KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Almost all cultures believe that marriages are divine arrangements — but the Hindu community does not leave things to chance when it comes to weddings.
They go a step further to check if the stars are truly aligned for a couple before they tie the knot.
Traditionally, when a marriage proposal is being considered, parents of the bride and groom consult a qualified astrologer to check the compatibility between the bride and groom's horoscopes (jathagam).
The astrologer would then predict the compatibility of the couple based on how well their horoscopes match in 10 different aspects or poruththams.
His verdict can often make or break the arrangement, especially in marriages that are arranged through traditional matchmaking.
Here’s a quick guide to how Hindu astrology works for those who are not familiar with the matter.
Hindu Astrology 101: How is your horoscope chart created?
The Hindu astrology consists of four important elements: the navagraha (nine planetary deities), raasi (zodiac sign), nakshatram (star) and lagnam (ascendant).
Traditionally, there are nine planetary deities, but the list does not exactly correspond to the nine planets recognised in modern astronomy.
Only Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn are recognised modern planets in the navagraha, while the remaining four deities are the Sun, the Moon, and two shadow planetary deities — Rahu and Ketu.
Similar to the English zodiac signs, the Hindu system also has 12 raasi with corresponding names and symbols, but unlike the English zodiac, a person’s raasi is not determined by their birth month.
Instead, it is assigned based on a person’s date, time and place of birth.
There are also 27 stars distributed across the 12 zodiac signs, each ruled by a specific deity.
The jathagam is a birth chart that identifies a person’s zodiac sign, star, ascendant, and the positions of the nine planetary deities across 12 divisions — known as houses — which indicate different aspects of life, along with the positive and negative effects linked to each planetary movement.
So, what are the 10 ‘poruththams’?
The 10 poruththams include:
1. Dhina poruththam — indicates the longevity and health of the couple
2. Magendra poruththam — indicates blessings of good progeny
3. Gana poruththam — indicates the nature and temperaments of the couple
4. Streedherka poruththam — indicates blessings of wealth for the couple
5. Yoni poruththam — indicates sexual compatibility of the couple
6. Rasi poruththam — indicates overall prosperity of the relationship
7. Rasi athipathi poruththam — indicates the compatibility between the planetary deities ruling the bride and groom’s zodiac signs.
8. Rajju poruththam — indicates longevity of the husband’s life after marriage
9. Vasiya poruththam — indicates mutual attraction between the partners
10. Vedha poruththam — indicates the possibility of the couple facing illnesses and hardships after marriage.
However, astrologer Manokaran Singgaram, 72, stressed that a couple need not necessarily have a perfect match for all 10 aspects to get married.
The Penang-based astrologer, who has over 50 years of experience in the field, said astrologers generally approve a marriage proposal if the couple has good rajju poruththam, rasi poruththam, yoni poruththam and vasiya poruththam.
“The most important thing is that the bride and groom must enter the marriage with their hearts and minds aligned,” Manokaran said.
“A perfect horoscope match does not necessarily guarantee a happy marriage. It actually depends on how well the husband and wife can understand and accommodate each other.”
