The stars are shining brightly. Romance is in the air. The first kisses have been exchanged. Something is definitely about to happen. And then it hits you:
is now a good time to have sex? Or rather: is now a good time to have sexual intercourse if you want to increase the chances of conceiving a child of a certain gender? And then perhaps: what if we have sexual intercourse and now is actually not an auspicious time?
The answer to the first question is maybe simple, but the second and third require more consideration. For centuries humans have pondered these questions and, in fact, often asked the stars and planets for guidance.
Arpan Guha. Source: Mariana Chisté Reinhardt, 2026.
Astral Predictions of Gender and Sexuality in Medieval India
A new research project by ASTRA Postdoctoral Fellow Arpan Guha explores how these questions have manifested themselves in three works on medieval Indian astrology: Jātakapārijāta, Muhūrtacintāmaṇi, and Sarvārthacintāmaṇi. Composed in the fifteenth century by Vaidyanātha Daivajña, the third chapter of Jātakapārijāta outlines coital timing, natal astrology, and explicitly describes specific planetary positions that indicate the birth of diverse gender identities and sexualities. The fifth chapter of the Muhūrtacintāmaṇi, composed by Rāma Daivajña in the early seventeenth century, details in explicit terms the ideal astrological timings for both sexual intercourse and marriage. Parts of Veṅkaṭeśa’s Sarvārthacintāmaṇi, a mid-seventeenth century text, predict and explain gender identity and gender-variant births.
While scholars have long examined astrology as a special area within the field of astral sciences and, from another perspective, studied sexuality in Sanskrit literature, there is surprisingly little work on how ideas of erotic practices, gender determination, and sexuality functioned within astrological discourse. Guha is determined to change that.
Drawing on gender studies, sexuality studies, erotics, āyurveda, and the history of science, with a particular focus on Sanskrit literature, Guha undertakes a translation and close textual analysis of these texts to uncover how discussions of marriage, auspicious timing, sexual intercourse, and reproductive outcomes are connected. Guha is particularly interested in how planetary configurations determined gender and embodied characteristics of offspring, and how deviation from prescribed timing was understood to result in diverse gender identities and embodied differences.
Miniature painting depicting lovemaking between Nāgajī and Nāgavantī. From the manuscript titled ‘Nāgajī nai Nāgavaṁtī rī Bāta’, a folk tale detailing the love story of the royal couple. Colenda Digital Repository, Ms. Indic, University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
The Many Ways of Having Sexual Intercourse in Sanskrit Texts
What Guha has discovered might surprise you! As it turns out, medieval Indian Sanskrit texts on astrology had a lot to say about when to have sexual intercourse and the gender of the offspring. It all depended on how the planets were classified and how they were aligned.
While there is no definitive explanation of how or why certain planets came to be classified as masculine, feminine, or neuter, the concept appears to have existed from a very early period. “Since each planet symbolizes particular qualities and aspects of life,” Guha explains, “it is possible that the astrological tradition assigned a gender to each planet based on these symbolic characteristics.” For example, stars and planets such as the Sun, Jupiter, and Mars were considered masculine, while the Moon and Venus were feminine, and Mercury and Saturn were believed to be neuter.
Darśana. The image shown here depicts a mother and her newborn child. Source: Colenda Digital Repository, Ms. Indic, Provided by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
Through his analysis of the Jātakapārijāta, Muhūrtacintāmaṇi, and Sarvārthacintāmaṇi, Guha explains that if masculine planets were aligned in a certain way, this would indicate the birth of a male offspring. By contrast, if the Moon or Venus were configured auspiciously, this would result in a female offspring.
Perhaps more surprising, according to Guha, these texts describe six planetary configurations that predicted the birth of a hermaphrodite or eunuch offspring. Mercury possessed both masculine and feminine characteristics such as intellect, eloquence, communication, and calculation, while Saturn was associated with old age, detachment, slowness, and endurance, characteristics that are not productive and may therefore be regarded as neuter. So, if these six planetary configurations were perfectly aligned, your offspring would most likely be neuter or gender-variant.
Nāgajī nai Nāgavantī rī Bātā. The image depicts the marriage ceremony of Nāgajī and Nāgavantī. Source: Colenda Digital Repository, Ms. Indic, Provided by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
Sexing the Astral Sciences
To fully understand how astrology functioned as a knowledge system integrating sexual practice, reproduction, gender determination, and social conduct, a close analysis of medieval Indian Sanskrit texts is needed. Guha’s translation and close analysis of natal astrology texts such as the Jātakapārijāta, Muhūrtacintāmaṇi, and Sarvārthacintāmaṇi shed new light on astral influences on gender and sexuality in ancient India.
So, the next time you are about to have sexual intercourse—especially if you are planning to have children—consider the timing and ask the stars and planets for advice. Or even better, ask the stars and planets before you contemplate having sexual intercourse. It might impact the gender and future of your offspring.