Cancer (Karka)
Cancer is a sign connected with the element of water, and indicates an emotional character. It is symbolised by the crab; usually these people have an inclination to complain, to express dissatisfaction. This is a sign feminine by its character, and therefore people born under this sign are sensitive, often worry over trifles, but sincerely care for others. Usually this sign is associated with attachment to family life and to property. Other traits of «Cancer” people include psychic receptivity, quickness of understanding, dexterity, thrift or stinginess, inquisitiveness, compassion for the needy.
These people are expressive, they can often be seen on stage, or occupied with something that gives them the opportunity of contact with the public. They surround themselves with a multitude of relatives. They are proud, virtuous, talkative, interested in astrology. They own property, they like to live close to water. They prefer to have few children, or none at all. They are under the considerable influence of their marriage partners. They have many friends. They have a romantic, shy, grateful character with a rich imagination.
Their appearance — short stature, a thick neck, a dense body. They are honest, sincere people, but at times they can be excessively emotional and in their family life they often experience a feeling of disappointment. They prefer to get to know something well before judging it. They love to travel abroad, and may know several languages. They are happiest of all when they have everything necessary for life and can follow the inclinations of their heart, or their intuition. Their character is a wandering one, they are unsteady in their occupations.
Tom Hopke — «Vedic Astrology»
Indubala — Cancer: Meditation on the symbol of the sign
Lagna in Karka, or the rising sign Cancer
Karka is ruled by Chandra, the Moon. This sign is strong at night, by its nature — watery, movable, feminine. The symbol of the sign is the crayfish or crab. Cancer natives are emotional, sensitive, attached to family and home, conservative and inclined to express dissatisfaction. Cancer natives are shrewd, reserved, and feelings play a large role in their life. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, which speaks of an attachment to traditions, to ritual, of an inclination to philosophy, mysticism and occult knowledge. Mars is weakened in this sign, and therefore Cancer natives are often indecisive, timid, shy. In the face of danger they retreat, «back away», but if there is nowhere further to retreat, they begin to fight desperately.
People whose lagna is in Cancer are sincere, emotional, expressive, talkative, inclined to complaining, to whining, thrifty to the point of stinginess, inquisitive, compassionate. They are interested in astrology and in everything mysterious. Cancer natives surround themselves with relatives, are under the great influence of their marriage partners, and are capable of sincere care. They own property, love to live by the water, prefer to have few children or not to have them at all. In love disappointments are possible. Cancer natives are romantics, they are shy, grateful, sensitive, with a rich imagination and a developed fancy. They love to travel abroad, may know several languages, and are inconstant in their occupations. (Indubala)
Vrajendra Kumar — Key characteristics of the sign Cancer
The key phrase of Cancer: «I feel». The main talent of Cancer is intuition; the main weakness is sentimentality. The goal of Cancer is the attainment of stability and security.
Characteristics of the sign Cancer (Karka) in Vedic astrology
Ruler: Moon
Symbol: the crab
Favourable: Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Unfavourable: Mercury, Venus
Neutral: Sun, Saturn
Maraka: Sun, Saturn, Mercury
Badhaka-sthana: Taurus (9th house)
Badhakesha: Venus
Yoga-karaka: Mars, Jupiter
Exalts: Jupiter 5°
Debilitates: Mars 28°
Mulatrikona —
Suitable signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Favourable degree of the Moon: 8°
Unfavourable degrees of the Moon: 22°, 25°
Lucky scents: onycha (a component of incense)
Lucky numbers: 4, 6, 8, 1
Lucky days: for merriment — Friday, Sunday; for success in affairs — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday; for investments and trips — Wednesday
Gemstones: pearl (to be worn in silver on the ring finger)
Colours: white, cream, red, yellow; blue should be avoided
Fasting days: Monday
Responsible for: blood, emotions, a deep feeling of attachment
Positive qualities of Cancer: domestic, caring, attached to the family, kind, hospitable, emotional, sensitive, intuitive perception, a rich imagination, clairvoyant, extrasensory abilities, shrewd, nervous, intelligent, a good memory, industrious, relies on their own strength, resolute, tenacious, very economical, talkative, honest, stands up for justice, is keen on music and has a certain musical talent, adapts easily, yields to the influence of the external environment, impressionable, pays attention to the feelings and thoughts of those around them, caring.
Negative traits of Cancer: shy, unsure, heightened emotionality, restless, excessively sensitive, too vulnerable, frequent changes of mood, an egoist, irritable, inconstant, untidy, credulous, likes to complain, henpecked, a manipulator, stubborn, does not yield to coercion, resentful, takes a long time to recover after illness, possessive, unhappy in personal life.
Appearance: average height, a frail build, a full elongated face, a fleshy neck, white skin colour, a slightly snub nose, long arms, a broad chest, an ample waist, a quick and slightly sidling gait.
Characteristics of Cancer
A sign of water.
Movable sign (Chara-rashi).
Fertile.
Prishtodaya.
North.
Moist.
Female gender (feminine).
Negative.
Dwelling in water (a reptile).
Active at night-time.
Normal ascension.
Dakshina-ayana [the period of time from the moment the Sun enters the sign of Cancer (approximately 16 July) to the moment the Sun passes into the constellation of Capricorn (around 14 January) — translator's note]
Kapha-dosha.
The month of Savana (from 15 July to 15 August).
Sees nothing at midday.
Sector of the Moon.
A benefic (saumya), even, nocturnal sign.
Dhatu (metals, minerals, clay).
The priestly caste (brahmins).
A shrewd, emotional, sensitive, inconstant sign, a sign of Moksha.
A sattvic sign.
The last part of the sign is known as «Rikta-sandhi»» [Rikta is translated as «empty, devoid of content», sandhi is a place of junction, in this case at the joint of the signs of water and fire. Rikta-sandhi is the 4th pada of the nakshatra Ashlesha, the 4th pada of Revati and the 4th pada of Mula — translator's note]
Traits of Cancer natives
- They are devoted to the family, but unhappy in their personal life.
- They possess a developed imagination and a capacity for imitation, however they easily fall under the influence of other people.
- They have the habit of reflecting often and at length over some trifle.
- They become irritable and capricious when others do not notice them.
Body parts: the oesophagus, the digestive organs, the ribs, the breastbone, the womb.
Glands, nerves and blood vessels: the pancreas, the breast.
Likely diseases: heart disease, indigestion, digestive disorders, flatulence, obesity, ulcers, diseases of the lungs, tuberculosis, problems with blood pressure, dropsy, phobias, epilepsy, weak immunity, fatigue and impotence.
Fields of activity (recommendations for choosing a profession) for Cancer: managers, industry, liquids, chemicals, explosives, weapons, the navy, docks, sailors, fishing, seafood, water transport, water carriers, athletes, acrobats, dancers, the actor's craft, handicraft, fabrics, textiles, nurses, the dairy industry, public catering, hotels, experts in ancient scriptures, the sale of antiques.
Dhana-yogas for Cancer Lagna
- Venus in the 2nd or 12th house.
- The Moon in the 7th, and Jupiter in the 11th.
- The Sun with Mars in the 10th house.
- The Moon and Venus in the 10th.
- A conjunction of Mercury with Venus in the 12th house bestows all sorts of material blessings in the dasha of Venus.
- Mars in the Lagna generously rewards hard labour.
- Mercury together with Venus in the 5th.
- Venus in the 4th, the Moon in the 9th, and the remaining planets in the 1st, 3rd and 11th houses.
- The Moon in the Ascendant in conjunction with Jupiter or Mercury, or under their aspects.
Some observations concerning the Ascendant in Cancer
- If one of the spouses was born with the Lagna in Cancer, and the other — with the Lagna in Leo, then for such a couple there is a high probability of separation or of the death of one of the partners.
- Despite the role of ruler of the 9th house, Jupiter is not capable of producing the effects of a Raja-yoga. In its dasha it opens up good professional prospects, but at the same time it vexes with disagreements and ailments — the significations of the 6th house, in which the mulatrikona sign of Jupiter is located.
- Mars, Jupiter and the Moon in the 2nd, and the Sun with Venus in the 5th — a combination of prosperity and wealth.
- With a conjunction of Mercury and Venus in the 5th house the activation of the yoga occurs in the period of Mercury.
- Indicators of success and well-being: a) the Moon and Jupiter in the Ascendant; b) the Moon in the Lagna, Mars in the 7th house; c) the Moon in the Lagna, Saturn in the 4th; d) the Moon in the 1st house, the Sun in the 10th.
- The best planetary periods are the dashas of the Moon and Mars, provided that these planets are in excellent condition.
- Houses 10 and 11 are suitable places for the Sun.
- Saturn shows itself at its best in the 3rd, 6th, 8th and 11th houses.
- A person with Mars in the 8th house marries twice and raises two children — a boy and a girl.
- The residence of Jupiter in the 7th bhava, while the 7th ruler is in a bad nakshatra, deprives one of happiness in family life.
- Saturn in the 7th house and an afflicted Venus in the 12th indicate widowhood.
- Rising Cancer natives usually shine in the periods of Mars and Ketu.
- Jupiter in its dasha gives results of two types at once: 1) bad — in the form of debts, illnesses and enemies; and 2) good — career opportunities, but not without conflicts and misadventures.
- An exalted Saturn in the 4th house creates problems in marriage and in professional activity.
- Saturn in the Lagna makes a person patient, whereas Mars endows them with a hot temper.
- The family life of Cancer natives is full of troubles, since the 7th house is ruled by Saturn. Nevertheless, a favourable position in the chart or the aspect of Jupiter softens the severity of Saturn.
- Venus, Mercury, Saturn and the Sun possess the qualities of a maraka, however the actions of the Sun are never fatal.
- The characteristics of a person born in a particular drekkana:
- 1st drekkana (00° –10° 00′ of Cancer): a philanthropist, glad to help others, prospers in life, noble thoughts and deeds, a good build, a worthy wife;
- 2nd drekkana (10°01′ –20° 00′ of Cancer): sensual, a lover of drink, food and sleep, somewhat stingy, inconstant, liberal views, weak health;
- 3rd drekkana (20°01′ –30° 00′ of Cancer): lustful, soft, kept on a short leash by the wife, keen on travelling.
- If the constellation of Cancer falls into the 7th house, the person will find themselves a beautiful, fortunate, righteous and faithful wife.
Shri Govind Swarup Agarwal — «Vedic Astrology»
Nakshatras in the sign of Cancer
The nakshatras Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha located in the constellation of Cancer describe three different characters and the possible destiny of people born in this period.
| 0°-13°20′ of Cancer female gender | 13°20-26°40′ of Cancer male gender | 26°40-30° of Cancer male gender | |||||||
| Ruler | Jupiter | Saturn | Mercury | ||||||
| Name | Punarvasu | Pushya | Ashlesha | ||||||
| Padas | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| First syllable | hi | hu | he | ho | da | di | du | de | do |
Lagna in Cancer. Cancer in Vedic astrology.
Just like its symbolic image, the crab, whose hard shell covers the soft lower surface of its body, so the impressive intellect of the subjects of Cancer reliably conceals beneath it a seething cauldron of emotions. One of the reasons compelling emotional manifestations to splash outwards in periods of crisis, which has a negative effect on clarity of thinking, is that Mercury, the planet of the rational mind and lord of the 3rd house (the house of intellect), is at the same time also the lord of the 12th house — the house of loss. Another reason is the strong influence of emotional grahas on this lagna: for the Moon rules the first house. Cancer is the 4th house, the house of emotions, in the natural zodiac, and here the 4th house (Libra) is ruled by Venus. A third reason is that, while the Moon, the significator of emotions, turns out to be in fall in the 5th house (the house of shrewdness and discrimination, in this case Scorpio), the lord of the 5th house, Mars, on which sharpness of mind depends, in its turn experiences its fall in the first house — Cancer.
Such a mutual weakening of the rulers of the 1st and 5th houses not only prevents the forces of the intellect from prevailing over the emotions, but also quite often entails childlessness or various kinds of misfortunes and disappointments connected with children, right up to the physical loss of a child. The friendly relations of the Moon with Mars make the native of Cancer an ardent adherent of these two ideas: both of faith in the power of reason, on the one hand, and of the desire to have progeny — on the other; but the mutual weakening of these planets gives birth to difficulties in achieving both ideals. At the same time the friendship of the Moon with Mars, the lord of the 10th house, not infrequently serves in these people as a good engine of career.
The Moon — the lord of the lagna — exalted in the 11th house (Taurus), attaches great importance to friends and like-minded people in the life of one born with this lagna, notwithstanding that their friendly ties tend to be inconstant and changeable, like the Moon itself. Sometimes it also happens that those born with the lagna in Cancer constantly attract enemies or ill-wishers to themselves, since the lord of the lagna, the Moon, and the lord of the 6th house, Jupiter, are friendly towards each other. They are characterised by the ability to obtain benefit through enemies or, conversely, to end up the loser because enemies stand in the way of good fortune — depending on how in this particular chart the indications of the 6th house (enemies) and of the 9th (fortune, gain, luck) are combined with each other. With the lagna in the constellation of Cancer the benefits obtained from adversaries often outweigh the obstacles, because Jupiter, the ruler of houses 6 and 9 in this chart, is a great diplomat. The simultaneous rulership by Jupiter of a dusthana and a kona endows those born with the lagna in Cancer with one more characteristic property: they are very strongly attracted to religion, but not infrequently obstacles await them in advancing along this path.
Native Cancer people show a strong interest in domestic life, since, firstly, the Moon, the ruler of Cancer, is a «domestic» graha, the significator of the 4th house (the family hearth); secondly, Venus, the planet of pleasures and enjoyments, itself rules their 4th house (Libra); and, thirdly, because the Sun rules in their chart the 2nd house — the house of the family. Since Saturn, a secretive graha, owns in this chart the 7th and 8th houses at once, and the 8th house indicates secrets, the subjects of Cancer often keep their partnership and marital relations secret (the theme of the 7th house). Such an interrelation of the 7th and 8th houses may additionally signify some obstacles or delays on the way to marriage, and possibly also difficulties in family life. There may be present here some tragedy associated with death, such as a severe chronic illness, or perhaps also the fact that one of the partners will die an unnatural death, since both Saturn itself and the 8th house imply tragedy, and moreover the 7th house — a maraka house — is also ruled by Saturn.
Robert Svoboda
Cancer — is the sign of the Moon — an even, cardinal sign of water, the chest of the Cosmic Man (the Universal Form of the Supreme Lord — personified time). Its symbol is the crayfish or crab. As sign number four it indicates a need for mental and emotional stability, for harmony and a happy life.
People of this sign are, as a rule, friendly, full of sympathy for those around them, caring and tender, for Cancer is the sign of motherhood. Cancer natives value human association and the exchange of emotions, especially on an intimate and personal level. The home of a Cancer is usually full of guests, and the Cancer takes pleasure in feeding and welcoming them.
People of this type strive to win popularity. They are sensitive to the moods of the broad masses, thanks to which they can attain recognition and influence in society. However they are inclined to excessive emotional sensitivity, they can be overly shy and dependent. A Cancer loves their home and family, but sometimes this attachment becomes too strong and can narrow their outlook. They can nurture the same possessive love towards their community, country or religion.
Cancer natives are loyal and devoted, intuitive and very attentive to the feelings of those around them, they have a vivid imagination, however they are threatened by the danger of subconscious fixations and attachments. A Cancer is gentle in their dealings and tries not to cause harm to anyone, but they can easily become timid and once and for all take up a defensive position. They are modest and neat, but they may lack will-power, initiative and courage. Cancer natives are receptive and, having turned to the spiritual path, present a model of piety. They are inclined to perceive the whole world in the light of their religious conceptions. Having found a sense of connection with the higher, they become self-confident, enterprising and strong and can shine like the Moon, illuminating those around them with their radiance. A Cancer who has learned to perceive truth is capable of great service and great accomplishments.
David Frawley — «The Astrology of the Seers»
RESULTS OF BIRTH IN KARKA LAGNA [Cancer]
«Jataka-Bharanam»13:4. A person born in Karka Lagna loves to eat sweetish food, serves holy people, is modest and meek, inconstant, loves water sports or games in the water, grasps only the essence of things and is extremely generous.
Commentary: Karka [Cancer] is a watery Rashi [sign]. It is ruled by Chandra [the Moon]. It has a movable character. Since Karka belongs to Chandra, a person born with this Lagna is extremely emotional, sensitive and possesses the gift of imagination. By their character they are extremely loving and display great attraction and close relations. They are not a hypocrite (deceiver), they have an open heart, they create an atmosphere of attraction and closeness, they are full of sympathy. Human relations are very important to them. Their beloved is a person who is direct, truthful and without pretensions (false conceptions). At moments of crisis such a person has a need for a good and sincere friend, in order to receive support. Owing to their extremely loving character any opposition (hostility) and criticism inflicts a deep wound on them. If Chandra is endowed with strength in the chart of birth, then a person with this Lagna reads the thoughts and feelings of other people, they are a very capable psychoanalyst. They are naturally interested in religion and philosophy. Having a loving nature, they are quite incapable of causing harm to anyone. Therefore they are extremely companionable, friendly and can prove their usefulness to society by way of organising institutions of a social orientation.
The author of the treatise ‘Jataka-Parijata’ expresses the opinion: A person born in Karka-Lagna loves to eat sweetish food, loves to wear excellent clothes and jewels, speaks beautifully and elegantly, is religious, possesses a sharp mind, they have a heavy body, they love to take an interest in the various affairs of people.
According to the author of the book ‘Man-Sagri’ a person born under Karka Lagna enjoys sensual, physical pleasures, loves religion, is loved by all the people around them, they consume sweet food and sweet drinks and are physically beautiful.
Dhundhiraj — «Jataka-Bharanam»
