Astrology can be astonishing. We are well aware of the 5 primary elements – earth, fire, wind, water, space. Translated in Hindi, these are:
Earth (Prithvi)
Fire (Agni or Tejas)
Wind (Vayu)
Water (Jal)
Space (Akash)
Now there are 12 signs of the Zodiac – Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and finally Pisces. These have been grouped by our great sages into 4 elements.
AGNI: Rashis 1, 5, 9 – Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
EARTH: Rashis 2, 6, 10 – Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
AIR – Rashis 3, 7, 11 – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Water – Rashis 4, 8, 12 – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
What happens when water mixes with fire? There is a state of flux or constant change and steam is produced. This becomes a difficult realm or space for any planet to be situated in and the planet starts producing complex results much to the amazement of astrologers and the querist. This is indeed a difficult zone and it needs to be assessed very carefully. Astrologically, this space is called the GANDANTA. It is the cusp or the boundary point of an Agni Rashi and Jal Rashi.
The most difficult situation to be in
It happens in 3 areas in every birth chart across the world. As you may have guessed it correctly, it is transition phase from Cancer to Leo, Scorpio to Sagittarius and Pisces to Aries. Very strictly speaking, it is the space in a birth chart starting from the LAST ONE DEGREE each of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces to the FIRST DEGREE of Leo, Sagittarius, Aries respectively.
I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion. ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Any planet placed within the above two degrees in a birth chart is said to be in Gandanta and becomes highly potent and powerful to give results both good and bad. The extent of the goodness and worseness of the results can be very difficult to imagine as this could involve tremendous struggle for the native. You may imagine the Gandanta as a very tight knot which takes a lot of effort to unentangle and release the energies. The planet of course will give results prominently during its Dasha, Bhukti and Antara mainly.
