Siṁha is the fifth sign of the zodiac, ruled by the Sun according to Parāśara and Varāhamihira. (BPHS 3.12 · BJ 1.6) Parāśara and Varāhamihira class it as sthira, fixed, and Varāhamihira also places it among the odd, male and cruel signs. (BJ 1.11 · BPHS 3.5) Parāśara gives it the fire nature through the bile humour, and also assigns it the kṣatriya class. (BPHS 3.6) Varāhamihira assigns it to the eastern direction. (BJ 1.11)

Varāhamihira says Siṁha is śīrṣodaya, rising by the head, and strong by day. (BJ 1.10) Parāśara also includes Leo among the head-rising and strong signs, and calls it royal, large-bodied and four-footed. (BPHS 3.12) In the body of Kālapuruṣa, Varāhamihira assigns Siṁha to the belly, and Sārāvalī gives the same place in the sequence of the signs. (BJ 1.4 · SAR 3.5) Its figure is a lion according to Bṛhat Jātaka. (BJ 1.5)

Varāhamihira gives the colour of Siṁha as smoky grey. (BJ 1.20) The sign contains Maghā, Pūrvaphalgunī and the Siṁha part of Uttaraphalgunī in the standard zodiacal division used by the library. (BJ 1.4) There is no exaltation or debility of any graha in Siṁha in the verses given here. (BJ 1.13-14 · BPHS 2.46-52) Parāśara gives 0°-20° of Siṁha as the Sun’s mūlatrikoṇa, with the remaining 20°-30° as the Sun’s own sign. (BPHS 2.46-52)

A graha in Siṁha is read through the Sun’s rulership and through its dignity there. (BJ 1.13-14 · BPHS 2.46-52 · BJ 2.16-17 · BPHS 2.53-56 · Sārāvalī 4.28-29) By the friendship lists used in the library, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter are friends of the Sun, Mercury is neutral, and Venus and Saturn are enemies, so their placement in Siṁha is graded on that basis. (BJ 2.16-17 · BPHS 2.53-56 · Sārāvalī 4.28-29) For the Sun, placement in Siṁha means residence in its own sign, and in 0°-20° a stronger base as mūlatrikoṇa. (BPHS 2.46-52)

For birth with the Moon in Siṁha, Varāhamihira gives a sharp temper, thick jaws, broad face and tawny eyes. (BJ 17.5) He also gives few sons, hostility to women, taste for meat and forest wandering. (BJ 17.5) The same verse adds lingering anger, affliction from hunger, thirst, belly, teeth and mental distress, together with liberality, valour, steadiness, pride and obedience to the mother. (BJ 17.5) Sārāvalī gives a close parallel set of traits, adding broad chest, scanty hair, short tawny eyes and activity in towns as well as forests. (SAR 23.30)

Sārāvalī also gives the Moon in Siṁha under aspects. With the Sun’s aspect it gives high station, heroism, fame and enmity to kings. (SAR 23.31) With Mars it gives a fierce commander attended by people, wealth and vehicles. (SAR 23.32) With Mercury it gives feminine manner, submission to women, wealth, comfort and enjoyments. (SAR 23.33) With Jupiter it gives good family, learning, virtues and kingly status. (SAR 23.34) With Venus it gives women, wealth, disease, erotic skill and intelligence, and with Saturn it gives farming, poverty, false speech, fort-keeping and insignificance. (SAR 23.35 · SAR 23.36)

For Siṁha rising as lagna, Sārāvalī gives fondness for meat, honour and wealth from a king, attachment to family affairs and instability in righteousness. (SAR 47.18) It also gives a lion-like face, steadiness, gravity, courage, boldness, sparse speech, greed, striking others and hunger. (SAR 47.19) Other verses add movement in mountains and forests, passion, firmness in friendship, carelessness, victory over enemies, famous sons and reverence toward worthy people. (SAR 47.20) A further set gives wealth through agriculture or trade, large expenses, women, actresses, wives and dental disease. (SAR 47.21)

For other grahas in Siṁha, Bṛhat Jātaka says Mars there gives hardship, poverty, forest wandering and few wives or children. (BJ 18.7) The same text says Mercury in the Sun’s sign gives hatred from women, lack of wealth, happiness and sons, wandering, ignorance, lust and disgrace. (BJ 18.10) It says Jupiter in Leo makes one a commander of forces. (BJ 18.13) Sārāvalī gives the Sun in Siṁha as enemy-destroying, angry, energetic, brave, renowned, grave, steady in courage and wealthy. (SAR 22.34 · SAR 22.35) Sārāvalī gives Mercury there as eloquent and skilled in poetry, sciences and crafts, Jupiter there as wealthy, pure and scripturally skilled, Venus there as helpful yet anxious, and Saturn there as burdened, deceitful and worn by toil. (SAR 26.11 · SAR 27.12 · SAR 28.10 · SAR 29.10 · SAR 29.11)

In sign-based reading, Siṁha is one whole-sign house of every chart, and its topics depend on which house it is from the lagna. (BJ 1.15-16 · BJ 1.17-18) A graha placed here acts as a guest in the Sun’s sign, so friendship to the Sun conditions its ease. (BJ 1.13-14 · BPHS 2.46-52 · BJ 2.16-17 · BPHS 2.53-56 · Sārāvalī 4.28-29) A benefic friend such as Jupiter in Siṁha can gain support from the sign lord’s friendship, and Sārāvalī indeed gives Jupiter here wealth, purity and scriptural skill. (BJ 2.16-17 · BPHS 2.53-56 · SAR 27.12) An enemy such as Saturn is under strain in the Sun’s sign, and Sārāvalī gives toil, burden, deceit and want of happiness for Saturn here. (BJ 2.16-17 · BPHS 2.53-56 · SAR 29.10 · SAR 29.11 · SAR 29.49)

The condition of Siṁha in a chart depends greatly on the Sun, because the sign’s house results are carried by its lord. (BJ 1.15-16 · BJ 1.17-18) If the Sun is strong by sign dignity, especially in Siṁha and more so in 0°-20° mūlatrikoṇa, the houses counted from Siṁha gain support. (BPHS 2.46-52) If the Sun is weak or afflicted, the topics of the house occupied by Siṁha and the matters promised by grahas placed there are reduced or made harsher under the standard dignity method. (BJ 1.13-14 · BPHS 2.46-52 · BJ 1.15-16 · BJ 1.17-18) Vishwanathan reads the star lord as a second layer under the sign lord for planets in Maghā, Pūrvaphalgunī and Uttaraphalgunī within Siṁha. (BJ 1.4)

As a house from the lagna, Siṁha takes its place among the twelve whole-sign houses named by the classical house texts, and its effects depend on whether it is the 1st, 5th, 10th or another house in the nativity. (BJ 1.15-16 · BJ 1.17-18) As the lagna, Sārāvalī gives the bodily and temperamental marks already cited for Siṁha rising. (SAR 47.18 · SAR 47.19 · SAR 47.20 · SAR 47.21) As the Moon’s sign, it becomes the janma rāśi, and gochara is counted from it according to Phaladīpikā. (Phaladīpikā 26 · Gochara (transits), 26.2 and 26.24) Saturn’s passage over the 12th, 1st and 2nd from the Moon in Siṁha forms sāḍe sātī, which means Saturn in Karka, Siṁha and Kanyā by this method. (Phaladīpikā 26 · Gochara (transits), 26.2 and 26.24)

In Jaimini’s Chara daśā, each sign has its own period counted from the lagna, so Siṁha may run as one of the major sign periods according to the classical scheme. (BPHS 50 · Jaimini Sūtras 1.1.28) When Siṁha daśā runs, its results are read from the sign, the Sun as its lord, and the grahas occupying or aspecting it under the method being used. (BJ 1.15-16 · BJ 1.17-18 · BPHS 50 · Jaimini Sūtras 1.1.28) In transit from the Moon sign, the condition of Siṁha becomes active whenever major grahas cross it or key houses from it, because gochara is reckoned from the janma rāśi. (Phaladīpikā 26 · Gochara (transits), 26.2 and 26.24) The public-domain English rendering by Vijnanananda adds that a daśā beginning with the Moon in Siṁha gives work connected with land near forts, forests, roads and dwellings. (Bṛhajjātakam, Vijnanananda 8 · p. 163)

The verses to open first: BJ 17.5 · SAR 47.18 · BJ 18.7 · BJ 18.10 · BJ 18.13 · BPHS 2.46-52.

Related pages: Its lord Sun; its stars Maghā, Pūrvaphalgunī, Uttaraphalgunī; the signs either side, ♋︎ Karka and ♍︎ Kanyā; the sign opposite, ♒︎ Kumbha.