The Sage Parashara in his Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra has elaborately explained  the astrological yogas for past life curses in the ‘Purva-Janama-Sharap-Adhyay’. The chapter number 84 of  Parashara Hora Shastra has discussed at length  the 70 yogas which occurs due to curses from past life which gives childlessness to the native in present birth. Nowadays astrologers have started using the term ‘Pitra-Dosha’ for it and have over simplified these yogas for the reason that they can’t find it in the chart as they are difficult to memorise. There are 11 yogas for the curse by father from previous birth, 13 yogas for curse coming from mother, 13 yogas for curse coming from brother through past life Karma’s, 4 yogas for curse by maternal uncle (Mama), 7 yogas for curse from Brahmin (priest) , 11 yogas describing curse from wife (spouse) and 9 yogas which explain curse by the Preta or Evil Spirit in the previous life. These yogas are mainly for childlessness as per Sage Parashara but in practical experience it has been found that these yoga’s of curses of past life gives at times extreme delays or denial of marriage and many other family problems.

{Note: This article of mine was appeared in the January 2024 issue of the Modern Astrology Magazine. The same has been reproduce here for the readers of my blog}

The Sage Parashara in his ‘Hora Shastra’ has also given astrological remedies to remove the effect of these past life curses. These astrological remedies include donations, Mantra Japa, Puja, Yantra,  Planting trees, fasts (Upavaas) , performing ‘Shradha’ (Puja for ancestors) at Gaya ,  digging well and pond for water as a social service, going for pilgrimages,  serving cow and Brahmin etc. The Sage Parashara has specifically indicated that native having these yogas in his chart should himself do these remedies.

These curses of past life birth are due to our own bad Karmas which we can get-rid of by either patiently enduring them or by doing Praschit Karma (penance) with pure heart. Some of the  modern age astrologers has oversimplified these ‘Purva Janma Shrapa’ Yogas given by Sage Parashara and started addressing them as ‘Pitra Dosha’ in a horoscope indicating the placement of Rahu in certain houses or conjunction of Rahu- Ketu (nodes) along with luminaries (Sun and Moon) etc . The term ‘Pitra-Dosha’  is neither mention by Parashara or  by any other ancient authority in Hindu astrology classical texts. The same is with ‘Kaal-Sarpa-Dosha’ which is nowhere found in any major classical texts of Hindu Jyotish.

‘Karma Vipak Samhita’ is a classical text in the form of a discourse between Bhagwan Shiv and Devi Parvati in which lord has mention the curses of past lives based on birth in various Nakshatra Pada’s, which are 108, and their remedies. At present this classical text is available in Hindi only but it is not much popular among the savants of astrology for the reason that remedies mentioned in this text are of Vedic era which is extremely difficult to perform in modern times.

Now I will give some examples where I had found the curses of past lives mention in the Briha Parashara Hora Shastra.

Chart 1. A businessman and astrologer : Born August 19, 1975 at 05 h. 45 m. , at Ghaziabad ,  at 77 E 26, 28 N 40 with a balance of 4 years 3 months 29 days of Sun Dasha  at birth.

In Sloka number 9 of Purva Janma Shrap Adhya of Brihat Prashara it is mention that if Rahu is in the 5^th house under the aspect of Mars, then there will be childlessness due to the curse of a serpent. This yoga is applicable in the Cancer lagna horoscope (chart 1) given here. The native is elder among three siblings. He has one younger brother and a younger sister who is married. He himself is not yet married at the age of 48. One can see the yoga for denial of marriage in both Rashi  and Navamsha . In Rashi  chart there is an exchange of houses between 7^th lord Saturn and lagna lord Moon. In Bhava Chalit Moon has moved to the 6^th house and Saturn has gone to the 12^th house. In Navamsha  the 7^th house and its lord are under the join malefic aspect of both Mars and Saturn. The placement of natural malefic planets in the Janma lagna and Navamsha  lagan both is a yoga for lack of interest in marriage or conjugal life.

The native has done Msc. Mathematics, MBA (management), M.A. in Sanskrit. L.L.B (law degree)  and M.A. in Jyotisha. He was my batchmate at the Institute of Astrology Bharitiya Vidhya Bhavan in Delhi,  and now pursuing a PHD in Jyotisha from a central university. The Yoga of ‘Sarpa Shrap’ had kept him a bachelor. But the interesting thing here is that I have an identical horoscope of a person born on the same date, around same time but in a different city.

Chart 2. A lawyer by profession and astrologer : Born August 19, 1975 at 05 h. 20 m. , at Delhi, at 77 E 13, 28 N 40 with a balance of 5 years 4 months 3 days of Sun Dasha  at birth.

The Chart 2 of Cancer lagna given here is of a professional lawyer who was born in the family of Uttarakhand Brahmin’s and he is well initiated into astrologer since young age. He is also elder among three siblings like the native of chart 1 discussed earlier. But his younger brother and sister both are unmarried till now  though they have crossed the age of 40. The classical ‘Sarpa Shrapa’ is also present in his horoscope as Rahu is in the 5^th house and there is an aspect of Mars on it. But this native got married in November 2010 (Rahu Dasha  and Venus Bhukti) and also had two children (a girl and a boy) afterwards. Now the question comes why did he had children even though the ‘Sarpa Shrapa’ was present in his chart like it was in chart 1 discussed earlier?

The native has Cancer lagan rising with Aquarius Navamsha . His Rashi  chart has same combinations for delay or denial of marriage like it is in chart 1 but in his Navamsha  we have Venus, the karaka for spouse, in the 7^th house of marriage. Also, Jupiter aspect the 7^th house of marriage in Navamsha  chart and there is no influence of a malefic planet on the Navamsha  lagan so he had the desire to get married unlike the native of chart 1. It has been observed that when Janma lagna and Navamsha  lagan both are under the influence of a natural malefic planet and the Karaka Venus is afflicted along with the 7^th house and its lord  then native don’t have much interest in getting married. This condition is applicable in chart 1  but not in the chart 2 as there the Navamsha  lagna had changed.

He got married in Rahu Dasha  and Venus Bhukti in November 2010. Also notice here in Navamsha  the Rahu has moved into the 6^th house so the ‘Sarpa Shrapa’ yoga in Rashi  chart has become weak as compare to the native of chart 1 where the Rahu and Saturn were in the 5^th house of Navamsha  giving him denial of marriage and also children.

As per my knowledge none of these two persons having ‘Sarpa Shrapa’ in their charts has never performed ‘Nag Devta’ Puja as mention in Briha Parashara Hora Shastra’s Purva Janma Shrapa Adhyay.

Chart 3. A politician  and stock market trader : Born July 16, 1955 at 22 h. 47 m. ,  at 80 E 17, 13 N 05 with a balance of 1 years 1 months 25 days of  Moon Dasha  at birth.

The chart 3 given here is of a politician and stock market trader. His son consulted me to find out what yoga’s in his father’s horoscope is obstructing him to get success in political filed and had given him huge losses in stock trading ? His son, who knows some basics of astrology, had consulted many astrologers but none was able to explain technically why his father had to suffer big financial losses during the period from year 2000 to 2020 despite the fact that he was under the Maha Dasha  of an exalted Saturn (September 1997 to September 2016) followed by Mercury period which is in own sign in Gemini in his Pisces lagna horoscope.

This native’s son told me that his father is also suffering from 6 to 7 health issues like constipation, piles, leg pain, cough problem etc. since 2002. The family was under debts as this native’s son was also having some financial issues. In his Pisces lagna chart 5^th lord Moon was in its Moola Trikona sign Taurus and was in its own Navamsha . Then there was a “Dhana” Yoga of lagan lord Jupiter exalted in the 5^th house along with 9^th lord Mars. But none of the yoga’s were showing its effects as their Maha Dasha  was not present.

I examined his chart and told him “ Rahu in the sign of Jupiter  and Jupiter in the 5th house under affliction is classical ‘Brahma Shrapa’ as per Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra Purva Janma Shrapa Adhayaa Chapter number 84 and Sloka Number 72”.  As per Sage Parashara Brahma Shrapa (course by Brahmin) occurs when a person had insulted a Brahmin or a learned man in his previous birth.

This ‘Brahma Shrapa’ in this case had get aggravated in Saturn Dasha   which is giving aspect to Rahu in the sign of Jupiter and is also giving aspect to the Jupiter placed in the 5^th house.  Saturn is afflicted by the aspect of Mars in Rashi  chart. In Navamsha  Saturn is debilitated and is in conjunction with Rahu there.  Mercury Maha Dasha   was also not giving him favourable results as it is in the Navamsha  of Saturn and under the influences of both Mars and Saturn’s aspect there.

I asked the son of this native to perform  “Chandrayaan Vrata as  a remedy for this Brahma Shrapa . Doing service of holy cow is also recommended in this case as per Sage Parashara. Any member of the family can perform these remedies”. The son of this native had performed these remedies and told me after 2 years that his father’s health improved  but there was not much relief in financial condition of the family.

I was able to locate the Brahma Shrapa  in this chart with the help of my astrology software as it is obvious that we can’t remember all the 70 yoga’s of  ‘curses in the past life’ given in the Purva Janma Shrapa Adhyaya of Parashara Hora Shatra. After checking in the software, I always do find the yoga manually along with the remedies mention for the same, so that to  to avoid any mistake at my side.

Chart 4. A government servant : Born November 6, 1988 at 19 h. 45 m. ,  at 77 E 01, 28 N 59 with a balance of 4 years 10 months 19 days of  Moon Dasha  at birth.

The chart 4 of Taurus lagna given here is of a government servant. He is M.Tech in electronics engineering which is amply clear from the aspect of Mars on the 5^th house and the 5^th lord, which is Mercury the karaka for communication along with Sun. In Jupiter Dasha  and Jupiter Bhukti, he got the government job of Tehseeldar (officer in village) in Rajasthan state when he was 31 years of age. He met me in April 2023 when he was 36 and still unmarried. My attention goes to the 9th house in ‘Paap Kartari Yoga’ , lagna lord Venus debilitated , Moon and the 2^nd house both getting aspects of hard malefic planets Mars and Saturn. What does it was showing? I asked him did any female member in your parent’s family suffered from unnatural death?  He got surprised and told me that his Bua (father’s sister) was murdered sometimes in the late 1980’s. He also told me that in his family since last 3 generations women had terrible married life. His own two sister’s had failed marriages.

I further probe into this matter and found ‘Matru-Shrapa’ (curse of mother in previous birth) in his birth chart as mention in Chapter 84, Sloka number 36 of Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. In his chart  the lord of 5th house is in the 6th house and lord of lagna is debilitated and Moon is getting aspect of a malefic planets which is ‘Matru-Shrapa’ yoga as mention in Purva Janma Shrapa Adhyay of Parashara Hora. The lord of 4^th house in Rashi  and Navamsha  is afflicted so the ‘Matru-Shrapa’ yoga aggravated more which resulted into lack of peace and harmony in the family. Gayatari Japam and Puja of ‘Peepal’ (fig tree) was given as a remedy for ‘Matru-Shrapa’ .

Chart 5. A consultant and Auditor  : Born September  16, 1977 at 06 h. 53 m. ,  at 85 E 20, 23 N 21 with a balance of 1 years 5 months 15 days of  Mars Dasha  at birth.

This young lady was my senior when I was studying in astrology institute during 2006-2009. Her both parents are experienced mining engineers and she has done PHD in Hydrogeology and Mining from IIT Delhi. She is single child of her parents and run a successful consulting company at Delhi. At the age of 45 she is still unmarried which is the biggest concern for her parents. Ketu in the 7^th house and the 7^th lord Jupiter getting afflicted by malefics in both Rashi  and Navamsha  was major obstacle in marriage. Then the presence of Sun, Saturn and Mercury in the 12^th house is also very unhelpful for marriage prospects.

But then there is an exchange of houses between 2^nd lord Venus and 11^th lord Moon which was showing some hope for marriage. I made a forecast for her that during Saturn Dasha  and Venus Bhukti from December 2019 to February 2023 she will surely get married but this prediction went wrong. When I looked for the yoga of past life curses in Purva Janma Shrap Adhya,  I found a yoga given in Sloka number 12 fully applicable in her chart. As per this yoga of Sarpa Shrapa (course of serpent) ‘If Jupiter the karaka for child is associated with Mars,  and Rahu is in the lagna and the lord of 5^th house is in ‘Dusthana’ i.e. 6^th, 8^th or 12^th then it is Sarpa Shrapa’.

Apart from this a Yoga for ‘Pitra Shrapa’ i.e. curse of father from previous life was partially applicable in her chart. As per this yoga given at the Sloka number 26 of Purva Janma Shrapa Adhyay, ‘if the lord of the 10^th house is in 6^th, 8^th or 12^th house and Jupiter is in malefic Rashi  and the lord of the lagna and the 5^th are associated with malefic planets then ‘Pitra Shrapa’ occur’.

The ‘Sarpa Shrapa’ and ‘Pitra Shrapa or Curse of Father from Previous Birth’ apply in this case which as per Sage Parashara gives lack of child birth. These two yoga’s of past life curses, along with other factors, made her remain single despite best efforts to get married.