The answer lies in the point of reference used for this all- important calculation.

Western
Astrology relies on what is known as the Tropical Zodiac (Sayana cakra), which uses the Vernal
Equinox as the point of reference. The Indian system - Jyotish - uses the Sidereal Zodiac
(Nirayana cakra), which adopts a fixed star as the point of reference.
The reason for the discrepancy between these two systems is that there is a "wobble" in the
rotation of the earth on its axis. As a result, the Sun does not return exactly to the same point of 0
degrees Aries each spring at the vernal equinox as observed from a fixed star. It misses by a tiny
amount (around 50 seconds of arc according to the most widely used reference point). This may
not seem to matter much, but when it accumulates over the years, the vernal equinox is seen to
slip back and back into the sign of Pisces then eventually Aquarius and so on. This phenomenon
is known as precession of the Vernal Equinox.
At the present time, the discrepancy between these two systems is about 23 degrees, 57 minutes.
This ever-increasing difference is known as the ayanamsha (moving part). If you subtract the
daily specific ayanamsha from the planet's position in a Western tropical chart, you will get its
location in the Vedic Sidereal Chart.
A Western Astrologer is going to fix the Vernal Equinox as 0 degrees Aries regardless of
whether the Sun is actually observed against the backdrop of the stars in the constellation of
Aries on that particular day and year. In fact, eventually, there can be the bizarre situation where
the Sun is actually observed by astronomers in the sign of Libra and a Western astrologer says it
is in Aries - the opposite sign of the zodiac! This may be a contributing factor to the typical
modern astronomer's negative opinions about astrology. However, as all astrology is, at its heart,
a divination system, the important thing is how well the astrologer integrates any system with the
cognitive faculty of intuition.
Jyotish, in turn, always establishes the planetary position against the backdrop of the fixed stars
so that real-time observation matches the chart positions. The Sayana cakra or Tropical Zodiac is
used in Jyotish to a limited extend for some aspects of calendar calculations. However, the all-
important mapping of the heavens for the purposes of divination strictly uses the positions of the
planets against the Fixed or Sidereal Zodiac the Nirayana cakra.
Since the stars in the constellation of Aries are very dim, the reference star used for "pointing" to the all
important beginning of the zodiac of 0 degrees Aries is one of the brightest stars in the heavens.
Westerners refer to it as Spica but it is known as Citra in Jyotish. Citra is the marker star for one of the
27 nakshatras that bears the same name. Its brightness is reflected in the symbolism of that nakshatras
which is known as "the shining jewel." The ayanamsha based on using Citra as the reference star is
known as the Citra Paksha ayanamsha or the Lahiri ayanamsha and is the most widely used in India.
Ayanamsha:
(The sayana and the niryana system)
It has been seen that because of the precession of equinoxes at a rate of 50.26 seconds per year,
the distance between the Vernal equinox (the 1st point of the movable zodiac) and the 1st point
of Mesha (Aries) on the fixed zodiac has been progressively increasing. This distance at any
given epoch is called as the Ayanamsha .The ayanamsha thus indicates the difference between
the fixed zodiac and the movable zodiac. The system that considers the fixed zodiac is called the
Niryana (without ayana!) system, while the one that considers the movable zodiac is called the
Sayana (with ayana!) system. The Niryana values of planetary longitudes can be obtained by
subtracting the ayanamsha for a given time from the Sayana longitudes.

The Niryana and the Sayana zodiacs coincided in the year 285 AD when the ayanamsha was
zero. At the rate of precession of equinoxes stated above, the ayanamsha on the 1st of January,
1995 is 2347'26". The equinoctial precession completes one round in aproximately 26,000
years, as mentioned earlier, so that the fixed and movable zodiacs coincide regularly after this
time span. The ayanamsha reckoned on the basis of considering the year 285 AD as the year
when the Sayana and the Niryana zodiacs coincided.
Calculation of a Panchanga
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The meaning of Panchanga is five parts. These five parts are date, day, nakshatra, yoga and
karana. A Panchanga is prepared on the basis of these five criterion. The calculation of these is
based on mathematical formulas. You can understand the method of calculating the five parts of
Panchanga in an easy and simple way in this chapter.
(1) Nakshatra
The Nakshatra present in moon at the time of birth of an individual is known as Janam
Nakshatra. Nakshatra present in moon during the course of any activity is known as Nakshatra of
that time. You have studied about Nakshatras in previous chapters. There are 27 Nakshatras in
total. The total number of Nakshatras including Abhijeet is 28.
Method of calculating Nakshatrsas
Look at the position of moon at the time of birth or when any other activity is happening and
note down the Bhogansha of moon. Let us assume that moon is in the ninth sign and its
Bhoganha is 6 degrees 5 minutes. We will now convert it into minutes. After converting it into
minutes we get 16,565 minutes. We will divide this number by 800. After dividing the number
by 800, we get 20.70625. This means that 20 Nakshatras are completed and the 21st Nakshatra is
running. The 21st Nakshatra is Uttara Ashadha Nakshatra. In this way, you can calculate the
other Nakshatras also. The digit before decimal represents the number of Nakshatras which are
passed. If 5 comes before the decimal, then it means that 5 Nakshatras are passed and the sixth
Nakshatra is running.
(2) Vaar (Day)
A Vaar (day) is from one sunrise to another sunrise. All the days including Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are known as Vaars. The number of days
are 7.
(3) Tithis
The calculation of Tithi is also based on mathematical activity. A Tithi is the angle between Sun
and the moon. The angle of 12 degrees makes one Tithi. Sun and moon both are always in
motion. The moon appears to be growing when it goes away from Sun. The period of moon
when it goes away from Sun is known as Shukla Paksha. The moon appears to be decreasing in
size when it comes near to Sun. This period is known as Krishna Paksha. Hence, a rule to
calculate the Tithi is evolved which is as follows:
Tithi = (Bhogansha of moon - Bhogansha of Sun)/12
The Tithi is calculated on the basis of the formula given above. Note down the Bhogansha of
moon and Sun of the day for which you want to find out the Tithi. Now, subtract the Bhogansha
of Sun from the Bhogansha of moon and divide the difference by 12. The quotient thus obtained
will be the Tithi of the desired date. If the quotient obtained is between 1 to 15, then the Tithis
will be of Krishna Paksha. If the quotient obtained is more than 15, then the Tithis will be of
Shukla Paksha. Let us assume that we have got 17 after calculating with this method, this means
that it is the Dwadashi Tithi of Shukla Paksha.
It should be noted that the beginning of a month in northern India is considered from Krishna
Paksha.
(4) Yoga
The fourth part of a Panchanga is Yoga. The basis of calculating this is the position of Sun and
moon. The mathematical calculation is done to find out Yoga. The Yogas are of 27 kinds. These
Yogas give results according to their names. We will add the Bhogansha of Sun and Bhogansha
of moon to calculate the Yoga. We will then divide the sum by 13 degrees 20 minutes.
Converting 13 degrees 20 minutes into minutes we get 800 minutes. Divide 800 minutes by the
number thus obtained.
Let us go through this once again. Add the Bhogansha of moon and Sun of the day for which you
want to find the Yoga. Divide the sum obtained by 800 minutes or 13 degrees 20 minutes. The
quotient which you get after the division will be the Yoga for the day. If we are getting 15.56 as
a result, then it means that the 15 Yogas are passed and the 16th Yoga is running. The 16th Yoga
is Sidhi Yoga. Hence, the Yoga for the day will be Sidhi Yoga.
The names of 27 Yogas are as follows:
1. Vishkumbha
2. Priti
3. Ayushman
4. Saubhagya
5. Shobhan
6. Atiganda
7. Sukarma
8. Dhriti
9. Shula
10. Ganda
11. Vridhi
12. Dhruv
13. Vyaghata
14. Harshan
15. Vraj
16. Sidhi
17. Vyatipata
18. Variyana
19. Parigha
20. Shiva
21. Shidha
22. Sadhya
23. Shubha
24. Shukla
25. Bhramha
26. Indra or Aindra
27. Vraidhiti
(5) Karana
This is the fifth part of a Panchanga. The calculation of Karana is also done mathematically.
Karana is the half of a Tithi. Hence, there are two Karana in a Tithi. The total number of Karanas
are 11. The fixed Karanas come once in a month. A repetition of 7 Karanas occur. These Karanas
occur for 8 times in a month.
Fixed Karanas
These are 4 in number. These 4 inauspicious Karans are as follows:
1. Shakuni
2. Chatushpada
3. Naga
4. Kishtugna
Movable Karanas
These are 7 in number. Among these a small part of Bhadra is considered inauspicious. The
seven Karanas are as follows:
1. Bava
2. Balava
3. Kaulava
4. Taitila
5. Gara
6. Vanija
7. Vishti or Bhadra
Navamsa Kundli - D-9 Chart
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The study of birth chart and the predictions on the basis of it cannot be accurate until the study of
the Shadvargas is not done. Shadvargas are the six-fold divisions of a zodiac sign. The main aim
of the study of Shadvargas is to estimate the actual strength of the planets.
The six-folds divisions are Rashi, Hora, Drekkana, Navamsha, Dwadasamsa, Trimsamsa. In
general the astrologers refer to the 3 charts for predictions i.e. the Lagna chart (birth chart), Rasi
chart and the Navamsa chart. But, for the detailed analysis and accurate predictions all the six-
folds should be studied in detail to reach to a conclusion.
The Six-Folds
1. Rashi: The arc of 30 degrees forming a zodiac sign is called Rashi. The 12 zodiac sign
form the 12 Rashis.
2. Hora: A sign is divided in two equal parts. Each is called a hora. For odd signs like
Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius sign, the first Hora is governed by
Sun while the second is governed by the Moon. For even signs like Taurus, Cancer,
Virgo, Scorpio and Capricorn, the first hora is governed by the Moon while the second
hora is governed by the Sun.
3. Drekkana: When the sign is divided into 3 equal parts, each part is called a Drekkana
and measures 10 degrees each. The 1st Drekkana is governed by the lord of Rashi. The
2nd by the lord of 5th house from it and the 3rd by the lord of 9th house from it.
4. Dwadasamsa: When the sign divided is into 12 equal parts, each portion is called
Dwadasmsa and gets 21/2 degrees. The lords of 12 Dwadasamsa are the lords of 12 signs
from the sign in question
5. .Trimasamsa: When the sign is divided into 30 equal parts, each part becomes a
trimasamsa and gets 1 degree each.
6. Sapthamsa: When the sign is divided into 7 equal parts, each of this part is called
Saptamsa and gets 4 2/7 degrees. In odd signs, these are governed by the lord of seventh
house from it and in even signs by the lord of seventh house and the following sign.
7. Navamsa: The Rashi Kundli is the only sketch of the position of the planets. To get a
greater precision of the positions of the cusps and planets, there is a system of more
accurate form of recording these positions. This is called Navamsa Kundli.
In this method each sign is divided into 9 equal parts, each part becomes a Navamsa measuring 3
degrees. In Aries, Leo sign and Sagittarius sign, the Navamsas are governed by the lord of
ninth signs respectively from Aries. For instance, take Aries and divide it into nine equal parts.
The first Navamsa is governed by the lord of Aries i.e. Mars, 2nd Navamsa is governed by
Venus and finally the Ninth Navamsa is governed by Jupiter.
Divide Taurus into nine equal divisions. Now, count the sign ahead of Sagittarius and so on.
Importance of Navamsa Kundli
It is believed that, if the birth-chart is body of Kaalpurush then the Navamsa chart is its soul. The
accurate prediction is incomplete without each other. The results of a planetary positions cannot
be determined without the birth-chart while the strength of the planet which are in the malefic or
benefic position in the ascendant chart can be cross checked with the position of the planets in
the Navamsa chart.
As per the ancient scholars and astrologers, if the planet is weak in the birth chart and is strong in
the Navamsa then the planet is not weak. In the same way if the planet is inauspicious in the birth
chart and is auspicious in the Navamsa chart then the planet will be considered as auspicious. If
the conjunction of ascendant lord of birth-chart and Navamsa chart is auspicious, then the person
will be fortunate.
The concept of Vargottam is also judged with the help of Navamsa. Vargottam means if the
planetary position in a zodiac sign in the birth chart and in the Navamsa chart is same. Then, that
planet is Vargottam (eg. if the Sun is placed in the Aries in birth chart and in Navamsa also, then
the Sun is placed in Aries). This placement makes the planet further stronger.