Bhavat Bhavam

There is an interesting concept in Vedic astrology that can help us to understand the nature of the
houses, called bhavat bhavam. It means "house from the house", and it refers to the method of counting
the same number of houses from any house as that house is from the 1st house. In Jyotish, everything is
anchored around the 1st house or Lagna. The whole chart is born from the 1st house and returns to it.

The bhavat bhavam house is like a secondary house for the house in question, and it shares some of its
meaning. Here are the bhavat bhavam houses for each house:

3rd house is bhavat bhavam for the 2nd house (2nd from 2nd)
3rd house is also bhavat bhavam for the 8th house (8th from 8th)

The 3rd house is traditionally a house of siblings, but is also a house vital energy, curiosity, and desire. It
is essentially the house of our ego selves. It shows where we want to put our energy and resources, what
we want to learn how to do, and the struggles we need to go through in order to gain those new skills. In
this way it relates to learning skills, sports, artistic abilities, competition, travel, and recreational activities.
It is a secondary 2nd house because it shows what we want to do with our wealth, the struggles we go
through to gain wealth, and how we relate to our siblings and peers (2nd house being a house of family
and friends). It is a secondary 8th house because it leads to change, disruption, and struggle (mostly due
to the ego's need to fight against something).

11th house is bhavat bhavam for the 12th house (12th from 12th)
11th house is also bhavat bhavam for the 6th house (6th from 6th)

The 11th house is traditionally a house of gains. It can also be related to large groups, organizations, and
co-workers, because those are the people we have to deal with in order to make gains in society. The
11th house is also an ego-based house, where we seek to acquire something through our own actions,
namely rewards, titles, and money. The 11th house is a secondary 12th house because in order to gain
something we always have to give something. The 12th house is a house of expense, while the 11th
house is a house of investment. The 11th house is a secondary 6th house because there is always some
obstacle involved in making gains. It can also be a house of excess that can lead to accidents or health
concerns, which are also reflections of the 6th house.

The 5th house is bhavat bhavam for the 3rd house (3rd from 3rd)
The 5th house is also bhavat bhavam for the 9th house (9th from 9th)

The 5th house is a house of creativity, which can be expressed as children but also as our own unique
gifts and intelligence that naturally comes through us. The 5th house shows the thing that we are meant
to do, what comes naturally to us. It is a secondary 3rd house because it can also be about the ego self,
although more of the healthy ego self. The 5th house is a very personal house, showing our own personal
mode of self-expression. It is also about learning and gaining knowledge, but while the 3rd house is about
learning by practice and repetition, the 5th house is about gaining true knowledge and wisdom. The 5th
house is a secondary 9th house because it is a reflection of our true life purpose and our spiritual calling.

The 9th house is bhavat bhavam for the 11th house (11th from 11th)
The 9th house is also bhavat bhavam for the 5th house (5th from 5th)

The 9th house is a house of spirituality, good fortune, life purpose, and how our purpose fits in with the
greater laws of society. It is related to the father or teacher, as traditionally these were the parental figures
that guided one's path in life. The 9th house is a secondary 11th house because it shows good fortune
that can lead to gains in life. It also shows the direction we are aiming for in life, our aspirations and
dreams, and so it reflects the theme of making gains. The 9th house is a secondary 5th house because it
is about our life purpose, which is always related to our true gifts and talents, our self-expression, as well
as our own innate nature. There is also a teacher/student connection between the 5th & 9th houses, the
two houses of dharma besides the 1st house.
The 7th house is bhavat bhavam for the 4th house (4th from 4th)
The 7th house is also bhavat bhavam for the 10th house (10th from 10th)

The 7th house is traditionally seen as a house of relationships, but essentially it is a house of desire and
the fulfillment of desire. Relationships are the main way in which we seek to fulfill our desires in life. The
experience of desire always involves a feeling of incompleteness, and it is usually through other people
that we want to complete ourselves. The 7th house is a secondary 4th house because it shows the
fulfillment of our heart yearnings and our emotional being, represented by the 4th house. One of the
purposes of a marriage is to create a stable and comfortable home for everyone involved. The 7th house
is a secondary 10th house because relationships are always essential to one's career. We cannot really
have status in life or achieve anything without the help of other people. The 4th & 10th houses reflected in
the 7th show how we are always seeking to find fulfillment of the two opposite life aims of emotional
happiness and material power.

The 1st house is bhavat bhavam for the 7th house (7th from 7th)

The 1st house or Lagna is a house of the self. The 1st house shows who we are in this lifetime. It is our
physical body as well as our main personality. Determined by the turning of the Earth on its axis, it is like
the stage or framework upon which our life is set. The sign that is in the 1st house always shows an
energetic that we must learn to work with in some way in order to become whole and truly accept
ourselves for who we are. The 1st house is a secondary 7th house because relationships are always a
reflection of ourselves. Oftentimes we do not see ourselves for who we are until we enter into a
relationship and have that reflection. Relationships are a partnership, and anything that happens in the
relationship is a reflection of what's going on within us. The 1st and 7th houses are always opposite signs
in the zodiac, but any two opposites taken to extremes are really the same thing.

This method of bhavat bhavam shows how the chart unfolds out of the 1st house. Out of the 1st house
comes the other dharma houses, 5th & 9th, as well as the opposite and complementary house, the 7th.
Out of the 5th & 9th come the 3rd & 11th houses, out of the 3rd comes the 2nd & 8th, and out of the 11th
comes the 12th & 6th. Lastly, out of the 7th comes the 4th & 10th. The whole chart of houses is like a
mathematical lotus flower, reflecting the sacred numerological laws of both two and three, which gives
birth to the manifestation of the twelve, otherwise known as the zodiac.

Bhavat Bhavam, "House from House", Dictum is used in many ways. One more way to
use this is dictum is to find the "natural pada" of the house. Pt. Sanjay Rath uses this
and it can read from his Crux of Vedic Astrology [CoVA]. The Jaimini sutram explains
this in one sutra as "Tanau Tanu Danda Hara", 6th and 6th from 6th is Danda(punishment)
and Hara(lord shiva/The giver of Justice,salvation).
Calculation of the natural pada, Natural pada of any bhaava is counting as many
houses from the lagna from the bhaava. For example the Natural pada of 2nd house
from lagna, is 2nd house from 2nd house, The natural pada of 3rd house from lagna is 3rd
house from 3rd house. Let me tabulate this,

House Count Natural Pada

1st 1 from 1st
st
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

Observations:

1) You can observer that the natural pada is always odd sign. i.e 12th houses map to
6 houses only, each pada shows two houses.

2) Odd Houses map to lagna trines (1,5 and 9) and even houses map to 7th trines
(7,11,3)

House Natural Pada

1 and 7th
st
1st

2nd and 8th 3rd

3rd and 11th 5th
4th and 10th 7th
5th and 11th 9th
6th and 12th 11th

Interpretation:

"Tanau Tanu Danda Hara", This dictum can be used to understand the natural pada. 6th
and 6th from 6th (11th) is punishment and (shiva/hara) salvation respectively. The house
represents the 'act' or initiation and the pada shows the controller's results. Since pada
houses are always odd houses these show the masculine energy. The house shows the
internal aspect and pada shows the external or results. Hence it's very important to
analyze the pada bhaava when analyzing the results for any house. For example, If one
wants to understand the profession (10th) the analysis would be complete without
understand 10th from 10th, 7th house, If 7th house any benefics, The person could do very
well in profession, He could be involved in a profession of freedom, which could be like
business or self-employed.

Let me write briefly on each pada bhaava in tabular form,

 House Natural Pada
1st and 7th 1st 1st house as a pada shows very much not only about the
individual but also the choice of spouce etc. If there are
benefics in this house, the person can get desired satisfaction
from partners(Which could also mean many spouces if bad).
2nd and 8th 3rd 3rd house not only shows about our savings and family it
shows about our anxiety and poverty. Malefics here could
show results of both 2nd and 8th, This could show even
begging, due to no savings and poverty.

3rd can show all siblings like persons who are extension of
family 2nd house and can also show much support to remove
anxiety 8th house.
3rd and 9th 5th 5th normal shows children, But in other ways it can show also
about 3rd and 9th house. 5th can show intelligence when
initiated. 3rd house is for initiation and 5th is the constant
mantra japa one does after initiation.

9th house is all elders(pitri) who want our lineage to increase

by 5th house. Benefics in 5th can both show good initiation and
also blessings from pitris.
4th and 10th 7th 4th house is mana or mind, 7th house is reflection of mind, it
shows up in the way we interact with people.

10th house is profession and self-esteem, This also shows up

in the way we behave with others 7th.

Good job (10th) is sometimes insisted for good marriage (7th)

by some.
5th and 11th 9th 9th house shows bhaagya, If we have much income (11th) one
can be considered fortunate. So analysis of 11th house
involved also the 9th house.

If we take 5th house to be children, then 9th house is

grandchildren, Thus benefics in 9th house can give both good
children and also grandchildren.
6th and 12th 11th 11th house is income, The income is directly dependent on
our spending habits 12th and also our debts 6th house.
Malefics in 11th can makes take a lot of long term debts and
bad expenditure.

11th house is hara and 12th house is salvation or moksha. 11th

house directly shows whether we are attached or not. The
"want" of more stuff is shown in 11th. Our past debts is seen
in 6th and chances for moksha in 12th.