Visha Kanya (literally, “poisonous maiden”) comes from a reprehensible practice of yesteryear in which kings placed girls whose horoscopes promised widowhood. These girls were kidnapped at a young age and fed many types of poisons in gradually increasing doses to make them immune to its deleterious effects. When they hit puberty, these girls were completely toxic and ready to use. The king who had led the process was ready to present one of these Visha Kanyas to anyone he wanted to kill, as any man who embraced such a lady would die after a very short time. One legend holds that Aristotle warned Alexander the Great about the dangers of these “poisonous virgins”; another suggests that Alexander died as a result of the embrace of a Visha Kanya that was bestowed upon him as tribute by the defeated King Porus.
Obviously, no one would want to marry a poisonous damsel, because she would be a widow almost as soon as her husband stroked her for the first time. Even after the process of “intoxicating” those girls was extinguished, the fear of marrying women with what are reputed to be Visha Kanya combinations on their charts remained alive. As with Kuja Dosha, part of the effect that the legend of a Visha Kanya produces is probably due to cultural and psychological factors, and fear of the deleterious influence of such astrological Visha Kanyas tends to produce a
self-fulfilling prophecy of marital destiny. Unfortunately, in some quarters, this Visha Kanya designation is still used indiscriminately to qualify certain women as unfit for marriage. It is still occasionally read in Indian books that women who have Visha Kanya combinations should be avoided as marriage partners. Some claim that males born during these combinations will destroy their families and clan, and that females will destroy their husbands.
o On a Saturday, Sunday or Tuesday that is a Dvitiya (the second tithi or day of the lunar fortnight), when the Moon occupies Ashlesha, Shatabhisha or Krittika nakshatras;
o On a Sunday that is a dvadashi (twelfth tithi), when the Moon occupies Shatabhisha;
o On a Tuesday that is a Saptami (seventh tithi), when the Moon occupies Vishakha;
o When the Moon in Bharani falls on a Sunday, the Moon in Chitra on Monday, in Mula on Tuesday, in Dhanishtha on Wednesday, in Jyeshtha on Thursday, in Purva Ashadha on Friday or in Revati on Saturday;
o When Saturn occupies the Ascendant, the Sun is in the fifth bhava and Mars is in the ninth bhava.
Maharshi Parashara, who obviously preferred stricter conditions for this combination, defines Visha Kanya as any birth that occurs:
o On a Sunday that is dvitiya (the second tithi, or day of the lunar fortnight), when the Moon occupies Ashlesha;
o On a Saturday that is a Saptami (seventh tithi), when the Moon occupies Krittika.
o On a Tuesday that is a dvadashi (twelfth tithi), when the Moon occupies Shatabhisha.
Although true Visha Kanya combinations are quite rare, a modern interpolation that readers may wish to take a break is our observation that the few people who do have them are often prone to addiction, allergy, or some other variety of hypersensitivity. Visha Kanya combinations can, for both men and women, promote increased susceptibility to alcohol, drugs or tobacco, lactose intolerance, environmental and emotional sensitivities, food abuse and other hyperactive states.