Guest guest Posted February 16, 2001 Report Share Posted February 16, 2001 I wrote this rather long piece recently on calculating dashas. Someone asked. Yogini comes at the end of this piece. This is overly wordy and seemingly complex. The subject is actually quite easy. Sorry, Satabish brain at "work" here. ----------------------- Dashas as a Concept Dashas are a timeline of planetary or sign periods. Periods of time ruled by either planets or signs. They run consecutively one after the other through life, thus all periods of time are ruled by either some planet or some sign. There are no blanks. It's a full timeline. Next, there are major period lords, who rule for a long time, then within that period it's broken down into sub periods ruled by other lords. Then within those there's again sub periods, and so on. So periods look like this or something like this: Major Minor Sub Date Starts Saturn Jupiter Venus 1-1-2001 Saturn Jupiter Sun 3-12-2001 Saturn Jupiter Moon 5-7-2001 Saturn Jupiter Mars 8-4-2001 Saturn Jupiter Rahu Mercury Mercury Mercury each will have a date Mercury Mercury Ketu Mercury Mercury Venus Mercury Mercury Sun Here's a paste in from one feature in my program, these are some real dashas from my life: Major Minor Date Starts Rahu Sun 07/20/1966 Rahu Moon 06/09/1967 Rahu Mars 11/30/1968 Jup Jup 12/13/1969 Jup Sat 01/20/1972 Jup Merc 07/20/1974 Jup Ketu 10/13/1976 Jup Ven 09/14/1977 Jup Sun 05/01/1980 Jup Moon 02/13/1981 and so on... So you can see that major period rule on and on, while sub periods go on, and within those other sub periods go on. Actually there are a number of major ways such dashas are calculated. These are different dasha systems. Some have planets, while a small few use the signs as the rulers of the periods. So instead of being in a Jupiter ruled period, you could say be in a Sagittarius ruled period (one of the signs). We predict events with these. The dashas tell us when the different planets will unfold their effects as promised in the natal chart. So in the above example from my chart where it's Jup Sat around 1972, well, both those planets are in my ninth house of religion, and Jupiter rules the sign there, Sagittarius, and that always gives a reading "will be religious", because you have the religious planet in the house of religion and he rules the sign there in this chart which makes him strong, so any astrologer would see that and say "you will be religious". And now see that those two planets, and specifically the really good one in this case, were "controlling" that period which means "showing their effects", so you would predict, according to the persons age at the time, in my case 12 years old, the appropriate acts of religion one would expect from a serious 12 year old, or who is serious about religion. In my case, I actually at that time joined the seminary priesthood-bound program the Catholic Church offers for serious young lads like myself. I was one of say 30 kids from all over the Bay Area of SF. Only about 30 of us felt this way. We joined the Catholic "Pre Seminary" program, and they had meetings for us at the seminary like once a Month or something. We woulld stay the weekend and get all religioned out on Catholicism. So it worked. There's other examples I could give. Like, the ninth house is also the father, and Jupiter the priest, and Saturn is a negative influence, so like my father was put away due to a brain disease, and a priest is the one who told us kids about the decision. And it took place at the church. So that major event turning point took place then too, and that is signfied by these two planets in a logical way. So, the dashas are the most important predictive took in Jyotish. They are only in Hindu astrology. This technique is not a part of Western Astrology. Intro to How Dashas Are Calculated ----------- The planets always have this natural order which correspond with the days of the week for the first seven: Sun, Moon, Mars, Merc, Jup, Ven, Sat then Rahu and Ketu for 9 planets total. These are known by the numbers 1 to 9 also. The planets can be referred to either way. The moon moves through the zodiac in astrology in about 27 days. So that's 360 degrees. That has been been divided into 12 signs as you know, of an even 30 degrees each. Well, there is in Hindu astrology a set of 27 signs dividing it also, these are 13 degrees 20 minutes long each, and these are called "the nakshatras" or "the stars". In the sky these look like stars, and they also happen to be corresponding to the days of the moon as it takes about 27 days to go around. So there's 27 fixed stars as we also call them. They have individual names. They also have individual lords which are the planets or signs. Yes, the planets "rule" the nakshatras and in some systems the signs rule them so to speak. So, wherever the Moon is, the person starts this life in the major period dasha of the planet that rules the star where the Moon is at birth. So like the Moon when I was born was in the star called "Satabish" and that one is in aquarius, and it's ruled by the planet "Rahu", so I started life in "Rahu Maha Dasha" which means the "major period" of "Rahu", so it would be the planet in the list on the first level in the first part of my life. The periods go in a set order. So after Rahu comes Jupiter Maha dasha so I entered that one around 10 years old. That one lasts 16 years in the most commonly used dasha system, and then comes Saturn, so I entered that at 26 years old. So the order and lengths of the periods are set, so once you determine the dasha operating at birth the rest is a fixed list of periods but the dates are effected by the starting period or birth date. You take this paremeter, Moon's longitude, and look at lists of stars you have covering different parts of the zodiac. You'll then do math to see the percentage of that star passed over by the Moon. That's the exact percentage of THAT MAJOR PERIOD that has been completed at birth, and what remains of that star as a percentage for the Moon to travel is also the percentage of that major period that remains for the person to live out as their main karma indicator starting at birth and going forward, until the next major period begins. So your list is usually begun by knowing the Moon's longitude alone, then applying that to the rules of creating dashas. So in conclusion again, mostly or usually what happens is you simply take the Moon's longitude, look up which Star that corresponds to in the zodiac, then you take the percentage passed, and from that, using the "Lord" of that star, which is a fixed thing again, you start the dasha, and from that starting percentage point through that fixed length period you then roll the rest of the periods along according to the logic of that particular dasha system, and figure the starting dates for each line you add to the list, and thus you build this list. Details of Dasha Calculating - Distances of Arc, or the circle of the Zodiac in space, are discussed in the following terms: Degrees Minutes Seconds 360 degrees is the whole circle, 12 signs of 30 degrees each, or 27 stars of 13 deg 20 minutes of space each Each Nakshatra can also be seen instead as just 800 minutes Because 13 times 60 minutes per degree, plus the 20 minutes. 13 * 60 is 780 and that plus the 20 is 800 total. Each minute contains 60 seconds. In one Nakshatra there are 48,000 seconds of space distance. So 27 times 48,000 seconds is how many seconds of arc exist in the zodiac. Which would equal 360 * 60 * 60 again. Or, degrees times minutes times seconds. It's important to not confuse degree minutes and seconds with the clock. We're talking space dial mapping using the same words as the clock. There are relationships clearly between clock time and movements of things in the zodiac around that huge dial, but when we talk of arc degree minute and second we are talking of little ticks of measurement around the great circle of the zodiac belt. Dasha Systems Calculations Section 1, Nakshatra Dashas Introduction to Nakshatra Dashas ------- Parashara Hora Sastra is the source for all these dasha systems. Nakshatra Dasha means that it is based on the position of a key point, usually the Moon, within a certain Nakshatra. This is the jump of point for Nakshatra dashas. You are first and foremost using a point in a Nakshatra when you begin to calculate the dasha. Nakshatras are real stars, but in the calculation really serve as even areas of space. As there are 27 nakshatras they cover 13 deg 20 minutes each. In calculations this can be turned into minutes, and/or seconds, and used that way for ease of calculation and accuracy. In calculating dashas, you are told the lengths of the major periods, but you end up dividing these time lengths to find lengths of sub dasha periods. These sub periods are also called by other names such as Bhukti or Antar. Major periods are called Maha Dashas, and the next level is called "the Bhukti", and the next level the "Antar", and the next, fourth level, is called the "Shooksma" Dasha. Others in English might say just "Dasha", then sub period, sub sub, and "sub sub sub" to indicate the lower levels. A number of different ways of referring to these periods are used in the West at this time. There are Eleven Nakshatra Dashas programmed into Jyotish Studio 3. Of them, the first and last are the most important. These are the Vimshottari and Yogini Dasha Systems. I say most important for the following reasons: Vimshottari is always accepted by scripture and everyone as the predominant dasha system used the widest with best result. It's the leader by scriptural declaration as well as by level of usage and acceptance amongst astrologers. In fact, it's pretty much the only dasha used ever by many astrologers. It literally hogs the entire show you could say. But the main book discusses no less than 32 dasha systems. Mostly however just their calculations are given without any discussion as to use or application. Some have some hints as when to use them with certain horocopes which bear certain placements. Those are called "conditional dashas". Most of the Nakshatra dashas are such conditional dashas. There are just a few which don't have exclusive conditions. Of these, Vimshottari is the widest used. The next is Yogini. Because Yogini is widely used, I have therefore included it in my opening statement as being one of the two most important Nakshatra dashas. In my personal experience it corresponds with my own karmas quite closely. I have not been easily pleased by astrological techniques. I find many defined which fail to amaze me. But Yogini dasha has often impressed me with accuracy with my own chart. Of course, I have found Vimshottari dasha to be highly effective. I have made some predictions using it in my time, with accuracy. In my own life I see it has operated in a very reliable way. Calculations of Nakshatra Dasha Systems Instroduction to the calculation of Nakshatra Dashas Nakshatra Dasha means that it is based on the position of a key point, usually the Moon, within a certain Nakshatra. This is the jump of point for Nakshatra dashas. You are first and foremost using a point in a Nakshatra when you begin to calculate the dasha. Nakshatras are real stars, but in the calculation really serve as even areas of space. The previously given method of dividing the zodiac down to minutes and seconds is used in calculating these dashas. Major periods are called Maha Dashas, and the next level is called "the Bhukti", and the next level the "the Antardasha". The next, fourth level, is called "the Shooksma". The stars have lords. The dasha systems may assign different planets as lords of Nakshatras. The lord of the Nakshatra the Moon is in at birth is often the first Maha Dasha or Major Period you start life in. I started life in Rahu Maha Dasha for example, as my Moon is in a Rahu ruled Nakshatra. How far the Moon is through your birth Nakshatra is important. You must determine this distance as a percentage. So that would be Moon's longitude minus starting longitude of nakshatra. Example: Say a Nakshatra starts at the 120 degree point of the zodiac and a planet is at 124 degrees of zodiac. So it falls within the 13º 20' space covered by that star which starts at 120 and runs to 133º 20'. So the planet at 124º is within that area. But how far through as a percentage? 124 minus 120 is 4 degrees through, which is 4*60 to find minutes or 240 minutes. Since a Nakshatra is 800 minutes, we can do 240/800*100 to get the percentage which in this case is 30 percent. So 30 percent is also how far through that stars lords dasha they are. Venus is allotted a major period of 20 years in Vimshottari dasha. So if someone was born with Moon 30 percent of the way through a Venus ruled Nakshatra, then they would have the other remaining 70% of that dasha to go, starting right at their birth, and 70% of 20 years is what will be left of that dasha for them. Automatically when that amount of time is up in their life, the next dasha would begin. Individual Systems Calculations 1. Vimshottari Dasha Main points about this system Vimshottari means 120 Order: Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus Mahadasha lengths: 6,10,7,18,16,19,17,7,20 (=120) (use above planet order) Systems total major periods of the planets add up to 120 years Uses Planets as lords of the periods Lords: Start at Krtika Nakshatra (#2), and in 3 cycles of 9 nakshatras, use above order Sub periods begin with same lord as Major. First sub of Sun is Sun, first of Moon is Moon So Moon Moon Moon Moon is the first line of a four level dasha run when Moon begins And Moon Moon Moon Mars is the next line, as the last level changes all 9 before the next level switches to the next planet, which is Mars in this example. Percentages of 120 Table Planet MD length % of 120 Planet Yrs Percentage of 120 Sun 6 ..05 Moon 10 ..08333333333 Mars 7 ..05833333333 Rahu 18 ..15 Jupiter 16 ..13333333333 Saturn 19 ..15833333333 Merc 17 ..14166666667 Ketu 7 ..05833333333 Venus 20 ..16666666667 The above percentages can be used to subdivide periods to arrive at sub period lengths. For example, if Venus Dasha is 20 as the table says, then the Sun's sub period will be it's percentage of 20 years. 20 * .05 = 1 (Venus-Sun is 1 yr) 20 * .08333333333 = 1.6666666666 (Venus-Moon is 1.666 yrs long) and so on. You multiply a period length times the percentages to arrive at lengths of sub periods. You then apply the same process to the sub periods created, finding sub periods within them. You can conceivably carry on with this simple mathematical loop for quite a few levels, but soon, at 5 or 6 with Vimshottari, you will get down to very short periods of life. Given birth time and planetary calculation accuracy, what to speak of that it seems like the Sage given system is a rounding possibly for our ease, given all that, going more than four levels becomes questionable in real use, but still, for possible applications in research, science or study, we're presenting six. The order of the periods given above are fixed in this system and many of the dasha systems. The sub periods follow the same orders. The sub periods usually start with the same planet as the period above them. 4's start with the same as the 3's, the 3's start with the same as the 2's, and the 2's same as the 1's, hence, when the 1st level changes, all levels follow suit. So it is true to understand that the Vimshottari dashas, all 120 years of them, are fixed in length and order. It's a fixed table of cycling sub periods within greater periods. The sub periods have all nine planets as the sub periods within each period. So a Maha Dasha has 9 subs, each of those subs has 9 subs, each of those has 9 subs, that's why it's get's to be alot of lines because you are multiplying by 9 at each level. The order of the cycling is fixed, and the length of the periods is fixed since the percentages never change. One could build an impersonal list of time values in seconds for all the periods and store that separately from any person's chart and apply it to any chart at any time. The only thing personalized about this dasha and many of them, that share the attributes of fixed period lengths and fixed ordering of periods, is that each chart will "drop into" the cycling loop of major periods at unique points, somewhere along through one of them. So I dropped in somewhere in Rahu, and someone else might start life somewhere in Saturn. This drop in point is determined by the Moon's position in a Star as previously discussed. The drop in point is according to your Moon exactly, but after that, the lengths are fixed ahead of time as is the ordering. You could consider the Maha Dashas as a static unfolding of Karma, which gets personalized based on when we drop in, but also, the dasha is only the timeline of unfoldment of planetary effects, but those effects are based on the planets within the chart. So what happens during your Saturn dasha will be different from that which happens during mine, based on our Charts, but the fact that your Saturn dasha comes after Jupiter is also true for me. So we go in the same order, all of us, but the specifics change. Review of how to find the starting point in a dasha: Take moon's nakshatra consult to find out where it begins in the zodiac subtract it from moon's longitude in the zodiac the result turned into percentage of star traversed remove that percentage from that stars lords dasha length Yogini ----------------- Conditions for use: Every Chart Planet # Planet Years % of 36 yrs Nakshatras 2 Moon 1 ..02777777778 6,14,22 1 Sun 2 ..05555555556 7,15,23 5 Jup 3 ..08333333333 8,16,24 3 Mars 4 ..11111111111 1,9,17,25 4 Merc 5 ..13888888889 2,10,18,26 7 Sat 6 ..16666666667 3,11,19,27 6 Ven 7 ..19444444444 4,12,20 8 Rahu 8 ..22222222222 5,13,21 total 36 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.