The 2nd House
Dhana bhava
What the 2nd house rules and what Parashara says of it, how to read it in your own kundli with a worked example, each graha in it, and where its lord sits.
What Parashara says
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, chapters 11 and 13BPHS reads the 2nd house for wealth, food and grain, family, metals and precious stones; it also lists enemies and death among the matters judged here. BPHS 11.3
When it is strong: If the lord of the 2nd is in the 2nd itself, or in a kendra (the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house) or trikona (the 5th or 9th), BPHS says it raises one's wealth, and a benefic in the 2nd gives wealth. An exchange between the lords of the 2nd and 11th, or their meeting in a kendra or trikona, is another of the text's signs of money coming in. BPHS 13.1–2, 13.4
When it is afflicted: With the lord of the 2nd in the 6th, 8th or 12th, BPHS says finances decline, and a malefic in the 2nd is said to drain wealth. When the lords of the 2nd and 11th are both combust or with malefics, the text warns of hardship from early life; it also links a 2nd lord in a dusthana (the 6th, 8th or 12th house) with trouble to the eyes. BPHS 13.1–2, 13.6–7, 13.12
These are the text’s readings under its conditions, as the old texts write them for a man; they apply to anyone. A real kundli is read as a whole.
How to read your 2nd house
the checks the Janam Kundli report makes- Find its lord. Your lagna decides which rashi falls in your 2nd house, and so which graha rules it. The table further down gives it for every lagna.
- See where the lord sits from your lagna. In a kendra (the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th) or the 5th or 9th, or in the 2nd itself, it helps; in the 6th, 8th or 12th it is hidden, and the house’s matters come more slowly. In its own rashi, exaltation or moolatrikona (a stretch of a rashi where a graha works most like itself, ranked just below exaltation) it is strong; debilitated, weak.
- Count from the 2nd house itself. The lord in the 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th or 11th from it supports it; the 6th, 8th or 12th from it is a difficult place. For the 2nd, those are your 7th, 9th and 1st houses.
- Look at the grahas in it. Guru (Jupiter) or Shukra (Venus) in it helps. Shani (Saturn), Mangal (Mars), Rahu or Ketu in it weighs against it, unless that graha is the house’s own lord: a lord in its own house guards it.
- See which grahas look at it. Any graha in your 8th house casts its drishti (a graha’s glance: the houses it looks at feel its influence) on the 2nd. Mangal (Mars) also looks at it from your 7th and 11th, Guru (Jupiter) from your 6th and 10th, and Shani (Saturn) from your 5th and 12th. Our reports give Rahu and Ketu Guru’s 5th and 9th drishti, so they look at it from the 6th and 10th too. Guru’s or Shukra’s drishti helps; a malefic’s weighs against it, unless it is the house’s own lord. A malefic sitting in the house and a malefic’s drishti on it count as one weight between them, not two.
- Count its ashtakavarga points. Out of 56, a house with 28 or more carries its matters well; one under 25 asks for effort.
- Read its karaka (the graha that naturally signifies a house’s matters, whatever the lagna) beside it. Guru (Jupiter) is the natural significator of the 2nd’s matters, whatever your lagna.
Each help counts one point for the house and each weight one against. Two or more on balance for it reads strong; any balance against it, weak; anything between, mixed.
An example: the 2nd house in a real kundli
From the Janam Kundli report
2nd · Scorpio Mixed
Its lord Mars sits in your 7th house in Aries, in its moolatrikona.
No graha sits in it; it is read through its lord.
Drishti on it from Mars and Ketu.
Its lord stands in the 6th from the house itself — a difficult place, so its matters take longer to show.
for it: lord well placed from your lagna · lord strong in its sign; against it: lord in the 6th from the house itself, a difficult place · drishti from Ketu
Read together: help and weight are level — a house that gives, with effort.
This is the chart on our home page. The Janam Kundli report reads all twelve of your houses this way, with the dasha periods that bring each one forward.
Each graha in the 2nd house
by Lal Kitab, each with its own page| Graha | Lal Kitab | What it gives here |
|---|---|---|
| Surya (Sun) | Hard | The Sun in the 2nd house can harm family wealth and create disputes with the father. The eyes, especially the right eye, may be weak. |
| Chandra (Moon) | Good | The Moon in the 2nd house gives wealth, family happiness, and beautiful eyes. It is very favourable for financial gains. |
| Mangal (Mars) | Hard | Mars in the 2nd house causes family quarrels, blood-related diseases, and harsh speech. |
| Budh (Mercury) | Good | Mercury in the 2nd house gives wealth through intellect, good speech, and a prosperous family life. |
| Guru (Jupiter) | Good | Jupiter in the 2nd house (pakka ghar, the house Lal Kitab gives a graha as its own, where it is steadiest) gives immense family wealth, sweet speech, and a generous nature. It is a very strong position. |
| Shukra (Venus) | Good | Venus in the 2nd house gives family wealth, beautiful eyes, and a prosperous marriage. It is good for luxury items. |
| Shani (Saturn) | Hard | Saturn in the 2nd house causes family disputes, delayed wealth, and harsh or slow speech. |
| Rahu | Hard | Rahu in the 2nd house causes family instability, deceptive speech, and sudden financial ups and downs. |
| Ketu | Hard | Ketu in the 2nd house causes losses in family wealth, unclear speech, and eye problems. |
Who rules your 2nd house
it depends on the lagna| Lagna | 2nd house rashi | Its lord |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh (Aries) | Vrishabh (Taurus) | Shukra (Venus) |
| Vrishabh (Taurus) | Mithun (Gemini) | Budh (Mercury) |
| Mithun (Gemini) | Kark (Cancer) | Chandra (Moon) |
| Kark (Cancer) | Singh (Leo) | Surya (Sun) |
| Singh (Leo) | Kanya (Virgo) | Budh (Mercury) |
| Kanya (Virgo) | Tula (Libra) | Shukra (Venus) |
| Tula (Libra) | Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Mangal (Mars) |
| Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Makar (Capricorn) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Makar (Capricorn) | Kumbh (Aquarius) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Kumbh (Aquarius) | Meen (Pisces) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Meen (Pisces) | Mesh (Aries) | Mangal (Mars) |
Where your 2nd lord sits
what Parashara says of each placement (BPHS chapter 24)| Lord in | What it gives |
|---|---|
| 1st house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 1st, BPHS gives children and wealth, but also friction with one's own family, a passionate and hard-hearted nature, and working on others' business. BPHS 24.13 |
| 2nd house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 2nd itself, the text gives wealth and pride, speaks of two or more marriages, and warns of being without children. BPHS 24.14 |
| 3rd house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 3rd and linked to a benefic, BPHS describes courage, good sense, virtue, a passionate nature and thrift bordering on miserliness. Linked to a malefic, it says the person turns away from tradition. BPHS 24.15 |
| 4th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 4th, the text gives wealth of every kind. If that lord is also exalted and joined by Guru (Jupiter), it describes a standing equal to one in high authority. BPHS 24.16 |
| 5th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 5th, BPHS gives wealth, and says the children too will be intent on earning. BPHS 24.17 |
| 6th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 6th alongside a benefic, the text gives gains through enemies or rivals. Alongside a malefic, it warns of losses through enemies and of injury to the legs. BPHS 24.18 |
| 7th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 7th, BPHS speaks of a leaning towards relationships outside marriage and of a calling as a physician. If a malefic joins or aspects it, the text casts doubt on the spouse's conduct. BPHS 24.19 |
| 8th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 8th, the text gives plenty of land and wealth, but limited happiness in marriage and little happiness from an elder brother. BPHS 24.20 |
| 9th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 9th, BPHS describes a wealthy, hardworking and skilful person, unwell in childhood and happy later, who goes on pilgrimages and keeps religious observances. BPHS 24.21 |
| 10th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 10th, the text describes a passionate, honoured and learned person with much wealth and more than one marriage, but little happiness from children. BPHS 24.22 |
| 11th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 11th, BPHS gives wealth of every kind, steady effort, honour and fame. BPHS 24.23 |
| 12th house | With the lord of the 2nd in the 12th, BPHS describes a daring nature, but warns of a lack of wealth, an eye on others' wealth, and an eldest child who does not bring happiness. BPHS 24.24 |
Common questions
5 questionsWhat does the 2nd house rule in astrology?
Money saved, family, speech and food. It is called the Dhana bhava, and is a maraka house.
Which grahas are good in the 2nd house?
By Lal Kitab: Chandra, Budh, Guru and Shukra.
Who is the karaka of the 2nd house?
Guru (Jupiter), as Parashara names it (BPHS 32.34).
What if my 2nd house is empty?
An empty house is not a weak one. With no graha in it, the 2nd is read through its lord, the grahas that look at it, its ashtakavarga points and its karaka.
Which grahas aspect the 2nd house?
Any graha in the 8th; Mangal (Mars) also from the 7th and 11th, Guru (Jupiter) from the 6th and 10th, and Shani (Saturn) from the 5th and 12th.
A graha reads the same for everybody. Your chart does not.
Where each graha sits in your kundli, which bhavas it rules for your lagna and which dasha is running decide what it does for you. Make your free kundli to see all nine.
Create free kundli
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