Week 10 · Unit 4 · Timing - The Dasha Systems
Milestone 3 of 4: Counting support
Counting Support
Aṣṭakavarga — a scoring system where each planet votes on each sign, and the beginning of a genuinely independent second opinion.
Assumes you have done: The full natal apparatus — this is a second opinion on it, and needs something to be an opinion about
Why this matters
Parashara introduces this by saying something remarkable: that its results will neither contradict nor repeat what has gone before. That is a claim to independence, and it is what makes Aṣṭakavarga useful. Everything you have learned so far reasons from lordship, dignity and placement. This reasons from counting, and it answers a question the rest of the system cannot: not when, but how much support does this house or planet actually have?
Learn
Everything so far has reasoned from lordship, dignity, placement and aspect. This reasons from counting, and it answers a question none of the others can.
What Parashara says it is for
Maitreya opens Chapter 68 with a genuinely sharp question. You have given the effects of planets and houses, he says, drawing on many sages — but it cannot firmly be stated whether these are the only possible results, given the compound effects of planetary movement.
Parashara’s answer, in verses 5 and 6, is the framing that matters:
Now I set forth before you a system which will indicate the results relating to the life of the native as well as determine his longevity, and the results of this system will neither contradict nor repeat the results propounded earlier.
Neither contradict nor repeat.
How a bindu is earned
The mechanism, in plain language.
There are eight contributors: the seven grahas from the Sun to Saturn, plus the Lagna. That is what aṣṭaka means — eight.
Each contributor casts a favourable mark — a bindu — on certain houses counted from its own position, according to a fixed table that differs for each planet’s chart.
A sign’s bindu count is simply how many of those eight marks land on it. It runs from 0 to 8.
The image that makes it intuitive: each planet votes on each sign, from where it stands. A sign with seven bindus has near-unanimous support. One with two has almost none.
And because every planet votes from its own position, the pattern is entirely chart-specific. Same rules, different distribution in every nativity.
The Sun’s table, as the model
Verse 16 gives the counts: five planets contribute in the 1st, 2nd, 8th, 3rd and 12th from the Sun. Four in the 7th and 4th. Three in the 6th and 9th. Six in the 5th. Two in the 10th. One in the 11th.
Verses 17 to 19 then name which planets contribute where.
Notice the asymmetry. This is not a smooth distribution — six contributors in the 5th and only one in the 11th. That specificity is what makes the resulting counts meaningful rather than uniform.
What a bindu count means
High count: this sign has broad support from the chart as a whole.
Low count: it does not.
And that is all it means. Aṣṭakavarga measures support, not outcome.
A house with seven bindus whose lord is debilitated in a Duḥsthāna is a house with strong backing and a weak agent — a real and recognisable configuration, and one you can only state because you have both instruments.
The other major use, which Week 11 develops, is transits. A transiting planet crossing a high-bindu sign behaves differently from one crossing a low-bindu sign, and that is the application most modern practice makes of the system.
A warning about the next seven chapters
Chapters 68 to 74 carry a single worked example running continuously. The reductions in Chapters 69 to 71 operate on the tables built in Chapter 68. Chapter 72 reads results from the reduced figures. Chapter 74 sums everything into Sarvāṣṭakavarga.
Seven chapters of interlocking numeric tables.
Which means a damaged figure early propagates silently through all of it — no error message, no inconsistency you would notice, just a wrong number carried forward.
This is the highest table-integrity risk in the book. The best defence available to you as a reader is the one you have just built: having constructed one bhinnāṣṭakavarga yourself, you know what the numbers should look like, and a figure that does not follow will look wrong to you.
Why this comes now
Aṣṭakavarga is mechanically simple. It could have been taught in Week 3.
It is here in Week 10 for a reason that matters: a second opinion needs a first one to be an opinion about.
Taught early, it becomes a substitute for judgment — a set of numbers that appear to answer questions without requiring any reading. Taught after seven modules of natal work, it becomes what Parashara says it is: an independent instrument for checking a judgment you have already made and can defend.
Week 11 completes the system and puts it to exactly that use.
Before that, the Module 5 clinic — the full timing retrospective, and your first blind item.
Read BPHS
This is the source itself. The teaching above prepares you for it; it does not replace it.
भगवान् ! भवताऽऽख्यातं ग्रहभावादिजं फलम् ।
बहूनामृषिवर्याणामाचार्याणां च सम्मतम् ॥ १ ॥
संकारात् तत्फलानां च ग्रहाणां गतिसंकरात् ।
इत्यमेवेति नो सर्वे ज्ञात्वा वक्तुमलं नराः ॥ २ ॥
कलौ पापरतानां च मन्दा बुद्धिर्यतो नृणाम् ।
अतोऽल्पबुद्धिगम्यं यत् शास्त्रमेतद् वदस्व मे ॥ ३ ॥
तत्तत्कालग्रहस्थित्या मानवानां परिस्फुटम् ।
सुखदुःखपरिज्ञानमायुषो निर्णयं तथा ॥ ४ ॥
1-4: Maitreya said - O Lord! You have since narrated the effects of planets (ग्रहों) and houses (भावों) after referring to many sages (ऋषि) and learned preceptors (आचार्यों), but it cannot firmly be stated whether these are the only correct possible results in view of the compound effects caused by the different transitory movements of the planets. In Kaliyuga, the human beings will become dull owing to their indlugence in sinful deeds and, therefore, be considerate and expound a system of study (शात्र) for the persons who would be having slow perceptions and through which they could gain a clear knowledge about their happiness, sorrows and longevity merely by delineating the positions of planets in transit.
साधु पृष्टं त्वया ब्रह्मन् ! कथयामि तवाग्रतः ।
लोकयात्रापरिज्ञानमायुषो निर्णयं तथा ॥ ५ ॥
संकरस्याविरोधञ्च शास्त्रस्यापि प्रयोजनम् ।
जनानामुपकारार्थं सावधानमनाः शृणु ॥ ६ ॥
5-6 : Maharishi Parasara said O Brahmin ! You have posed a good question. Now I setforth before you a Shastra (system of principles) which will indicate the results relating to the life of the native as well as determine his longevity, and the results of this Shastra will neither contradict nor repeat the results propounded earlier and will benefit one and all.
लग्नादिव्ययपर्यन्तं भावाः संज्ञानुरूपतः ।
फलदा: शुभसंदृष्टा युक्ता वा शोभना मताः ॥ ७ ॥
ते तूच्चादिभगै: खेटैर्न चास्तारिभनीचगैः ।
पापैर्दृष्टयुता भावा: कल्याणेतरदायकाः ॥ ८ ॥
तैरतारिभनीचस्थैर्न च मित्रस्वभोच्चगैः ।
एवं सामान्यतः प्रोक्तं होराशास्त्रज्ञसूरिभिः ॥ ९ ॥
मयतत् सकलं प्रोक्तं पूर्वाचार्यानुवर्तिना ।
आयुश्च लोकयात्रां च शास्त्रस्यास्यते प्रयोजनम् ॥ १० ॥
निश्चेतुं तन्न शक्नोति वसिष्ठौ वा बृहस्पतिः ।
किं पुनर्मनुजास्तत्र विशेषातु कलौ युगे ॥ ११ ॥
7-11: Starting from the Ascendant (Ist house) upto the 12th house, if these twelve houses are possessed by or aspected by the benefic planets, they will give auspicious results ascribed to their significations. These results are attained only when such planets are posited in their own or friendly or exalted signs. If a planet is combust, in an inimical or debilitated sign and under the aspect of a malefic planet, the concerned house will give inauspicious results, opposite to its significations. The learned of the Hora Shastra (होरा शास्त्र) have explicitly narrated the results of the planets being combust, in inimical sign, in debilitation or in friendly or in the sign of exaltation. After following the earlier learned scholars (पर्वाचाय), I have stated all these results. Even great sages Vashista (वसिष्ठ) and Brahaspati (बृहस्पति) have not been able to precisely ascertain the happiness and sorrows, and the longevity of life and also to decide the basic substance of the Shastras, then how an ordinary person especially in the Kala Yuga (काल युग) can determine these results?
सामान्यांशो विशेषांशो ज्योतिःशास्त्रं द्विधोदितम् ।
प्रोक्तः सामान्यभागस्तु निश्चयांशस्तु कथ्यते ॥ १२ ॥
12 : The Jyotisha Shastra has been divided into two parts viz., general and specific. The general part has already be described and now I take on to the specific aspect.
यथा लग्नाच्च चन्द्राच्च ग्रहाणां भावजं फलम् ।
तथाऽन्येभ्योऽपि खेटेभ्यो विचिन्त्यं दैवविद्वरैः ॥ १३ ॥
अतो रव्यादिखेटानां सलग्नानां पृथक् पृथक् ।
अष्टानां सर्वभावोत्यं यथोक्तमशुभं शुभम् ॥ १४ ॥
ज्ञात्वाऽऽदी करणं स्थानं बिन्दुरेखोपलक्षितम् ।
क्रमादष्टकवर्गस्य वाच्यं स्पष्टफलं यथा ॥ १५ ॥
13-15 : Just as there are auspicious and inauspicious results of the twelve houses, with respect to the Ascendant and the Moon, in the same way, these houses have favourable and unfavourable results in relation to the other planēts. Therefore, inauspicious houses (place - स्थान) having been determined on ascertaining their relations separately with the seven planets beginning with the Sun etc., and the Ascendant, totally eight, be denoted by "Bindus" (dots - बिन्दुओं) which are known as "Karana" (करण) and the auspicious houses known as Sthana (स्थान) be denoted by small vertical lines (Rekhas-रेखाऐं), the results of the Ashtakavarga will be easily and clearly delineated.
Show the full passage — 19 verses
तनुस्वायुस्त्रिरिष्फेषु पञ्च कामे सुखेऽर्णवाः ।
अरौ भाग्ये त्रयः पुत्रे षट् करौ खे भवे च भूः ॥ १६ ॥
16 : Five planets in the 1st, the 2nd, the 8th, the 3rd and the 12th houses from the Sun contribute Bindus. Four planets in the 7th and the 4th houses; three planets in the 6th and the 9th houses; six planets in the 5th house; two planets in the 10th house; one planet in the 11th house from the Sun will contribute Bindus.
लग्नेन्दु- जीव-शुक्र-ज्ञास्तनौ स्वे मरणेऽपि च ।
रवि-भौमार्कि-चन्द्रार्या व्यये ज्ञेन्दुसितार्यकाः ॥ १७ ॥
सुखे होरेन्दुशुक्राश्च धर्मेऽर्कार्किकुजा अरौ ।
होराज्ञार्येन्दवः कामे भवे दैत्येन्द्रपूजितः ॥ १८ ॥
सहजेऽक्रिशुकार्य भौमाः खे गुरू-भार्गवौ ।
सुतेऽर्कार्कीन्दु- लग्नार - शुक्राः स्युः करणं रवेः ॥ १९ ॥
17-19 : In the 1st, the 2nd, the 8th houses of the Ashtakvarga of the Sun will have the Ascendant, Moon, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury (five planets); in the 12th house, the Sun, Mars, Saturn, the Moon and Jupiter (five planets); in the 4th house, Mercury, the Moon, Venus, Jupiter (four planets); in the 9th house, the Ascendant, the Moon and Venus (three planets); in the 6th house, the Sun, Saturn, Mars (three planets); in the 7th house, the Ascendant, Mercury, Jupiter, the Moon (four planets); in the 11th house, only Venus (one planet); in the 3rd house, the Sun, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Mars (five planets) and in the 5th house, the Sun, Saturn, the Moon, the Ascendant, Mars, Venus (six planets) are the "Karanaprad" planets.
दशरेखा लिखेदूर्ध्वास्तिर्यग् रेखाश्चतुर्दश ।
नगेशकोष्ठसंयुक्तं चक्रमेवं प्रजायते ॥ २० ॥
तिर्यगष्टसु कोष्ठेषु विलग्नसहितान् खगान् ।
आद्येषूर्ध्वाधरेष्वेवं भावसंख्या लिखेद् बुधः ॥ २१ ॥
यथोक्तं विन्यसेत् तत्र करणं स्थानमेव वा ।
ततः शुभाऽशुभं ज्ञात्वा जातकस्य फलं वदेत् ॥ २२ ॥
20-22 : In order to ascertain favourable and unfavourable positions in the Ashtakvarga, draw a format (chakra) with 10 verticle and 14 horizental lines, making 117 compartments. In the compartments of the first row, the planets starting from Sun and the last being the Ascendant, be written. In the compartments of the first column, the 12 houses in seriatim be listed by the learneds. In this Chakra, the Bindus be implanted wherever required (that is, wherever the planet is said to have been contributing Karana unfavourable place - accordingly a Bindu be implanted below that planet, so that the position of Karana becomes identifiable. The auspicious and inauspicious results of the native should be delineated from these dispositions.
भाग्यस्वयोश्च षड् वेश्ममृतिहोरासु पञ्च च ।
मानदुश्चिक्ययोरेकः सुते वेदा अरिस्त्रियोः ॥ २३ ॥
त्रयो व्ययेष्टावाये च शून्यं शीतकरस्य तु ।
होरार्कारार्किभृगवोंऽगज्ञार्केन्द्वार्किभार्गवाः ॥ २४ ॥
जीवोऽर्कार्कीन्दुलग्नारा होरेन्दु-गुरु-भास्कराः ।
सितज्ञार्या: कुजतनुमन्दास्ते सितशीतगू ॥ २५ ॥
होरार्कारार्किविज्जीवा: शनि: खं सकला: क्रमात् ।
23-25½ : Six planets in the 9th and the 2nd houses from the Moon will be contributing bindus (करणप्रद); five planets in the 4th, the 8th and the 1st houses; one planet in 10th and the 3rd houses; four planets in the 5th house; three planets in the 6th and the 7th houses; all the planets in the 12th house and no planet in the 11th house will contribute Bindus.
In the first house of the Ashtakavarga of the Moon will have the Ascendant, the Sun, Mars, Saturn and Venus (five planets); in the 2nd house, the Ascendant, Mercury, the Sun, the Moon, Saturn and Venus (six planets); in the 3rd house, Jupiter (one planet); in the 4th house, the Sun; Saturn, the Moon, the Ascendant and Mars (five planets); in the 5th house, the Ascendant, the Moon, Jupiter and the Sun (four planets); in the 6th house, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter (three planets); in the 7th house, Mars, the Ascendant and Saturn (three planets); in the 8th house, Mars, the Ascendant, Saturn, Venus, and the Moon (five planets); in the 9th house, the Ascendant, the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter (six planets); int 10th house, Saturn (one planet); in the 11th house, no planet and in the 12th house, all the eight planets, will contribute Bindus (Karanaprada planets).
व्ययवेश्मसुतस्त्रीषु षट् सप्त धनधर्मयोः ॥ २६ ॥
होरामृत्य्वो: शरा वेदा विक्रमे खे त्रयः क्षते ।
द्वौ भवे शून्यमेवं स्यात् करणं भूमिजस्य तु ॥ २७ ॥
कुजस्यार्केन्दुविज्जीवसिता लग्नशनी च तु ।
सितारगुरुमन्दाः स्युर्धर्मोक्तेषु कुजं बिना ॥ २८ ॥
चन्द्रारगुरुशुक्रार्किलग्नानि कुजभास्करी ।
ज्ञेन्द्रर्कसितलग्नार्या एषु शुक्रं विना ततः ॥ २९ ॥
विना शनिं सप्त धर्मे सितेन्दुज्ञा वियत्ततः ।
अर्कार्किज्ञेन्दुलग्नाराः करणं प्रोच्यते क्रमात् ॥ ३० ॥
26-30 : Six planets in the 12th, the 4th, the 5th and the 7th houses from Mars contribute Bindus (Karanaprada -); seven planets in the 2nd and the 9th houses; five planets in the 1st and the 8th houses; four planets in the 3rd house, three planets in the 10th house; two planets in the 6th house and no planet in the 11th house will contribute Bindus (Karanaprada planets).
In the first house of the Ashtakavarga of Mars will have the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus (five planets); in the 2nd house, the Ascendant, Saturn, the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus (seven planets); in the 3rd house, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (four planets); in the 4th house, Mars, the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and the Ascendant (six planets); in the 5th house, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the Ascendant (six planets); in the 6th house, Mars and Saturn (two planets) in the 7th house, Mercury, the Moon, the Sun, Venus, the Ascendant and Jupiter (six planets); in the 8th house, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, the Sun and the Ascendant (five planets); in the 9th house all the planet excepting Saturn (seven planets); in the 10th house, Venus, the Moon and Mercury (three planets); in the 11th house no planet, and in the 12th house, the Sun, Saturn, Mercury, the Moon, the Ascendant and Mars (six planets) will be contributing Bindus in the Mars Ashtakavarga.
तनुस्वगृहकर्मारिधर्मेष्वग्निर्मृतौ करौ ।
भ्रातृस्त्रियो रसा लाभे शून्यं पुत्रे व्यये शराः ॥ ३१ ॥
बुधास्यर्केन्दुगुरवो गुरुसूर्यबुधाः क्रमात् ।
लग्नार्कारार्किचन्द्रार्या ज्ञार्कार्या हि बुधस्य तु ॥ ३२ ॥
जीवारेन्द्वार्किलग्नानि शुक्रमन्नधरासुताः ।
ज्ञेन्दुलग्नार्कशुक्रार्या ज्ञार्कौ जीवेन्दुलग्नकाः ॥ ३३ ॥
अर्कार्यशुक्रा: शून्यं च होरेन्द्वारार्किभार्गवाः ॥ ३३½ ॥
31-33½ : Three planets in the 1st, the 2nd, the 4th, the 10th, the 6th and 9th houses from Mercury will be contributing Bindu (Karanaprada - करणप्रद); two planets in the 8th house; six planets in the 3rd and the 7th houses; no planet in the 11th house; five planets in the 5th and 12th houses will contribute Bindus.
In the 1st house of the Ashtakavarga of Mercury, will have the Sun, the Moon and Jupiter; in the 2nd house, Jupiter, the Sun and Mercury; in the 3rd house, the Ascendant, the Sun, Mars, Saturn, the Moon and Jupiter; in the 4th houses the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter; in the 5th house, Jupiter, Mars, the Moon, Saturn and the Ascendant; in the 6th house, Venus, Saturn and Mars; in the 7th house, Mercury, the Moon, the Ascendant, the Sun, Venus and Jupiter; in the 9th house Jupiter, the Moon and the Ascendant; in the 10th house, the Sun, Jupiter and Venus; in the 11th house, no planet, in the 12th house, the Ascendant, the Moon, Mars, Saturn and Venus will be contributing Bindus (dots) in the Ashtakavarga of Mercury.
रूप धनाययोः खे द्वौ व्यये सप्त क्षतेऽर्णवाः ॥ ३४ ॥
मृतिविक्रमयो पञ्च गुरोः शेषेषु वहंय: ।
लग्ने शुक्रेन्दुमन्दा: स्वे आये मन्दश्च विक्रमे ॥ ३५ ॥
लग्नारेन्दुज्ञभृगवः सुतेर्कार्यकुजा गृहे ।
शुक्रमन्देन्दवो द्यूने बुध-शुक्र-शनैश्चराः ॥ ३६ ॥
जीवारार्केन्दवः शत्रौ सर्वे मन्दं विना व्यये ।
कर्मणीन्दुशनी धर्मे मन्दारगुरवो मृतौ ॥ ३७ ॥
लग्नार्किसितचन्द्रज्ञा: करणं च गुरोरिदम् ॥ ३७½ ॥
34-37½ : One planet in the 2nd and 11th houses from Jupiter will contribute Bindu (Karnaprada places); seven planets in the 12th house; four planets in the 6th house; five planets in the 8th and the 3rd houses; three planets in the remaining houses i.e., the 1st, the 4th, the 5th, the 7th and the 9th will contribute Bindus (Karanaprada houses).
In the 1st house of the Ashtakavarga of Jupiter, the Moon, Venus, Saturn; in the 2nd and 11th houses, Saturn; in the 3rd house, the Ascendant, Mars, the Moon, Mercury, Venus; in the 5th house, Jupiter, the Sun and Mars; in the 4th house, Venus, Saturn and the Moon; in the 7th house, Mercury, Venus and Saturn; in the 6th house, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun and the Moon; in the 12th house, barring Saturn all other planets; in the 10th house, the Moon and Saturn, in the 9th house, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter and in the 8th house, the Ascendant, Saturn, Venus, the Moon and Mercury will be the Karanaprada planets, contributing Bindus.
सुतायुर्विक्रमेष्वक्षि तनुस्वव्ययखेष्विषुः ॥ ३८ ॥
अष्टौ स्त्रियामरौ षड् भूर्धर्मे मित्रेऽक्षि खं भवे ।
लग्ने स्वेऽर्कारविज्जीवमन्दाः सर्वे च कामभे ॥ ३९ ॥
अर्कार्यौ विक्रमस्थाने सुतेऽर्कारौ शुभे रविः ।
सुखेऽर्कबुधजीवाः स्युर्भीमज्ञौ मृतिभे द्विज ! ॥ ४० ॥
शुक्रार्केन्द्वार्किलग्नार्याः शत्रौ शून्यं भवे व्यये ।
होरार्किबुधशुक्रार्यास्तन्वारज्ञेन्द्रिनाश्च खे ॥ ४१ ॥
38-41: Two planets in the 5th, the 8th and the 3rd houses from Venus will contribute Bindus (Karnaprada places); five planets in the Ascendant, the 2nd, the 12th and the 10th house; 8 planets in the 7th house; six planets in the 6th house; one planet in the 9th house; three planets in the 4th house and no planet in the 11th house will contribute Bindus (बिन्दु प्रद).
In the 1st and the 2nd houses of the Ashtakavarga of Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn; in the 7th house, all the planets; in the 3rd house, the Sun and Jupiter; in the 5th house, the Sun and Mars; in the 9th house, the Sun; in the 4th house, the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter; in the 8th house, Mars and Mercury; in the 6th house, Venus, the Sun, the Moon, Saturn, the Ascendant and Jupiter; in the 11th house, no planet; in the 12th thouse, Saturn, the Ascendant, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter; and in the 10th house, the Ascendant, Mars, Mercury, the Moon and the Sun are the Karnaprada planets i.e. Bindu contributing planets.
स्वस्त्रीधर्मेषु सप्ताऽ गं मृतिहोरागृहेषु च ।
अज्ञाभ्रातृव्यये वेदा रूपं शत्रौ सुते शराः ॥ ४२ ॥
आये शून्यं शनेरेवं करणं प्रोच्यते बुधैः ।
गृहे तनौ च लग्ना स्वस्त्रियोश्च रविं विना ॥ ४३ ॥
हित्वा धर्मे बुधं माने लग्नाररविचन्द्रजान् ।
ततो भ्रातरि जीवार्कबुधशुक्रा: क्षते रविः ॥ ४४ ॥
व्यये लग्नेन्दुमन्दार्का: सितार्कन्दुशलग्नकाः ।
सुते मृतौ बुधार्कौ च हित्वाऽऽये खं शनैर्विदः ॥ ४५ ॥
42-45: Seven planets in the 2nd, the 7th and the 9th houses from Saturn will contribute Bindus (Karnaprada places); six planets in the 8th, the Ascendant and the 4th houses; four planets in the 10th, the 3rd and the 12th houses; one planet in the 6th house; five planets in the 5th and no planet in the 11th house will contribute Bindus (बिन्दु प्रद).
In the 1st and the 4th houses of the Ashtakavarga of Saturn, all planets excepting the Ascendant and the Sun; in the 2nd, the 7th house, barring the Sun, rest all the planets; in the 9th house, all the planets except Mercury; in the 10th house, excepting the Ascendant, Mars, the Sun, Mercury; all other planets; in the 3rd house, Jupiter, Sun, Mercury and Venus; in the 6th house, the Sun; in the 12th house, the Ascendant, the Moon, Saturn and the Sun; in the 5th house, the Ascendant, Venus, the Sun, the Moon and Mercury; in the 8th house barring Mercury and the Sun, all other planets and in the 11th house, no planet are the Bindu contributing planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Bindus | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | 6 | ||
| 2 | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | 7 | |
| 3 | ० | ० | ० | ० | 4 | ||||
| 4 | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | 6 | ||
| 5 | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | 5 | |||
| 6 | ० | 1 | |||||||
| 7 | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | 7 | |
| 8 | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | 6 | ||
| 9 | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | ० | 7 | |
| 10 | ० | ० | ० | ० | 4 | ||||
| 11 | - | ||||||||
| 12 | ० | ० | ० | ० | 4 |
उक्ताऽन्ये स्थानदातार इति स्थानं विदुर्बुधाः ।
अथ स्थानग्रहान् वक्ष्ये सुखबोधाय सूरिणाम् ॥ ४६ ॥
स्वायुस्तनुषु मन्दारसूर्या जीवबुधौ सुते ।
विक्रमे ज्ञेन्दुलग्नानि लग्नार्कार्किकुजा गृहे ॥ ४७ ॥
ते च ज्ञेम्दू खभे चाऽऽये सर्वे शुक्रं विना, व्यये ।
लग्नशुक्रबुधाः शत्रौ तेच जीवसुधाकरौ ॥ ४८ ॥
द्यूनेऽर्कारार्किशुक्राश्च धर्मेर्कारार्किविद्गुरुः ।
46-48: Other than the houses having been contributed with Bindus (dots) by the Karanaprada planets, are taken as the places (houses) with Rekhas contributed by the Rekhaprada planets. Therefore, now I will describe these positions of the planets for the benefit of the scholars.
Saturn, Mars and the Sun are the Rekha contributing planets in the 2nd, the 8th and the 1st houses of the Ashtakavarga of the Sun; Jupiter and Mercury in the 5th house; Mercury, the Moon and the Ascendant in the 3rd house; the Ascendant, the Sun, Saturn and Mars in the 4th house; the Ascendant, the Sun, Saturn, Mars, Mercury and the Moon in the 10th house; all the planets except Venus in the 11th house; Ascendant, Venus and M ury in the 12th house; the Ascendant, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and the Moon in the 6th house; the Sun, Mars, Saturn and Venus in the 7th house and the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter in 9th house will contribute Rekhas (Rekhasprada) i.e. the auspicious places.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
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ज्ञेन्दुजीवा:1 कुजार्यौ2 ज्ञार्केन्द्वारार्कितनूशनाः3 ॥ ४९ ॥
जीवशुक्रबुधा4 भौमबुधशुक्रशनैश्चराः5 ।
रवीन्द्वारार्किलग्नानि6 रवीन्द्वार्यज्ञभार्गवाः7 ॥ ५० ॥
अर्कज्ञजीवा:8 शुक्रेन्द्र9 ते च तो लग्नभूसुतौ10 ।
सर्वे शून्यं क्रमात्प्रोक्तं स्थानं शीतकरस्य च ॥ ५१ ॥
49-51 : Mercury, the Moon and Jupiter in the 1st house; Mars and Jupiter in the 2nd house; Mercury, the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Saturn, the Ascendant and Venus in the 3rd house; Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in the 4th house; Mars, Mercury, Venus and Saturn in the 5th house; the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Saturn and the Ascendant in the 6th house; the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus in the 7th house; the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter in the 8th house; Venus and the Moon in the 9th house; the Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, the Moon, the Ascendant and Mars in the 10th house; all the planets in the 11th house and no planet in the 12th house are the Rekhas contributing planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
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| 11 | |||||||||
| 12 |
लग्नमन्दकुजा1 भौमो2 होराज्ञेन्दुदिनाधिपाः3 ।
मन्दारौ4 ज्ञरवी5 ज्ञेन्दुजीवार्कतनुभार्गवाः6 ॥ ५२ ॥
मन्दारौ7 तौसित8 श्चार्किः9 कुजार्कार्यार्किलग्नका:10 ।
सर्वे11 गुरुसितौ12 स्थानं भौमस्यैवं बिदुर्बुधाः ॥ ५३ ॥
52-53 : The Ascendant, Saturn and Mars in the 1st house; Mars in the 2nd house; the Ascendant, Mercury, the Moon and the Sun in the 3rd house; Saturn and Mars in the 4th house; Mercury and the Sun in the 5th house; Mercury, the Moon, Jupiter, the Sun, the Ascendant and Venus in the 6th house; Saturn and Mars in the 7th house; Saturn, Mars and Venus in the 8th house; Saturn in the 9th house; Mars, the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn and the Ascendant in the 10th house; all the planets in the 11th house and Jupiter and Venus in the 12th house are the Rekhas contributing planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
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| 12 |
लग्नमन्दारशुक्रज्ञा1 लग्नारेन्दुसितार्कजा:2 ।
शुक्रज्ञौ3 लग्नचन्द्रार्किसितारा4 ज्ञार्कभार्गवाः5 ॥ ५४ ॥
जीवज्ञार्केन्दुलग्नानि6 भूमिपुत्रशनैश्चरौ7 ।
तौ च लग्नेन्दु शक्रार्या8 मन्दारार्कज्ञभार्गवाः9 ॥ ५५ ॥
लग्नमन्दारविच्चन्द्रा:10 सर्वे11 जीवज्ञभास्करा:12 ॥ ५५½ ॥
54-55½ : The Ascendant, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury the 1st house; the Ascendant, Mars, the Moon, Venus and Saturn in the 2nd house; Venus and Mercury in the 3rd house; the Ascendant, the Moon, Saturn, Venus and Mars in the 4th house; Mercury, the Sun and Venus in the 5th house; Jupiter, Mercury, the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant in the 6th house; Saturn and Mars in the 7th house; Mars, Saturn, the Ascendant, the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the 8th house; Saturn, Mars, the Sun, Mercury and Venus in the 9th house; the Ascendant, Saturn, Mars, Mercury and the Moon in the 10th house; all the planets in the 11th house, Jupiter, Mercury and the Sun in the 12th house are the Rekhaprada planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
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| 12 |
गुरोर्लग्ने सुखे जीवलग्नारार्कबुधा धने ॥ ५६ ॥
चन्द्रशुक्रौ च दुश्चिक्ये मन्दार्यार्का: शनिर्व्यये ।
सुते शुक्रेन्दुलग्नज्ञमन्दाश्चन्द्रं विना त्वरौ ॥ ५७ ॥
लग्नारार्याऽर्केन्दवोऽस्ते मृतौ जीवार्कभूसुताः ।
धर्मे शुक्रार्कलग्नेन्दुबुधा मन्दं विनाऽऽयभे ॥ ५८ ॥
माने गुरुबुधारार्कशुक्रहोरास्तथा विदुः ।
56-58½ : Jupiter, the Ascendant, Mars, the Sun and Mercury in the 1st and the 4th houses; Jupiter, the Ascendant, Mars, the Sun, Mercury; the Moon and Venus in the 2nd house; Saturn, Jupiter and the Sun in the 3rd house; only Saturn in the 12th house; Venus, the Moon, the Ascendant, Mercury and Saturn in the 5th house; Venus, the Ascendant, Mercury and Saturn in the 6th house; the Ascendant, Mars, Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon in the 7th house; Jupiter, the Sun and Mars in the 8th house; Venus, the Sun, the Ascendant, the Moon and Mercury in the 9th house; all the planets excepting Saturn in the 11th house; Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, the Sun, Venus and the Ascendant in the 10th house are the Rekhaprada planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
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| 12 |
लग्नशुक्रेन्दवस्ते ते ज्ञार्क्या३ रास्ते ज्ञवर्जिताः४ ॥ ५९ ॥
सुतभे५ लग्नशशिजशशाकांर्यार्किभार्गवाः ।
ज्ञारौ६ शून्यं७ सिताऽर्केन्दुगुरुलग्नशनैश्चरा:८ ॥ ६० ॥
सर्वे रविं विना९ शुक्रगुरुमन्दाश्च मानभे१० ।
सर्वे११ कुजेन्दुरवयः १२ क्रमाद् भृगुसुतस्य च ॥ ६१ ॥
59-61 : The Ascendant, Venus and the Moon in the 1st and 2nd houses; the Ascendant, Venus, the Moon, Mercury, Satum and Mars in the 3rd house; the Ascendant, Venus, the Moon, Satum and Mars in the 4th house; the Ascendant, Mercury, the Moon Jupiter, Saturn and Venus in the 5th house; Mercury and Mars in the 6th house; no planet in the 7th house; Venus, the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, the Ascendant and Saturn in the 8th house; excepting the Sun all other planets in the 9th house; Venus, Jupiter and Saturn in the 10th house; all the planets in the 11th house; Mars, the Moon and the Sun in the 12th house are the Rekhaprada planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||
| 7 | - | ||||||||
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| 12 |
शने रवितनू सूर्यो लगनेन्दुकुजसूर्यजाः ।
लग्नार्कौ जीवमन्दाराः सर्वे सूर्यं विना क्षते ॥ ६२ ॥
अर्कोऽर्कज्ञौ बुधोऽर्कारतनुज्ञाः सकलास्ततः ।
कुजज्ञगुरुशुक्राश्च क्रमात् स्थानमिदं विदुः ॥ ६३ ॥
62-63 : The Sun and the Ascendant in the 1st house; only the Sun in the 2nd house; the Ascendant, the Moons, Mars and Saturn in the 3rd house; the Ascendant and the Sun in the 4th house: Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in the 5th house; excepting the Sun, all other planets in the 6th house; only the Sun in the 7th house; the Sun and Mercury in the 8th house; only Mercury in the 9th house; the Sun, Mars, the Ascendant and Mercury in the 10th house; all the planets in the 11th house; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus in the 12th house are the Rekhaprada planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
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| 12 |
तनौ तुर्ये च वह्निः स्याद् दुश्चिक्ये द्वौ धने शराः ।
बुद्धिमृत्यंकरि:फेषु षट् खेशक्षतराशिषु ॥ ६४ ॥
रूपं स्त्रियां गुरुं त्यक्त्वा लग्नस्य करणं त्विदम् ।
होरासूर्येन्दवो१ लग्ने लग्नारेन्द्विनसूर्यजाः ॥ ६५ ॥
गुरुजौ३ लग्नचन्द्रारा४ लसूचंमंबुसौरय:५ ।
ते शुक्रस्तथा चैकः कामे सर्वे गुरुं विना७ ॥ ६६ ॥
मृतौ८ भृगुबुधौ त्यक्त्वा धर्मे गुरुसितौ विना९ ।
कर्मण्याये१० तथा११ शुक्रो व्यये सूर्येन्दुवर्जिताः१२ ॥ ६७ ॥
64-67 : Three planets in the Ascendant the 1st and the 4th houses from the Ascendant will be contributing Bindus; two planets in the 3rd house; five planets in the 2nd house; six planets in the 5th, the 8th, the 9th and the 12th houses; one planet in the 10th, the 11th and the 6th houses; all the planets excepting Jupiter in the 7th will be the Binduprada planets.
In the 1st house of the Ashtakavarga of the Ascendant will have the Ascendant, the Sun and the Moon; in the 2nd house, the Ascendant, Mars, the Moon, the Sun and Saturn; in the 3rd house, Jupiter and Mercury; in the 5th house, the Ascendant, the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury and Saturn; in the 6th house, only Venus; in the 7th house, barring Jupiter all the other planets; in the 8th house, excepting Mercury and Venus, all the other planets; in the 9th house, barring Jupiter and Venus, all the other planets; in the 10th and the 11th houses, only Venus and in the 12th house, excepting the Sun and the Moon, all the other planets will be cosntributing Bindus (dots) in the Ashtakavarga of the Ascendant.
लग्नस्येदं तु संप्रोक्तं करणं द्विजपुंगव ! ।
अथ स्थानं प्रवक्ष्यामि लग्नस्य द्विजपुंगव ! ॥ ६८ ॥
आर्किज्ञशुक्रगुर्वारा: सौम्यदेवेज्यभार्गवाः ।
हित्वा सौम्यगुरू शेषाः सूज्ञेज्यभृगुसूर्यजाः ॥ ६९ ॥
तथा जीवभृगू बुद्धौ सर्वे शुक्रं विना क्षते ।
जीव एकस्तथा द्यूने मृतौ सौम्यभृगू तथा ॥ ७० ॥
धर्मे गुरुसितावेव खे भवे शुक्रमन्तरा ।
सूर्यचन्द्रौ तथा रिष्फे स्थानं लग्नस्य कीर्तितम् ॥ ७१ ॥
68-71 : Maharishi Parasara said - O Great Brahmin! Just now I have explained the Karana (बिन्दुओं) of the Ashtakavarga of the Ascendant and now I narrate the Rekhaprada (रेखाप्रद ) planets of the Ascendant. Saturn, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Mars in the 1st house; Mercury, Jupiter and Venus in the 2nd house; excepting Mercury and Jupiter, all the other planets in the 3rd house; the Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn in the 4th house; Jupiter and Venus in the 5th house; barring Venus all the other planets in the 6th house; only Jupiter in the 7th house; Mercury and Venus in the 8th house; Jupiter and Venus in the 9th house; excepting Venus, all the other planets in the 10th and the 11th houses and the Sun and the Moon in the 12th house are the Rekhaprada planets.
| Houses (signs) | PLANETS | Total Rekhas | |||||||
| Sun | Mon | Mar | Mer | Jup | Ven | Sat | Ascd | ||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
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| 12 |
करणं बिन्दुवत् लेख्यं स्थानं रेखास्वरूपकम् ।
करणं त्वशुभदं प्रोक्तं स्थानं शुभफलप्रदम् ॥ ७२ ॥
72 : The Karanas and Sthanas of the Ashtakavarga Chakra of the Ascendant be denoted by Bindu and Rekha respectively. The "Karana" places should be considered as inauspicious while the auspicious places will be indicated by the "Sthana".
Practice
In verses 5 and 6 Parashara says this system's results will neither contradict nor repeat those given earlier. What is he claiming?
Write your answer down before opening the explanation.
Show the answer and why
Answer: That Aṣṭakavarga is genuinely independent — a separate instrument reading the same chart, not a restatement of the lordship-and-dignity method.
That claim is what makes the system worth the arithmetic. An instrument that merely restated the natal judgment would add nothing; one that contradicted it would be useless. What Parashara is offering is a second, differently-founded measure that can agree — raising confidence — or disagree, which locates something worth examining. Week 11's central exercise is exactly that comparison.
Source: BPHS 68.5–6
Explain how a bindu is earned, in plain language.
Write your answer down before opening the explanation.
Show the answer and why
Answer: Each of eight contributors — the seven grahas and the Lagna — casts a favourable mark on certain houses counted from its own position. A sign's bindu count is how many of those eight marks land on it.
The image that makes this intuitive: each planet votes on each sign, from where it stands, according to a fixed table. A sign with seven bindus has almost unanimous support; one with two has almost none. And because each planet votes from its own position, the pattern is entirely chart-specific — the same rules produce a different distribution in every nativity.
Source: BPHS 68.16–19
In the Sun's Aṣṭakavarga, how many planets contribute a bindu in the 1st, 2nd and 8th houses from the Sun, and how many in the 11th?
Write your answer down before opening the explanation.
Show the answer and why
Answer: Five in each of the 1st, 2nd and 8th. One in the 11th.
Verse 16 gives the counts and verses 17–19 name which planets. The asymmetry is worth noticing — it is not a smooth distribution, and the houses that receive many contributions and those that receive few are quite specific. That specificity is why the system produces a meaningful spread rather than a uniform score.
Source: BPHS 68.16–19
What question does Aṣṭakavarga answer that lordship and dignity cannot?
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Show the answer and why
Answer: How much accumulated support a particular sign or house actually has, independently of who rules it or what sits in it.
A house can have a strong lord and few bindus, or a weak lord and many. Those are different statements. The lordship reading tells you where the house's affairs get worked out and by what agent; the bindu count tells you how much of the chart's collective weight falls on that part of the zodiac. Neither answer is available from the other, which is precisely Parashara's claim in verse 5.
A house has seven bindus. What does that tell you, and what does it not?
Write your answer down before opening the explanation.
Show the answer and why
Answer: That the house has unusually broad support. It does not tell you what will happen there, when, or whether the house's lord can deliver.
Aṣṭakavarga measures support, not outcome. A well-supported house whose lord is debilitated in a Duḥsthāna is a house with strong backing and a weak agent. High bindus also matter particularly for transits — a transiting planet crossing a high-bindu sign behaves differently from one crossing a low-bindu sign — which is the use most modern practice makes of the system and which Week 11 develops.
Apply it to a chart
Chart B — Albert Einstein, the synthesis chart — A whole documented life, where the evidence pulls in more than one direction. · about 26 min
| Graha | Sign | House | Degree | Nakshatra | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Pisces | 10 | 1°20'30" | Purva Bhadrapada 4 | neutral |
| Moon | Scorpio | 6 | 21°47'54" | Jyeshtha 2 | debilitated |
| Mars | Capricorn | 8 | 4°44'52" | Uttara Ashadha 3 | exalted |
| Mercury | Pisces | 10 | 10°58'43" | Uttara Bhadrapada 3 | debilitated |
| Jupiter | Aquarius | 9 | 5°19'05" | Dhanishtha 4 | neutral |
| Venus | Pisces | 10 | 24°49'11" | Revati 3 | exalted |
| Saturn | Pisces | 10 | 12°01'26" | Uttara Bhadrapada 3 | neutral |
| Rahu | Capricorn | 8 | 9°18'36" | Uttara Ashadha 4 | not assigned in BPHS |
| Ketu | Cancer | 2 | 9°18'36" | Pushya 2 | not assigned in BPHS |
| Lagna | Gemini | 1 | 19°38'02" | Ardra | lord Mercury |
Building one bhinnāṣṭakavarga by hand is the only way this system becomes real rather than a table your software prints. It takes about twenty minutes and you will do it once.
- For Chart B, build the Sun's bhinnāṣṭakavarga by hand. Take each of the eight contributors in turn — the seven grahas plus the Lagna — find its position, and mark a bindu in each of the houses from it that Chapter 68 specifies for the Sun's chart.
- Add the columns. Each sign should end with a count between 0 and 8, and the twelve counts should total 48 for the Sun.
- Check your total. If it is not 48, you have miscounted — the total is fixed by the number of contributions the rules specify, and it is the same in every chart.
- Now read it. Which signs have the highest counts, and which houses are those in this chart? Which have the lowest?
- The comparison that matters: take one conclusion you reached about this chart in the Module 4 clinic and ask whether the Sun's bindu distribution agrees with it. Do not adjust anything yet — just record whether the two instruments agree or not.
Check your understanding
Answer from memory first. Looking back at the reading before you try turns a memory test into a copying exercise.
Who are the eight contributors in a bhinnāṣṭakavarga?
Write your answer down before opening the explanation.
Show the answer and why
Answer: The seven grahas — Sun through Saturn — plus the Lagna. The nodes do not contribute.
Eight contributors is what aṣṭaka means. Note once more that Rahu and Ketu are absent, consistent with the treatment throughout: they occupy and influence but do not rule or contribute. Four checkpoints now on that position.
Source: BPHS 68.16–19
Your hand-built bhinnāṣṭakavarga for the Sun totals 45. What has gone wrong?
Write your answer down before opening the explanation.
Show the answer and why
Answer: A miscount. The total for the Sun's chart is fixed by the rules and is the same in every chart.
That fixed total is a genuinely useful self-check, and it is why the course asks you to build one by hand — you learn that the system has an internal consistency test built into it. Add the counts specified in verse 16 across all twelve houses and you get the total that every Sun Aṣṭakavarga must produce.
Chapters 68 to 74 carry a single worked example running continuously. Why does that matter?
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Show the answer and why
Answer: Because the seven chapters interlock — the reductions in 69 to 71 operate on the tables built in 68, and Sarvāṣṭakavarga in 74 sums the results. A damaged figure early propagates silently through all of it.
This is the highest table-integrity risk in the book and it is worth being alert to as a reader. If a worked figure in Chapter 72 does not follow from the tables in Chapter 68, the fault is upstream. The best defence is building one bhinnāṣṭakavarga yourself, so that you know what the numbers should look like.
Why does the course introduce Aṣṭakavarga only in Week 10, when it is mechanically simple?
Write your answer down before opening the explanation.
Show the answer and why
Answer: Because it is a second opinion, and a second opinion needs a first one to be an opinion about.
Taught early, Aṣṭakavarga becomes a substitute for judgment — a set of numbers that appear to answer questions without requiring any reading. Taught after seven modules of natal work, it becomes what Parashara says it is: an independent instrument to check a judgment you have already made. Week 11's clinic is built entirely on that comparison.
What you carry forward
Two things grow across the whole course. This unit adds to both.
To your chart-analysis process
- **Step 8 (extended) — assess condition and support.** Add Aṣṭakavarga support to dignity, strength, functional nature and Avasthā. It is an independent measure and should be recorded separately rather than merged.
To your field manual
- Aṣṭakavarga: eight contributors — the seven grahas plus the Lagna — each contributing a bindu to specified houses counted from its own position. The nodes do not contribute.
- A sign's bindu count in a bhinnāṣṭakavarga runs 0 to 8 and measures accumulated support.
- The twelve counts of any single planet's Aṣṭakavarga always total the same figure in every chart. Use it as a self-check.
- Ch. 68 verses 5–6: Parashara claims the system will neither contradict nor repeat what has gone before — a claim to independence, which is what makes it worth using.
- Aṣṭakavarga measures SUPPORT, not outcome. A well-supported house with a weak lord is strong backing and a weak agent.
- Ch. 68–74 carry one continuous worked example. The chapters interlock; an early error propagates silently.
By now you should be able to
- State what Aṣṭakavarga measures and why Parashara says it neither contradicts nor repeats
- Explain how a bindu is earned and what the eight contributors are
- Construct a bhinnāṣṭakavarga for one planet
- Say what a high or low bindu count in a house means, and what it does not