Jyotish Term
Drishti — दृष्टि
Short answer. Drishti is the Vedic term for a planetary aspect — the influence a graha exerts on other houses by its line of sight from its current position. Every graha aspects the 7th house from itself; Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have additional special aspects.
All grahas have a 7th-house drishti — they aspect the house directly opposite from their position. Three grahas have additional special aspects: Mars aspects the 4th and 8th houses from itself (with its 7th aspect), Jupiter aspects the 5th and 9th, and Saturn aspects the 3rd and 10th. These special aspects are considered as strong as the 7th aspect. Drishti is the Vedic equivalent of the Western concept of an aspect but works on a house-by-house basis rather than by orb-of-degrees: a planet 'sees' an entire bhava, not a single point. When a graha aspects a house, it brings its own significations into that bhava — Saturn's drishti delays and structures whatever the bhava signifies; Jupiter's expands and benefics; Mars's energises and contests. The lord of a bhava aspecting its own bhava is considered a powerful protective signature.
Related terms
- Graha — Graha is the Vedic term for a planet — literally meaning 'one who seizes' or 'one who grabs'. Vedic astrology recognises nine grahas: the seven classical planets plus the two lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu.
- Bhava — Bhava is the Vedic term for a house in the birth chart — one of twelve life-domain divisions. Each bhava governs a specific set of life themes: the 1st rules self, the 7th rules marriage, the 10th rules career, and so on.
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