Argala = intervention or promotion. If a benefic planet occupies a house 2, 11, or 12 houses away from another planet, it creates argala—a supportive intervention that strengthens the second planet's influence.
Virodha Argala = counter-intervention or denial. If a malefic occupies a house 2, 11, or 12 houses away, it creates virodha argala—an intervention that blocks or delays the fruit.
Example: Jupiter (benefic) in the 11th from Lagna, and the 1st house (Lagna itself) has a raj yoga yoga combination. Jupiter's 11th-house placement creates argala to Lagna, promoting and strengthening the yoga. The native is more likely to manifest the yoga's power.
Counter-example: Saturn (malefic) in the 11th from Lagna, same scenario. Saturn's virodha argala to Lagna delays or obstructs the yoga. The native may have the yoga but experience difficulty or late fruition.
Argala and virodha argala apply to Karakamsha, Arudha Lagna, and all house significations. A strong AL yoga blocked by virodha argala means public recognition is delayed despite the native's talents.
The lesson teaches argala/virodha argala rules from Jaimini texts (specifically Sripati's commentary) and applies them to yoga interpretation. You will re-assess raj yogas from the previous lesson, factoring in argala and virodha argala to refine predictions.
Argala defined. Argala is intervention: planets or signs in particular positions relative to a reference sign that promote or obstruct its results. The primary argalas come from the 2nd, 4th and 11th from the reference, with the 5th and 8th recognised in some treatments.
Virodha argala. Each argala has a counter-position from which it can be blocked. The 12th opposes the 2nd, the 10th opposes the 4th, and the 3rd opposes the 11th. When the counter-position is more strongly occupied than the argala position, the intervention is neutralised.
Why this step cannot be skipped. An argala suggests that a yoga or house will deliver; virodha argala can cancel that. A reading that announces argala without checking for its counter is incomplete, and will overstate results in charts where the blocking positions are well tenanted.
Working method. For any sign under examination, list the occupants of the argala positions, then the occupants of the corresponding counter-positions, and compare. Write both columns out rather than assessing by eye, because the comparison is easy to get wrong from memory.