The basic definition of Gaja-Kesari Yoga

Gajakesari yoga is caused when Jupiter (Devaguru or Guru) is placed in a

Kendra (1st house, 4th house, 7th house or the 10th house) from either
Lagna or the Moon at the same time the benevolent Jupiter must be with or
aspected by Shuba Grahas (Good planets) and Jupiter must not be weak by
being in debilitated Rasi (Capricorn) or be in the 6th house, 8th house or the
12th house or be afflicted by natural malefic planets.
So if Gajakesari yoga has to happen in any horoscope the first thing that you
should be looking for is, if bad planets (natural malefics) aspect Guru
(Jupiter) or is with Guru or if Guru debilitated or is it weak in any other way.
So only a strong and unafflicted Guru can give rise to a Gajakesari Yoga.
Then you need to see if the same Guru is either in a kendra from Lagna or
from at least Moon (Chandra).
Today many Astrologers hastily mention this powerful yoga as soon as they
seen Jupiter in a Kendra from Moon without considering all the other rules
associated with this yoga.
What Gajakesari yoga offers?
A person who has Gajakesari yoga will be splendorous, wealthy, intelligent,
endowed with many virtues and be a favorite of the King (Top most people in
the land). This is what Maharshi Parasara expresses in Brihat Parasara Hora
Sastra.
Gaja means Elephants. Kesari means Lion. The sight of 1 Lion can scare
many elephants. That is an extraordinary feat pf a Lion considering that
Elephants are very strong. So Gajakesari means like a lion scaring away
elephants the person having this yoga will control many heavyweights
around.
A person having a true Gajakesari Yoga will not worry about formidable
people. They remain calm and composed even in times of great difficulties.
They use their brain and resources to defeat stronger opponents. That is why
I selected this picture to show a calm and composed Lion(ess).
Why are Astrology yogas misquoted?
Astrology yogas are misquoted for several reasons. The main reason is that
the client hears what he likes to hear. The Astrologer feels like he is a
psychiatrist, a motivator or a friend of his client. He feels that he should
encourage everyone not realizing that is not his job. There are other people
to do it. However the word soothsayer means soothing the spirit of people.
Most part of the world soothsayers means Astrologers. So in most cases the

Astrologer and the client loves to say or hear soothing words and promises of
a great future all the time.
In any horoscope there will be at least 10 positive yogas. In the horoscope of
a person perpetually suffering there will surely be 10 positive yogas. What is
not spoken about is the 40 duryogas (or bad yogas). that are present in the
same horoscope. They are conveniently ignored.
Another reason is that Astrology is not standardized. This is not the fault of
the clients. Top Astrologers should join together and create a standard. That
will happen only if Astrology is taught in schools and colleges like medicine
and engineering. Astrologers and people who are interested in Astrology
should spend a great deal of time in systematic research and proving
Astrological rules. Over the years many errors have crept into Astrology. They
should be located and removed like the weeds in a paddy field.
Astrologers should charge a fixed fee to all his clients and he should collect it
first. If the client pays up at the end of the consultation, there is a great need
for the Astrologer to tell something that makes his client very happy so that
he may pay more.
Difference of opinion is normal in any field. Even in the field of medicine I
have noticed different views and opinions on the same patient and condition
despite standardization.
For example when I had a retina (eye) problem, 2 top doctors of Chennai
gave me diagonally opposite views. The second chief doctor informed me
that the medicine given to me by the 1st chief doctor was the most harmful
one. They have diagnosed the same eye problem that I had in 2 opposite
directions. Why that happened is known to me because I am an Astrologer. I
was meant to have a retina problem in the left eye as per Brighu Sutras. I
developed the problem during a bad dasha and bhukti and when it was also
an Ashtama Sani phase. So I smiled at the failure of top doctors and their
medicines. The 2nd doctor was wise enough to listen to me when I spoke of
the wisdom in Astrology for about 2 hours despite many patients waiting
outside the room.
Many people now-a-days write books on Astrology. Some of them do careless
translations of sanskrit lines or write their own opinion based on their limited
experience. They deviate from the original rules and definition.

There are Astrologers who love to cancel any KUJA Dosha that appears in
front of them by saying, which Astrologer told you have KUJA Dosha?
thinking it is something like AIDS.
So when Astrologers seen a Jupiter in Kendra from Moon they say, Wow! You
have got Gajakesari Yoga! If you know that a misquoted Gajekesari yoga
happens to 33% of the worlds population you will not wow it so much. If the
Astrologer knows the real rule then he will not jump to conclusions so quickly
without checking other matters of Jupiter.
How often does the misquoted Gajakesari Yoga happen?
Going by the loose definition that just a Jupiter from Kendra to Moon is
enough to cause the Yoga then 4 out of every 12 people must have
Gajakesari Yoga.
So that means 33% of the people in the world will have a misquoted
Gajakesari Yoga. Right? You may wonder how. Expressed in another way you
can say 1 out of every 3 person is likely to have a Gajakesari Yoga.
Moon goes around once in 28 days. This tally with the menstruation cycle in
women that cause the birth of human beings.
Moon will stay in one sign for about 2.33 days. (28 divided by 12). Jupiter will
be in Kendra (1st house or 4th house or 7th house or 10th house) to Moon 4
times in a 28 days cycle. 4 times x 2.33 days = 9.32 days out of 28 days
every person born will have GajaKesari yoga. Such huge number of people
cannot be a favorite of a Kind or be wealthy or splendorous etc. Right?

What appears in small print?

People love to skip the important rules. They tend to ignore it. Is Jupiter really
strong? They never bother to find out. Is Jupiter fortified further by a
connection with a benefic planet? At least have you checked if Jupiter is in
the 6th or 8th house or 12th house? Have you checked the Shadbala of
Jupiter?
If you add all these check points there will be fewer people having real
Gajakesari Yoga.

Actually the rules are not printed in small print. I used this phrase to show
how we make such rules appear as though it is in small print.
It is obvious that Maharshi Parasara had warned people to check out if Jupiter
has been afflicted or is weakened by other reasons.
So how can Jupiter give rise to Gajakesari Yoga when Jupiter is in the 8th
house or the 12th house.
When can you depend on yogas that are counted from the Moon?
When the Moon is strong then the Moon as the Ascendant will give better
results. This rule was popularized by Shri Varahamihira in Brihat Jataka.
Moon must be exalted or must be very strong in Shadbala or must be with
Shubha Grahas and not be with malefic planets.
So when Moon is Neecha do not use Moon as a Lagna (Ascendant).
Whatever it is the Ascendant is supreme. The time of birth is the key to
Karma. What is related to time of birth. Of course it is Lagna (Ascendant).
Take the case of celebrities and politicians. You will find many good yogas
from Lagna and not that much from the Moon sign.
So there is a True Gajakesari Yoga and a Non-so-real Gajakesari Yoga or a
Fake Gajakesari Yoga.
What happens if you do not have a True Gajakesari Yoga?
Dont worry. There are so many yogas in Astrology. If not this, another yoga
will be there. A yoga is a combination of planets in certain houses. There are
about 1000 yogas listed in Vedic Astrology. The top 5 are the Pancha
Mahapurusha Yoga. I will write about it separately. More the positive yogas
the better it gets. At the same time negative yogas dimish the effects of the
positive yogas.
So if you get serious about yogas then check out both the good one and the
bad ones. No use just harping on the good ones alone and then complain
nothing works in Astrology.
Yogas seen from Ascendant are more powerful

Yogas seen from Sun is the weakest. It is 25% reliable. If the Sun is weak the
score will decrease.
Yogas seen from the Moon is 50% reliable. If Moon is weak the score will
decrease. The strength of the Moon and the sign is very important.
Yogas seen from the Lagna (Ascendant) is 100% reliable. In fact it goes
without saying that the most important reference point in a horsocope is
Lagna.

Gajakesari Yoga seen from Lagna

If Gajakesari Yoga exists from Lagna then it is very strong. Most of the rules
that Maharshi Parasara writes about is based on the Lagna.
Lagna is related to time of birth.
Moon sign is not related to time of birth. If you alter your time of birth even
by 4 hours or even by a day, the Moon may remain in the same place. So
Moon signs are more general in nature.
Gajakesari Yoga seen from Lagna and the Moon
The best Gajakesari Yoga happens when Jupiter is in Kendra from both the
Lagna and the Moon. In such cases Moon and Jupiter will be in Kendra from
the Lagna.
The time for manifestation of the Gajakesari Yoga
Do you think a person having a true Gajakesari Yoga will be like a lion
throughout life, defeating enemies all the time? Do you think anyone can
really win all the time. There will be ups and downs, a time to win and a time
to lose.
Jupiter is the cause of Gajakesari Yoga. The good effects of a Gajakesari yoga
will manifest during Guru Dasha or Guru Bhukti.
If Guru (Jupiter) has to give good results it obviously means that Guru must
be well placed from Lagna. The dasha and bhukti chapter deals with Jupiters
position from Lagna.

So you now will understand that the Gajakesari Yoga must be present with
Jupiter in a good position from Lagna too.
The dasha and bhukti works from Lagna and not from the Moons position. So
it is very important that the yogas causing planets are in good position from
the Lagna too. I hope you got the point.