Mṛtyu bhāga

One of the main sources of information on mṛtyu bhāga degrees is “Subtleties of Medical Astrology”, chapter 6 by Dr. K. S. Charak (2002). In that work, the mṛtyu bhāga points are given, together with the suggested distances in which to consider grahas as afflicted. These degrees and distances are summarized in the table below:

Another significant source of information is the translation and commentary on Jātaka Pārijāta by V. Subramanya Sastri. In that work, verse 1.57 gives the degrees for Candra, followed by a commentary discussing other sources of information for Candra and concluding with a summarizing table for all grahas. That table is the same as the table above, but the degrees for Candra are different in different texts.

For instance, verse 1.57 of Jātaka Pārijāta gives the following degrees:

Verses 10.47-50 of Sarvārtha Cintāmaṇi, translated into English by J. N. Bhasin (2002), give the following:

Verses 10.111-114 of Sārāvalī provide the following information:

Finally, Phaladīpikā, translated into English by V. Subrahmanya Sastri (1950), gives two different sets of degrees in verses 13.10 and 13.11. The latter set in verse 13.11 is the following:

The former set in verse 13.10 coincides with the degrees given in “Subtleties of Medical Astrology” and, according to the translation of Jātaka Pārijāta, is also the same as given in Bṛhat Prājāpatya:

For historical reasons, Chakra Darshana uses the table from “Subtleties of Medical Astrology” and the commentary in Jātaka Pārijāta. The Candra degrees are thus confirmed by Phaladīpikā 13.10 and Bṛhat Prājāpatya.

However, similar to puṣkara bhāga, there is also a question of how to interpret these degrees:

1. 21° means the range from 20° to 21° (the 21st degree);
2. 21° means the point at 21° and some vicinity around it.

In support of option (1) is the translation of Sarvārtha Cintāmaṇi by J. N. Bhasin, which explicitly uses the “21st degree” phrasing. There is also an email by P. V. R. Narasimha Rao from 2005, which suggests that in the tradition of Pt. Sanjay Rath mṛityu bhāgas are based on triṃśāṃśas (the 30th part of a rāśi).

In support of option (2) is “Subtleties of Medical Astrology” by Dr. K. S. Charak. There is also a series of four articles on mṛtyu bhāga in “Finer Techniques of Astrological Predictions”, lead by K. N. Rao as the guide and editor. The fourth article gives the same table of degrees as Dr. K. S. Charak, but the suggested distances are a bit shorter.

For historical reasons, Chakra Darshana implements option (2) with distances given in “Subtleties of Medical Astrology”.