Half-baked knowledge of anything is likely to play a spoilsport.
In astrology such knowledge is dangerous.
One such bit of knowledge is about the birth star of babies.
The birth of a baby is a happy occasion for the parents.
But hear-say is that it will bring suffering or even death
if the baby is born in mother’s or father’s birth star.
The most popular source of this is – ironically –
the most respected and followed Brihat Parashara Hora sastra.
In chapter 85 detailing ‘Inauspicious births’,
sage Parashara does say that if a baby is born
in the birth star of brother or father or mother,
they will undergo death like suffering (text below).
So saying, the sage continues to say that the malefic effects can be mitigated and
does give the remedial measures in the next chapter.
The details of the redial measure is also given below.
The recommendation to do remedial goes to show that this issue is not a grave one.
When two or more persons in a family are born in the same star,
they experience similar gochara (transit) effects in their lives simultaneously.
In the case of afflictions due to eclipses,
they will face similar prospects of badness.
Due to these reasons, it is told that birth in same star brings inauspiciousness.
But not all sages share the same opinion in this regard.
Different versions do exist.
One such version is given in ‘Brahma rishi Vaakhyam’,
supposedly narrated by the four-faced Brahma.
According to him, there is a qualified reference to same-star birth.
If a daughter born in mother’s star
or a son born in father’s star it will cause ‘eka nakshathra dosha’.
It causes problems to the concerned parent.
He recommends a shanthi pooja to avert the problems.
But a variation of this is given by Prithuyashas, the son of Varahamihira.
He does not consider the above births as causing hardships.
Instead he says that eka nakshthra affliction applies to sons only.
In chapter 28 -30 of Hora sara, he says that
a son born in mother’s star is not good for the father and
a son born in father’s star is not good for mother.
The application is only to sons and not daughters.
This affliction caused by son’s birth can be averted by shanti pooja.
There is however another issue of birth stars that are said to cause malefic effects to the parents.
They are the gandantha stars that come in the sandhi (meeting points)
of the three groups of rasis in the zodiac.
Of these Aslesha (ayilyam) last pada, Maga 1st pada.
Jyeshta last pada and Moola 1st pada are seen to be dreaded ones.
Revathy last pada and Aswini 1st pada are also gandantha stars
But they do not necessarily cause suffering.
It is because Ashwini is a curative star.
There may be exceptions to this and we need to study them.
In reality, we have seen the births in these stars causing concern –
say, due to difficult labour for the mother or caesarian births or
complications in birth or some anxiety at the time of birth associated with birth.
In this context I request interested readers to send me the birth details
of those born in these stars (6 stars) or star padas.
I am doing a research on this issue and I assure you all confidentiality.
I don’t even require the name or any other details except the information
if there was any trouble at the time of birth (the troubles as noted above or otherwise)
The only details I require are the date of birth , time of birth and place of birth.
There is another group of stars that can not be ignored.
There are 5 stars that are said to cause suffering to parents
The 5 stars are
Poorvashada – 3
Revathy -3
Pushya -2
Chitthra -2
Uttara phalguni -1
In these cases too, there is no arishta (death) feared.
In practice we do come across these stars with the effects of gandhantha stars
(like difficult labour and caesarian delivery. The afflictions end with that.)
In the above 5 star-births, the father is not supposed to see the child
for specific months for each of these stars,
at the end of which a shanthi pooja must be done.
In any case of same-star birth (eka-nakshthra birth),
there is no need for panic.
Consult the Purohits and they will do the required poojas for remedy.
************
From Brihat Parashara Hora sastra:-
Ch. 85. Inauspicious Births
1-4. The Venerable Sage said. O Maitreya!
Now I will describe to you the circumstances, in which the births are inauspicious in spite of Lagna and the Grahas being well disposed.
Although Lagna may be well disposed, births will be inauspicious, if they take place on Amavasya (last day of the Krishna Paksha),
on Chaturdasi (14th Tithi),
in Krishna Paksha (dark half of the month),
in Bhadra Karan,
in the Nakshatr of the brother,
in the Nakshatras of father and mother,
at the time of entry of Sūrya in a Rāśi,
at the time of solar and lunar eclipses,
at the time of Vyati Pata,
in Gandantas of all the three kinds,
in Yamaghant, Tithikshaya, in Dagdha Yog etc.
The birth of a son after three daughters and birth of a daughter after three sons and the birth of a freak are inauspicious.
But there are remedial measures for obtaining relief from the evil effects of such births, which are being described in the following chapters.
Ch. 89. Remedies from Nakshatr Birth
1-7. The Sage Parasara said. O Maitreya!
If the birth takes place in the Nakshatras of the brother and the parents,
death takes place, without doubt, of the brother and the father, or mother,
or they have to undergo death-like suffering.
Therefore I am going to describe the remedial measures to be adopted to escape from these evil effects.
The remedial rites should be performed in a Muhurta,
when Chnadra and stars are favourable on a day,
on which there is no Rikta-Bhadra Dosha.
The remedial rites should be performed in the following order.
Install an idol of the Janm Nakshatr on a Kalash
in the North-East direction from the fire.
Cover it with a red piece of cloth and
then warp two pieces of cloth round it.
Worship the idol
by chanting the Mantras of the Janma Nakshatr.
According to one’s Gotra,
perform Havan 108 times with the recitation of the same Mantra,
facing the fire, with Ghī and other Havan material.
Then the priest, performing the Puja, should sprinkle water
on the parents and brother (whoever is concerned).
Give presents in cash (Dakshena) to the priest and his colleagues,
associated with the ceremony, to the best of one’s means and
then feed the Brahmins to the best of one’s means.
