Parvata yoga
Parvata yoga is a classical yoga described with benefics in the kendras and the malefics placed in the dusthana houses. The name means mountain, in the sense of steadiness and height.
What it is
The standard description: benefics occupy kendra houses while the malefics stay in the 6th, 8th or 12th. The traditional readings describe a stable, respected life, with support from others.
How it is worked out or read
The site does not check parvata yoga. Its lists vary between the classical texts, so it should be checked against the text used.
Where it appears on this site
The houses are in the birth chart. The kendra article defines the kendras.
The usual definition
Parvata yoga, the mountain yoga, is described in classical texts in more than one way. A common definition is that benefics occupy the kendras, the first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses, while the sixth and eighth houses are either empty or occupied only by benefics. Another version found in some texts says the yoga forms when the lords of the Lagna and the twelfth house are in mutual kendras and aspected by benefics. Because the definitions differ, a reader should always state which version is being applied.
The name suggests height and stability: a mountain stands firm and is seen from far away.
What it is said to give
The classical results attributed to Parvata yoga include prosperity, a good reputation, a generous and charitable nature, eloquence and leadership in one's community. These descriptions are traditional and general, and the texts present them as what the yoga indicates when it is strong and not spoiled by other factors.
The idea behind the first definition is easy to follow. Benefics in the kendras strengthen the four pillars of the chart, and an empty or benefic sixth and eighth house removes two of the traditional sources of difficulty.
Checking it in a chart
To check the first definition, list the grahas in the first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses and confirm that they are benefics: Jupiter, Venus, a well-associated Mercury and a waxing Moon are the usual natural benefics. Then check the sixth and eighth houses. If any malefic occupies a kendra, or the sixth or eighth, the yoga in this form is not present. Many readers also check the dignity of the benefics involved, since a debilitated benefic gives a weaker version.
For the second definition, find the lords of the first and twelfth houses for the given Lagna and see whether they stand in kendras from each other.
Keeping it in proportion
Yogas of this kind describe a favourable pattern, but they are only part of the reading. A chart can show Parvata yoga and still show difficulties through the dasha, the transits or other combinations, and a chart without it can be strong in other ways. The yoga is best treated as one supportive feature noted alongside the rest of the chart, not as a promise on its own.