Badhaka and Badhakesha — the house of problems and the planet of obstruction
Badhaka is the house of obstruction. Badhakesha is the lord of this house. The Badhaka brings harm, sorrows and misfortunes and creates hindrances and obstacles. Planets in the Badhaka houses meet with obstacles in realising their properties. The Badhakesha planet hinders the properties of the house in which it is placed. An example of Saturn in the role of Badhakesha in the horoscope of V. I. Lenin.
For the movable signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) the 11th house is the Badhaka, and its lord is the Badhakesha.
For the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) the 9th house is the Badhaka, and its lord is the Badhakesha.
For the dual signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) the 7th house is the Badhaka, and its lord is the Badhakesha.
Badhaka-sthana and Badhakesha — the houses and planets that create hindrances and obstacles in a horoscope
For every bhava there is its own Badhaka sign, which creates troubles for it. The Badhaka brings harm, sorrows and misfortunes and creates hindrances and obstacles.
For rising Taurus, Leo and Aquarius the Yoga-karakas Saturn, Mars and Venus act at the same time as Badhakas as well. Observations show that only when the Kharesha (the ruler of the 22nd drekkana) or the dispositor of Mandi is placed in the Badhaka-sthana do the house and its lord function as a Badhaka. The Badhaka-pati in the 3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th, 5th or 9th houses loses its strength. The twelfth house is the only favourable place for the Badhaka. According to the Krishnamurti-paddhati, the Badhaka also plays the role of a Maraka.
Sri Govind Swarup Agarwal — «Vedic Astrology»
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Badhaka is the house that shows the sphere of obstacles, and sometimes of curses as well (as a result of our transgressions in past lives). True, to speak of curses it is also necessary that the 12th house from the Badhakesha be damaged by malefics in the Rashi chart.
Most often the badhaka is considered from the Lagna. (Though it can also be considered for each house separately.)
The badhaka is determined by the following rule:
For the movable signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) the badhaka is the 11th sign from it;
For the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) the badhaka is the 9th sign from it;
For the dual signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) the badhaka is the 7th sign from it;
That is, for horoscopes with the Lagna in a movable sign the badhaka is the 11th house; for horoscopes with the Lagna in a fixed sign the badhaka is the 9th house; and for horoscopes with the Lagna in a dual sign the badhaka is the 7th house.
| Rashi | Badhaka Rashi | Badhakesha |
| Aries | Aquarius | Rahu or Saturn |
| Taurus | Capricorn | Saturn |
| Gemini | Sagittarius | Jupiter |
| Cancer | Taurus | Venus |
| Leo | Aries | Mars |
| Virgo | Pisces | Jupiter |
| Libra | Leo | The Sun |
| Scorpio | Cancer | The Moon |
| Sagittarius | Gemini | Mercury |
| Capricorn | Scorpio | Ketu or Mars |
| Aquarius | Libra | Venus |
| Pisces | Virgo | Mercury |
In the same way, for any house (sign) there exists its own badhaka (by this same rule), which we consider when analysing the indications of the house.
The Badhakesha is the ruler of the Badhaka house.
The Badhakesha is, symbolically, Sri Ganesha — the one who controls success/failure.
The badhaka is most harmful if it is badly placed. And conversely, if the badhaka is strong, then many doors will open before the person — after certain obstacles, it is true.
The periods of the badhakesha and of the planets in the badhaka are usually full of various barriers, especially in the sphere of the badhaka house and of the placement of the badhakesha.
The repetition of the names of Ganesha removes obstacles for all the signs.
The badhaka helps us to see various kinds of curse in a horoscope, and astrology likewise gives the means of neutralising them.
Source: Ilona Karlivane
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The planet that supports us, or about the anti-badhaka
The seventh house from the badhaka acts in the opposite way! The seventh house from the badhaka for rising movable signs is the ruler of the 5th, for fixed ones the ruler of the 3rd, for dual ones the ruler of the 1st. SUPPORT will come from the house in which the seventh ruler from the badhaka house is placed — that is, the anti-badhaka.
The badhaka is the «troublemaker», the planet that brings problems. For rising movable signs it is the ruler of the 11th house. For rising fixed signs it is the ruler of the 9th house. For rising dual signs it is the ruler of the 7th house. The badhaka HARMS not the house it rules, but the HOUSE in which it IS PLACED.
Example 1. Lagna in Cancer, the badhaka Venus in the 12th. A woman married and went away to her husband’s homeland. At first it was hard for her — different traditions, a different mentality, a different language, and the establishing of a young family. The support here is Mars, the ruler of the 5th in the 2nd house. The woman’s family helped her greatly in everything at first. Especially financially.
Example 2. Lagna in Scorpio. The ruler of the 9th, the Moon, in the 7th house. The father did not accept the husband and greatly influenced the decision to divorce. The mother likewise brought difficulties. The support is Saturn — here it is the ruler of the 7th from the badhaka and is in the 11th house. Her brothers and sisters help and support her all her life. Her women friends support her too.
Example 3. Lagna in Virgo. The badhaka Jupiter in the 9th house. The father created difficulties. Difficulties with religion. The support is the ruler of the 1st, Mercury, in the 6th — support from connections and brothers; she always defeats her opponents. She was gravely ill and doctors were found who saved her life. Communication with people supports her greatly.
Example 4. Lagna in Capricorn. The badhaka Mars in the 3rd. Conflicts with the younger sister. Support from Venus, the ruler of the 5th house, in the 1st house — personal charm and diplomacy helped to attain goals. People treat this person well.
Example 5. Lagna in Taurus. The badhaka Saturn in the 8th house. All his life the person has difficulties — with the father, with the wife, financial ones. The support is the Moon, the ruler of the 3rd, in the 11th — the mother supports and helps all the time.
Example 6. Lagna in Virgo. Jupiter is the badhaka in the 4th. The mother creates difficulties. She constantly solves her mother’s problems. Mercury, the ruler of the 1st, in the 11th — friends and brothers give support.
Source: Saraswati Astrology
