A Strange Case of Infant Mortality

This is a nativity of an unfortunate child who could not surpass his third year of life and mysteriously died by drowning. Classical Jyotish treatises are filled with hundreds of thousands of balarishta yogas and their cancellation. However, in modern practice balarishata (i.e. affliction or death at childhood) is hardly focused, mainly on account of great abatement in infant mortality rate in last few decades. Yet, some children still die in their childhood by malnutrition, infection, illness or by accident.

Mentioned case belongs to a child who was born on Monday, September 7, 2009 at 2:20 PM in Karachi. He was the first progeny of his parents and very charming. He hailed from a lower-middle class family of Punjabi settlers. His father is a flower seller and mother is a household living in contented family. There is a canal-like open sewage drain running near the home of child. One fine evening of winter, two-and-half year old child came out of home with guests’ children and went near bank of deadly sewage canal. And within glimpse of eye the child slipped into running water of sewage. It was Saturday, January 7, 2012 around 4:45 PM. From Janma Nakshatra Revati, Mercury-Rahu antardasa was running at the time of death.

What makes this case strange is the missing of child’s dead body. Despite tireless efforts of rescue teams, child’s corpse could not find. Even after many weeks, no clue of child’s remain could trace out. This is indeed painful for the parents and family elders.

On the other hand, the sewage canal is generally known as haunted. There is a myth about the open sewage drain among inhabitants of that area. They say after cutting of an old Peepal tree at the bank, the naala (sewage canal) is turned into killer. Whenever any human drowns in it, his dead body disappears mysteriously. However, this is not the case with the dead bodies of drowned animals. The wavy sewage-canal is about 10 to 15 feet wide and flows like snake from north-east to south-west. It has no boundary or fence in the slum area. Within last few years the sewage-canal has swallowed 8 humans including said child.

Why child lost his life is self-evident from his natal horoscope. The birth chart may appear seemingly strong as it has some strong planets in kendra. But lagna, lagna lord and Sun are extremely afflicted, besides lagna in evil nakshatra Moola. The Sagittarius lagna is occupied by Gulika and Mandi. Moreover Sagittarius is the navamsa-rasi of maraka Saturn. However, the most afflicted condition is of lagna lord Jupiter, who is in neech rasi and associated with Rahu. Whereas Sun is relegated to neech navamsa Libra and Moon is in Capricorn navamsa. So luminaries are at their most undesirable navamsas. Another factor, I often notice is the yoga of Bhrigu Nadi that say closeness of Rahu and jeevakaraka Jupiter leads to early, sudden or mysterious death, provided there is no other ameliorating planet.

At the time of death, Mercury-Rahu antardasa was running. Mercury as 7th lord is maraka while Rahu being domicile in 2nd house is also maraka. Since death occurred during exalted dasanatha Mercury in 10th house therefore the news of mysterious death was covered by almost all national news channels in their headlines. There is another unique matter, child’s mother told me. The kid first touched the pencil and nursery rhyme book on the day of his death. In the fateful morning he started learning and in the very evening he died. This reminds the techniques of Lal Kitab that hints particular does and donts and upcoming events. Here dasanatha Mercury’s karakattavas appeared markedly but in fatal manner.

In Jyotish, 8th and 3rd houses are generally considered to judge to condition, state and place of death. Some authorities also focus dreskkaNa of 8th house, arudhapada of 3rd house (A3) and Swamsa (i.e. navamsa-rasi of atmakaraka). A commonly referred aphorism about death say: if 8th house be a watery sign and also occupied by watery planet, or if 8th lord be in watery sign then death will probably cause by drowning. Here in this chart of deceased kid, 8th house, occupant of 8th house, lord of 8th house, Moon, A3 and A8 fall in Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces – all watery abodes.

What I could not figure out is the disappearance of dead body in filthy sewerage water. I did not find appropriate astrological combination explaining the missing corpse of native. If any Jyotish expert or researcher knows such yoga then please share.