Q: Please explain this concept. Is it valid? For example, since the 5th is 2 houses from the 4th, it is the “house of gain” for the 4th House (mothers gain through their children) and since it is 12 houses from the 6th, it is the “house of loss” for the sixth.

A: Think about it yourself. Just apply it to all 12 houses and ask two questions: (1) does it always work well? (2) does it explain everything about the houses or only some weird quirk about them.

Try it on the 5th house: the 4th is its “house of loss.” Does this mean that mother’s bring loss to children???

Try it on the 2nd house: the 1st is its “house of loss.” So, what do we say? “The body reduces our health”???

Try it on the 11th house: the 12th is its “house of gain.” Um, what does that mean? “Expenses are good for profit”????

Maybe you can find weird quirks about these houses to make something sensible so you can ignore the parts that make zero sense? How quirky do you have to be to spin this into something that sounds like it is meaningful and sensible? (very quirky, I think). But “quirky” gets likes, so maybe that’s why this idea has some popularity.

Followup Question: Then why is the 2nd lord a maraka (significator of death)?

A: Please first ask why the 7th lord is the other maraka. When you answer that correctly, you will also understand the 2nd lord.

The 1st house signifies birth. The lord of the opposite house (7th lord) signifies the opposite when it has certain transits (for example, when it transits the 1st). Now use the same exact principle for the 2nd. It is opposite from where? 8! The 8th house is ayuṣa-bhava – the house of longevity and vitality. The lord of the opposite house (2nd lord) signifies the opposite, when it transits the 8th house.

I don’t even know how you would explain why the 2nd lord is a maraka using bhavat-bhavam. How?

Followup: The 2nd house is the 8th house from the 8th house.

I think someone is miscounting. The 2nd house is the 7th house from the 8th. The 3rd house is the 8th from the 8th house. And the 2nd is the 12th from the 3rd. So, if you want to explain the 2nd being a maraka using bhavat-bhvam you have to say “the 8th is for longevity. The 7th is its 12th, so it is antithetical to longevity. The 8th from the 8th is really deeply about longevity. the 2nd is its 12th, so is also antithetial to longevity.

Followup: Is that not an excellent explanation?

A universal scientific principle (“occam’s razor”) says that simpler explanations are better than complicated explanations. This bhavat-bhavam explanation for marakas is quite a lot more complicated than mine.

Also a universal scientific principle is not to be selective in your proofs. This bhavat-bhavam theory for marakas stops at the 8th from the 8th. Why? Why not go to the 12th from the 8th of the 8th of the 8th and thereby declare the 9th lord to be the newly discovered third maraka! (I smell a popular YouTube video in the works here!).

Followup: But aren’t you also using bhavat-bhavam in your explanation?

No. I am using a much simpler principle: opposition.

Followup: Is bhavat-bhavam useful for anything?

Yes, it is useful for confusing people so you can sound smart because you confidently say things they can’t understand.

It has a valid use as well. Use it for what it is: the very concept, bhavat-bhavam, is to about the relationship between things The phrase bhavat-bhavam literally means “a place relative to another place.” This is where it is useful: in understanding relationships between things. For example, if for whatever reason you need to consult the stars about your mother’s brother’s wife, you can start at the 4th house (mother), count three (the house number for siblings) to wind up at the 6th (mother’s brother), and then count 7 (the house number for spouse) to wind up at the 12th (mother’s brother’s wife).