Introduction to Vedic Divisional Charts

In this blog, I plan to go into some deeper concepts behind Vedic Astrology. This blog is a sudden leap into the inner nuances of Vedic Astrology, so the reader should have some basic knowledge to understand these concepts.

As usual, let me try to start with an example. I am curious to see the moon. I can't physically travel to the moon. I am not an astronaut nor do I have the capacity to become one. This does not limit me from seeing the moon up close. How do I achieve this? I buy myself a telescope or even better I go to an observatory and request a viewing on a full moon night. Great, I can see the moon in all its glory. I can see finer patterns that I could not view with the naked eye from my terrace.

From my terrace, with my binoculars, I can see a vague moon, enough for me to know its almost spherical, its bright with some black terrains on it, probably I can even identify some specific spots on its surface.  From the observatory's telescope, so powerful is its magnification, I can see the mountains and certain landscape on the moon. If I could somehow get myself on the international space station, and use a very powerful telescope, I could almost feel as if the moon is within my reach. I could probably see the dust storms or winds blowing across its surface.

I hope you already got the clue from this example. So the closer I am to the target, better is the visibility and more accurate is the data, and that is what is the deal about the Divisional Charts. Let me clarify the reader that I am a novice when it comes to interpreting the divisional charts, but I am more interested in this functionality, why its there and whats its purpose.

First of all, the native's chart is already a set of divisional charts, but only two of them are used by any astrologer for prediction, they are the RASI and the NAVAMSA. Rest of the divisional charts are mostly ignored. Even Navamsa is ignored unless its being interpreted for marriage purposes. I will come back to it later. So this RASI chart, its like seeing the moon from your terrace. It serves the basic purpose, and its sets a standard as to what to expect. The Rasi is enough to get a basic understanding of certain events, but as  I said earlier, its like seeing the moon from your terrace.

The native's birth chart, is divided into 12 houses, each represented by 30 degrees. Since a circle subtends an angle of 360 degrees, and there are 12 constellations identified, each house represents 30 degrees of space. Each house is assigned an attribute. House - 1 for the native's  physical, House - 2 for the native's family, House - 3 native's siblings, House - 4 for the native's wealth/luxury, House - 5 for the native's past life's good deeds etc. So with the help of the Rasi chart one can get basic details about the twelve aspects represented by each house.

But thats not what I really need. I need a greater clarity on various aspects of my life. Say how much wealth I would make in my lifetime?  RASI chart would give a some idea about this, indicating a  lot of money, but it cannot say when, and by how much. It cannot say by what means. So I take a particular divisional chart, called the CHATURAMSA which answers these questions.

House No:4 represents wealth. To know more about the aspects of one's wealth, in terms of property, houses owned by the naive etc, we divide each house of the  RASI into 4 parts. So each house now represents 1/4th of 30 degrees. This gives a magnification into the native's wealth.

Below is the list of divisional charts and its purpose

• RASI -->  An overview of the native's life
• HORA --> Wealth and money
• DREKKANA --> Siblings 
• CHATURAMSA --> Residence, houses owned, properties and fortune
• PANCHAMSA -->  Power, grace, blessings and good deeds
• SHASTAMSA --> Native's health
• SAPTAMSA --> Everything related to children (and grand-children)
• ASTAAMSA --> Sudden and unexpected troubles, litigation etc, longivity
• NAVAMSA --> Marriage and everything related to spouse(s), 
• DASAMSA --> Career, activities and achievements in society
• DWADASAMSA --> Everything related to parents (also uncles, aunts and grand-parents, i.e. blood-relatives of parents)
• SHODASAMA --> Vehicles, pleasures, comforts and discomforts
• VIMAMSA --> Religious activities and spiritual matters
• CHATURVIMAMSA --> Learning, knowledge and education
• SHASHTYAMSA --> Karma of past life, all matters

Based on the specific questions desired by the native, the corresponding divisional chart needs to be calculated and analyzed. As I had mentioned in my previous blogs, the best astrologer is yourself. One should analyze their own birth charts as they hold the key to its deciphering. Although books teach the basics, it formulae are not absolute. Astrology is an art that is a combination of intuition, and the native's subconscious keying material. Its always worth to slightly look ahead of times, understand whats in store, correlate with the past and act accordingly. Exactly similar to the way we predict weather. Why do we really need to know tomorrow's or the next week's weather? To help you be prepared for it.
Same is the concept behind astrology.

Many may have a question. Why do some people consult astrologers as to what needs to be done to achieve a certain target? Whether there is any pariharam that can be performed to appease a certain deity. As far as I am concerned, I do not believe in such things for the simple fact is the lessons are chosen by you. Lessons shape you, if any transformation is needed, it should be from within. Visiting temples, appeasing deities are not going to give you that inner transformation.

There is this famous anecdote of Gautama the Buddha. After his enlightenment, he returned to meet his wife, whom he had ditched for the sake of godhood. He returned to her with a gift, a gift which which is called the "transmission of awakening". She asked a simple question. Could you not have achieved this Buddhahood, being a father, being a husband, doing your duty and focussing on the inner. Buddha smiled and said, yes of course, but if he knew that he wouldn't have run away into the jungle. Its after reaching the target that he knows that it was not a necessity.

Same is with astrology, look into it and try to comprehend yourself. Its a mirror with a million reflections.