In Vedic Astrology, a war is said to take place between 2 planets that are within one degree of each other. This is called Graha Yuddha. A war can only happen among the five true planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Venus, and Mars.
According to Brihat-samhita, written by Varahamihira in the 6th century, the winner is the planet that’s the brightest and most Northernly. Some software will show brightness as magnitude, using a logarithmic scale where the lower the number, the brighter it is. Venus is so bright, it often is said to win even when being more southern.
War is a disturbing conflict. Just as in real life, a war can cause immense damage for all involved. While the winner gains a great advantage, and the loser is left bleeding or worse. A war in a natal chart is a powerful and significant affliction. The conflict is seen through the houses owned by the 2 planets and their karaka qualities. To determine just how bad this will be, we need to assess whether are there other disturbing factors, like :
1 – being in a bad trik house, 6th, 8th or 12th houses?
2 – is it hemmed, aspected, or associated with malefics?
3 – combusted by the Sun?
4 – is either of the planets in this war part of an undesirable yoga?
The bad results are lessened if there is benefic influence by aspect, association, or by being hemmed by benefics. What we see in all of my examples below is that the losing planet is still able to give some good results.
Adolf Hitler has a war in his chart and is famous for starting WWll. His war was between his lagna lord Venus and Mars, Venus wins. Hitler was violent, sadistic, hateful, conflicted, angry, and emotionally exaggerated. These are all the negative qualities of Mars. While his Mars was afflicted, his Mars was in his own sign and in yogas, so his military might still came through. Two malefics contribute to Mars’s affliction, as well as every dustana lord. All of this, and more, brought out a historically catastrophic time for the world and ended in the violent destruction of Germany and Hitler himself. The war takes place in his 7th house, the house of romantic partner and marriage. His romantic partners from earlier in his life met mysterious violent deaths. He didn’t marry until the very end of his life, just before he and his wife killed themselves.
Woody Allen has a war in his 4th house, between the lord of the 2nd house Mercury (indicating family) and Jupiter lord of the 5th house (indicating children). Saturn lord of the 7th house (indicating wife) exactly aspects the war! Saturn is powerful and makes a lust combination with the Moon. And the Sun, the lagna lord, combusts the war. His wife and his child have accused him of child rape. This has sunk his career and ripped his family apart. Jupiter is the lord of the 8th house and he will be remembered for sexual scandal.
Jerry Garcia was a legendary guitarist. He had a planetary war in the 10th house with Jupiter, lord of the 7th house of marriage and sex, and Venus the significator for marriage, sex, and romance. Jupiter is the karaka of children. He was married 4 times and had endless affairs with many women. He spawned at least 6 children. He was a drug addict and a practicing hedonist who embraced the hippy culture of free love and anti-authority. The 4th house is morals and his were typical of an addict. He was busy with his career and his kids were mostly ignored. He enjoyed worldwide fame, see the Amala yoga in the 10th, which gave him a devoted fan base that grew larger and larger until his death. His rise of fame exploded at the age of 18, when his Vimshottari Venus dasa and his Sagitarrius Chara dasas started. He has many yogas, including many Jaimini yogas. After his death there remained a chaos of lawsuits and anger among his many women and children.
