The 8th House
Ayu bhava
What the 8th 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 19BPHS reads the 8th house for longevity, battles and enemies, forts, wealth that comes from the dead, and what has happened and is yet to happen, in past and future births. BPHS 11.9
When it is strong: BPHS gives long life when the lord of the 8th is in a kendra (the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house). It counts these as signs of long life too: the lord of the 6th in the 12th; the lords of the 1st, 5th and 8th in their own signs, own navamsas or friendly signs; or the lords of the 1st, 8th and 10th and Shani (Saturn) in kendras, trikonas (the 5th or 9th) or the 11th. BPHS 19.1, 19.4–7
When it is afflicted: If the lord of the 8th sits in the 8th with the lord of the 1st or a malefic, BPHS warns of a short life. It gives the same warning when the 8th lord is debilitated, a malefic occupies the 8th and the 1st house is weak, and it asks that the strength of each graha be weighed before longevity is judged. BPHS 19.2, 19.7–13
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 8th house
the checks the Janam Kundli report makes- Find its lord. Your lagna decides which rashi falls in your 8th 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 8th 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 8th 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 8th, those are your 1st, 3rd and 7th 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 2nd house casts its drishti (a graha’s glance: the houses it looks at feel its influence) on the 8th. Mangal (Mars) also looks at it from your 1st and 5th, Guru (Jupiter) from your 4th and 12th, and Shani (Saturn) from your 6th and 11th. Our reports give Rahu and Ketu Guru’s 5th and 9th drishti, so they look at it from the 4th 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. Shani (Saturn) is the natural significator of the 8th’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 8th house in a real kundli
From the Janam Kundli report
8th · Taurus Mixed
Its lord Venus sits in your 9th house in Gemini, in a friend's sign.
No graha sits in it; it is read through its lord.
Drishti on it from Rahu.
for it: lord well placed from your lagna · 31 points, 28 or more; against it: drishti from Rahu
Read together: more for it than against — a house that gives well, with some 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 8th house
by Lal Kitab, each with its own page| Graha | Lal Kitab | What it gives here |
|---|---|---|
| Surya (Sun) | Hard | The Sun in the 8th house lessens the happiness that comes from the father, and can bring hidden losses and penalties from the government. |
| Chandra (Moon) | Hard | The Moon in the 8th house causes emotional turbulence, fear of water, and chronic health issues. The mother's health may suffer. |
| Mangal (Mars) | Hard | Mars in the 8th house causes accidents, surgeries, piles, and blood-related diseases. Ancestral property may be lost. |
| Budh (Mercury) | Hard | Mercury in the 8th house causes nervous disorders, insomnia, and loss in business partnerships. Speech may be hurtful. |
| Guru (Jupiter) | Hard | Jupiter in the 8th house causes obstacles in fortune, delayed results, and trouble through in-laws. The father's health needs care. |
| Shukra (Venus) | Hard | Venus in the 8th house causes marital problems, hidden affairs, and losses through women. Kidney issues are possible. |
| Shani (Saturn) | Good | Saturn in the 8th house (pakka ghar, the house Lal Kitab gives a graha as its own, where it is steadiest) gives long life and deep occult knowledge but chronic diseases and hidden enemies. It is a strong position. |
| Rahu | Hard | Rahu in the 8th house can cause sudden accidents, hidden enemies, and chronic, hard-to-trace diseases. |
| Ketu | Hard | Ketu in the 8th house causes sudden mysterious events, chronic diseases of unknown origin, and detachment from in-laws. |
Who rules your 8th house
it depends on the lagna| Lagna | 8th house rashi | Its lord |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh (Aries) | Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Mangal (Mars) |
| Vrishabh (Taurus) | Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Mithun (Gemini) | Makar (Capricorn) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Kark (Cancer) | Kumbh (Aquarius) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Singh (Leo) | Meen (Pisces) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Kanya (Virgo) | Mesh (Aries) | Mangal (Mars) |
| Tula (Libra) | Vrishabh (Taurus) | Shukra (Venus) |
| Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Mithun (Gemini) | Budh (Mercury) |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Kark (Cancer) | Chandra (Moon) |
| Makar (Capricorn) | Singh (Leo) | Surya (Sun) |
| Kumbh (Aquarius) | Kanya (Virgo) | Budh (Mercury) |
| Meen (Pisces) | Tula (Libra) | Shukra (Venus) |
Where your 8th lord sits
what Parashara says of each placement (BPHS chapter 24)| Lord in | What it gives |
|---|---|
| 1st house | With the lord of the 8th in the 1st, BPHS warns of little bodily comfort, wounds, and hostility towards the divine and the learned. BPHS 24.85 |
| 2nd house | With the lord of the 8th in the 2nd, the text warns of little bodily vigour, modest wealth, and lost money that is not regained. BPHS 24.86 |
| 3rd house | With the lord of the 8th in the 3rd, BPHS warns of little happiness from siblings, idleness, and a lack of helpers and strength. BPHS 24.87 |
| 4th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 4th, BPHS warns that the child may be deprived of the mother, and of a lack of house, land and happiness; it also speaks of betraying friends. BPHS 24.88 |
| 5th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 5th, the text speaks of a slow wit and few children, but gives long life and wealth. BPHS 24.89 |
| 6th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 6th, BPHS gives victory over enemies, but warns of illness, and in childhood of danger from snakes and water. BPHS 24.90 |
| 7th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 7th, the text speaks of two marriages; if a malefic joins it there, BPHS warns of a downfall in business. BPHS 24.91 |
| 8th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 8th itself, BPHS gives long life. If that lord is weak, it gives a medium span and warns of a leaning towards theft, of being blamed and of blaming others. BPHS 24.92 |
| 9th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 9th, BPHS warns of turning from one's faith and tradition, a spouse of poor disposition, and a leaning towards taking others' wealth. BPHS 24.93 |
| 10th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 10th, the text warns of little happiness from the father, a habit of carrying tales and a lack of livelihood; with a benefic's aspect, it says these do not come to pass. BPHS 24.94 |
| 11th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 11th alongside a malefic, BPHS speaks of a lack of wealth and an unhappy childhood, then happiness later. Alongside a benefic, it gives long life. BPHS 24.95 |
| 12th house | With the lord of the 8th in the 12th, the text speaks of spending on wrong deeds, and BPHS warns of a short life, more so when a malefic also occupies the 12th. BPHS 24.96 |
Common questions
5 questionsWhat does the 8th house rule in astrology?
Longevity, sudden events, inheritance and hidden matters. It is called the Ayu bhava, and is a dusthana.
Which grahas are good in the 8th house?
By Lal Kitab: Shani.
Who is the karaka of the 8th house?
Shani (Saturn), as Parashara names it (BPHS 32.34).
What if my 8th house is empty?
An empty house is not a weak one. With no graha in it, the 8th is read through its lord, the grahas that look at it, its ashtakavarga points and its karaka.
Which grahas aspect the 8th house?
Any graha in the 2nd; Mangal (Mars) also from the 1st and 5th, Guru (Jupiter) from the 4th and 12th, and Shani (Saturn) from the 6th and 11th.
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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