Astro Vedica on Divisional Charts and the Navamsha  

 

 

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There are sixteen divisional charts or shodasha vargas given by Parashara Muni in his Astrological treatise or " hora shastra." The principal of these is the navamsha. In Sanskrit, " nava " means nine and " amsha " means part. So the navamsha refers to a ninefold division of a sign, such that each sign is divided into nine parts of  three degrees, twenty minutes. These subdivisions give us a closer look at the influences that surround a planet in terms of sign placement. Please consult the diagram for an overview.

To give a better idea, we can compare good sign position with a royal road. The royal roads are well kept and are good to travel on. But even the royal roads have some bad stretches, for example, a rocky stretch or a stretch that goes through mountains and is curvy. In the same way, even a planet's good sign may have a bad navamsha which can take the wind out of its sails, so to speak, and diminish the strength of the placement. The point is that navamsha position modifies a planet in terms of sign placement.

It has to be understood, though, that the navamsha and other sub divisions do not go so far as to  jump up and contradict indications in the main chart. Rather, they are secondary, helpful for making decisions on the margin. Dr. B.V. Raman confirms this in a purport of the classic Prashna Marg, wherein he states: " Further, the navamsha may be referred to only when the rashi  ( sign placement ) is satisfactory. Here, since the rashi ( main ) chart itself does not ensure happiness (isn't strong enough to give the results in this case), the navamsha may be shelved." Keep in mind that Dr. Raman is an astrologer who, throughout the long run of his literary career, has always considered navamsha position. In all of his books the navamsha is printed right alongside the the main chart, and its indications are examined. The same format has been followed in his astrological magazine, which he has been editing for more than a half a century now. So when a man such as this tells us that, when the sign consideration in the main chart does not support a certain consideration and that the navamsha doesn't have the authority to change things, then we don't want to take such advise lightly.

To give an example of how the navamsha is used to make decisions on the margin, let's say that an astrologer sees that a planet is fairly strong in terms of lordship and house placement, but that the astrologer is not convinced about the planet's ability to give results because said planet is weak sign-wise. If the astrologer then notices that the planet occupies a favorable sign in the navamsha, then his objections in terms of sign strength may be allayed.

Not only do we take into consideration the planet's sign position in the navamsha, but we consider its house position and lordship there, too. Let us say that an astrologer is contemplating the marriage karma of an individual. He feels that a certain planet has some results to give in terms of this karma, but the planet doesn't seem strong enough. If he were to notice, though, that the planet occupies the house of marriage in the navamsha, or owns the house, a seasoned astrologer would realize that this reinforces the results that the planet has to give in terms of marriage, such that the astrologer would feel more confident about predicting marriage results in relation to the planet. Even so, the fact that the divisional charts are secondary indicators which only modify to a certain extent should not be lost sight of.

An example of the dominance of the birth chart is given by the above chart. In the Jupiter dasha, the native lived a very comfortable middle class life. In the  Saturn dasha, however, the native lived a humble life in an ashram, with little respect from any quarter, subject to servitude and bad treatment-  there have been better examples of ashram life.  This is par for the course- par for the placement- in the birth chart as Saturn occupies Scorpio with debilitated Rahu, and is the lord of the eighth.

In the navamsha, however, Saturn aspects his own sign in the ascendent from the seventh, where he sits with exalted Jupiter in a quadrant and with Mars-the-lord-of a quadrant.  

 

 

 

 

 

Such a placement should indicate high status and insulation from the situation described in the paragraph above but alas, perhaps “ the navamsha may be shelved “ because the navamsha placement was not nearly as indicative as the placement in the main chart.

The dasamsha chart Saturn does no better- Saturn sits in the tenth as the yoga karaka!

Actually, both the navamsha placement as well as the placement in the dasamsha have some meaning.  In the navamsha, Saturn in the seventh corresponded well to the native’s marriage karma; the karma was interrupted, the native married late and married a divorcee. Saturn in the tenth in the dasamsha indicated his occupation during the Saturn dasha, that of a monk. But In neither case did the divisional charts even begin to indicate the low, insignificant status of the native during the Saturn period. In fact, Saturn in both charts indicated just the opposite.

 The chart above is a high-quality example because we may place much confidence in the birth time- the time was recorded by a naval officer in a military hospital.

This leads us to another point to consider. Judgement involving divisional charts requires exact birth data. A sign in the birth chart will remain on the horizon for a while, an hour and a half or as much as two hours.  But divisional signs rotate much faster. In a matter of minutes the divisional signs may rotate. So it can be difficult to know which is the true divisional ascendent, hence chart, chart to consider. Also, rectification on the level of navamsha or dasamsha can be a subtle matter, not so easy to pinpoint.

The following birth chart is another one whose birth data is ironclad. The clocks and watches in the birthing center were all set and corrected on the day of birth. The moment of birth was marked exactly, and the umbilical cord was cut at the very same moment.

The karma in relation to father is severely afflicted. In the birth chart, the Sun is afflicted by occupation of the eighth in debilitation with the nodes. Bad-lord Saturn occupies the house of father and the lord sits in the seventh next to a very waning moon. (His mother got possession and moved away when he was two).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the navamsha (below), however, none of this father karma is indicated. The Sun and the lord of the ninth, Mars, both occupy the tenth with two benefics, Jupiter and the Moon.

 

In the dvadasamsha chart, which is the divisional chart pertaining to parents, the situation is not indicated, either. The lord of the ninth, Jupiter, occupies a quadrant, the fourth, with the Sun. Venus, a benefic, occupies the house of father.

There are certainly no great afflictions to the father karma indicated in this chart.

Enough! Divisional charts are subsidiary charts which do not carry the same weight as the indications in the birth chart, not at all. They may be helpful for decisions on the margin, but certainly when the results are clearly indicated in the birth chart, then where do the divisional charts belong in the analysis? Dr. Raman has already indicated where-  “shelved.”

The sixteen divisional charts and their significations are as follows. Remember that the navamsha is the main divisional chart; for everyday interpretations, many astrologers in India principally consult the birth chart and navamsha. Note that the navamsha has a dual role as the specific divisional chart which deals with marriage.

1. Janma: The janma chart is the main chart, also referred to as the rashi. It is the basis of the horoscope and has reference to all karmas in general. It is not a sub division.

2. Hora: Wealth

3. Drekshana: Happiness and siblings

4. Chaturhamsa: Destiny

5. Saptamsa: Children

6. Navamsha: Spouse

7. Dasamsa: Great success

8. Dvadasamsa: Parents

9. Sodasamsha: conveyance

10. Visamsha: Spiritual progress

11. Chaturvisamsha: Knowledge

12. Saptavisamsha: Strength

13. Trisamsha: Misfortune

14. Kavedamsa: Both auspicious or inauspicious effects

15. Akshavedamsa: All areas

16. Shastiamsa:

 

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