Will Karunanidhi come back? (astrological analysis)

{Update on Karunanidhi's electoral prospects in elections May 2016 is added at the end of the article}

The life of Mr M. Karunanidhi presents a rare case study for the astrological enthusiast. He has been the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu for 5 times and is preparing himself to face the electorate in April, 2011, for a record 6^th term. 

Mr Karunanidhi’s horoscope evinces interest for many reasons. He rose to power from humble beginnings. He entered public life at his 14^th year and is continuing for 7 decades. He has survived for long in a democratic set-up. But he is more popular for wrong reasons. He is perhaps the first and the only politician who has been indicted for corruption done on scientific ways, way back in the 1970s. He also came under critical scrutiny in the death of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. The recently revealed mega-corruption in the allotment of 2G licenses also has him in the back drop. It will be interesting to know what kind of planetary combination made him powerful and whether the planets would help him this time also.

Karunanidhi birth time details are June 3, 1924, 10-40 am, Thiruvarur.

Planets that gave him power.

Three planets are exalted in his horoscope. It is a general perception that this feature has made him the chief Minister for many terms. 

Exalted planets do not confer royalty of an exemplary nature. I wish to point out what Varahamihira says with regard to exalted planets. In the chapter on Rajayoga in Brihat Jataka, he quotes Yavanas as saying that exalted cruel planets make one a cruel king. He also quotes Jeevasarma who does not think that such planets give kingly powers at all.

This becomes applicable in Karunanidhi’s horoscope in which cruel planets such as Mars and Saturn have exalted. The Yavanas’ perception is worth considering here. Saturn in retrogression has greatly reduced the people’s support and an exalted Mars has made him capable of silencing his adversaries.

The combinations that gave him power can be traced to a number of yogas he enjoys.  Sasa, Ruchak, Gajakesari, Duradhara, Ubhayachara and Trilochana have helped him in getting power and wealth. Mercury has played a crucial role as lord of 3^rd in the 10^th. He attracted the masses with his writing skills.

His political success follows the pattern of the planets and their periods. 

(A cursory look at this table shows that he has lost power whenever Moon antar dasa was running. At present he is running Moon antardasa!!)

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First tenure

At first he got the Chief Minister’s chair by default on Annadurai's death.
He became CM on 10-02 1969.
The period was Saturn dasa- Mercury bhukthi.

Here Sasa yoga did not work. Vipareeta Raja yoga worked as he got the post by default. . 8th lord Saturn and 12th lord mercury aspecting each other from kendras (4th and 10th) made this happen.

From then onwards until 31-01-1976 he was the CM. The favorable Saturn made this happen.

However he lost in Saturn – Moon in 1976.
Once the moon antardasa started, he started getting worries due to MGR.

For the behavior of dasa- antardasa lords, we have to first see the angle between the lords. It must be favorable.  Saturn and Mercury are in mutual aspect.

In contrast Saturn- Moon they are in 8-6 axis. Such an axis strains the relationship between the planets in their periods.

Moreover, though Moon is the lagna lord, it is weak in shad bala strength. One of the important determinants for a person to rise to power is to have three or four planets in dig bala (‘300 important Combinations’– 247^th yoga). Shadbala strength can not be ignored in assessing how much a planet can do. Moon is the weakest in Dig bala and very less in sthana bala and kala bala.


The weak kaala bala and sthana bala of moon will work adversely in adverse dasa lords. He lost to MGR in Saturn dasa and Moon antardasa. Saturn is 8th lord from Cancer and is in 6th from moon.

The lesson is that whatever be the planet that causes Raja yoga, if the antardasa lord is adverse to it and is weak on its own, there will be a dent in the Raja yoga.

Major comeback 


Karunanidhi  got back to power  in 27-01- 1989 after 14 years, when Mercury - Venus was set in.  These 2 planets are on both sides of Sun and moon thereby causing Ubhaya chara and Duradhara yogas.

He lost in 30-01-1991 when Mercury - Moon was on. Throughout moon antardasa he was having trouble. This time the weak dig bala of Moon brought bad relationship with the North (Central Government) He lost power due to the death of Rajiv Gandhi.

His next rise was in 13-05-1996 in Mer - Jup period.  Mercury has been too kind to him. As lord of the 3rd and positioned in 10th in rasi and navamsa in association with Saturn, it has helped him a lot in amassing wealth and power.

Though the angle between Mercury and Jupiter is not good, the asterisms in which they are placed are Venus and Mercury - a repeat of the best of solar and lunar yogas as mentioned above. (Duradhara and Ubhaya chara)

He lost in 13-05-2001.
The period was Ketu- Venus. This was the time most astrologers thought that he would take political sanyas. The strong reason is that Ketu, Venus and Saturn share the Tapaswi yoga in his horoscope.


Though Ketu and Venus as dasa and antardasa lords shared a good angle in rasi, they are in 6-8 angle in bhava. Ketu is in the asterism of Mars and Venus is in Jovian asterism.. Jupiter as 6th lord has 1 bindu in martian ashtaka varga. The fall was inevitable. If we see the previous periods he had been to the jail for most times in Jupiter maha dasa. This combination almost seemed to seal his return to power.

But that was not to be so because the exalted planets also must give their contribution. He came back to power in Ketu - Saturn on 13-05- 2006 . Both these planets are in the star of Mars, the yogakaraka and the 10th lord who enjoys Ruchak yoga.

His entire family grew in wealth more than ever before during this period.  His courage found no bounds as he even questioned who Lord Rama was. Without any inhibition he went about his ways only during this tenure.

The current trend.

This can be arrested only when moon sets in.
The antardasa of  moon in the current Venus mahadasa begins on April 7^th this year and will last until 09-12-2012.

Venus – moon angle is such that moon is 2nd lord in the 12th to Venus.
The weak dig bala of Moon has caused him to lose support from the North. Though he has firmed up an electoral deal with his Northern partner, he is still in fear of indictment from the Supreme Court on the Spectrum scam.

His most unfortunate anatar dasa of Moon will be there at the time of Assembly elections. Moreover Venus is the bhaadak lord for his horoscope. The presence of bhaadak lord in the 12^th indicates harm done to a deity and also misuse of property of the deity in a previous birth (Prasna Marga). The lagna lord Moon placed in the 12^th to such a bhaadak lord intensifies the wrath of Moon. The Moon antardasa has never been kind to him. There is no reason to believe why it will not be so this time also. The planets in gochara also are not helpful on the day of election and announcement of results. His fall is inevitable.

Updated on 13-04-2016:-

Since 2007, Karunanidhi has been running Venus Maha dasa which will last for 20 years. Venus being a Baadhaka for his horoscope, this dasa will not be a fortunate one.

That the horoscope produced in the above article is an authentic one can be proved from the fact that Karnanishi has a trouble in his left eye for more than 60 years. Venus in the 12th house signifies trouble to the left eye.

Recently he wrote in a letter that his trouble with his left eye started in the year 1953 due to an accident. At that time transit Saturn was in retrogression in Virgo and Venus in retrogression in Pisces. Saturn, the 8th lord on his natal chart was aspecting Venus in transit in the Pisces and the 12th house (Gemini) which signifies left eye. The period was Jupiter dasa - Mercury Bhukthi. Jupiter is the 6th lord and Mercury, the 12th lord. Thus this left eye problem is a confirmation of this birth chart and the events that had happened.

Now he is running the dasa of Venus which is a Baadhaka and also an occupant of the 12th house.
So it is not possible to expect positive results in this dasa. This was earlier confirmed in the loss in 2011 assembly elections and 2014 Lok sabha elections. The same will be repeated in May 2016 elections too.

Presently (at the time of elections in May 2016) he is running Venus Maha dasa - Rahu Bhukthi. Venus is a Baadhaka and is in the star of 6th lord Jupiter. So its malevolence with reference to loss of health & money and gain of enemies besides misfortunes is a forgone conclusion.

The Bhukthi lord Rahu is in the 2nd house which is a Maraka (marana) sthana. It is in the star of Ketu which occupies the 8th house. Both signify attrition and maraka like happenings. At present, transit Saturn is in Scorpio joined with Mars which is a malefic combination. At the time of writing this, Saturn is regressing in the natal degree of Jupiter, the 6th lord in his natal horoscope. At this time his candidature has been announced. From Scorpio Saturn is aspecting transit Rahu by 10th aspect and Moon, the lagna lord and Sun, the sign dispositor of Rahu by 7th aspect.

This greatly affects his success and also increases attrition in health. At the time of elections he will be running Venus dasa - Rahu Bhukthi and Venus Antharam. This is a baadhaka combination.

From November 1st 2016 to January 19th 2017 Mars and Saturn are going to aspect Rahu and his 2nd house. That would be a very bad time for him. More misfortunes await him in the 2nd half of this year.