vimshottari dasha predictions

Analysing the Vimshottari Saturn Mahadasha

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Dasha analysis is used to time events in life. The planets control your life in a sequence called the Dasha. There are several Dasha systems, of these the Vimshottari is generally applicable, accurate and is the first Dasha system you learn. 

The Maha-Dasha sequence is,

Thus the human lifespan is total of 120 yrs. Depending on the exact position of your birth Moon, ie the Nakshatra and the degrees, you will begin your life sequence. Ensure that you have your accurate birth time else there is no point in calculating Dasha. Not everyone will experience all the 9 graha Mahadasha during their lives. 

Considering Saturn’s current transit in his own Capricorn which will be followed by his transit in Aquarius, if you are going through the Saturn Mahadasha (or even his antar-dasha in other planet’s mahadasha-s) at this point of time, you will experience high intensity results. Depending on if Saturn is favourable or not for you, these results will be auspicious and helpful to you, or not.

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Saturn Mahadasha

  • If your birth moon Nakshatra is Pushya, Anuradha or Uttarabhadrapada then at the time of your birth you had the Saturn Mahadasha going on. The balance of the planet’s dasha period remaining at birth is calculated using the location (degree minute second) of the Moon in the nakshatra.
  • For the other birth Nakshatra, Saturn Mahadasha can occur at any point of time in life in the sequence.
  • Saturn will also influence you during his sub-periods, ie Antardasha, in other planet’s Mahadasha ie main periods.

So open your Vedic software, the Dasha section. If there are options here, choose the Vimshottari Dasha system. See which planet’s Mahadasha is going on for you. If this is the Saturn Mahadasha then this post is for you.

If you were born in Saturn Mahadasha. You were always a mature and responsible little person even as a child. Possibly your parents were working hard and you did not get much time with them in your childhood. Maybe your grandparents or someone elderly took care of you. You are serious at your core, punctual about time and meticulous about work. You live within your means, do not waste anything. Time is precious to you. You have schedules and tasks to perform. You are stable, sincere and dependable. You are friendly with everyone, but you do not have close life-time friendships. You generally get along with people older or more mature than you. Life unfolds rather predictably, slowly but surely, you gain wealth, social prestige and recognition, especially so after your late thirties.

If you go through your Saturn Mahadasha later in life. It is very long period, 19yrs and a lot can happen in this time. Here you will be more focussed on your work, social presence, the process of ‘settling down’. If you are older than 36yrs, then this time can be quite productive as you harness the power of Saturn in the real sense and grow. 

Generally, Saturn in his Mahadasha, will make you work systematically to work off your karma. Whichever houses Saturn is linked to, he will give you tasks to perform. Whatever aspect of your life is linked to him will be your ‘work-place’ for these 19yrs. He expects dedication, sincerity and honesty. So expect social obligations, duties to the parents and elders, earning prestige and social position, gaining assets and wealth, working within the restrictions of social law, he will keep you busy for these 19 yrs. This will be a character building time, he is polishing your personality. There will be crises from time to time, he will test you. He will force you to become efficient, budget, fully utilise what you have and appreciate the use of your assets. Your hidden talents will be pushed out in the open. What you desire is irrelevant to him as he has your own karmic agenda to enforce. There might be an underlying sense of loneliness or weariness during this time but there will be focus. He generally does not grant emotional satisfaction as he systemically removes all illusions, misplaced hopes, unwarranted expectations and brings you face to face with the practical reality. But there will be a sense of a job well done. He will reduce your tolerance for hypothetical or impractical or dreamy stuff. You will be granted practical knowledge about real material things, tangible stuff. If you work, then he will ensure that you get your exact rightful gains. His energies are slow, subdued and spread over a longer period of time. Events roll out slowly but steadily here. He can delay things but does not deny you what you deserve. If you accept his influence, these 19yrs will be a very productive time. If not then it can get hopeless.

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Saturn Mahadasha is 19yrs long, so each of the nine sub-periods are also long and can extend upto 3yrs. Analyse the lords of the sub-periods/ Antardasha to get a clearer idea of how things will unfold.

Most people are scared of Saturn but he is the embodiment of the material we see around us. All social structures, hierarchies, markets, trade, commerce, rules, regulations, etc require Saturn’s blessings to prosper.  If the Saturn Mahadasha comes in mid-life then this period can grant successes all of life’s major activities like education, job, family etc. Saturn’s energies for material growth are best utilised at this age. The only condition is that you should be willing to work hard in a regular and disciplined manner.

Saturn is Yogkarak for Taurus and Libra ascendants so will give favourable results for these people. He is the owner of Capricorn and Aquarius so he always supports people with these two ascendant signs as the ascendant lord. For the other ascendant signs you have to check the individual charts in depth, for his role in the chart.

  • If Saturn is well-placed and capable of auspicious results, then these 19yrs can be an extraordinary period, full of work, achievements, social mobility, professional successes, growth and fame. You will make more friends, contacts, people who think and act like you. For people who are in politics, governance or need social visibility he will help. If he is in his own sign or sign of exaltation or aspected by benefics or even in a Kendra or a Kona house supported by auspicious planets, then too he will support you during his Mahadasha.
  • If Saturn is unfavourable for you then expect issues connected to health, property, wealth, profession, litigations etc. Medical conditions related to skin, nerves, bones, ‘dryness’ in the body parts and ageing related diseases can pop during this time. There will be detachment, frustrations, restlessness, denial and loneliness on the mental front. Legal issues with the government. Delays and challenges in the parts of life he influences. He will also give the strength to endure the distress he will cause, but life will be more difficult than average during this period. Some things will be spoilt forever. But even though there may be troubles, they will not stretch continuously for 19 yrs. The underlying theme may be Saturn’s but the lords of the sub-periods also have their say. If the lord of the Antar-dasha is favourable then the troubles will reduce in his antardasha. 

 If you feel that this is all beyond you at the beginner level, I have written two posts on a quick analysis for the sub-periods based on which houses these the planets own (here and here). 

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Now to tailor the Mahadasha predictions for your personal life. This requires some basic understanding of Jyotish. Each horoscope is unique and will have its own unique analysis. This post is to help you learn.

Step 1 is to analyse the power of Saturn in your chart.

You should know what Saturn controls in your life and the power he has to deliver his results. You should know what he is going to give you, only then predicting the timing will be of any use. So analyse your Saturn as follows,

  • Saturn in your basic birth chart
  • Which house and in which sign is he placed in? Which parts of your life is he controlling?
    • Eg Saturn in 3rd house will be your siblings, income from trade, your hands, the internal confidence to take necessary actions, skills, practicality, etc.
  • Which houses does he own? Where are Capricorn and Aquarius signs placed in the chart?
    • Eg Capricorn placed in the 11th house will mean that Saturn is in charge of your friend circle, like minded groups, all gains in life, money from speculation, older siblings, etc.
    • Eg Aquarius in the 5th house, means that Saturn is connected to your education, children, students, creativity, confidence, genius, etc.
  • Marak – If Saturn connected to the 2nd, 7th or 8th houses then you must check the longevity aspects. If the longevity is at an end, then he can indicate the timing or cause of physical death in his Dasha periods.
  • Is Saturn exalted/ debilitated? How comfortable is he in the sign he is occupying? Naturally an exalted planet will give more pleasing results than a debilitated one. 
  • Is he retrograde?
  • Or combust?
  • Which planets is he conjoint/ aspected by?
    • Which other aspects of the personality is he influencing or being influenced by? If he is influenced by benefics then more favourable and pleasing results.
    • eg Saturn aspecting or conjoint Rahu can give a rather intense personality.
  • What kind of power does he have.
    • His shadbala, avastha etc also can be seen for more insights into his nature in your chart. You can go as deep as your level of study.
  • Has he matured?
    • Is his maturity being held back by conjunction with later maturing planets? Planets give more sensible results after maturity. His Dasha period after maturity will give more useful results.

This detailed analysis will tell you which aspects of your life will be more in the foreground as your Saturn mahadasha rolls on. Be clear on his karakatva, ie all that he stands for in your chart, before predicting anything.

Do these next only if you are an advanced student, else you might end up confusing yourself

  • Saturn in the Navamsha D 9 chart.
    • Do this same analysis using the divisional chart 9. The Navamsha chart will give a perspective on the sub-conscious expectations and the sum total of Saturn’s potential. 
  • Saturn in the birth Moon chart.
    • You can repeat this same analysis in your birth Moon chart to see how Saturn Mahadasha is going to affect you on the emotional aspects of your life. The birth Moon chart is the same as your D1 birth chart, just that the sign containing the birth Moon is counted as the 1st house.

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Step 2 is to analyse the power of the Sub-period lords

Smaller sub-periods within the main period/ Mahadasha are called successively Antar-dasha, Pratyantar-dasha, Sookshma-dasha and Pran-dasha. The logic on how to analyse these even smaller units remains the same for each planetary owner of the sub/sub periods. The lord of the sub-period will give his results within the broad framework of the overarching Saturn’s power.

  • Find out the power of the sub-period planetary lord and the aspects of life that he controls just like you did for the Saturn above.
    • Eg if the Saturn Mahadasha and Moon antardasha. you will have to find out both Saturn’s and Moon’s power to give results.
    • Analyse the relationship between the Saturn and the sub-period owner planet. Are they friends/ neutrals/ enemies?
    • If they are in the uncomfortable 6/8 axis from each other then that sub-lord’s sub-period will not be so comfortable.
    • If they are in the 5/9 axis or 3/11 axis the sub-period will give significant gains.
      • Eg if Saturn Mahadasha and Jupiter Antardasha. Both are neutral to each other.
      • If Saturn is in 5th house and Jupiter in 9th house. Both are in the pivotal Kona houses, and in the powerful 5/9 axis from each other. This could be one of the best periods of your life.
      • If Saturn in 3th house and Jupiter in 8th house. This time will not give good results, as there will be turbulence in life related to the 3rd and 8th house keywords.

Do this next only if you are an advanced student, else you might end up confusing yourself

  • Step 3 is the routine transits of the planets.
    • These can the modify results indicated by the Dasha to some extent. So draw your birth chart (D-1) on a paper and superimpose the current planetary positions on it. Use a different coloured pen so that you can make sense of the composite chart you are drawing. Analyse how the transits are affecting the planets. We use the dasha+transits to fine tune events.
    • Ashtakvarga, Janma-nav-tara, Moorti nirnay, Ashtapadmadala chakra etc are some of the ways you can analyse transits depending on your level of skill.

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Now with this background, let’s briefly analyse the Saturn Mahadasha and its Antardasha/ sub-periods. This is just a starting point for you to base your own analysis on. 

1. Saturn antardasha follows the Rahu antardasha in the Jupiter Mahadasha.

  • This period sets the tone for the next 19yrs of your life. This is the first sub-period in sequence so if this time goes reasonably well for you then the rest of his Mahadasha too can be expected to go well. If this period is not going well, ie if problems erupt with no solutions or issues in profession and relationships etc then you must take corrective actions, ie Daan or Mantra, which will help alleviate the problems caused by Saturn.
  • If Saturn in your birth chart is capable of favourable results then you will be kept busy and you will get the due credits. There will be progress on the social, professional and material front. Increased work, lesser time for leisure, more responsibilities, perhaps a promotion, more interactions with the society etc. Marriage and children are also possible which create a sense of maturity.

2. Mercury antardasha

  • Saturn considers Mercury as a friend. Mercury is neutral to him.
  • So if they are well placed in your chart then this period will go well. Logic and mental faculties add power to the work you are doing. This will result in gains especially from profession and business, money flow will increase. You will be more competitive, less emotional and more logical in your approach. You will be able to network effectively, find out tips and secrets and put your skills to use. Use this time well.
  • You may be required to do something for your siblings and extended family which might give you stress from time to time.

3. Ketu antardasha

  • Saturn and Ketu together are an explosive mix. This is a relatively short period but can get intense. Physical and emotional health may be hit. You will feel more aggressive in the aspects of life linked to Saturn and Ketu. So keep your temper in control, keep conflicts to a minimum and focus on your goals. Unnecessary travelling, weakness, loss of money etc are possible. Ketu causes disillusionments and separations. So if your chart is strong you might get into spirituality and if the chart is weak then you will feel depressed.
  • If their mutual combination is favourable then there will be flashes of inspiration and insights so use these well. Your intelligence will support you, thus you can profit from calculated risks. Also pilgrimages or some spiritual experience is likely.
  • Unpleasant experiences on the psychic levels, astral dimensions and dream states are possible which might drain you. So take due precautions.

4. Venus antardasha

  • Venus and Saturn are good friends. But both are strict taskmasters. If they are well placed then they will give material stuff, relationships and wealth. Marriage, children and other one-one relationships will seem more significant and you will be more involved in them. This might be a good time to earn money and invest or accumulate wealth.
  • But they can also cause a deep set dissociation as you might face intense karmic rebalancing with the one you love the most. The negative effects are reduced if Venus and Saturn are favourable for you, ie turmoil you face finally make sense and you will eventually gain significantly. I have written a post on this antardasha here.

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5. Sun antardasha

  • Sun and Saturn are father and son and mutual enemies. But if they are well placed and in a comfortable axis with each other then there will be an unexpected elevation in status, money, authority etc. Especially if you are connected to the public in some way they will bring recognition and expansion of your personality. Then this would be a good time for people in HR, politics, governance etc where there is more interaction with the people and the system.
  • Otherwise this time is generally uncomfortable. The father, teacher, elders, children can create problems. Your boss and others in authority will not allow you to express yourself fully. Issues in profession are common. Take care of your health, heart, heat and cold related issues can cause complications. 

6. Moon antardasha

  • Moon and Saturn together is a recipe for ‘fear’. Even if Moon and Saturn are favourable for your chart, this antardasha can trigger emotional issues, tiredness, fear, disease etc. Stress from your maternal relatives, children or mother, eg their health may be a concern. Or problems with investments, property, finances, home, etc. Profession and status can be affected so best be alert during this sub-period.

7. Mars antardasha

  • If Mars is powerful and capable of giving good results with Saturn, then in this sub-period you will be able to use your aggression productively. There will be opportunities to show your confidence and initiative in work. But again this is a fiery mix, so do control your temper. You can use this time to get back at your enemies and cut off potential problems before they get too big. You might travel and gain in places away from your homeland or in areas outside your comfort zone.
  • But if they are together incapable of favourable results then there will be arguments in the family, with siblings, issues over land and resources, needless travel, loss of wealth, injuries, surgeries and accidents are possible.

8. Rahu antardasha

  • Saturn and Rahu together can increase destructive tendencies. If you can channelise this energy outwards in some productive way then you can gain. There will be some opportunities but be careful to choose only the ethical and practical ones. Avoid cheating others. 
  • There might be some interference from the psychic, astral and dream states during this sub-period.

9. Jupiter antardasha

  • This is the chidra dasha, the last sub-period of the Vimshottari Saturn Mahadasha.
  • If your ascendant is Taurus, Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius or Pisces then you will have an easier time. Or if Jupiter and Saturn both are capable of giving auspicious results together, then the turmoil will exist on manageable levels and it will be for your own good.
  • This last sub-period is generally an intensely karmic time. Expansion and contraction together. Issues in profession or society can cause stress. Education, work and finances can be affected. The immediate family may be disturbed. Unforeseen events can occur depending on which aspects of your life are controlled by Jupiter and Saturn.
  • The reason is that Jupiter will take stock of all the work you have done, or failed in and grant you a wise and optimistic perspective. You will finally make sense of this work Saturn made you do, 19 long years. If something has failed to nourish your soul or failed to make you wiser it will be firmly discarded. What you have gained will be solidly consolidated. Thus the element of the unexpected during this sub-period.
  • You have worked through a significant portion of your karmic baggage and Jupiter in his kindness will help you finally appreciate yourself.

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Everyone who wants to learn astrology should analyse their own horoscope first. Get into the habit of pulling out your own chart for a detailed analysis every 6 months, take a couple of hours over this exercise. Look at the Dasha periods and transits that will happen over the next 6 months, try to predict 1-2 things which might happen. These can be very simple things to begin with, eg some disturbance over the 4th house = some issue related to mother. Some positivity over the 10th house = progress in profession. Evaluate for yourself how accurate you are getting.

Manglik Mars, its power and timing events

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This is a continued post from this one. You must have already analysed your Mars in-depth using the points I have listed out there.

Now let’s divide the manglik dosha into a low-power one and a high-powered one.

Low energy Manglik Dosha – If you see patterns like this in the chart, the dosha is of a low intensity and can be managed by performing remedies and changing behaviour. More the patterns, more its intensity reduces in real life.

  • If Mars is the ascendant lord, ie for Aries and Scorpio ascendants, then Manglik dosha does not exist.
  • If Ruchak yog exists, then Manglik dosha does not exist.
  • Mars is a Yogkarak for Cancer and Leo ascendants, but even then these can suffer from this dosha. You have to examine the chart, using the other guidelines from my pervious post to decide the Dosha’s power. Some aspects of the life may actually benefit from Mars’s energies in this case.
  • Mars influenced by benefics, who are themselves powerful. Especially if a powerful Jupiter aspects Mars by his 5th or 9th aspect, ie Mars does not aspect him in return, then this Dosh reaches a low intensity.
  • Mars not aspecting any other planet in the chart, ie not interfering with anyone else reduces his impact on the personality.
  • A strong ascendant lord and a strong Moon in the birth chart, can somewhat direct the energies created by this Mars. Ascendant lord is connected to the physical self, Moon to the astral self. If these two are very powerful, you can navigate most of the life’s problems quite successfully. There will obviously be issues but you will use them as stepping stones to higher things.
  • Powerful benefics placed in the chart which can help tide over the problems generated by Mars’s erratically directed energies.
  • The lords of the 1st 4th 7th 8th 12th houses themselves being very powerful, benefics and capable of giving auspicious results for that house. Then at least this part of the life will be better able to navigate Mars’s aggression.
  • Any other powerful auspicious yog in the horoscope which can help the overall personality direct Mars’s power for doing good.
  • If the navamsha chart is auspicious, then a lot of life’s problems are reduced. Navamsha analysis is necessary for coming to a conclusion about the Manglik tag.

High energy Manglik Dosh – If you see patterns like this in the chart, the dosha is of a higher intensity and cannot be completely managed by performing remedies. More the interconnecting patterns, more intense the dosha’s energies.

  • Mars influenced by malefics in some way or the other.
  • Mars influencing other malefics in some way or the other, aggravating their ability and give worse results.
  • Mars aspecting other benefics and affecting their ability to do good.
  • The ascendant lord and the birth Moon both unable to give good results, ie are afflicted by functional malefics, or placed in the 3rd 6th 8th 12th houses, or eclipsed/ combust etc then the personality, the environment and the mental/ emotional strength are destabilised. Do analyse them carefully before coming to a conclusion about this.
  • The lords of the 1st 4th 7th 8th 12th houses themselves are afflicted so naturally the connected house is going to be problematic.
  • Other combinations/dosha-s increasing the power of the other malefics over the personality.
  • The navamsha chart is not auspicious and unable to support the main physical personality. This increases the intensity of all problems in life including the manglik dosha.

Manglik Mars, its power and timing events

Navamsha analyis in Manglik Dosha, very briefly. (I have written several posts on Navamsha analysis, do go through them.) Check what your inner expectations/potentials are using the 9th divisional chart, D9. In your analysis till now you must have realised which houses and planets are affected by manglik Mars’s energies. So analyse further, some examples. If you see patterns like this with your planets then you should judge accordingly, it is possible that the patterns may help your Mars direct his energy or even aggravate your Martian nature,

  • eg Mars in 4th house is with Rahu in D1. In the D9, Rahu shifts to Aries. So Rahu is influenced by Mars in both charts, causing deeper issues.
  • eg If Mars in the 1st house aspects the 7th house lord. And in the navamsha this other planet shifts to Scorpio, again Mars’s energy influences him.
  • eg If Mars in the 1st house is debilitated, but in the D9 he goes in Capricorn. This can help reduce the problem of his aggression.
  • eg If in an manglik chart, the 7th lord is vargottam, the 7th house matters will be good.

Depending on your levels of expertise/ intuition/ study you can also study the concerned Nakshatra, Ashtakvarga, Shad-bala etc strengths, or other divisional charts for more information.

Vimshottari dasha periods Check if your current Vimshottari period has more positive or more negative patterns and act wisely.

  • In your above analysis, you must have identified the planets whom Mars is influencing/ aspecting. Now in the Vimshottari dasha periods of Mars or these other planets, you will experience an over-load of his energy. eg If Mars is aspecting Ketu in your birth chart then you should be alert during Ketu’s dasha periods also. Your aggression and fiery nature may lead you to fights, arguments, decisions made in passion etc during this time also.
  • navamshaIf you are going through a dasha period of a functional malefic for your chart, then the dosha’s energies can add to the discomfort you are going to face.
  • Dasha periods of strong benefics or benefics who positively influence/ aspect your birth Mars can grant you opportunities to use your manglik energies in a more productive manner. Make use of these times to focus your Mars and gain. Mars if used correctly can work wonders.

Transits. Do take care during the following time periods as your aggression can be aggravated,

  • A significant transit of Mars which aspects his birth position.
  • Mars getting combust, or retrograde, or in a graha yuddha in the skies will cause a fluctuation in your personal energies and also health (personal health can be an issue sometimes as the body ‘heat’, pitta is high, this can vary from boils to indigestion, ulcers etc diseases connected to over-heating).
  • A transit of malefics, Saturn, Rahu/Ketu or Sun which aspect your birth Mars position.

Saturn and the troubles of the early childhood

Remedies. Mantra jaap, homa, pujas, giving away items of that planet etc are all options. Charity to really deserving poor people is also helpful (giving stuff to undeserving people does not work). I have written about remedies in several posts do use the Index to locate them. But with remedies, remember one thing always. No remedy can completely stop the problems caused by your birth chart energies (prarabdha karma). Reduce it yes, completely eliminate, no. You can redirect your energy, that choice is always available to you. Behavioural changes are always a good option if you are intelligent enough to understand your own nature. If you are honest with yourself and comprehend how your mind works, you can divert your Mars into something which genuinely excites you, rather than chasing illusions. Use your energy to do something that genuinely ignites your passion rather than wasting it in needless and endless conflicts with your loved ones. A strong Mars is a very important asset if you can use his energy in a sensible manner.

Apart from the astrological remedies, if you know that you have such a combination in your birth chart and a typical time period is coming up from the transits and Dasha, then you should be prepared for what will come and adjust your behaviour, expectations and actions accordingly. This will save you a lot of trouble and save your loved ones, heart-break.

If the Manglik dosha in your chart is of the low energy type, the remedies will be useful and will significantly reduce the burden of karma.

If the Manglik combination is of the high energy variety then the remedies will not be so efficacious. Some part of it will have to be gone through, despite the remedy being performed. The more intense the combination, the more repetitive and reinforcing the patterns are, the more deeply the karma is ingrained into your present life (especially if the Navamsha also shows the same patterns). I have seen some Internet sites who claim to ‘tie up’ Manglik energies. This is faulty thinking as ‘tying up’ the karma is temporary at best and causes problems on the astral levels. There might also be a severe backlash. Then you will be required to rebalance this manglik energy karma either later in life or in your next lives. If you have opted-out from something at your birth and chosen something else instead then that choice cannot be disregarded.

I have observed that some people with intense Manglik Mars sometimes remain unmarried and it suits them! These people generally have some over-riding passion which drives them, they are so utterly focussed on their passion that family etc is not really relevant to them. Or when these highly Manglik people marry, they are required to live away from their family, eg army men, merchant navy, pilots, corporate high-ups who travel often, brahmins who travel for doing pujas, etc. This is probably for the best, but it leads to separation from the family (perhaps unfair for the spouse/children) If they live with their families, all the time, there is invariably conflict.

Manglik Mars, its power and timing events

With the Manglik combination, you think only from one point of view. You are in a hurry, there is a lot of force within you pushing to get out. The mind can be easily destabilised by this high voltage Mars. You do not stop to think or re-consider. You take everything as a challenge. Thus you engage in risky behaviour often putting your own self in danger. (eg rash driving, silly bets involving life threatening behaviour etc). If you can understand this and give yourself time to cool down before acting, all your Manglik problems will evaporate. But Mars does not allow this to happen so easily, thus the Dosha. After Mars matures, things often become more easier to handle.

Manglik dosha essentially is a burst of energy so intense and focused that it sets those aspects of life on fire where one-one relationships exist or those aspects of life where you have to think before you act. Mars’s nature is antithetical to one-one equitable relationships, he is a burst of passion. One-one relationships are in our personal family, business, job, meditation etc. With manglik Mars’s intensity, there is little peace in any of these things, neither for you nor for the person opposite you (loved one, child, parent, siblings, family member, business-partner etc). For you, perhaps this does not register as you are the fiery Mars yourself, these are your regular energies. (The Sun also burns, but his heat is of an indifferent intensity, he is more self-centred, he cannot focus on anyone else.) Mars, in his intensity, is focussed on the other person/ thing which he wants to dominate, to crush, to conquer. You are born with this intensity. But for the person opposite you, this burst of fire can at times be unbearable. You can hit them physically, astrally, emotionally, financially etc intensely and not feel a thing. Mars does not think before he acts, he is a burst of focussed fire, the energy of life and death.

Mars’s Manglik energy is more a destructive energy. If you are a Manglik Mars, you are the destructive face, Shiva in his Ugra form. You can destroy negativity in your/ others life if you choose, but you can also destroy positive things too. What you destroy is ultimately your choice. Understanding yourself is key.

 

Soham, Sushumna Yog and the Sat-guru

Ashtakvarga, practical ways of using the tables

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I have written on how to use Ashtakvarga on interpreting the transits of planets through the signs. It makes the judgement of the transits very easy. This table can be used for several other analysis with equal ease. This is the easiest tool for analysing the power of a planet to influence the signs of the horoscope. So check up any online Ashtakvarga calculator, input your birth details and get your combined Sarva Ashtakvarga table.

This is the example chart of Aleister Crowley, the greatest western occultist of recent times. A superlative genius. He created the Thoth Tarot which I use. His birth details are 12th Oct 1875, 11:43 pm at Leamington UK. His Birth chart, Navamsha chart and Ashtakvarga table are as follows.

Birth chart Aliester Crowley

Navamsha Aleister Crowley
Navamsha Aleister Crowley

Ashtakvarga, an easy way to analyse transits

The Ashtakvarga table has several rows and columns. The top row is the Signs from 1-Aries to 12-Pisces. The first right column is the Ascendant degree and the 7 planets. ‘The Eight divisions’. Rahu-Ketu are not used in this table, instead the Ascendant degree/ Lagna is considered as a full-fledged ‘planet’ by itself. Each row is the score of that planet in the specific sign, this can vary from 0-8 points. The lowest row is the combined score of every sign this can vary from 0-56. To interpret this table there are only two rules which you need to remember.

1) Look at every individual planet’s row. You will see that each planet gets some points from 0-8 in each sign. These points indicate the power of the planet to influence this sign. The basic rule here is this

  • If the planet is in a sign where its score is 5-8 then he will give good results.
  • If he is in a sign where the score is exactly 4, it will be average, not-good, not-bad.
  • If the he is in a sign where his score is 0-3, the results will be  inauspicious.

2) And the second rule. Look at the individual sign totals row, the lowest row, where the total score of each sign is computed. Here the range is from 0-56 points for each sign. Here you see the power of each sign to give results, because of its relationship with the planet’s placements.

  • A sign with a score of 30 or more points generally gives good results.
  • A sign with less than 25 points gives inauspicious results.
  • Signs with scores between 25-30 give average results.

You already know how to use the Ashtakvarga table for analysing the power of transits. Now for more ways to use it.

How to judge the power of a planet to give results in the birth chart?

What a planet is capable of giving is different, this needs to be analysed by matching keywords. Eg Moon in this chart, is the ascendant lord, with Rahu in the 9th house, aspected by the Sun and Saturn. So body and physical environment, the agent of the mind, astral self, emotions, ancestors, luck, past life’s merit, peers, patrons, spiritual father, religion, belief system, mother, traditions, cycles, nurture, security, protection, intuition, discipline, genius, intense desire to experience etc.

So even if he is going to give a lot of stuff, how powerful will be his results? This can be seen from the score that the planet has in the sign he is placed at birth. Eg the Moon in our example birth chart is placed in Pisces and the Ashtakvarga score for Moon in Pisces is a neutral 4 points. So Moon will neither give superlative nor bad results. They will be average. So it would be better the Moon energies are consciously improved by doing his Mantra, remedies, Sadhana, spiritual practice etc. In our example see the Saturn in Capricorn has the lowest score of 1. If you read contemporary accounts of Crowley, he was thought to be lazy, wicked, evil, crazy etc by the general society, he married several times the 7th house things were rather a mess, this matches to this low score of Saturn. Mars with him though exalted also has a score of 4, indifferent to very bad results for the 7th house tallied. This was as per our Rule (1). If you use Rule (2), Pisces has a total sign score of 29 so more or less average results. So the Moon remains average for this person, will work at 50% efficiency. And Capricorn has a score of 24, it is inauspicious. So the Saturn will give his results at very lower levels of his power.

So if you want to see how well a planet can give his results, check out his score in the sign he is in your birth chart, (rule 1). And the total sum of the sign (rule 2). Together these two scores will give you your insight.

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You can make more detailed use of the table to find out will some planet’s influence are more powerful than other? In our above table, the Moon-Pisces is aspected by Sun and Saturn both.

  • Now the Sun is in Virgo with a score of 6. Sun influences Pisces with a score of 4. Combining these two the effect of the Sun on the Moon-Pisces is quite high and auspicious.
  • Saturn is in Capricorn and has a score of 1 and Saturn-Pisces is 6. Combining these two, the effect of the Saturn on the Moon is of low intensity and more inclined to be inauspicious.
  • Sun (Virgo-6) is inherently more able to give auspicious results than Saturn (Capricorn-1). Both are aspecting the Moon, but the influence of Saturn (score in Pisces is 6) is more than the Sun (his score in Pisces is 4). And Saturn is basically going to give inauspicious results because of his original placement. Sun being inherently more auspicious, even though he influences Moon only indifferently, his overall result will be auspicious.
  • So we can interpret this in words, Moon will be adversely affected by Saturn, the restrictions of Saturn will weigh on the astral/emotional self. Karma, discipline, social pressures, requirement to work systematically, social image, regular income etc will be a burden on the mind.
  • Moon is being supported by the Sun, so divine inspiration,  creativity, genius, center-stage etc will all be sought after and will be received by the person during the lifetime.

When we analyse our birth horoscope, we count the houses from the rising sign, the regular birth chart. And in the second Birth Moon chart, we count the birth moon sign as the first house and interpret the signs and planets in relation to the Moon’s placement. But every planet is powerful in its own way, so we should ideally draw a separate birth planet chart for every planet, eg a birth Jupiter chart where birth Jupiter’s sign is counted as the first house. But doing this for all the planets would be quite confusing and tedious. So we calculate the Ashtakvarga. Arriving at this Ashtakvarga table is also quite a tedious affair, but now our software does it, so its just a click of a button.

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Now how to use Ashtakvarga chart in determining the power of the Dasha periods.

The most commonly used system for Dasha, planetary periods is the Vimshottari Dasha system. This is the first system that is taught for students and is quite accurate and easy to understand. There are five layers of planetary periods, sub-periods, sub-sub-periods, as every minute of your life is mapped out (Maha-dasha, Antar-dasha, Pratyantar-dasha, Pran-dasha Sookshma-dasha).

Let’s analyse the Mahadasha/main period and Antardasha/sub-period using Ashtakvarga. Suppose that for our example chart, the current Mahadasha is Jupiter and the Antardasha is of Mercury. This will be written as Jupiter-Mercury. Your software will also give the Dasha for your birth details, check it out. Sometimes you see that the Dasha period ruler planets occupy the best positions in your birth chart, are capable of giving such good results, but in the actual period, these good results do not materialise. Then you need to see the Ashtakvarga table.

Now to apply rule (1), check where Jupiter is in the sky now, the current transit sign is Scorpio. Check Jupiter in Scorpio score from the example chart. In our example it is 7, very good results expected. Now Mercury, the sub-period lord, is currently in Libra. In the ashtakvarga table above Mercury-Libra has 7 points again very good results. Next apply rule (2). Here the total of Scorpio is 25, this is on the lower side, inauspicious. And Libra has a total score of 27, indifferent, not good/bad. So we can combine these results and say that, at this point of time, this person will have reasonably good results for this Vimshottari Dasha main/sub period combination. However he should be alert for anything happening unexpectedly. This analysis should be re-done when the Jupiter transits onwards to Sagittarius and Mercury transits to Scorpio as the dynamics change. Ashtakvarga makes things so very easy!

So if you want to see how the combined dynamics of the current transit plus the current Dasha main-lord and sub-lord works out to be, check out the Ashtakvarga table and follow the two rules.

The Ashtakvarga does not use Rahu/ Ketu in the table. They have no points and no scores. The main reason is that these planets have no material results on their own. This table talks about the material and tangible results only. No psychological babble here. So if you have clients who want to know definite results, marriage, money, children, health, job, property you have to see the Ashtakvarga. Everything is reduced to numbers here, so you can arrive at a percentage of intensity, percentage probability or 50% chance that this will happen sort of results. of course to improve the percentages you have to prescribe some spiritual activity, remedy or something which will help bringing that planet more in focus.

But the Dashas? Rahu and Ketu are owners of Dasha periods and they also transit, but they do not have a score here. So I use an approximation which has worked for me. (If you think it is incorrect, do not use it). The reasoning being, Rahu and Ketu give material results through the planet who is conjunct him.  If there are no planets conjunct him, ie in the same sign, then Rahu and Ketu take on the characteristics of the sign’s planetary owner. So in the above example I would use the sign-score of Sun to get an idea of Ketu’s Dasha period. And the sign score of Moon to get an idea of Rahu’s Dasha period.

So here was a very practical post on using Ashtakvarga in more ways,

  1. To judge the power of a planet to give results in the birth chart
  2. To judge the power of a sign to give results in the birth chart
  3. To judge which planet has the maximum influence over a sign
  4. To judge which planet has the maximum influence over another planet
  5. To use Ashtakvarga chart in determining the power of the Dasha periods

 

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(There was a question on using the Ashtakvarga, thus these two posts. I would recommend books by C.S.Patel to those who want to learn more, but his books are more for the advanced students. For the beginners, try using the tables for basic analysis as I have written and later read the books.)

Start learning astrology systematically

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People today are interested in astrology. There are casual enthusiasts and then there are the really genuine students who want to learn it in detail. If you want to really learn and practice astrology, either for your personal growth or as a profession, you should understand that it takes time. It takes 3 yrs to get a basic graduation degree and 4yrs for a professional one! So you should consider this much time as the basic minimum to learn astrology to the level of getting your predictions correct. It is a life-time learning process and you will learn with every chart you analyse. There are several government Universities which offer a B.A. in Astrology at quite reasonable fees, some of them offer distance courses too. Here you get a certificate so this might help in your professional practice.

Start learning astrology systematically

Self-study is necessary, you will need to read books,

  • B. Suryanarain Row – The oldest. I think the first astrology author in modern times, books are in English. Basic astrological concepts have been elaborated upon. He had the advantage of being the first English writer so has written a lot.
  • B.V. Raman – son of B. Suryanarain Row. I grew up on his books and the Astrological Magazine. English books as did most astrologers in Bharat. His beginner level books are good.
  • Gayatri Devi Vasudev – daughter of B.V. Raman, writes in English.
  • J.N. Bhasin – has written several books, lucid language and most are available in English and Hindi.
  • K.N. Rao – His early books are very logical. Also discusses the theory in later books. He has edited books written by his students so you can read those too for a different perspective and case studies. In English and quite useful.
  • H.N. Katve – all of his books are in Marathi. If you know Marathi you should read them. Extensive knowledge. Some books are translated to Hindi.
  • Chandulal Sarkarlal Patel – English books. He is the only author I trust for Ashtakvarga and Navamsha analysis. Not beginner level, but there are several books/ articles written in a clear style and are an essential read.
  • Shakti Mohan Singh – He has written a lot in English but his one book on Kalachakra Dasha is very important, the only book which gives this Dasha system accurately. (Though we start learning with Vimshottari Dasha, then learn Ashtottari and Yogini, Kalachakra is one dasha which the advanced student has to learn.)
  • More authors here

Choose books in the language you understand easily. Most authors have written beginners books for introduction to the fundamentals of astrology. Several of their books are available on archive.org, I would suggest you download a few, see which ones you like and then do buy them. These are quite inexpensive at Rs 200/- max. Having a paper book in your hands means you can make your notes in it, or add your own observations, stick notes in it. Soft-copies and software are useful, but use the paper and pencil too. At some point of time you will have to read at least two classics Bruhat Jataka and Bruhat Parashar Hora Shastra. There are other classics, but these two are necessary. In addition you can consider keeping a copy of the Phaladeepika as a reference. And for Prashna I have found Shatpanchashika very adequate. You can read these later when you are a bit advanced in your study.

Earlier reading Panchangam and learning maths was very important. We had to calculate the positions of the planets etc using the panchangam and only then could we draw up the horoscope. Today with the advent of software and online horoscopes, learning maths has become optional. (But the serious students should practice the math also. It helps better understanding). For software use the free Jagannath Hora. And Parashar Light is the best professional level paid software if you want to buy, it is expensive. For android and iPhones ‘Drik panchang’ by developer ‘Adarsh apps’ is quite adequate to begin with. In the settings, put in your location and the Lahiri/ Chitrapaksha ayanamsha.

Start learning astrology systematically

So from my point of view this was the basic minimum for learning Jyotish in depth. Now the actual study, this is broadly in these parts.

  • Analysing the charts, at least the birth chart, moon chart and the D-9 Navamsha chart.
  • Ashtakvarga for both birth chart and transits (as learning one additional system is required).
  • Analysing Dasha – Generally Vimshottari Dasha is used. (There are more Dasha systems, but first learn Vimshottari.)
  • Analysing transits – comparing the present placement of the planets in the sky in relation to their at-birth positions

Analysing the Charts

Get any one of the beginners books you like. Read it through cursorily, get an overview first. Now pinpoint 10 keywords for every sign/ house/ planet. Write your own notes. And in the software input your own details and see how your birth chart looks like. When learning astrology you need to do the practical stuff by analysing charts, just reading the books won’t be enough. So,

  • Start doing a house by house analysis of your own Birth Chart. E.g if the ascendant/ first house is Capricorn, look up the keywords of Capricorn and its owner Saturn. See if these link up with your actual personality. Do this very cursory analysis for each of the 12 houses.
  • Then do the 9 planet analysis, (we do not use Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, they are not graha). Eg. Saturn is placed in 5th house, Taurus sign. So how does he behave, look up the keywords, analyse how they are expressed in your life.
  • Then do a house-lord analysis. Eg Saturn as the lord of the 1st house is placed in Taurus sign 5th house. Analyse how the finer details are now being filled in. Do this for all the 12 houses. Try to see patterns. Astrology at this level will be more trends and possibilities, accuracy will come with time and practice.

(There are videos available on Youtube. Since I haven’t seen any of them I cannot recommend any. But I would stress this, first read these books by senior astrologers. Then listen to youtube videos. These senior astrologer’s experience is very valuable, thus their books. My relatives don’t ask me see their charts, they get after my Dad. Dad has been an astrologer for more years than I have been alive, experience always matters.)

Moon chart analysis is neglected these days but it gives valuable insights into the emotional behaviour of the person. Turn around your chart so that the Moon’s sign takes the 1st house place. Now see how the planets and ascendant sign align with the Moon. Eg. One relative has her Moon in 6th house. She is always uncomfortable. The ascendant sign is placed eighth from the Moon. So her personality/ environment and her emotional comfort are adversarial to each other. If you can see these things in the chart and also in the person in front of you it adds to your confidence.

Use your books, write notes and stick them in the books. Making notes helped in your college. It is the same, you are learning a new subject.

Start learning astrology systematically

After you are comfortable with all this you can go on to divisional charts but only if you have the exact birth time. Open your Navamsha or 9th Divisional Chart on your software. Check which signs/ houses the planets shift to as compared to the Birth Chart. (I have written a few posts on Navamsha). This is a full analysis in itself and requires time. There are technically 16 important divisional charts, but exact birth time to the minute is generally not available, so D-9 is generally enough. (Generally birth time does differ upto 5 mins, ie the nurses may not record 10:33am exactly but rather record 10:35am)

Then practice some more.

Get your parents horoscopes, your grandparents, brothers/ sisters/ uncles/ aunts etc horoscopes, people whom you know already and can observe for years later. Do this analysis for their charts. (You might not be sure of their exact to the minute birth time, so do the Birth Chart and Moon chart analysis). Especially charts of any close relative who is beyond 60yrs. They have lived their lives and you can use them as the perfect study subjects. They will be willing to talk to you about significant events in their lives. If you get 15 charts to follow you are in a good place. We generally know about our relatives’ behaviour, mind-set, marriages, children, jobs, financial position, social status, health etc. So a full-rounded study of the charts is possible. Take your time over this very basic study, these 15 charts are your foundation. You can increase your collection as you get more subjects. Just maintain them, number them etc. If you can follow them upto their deaths it will be a complete study. (My Dad still has his hand-drawn charts collection from 50+yrs ago. I had the advantage of observing him/ his clients and learning since I was very small.)

Keep referring to your books. Doing this analysis, gradually your concepts of directional strength, combustion effects, retrograde movement, planetary war, exalted/ debilitated, etc will get clear. Take your time over this analysis. Keep adding finer details and take notes. Tally your analysis with the personality. This will add to your confidence.

Ashtakvarga is an important analysis and you should be able to use the basic Samudaya-ashtakvarga table at the very least. I have written few posts on this. Delve deeper as you study more.

Most people like studying celebrity charts, I don’t. My clients are the regular human beings with regular problems. Celebrity charts are not typical charts, they have combinations which give extreme results and only in one direction. e.g notorious criminal, freedom fighters, film stars, politicians. Their charts are extraordinary from only one angle, rest of the life is often in a bad shape.

And read your books and write the important observations you make.

Dasha analysis

Now to level up, in your software, there is a section on Vimshottari Dasha, Check out which Mahadasha and which Antardasha is going on for your own chart. I have written about analysing Dasha generally and planet-wise in my previous posts. You will need to do this once in few months to 1-2 yrs. You can also do it for your sample charts and observe if the analysis matches the actual events in life.

You studied so hard for school/college, this is no less! You are learning to predict the future and understanding the past.

Start learning astrology systematically

Analysing transits

The next thing is getting a sense of transits. Start with analysing the Moon’s effect on yourself. I have written about it in this post. Keeping track of the Moon transits will get you in the habit of referring to your Panchangam/ Software everyday. Observe and analyse your emotions and behaviour. Now you are a student of human nature. So be dispassionate and critical. Keep your own notes. Take 3 months over this to get your own interpretation of how the Moon affects your moods. After this you should try predicting how your day is going to be. This small daily prediction boosts your confidence. Eg one of my relatives, Moon in the 6th house, ie the ascendant sign is counted eighth from the Moon. (Ascendant sign represents the head, transit Moon in the sign eighth from the birth Moon creates stress and changes in pressures of body liquids.) She always gets a splitting head-ache when the Moon transits her 1st house.

You can similarly analyse other planets transits. Especially the transits of Saturn and Rahu/Ketu and Jupiter, are longer in duration should be studied. The Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars move quite fast, like 1-2  months per sign. These do not have very drastic effects either (unless one of them is your ascendant sign ruler), so you can take up their transits analysis later on.

This is a brief frame-work on understanding the horoscope and the past and present situations. To do this confidently will take time, so study for 1hr every alternate day at least regularly.

Now predictions,

Some senior astrologers write out a full life report. It requires time, a week perhaps, and a very good understanding of the potential of the horoscope to give results and the future transits and dashas in which these results can be expected.

But generally clients have a 3-4 questions which are about current situations or the near future, which can be answered easily. I have written a few posts on these topics. And of course there are books which you should refer for more details. You can start taking questions from your sample chart relatives after about 6months of personal study. You know these charts and you will be more confident predicting from them. Even if they do not want to ask anything, you can try to predict some small things from their charts which will occur in the next 3 months. (eg 6th house lord transiting over birth Moon will result in a minor illness, and this will happen. You can call your relative up to confirm if he is unwell). This will help you gain confidence. I would suggest taking up professional clients doing only after 3yrs of study.

(It would help immensely if you do regular Gayatri mantra Jaap. This will increase intuition, sharpen intelligence and grant protection.)

Learning astrology is always useful, you get to know a lot about your own self and also about others. And it has its spiritual side too. So why do you want to learn it? Think a bit on this, it will motivate you. Life is quite short with so many things to do. Astrology/ Jyotish just like any other subject, it requires time, interest and study. Start with the simple concepts and build on them. You are studying human nature and human affairs from every possible perspective here. Wishing you all the best in your pursuit of Illumination.

Start learning astrology systematically

(This post was in response to this comment I received in the contact form, 

“Sir, I am highly shocked the depth of your knowledge in this aspect. I wasn’t a keen follower of astrology but I am interested in it. So sir can you please suggest me, where can I get in depth knowledge of it. (It would be highly appreciated if you could teach me.) Yours sincerely, A fan of yours”

Dear Reader, Thank you for the compliment you have given me. I value your asking me to teach. But you see, astrology in the sense it should be taught and learnt requires a face-to-face teacher, which I cannot do. However I encourage you to start reading something on the topic and at least some self-study on the lines of this post. If there are any questions I can help you with, I will genuinely try. All the best to you in your studies.)