yoga (or dosha) will gain wealth and then lose it — meaning, his fortunes will vary — if the Moon is placed in the 6, 8, or 12th position counted from Jupiter. Therefore, it is not a fortunate yoga; but if the Moon is placed in the 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10th position from Jupiter, it is good.
For example, let us analyze two horoscopes with sakata dosha (as discussed in Saptarishi Nadi). But, both these horoscopes are exempted from this dosha, as explained below.
Examples from 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.”
Moon in the 6th position from Jupiter
In horoscope 36 of my eBook, the sages mention Sakata dosha for this particular planetary position. Certainly, Jupiter is in Aquarius and the Moon is in Cancer and in the 6th position counted from Jupiter. Therefore, the sage declares Sakata dosha.
பொன்னவன் தனக்குஆறில் பிறைநிற்க சகடைதோஷம்
என்னுட கருத்தேஐயா இயல்செய முனியேசொல்வார்
கன்னிக்கு சகடையுண்டு கடகம்மீன் தனுசுநந்தி
சொன்னதோர் நான்குவீட்டில் சந்திரன் இருப்பதாலே
பரிதிமுன் பனிபோல்நீங்கும் பாவைக்கு வயதுதீர்க்கம்
As the Moon is in 6th position to Jupiter, it is sakata dosha.
Now sage Jayamuni voices his opinion about this dosha:
Jataki has sakata dosha, but as the Moon is in one of the
four signs — Cancer, Pisces, Sagittarius, and Taurus —the dosha gets cancelled (like ice that melts in the sun)
and the jataki will have a long life.
But the sage also mentions that the placement of the Moon in one of the four above-mentioned exempted signs has nullified the dosha. Therefore, the jataka will live long. If not, this dosha would have impacted his longevity.
Exceptions explained
Certainly, the sage declares the exceptions for Sakata dosha in this horoscope: he says that the placement of the Moon in any of the four zodiac signs — Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius, or Pisces — nullifies/cancels this dosha. Interestingly, the rationale can be guessed from their ownership: the Moon owns Cancer and is in exaltation in Taurus; Jupiter owns both Pisces and Sagittarius, and is in exaltation in Cancer.
Moon in the 12th position from Jupiter
In horoscope 35 of my eBook, the sages mention another instance of nullification of Sakata dosha. Certainly, the Moon is in Sagittarius and in the 12th position from Jupiter, which is in Capricorn. Therefore, the jataka suffers from sakata dosha.
பிருகுமே புகலுகின்றார் பேசினீர் வயதுதீர்க்கம்
திருகாக ஈராறாண்டுள் சகடைதோ ஷத்தினாலே
மரலியின் பதிக்குப்பாலன் வருகுவா னென்றுசொல்வோம்
பிறையது தனுசுவாகப் புகன்றனன் சகடைபங்கம்
பொன்னவன் தசமம்நிற்கப் புதல்வனும் வயதுதீர்க்கம்
Sage Bhirugu says “you told the jataka will have a long life.
But as he has sakata dosha, within twelve years
he will die and reach Yama’s abode.”
“As the Moon is in Sagittarius, we declared the sakata to be cancelled.As Jupiter is in the 10th house, the jataka will be long-lived.”*
* said by another sage
However, the placement of the Moon in Sagittarius (one of the exempted signs) nullifies the dosha.
Longevity
In Saptarishi Nadi, the sages predict a very short life span for the one with sakata dosha. Above all, if the Moon is in the 6th position to Jupiter, the sages predict death within 6 yrs (horoscope 36), and if it is in the 12th position, they predict death within 12 yrs (horoscope 35). But in both the instances cited above, this dosha gets nullified because of the placement of the Moon in one of the four exempted signs, and the jataka gets to live a long life.
Obviously, the longevity of a jataka depends on various factors, and the presence of Sakata dosha is only one among them. For instance, as seen in the second horoscope, the placement of Jupiter in the 10th house is beneficial for longevity.
Summing it up
The placement of the Moon from Jupiter is a very important consideration in predicting the fortunes of a jataka. In short, if placed beneficially, the jataka is blessed with wealth and prosperity; but if not, sakata dosha will hamper the prospects of the jataka. Most importantly, it also plays a key role in determining the longevity of the jataka.
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.
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