Questions related to serious relationships and marriage inevitably arise when you seek advice from an astrologer. Such as ‘when will you get married; ‘how long will the marriage last’ ‘will it be a happy union’?
There are a few typical combinations where marriage can be delayed or in rare cases, denied. But in the era that we live in many people can expect to marry more than once, especially if they married in their twenties.
And others would prefer to opt for unmarried, live-in committed relationships. And then there are those, who prefer casual flings, multiple partners, or even long-distance relationships.
Nowadays, denial is generally choice-driven rather than a forced circumstance. And unless you are from a very sheltered background, it is not really pre-destined as it perhaps once was when there was little choice and little freedom in society. In these times, where the profession and personal lifestyle is becoming more important, marriage is not mandatory anymore. And remember if marriage is essential to you, then you can opt for it at any stage of life, whether you are 30 or whether you are 70.
Either way, to see whether there is a delay in marriage, there are a number of factors to look at. One point to remember is before diving into the technical bit, including planets and combinations that delay marriage, there are some hindrances that most commonly show up due to self-created blocks. People can sometimes get stuck on factors that cause unnecessary blocks to marriage. For instance, they may place too much value on the following factors: what city their partner is from; what religion do they practice; what is their family background; what profession do they practice; and what is their age.
Rather the real test when we look at charts is the karmic connection strong enough to bring two people together and stay together. Generally speaking, we look at the lagna chart, the Moon chart, and the D-9 navamsha in a horoscope to determine this. And also, the dasha sequence of both people when they start the relationship, this is important and often overlooked.
Timing is everything: you can be in a positive dasha and your partner can have 10 flaws but things in life are going smoothly for you – therefore, you don’t see those flaws. On the other hand, you can be in a challenging dasha and not only do you see the 10 flaws that they have but you imagine even more flaws that perhaps don’t even exist but they get exaggerated in your mind.
Now lets start with the basics. What are the houses to look at for delays in marriage? The 7th house of course is the main and most important house to be examined as this is the house of committed relationships. Then, it is important to also see the conditions of the 2nd house, house of family; and 11th house, house of desire. I would say also look at 4th and 12th house – 12th house is used to calculate the Upapada Lagna, again signifying partner.
Now lets talk about the planets responsible for marriage delays. Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu, and a Malefic Moon (close to Amavasya) must impact the marriage houses. First, if they sit in the 7th house, they will cause delay. Second, if they aspect the 7th house, they will cause delay. Third, if these planets impact Venus, karaka of marriage, natural ruler of 7th, then again, this may cause delay in marriage. Fourth, if these planets sit with or aspect the 7th lord, this can also lead to marriage delay.
Out of all these, the most impactful delays are caused by Saturn and Ketu, which can dely or even deny marriage. If these two planets are impacting the 7th house, this can cause separation. The most challenging can be Saturn sitting in the 5th house, as it aspects both the 11th and 7th. But when Saturn is placed in the 7th house, it can bond a relationship later in life, so better to marry post thirties if possible. As well, where Saturn is your yoga karaka planet (for Taurus and Libra Ascendants), then the impact is not so bad.
Another factor to consider is the combustion of planets. So, if the 7th lord or Venus is close to the Sun, then this may delay marriage, but will not normally deny the marriage. In a women’s case, if Jupiter is too close to the Sun, then this can cause delays in marriage. Besides combustion, also pay attention to retrograde status, debilitation, affliction by the nodes, or planets involved in planetary wars. These issues can delay marriage but don’t normally deny marriage.
Yet another factor is the hemming of the 7th house or of 7th lord. Hemming of the 7th house by malefics, for instance, malefics present in the the 6th and 8th houses can hinder marriage, or create a loveless marriage with more focus on the professional life.
Are there any denial factors? I think it is very rare in this era where denial is without a conscious choice on the part of the individual. So for instance, if the entire dharma trikona houses (the 1st, 5th and 9th house/lords of the chart) is very powerful, the individual may remain unmarried because they want to focus more on themselves and their personal growth.
The other aspect that is worth examining is the power of the ascendant and its ruler as well as the Moon. If these three are well placed, problems in the chart are reduced in intensity even if you have malefics impacting 7th house, lord, and Venus. And further, where they are challenges due to the obstructing factors mentioned above, having a strong core can alleviate these problems to a large degree. In this way, the personality, the environment, the ‘fitting in’ and the emotional states are already self-sufficient for these individuals. So, if they decide not to get married due to disappointing or unfulfilling partners and relationships, they may not have to face the physical hardships of living life alone.
Also worth noting is if the planets in the horoscope are concentrated in fire and earth signs only, it can also delay marriage.
Now of course, one always has to examine the chart from the perspective of the Moon before making any conclusions. The Moon’s sign and its lord will give the emotional and comfort levels of the married state. Examine the position of Venus relative to the Moon, if it is in an uncomfortable axis, such as 6,8,12 from the moon, it may reduce the fulfilment in marriage.
There are some ascendant signs for whom relationships are easier whereas for other ascendants they can pose a difficult aspect of life. Starting with Aries, whose 7th house is Libra, ruled by Venus. Here, relationships would be relatively easy as Mars and Venus are compatible for marriage. Mars being fire and Venus being ghee, or the oil, that ignites the fire, and thus, it’s a natural match. For Taurus, whose 7th house is Scorpio, again, Mars and Venus blend well. Although for Taurus it is not as simple, because Scorpio has Ketu as co-ruler and thus, it is very important to analyse Ketu’s position in the chart.
What about Gemini? Their seventh house is Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter and Mercury don’t get along well – Mercury is fine with Jupiter but not the other way around. And being Gemini is a dual house, this can also suggest two marriages. The same is the case for Virgos, Pisces, and Sagittarius ascendants.
Now what about the remaining four ascendants? For Cancer and Leos, there is challenge and difficulty in one-on-one relationships. They both have Saturn as the ruler of their respective seventh house, Capricorn and Aquarius. Because the rulers of Cancer and Leos are the Moon and Sun, whose relationship with Saturn is inimical, they both take a lot of time to search and find a suitable partner. They can experience a lot of doubts, fears, and frustration with finding someone as they may feel that the person is their enemy; perhaps they don’t understand them, or perhaps their natures are too different.
Lastly, what about Capricorn and Aquarius? Is it the same frustration for them? Because its Saturn ruling these signs, the story is a bit different but the challenges remain. Saturn tends to think less of the others’ flaws so they tend to see the flaws but accept them more so.
The final factor to analyse for delays in marriage is the D-9 navamsha chart. There is an easy technique called Rashi Tulya to use here. Once you have identified the signs falling in the 1st house and 7th houses in the birth chart, check if any planet gets placed in these signs in the D-9. So for instance, you are Leo Lagna and Aquarius is your 7th house, have a look at which planets occupy Leo and Aquarius in your D9. If malefics occupy these signs in the D9, it can lead to delays in marriage
Also examine Venus, ascendant lord, 7th house lord and Moon in the D9, and the signs in which they are they placed. Place these signs back into the D1 rashi chart. If these signs occupy the 6th house, 8th house or the 12th house of the birth chart, then the concerned planets can cause the delay or in extreme cases, denial in marriage. This placement back into the D1 rashi chart from the D9 will also give you an indication of the quality of marriage once you are settled into life with your partner.
Finally, a very important factor that often gets overlooked in marriage is examining the dasha sequence. For instance if you have had a challenging dasha which denies marriage or is not connected to 7th house, lord, or 11th lord, in beneficial way, then this can delay marriage. In delayed marriages, favourable dashas and transits normally come late in life
These are some factors to analyse whether you will experience delays in forming official, committed relationships, such as marriage.
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