Mangal Dosha: Analysis of its different aspects

S N Rao

Mangal Dosha is an astrological combination that occurs when Mars occupies the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th, or 12th house in a birth chart. Some even consider the 2nd house as well.

The planet Mars has got 100% aspect over the 4th house, 7th house and 8th house. The 1st house rules the physical body, 4th house rules the happiness in the house, 7th house rules the marriage, 8th house rules the longevity and 12th house rules the bed pleasures. The type of Mangal dosha and its effect will depend on the placement of Mars in the birth chart, the lord of the sign which it owns and its aspects to the houses.

Common beliefs: This condition is believed to be devastating for marriage, causing discomfort and tension in relationship, leading to separation and divorce. It is believed to cause untimely death of one spouse.  Some believe that one Manglik should only marry another Manglik, the idea being that two negatives cancel each other out, creating a positive. People also believe in "Poojas" that can be performed to allow Manglik and Non-Manglik to marry each other. There are also beliefs that astrological remedies (Upayas) can be used to resolve this Mangal Dosha. An increasing number of individuals are placing less emphasis on such unscientific ideas during the selection of a life partner, as evidenced from the data from online matrimony sites. However, there is still a pretty large following of people who give importance to Manglik Dosha.

As there are 12 houses in a horoscope and Mars in 6 houses causes Mangal Dosha, it simply means that 50% of the people born have Kuja Dosha of some level. Hence it goes without saying that this Mangal Dosha is not something which will ruin a person. The prevalent misconceptions are that, if a person has a malefic mars it will either ruin the marriage or will cause one's death or the death of the partner. Especially if a girl has Kuja or Mangala Dosha, called "Mangali", she is looked upon as a devil by the mother-in-law. This is not always true.

Half-baked knowledge is dangerous. A proper understanding of Mangal Dosha can help avoid post-marital problems. Mars is a planet that represents fire. It causes a Mangal dosha in the chart because it tends to ignite the house in which it is placed and over which it has 100% aspect. The placement of mars in the aboves disrupts the relationship between a husband and wife; causing rift, tensions and in some cases death of one spouse. Mars is a planet of valour and vigour and if occupies in the lagna, it makes the person brave and headstrong. Why should then these qualities work against a relationship? Maybe because then people become uncompromising as well. Mars alone would not decide the fate of the relationships. The placement of all the planets has to be studied as it modifies the impact of mars and gives a blended effect.

The planet Mars symbolizes courage, aggression, vitality, confidence, fighting spirit and warrior qualities.  If Mars is placed in any of these 6 houses, it gives aggressive tendencies to either the person or the spouse. In certain cases if Mars is malefic to the native, it also gives danger to life, provided that other bad combinations are also present. These two are the main negative qualities. In the olden days the ideal wife was regarded as one who is meek, obedient and submissive. Hence a girl with the prominent mars so called mangal dosha, is likely to have courage and fighting spirit. In the present changed circumstances it is foolishness of the highest order to be scared simply because one has Mangal Dosha.  Mangaliks are perfectly normal humans who lead normal lives. It only means that the person has strong energies and needs an equally strong spouse.

However, Mangal Dosha is not something that can be ignored. It does cause marital discord. Before marriage it is very essential to match horoscopes for Mangal Dosha. If a person Mangal Dosha in the horoscope the spouse must also have Mangal Dosha. This way the Dosha is cancelled. Otherwise both should be without any Mangal Dosha. 

Mangal Dosha is nullified if certain astrological requirements are met with in the horoscope. The second solution is to let a strong Mangalik marry another strong Mangalik. Sage Parashara, one of the founders of astrological principles, wrote: "If a woman with the widowhood yoga marries a man with a similar yoga of loss of spouse, then such yoga will get cancelled." (Brihat Parasara Hora Shastra, chapter 81, verse 48). Then there are rules for exception for Mangal dosha. These rules for exceptions should be studied carefully before stating the malefic effects of Mangal dosha.