Astakvarga

Secrets of Ashtakavarga revealed

Ch. 66. AshtakaVargaa

1-4. Maitreya said: O Venerable Sage! You have described many kinds of
effects, relating to the Planets and Houses, after incorporating the views of
many sages and Acharyas, but it is not possible to say with certainty, if a
particular effect is quite correct, after considering the contradictions in the
effects by the movements of the various Planets. As because of sinful deeds,
committed by people in Kaliyuga, their minds have become blunt, be kind
enough to describe a method, which would enable even the shallow minded
persons to ascertain their happiness and sorrows and determine their longevity
on the basis of the positions of the Planets in transit.

5-6. The sage replied: O Brahmin! You have put a very intelligent question. I
will now describe the Shastra for the benefit of all, the Shastra, in which there
will be no contradictions in judging the effects of happiness and sorrows and
for determination of the longevity. You now listen to me carefully.

7-11. If the 12 Houses, including Lagna, are occupied by, or aspected by

benefic Planets, they yield auspicious results, according to their
characteristics, but this happens, where the Planets concerned are in their
exaltation Rāśi, own Rāśi, or posited in a benefic House. There will be no
good effects, if such Planets are in depression, or posited in an inauspicious
House. Similarly the Houses, associated with, or aspected by malefics in
depression, or posited in malefic Houses, yield adverse results, according to
their characteristics. If such Planets be in their exaltation Rāśi, the effects will
not be adverse. This is how the general effects have been described by the
Daivajnas. I have only repeated those effects. The main purposes of this
Jyotishya Shastra are to determine the longevity and joys and sorrows of the
people, but because the movements of the Planets are so subtle, even sages,
like Vashista and Brihaspati, have not been able to be quite definite in this
respect. Then how can a common man, particularly in Kaliyuga, do so.

12. There are two divisions, or parts of the Jyotishya Shastra, namely general
and particular. I have already dealt with the general part. I now come to the
other part, which deals with this subject in particular.
13-15. As the effects of the twelve Houses are judged from Lagna and Moon,
effects of the twelve Houses and the various Planets are judged in the same
manner. Therefore the inauspicious places from the seven Planets, named, as
Karan, beginning from Sun and Lagna (total 8), should be marked by dots
(Bindus) and auspicious places, named, as Sthan, by small vertical lines
(Rekhas) and on the basis of their assessment should the judgment of the
horoscope and predictions be made.

Notes. The above arrangement is known, as AshtakaVargaa. The meaning of

AshtakaVargaa is literally the group of eight things. In other words it is the
combination of the good and bad positions of a Planet with reference to the
seven Planets and Lagna. So it is the combination of the benefic and malefic
marks (the Rekhas and the Bindus) in a planets chart with reference to the
position of the eight Planets (here Lagna is to be treated, as a Planet).

16. Five Planets in 1st, 2nd, 8th, 3rd and the 12th Houses from Sun are
Karanprad (dot significators). Similarly four Planets in the 7th and 4th, three
Planets in the 6th and 9th, six Planets in the 5th, 2 Planets in the 10th and one
Planet in the 11th are dot significators.

17-19. Thus Lagna, Moon, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in the 1st, 2nd and 8th
from Sun; Sun, Mars, Saturn, Moon and Jupiter in the 12th; Mercury, Moon,
Venus, Jupiter in the 4th; Lagna, Moon, Venus in the 9th; Sun, Saturn and
Mars in the 6th; Lagna, Mercury, Jupiter and Moon in the 7th; Venus in the
11th; Sun, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars in the 3rd; Jupiter and Venus in
the 10th; Sun, Saturn, Moon, Lagna Mars and Venus in the 5th are Karanprad,
or dot indicators.

20-22. In Moon’s AshtakaVargaa 6 Planets in the 9th and the 2nd, 5 Planets
in the 4th, 8th and the 1st, one Planet in the 10th and the 3rd, 4 Planets in the
5th, 3 Planets in the 6th and the 7th and 1st, eight in the 12th are Karanprad.
Thus Lagna, Sun, Mars, Saturn and Venus, these five in the 1st; Lagna,
Mercury, Sun, Moon, Saturn and Venus, these 6 in the 2nd; Jupiter in the 3rd;
Sun, Saturn, Moon, Lagna and Mars, these 5 in the 4th; Venus, Mercury,
Jupiter, these 3 in the 6th; Mars, Lagna and Saturn, these 3 in the 7th; Mars,
Lagna, Saturn, Venus and Moon, these five in the 8th; Lagna, Sun, Mars,
Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter, these 6 in the 9th; Saturn only in the 10th; none
in the 11th; all the eight in the 12th from their own places are Karanprad.
These Planets in the other Houses are Rekhaprad (line significators).
23-27. In the AshtakaVargaa of Mars6 Planets in the 12th, 4th and 7th, 5
Planets in the 5th, 6 Planets in the 2nd, 7 Planets in the 9th, 5 Planets in the
1st and 8th, 4 Planets in the 3rd, 3 Planets in the 10th and 2 Planets in the 6th
are Karanprad. In the 11th no Planet is Karanprad. In other words all the
Planets in the 11th from their own places are Rekhaprad. Thus Sun, Moon,
Mercury, Jupiter and Venus, these five in the 1st; Lagna, Sun, Moon,
Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn, these 6 in the 2nd; Venus, Mars, Jupiter and
Saturn, these 4 in the 3rd; Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Lagna,
these 6 in the 4th; Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Lagna, these 5 in the 5th;
Mars and Saturn, these 2 in the 6th; Mercury, Moon, Sun, Venus, Jupiter and
Lagna, these 6 in the 7th; Mercury, Moon, Sun, Lagna and Jupiter, these five
in the 8th; Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Lagna, these 7 in
the 9th; Venus, Moon and Mercury, these 3 in the 10th; none in the 11th; Sun,
Saturn, Mercury, Moon, Lagna and Mars, these 6 in the 12th from their own
places are Karanprad.

28-30. In the AshtakaVargaa of Mercury 3 Planets in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 10th,
6th and 9th, 2 Planets in the 8th, 6 Planets in the 3rd and the 7th, none in the
11th, 5 Planets in the 5th and 12th are Karanprad. Thus Sun, Moon and
Jupiter, these 3 in the 1st; Jupiter, Sun and Mercury, these 3 in the 2nd;
Lagna, Sun, Mars, Saturn, Moon and Jupiter, these 6 in the 3rd; Mercury, Sun
and Jupiter, these 3 in the 4th; Jupiter, Mars, Moon, Saturn and Lagna, these 5
in the 5th; Venus, Saturn and Mars, these 3 in the 6th; Mercury, Moon,
Lagna, Sun, Venus and Jupiter, these 6 in the 7th; Mercury and Sun, these 2
in the 8th; Jupiter, Moon and Lagna, these 3 in the 9th; Sun, Jupiter and
Venus, these 3 in the 10th; none in the 11th; Lagna, Moon, Mars, Saturn and
Venus these 5 in the 12th from their own places are Karanprad.

31-34. In the AshtakaVargaa of Jupiter one Planet in the 2nd and 11th, 2
Planets in the 10th, 7 Planets in the 12th, 4 Planets in the 6th, 5 Planets in the
8th and 3rd, 3 Planets in the remaining Houses are Karanprad. Thus Venus,
Moon and Saturn, these 3 in the 1st; Saturn in the 2nd and 11th; Lagna, Mars,
Moon, Mercury and Venus, these 5 in the 3rd; Sun, Jupiter and Mars, these 3
in the 5th; Venus, Saturn and Moon, these 3 in the 4th; Mercury, Venus and
Saturn, these 3 in the 7th; Jupiter, Mars, Sun and Moon, these 4 in the 6th; all
except Saturn, these 7 in the 12th; Moon and Saturn, these 2 in the 10th;
Saturn, Mars and Jupiter, these 3 in the 9th; Lagna, Saturn, Venus, Moon and
Mercury, these 5 in the 8th from their own places are Karanprad.
35-38. In the AshtakaVargaa of Venus 2 Planets in the 5th, 8th and 3rd, 5
Planets in the 1st, 2nd, 12th, 10th, 8 Planets in the 7th, 6 Planets in the 6th,
one in the 9th, 3 in the 4th, none in the 11th are Karanpradas. Thus Sun, Mars,
Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn, these 5 in the 1st and the 2nd; all the 8 Planets in
the 7th; Jupiter and Sun, these 2 in the 3rd; Sun and Mars, these 2 in the 5th;
Sun in 9th; Sun, Mercury and Jupiter, these 3 in the 4th; Mars and Mercury,
these 2 in the 8th; Venus, Sun, Moon, Saturn, Lagna and Jupiter, these 6 in
the 6th; none in the 11th; Lagna, Saturn, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter, these 5
in the 12th; Lagna, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Sun, these 5 in the 10th from their
own places are Karanpradas.

39-42. In the AshtakaVargaa of Saturn 7 Planets in the 2nd, 7th, 9th, 6 Planets
in the 8th, Lagna and 4th, 4 Planets in the 10th, 3rd and 12th, one Planet in
the 6th, 5 Planets in the 5th, none in the 11th are Karanpradas. Thus Moon,
Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, these 6 in the 4th and the 1st;
Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Lagna, these 7 in the 2nd
and the 7th; Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Lagna, these 7 in
the 9th; Moon, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, these 4 in the 10th; Jupiter, Sun,
Mercury and Venus, these 4 in the 3rd; Sun in the 6th; Lagna, Moon, Saturn,
Sun, these 4 in the 12th; Venus, Sun, Moon, Mercury and Lagna, these 5 in
the 5th; Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Lagna, these 6 in the 8th;
none in the 11th from their own places are Karanpradas. The remaining places
are Rekhapradas and are auspicious.

43-45. The sage said. Now I will describe the auspicious Houses for the
benefit of the Acharyas. In the AshtakaVargaa of Sun: Saturn, Mars and Sun
in the 2nd, 8th and 1st; Jupiter and Mercury in the 5th; Mercury, Moon and
Lagna in the 3rd; Lagna, Sun, Saturn and Mars in the 4th; Lagna, Sun, Saturn,
Mars, Mercury and Moon in the 10th; Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter,
Saturn and Lagna in the 11th; Lagna, Venus and Mercury in the 12th; Lagna,
Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Moon in the 6th; Sun, Mars, Saturn and Venus in
the 7th; Sun, Mars, Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter in the 9th from their own
places are Rekhapradas.
46-48. In the AshtakaVargaa of Moon: Mercury, Moon and Jupiter in the 1st;
Jupiter and Mars in the 2nd; Mercury, Sun, Moon, Mars, Saturn, Venus and
Lagna in the 3rd; Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in the 4th; Mars, Mercury,
Venus and Saturn in the 5th; Sun, Moon, Mars, Saturn and Lagna in the 6th;
Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus in the 7th; Sun, Mercury and Jupiter
in the 8th; Venus and Moon in the 9th; Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Moon,
Lagna and Mars in the 10th and all the 8 Planets in the 11th from their own
places are Rekhapradas. No Planet is Rekhaprad in the 12th.

49-50. In the AshtakaVargaa of Mars: Lagna, Saturn and Mars in the 1st;
Mars in the 2nd; Lagna, Mercury, Moon and Sun in the 3rd; Saturn and Mars
in the 4th; Mercury and Sun in the 5th; Mercury, Moon, Jupiter, Sun, Lagna
and Venus in the 6th; Saturn and Mars in the 7th; Saturn, Mars and Venus in
the 8th; Saturn in the 9th; Mars, Sun, Jupiter, Saturn and Lagna in 10th; all in
the 11th and Jupiter and Venus in the 12th from their own places are
Rekhapradas.

51-52. In the AshtakaVargaa of Mercury: Lagna, Saturn, Mars, Venus and

Mercury in the 1st; Lagna, Mars, Moon, Venus and Saturn in the 2nd; Venus
and Mercury in the 3rd; Lagna, Moon, Saturn, Venus and Mars in the 4th;
Mercury, Saturn and Venus in the 5th; Jupiter, Mercury, Sun, Moon and
Lagna in the 6th; Mars and Saturn in the 7th; Mars, Saturn, Lagna, Moon,
Venus and Jupiter in the 8th; Saturn, Mars, Sun, Mercury and Venus in the
9th; Lagna, Saturn, Mars, Mercury and Moon in the 10th; all in the 11th and
Jupiter, Mercury and Sun in the 12th from their own places are Rekhapradas.

53-55. In the AshtakaVargaa of Jupiter: Lagna, Mars, Sun and Mercury in the
1st and 4th; Jupiter, Lagna, Mars, Sun, Mercury, Moon and Venus in the 2nd;
Saturn, Jupiter and Sun in the 3rd; Venus, Moon, Lagna, Mercury and Saturn
in the 5th; Venus, Lagna, Mercury and Saturn in the 6th; Lagna, Mars,
Jupiter, Sun and Moon in the 7th; Jupiter, Sun and Mars in the 8th; Venus,
Sun, Lagna, Moon and Mercury in the 9th; Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Sun,
Venus and Lagna in the 10th; all except Saturn in the 11th and Saturn in the
12th from their own places are Rekhapradas.
56-58. In the AshtakaVargaa of Venus: Lagna, Venus and Moon in the 1st;
Lagna, Venus and Moon in the 2nd; Lagna, Venus, Moon, Mercury, Saturn
and Mars in the 3rd; Lagna, Venus, Moon, Saturn and Mars in the 4th; Lagna,
Mercury, Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus in the 5th; Mercury and Mars in
the 6th; none in the 7th; Venus, Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Lagna and Saturn in the
8th; all except Sun in the 9th; Venus, Jupiter and Saturn in the 10th; all in the
11th; Mars, Moon and Sun in the 12th from their own places are
Rekhapradas.

59-60. In the AshtakaVargaa of Saturn: Sun and Lagna in the 1st; Sun in the
2nd; Lagna, Moon, Mars and Saturn in the 3rd; Lagna and Sun in the 4th;
Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in the 5th; all except Sun in the 6th; Sun in the 7th;
Sun and Mercury in the 8th; Mercury in the 9th; Sun, Mars, Lagna and
Mercury in the 10th; all in the 11th; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus in the
12th from their own places are Rekhapradas.

61-64. In the AshtakaVargaa of Lagna 3 Planets in the 1st and 4th, 2 Planets
in the 3rd, 5 Planets in the 2nd, 6 Planets in the 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th, one
Planet in the 10th, 11th and 6th and all except Jupiter in the 7th are
Karanpradas. Thus Lagna, Sun and Moon in the 1st; Lagna, Mars, Moon, Sun
and Saturn in the 2nd; Jupiter and Mercury in the 3rd; Lagna, Moon, Mars,
Mercury, Saturn and Sun in the 5th; Lagna, Moon and Mars in the 4th; Venus
in the 6th; all except Jupiter in the 7th; Lagna, Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter and
Saturn in the 8th; Lagna, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury and Saturn in the 9th;
Venus in the 10th and 11th; Lagna, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn
in the 12th from their own places are Karanpradas.

65-68. In the AshtakaVargaa of Lagna: Saturn, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and

Mars in the 1st; Mercury, Jupiter and Venus in the 2nd; Lagna, Sun, Moon,
Mars, Venus and Saturn in 3rd; Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn in
the 4th; Jupiter and Venus in the 5th; all except Venus in the 6th; Jupiter in
the 7th; Mercury and Venus in the 8th; Jupiter and Venus in the 9th; all
except Venus in the 10th; all except Venus in the 11th and Sun and Moon in
the 12th from their own places are Rekhapradas.

69. In the charts of AshtakaVargaa Karan is signified by a Bindu, or dot (0)

and Sthan by a Rekhapradas, or line (1). Karan is inauspicious, while Sthan is
auspicious.
70-72. To identify the auspicious and inauspicious Houses in the
AshtakaVargaa a chart should be prepared with 14 horizontal lines and ten
vertical lines. The form of the chart so prepared will consist of 117
apartments. In this chart in the first line incorporates the names of the seven
Planets and Lagna. In the first column write the numbers of all the 12 Houses.
After this mark dots under the Planet and against the Karanprad Houses. By
doing so the Karanprad Houses of all the 8 Planets, including Lagna, will
become known clearly and whenever the AshtakaVargaa Planet will pass in
transit the dot-marked Houses, he will yield unfavorable results. In his transit
to other Houses he would give favourable effects.The following table shows
the dots in the AshtakaVargaa of Sun.

Ch. 67. Trikona Shodhana in the AshtakaVargaa

1-2. The sage said. O Brahmin! After preparing the AshtakaVargaa of all the
Planets, including Lagna, Trikona Shodhana has to be done for each Rāśi. A
Trikona is made of three Rāśis equidistant from each other. Thus Aries, Leo
and Sagittarius, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius,
Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces form the Trikonaas of the Rāśis.

3-5. The Trikona Shodhana (rectification) should be done by writing the

Rekhas in the AshtakaVargaas of Sun etc. under the Rāśis Aries etc. Amongst
the Trikona Rāśis the Rāśi, which has lesser number of Rekhas, should be
allotted Rekhas, arrived at by deducting its number of Rekhas from the
greater number of Rekhas of the three Trikona Rāśis. No Trikona Shodhana is
necessary, if any of the Trikona Rāśis has no Rekha. Shodhana should be
done, if all the three of them have equal number of Rekhas, that is a zero
should be written against all of them. Thereafter Ekadhipatya Shodana should
be done in the same manner, described later. (For Shodhana of the
AshtakaVargaa of a Planet the first thing to be done is to see, in which Rāśi
the Planet is posited. Beginning from that Rāśi, the names of the 12 Rāśis
should be written and then the names of the Planets, posited in them, should
be mentioned against them. Thereafter the Rekhas, gained by that Rāśi,
should be written below them and the number, achieved after Shodana, below
it)
Ch. 68. Ekadhipatya Shodhana in the AshtakaVargaa

1-5. Ekadhipatya Shodana is done after writing the numbers for Rāśis, arrived
at by Trikona Sho2nda. Ekadhipatya Shodhana is done, if both the two Rāśis,
owned by a Planet, have gained a number after Trikona Shodhana.
Ekadhipatya Shodhana is not to be done, if one Rāśi has got a number and the
other is bereft of any number. The following are the rules for Ekadhipatya
Shodhana. If both the Rāśis are without a Planet and the Trikona Shodana
numbers are different, both should be given the smaller number. If both the
Rāśis are with Planets, no Shodana is to be done. If amongst the two Rāśis
one is with a Planet and a smaller Trikona rectified number and the other is
without Planet with a bigger number, deduct the smaller number from the
bigger number and the number of the Rāśi with Planet should be kept
unchanged. If the Rāśi with the Planet has a bigger number than that of the
Rāśi without Planet, the Shodana should be done of the number of the Rāśi
without Planet and the number of the Rāśi with Planet should be kept
unchanged. If both the Rāśis are without Planets and possess the same
numbers, Shodhana of both the numbers should be done and the rectified
numbers should be reduced to zero. If one Rāśi is with Planet and the other is
without any Planet, the number of the latter should be reduced to zero. Sun
and Moon own one Rāśi only, their numbers should be kept unchanged. 6.
After doing Ekadhipatya Shodana, Pinda Shodhana should be taken in hand.

Ch. 69. Pinda Shodana in the AshtakaVargaa

1-4. The Sage said. O Brahmin! After completing the Trikona and
Ekadhipatya Shodana in the AshtakaVargaas of all the Planets, the rectified
number should be multiplied by the measure of the Rāśi. If there be any
Planet in any Rāśi, the rectified number should be multiplied by the measure
of the Planet also. Then, after multiplying the rectified number of each Rāśi,
the products should be added up. The total so arrived at will be Pinda of that
Planet. The multiples of Rāśis are 10 for Taurus and Leo, 8 for Gemini and
Scorpio, 7 for Aries and Libra, 6 for Capricorn and Virgo. The multipliers of
the remaining Rāśis are the same, as their numbers. (Rāśiman Chakra. Aries
7, Vris 10, Mith 8, Cancer 4, Leo 10, Kany 6, Libra 7, Vrsk 8, 2nd 9, Maka 5,
Kumb 11, Mina 12) The multipliers of Planets are 10 for Jupiter, 3 for Mars, 7
for Venus, 6 for Mercury, Sun, Moon and Saturn. (Planetman Chakra. Sun 5,
Moon 5, Mars8, Mercury 5, Jupiter 10, Venus 7, Saturn 5)
Ch. 70. Effects of the AshtakaVargaa

1-6. The matters to be considered from Sun and other Planets are, as follows.
Sun – the soul (Atma), nature, physical strength, joys and sorrows and father.
Moon – mind, wisdom, joy and mother. Mars- co-borns, strength, qualities
and land. Mercury – business dealings, livelihood and friends. Jupiter –
nourishment of the body, learning, son (children), wealth and property. Venus
– marriage, enjoyments, conveyance, prostitution and sexual intercourse with
women. Saturn – longevity, source of maintenance, grief, danger, losses and
death. The following procedure should be adopted to ascertain the effects of a
house. Multiply the number of Rekhas with the Yoga Pinda (Rāśi Pinda plus
Planet Pinda), connected with the AshtakaVargaa of that Planet and divide the
product by 27. The remainder will denote the number of the Nakshatra.
During the transit of Saturn in that Nakshatra the House concerned will be
harmed.

7-9. The 9th house from Sun at the time of birth deals with father. The Rekhas
of that Rāśi, as marked in Sun’s AshtakaVargaa, should be multiplied by the
Yoga Pinda and the product be divided by 27. The remainder will denote the
number of Nakshatra. The father will be in distress, or he will otherwise
suffer, when Saturn in transit passes through the Nakshatra. Even, when
Saturn passes in transit the Trikona Nakshatras, father, or relatives, like
father, may die, or suffer. Notes. By dividing the 27 Nakshatras in three equal
parts, the 1st, 10th and 19th fall in Trikona from each other. Sun is PitraKarak
(significator of father). Therefore all about father is ascertained from the
Sun’s AshtakaVargaa.

10-11. If the AshtakaVargaa Rekha number is multiplied by the Yoga Pinda

and the product is divided by 12, the remainder will denote the Rāśi, through
which, or through the Rāśis in Trikona to it, the transit of Saturn will cause
harm, or unfavorable effects to father. Death of the father may occur, if the
Dasa prevailing at that time be unfavorable. If the Dasa be favourable, father
will face only adverse effects.
12-14. The death of the father may be expected, if Rahu, Saturn, or Marsare in
the 4th from Sun at the time of transit of Saturn through any of the above
three Rāśis (Trikona Rāśis). The death of the father will come to pass by such
transit, if at that time Saturn, associated, or aspected by a malefic, be in the
9th from Lagna, or Moon and/or the Dasa of the Lord of the 4th from Lagna
be in operation. The death does not take place, if a favourable Dasa be in
force at the time of Saturn’s transit. This should be kept in mind by the
Jyotishyais, while making predictions.

15. If the Rāśi of Lagna of the native be the 8th Rāśi from Lagna of the father,
or, if the Lord of the 8th from fathers Lagna be in Lagna of the native, he
takes over all the responsibilities of his father after the latters death.

16-18. The father enjoys happiness in the Dasa of the Lord of the 4th from
Lagna. The native is obedient to his father, if the Lord of the 4th be in Lagna,
or the 11th, or in the 11th, or 10th from Moon. If the birth be in the 3rd Rāśi
from Lagna, or Moon of the father, the native makes proper use of the wealth,
inherited from his father. If the birth be in the 10th Rāśi from Lagna, or Moon
of the father, the native will inherit all the good qualities of his father. If the
Lord of the 10th be in Lagna, the native will be more distinguished than his
father.

19-20. No auspicious functions, like marriage etc., should be performed in the

month of Rāśis (that is, when Sun transits that Rāśi), which has more number
of dots in Sun’s AshtakaVargaa. The same applies to the Samvatsar of that
Rāśi (that is, when the mean Jupiter transits that Rāśi). Auspicious functions
should be performed, when Sun, or the mean Jupiter transits the Rāśi, which
has more Rekhas in Sun’s AshtakaVargaa. 21-23. In the same manner no
auspicious functions should not be performed during the transit of Moon in
the Rāśi, which has larger number of dots in Moon’s AshtakaVargaa.
Consideration, regarding mother, house and village, should be done from the
4th House from Moon. Therefore multiply the number of Rekhas in the
AshtakaVargaa of Moon by the Yoga Pinda of that AshtakaVargaa and divide
the product by 27. The death of, or distress to mother may be expected, when
Saturn passes in transit through the Nakshatra, denoted by the remainder.
Then divide the product by 12. The death of the mother may occur, when
Saturn transits the Rāśi, denoted by the remainder. Distress to mother may be
predicted, when Saturn transits the Nakshatras, or Rāśis in Trikona to
Nakshatra and Rāśi, indicated above.
24-27. Consideration of brothers (co-borns), valor and patience is done from
Mars’s Ashtaka Vargaa. If the number of Rekha is larger in any Rāśi after
Trikona Sho2nda, there will be gains of land, happiness from wife and great
happiness to brother, when Marspasses through that Rāśi in transit. If Mars be
weak, the brothers will be short lived. There will be distress to brothers, when
Marstransits a Rāśi without Rekhas. Here also the Yoga Pinda of Mars’should
be multiplied by the number of Rekhas in the Ashtaka Vargaa and the product
be divided separately by 27 and 12. The remainders will denote the Nakshatra
and Rāśi. The brother will suffer, whenever Saturn transits that Nakshatra, or
Rāśi (or the Trikona Nakshatras, or Rāśis).

28-29. Consideration in regard to family, maternal uncle and friends should

be done from the 4th House from Mercury. The family etc. will enjoy
happiness during the transit of Mercury’s Ashtaka Vargaa. After performing
Trikona and Ekadhipatya Shodana in Mercury’s Ashtaka Vargaa, the
happiness, or distress of the family should be predicted from the transit of
Saturn through the resultant Nakshatra and Rāśi (and those in Trikona to
them).

30-33. All about knowledge, religious inclinations of the native and son
(progeny) is to be ascertained from the 5th House from Jupiter. If the Rekhas
in the 5th House from Jupiter are larger in number in the Ashtaka Vargaa,
there will be great happiness in respect of progeny. If the dots are larger in
number, the happiness in respect of progeny will be meager. The number of
children are equal to the number of Rekhas in the 5th House (from Jupiter),
provided it is not the Rāśi of debilitation of Jupiter, or his enemies Rāśi. In
that case the number of children will be very limited. The number of children
is also equal to the number of Navams, in which the Lord of the 5th from
Jupiter is posited. Multiply the Yoga Pinda of Jupiter by the number of
Rekhas in the AshtakaVargaa and divide the product separately by 27 and 12.
The remainders will denote the Nakshatra and Rāśi. Transit of Saturn through
that Nakshatra and its Trikona Nakshatras and of that Rāśi and its Trikona
Rāśis will be inauspicious. During that period the knowledge, learning and
religious activities of the native will also be adversely affected.
34-36. There will be gain of wealth, land and happiness and marriage,
whenever Venus passes in transit through the Rāśis, which have larger
number of Rekhas in the AshtakaVargaa of Venus. These gains will be from
the directions of the 7th Rāśi from Venus and of its Trikona Rāśis. The effects
should be judged in the manner, already explained earlier, after multiplying
the Rekhas in the 7th House from Venus by the Yoga Pinda.

37-40. The 8th House from Saturn signifies death, as well as longevity.
Assessment about longevity should be made from that House through the
AshtakaVargaa. Therefore predict distress to the native in the year, equal to
the number of Rekhas in the AshtakaVargaa from Lagna up to Saturn. The
year, equal to the number of Rekhas from Saturn up to Lagna, will also be of
distress. If in the year, equal to the total of the above Rekhas, 6thshta Dasa be
also in operation, there can be possibility of death of the native.

41-42. Multiply the Yoga Pinda by the number of Rekhas in the

AshtakaVargaa and divide the product by 27. The death of the native will take
place, when Saturn passes in transit through the Nakshatra, denoted by the
remainder, or its Trikona Nakshatras. Again, divide the product by 12. The
native will face danger of death, when Saturn passes in transit through the
Rāśi, denoted by the remainder, or through its Trikona Rāśis.

43-44. The results will be favourable, when Saturn passes in transit through
Rāśis, which have larger number of Rekhas in Saturn’s AshtakaVargaa.
Saturn’s transit through Rāśis, which have larger number of dots, will produce
only evil effects.
Ch. 71. Determination of Longevity through the Ashtaka Varga

1-4. The sage said. I will now describe the method of determining longevity
from the Ashtaka Varga. For this purpose the AshtakaVargaas of Lagna and
all the Planets have to be studied. The Rekhas in all the Rāśis have been
allotted specific spans of life. The Rāśi, which has no Rekhas, has been
allotted 2 days, that with one Rekha gets l days, one day for Rāśi with 2
Rekhas, half day for Rāśi with 3 Rekhas, 7 days for Rāśi with 4 Rekhas, 2
years for Rāśi with 5 Rekhas, 4 years for Rāśi with 6 Rekhas, 6 years for Rāśi
with 7 Rekhas and 8 years for Rāśi with 8 Rekhas. In this manner the spans of
life should be worked from Rekhas in all the AshtakaVargaas. Half of the sum
total of all will be the longevity, based on Ashtaka Varga.

Ch. 72. Aggregational AshtakaVargaas

1-2. The sage said. O Brahmin! Write down a Rāśi Kundali with 12 Houses,
including Lagna. Then insert the total of the Rekhas in all the AshtakaVargaas
of the Planets in the Rāśi concerned. The Ashtaka Varga with such Rekhas is
called the Samudaya Ashtaka Varga, or the aggregational Ashtaka Varga.
From this should be judged good and adverse effects of the Rāśi Kundali.

3-5. In the aggregational Ashtaka Varga the Rāśi, which has more than 30
Rekhas, gives favourable effects, that, having between 25 and 30 Rekhas,
produces medium effects and that Rāśi, who has less than 25 Rekhas, yields
adverse effects. Auspicious functions, like marriage etc., should be
performed, when the Planet, on whose basis the time and date of functions are
performed, moves into the Rāśi with favourable effects. The Rāśi, which is
productive of adverse effects should be avoided for these purposes. For
example, the strength of Moon is generally acceptable for all auspicious
functions. Therefore auspicious functions should be performed, or started,
when Moon is in the Rāśi with maximum number of Rekhas. The Planet in
the Rāśi with favourable number of Rekhas produces auspicious effects and
the Planet in the Rāśi with unfavorable number of Rekhas yields evil results.

6. Amongst the 12 Houses more than 30 Rekhas advance the effects of a

House, between 25 and 30 Rekhas produce medium effects and the effects of
the House, which contains less than 25 Rekhas, get damaged.
Notes. From the above rules it can be interpreted, that, if there are less than 25
Rekhas in 6th, 8th and 12th House, their effects become favourable. The
effects will become adverse, if these Houses contain more than 25 Rekhas.

7-8. If in a Rāśi Kundali there are larger number of Rekhas in the 11th than
those in 10th and there are smaller number of Rekhas in the 12th than those in
the 11th and Lagna contains largest number of Rekhas, the native will be
wealthy and will enjoy all kinds of comforts and luxury.

9-10. Divide the 12 Houses in 3 sections. There will be sufferings and distress
in that part of the life, which is represented by the section of the Rāśi Kundali
with more malefics. There will be happiness etc., in the part of the life,
represented by the section of the Rāśi Kundali, containing more benefics.
There will be mixed results in that area of life, when the relative section of the
Rāśi Kundali has equal number of benefics and malefics. The Houses from
Lagna up to the 4th signify childhood, those from 5th to 8th youth and those
from the 9th to 12th represent old age.

11-28.
1. There will be danger of death in the month of the Rāśi (period of Sun’s
transit in that Rāśi), which has 7, or less than 7 Rekhas in the Samudaya
Ashtaka Varga. To ward off this evil effect 20 Tolas of gold and 2 heaps of
sesame seeds, resembling the shape of a mountain, should be given in charity.
…
2. there will be possiblity in the month of the rasi which has 8 rekha. Tuladan
of camphor is recommended to obtain relief from this evil effect. …
3. there will be danger of snakes in the month of rasi which contains 9 rekha.
A chariot driven with 4 horses should be given in charity ….
4. there will be danger from weapons in the month which contains 10 rekha.
An armour together with Vajra should be given in charity to ward off this evil
effect
5. there will be danger of disgrace for no cause in the month containing 11
rekha. An idol of the moon, made of 10 Tolas of gold, should be given in
charity …. …
6. there will be danger of death from drowning in the month which contains
12 rekha. Land full of crops should be given in charity ….
7. there will be danger of death from wild and violent animals in the month
which contains 13 rekha. A Shaligram Shila should be given in charity ….
8.there will be danger of death in the month which contains 14 rekha. A
Varah Murti, made of gold, should be given in charity ….
9.there will be danger of the wrath of the king in the month which contains 15
rekha. An elephant should be given in charity ….
10. there will be danger of misfortune (calamity, disaster, or misfortune) in
the month which contains 16 rekha. A Kalpa Vriksha, made of gold, should
be given in charity ….
11. there will be danger from diseases in the month which contains 17 rekha.
A cow and jaggery should be given in charity ….
12. there will be danger of conflict in the month which contains 18 rekha. A
cow, jewels, land and gold should be given in charity ….
13. there will be possibility of banishment from the homeland in the month
which has 19 rekha. Family deity should be worshipped ….
14.there will be danger of loss of intelligence in the month which contains 20
rekha. Goddess Saraswati should be worshipped ….
15. there will be danger of distress from diseases in the month which contains
21 rekha. A heap of grains, shaped, like a mountain, should be given in
charity …. …
16. there will be danger of distress to kinsmen in the month which contains
22 rekha. Gold should be given in charity ….
17. The native will be in distress in the month which contains 23 rekha. An
idol of the sun, made of 7 Tolas of gold, should be given in charity ….
18. there will be danger of death of the kinsmen in the month which contains
24 rekha. 10 cows should be given in charity ….
19. there will be danger of loss of wisdom in the month which contains 25
rekha. Goddess Saraswati should be worshipped ….
20. there will be danger of loss of wealth in the month which contains 26
rekha. Gold should be given in charity ….
21. there will be danger of loss of wealth in the month which contains 27
rekha. Sri Sukta Japa should be performed ….
22.there will be danger of losses in several ways in the month which contains
28 rekha. Havana of Sun should be performed ….
23. there will be danger of anxieties all-round in the month which contains 29
rekha. Ghī, clothes and gold should be given in charity ….
24. there will be gains of wealth and grains in the month which contains 30
rekha
25. There will be all-round increase in wealth, happiness in respect of children
and enjoyments in the Samvatsar, month and Nakshatra of the Rāśi, which has
more than 30 Rekhas.
26.there will be increase in wealth, property, children and good reputation, if
the Rāśi has more than 40 Rekhas.

30-31. The Rāśi, which is auspicious in Ashtaka Varga Samudaya, is

considered auspicious for all auspicious functions. Consequently the
auspiciousness of Ashtaka Varga should be got checked before performing
any function, like marriage etc. If a Rāśi is not auspicious in Ashtaka Varga,
then its auspiciousness should be checked from transit effects. It is not
necessary to check transit effects, if a Rāśi is auspicious in Ashtaka Varga.
Thus the auspiciousness of the Rāśi in the Ashtaka Varga should be
considered, as paramount.
ASHTAKAVARGA PREDICTION

8The Ashtakavarga

The asthakavargas is a unique way of dividing each of the 12 rasis into eight
sub divisions, based on the influence of the lagna and the 7 main planets on
these 12 rasis. Rahu & Ketu are omitted in asthakavargas. Based on their
individual positions in a horoscope, the lagna and the 7 main planets,
contribute certain positive and negative influences on the 12 signs of the
horoscope. These influences are called bindus and rekhas, which are positive
and negative points. There is a confusion and controversy between South
Indians and North Indians about the bindus and rekhas and which of them is
benific and malefic. So lets simply call them positive points and negative
points to avoid confusion.

For AV purpose each rasi is divided into 8 parts called Kakshas. Each kaksha
has a span of 3:45′. The 1st kaksha of each rasi is ruled by saturn, the 2nd by
jupiter, 3rd by mars, 4th by sun, 5th by venus, 6th by mercury, the 7th by
moon and the 8th by the lagna. Mainly 3 types of Ashtakavarga charts are
used to study the effects of the planets.

bhinashtak astakvarga of sun

rasi-------1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12
kasha
sat 3-45---1--1--1--0--1--1--0--1--0--0-----1--1
jup 7-30---0--1--1--0--0--1--0--1--0--0-----0--0
mars11.15--1--0--1--0--0--1--1--1--1--1-----0--1
sun-15.0 --1--1--0--1--0--0--1--1--1--1-----1--0
ven-18.45--0--0--0--0--0--1--1--0--0--0-----0--1
mer-22.30--0--0--1--0--1--1--0--0--1--1-----1--1
moon-26.15-0--1--0--0--0--1--1--0--0--0-----1--0
lagna30.0--0--1--1--1--0--0--1--1--0--1-----0--0
-------------------------------------------------
total------3--5--5--2--2--6--5--5--3--4-----4--4
The 1st type are the Bhinnashtakavarga charts, prepared for the lagna and the
7 planets – total 8 charts are made. In the picture above we have given the
Bhinnashtakavarga chart of sun – to the left side. The rasis are marked
horizontally by the respective rasi numbers, i.e., 1 for Aries, 2 for Taurus etc.
The 8 Kakshas are to be seen vertically. A Bhinnashtakavarga kaksha of any
rasi can contain only one point. If a positive point is contributed by any planet
in a kaksha it is marked by 1, if a negative one then by 0. So we can see that
in the chart of the Bhinnashtakavarga of sun, in the sign Aries (under 1),
saturn has contributed a positive point in the first kaksha, jupiter has
contributed a negative point in the 2nd kaksha and so on. The total positive
points contributed in Aries are 4. We can see the other signs similarly. The
Bhinnashtakavarga charts of planets are very useful to study the transit effects
of planets. For example sun transits a rasi for one month. But the results he
gives are not uniform throughout the month. He produces good results while
transiting the Kakshas where there is a positive point and if negative point is
there he gives bad results. In this case while transiting the 1st kaksha of Aries,
from 0 degrees to 3:45′, he gives good results as saturn has contributed a
positive point there. In the next kaksha, from 3:45 to 7:30′, where there is a
negative point contributed by jupiter, he gives bad results. As Aries has 4
positive and 4 negative points in suns BAV chart, suns transit results in Aries
for the native of this chart are 50% good and 50% bad. When the sun transits
Libra for one month its results are very bad as it has only 2 positive points.
Suns transit of Sagittarius is the best with 6 PP. So a rasi with 4 good points
gives medium results, better with more and worse with less.
The good or bad effects will have a relation with the planet contributing the
point, either positive or negative. They will have a link to its nature, house
ownership etc.

In similar fashion with the help of the BAV charts of the other planets we can
study their transit effects.
The sarvasthakavarga chart, to the right of suns BAV chart, is the combined
detailed summary of how many positive points each of the 7 planets and lagna
are contributing in all the rasis.

The Samudaya Ashtakavarga chart bellow gives a brief at a glance idea of

how many total good points are there in each house. Houses with 25 or more
produce good results when planets transit them. If the points are below 25
then the results are negative.
samudaya ashtakvarga

raSi-------1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12

kaksha
sat-3.45---1--5--3--2--2--2--4--4--4--5----5----2
jup-7.30---6--4--4--4--5--4--5--3--6--8----5----2
mar11.15---2--3--6--0--4--4--4--3--2--3----5----3
sun.15.0---3--5--5--2--2--6--5--5--3--4----4----4
ven.18.45--4--4--4--3--6--3--4--7--5--3----5----4
mer.22.30--4--4--6--2--6--6--2--5--5--4----4----6
moon.26.15-3--3--6--4--4--2--7--4--5--7----4----0
lagna.30.0-3--7--5--4--3--4=-4--5--2--6----4----2
-------------------------------------------------

total-----26-35-39-21-32-31-35-36-32-40----36---23

Ashtakavarga has many more applications. While analyzing the effects of a

house, by studying how many total good and bad points are there, contributed
by which planets, etc give several clues about the house effects. While
studying the effects of a planet placed in a particular house, by studying in
how many degrees he is placed in that house and in which planets kaksha, the
points contributed by the planets in the kaksha, give us us predictive clues as
to the planets nature results etc. Ashtakavarga is also employed to study
longevity of a native by doing several complicated mathematical calculations
and by doing trikona reductions etc. Even for those who know astrology, the
Ashtakavarga is an advanced application.

Ashtakavarga is a very sophisticated and unique transit system. There is

nothing else like it anywhere in the world. In Vedic Astrology, there is such a
plethora of techniques to choose from. According to Parasara, to make the
process of prediction a lot simpler, Ashtakavarga can be used. To practice
Ashtakavarga effectively, it is important to be very familiar with the qualities
and actions of each planet as a karaka and the qualities and actions of each
house. This is the key. In Ashtakavarga, Varga charts are not used.
A transit of a planet through a Sign has many layers of meanings. For
example, when Jupiter is transiting a Sign, you judge the effect of Jupiter
transiting to all the planets plus the Ascendant. You judge the transit of
Jupiter to not only the natal Moon, as in Gochara, but also to the natal Sun,
natal Mars, natal Mercury, natal Jupiter, natal Venus, natal Saturn and the
Ascendant. The transit of Jupiter is judged from eight places, hence the name
of Ashtaka (Eight) Varga (Divisions). A planet is favorable or unfavorable
from where it is transiting from a particular planet.

Ashtakavarga is more important than Gochara. It is a more precise

measurement because it measures a planet’s strength from every planet, not
just the Moon. Gochara is just 1/8 of Ashtakavarga. If a planet is transiting a
house with high points in Ashtakavarga, but a bad house from the Moon
(Gochara), then the results of Ashtakavarga trump the results obtained from
Gochara. For example, Saturn transiting the 12th, 1st and 2nd from the Moon
is considered inauspicious, but Saturn may be very auspicious in other
respects, as in the case of Saturn transiting a house with high Ashtakavaraga
points. In this case, Saturn would be able to perform very well and give
auspicious results. Ashtakavarga takes a more accurate and holistic look at the
transiting planets than just those transits from the natal Moon.

A planet transits a sign. Based on this placement, it either receives a 1 or a 0

depending on whether it is auspicious or inauspicious from a certain planet.
For example, Saturn transits Aries and in the birth chart, Saturn is in Cancer.
Saturn in the 10th from itself is not auspicious, so Aries received 0 points.

Whenever a planet is transiting a sign with low points, low points being below
4, it is always going to give trouble to that sign and trouble to the planet’s
significations.

0, 1, 2, or 3 points = Bad; 4 points =Average; 5, 6, 7, or 8 points = Good.

Jupiter will tend to have more than 4 pts in every sign. Saturn will rarely have
more than 4. Jupiter and Venus are favorable in transit to most planets and
Saturn is unfavorable in transit to most planets.

The following is a tabulation of where each planets give points from it’s natal
placement, from all the other planets’ natal placements and from the
Ascendant.
Sun
The Sun gives a point in the following houses from himself, Mars and Saturn;
the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th. From the Moon: 3rd, 6th, 10th
and 11th. From Mercury: 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. From Jupiter:
5th, 6th, 9th, and 11th. From Venus: 6th, 7th and 12th. From the Ascendant:
3rd, 4th, 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th.

Moon
The Moon gives a point to the following houses from himself: 1st, 3rd, 6th,
7th, 10th, and 11th. From the Sun: 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th. From
Mars: 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th and 11th. From Mercury: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th,
7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th. From Jupiter: 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th.
From Venus: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th. From Saturn: 3rd, 5th, 6th
and 11th. From Ascendant: 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th.

Mars
Mars give a point to the following houses from himself: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th,
10th and 11th. From the Sun: 3rd, 5th, 6th, 10th and 11th. From the Moon:
3rd, 6th, and 11th. From Mercury: 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 11th. From Jupiter: 6th,
10th, 11th and 12th. From Venus: 6th, 8th, 11th, and 12th. From Saturn: 10th
and 11th. From the Ascendant: 1st, 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th.

Mercury
Mercury gives a point to the following houses from himself: 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th,
9th,10th, 11th and 12th. From the Sun: 5th, 6th, 9th, 11th, and 12th. From the
Moon: 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th and 11th. From Mars and Saturn: 1st, 2nd, 4th,
7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th. From Jupiter: 6th, 8th, 11th and 12th. From
Venus: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th. From the Ascendant: 1st,
2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th and 11th.

Jupiter
Jupiter gives a point to the following houses from himself: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th. From the Sun: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th,
and 11th. From the Moon: 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th. From Mars: 1st, 2nd,
4th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th. From Mercury: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th
and 11th. From Venus: 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, and 11th. From Saturn: 3rd,
5th, 6th and 12th. From the Ascendant: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th
and 11th.
Venus
Venus gives a point to the following houses from himself: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th. From the Sun: 8th, 11th and 12th. From the
Moon: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th. From Mars: 3rd, 5th,
6th, 9th, 11th and 12th. From Mercury: 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th and 11th. From
Jupiter: 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th. From Saturn: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th
and 11th. From the Ascendant: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th.

Saturn
Saturn gives a point to the following houses from himself: 3rd, 5th, 6th and
11th. From the Sun: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th. From the Moon:
3rd, 6th and 11th. From Mars: 3rd, 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th. From
Mercury: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. From Jupiter: 5th, 6th, 11th and
12th. From Venus: 6th, 11th and 12th. From the Ascendant: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th,
10th and 11th.

For each planet, add up all of the points given and combine them into one
chart. Each planet should have a chart with its corresponding Ashtakavarga
points. In each house, the points will number between 0 and 8. 0 – 3 is
inauspicious, 4 is average, and 5 – 8 is auspicious. When a planet transits a
house where it gives more than 4 points, then it will affect that house and its
inherent significations positively. The most important planets to watch for
transits are Saturn, Jupiter, and the dasa lord. If you want to know about a
specific area of life, like for example vehicles, you would also look at the
transit of the house lord. For vehicles, watch the transit of the 4th lord and
Venus. When these two planets transit houses that have 4 or more points, then
you will have auspicious experiences with vehicles. When these two planets
transit a house with 3 or less points, a person would have inauspicious
experiences with vehicles.

Determining Important Ages

Important ages are best explained by using an example. Let us take for our
example Jupiter. To find the important ages for Jupiter, add up all the points
in each house beginning with the Ascendant to the house that contains Jupiter.
The total of those points will give an important age in the person’s life for
Jupiterian things, like wealth, children, knowledge, religion or philosophy,
finding a spiritual teacher, meeting one’s husband if the person in question is
a woman.
The second step is to add up all points from Jupiter to the Ascendant and that
will also be a very important age for Jupiterian things. Then we combine all
of the points we just added up and that will also be an important year for
Jupiter. The ancient texts say that the ages of Saturn are the most important
ages. These are the times the person meets with many Saturnian experiences.
The person will experience long term, life changing events in these years.

Auspicious Directions
Each planet’s Ashtakavarga has auspicious directions. For example if Venus
has the most Ashtakavarga points, in Libra and Pisces, then a person will have
more luck with Venusian type things like romance, the bedroom and comfort
from the directions of West and SE, because Libra rules the West and Pisces
rules SouthEast. The directions are tabulated based upon the South Indian
Rasi Chart and the movement of the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere. When
the Sun is at the farthest North, it is in Cancer and Leo, when it is farthest
South, when it is coldest, it is in Capricorn and Aquarius. There is another
system as well that is based upon the elements – fire signs rule the East, earth
signs rule the South, water signs rule the North and air signs rule the West.
The auspicious directions method can be effective when used in relationship
with your home. Another example would be Jupiter having the most
Ashtakavarga points in Capricorn. In this case, keeping your valuable in the
South of your home would increase your wealth.

Important Transits
The house from the karaka is always a pertinent house. For example, Jupiter
rules many things like wealth, income, children, well-being of the husband for
a woman. The 2nd house is wealth, the 11th house is income, the 5th house is
children and the 7th house is the husband. The 2nd house from Jupiter will be
an important house for wealth. The 11th house from Jupiter will be an
important house for income. The 5th house from Jupiter will be an important
house for children. The 9th house from Jupiter will be an important house for
knowledge. Let us say Jupiter is in Libra. So Scorpio will become an
important house for wealth. However, in the Ashtakavarga system, it is a little
more tricky than simply just looking at the house from the karaka. We must
find the sensitive houses of transit for each planet. To do this, it is necessary
to find something called the Yoga Pinda. It is a rather tedious process to do
this by hand and most Vedic Astrological Software will calculate the yoga
pinda. The method is also explained in BPHS in chapters 69 – 71.
Continuing with Jupiter in Libra as our example, multiply the yoga pinda by
the Ashtakavarga points in the sign from Jupiter you want to know about. If
you want to know about wealth, take the Ashtakavarga points for Scorpio, the
2nd from Libra. If you want to know about children, take the Asktakavarga
points for Aquarius, the 5th from Libra. Take the total of the Ashtakavarga
points multiplied by the yoga pinda and divide by 12. The remainder is the
number of the sign as counted from Aries. So any planet transiting that sign is
a sensitive point when it comes to the significations of that house from the
karaka. For example Jupiter has a Yoga pinda of 98. If we want to look at the
income, we take the 11th from Jupiter and Jupiter is in a sign of Libra so the
11th from it is Leo. The Ashtaka for Jupiter in Leo is 4, so multiply 4 x 98 =
392. Now divide 392 by 12 = 32 and remainder is 8. So the 8th sign of
Scorpio is a very sensitive place in respect to the income for planets to transit.

A planet is going to have some effect transiting these sensitive houses based
on the method shown above. What type of effect will they have? It depends
upon the Ashtakavarga points that the planet has in that house. Using the
example above, if a planet is transiting Scorpio and we want to know if that
planet will harm or help the income, we look to see how many Ashtakavarga
points that transiting planet is giving the sign of Scorpio. If it is over 4 points,
then the planet will give beneficial results. If it is 3 or less, then there will be
some stress experienced when dealing with income. The stress will be through
its natural significations and through its lordship of house. For example, if it
is Venus transiting Scorpio, then women, vehicles, students and/or the love
life will cause stress to the income.

Saturn and Jupiter transits are the ones you want to look at first. Saturn and
Jupiter are planets that orient us toward our destiny. When Jupiter is
transiting, then it is making us look forward to that realm of life and
expanding that realm of life. Saturn transiting will force us to face that area of
life and we will have a lot of responsibilities in that area of life even if we do
not want them. Saturn is our duty and responsibilities and Jupiter is our
excitement and hope. In any sign Jupiter is in, it will open us up to any
possibilities of that house. Jupiter makes us expand in that direction. Saturn
closes us off and narrows the path. As stated above, to ascertain if Saturn or
Jupiter will be good in transit, you must assess the number of points the planet
is giving to the Sign.
Let’s take Venus for relationships. In this example, Venus occupies Aries, so
we take the 7th from Venus which is Libra. The yoga pinda for Venus = 96.
The Ashtakavarga points for Venus in Libra is 5. 5 x 96 = 480. Divide this by
12 = 40 and there is no remainder. If there is no remainder then we take 12 as
the number of the sign. This is Pisces, therefore when planets are transiting
Pisces, they influence the relationship life because Pisces is a sensitive house
for relationships. The 2nd from Venus is healthy and nourishing food. The 4th
from Venus is the swimming pool and interior decoration. 4th from Venus
also has to do with automobiles. Home is 4th from Mars. Every planet is a
karaka for a bhava but some are less important than others.

When the Sun transits a sensitive bhava (house), that indicates the month that
the relative event will happen. The Sun is a timing system. You can also use
the Moon to time the event within 2 and a half days. Jupiter indicates the year
that an event could happen. Saturn is important in timing when something
leaves our life or when we are forced into responsibilities regarding the house
from the karaka Saturn is transiting. When Saturn transits sensitive points,
usually destiny will force a change on our lives. Mars shows when we have to
fight for something. Venus shows when we relax and get nourished. Mercury
will show when we will improve upon that thing. The Lagna can be used for
timing the 2 hour period. Not only is the sign in question a sensitive point but
also the trines to that sign. For example, for income, the sensitive sign for that
is Scorpio, so Scorpio’s trines, Pisces and Cancer are also sensitive places for
income.

Also look at the Mahadasa lord and where he is transiting. He will have an
important impact on life events. Treat it like Jupiter. He will stimulate and
expand that house when the dasa lord passes through that house or its trines.

Everything that has just been written about Ashtakavarga for the signs can
also be applied to the Nakshatras. In the yoga pinda method of finding the
sensitive Nakshatras, instead of dividing by 12 we divide by 27.

Classical texts tell us to look at the 8th from Saturn. When a planets transits
the sensitive signs for the 8th house from Saturn, it can be difficult time for
the health and physical well-being of the native.
Ashtakavarga chart to be verified and find out the strenth of each houses.
The important houses are 1st the Lagna, 2nd dhana sthana, 4th sukha sthana, 9
Bhagya sthana,10 Karma sthana and 11th Labha sthana.

If the total of houses counting on 1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 10th and 11th comes
above
170 means yoga for being rich and above 175 means yoga for very rich.
If the total of 1st,9th and 11th is higher than that of 6th 8th and 12th a
successful life is assured generally. And if 6, 8 and 12 is higher then full of
struggle without much success. 1st house should be definitely higher than that
of individually 6th, 8th or 12th for a smoother life.

9th luck, 10th karma, 11th labha and 12th expenses.

All kendras and trikonas should have ashtakavarga strength other than 2nd
and 11th.

so 10th should be equal or more than 9th and 11th(income) should be more
than 10th(Karma/profession) and 12th(expenses) should be less than
11(income) and then the horoscope promises for a steady finance life.

E.K.Dhilip Kumar, M.Sc.,

In most of the computer generated horoscope you may have seen a set of
charts with 12 numbers in them. Normally we are used to seeing the names of
planets (Grahas). So what are these numbers? Is this some kind of a numerical
way of understanding our life? Yes it is. This is what the ancient masters of
Astrology have often used while reading a chart and Maharshi Parasara calls
it that part of Astrology that is more dependable and that which never fails.

You may have seen several Ashtakavarga charts. Usually there is one for
every planet. The chief amongst them is called the Sarva-ashtakavarga and is
always the biggest chart when compared to the other Ashtakavarga charts.
Sarva means a sum total of all others.
Rahu and Ketu do not have separate Ashtakavarga charts as they are shadow
planets. So you will have 7 plus 1 and that makes it 8.

Most people have no idea it is one of the very useful information available in
their horoscope. Many Astrologers ignore these valuable charts mainly
because they do not have proper understanding of what they mean. For
thousands of years the horoscope was cast manually and preparing these
charts is tedious and hence the Astrologers did not have the patience to work
out the Ashtakavarga charts. Since the Astrologer rarely uses them the clients
may think that they are less important.

What do these numbers represent? The aim of this article is to let you know in
how many ways you can use the Ashtakavarga chart. Believe me; I am going
to discuss only the simple methods that even a novice in Astrology can easily
understand.

First thing that you got to do is put the Ascendant (Lagna) mark on the Sarva-
Ashtakavarga chart. Some computer printouts have the houses numbered
already. In case it is not, you will have to number the Lagna as 1, and the next
house as 2 and so on until you reach 12. You will have number them in clock-
wise direction as we normally do in all the charts

The 2nd thing that you need to do is note down the highest and the lowest
number in the Sarva-Ashtakavarga. Note down the house number it
corresponds to. If the lowest number is in the 5th house the ancient masters
have advised us to start investigating the 5th house. The 5th house primarily
deals with children. Perhaps there is something wrong with regard to children.

It does not mean that there are heavy problems in matters pertaining to
children. It is a pointer to you for further research on the house of children. If
you find many other reasons then you should know that there is a great
concern pertaining to children.
In the following horoscope we see the 9th house has the lowest score. That
means the weakest area is more likely to be the 9th house and its matters.
From the 9th house several important things pertaining to luck can be known
but the 9th house primarily deals with father, the head of the family.

This person lost his father when he was just about 8 years old and had to be
taken care by others.

Does this mean that we have found a simple way of understanding Astrology?
No.

Other planetary positions and influence must also indicate problems related to
father.

However the Sarva-ashtakavarga is the 1st pointer. Once that is understood

you need to further investigate the house under question from several other
angles. One sparrow does not make summer is the golden advice in
Astrology. A beginner in Astrology will hastily conclude as soon as he or she
notes down just 1 combination supporting a clue.

In the above horoscope you will note that Ketu the abortive planet is
occupying the 9th house the house that deals with his father. Whichever
houses (2 of them) falls on the RAHU-KETU axis the clue is that there is
something negative or challenging in matters pertaining to the 2 houses. In
this chart that axis falls on the 9th house. Rahu and Ketu generally work
against Sun the planet that is related to Father. So Rahu or Ketu in the 9th
house indicates usually some serious issues concerning father. Ketu in the 9th
house is more harmful to father when compared to Rahu in the 9th.

Also according to Maharshi Parasara Ketu rules Scorpio. So in the above

horoscope, Ketu becomes the lord of the 8th house (bad house) occupying the
9th house (father). A house that is occupied by the lord of the 6th, or 8th or
12th house become weak.
The 9th house lord Jupiter is placed in the 7th house from where Jupiter looks
at the Lagna (Ascendant). So the person was taken good care of by another
father-like person and hence found relief from the problem to a great extent.

What else can be known from the Sarva-Ashtakavarga?

In the Sarva-Ashtakavarga we need to first understand the following:

Weakest house - The house that has the lowest score is weak.

Weak houses - Less than 25 points.

Medium houses - 25-28 points

Strong - Greater than 28 points.

Strongest house - the house that has the strongest score is strong

Please bear in mind that if you total all the points in the 12 houses you will
get 337. If you get anything more or less than that, it means that there is
something wrong with the calculations.

If the number in the 1st house has a low score and if it is less than 25 then it
means that the person cannot do his work or karma (purpose of life) without
the support of others. He needs somebody to be with him all the time. These
are the people who need partners. They need to wear the proper gems, do the
remedies, and use the knowledge available through scientific Astrology.

If the Lagna (1st house) has a very high score then such a person will love to
work alone. If it is very high the person is likely to have high ego levels and
yet ideally capable of working without any support. Most of these people are
successful provided other planetary positions are promising.
Similarly if the 12th house has a low score it is considered good because
opportunities for loss or expense is likely to be fewer than it is for others
around them. If the 12th house has the lowest number then it means that the
person may be a miser or does not have the mind and opportunity to spend
money.

If in your Sarva-Ashtakavarga the points in the 11th house (the house of

gains) is greater than 12th house (the house of loss) it is considered good as
you have more gains than loss.

If the points in the 12th house are greater than what is there on the 11th house
then it means you spend more than you earn and this may lead you into a debt
trap if a good Astrologer does not warn you of this possibility. Many people
uselessly argue that only if they have the money they can spend. In today’s
world of borrowing from banks and other people even without real income
you can spend and soon into trouble.

With regard to wealth the Sarva-ashtakavarga should be used in the following

manner. If the following 4 conditions are met with in any horoscope then such
a person will easily accumulate wealth. Before you begin to check out your
horoscope first note down the values in 1st, 10th, 11th and 12th houses.

Are you going to be permanently wealthy?

The rules are:

1st house should have more than 28 points

12th house should have least of the 4 houses under consideration
11th house of gains should have more points than what is there in the 12th
house.
10th house should have a score greater than 28 but less than what is there in
the 11th house.
If the points in the 11th house are greater than the 10th, and if the 12th house
has lesser points than what is found in the 11th, 10th and 1st house and if the
1st house has more than what is there in the 12th house then such a person
will always remain wealthy. Let us first know why are we discussing these
houses?

The 1st house shows the level of confidence and also the health that is needed
to make money. More the points here greater are the chances for getting rich
or bouncing back to good times in case there has been a slip or a fall.

The 12th house is called the house of loss. We need to know the score here to
know the opportunities for losing money.

If the 11th house is the house of gain. More the points here greater the
opportunities for gaining and fulfillment of your desires.

The 10th house is the house of work. We need to get the opportunity to work.
If the score in the 10th house is low then it means our karma is not going to
allow us the opportunity to work in the place that we like or want to. That is
sure to bring down our wealth due to lack of job satisfaction.

In the above chart that we first used, we find that the points in the Lagna is
lower than 28. This person needs a partner and may not be able to work alone.

The 10th house has 36 points and is lesser than that of the 11th house which
has only 33 points. So the person has to work hard and get less money in
return for the hard work. Such people should not try any short cuts and simply
choose to live a life in which they work hard. However of all the 4 houses that
we consider for determining the wealth level of a person (the 1st, 10th, 11th
and 12th houses) we find that the lowest score is in the 12th house. That is a
fortunate condition. So once the money is earned there are possibilities of
retaining it and accumulation of wealth through hard work by taking the
support of a partner is indicated.
There are more than 100 ways of using the Ashtakavarga effectively but that
is not discussed here because of limited space.

More information from the Ashtakavarga charts of all the 7 planets.

Look at the individual ashtakavarga chart of Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury,

Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.

Example: Note which sign Sun occupies. Note the points scored in the sign
that is occupied by Sun in the Ashtakavarga of Sun. If the point scored is high
then the positive influences and traits that are associated with Sun will be
more such a person. If the said planet is powerfully placed then the high score
will amplify the result. If Sun is strong in the 10th house and also has a high
score in ashtakavarga then the person will be a great politician because Sun is
associated with politics. Or he will be some a VIP who commands a great
deal of respect like the Sun because when the Sun appears other heavenly
bodies in the sky disappear.

In the example chart, the politician A has Sun in Capricorn with 7 points
therein. In Sun Ashtakavarga, total points is always 48 points.

5
3 Lagna
3
3

3
Sun

Ashtakavarga

(Politician)
4

6 Sun
6

4
4
3
3

If a strong Moon is associated with a high score in the ashtakavarga of Moon

then such a person will have a strong mind and will be known for that

If Mars is similarly placed then the person will be great leader, commander or
CEO.

If the planet is Mercury then the person will write or talk so well that he will
be known for such a capacity to communicate.

If the planet is Jupiter then he will be known as a great consultant or teacher

or Guru.

If the planet is Venus the person will have the best of vehicles and live in a
palace and be surrounded by beauty, women, perfume and expensive things
all through his life.

If the planet is Saturn then person will be a head of a large mass of people, an
industrialist or own 100 acres of land etc.

Example: First find out which sign Venus occupies in your basic horoscope
(natal chart). Lets say it is Libra (Thula). Find out the score that Venus has
obtained in Libra in the Ashtakavarga of Venus. If the score is 8, the person
will live like a king, driving the best cars, always with the most beautiful
women, and live in palace like property. Check this out, these rules never go
wrong.
Another approach is to find out using the 7 charts which planet has got the
highest score in its Ashtakavarga. If that planet is Sun he will is likely to be a
Sun dominated planet. That means he will be like a Sun, once he appears
others fade away.

If Venus is the planet such a person will be handsome, charming and be a

natural cinema star. Such people will love music, dance and entertainment
and spend a lot of time, money and energy on such things that are related to
art and beauty.

Use this approach for all the 7 planets and you will get to know more about
the person and his luck areas.

Can Ashtakavarga be related to Transit of Planets?

Yes of course. Whenever a Transit of a major planet happens (Jupiter or

Saturn) the first thing that you need to do is look into the relevant
Ashtakavarga.

If the score is low and position-wise the transit is unfavourable then surely the
said transit will affect the person adversely.

Following is the Ashtakvaraga of Saturn for person born in Virgo Moon Sign
(Kanya Rasi). This means that the person will have Moon (Chandra) in Virgo
which is the bottom right corner in any horoscope.

Saturn

Ashtakavarga
3 Leo

5 Libra
0 Virgo

You may be aware that currently Saturn occupies Virgo (Kanya). So all the
people born in the moon sign of Virgo is undergoing Sade-Sati (the popular 7
½ years Sani). Will such a Saturn give the same level of difficulty for all the
millions of people born in Virgo? No and that is because the Ashtakavarga
scores are all different for all the people.

In the above chart we find that in Virgo the score is 0. That means this person
is going to have a tough time due to the transit of Saturn. In the next chart we
see the Saturn Ashtakavarga for another person.

Saturn

Ashtakavarga

1 Leo

3 Libra
5 Virgo

Moon

For such a person, the current transit of Saturn will not cause the adverse
results because this person has obtained 5 points in the sign of Virgo.
Whereas the same person may have gone through much suffering during the
previous transit of Saturn when Saturn occupied Leo (Simha).

The score in the Saturn Ashtakavarga chart may vary from 0 to 7. So there are
8 scores possible in any house. If we consider all the millions of people born
in the sign of Virgo we know that all of them are under the general
challenging effects of Sade-Sati. But the Ashtakavarga scores will vary for all
of them.

The possibilities are 8 x 8 x 8 patterns and that is equal to 512. So there are
512 different groups within the millions of people born with Virgo as their
Moon sign. That is why for some people the trouble starts as soon as Sade-
Sati begins, for some it is in the middle part of the 7 ½ years phase and for
some the challenges increase in the last part. Each part is approximately 2 ½
years. For some there will be no trouble because the 3 signs have points
greater than 5. Such a person is likely to tell others that there is no such thing
as Saturn effect or Sade-Sati not knowing that their own karma carried
forward from past life actions has protected them.

So here is the method. First determine if a transit is expected to be favourable

or not. For example when the Transit of Jupiter happens on the 2nd, 5th, 7th,
9th or the 11th house it is said that such a transit is favorable. Once that is
known check out from the Ashtakavarga of Jupiter and note down the score
obtained in the sign that Jupiter has moved into. If the score is higher than 4
then the good transit of Jupiter will surely give good results. If the score is
less than 4 then the promised good result may not happen.

This approach can be used for any planet. However since the Transit of
Jupiter and Saturn is the most often discussed transit at least you should have
the Ashtakavarga of these 2 mighty planets.

So the next time you study the effects of Transit of Saturn or Jupiter keep the
Ashtakavarga charts in front of you or your Astrologer.