The 4th House
Sukha bhava
What the 4th 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 15BPHS reads the 4th house for vehicles, relatives, the mother, happiness, treasure, and land and buildings. BPHS 11.5
When it is strong: If the 4th house holds its own lord or the lord of the 1st, with a benefic's aspect, BPHS gives full comfort of home. The lords of the 4th and 10th together in a kendra (the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house) or trikona (the 5th or 9th) bring fine houses; a benefic in the 4th, its lord exalted and a strong significator of the mother point to a long-lived mother. BPHS 15.2, 15.4, 15.6
When it is afflicted: BPHS says a malefic linked to the 4th house or its lord brings losses concerning vehicles and warns of serious accidents, where a benefic in the same role keeps one safe. If the 4th is a movable sign and its lord sits with Mangal (Mars) in the 6th or 8th, the text warns of muteness. BPHS 15.9, 15.10–14
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 4th house
the checks the Janam Kundli report makes- Find its lord. Your lagna decides which rashi falls in your 4th 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, 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 4th 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 4th, those are your 9th, 11th and 3rd 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 10th house casts its drishti (a graha’s glance: the houses it looks at feel its influence) on the 4th. Mangal (Mars) also looks at it from your 1st and 9th, Guru (Jupiter) from your 8th and 12th, and Shani (Saturn) from your 2nd and 7th. Our reports give Rahu and Ketu Guru’s 5th and 9th drishti, so they look at it from the 8th and 12th 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. Chandra (Moon) is the natural significator of the 4th’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 4th house in a real kundli
From the Janam Kundli report
4th · Capricorn Weak
Its lord Saturn sits in your 3rd house in Sagittarius, in a neutral sign.
In it: Rahu.
Drishti on it from Mercury and Ketu.
Its lord stands in the 12th from the house itself — a difficult place, so its matters take longer to show.
for it: 33 points, 28 or more; against it: lord in the 12th from the house itself, a difficult place · a natural malefic sits in it
Read together: a house whose matters want patience and support.
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 4th house
by Lal Kitab, each with its own page| Graha | Lal Kitab | What it gives here |
|---|---|---|
| Surya (Sun) | Hard | The Sun in the 4th house gives government property and vehicles but may create domestic unrest and health issues for the mother. |
| Chandra (Moon) | Good | The Moon in the 4th house (pakka ghar, the house Lal Kitab gives a graha as its own, where it is steadiest) gives immense happiness from the mother, property, vehicles, and domestic peace. It is a very strong position. |
| Mangal (Mars) | Hard | Mars in the 4th house harms domestic peace, creates property disputes, and may cause blood pressure issues. |
| Budh (Mercury) | Good | Mercury in the 4th house gives good education and domestic happiness but the person may be restless and changeable. |
| Guru (Jupiter) | Good | Jupiter in the 4th house gives property, vehicles, domestic happiness, and a mother's care. |
| Shukra (Venus) | Good | Venus in the 4th house gives a beautiful home, vehicles, and domestic peace. The mother is loving and supportive. |
| Shani (Saturn) | Hard | Saturn in the 4th house creates domestic unhappiness, delays in acquiring property, and health issues for the mother. |
| Rahu | Hard | Rahu in the 4th house causes sudden changes in residence, mental unrest, and health issues for the mother. |
| Ketu | Hard | Ketu in the 4th house causes sudden changes at home, distance from the mother, and mysterious events in the household. |
Who rules your 4th house
it depends on the lagna| Lagna | 4th house rashi | Its lord |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh (Aries) | Kark (Cancer) | Chandra (Moon) |
| Vrishabh (Taurus) | Singh (Leo) | Surya (Sun) |
| Mithun (Gemini) | Kanya (Virgo) | Budh (Mercury) |
| Kark (Cancer) | Tula (Libra) | Shukra (Venus) |
| Singh (Leo) | Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Mangal (Mars) |
| Kanya (Virgo) | Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Tula (Libra) | Makar (Capricorn) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Kumbh (Aquarius) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Meen (Pisces) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Makar (Capricorn) | Mesh (Aries) | Mangal (Mars) |
| Kumbh (Aquarius) | Vrishabh (Taurus) | Shukra (Venus) |
| Meen (Pisces) | Mithun (Gemini) | Budh (Mercury) |
Where your 4th lord sits
what Parashara says of each placement (BPHS chapter 24)| Lord in | What it gives |
|---|---|
| 1st house | With the lord of the 4th in the 1st, BPHS gives learning, virtue, ornaments, land, vehicles and happiness from the mother. BPHS 24.37 |
| 2nd house | With the lord of the 4th in the 2nd, the text gives pleasures, wealth of every kind, family life, honour and a daring spirit, with a cunning streak. BPHS 24.38 |
| 3rd house | With the lord of the 4th in the 3rd, BPHS describes courage, helpers and staff, generosity, virtue and charity, self-earned wealth, and freedom from disease. BPHS 24.39 |
| 4th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 4th itself, the text gives a minister's standing, wealth of every kind, skill, virtue, honour, learning, happiness and warmth towards the spouse. BPHS 24.40 |
| 5th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 5th, BPHS gives happiness, the affection of all, devotion to Vishnu, virtue, honour and self-earned wealth. BPHS 24.41 |
| 6th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 6th, BPHS warns of little happiness from the mother, a quick temper, leanings towards theft and trickery, a headstrong way of acting, and ill health. BPHS 24.42 |
| 7th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 7th, the text gives a high degree of education, but speaks of giving up one's inheritance and of being tongue-tied in gatherings. BPHS 24.43 |
| 8th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 8th, BPHS warns of little domestic comfort, little happiness from parents, and weak virility. BPHS 24.44 |
| 9th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 9th, the text describes a person dear to all, devoted to God, virtuous, honoured and blessed with every kind of happiness. BPHS 24.45 |
| 10th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 10th, BPHS gives honours from government or those in power, skill in chemistry (the text says alchemy), contentment, pleasures, and mastery over the five senses. BPHS 24.46 |
| 11th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 11th, the text warns of a fear of hidden illness, and gives generosity, virtue, charity and helpfulness to others. BPHS 24.47 |
| 12th house | With the lord of the 4th in the 12th, BPHS warns of little domestic comfort, vices, foolishness and idleness. BPHS 24.48 |
Common questions
5 questionsWhat does the 4th house rule in astrology?
Mother, home, property, vehicles and peace of mind. It is called the Sukha bhava, and is a kendra.
Which grahas are good in the 4th house?
By Lal Kitab: Chandra, Budh, Guru and Shukra.
Who is the karaka of the 4th house?
Chandra (Moon), as Parashara names it (BPHS 32.34).
What if my 4th house is empty?
An empty house is not a weak one. With no graha in it, the 4th is read through its lord, the grahas that look at it, its ashtakavarga points and its karaka.
Which grahas aspect the 4th house?
Any graha in the 10th; Mangal (Mars) also from the 1st and 9th, Guru (Jupiter) from the 8th and 12th, and Shani (Saturn) from the 2nd and 7th.
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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