Varga (astrology)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term Varga (Sanskrit varga, 'set, division') in Indian astrology (Jyotisha) refers to the division of a zodiacal
sign (ri) into parts. Each such fractional part of a sign, known as an aa, has a source of influence
associated with it, so that these sources of influence come to be associated with collections of regions around
the zodiac.

There are sixteen varga, or divisional, charts used in Jyotisha.[1] These vargas form the basis of a unique system
of finding the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of planets.[2]

Contents
1 Overview
2 Divisional charts
3 Implication
4 References
5 See also

Overview
Hindu astrology divides the zodiac into several types of segments; these subtle divisions or divisional charts are
called Vargas and are said to be the various micro-zodiacs created within the natural macro-zodiac, the
Horoscope.[3]

The particular location of planets in the Varga charts materially influences the results of planets constituting a
yoga. The two sets of vargas that are commonly used are a) the Shadvarga i.e. the six-fold division of sign
namely, the Rasi or sign, the Hora, the Drekkena or decanate, the Navamsa, the Dwadasamsa and the
Trimsamsa, and b) the Saptavarga i.e. the seven-fold division, by tagging the Saptamsa to the Shadvargas.[4]
Some follow the Dasavargas or the ten-fold division, and in his Bhat Parara Horstra, Parasara speaks
about the Shodasvarga or the sixteen-fold division of a rasi. Planets become more and more auspicious by
gaining more and more of their own, exalted or friendly vargas. Accordingly, the status thus acquired by planets
stands graded for easy identification etc. When a planet acquires two out of sixteen such own or exalted vargas
or divisions then it is known to have gained the status called the Parijatamsa or Bhedakamsa, when three vargas
are gained then the Uttamamsa or Kusumamsa or Vyanjanamsa, four the Gopuramsa or Naagpushpamsa or
Kimshukamsa or Chaamaramsa, five the Simhasanamsa or Kundakamsa or Chhatramsa, six the Parvatamsa
or Keralamsa or Kundalamsa, seven the Devalokamsa or Kalpavrkshamsa or Mukatamsa, eight the
Kumkumamsa or Brahmalokamsa or Chandanvanamsa, nine the Iravatamsa or Poornachandramsa, ten the
Vyshnavamsa or Shridham or Ucchaishrvamsa, eleven the Saivamsa Dhanvantriamsa, twelve the
Bhaswadamsa or Suryakantamsa, thirteen the Vaisheshikamsa or Vidrumamsa, fourteen the Indrasanamsa,
fifteen the Golokamsa, and sixteen the Shrivallabhamsa (Bhat Parara Horstra Slokas 42-51)
(Sarvartha Chintamani St.32-35).

Divisional charts
The Bhat Parara Horstra defines sixteen divisional schemes,[5] each named according to the
denominator of the fraction specific to the division. Thus, the integral fraction is division by 1, which yields,
trivially, 12 regions of the zodiac corresponding to the 12 signs themselves: perforce this varga scheme is
named ri. Similarly, a divisor of 2 defines 24 regions; the name hor, derived from the word - (aho-
rtra) meaning day-night by removing the first (a) and last sounds (tra) {Reference: Saravali by
Kalyanaverma (Sanskrit Classic)}, is etymologically related to the analogous 24 hours in a day. The divisor of
3 defining 36 regions, named dreshkana, is similarly related to the Decans of Chaldean horology.

Varga Divisor Chart Area of Influence

Rasi 1 D-1 Body, Physical Matters and all General Matters

Hora 2 D-2 Wealth, Family

Drekana 3 D-3 Siblings, Nature

Chaturthamsa 4 D-4 Fortune and Property

Saptamsa 7 D-7 Children/Progeny

Navamsa (astrology) 9 D-9 Wife, Dharma and Relationships

Dasamsa 10 D-10 Actions in Society, Profession

Dvadasamsa 12 D-12 Parents

Shodasamsa 16 D-16 Vehicles, Travelling and Comforts

Vimsamsa 20 D-20 Spiritual Pursuits

ChaturVimsamsa 24 D-24 Education, Learning and Knowledge

SaptaVimsamsa 27 D-27 Strengths and Weakness

Trimsamsa 30 D-30 Evils, Failure, Bad Luck

KhaVedamsa 40 D-40 Maternal Legacy

AkshaVedamsa 45 D-45 Paternal Legacy

Shastamsa 60 D-60 Past birth or Karma

Four other vargas are attributed to Jaimini:

Varga Divisor Chart Area of Influence

Panchamsa 5 D-5 Fame & Power

Shasthamsa 6 D-6 Health

Ashtamsa 8 D-8 Unexpected Troubles

EkaDasamsa/Rudramsa 11 D-11 Death and Destruction

Besides Rshi (D-1), Navamsha (D-9), Drekana (D-3), Dasamsa (D-10) and Trimsamsa (D-30) are considered
significant divisional charts.

Implication
A planet situated in any one rasi i.e. sign, by itself constitutes a yoga or an ava-yoga owing to the relationship it
establishes with the rasi-lord and other bhava-lords with reference to the Lagna and each other, but its mere
occupation need not necessarily produce the results assigned for its such occupation. No planet acts alone, it
becomes an active participant by having established an unavoidable relationship with one or more other
planets; its assigned results are influenced by the rasi and the vargas gained, that is, according to the varga-wise
status gained by it and the associating planets. The failure of the yogas to give the expected results can also be
due to the varga-wise weak status of the dispositors of the yoga-forming planets rather than the weakness of
these planets. The Sun situated in the 9th house from the lagna but not in an inimical sign or navamsa gives
wealth, sons, friends and piety even though it makes one antagonistic towards father and wife and not
experience happiness. However, the Sun as the lagna-lord exalted in the 9th makes the person and his father
fortunate, have many brothers and friends, intelligent, adept, influential and renowned; in case the exalted Sun
in the 9th is in its own navamsa or in vargottama but aspected by a friendly planet, he will enjoy Raja yoga.[6]

Janardan Harji in his Mansagari states that if at the time of birth any planet occupies a friendly sign or its own
sign or is in its exaltation sign in a trikonabhava (trine) then that planet having gained many favourable vargas
gives its assigned good results in full. One such planet makes one wealthy, and two adept, successful and
renowned.[7] In the section devoted to arishtas and arishtabhanga of Chapter IV he reiterates that if at birth a
strong (varga-wise) Mercury or Venus or Jupiter is situated in a kendrasthana from the lagna even if combined
with an evil planet, it will single-handedly soon destroy all arishtas, and that the Moon situated in the 8th house
from the lagna in a drekkena owned by Jupiter, Venus or Mercury will confer a long lease of life.

Parasara states that the Moon in mutual aspect with Venus gives rise to Raja yoga; the person born with the
Moon in Vargottma navamsa or in Goparamsa aspected by all strong planets will be a ruler even if lowly-born,
three planets aspecting such Moon will make a person born in a royal family a king. A Raja yoga arises if the
birth ascendant or hora-lagna or ghati-lagna is occupied by one or more planets occupying their exaltation, own
or moola-trikona rasi, navamsa or drekkena; a person will certainly become a ruler if the concerned lagna
equipped with unobstructed argala is occupied by Jupiter, Venus or the Moon (Bhat Parara Horstra
XXXV.14-16, 37). If the lord of a kendrasthana and a trikonabhava combining having gained favourable vargas
give rise to Raja yoga; having gained Uttamamsa they will make a person a very wealthy ruler, if in Gopuramsa
that person will be honoured by other rulers and if in Simhasanamsa the person will be a great ever-victorious
ruling a large kingdom (Bhat Parara Horstra XXXVI.18-20).

Venkatesa in his Sarvartha Chintamani (Slokas I.29 & 112) explains that planets occupying the cruel
Shashtiamsas (1/60th division of a sign) produce evil results, planets in good Shashtiamsas, and which planets
are also occupying good vargas or divisions become powerful to confer good results and that planets in
exaltation, in friendly signs, own navamsas, own rasis, drekkenas, shodasmsas and trimsamsas possess
Sthanabala and exercise the most favourable influence.[8]

References
1. Hart DeFouw and Robert Svoboda, Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India, Penguin,
1996, p.109
2. Gopesh Kumar Ojha. Astrological Secrets of Friendship, Love and Marriage (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=MZdkmkki93YC&pg=PA303&dq=vargas+in+hindu+astrology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2yC5UpqxB
8e6hAfOh4C4BQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=vargas%20in%20hindu%20astrology&f=false). Motilal
Banarsidass. p. 303.
3. Hart de Fouw. Light on Relationships: the Synastry of Indian Astrology (https://books.google.com/books?
id=cQqP0LLIRR8C&pg=PA239&dq=vargas+in+hindu+astrology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Sya5Uu6ZIoWCh
Qf4wICYCg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=vargas%20in%20hindu%20astrology&f=false). Weiser
Books. p. 239.
4. K.S.Charak. Yogas in Astrology (https://books.google.com/books?id=Ac28DogcQVgC&printsec=frontco
ver&dq=vargas+in+hindu+astrology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2yC5UpqxB8e6hAfOh4C4BQ&redir_esc=y#v=
onepage&q=Vargas&f=false). Institute of Vedic Astrology. p. 28.
5. Bhat Parara Horstra, 6,1-53
6. Ravinder Kumar Soni. Planets And Their Yoga Formations (http://www.amazon.in/Planets-And-Their-Yo
ga-Formations/dp/8188951714). Pigeon Books India. pp. 3133, 195.
7. Janardan Harji. Mansagari. Savitri Thakur Prakashan. p. 202. "Shadavargashuddhih verse III.3"
8. Venkatesa. Sarwarthachintamani (http://www.scribd.com/doc/18233454/Sarvarth-Chintamani-English-P
art-1). P. Ramanah Naidu. pp. 36, 96.

See also
Jyotia
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Varga_(astrology)&oldid=741341301"

This page was last edited on 26 September 2016, at 21:56.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.