Page:Castes and Tribes of Southern India.djvu/95

Rh individual belongs to the animal to which the asterism under which he was born belongs. For example, a man is a horse if his asterism is Aswini, a cow if his asterism is Uththirattādhi, and so on. The animals of husband and wife must be on friendly terms, and not enemies.The elephant and man, horse and cow, dog and monkey,cat and mouse, are enemies. The animals of man and wife should not both be males. Nor should the man be a female, or the wife a male animal. 5. Rāsi (zodiacal sign).—Beginning from the girl's zodiacal sign, the young man's should be beyond the sixth.

6. Rāsyathipathi (planet in the zodiacal sign).—The ruling planets of the zodiacal signs of the pair should not be enemies. 7. Vasyam.—The zodiacal signs of the pair should be compatible, e.g., Midunam and Kanni, Singam and Makaram, Dhanus and Mīnam, Thulām and Makaram, etc.

8. Rajju (string).—The twenty-seven asterisms are arranged at various points on four parallel lines drawn across three triangles. These lines are called the leg, thigh, abdomen, and neck rajjus. The vertices of the triangles are the head rajjus. The asterisms of the pair should not be on the same rajju, and it is considered to be specially bad if they are both on the neck. 9. Vriksham (tree).—The asterisms belong to a number of trees, e.g.: —
 * Aswini, Strychnos Nux-vomica.
 * Bharani, Phyllanthus Emblica.
 * Krithikai, Ficus glomerata.
 * Puram, Butea frondosa.
 * Hastham, Sesbania grandiflora.
 * Thiruvonam, Calotropis gigantea.
 * Uththirattadhi, Melia Azadirachta.

