Do children bring luck?

Do children bring luck?

I decided to introspect this question,

upon seeing the birthday photos of Diya,

daughter of the kollywood couple Surya- Jothika.

On Diya’s first year birthday,

Surya is seen sporting a Tee-shirt,

with Diya’s pics

and the words, “I am lucky for daddy”.

I was a bit disturbed on reading this,

for, what if the baby does not bring luck?

What if the daddy gets into low-phase

after the baby is born?

Will he blame the baby for his bad times?

A similar trend can be noticed in the arrival of daughter-in-law.

If something bad happens in the family after marriage,

the blame falls on the newly married bride.

The reason for this is in the psyche of the people

nurtured by beliefs -perhaps raised by vivaha mantras

that keep telling that the bride would bring prosperity to the family.

When something bad happens to the family,

the newly wed bride is blamed.

This tendency, though not seen explicitly in educated homes,

is still prevalent among the masses in India.

Let not such a fate befall the new born.

The very arrival of the baby into the family is a boon by itself.

According to dharma sastras.

it is the parent who must be lucky to get a kid.

The kid does not bring luck to the parents.

Looking from sastric or Dharmic angle,

begetting children is due to purva punyam (the good deeds of past births)

The 5^th house and 5^th from 5^th, that is the 9^th house

are to be analysed for Children.

The 5^th and the 9^th are both indicative of one’s purva punya.

5^th is for puthra and 9^th is for pithru.

The child – father relationship

forms an equilateral triangle with one’s self (1st bhava)

If life has to be smooth,

the 5^th and the 9^th should not be afflicted.

One must get a good father,

one must get a good child.

Both play a role in shaping one’s life and peacefulness.

If afflicted, the children become a burden

or in other words, luck fails to smile on the person.

Since the man is born as his son, as per Upanishads,

unless purva punyam is there,

the children themselves will become the cause of his woes.

This is indicated by the sloka that is written in the Janma patrika,

“Janani janma soukhyaanam/

varthanee kula samptthaam//”

The Janma soukhyam – the trouble-free birth is determined by mother’s fate (horoscope).

But whether the child will bring prosperity to the family is determined by its attitudes.

That is indicated by ‘varthanee kula samptthaam’.

This can be understood like this:

The baby is born with its own puurva – vaasanas.

The body is inherited from the parents.

Even the vital and mental properties

have been inherited from the genes of the parents.

But what the baby is,

depends on what it carries from its previous birth.

The vaasanas that are manifest as attitudes and character

are something the baby carries from its previous birth.

Since the baby is born in a particular family,

it does not mean that it will reflect the characteristic traits

that are dominant in that family or kulam.

Whether the baby is going to do proud to the family traits

by demonstrating such qualities

or going to exhibit traits contrary to family traits,

thereby bringing disrepute to family’s wealth (kula-sampath)

can be judged by the horoscope.

This is the import of the second line of the ‘janani’ sloka.

When the baby fails to stand by the family values

as its vaasanas are counter to the traits dominant in the family,

the baby ceases to be ‘lucky’.

In most cases of family conflicts between parents and children,

we notice the repelling traits.

Therefore, one must be lucky

or one must have abundance of purva punyam

to get children who help to grow kula-sampath.

For one to get such children who help in growing kula-sampath,

‘Brhama rishi Vakhyam’ (a book on astrology containing the teachings of Brahma deva)

says that a yoga called ‘Srinatha yoga’ must be present.

This yoga is formed when the 9^th lord

and Venus (kalathra karaka)

and Mercury (buddhi karaka)

are placed in Kendra (quandrants)

or in konas (trines)

and are in exaltation or in own house

or in a friends house.

A person born in this yoga will be endowed with Lakshmi kataksham,

indicated by a good wife,

happy family and

children who will bring prosperity to the family.

He will get all auspiciousness

and will be a celebrated one.

The most important indication of this yoga is that

this person will be a worshiper of Sriman Narayana.

The ‘Brhama rishi Vakhyam’

also indicates the probable deeds in his previous birth to attain this.

That deed is continuous worship of Sriman Narayana

and helping devotees of Narayana!

A striking correlation to this can be seen in

Thirmangai aazhwar’s pasuram

“Kuala tharum, selvam thandhidum”

(Peria Thirumozhi 1-9)

The kulam and selvam (prosperity or wealth)

are indicative of ‘varthanee kula samptthaam”

of ‘janani’ sloka!

The nama which does more than what the mother does

is Narayana nama.

It gives one a good birth in a wonderful family of a Narayana devotee,

so that he will be hearing Narayana nama right from the time of his birth.

He will add to the name of the family,

and get all material wealth

and wealth in the form of wonderful wife and children.

This is the import of this yoga mentioned by Brahma deva

in ‘Brahma rishi vakhyam’.

Also the import of Azhwar pauram!

In contrast, offense to Vishnu will invite Puthra dosham.

Propitiation must be done to Vishnu and Mercury.

Harming or killing children will invite puthra dosham.

the same parihara (as mentioned above)

must be done.

With reference to Puthra dosham alone,

there are other causes too.

Offense to Shiva and Garuda and father and ancestors,

Offense to one’s mother, Paarvathy and a sumangali,

Offense to Muruga,

Offense to teachers and Brahmins,

Offense to Mother earth and cow and snakes and snake hills,

up-rooting flowering plants and peepal tree,

harming horses

and not remembering departed ancestors –

all these invite puthra dosha.

The result is

children will not be born

or will be born with defects

or will bring disrepute to the family and

be a curse to the family.

Doing counter actions to the respective ones to whom offense is done

will bring remedy.

By saying all this, I am trying to bring out that

we have to be lucky to get children, that too, children who do us proud

(recall the kural – ivan thandai en-nOttraan kol enum sol)

instead of thinking that the children are lucky to us.