The Earth Centric Model and the Latitude Longitude Coordinates

A point of reference plays a very vital role within the ambit of a horoscope. When measuring distances or ascertaining directions, we always assimilate the same based on a central point and do the evaluation. Likewise when viewing the position of planets in the sky, it is imperative to know where they are located and their co-ordinates from a particular reference point. Without a reference object, it wouldn't really matter how further they are positioned in the sky or make any sense as to the impact effected by them. 

In the parlance of a horoscope, it is always the Earth which acts as the central pivot based on which planetary longitudes and latitudes are computed and the impact caused by them based on their placement in different signs and houses. This is in effect the main reason we do not see the 'Earth' being marked in any horoscope is because it's always from the Earth that the effect of other planets are deduced. If of course one wants to know the position of Earth, it would be located exactly 180 degrees from the Sun's position in a particular horoscope.

Reference Centric Models 

There are different theories and models circulated for estimating the position of planets from a particular reference point. Lets briefly look at the different reference centric models

- Geocentric Model
This is an Earth centric model. As per this model, it is assumed that earth is at the center of the universe and all the planets including the Sun revolve around it. In this model, geo centric positions are calculated with respect to the center of the earth. Geo is alternatively used as a term to describe Earth.

- Topocentric Model

This is an Earth centric model. In this model also, it is assumed that earth is at the center of the universe and all the planets including the Sun revolves around it. However in this model, the positions of planets including Sun are calculated with respect to the observers location which can be the actual place of birth of an individual or at the epicentre of where an event has taken place.

- Heliocentric Model

This is a Sun centric model. In this model, it is assumed that the Sun is at the center of the universe and all the other planets including the Earth revolves around it. Helios is another name for Sun and hence appropriately named so.

- Planetocentric Model

This is a planet centric model. In this model, a particular planet is assumed as the reference point with other planets including the Earth and Sun revolving around it. This is mostly adopted with the planet Mars being the source of reference and deducing the position of all other planets including Sun and Earth.

- Barycentric Model

This is a solar system centric model. Barycenter is defined as the center of a mass. In this model, a point in the solar system is considered as the reference and establishes the coordinates of all the other planets including Sun and Earth. 

There has been a perennial debate whether its the Earth that revolves around the Sun or whether it's the Sun that revolves around the Earth. Astronomers after numerous research and evidence have finally concluded that it's the latter which holds true. Hence the real picture that takes place in the skies is the Heliocentric model where all planets including the Earth revolves around the Sun.

However we cannot overlook the fact that human beings are born on earth and major events take place on Earth. So it is prudent and makes extra sense to view it with reference to the point of view of Earth. Planetocentric and Barycentric models are basically documented for academic purposes and Heliocentric though it accounts for the real perspective of keeping Sun at the center, it doesn't hold ground at least from an horoscopic angle as all things concerned are looked at with respect to the Earth as the base point.  

Thus, while looking at it from a horoscope standpoint, it is the Geocentric or Topocentric model which is used when computing planetary coordinates. In all the astrology software's and even almanacs, it is the Geocentric position that is used at vogue which is the methodology of accounting for planetary coordinates keeping the center of the Earth as the base point. The center of the Earth falls at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, United Kingdom which falls at a longitude of 0 degrees. Greenwich was universally chosen to be the Prime Meridien of the World in 1884. The Royal Observatory is the source of the Prime Meridian of the world with Longitude of 0° 0' 0''. The prime meridian marks the divide between the eastern and western hemispheres.

Thus irrespective of where one takes birth whether it happens to be east of Greenwich say India or the western side of Greenwich say United States, planetary coordinates will not differ as they are all determined using Greenwich as the central reference point. However there is one important position in a horoscope which is used as the starting reference point known as the Ascendant and this is obtained as the point that is rising on the eastern horizon based on the observers location. Hence lets say person A was born in India at 3PM and person B is born in the United States also at 3PM. Though the planetary positions will remain more or less the same as in both cases as they are determined using Greenwich as the central location, however the Ascendant will undergo a change as the point rising in the Eastern horizon in India will be different from that of the United States. The House counting system is usually done by taking the Ascendant as the base and this will have a major say in the referencing of a Horoscope.

Also one of the major basis for the Geocentric system is that all planetary positions need to be calculated based on a fixed reference point on Earth and it's center position happens to be the only fixed point on the Earth's surface. If we take any other point based on observer's location, it cannot hold to be a fixed common point as the Earth's surface is always moving due to it's rotational movement around it's axis. Planetary coordinates don't really change taking either of Geocentric or Topocentric positions sans the Moon alone. In the case of the Moon, there tends to be a difference by about a degree and this can change the outcome of a horoscope in a major way. The deviation tends to be maximum when Moon is placed near to the Ascendant or in the opposite 7th house and is minimum when positioned near to the 4th or 10th house. Moon's position is especially used while computing Dasa Balance at birth and this could alter proceedings in a major way. However the general norm is that Moon's position is also calculated based on Geocentric position since Moon revolves around the center of the Earth and not just any point on the Earth's surface. However this point should be kept in mind in determining the analysis of a horoscope since it can end up having quite a major impact.

When it comes to determining the Ascendant, it is important to reference the latitude and longitude of the place on earth where an individual is born or an event has taken place. The Latitude and Longitudes combine to form grids which are key for locating places on the earth and arriving at the coordinate position. These are certain imaginary lines drawn on the earth that enables to precisely decode selective places located on planet Earth. The Earth as such is defined as a 'Geoid' meaning that it is slightly flattened at the North & South pole and bulged in the middle. This makes the earth's equatorial diameter as 12756 kms (West to East) whereas it's polar diameter is 12714 kms (North to South). Let's look at a few important snippets with respect to the imaginary lines that are drawn on the earth namely the Latitude and Longitude.

Latitudes:

- Latitudes also called 'Parallels' are horizontal lines that run from the West to the East across the Earth

- The most important Latitude line is the Equator which divides the Earth equally into two halves viz the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere

- The Northern most point of the Earth is termed as the North Pole and the Southern most point of the Earth is called as the South Pole. The lines drawn above the equator are called North Latitudes and lines below the equator are called South Latitudes. It should however be noted that the Latitude lines are not of equal length.

- Latitudes measure the distances in degrees starting with the equator at 0 degrees. They go up the equator marked from 1 to 90 degrees all the way to the North Pole and likewise go down the equator marked from -1 to -90 degrees all the way to the South Pole. The numbers in positive indicate that they are part of the Northern Hemisphere and the numbers in negative indicate they belong to the Southern Hemisphere. Alternatively they can also be coded with the acronym as North and South. Eg +30 degrees in North can be written as 30°N and -30 degrees in South can be denoted as 30°S.

- The other important Latitude lines are the Tropic of Cancer & Arctic Circle located in the Northern Hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn & Antarctic Circle located in the Southern Hemisphere. These help to define climatic zones based on the different quotients of sunlight received throughout the year. The Tropic of Cancer is at 23° 26' N and the Arctic Circle is at 66° 34' N whereas the Tropic of Capricorn is at 23° 26' S and the Arctic Circle is at 66° 34' S. Generally they are stated as being 23 and a half and 66 and a half degrees North and South respectively.

- The portion from Equator to Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere and Equator to Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere are called 'Torrid Zones'. This is the place where maximum sunlight gets received. The portion from the Tropic of Cancer to Arctic Circle in Northern Hemisphere and from Tropic of Capricorn to Antarctic Circle in Southern Hemisphere are termed 'Temperate Zones'.They are of moderate climate and experience 4 different seasons. The portion from Arctic Circle to the North Pole in Northern Hemisphere and between the Antarctic Circle to the South Pole in Southern Hemisphere is known as the 'Frigid Zone'. These usually experience cold climate as they are placed in an angle that receives very less sunlight.

Longitudes:

- Longitudes also called 'Meridians' are vertical lines that run from the North to the South across the Earth

- The most important Longitude line is the Prime Meridian which divides the Earth equally into two halves viz the Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere

- Longitudes measure the distances in degrees starting with the Prime Meridien at 0 degrees. The lines to the right of the Prime Meridian are marked from 1 to 180 degrees all the way to the East and the lines to the left of the Prime Meridian are marked from -1 to -180 degrees all the way to the West. The numbers in positive indicate that they are part of the Eastern Hemisphere and the numbers in negative indicate they belong to the Western Hemisphere. Alternatively they can also be coded with the acronym as East and West. Eg +120 degrees in East can be written as 120°E and -120 degrees in West can be denoted as 120°W.

- The lines of the Longitude help in determining time zones across the globe because when it's day in one of the hemispheres, it's night in the other hemisphere and vice versa. It should however be noted that unlike Latitude lines, Longitude lines happen to be of equal length.

- The 0° longitude which passes through Greenwich is considered as the historic Prime Meridian of the World and all the time zones across the globe are calculated with reference to this. The 180° longitude line to the West and East of the Prime Meridien is termed as the Anti Meridian or the International Date Line.

- The Earth rotates 360° in about 24 hours which equates to 15° for every hour and 1° for every 4 minutes. Hence if time at Greenwich is 12 noon, a place that is 15° to the East would be one hour ahead which would equate to 1PM and a place that is 15° to the West would be one hour behind which would be 11AM. This is also the basis for AM and PM which translates as Ante Meridiem and Post Meridiem where AM refers to before midday and PM identifies with after midday. Thus the A.M (or morning time) is the time before the sun passed meridian and P.M (or afternoon time) is the time after the sun has passed meridian at noon

- Based on the lines of longitude , 24 of them have been marked as standard meridians. Taking Prime Meridian as 0° longitude, the longitudes at 15° intervals are known as Standard Meridians. Hence on the East of the Prime Meridian there are 12 time zones and on the West of the Prime Meridian there are another 12 time zones (180° divided by 15° standard)

Time is decided according to movement of the Earth. Based on this different places have day and night occurring at varying time periods. If there were no time zones prevalent and if every place adopted the same universal time, it would be 6AM in one part of the world and fully Sunny and yet be 6AM in another part of the world and be completely dark. It is usually perceived that the dawn of Sun to be a signifier of morning activities and accordingly Sunrise time is adopted as the morning time in different places and the setting of Sun is considered as evening time in different places. As the Earth rotates from West to East, the places East of the Prime Meridien are those that receive the light of the Sun first and those places to the West of the Prime Meridien receive the light much later on. That is the reason you would see places like Australia, New Zealand, Japan etc gaining time compared to places in the United States, Canada etc which are losing time.

Though there are countries with places which are spread across different standard meridians, it's not always the case that different places within a country adopt different time zones. One example being India which universally adopts a Standard Meridian of  82°30' East based on the Meridian line which passes through Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh giving rise to Indian Standard Time being 5 and half hours or 330 minutes ahead of Greenwich (82 degrees*4 minutes per degree + 0.5 degrees*4 minutes per degree =328 + 2 = 330 minutes). Thus time in every place in India will be the same irrespective of whether it's in the West or East of India. India also doesn't adopt the concept of Day Light Savings Time which is the practise of advancing clock time during the warmer months so that darkness falls at a later clock time. There are however countries like USA, Russia etc who make use of different time zones and also rake in the concept of day light savings time.

However from an Ascendant calculation point of view, it is important to know the Longitude and Latitude of a place as it is determined based on the degree which is rising in the eastern horizon. Taking India as an illustration, every place in India will have a latitude in the North since it is located above the equator in the Northern Hemisphere and likewise every place will have a longitude in the East as it is located towards the right side of the Prime Meridien. For instance, the recorded time maybe the same in both Mumbai & Chennai at any point of time but the Sun rises much earlier in Chennai being in the South of India which is located at about 80° East of the Prime Meridian as compared to a Mumbai which is placed in the West of India at about 72° East of the Prime Meridian. Hence this needs to be factored in the determination of Ascendant. Also when it comes to accuracy and precision, knowing the exact longitude and latitude of the place of birth of an individual  or occurrence of an event also could have a bearing. For instance every nook and corner within a locality may not be of the same latitude and longitude but in many cases we tend to denote an entire city as having the same coordinates. This could lead to some minor discrepancy when determining the exact degree of the Ascendant. For instance an area like Mylapore in Chennai may have coordinated at a slight alteration to the general coordinate which is adopted for Chennai. It would be ideal and more precise if these little matters also be taken care of in order to attain more pin point precision.

Important Terminologies pertaining to Tamil Astrology

There are certain terminologies used in Tamil Astrology which are bit peculiar and considered to be of slight variation when compared with the traditional usage. A few of these do find favor in general horoscopic analysis but in the Tamil equivalent, they are used a bit more widely than usual. Let us look at some of the concepts that add an extra flavour while interpreting a horoscope.

⇒ Badhaka Sthana - The Obstacle Houses
These are the houses that can cause hurdles and be a barrier in a horoscope. It differs for each sign based on whether it is a Movable, Fixed or Dual rasi. This concept has found much footing in recent times and used a lot when interpreting horoscopes. Based on the Kala Purusha, the 11th house is the default Badhaka sign but it differs for each sign based on the type. The planets situated in Badhak can create impediments and the lord of the sign also needs to be analyzed. Contrary to popular opinion that Badhak Lord placed in a negative bhava like 6,8,12 yields good result, the actuality is that as stated in Pulipani Jothidam, Badhak Lord being placed in a Trikona especially 5,9 houses only ends up being favorable. To explain this theory, the Sage specifically explains that for a Fixed Sign Ascendant, the 9th house Badhak lord being seated in own 9th house itself ends up actually being favorable to negate the ill effects of Badhak Bhava.

The Badhaka Sthana for different signs are as follows:
Movable Sign - 11th House
Fixed Sign - 9th House
Dual Sign - 7th House

⇒ Maraka Sthana - The Killer Houses
Maragathipathi or Maraka refers to those houses that can cause a killing effect to the native. In general parlance and as advocated by most texts, the 2nd and 7th houses always end up being the Maraka houses. This is based on the Bhavat Bhavam principle of 8th house being the house of longevity. The 3rd being the 8th from the 8th extends this logic. The 12th house from any house is said to be a negater and hence the 12th from the 3rd and 8th house yields the 2nd and 7th house thus forming the concept of Maraka houses. However in Tamil Astrology, similar to Badhak the concept operates differently based on the type of sign depending on whether it is movable, fixed or dual.

The Maraka Sthana for different signs are as follows:
Movable Sign - 2nd & 7th House
Fixed Sign - 3rd & 8th House
Dual Sign - 7th & 11th House

⇒ Maraivu Sthana - The Hidden Houses
Maraivu Sthana are known as the hidden houses where planets are said to generally lose their power and become ineffective. The 3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th houses form the crux of the Maraivu houses. In this it's said that the 3rd is only about 1/4th hidden and the 12th about 1/2 hidden and only 6th and 8th being the combative hidden houses with 8th being the most malicious. However though the general hidden houses happen to be 3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th it happens to differ for the planets in question. Since the natural malefics are said to be effective in Upachaya Sthana which are the 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th houses and two of these houses namely the 3rd and 6th also come under list of Maraivu Bhava these places get eliminated. For Venus the 6th and 12th houses are eliminated on account of it forming Lakshmi Yoga.

Hence the Maraivu Sthana for different planets are as follows:
Sun - 8th House, 12th House
Moon - 3rd House, 6th House, 8th House, 12th House
Mars - 8th House, 12th House
Mercury - 3rd House, 6th House, 8th House, 12th House
Jupiter - 3rd House, 6th House, 8th House, 12th House
Venus - 3rd House, 8th House
Saturn - 8th House, 12th House
Rahu - 8th House, 12th House
Ketu - 8th House, 12th House

⇒ Poojya Pada - Zero Point
There are selective Nakshatra Padas in each of the 12 rasis where planets are said to lose their potency and become ineffective when seated in that designated spot of 3°20'. This is said to be called as zero point and hence if any of the planets falls in this area, it can attract negative vibrations. Out of the 12 rasis, 4 of them happen to be on the 1st pada, another 4 happen on the 5th pada and other 4 happen on the last 9th pada of the rasi.

The Poojya Pada for each rasi is as follows:
Mesha - Ashwini 1 - 0°0' - 3°20' - 1st Pada of 9 Padas
Rishaba - Krithika 2 - 0°0' - 3°20' - 1st Pada of 9 Padas
Mithuna - Arudra 3 - 13°20' - 16°40' - 5th Pada of 9 Padas 
Karka - Ashlesha 4 - 26°40' - 30°0' - 9th Pada of 9 Padas
Simha - Poorva Phalguni 1 - 13°20' - 16°40' - 5th Pada of 9 Padas
Kanya - Uttara Phalguni 2 - 0°0' - 3°20' - 1st Pada of 9 Padas
Thula - Swati 3 - 13°20' - 16°40' - 5th Pada of 9 Padas
Vrischika - Jyeshta 4 - 26°40' - 30°0' - 9th Pada of 9 Padas
Dhanu - Moola 1 -  0°0' - 3°20' - 1st Pada of 9 Padas
Makara - Dhanishta 2 - 26°40' - 30°0' - 9th Pada of 9 Padas
Kumbha - Satabisha 3 - 13°20' - 16°40' - 5th Pada of 9 Padas
Meena - 26°40' - 30°0' - 9th Pada of 9 Padas

⇒ Graha Natpu, Pagai and Samam - Planetary Friendship, Enmity and Neutrality
This concept works largely on the traditional Parashara methodology of finding out if a planet is friendly or not to another taking the Moola Trikona sign into question and evaluating the same. However additionally in most of the Panchangas, Rahu and Ketu are also assigned friendship levels with other planets. In Tamil astrological parlance, Rahu & Ketu do not own any sign of their own but they have their own treatment with respect to other planets,

The planetary relationship for the 9 planets work in the following manner:

Sun:
Friends - Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Enemies - Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu
Neutral - Mercury

Moon:
Friends - Sun, Mercury
Enemies - Rahu, Ketu
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn

Mars:
Friends - Sun, Moon, Jupiter
Enemies - Mercury, Rahu, Ketu,
Neutral - Venus, Saturn

Mercury:
Friends - Sun, Venus
Enemies - Moon
Neutral -  Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu

Jupiter:
Friends - Sun, Moon, Mars
Enemies - Mercury, Venus
Neutral - Saturn, Rahu, Ketu 

Venus:
Friends - Mercury, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon,
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter

Saturn:
Friends - Mercury, Venus, Rahu, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Jupiter 

Rahu:
Friends - Venus, Saturn, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Mercury, Jupiter 

Ketu:
Friends - Venus, Saturn, Rahu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Mercury, Jupiter 

⇒ Graha Rasi Thanmai - Planetary Relationship in Different Rasis
This is with respect to according the different relationship assigned to planets when they are placed in different signs. With respect to Rahu & Ketu, here again there are plenty of confusions at play. There is no clear cut basis as to which of the signs they happen to be exalted. One of the most popular views is that Rahu gets exalted in Taurus and Ketu in Scorpio. However there are certain Tamil Panchangams which advocate that both Rahu & Ketu being one and the same get exalted in the sign in which Moon gets debilitated which is Scorpio and get debilitated in the exalted sign of Moon which happens to be Taurus. This has a validity as in effect the nodes are derived based on the Moons orbital path and is also said to maintain an inimical relationship with it. Rahu & Ketu are said to be friends with Venus & Saturn whereas maintain a neutral relationship with Mercury & Jupiter but strangely they are said to be friendly in both the signs of Mercury & Jupiter respectively. There is also a generic contrarian view which says that Rahu is favorable when placed in the signs of Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Virgo and Capricorn whereas Ketu is beneficial in the signs of Virgo, Scorpio and Aquarius. There is no real consensus at all whenever it comes to the nodes but however listed below is the most well known relationships that planets exhibit when placed in various rasis. 

The relationship exhibited by the 9 planets when placed in different rasis work in the following way:
                         

⇒ Pasagan, Bodhakan, Karakan, Vedhagan - Digestor, Informer, Doer, Obstructor
This concept is largely used when analyzing Dasha result. It is believed that the Antar Dasa Lord gives its result to the Dasha Lord based on any of the 4 portfolio that it obtains. The results of these are given in the Tamil texts "Jathaka Alankaram" and "Chandra Kaviyam". Explained below briefly is about the meaning of the 4 different terms.

Pasagan - The Pasagan is the one that instructs to give results in abundance and in a complete manner

Bodhakan - The Bodhakan is the one that intends to give results in a quick fashion and in proper way 

Karakan - The Karakan is the one that acts as helper and providing assistance in completing a task

Vedhagan - The Vedhagan is the one that acts as a hurdle and obstructs the path in giving the fulfilled results

Listed below are the Pasagan, Bodhakan, Karakan and Vedhagan for all the 9 planets
Sun : Pasagan - Saturn, Bodhakan - Mars, Karakan - Jupiter, Vedhagan - Venus
Moon : Pasagan - Venus, Bodhakan - Mars, Karakan - Saturn, Vedhagan - Sun
Mars : Pasagan - Sun, Bodhakan - Moon, Karakan - Saturn, Vedhagan - Mercury
Mercury : Pasagan - Moon, Bodhakan - Jupiter, Karakan - Venus, Vedhagan - Mars
Jupiter : Pasagan - Saturn, Bodhakan - Mars, Karakan - Moon, Vedhagan - Sun
Venus : Pasagan - Mercury, Bodhakan - Jupiter, Karakan - Sun, Vedhagan - Saturn
Saturn : Pasagan - Venus, Bodhakan - Moon, Karakan - Jupiter, Vedhagan - Mars
Rahu : Pasagan - Mercury, Bodhakan - Jupiter, Karakan - Mars, Vedhagan - Sun
Ketu : Pasagan - Venus, Bodhakan - Mercury, Karakan - Saturn, Vedhagan - Moon
                  
Notes: The classics largely advocate the results only for the 7 planets and not the nodes Rahu / Ketu. However in a few rare places they have been mentioned indirectly and hence been added in the list. Apart from Dasa results, these are sometimes also used as general placement results within a horoscope. For instance taking Sun, it's Pasagan is said to be Saturn which is said to be it's enemy but Sun sitting in the rasi of Saturn which could be Capricorn or Aquarius can enable Sun to get results in abundance on account of Saturn being it's Pasagan. Likewise Moon sitting in a rasi of Mars that could be Aries or Scorpio can help Moon to get it's desired results in quick time due to Mars being it's Bodhakan. Similar way Jupiter acts as the Karaka for Saturn. Hence Saturn being placed in a rasi of Jupiter which is either of Sagittarius or Pisces will help Saturn get the required assistance in completing it's work. Vedhagan on the other hand obstructs proceedings and as an illustration Jupiter sitting in the rasi of Sun which is Leo can act as a hurdle and prevent Jupiter from getting it's results fulfilled.

⇒ Kala Pagai Dasa - Planetary Time Periods based on Life
There are certain planetary Dasa's which are said to create problems when they come within a certain age. There are also some sub periods which are said to be troublesome portions when a Dasa is operating. Lets look at the Dasa's which create problems when they occur during a particular lifespan

0 years to 2 years - Saturn Dasa
2 years to 11 years - Rahu Dasa
11 years to 18 years - Sun Dasa
18 years to 34 years - Moon Dasa
34 years to 52 years - Venus Dasa
52 years to 68 years - Ketu Dasa
68 years to 100 years - Mercury Dasa

We will now see the Antar Dasa's which magnify the issues when a particular Dasa is operating. In general it is said that the first sub period is not expected to produce favorable results but there are also specific other periods within a Dasa causing unfavorable time span on account of Kala Pagai which is planetary enmity.

Sun Dasa - Venus Antar Dasa
Moon Dasa - Jupiter Antar Dasa
Mars Dasa - Saturn Antar Dasa
Mercury Dasa - Rahu Antar Dasa
Jupiter Dasa - Mercury Antar Dasa
Venus Dasa - Sun Antar Dasa
Saturn Dasa - Mars Antar Dasa
Rahu Dasa - Mercury Antar Dasa
Ketu Dasa - Saturn Antar Dasa

There is also a concept of Maraka Dasa which can cause a killing impact on the native based on the sequence of Dasa. Listed briefly are the Dasa planets causing this effect based on the sequence.
4th Dasa - Saturn
5th Dasa - Mars
6th Dasa - Jupiter
7th Dasa - Rahu

All these are supposed to create problematic effects to the native based on the operation and sequence. It's not specifically mentioned to which Dasa this applies but this should be taken into account only with respect to the Vimshottari Dasa scheme of things.

⇒ Graha Bala - Planetary Strength
As per this concept, Ketu is said to be the strongest planet of all followed by its opposite nodal point Rahu. Then follows the luminaries Sun, Moon followed by the 5 planets Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn

The planetary strength for the 9 planets work in the following order:
Ketu -> Rahu -> Sun -> Moon -> Venus -> Jupiter -> Mercury -> Mars -> Saturn

⇒ Graha Paarvai - Planetary Aspect
In common parlance, the outer planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are said to possess extra aspects apart from the default 7th aspect whereas the inner planets namely Venus, Mercury, Moon and Sun are said to obtain only the 7th aspect. With regard to Rahu & Ketu however there is a major consensual debate with Tamil Astrology alone adopting 3rd & 11th aspect whereas significant mention of aspects for the nodes have been said that they either possess no aspect or hold aspect similar to Jupiter in the sense of owning the 5th and 9th view. There is also a mention in an old Tamil classic called "Jothida Arichuvadai" translated as System of Jyotish that exhibits a sloka interpreting Grahas to have special (Vichitra) aspects for certain planets apart from the default 7th aspect. Here even Mandi the son of Saturn is said to be possessing a forward and backward sight viz 2nd and 12th aspect.

The planetary aspects for the 9 planets work in the following way:

Sun - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect
Moon - 7th Aspect
Mars - 4th, 7th and 8th Aspect
Mercury - 7th Aspect
Jupiter - 5th, 7th and 9th Aspect
Venus - 6th, 7th and 8th Aspect
Saturn - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect
Rahu - 3rd, 7th and 11th Aspect
Ketu - 3rd, 7th and 11th Aspect

Difference of Opinions in Astrology!

One problem which Astrology as a science suffers is the lack of uniformity. Apart from that, another area of concern is the difference of opinions creeping up which causes a difference in the way a particular horoscope is viewed. These variations are especially prominent between the Northern and Southern parts of India especially. Let's look at a few areas in which various view points exist.

- Birth Star of Planets:
There is a branch of Astrology called DNA Astrology which places a lot of emphasis on the birth star of planets and this information is effectively obtained from a text called "Vichitra Jothidam". But there are also old Bengali texts mentioning about the constellations in which the 9 planets took birth and there appears to be some difference as seen below:

As per Vichitra Jothidam (followed in South):
Sun - Hastha
Moon - Mrigaseera
Mars - Uthara Ashada
Mercury - Dhanishta
Jupiter - Pushya
Venus - Magha
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani
Ketu - Ashlesha

As per old Bengali Texts:
Sun - Vishakha & Anuradha
Moon - Krithika & Rohini
Mars - Poorva Ashada & Uthara Ashada
Mercury - Shravana & Dhanishta
Jupiter - Poorva Phalguni & Uthara Phalguni
Venus - Magha
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani
Ketu - Ashlesha

Additionally Brahmanda Purana and Vayu Purana has it's own take on the birth stars of planets and the list as per it tallies mostly with Bengali texts with the exception of Venus. However just one birth star is been listed here like Vichitra Jothidam unlike olden bengali texts which provides information that some of the planets were born out of 2 constellations.
Birth stars as per Brahmanda Purana / Vayu Purana:
Sun - Vishakha
Moon - Krithika
Mars - Poorva Ashada
Mercury - Dhanishta
Jupiter - Poorva Phalguni
Venus - Pushya
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani (Rohini as per Vayu Purana)
Ketu - Ashlesha (Rohini as per Vayu Purana)

From viewing the above results, these seems to be a consistency maintained only with respect to Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. There is a mismatch especially with respect to Sun, Moon and Jupiter. For Mars, Venus and Mercury again the results don't blend perfectly when seen from all parameters.

- Special Navatara Chakra Scheme:
The Navatara Chakra or the Moon's asterisms play an important role in analysing which constellation plays a favorable role in the life of a native. Though there is no confusion of the Navatara as the name connotes 9 constellations but the total number is considered as 27 in some cases and also 28 in other cases. In South India for instance it's always only 27 stars whereas in pockets of Northern India, the factoring of Abhijit is made making the total as 28 stars. The difference creates an issue in the end result for eg the star which ends up coming as Vainasika pertains to destruction. Now let's say for a native who is born in Punarvasu Nakshatra, the 22nd Nakshatra from it namely Ashwini happens to be the star of destruction as per the 27 tara scheme. However when adopting the special 28 tara method, the Vainasika star changes to Bharani as the 23rd Nakshatra is considered in this case. This results in an altercation in analysis.

- Maraka Lords:
Maragathipathi or Maraka refers to the house lord that can cause a killing effect to the native. In general parlance and as advocated by most texts, the 2nd and 7th lord always end up being the Maraka Lords. However there is another opinion practiced in South which advocates the Maraka Lords based on the nature of the sign depending on whether it is movable, fixed or dual. The lordships associated as Maraka as per this means is as mentioned below:
Movable Sign - 2nd & 7th are Maraka Lords
Fixed Sign - 3rd & 8th are Maraka Lords
Dual Sign - 7th & 11th are Maraka Lords

- Panchanga Lords:
Here again there exists a difference of opinion. With respect to 3 of the elements viz Vara, Nakshatra & Yoga there isn't much headroom though of course there is always a question mark with respect to whether the Nakshatras need to always be as per the Vimshottari Dasa scheme or not. However on Tithi and Karana there is a difference. For eg. in South and backed up by the Kerala Text ''Krishneeyam'',  Sasthi Tithi is ruled by planet Jupiter whereas in the Northern frontier Venus is considered as ruler of Sasthi. Most Tithis undergo a change in the ruler ship lord and similar is the case with Karana. For instance Kaulava Karana is said to be ruled by Saturn in Southern folklore whereas in the Northern regions, it is said to be ruled by Mars.

- Arudha Padas:
Arudha Pada or Bhaveshat Bhavam is largely a Jaimini concept where we calculate the efficacy of a house based on the distance it has moved from it's ownership sign. For instance Arudha Lagna or AL for a Gemini Lagna whose sign owner is Mercury if placed in 8th sign in Capricorn will end up being Leo as we need to move 8 signs from Capricorn to reflect the Arudha Pada. There are some exceptions to this rule which states that Arudha cannot be the same sign as house lord or 7th from it in which case we need to add a further 10 signs to arrive at the result. This exception based rule is mainly followed in certain sections but however these exceptions are also discarded in some traditions with just the resultant Arudha sign taken into account irrespective of it being the same or 7th from it.

- Chara Karaka Basis:
This again is largely a Jaimini concept where significators are listed based on the degrees traversed in a sign by a planet. There is however an unending debate whether 7 planets from Sun to Saturn or an additional 8th planet Rahu also should be included in the framework. The opinions are so widespread on this that most of the times there is a possibility of ending up having the wrong Amatyakaraka or Darakaraka as the case maybe.

- Aspects and Ownership of Rahu/Ketu:
This can safely be assumed that as never going to be solved. There is always a lingering question mark when it comes to these two chaya Grahas and the opinions are always at a juggernaut. Though there is a general view point that Rahu & Ketu both don't possess any aspect, there is a mixed say with respect to the aspects considered in North and South India. In the North, Rahu & Ketu are believed to possess 5,7,9 aspect akin to Jupiter whereas almost everywhere in the South, if indeed aspects are considered only 3,7,11 are taken into account. With regard to ownership, there is a general view that Rahu owns Aquarius and Ketu co-lords Scorpio but this theory does not find much footing in the South where it is largely considered as not owning any houses of it's own in the zodiac.

- Numerology of Planets
Though this is not something explicitly related to Vedic Astrology, there is a linkage of numbers with each planet ruling a specific number from 1 to 9. Here again there is a difference with respect to some of the numbers based on which planet rules them. There is a Nakshatra specialization text called 'Kumaraswamiyam' which mentions the numbers ruled by each of the planets which is different from the norm and adopts the Vimshottari Dasa order beginning from Sun.

Number ruled by Planets (Common System):
1 - Sun
2 - Moon
3 - Jupiter
4 - Rahu
5 - Mercury
6 - Venus
7 - Ketu
8 - Saturn
9 - Mars

Numbers ruled by Planets (As per Kumaraswamiyam following Vimshottari Dasa Sequence):
1 - Sun
2 - Moon
3 - Mars
4 - Rahu
5 - Jupiter
6 - Saturn
7 - Mercury
8 - Ketu
9 - Venus

As you can see above, only numbers 1,2,4 align properly in both systems and there is quite a marked difference when it comes to the other numbers ruled by the planets. Mercury for instance lords #5 as per the common system but is controller of #7 when adopting the other. Likewise Venus undergoes a change moving from 6 to 9 and so do few other planets as well.

Conclusion:
These are some of the major differences of opinions that exist in the framework of a horoscope analysis. With such varied views prevalent, there can always be a question of debate arising and also toppling up the analysis with diverse variations brought into the fray. Further research coupled with intuition is perhaps the only means to bridge the gap to a certain measurable extent.

Ascertainment of Planetary Friendship!

The Navagrahas are the foundation to the study of Vedic Astrology and the inter-relationship among them forms a major role with regard to analyzing results. Each planet maintains some sort of association with another planet that falls within the bracket of Friendship, Enmity or Neutrality and paves the way to fine tune results in a more efficient manner.

Let's look at the connection between planets by defining rules behind each others relationship. These are bifurcated into two categories based on natural nature and temporary nature and clubbing both of these is essential in deriving at a final end result.

Natural Relationship:
It is said that from the Mooltrikona sign of a planet, the owner of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th happens to be it's friend which means the rest viz 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th are it's enemies. The 1st is not taken into account as it happens to be the planet in question. There is one exception whereby if a planet rules an enemy sign but if that happens to be the exaltation sign of the Mooltrikona planet, then even if it falls in an enemy sign it will still be considered as a friend only. These rules however isn't as easy as it seems as in most of the cases a planet is known to own 2 of the signs whereby one could be a friend and the other enemy in which case it tends to become neutral. Let's look at it from the lens of each planet to understand how the Natural relationship tends to work.

Sun: (Mooltrikona sign - Leo)
Friends - Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Enemies - Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu
Neutral - Mercury
1) Moon - It rules the 12th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
2) Mars - It rules the 4th sign of Scorpio and 9th sign of Aries both which happen to be friends
3) Mercury - It rules the 2nd sign of Virgo and 11th sign of Gemini of which 2nd becomes friend and 11th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
4) Jupiter - It rules the 5th sign of Sagittarius and 8th sign of Pisces both which happen to be friends
5) Venus - It rules the 3rd sign of Libra and 10th sign of Taurus both which happen to be enemies
6) Saturn - It rules the 6th sign of Capricorn and 7th sign of Aquarius both which happen to be enemies
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be an enemy
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an enemy

Moon: (Mooltrikona sign - Taurus)
Friends - Sun, Mercury
Enemies - Rahu, Ketu
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn
1) Sun - It rules the 4th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
2) Mars - It rules the 7th sign of Scorpio and 12th sign of Aries of which 7th becomes enemy and 12th becomes friend which when combined becomes neutral
3) Mercury - It rules the 2nd sign of Gemini and 5th sign of Virgo both which happen to be friends
4) Jupiter - It rules the 8th sign of Sagittarius and 11th sign of Pisces of which 8th is friend and 11th is enemy which when combined becomes neutral
5) Venus - It rules the 1st sign of Taurus and 6th sign of Libra of which 1st is own sign of Venus which becomes friend and 6th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
6) Saturn - It rules the 9th sign of Capricorn and 10th sign of Aquarius of which 9th becomes friend and 10th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be an enemy
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an enemy

Mars: (Mooltrikona sign - Aries)
Friends - Sun, Moon, Jupiter
Enemies - Mercury, Rahu, Ketu,
Neutral - Venus, Saturn
1) Sun - It rules the 5th sign of Leo and hence is a friend
2) Moon - It rules the 4th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
3) Mercury - It rules the 3rd sign of Gemini and 6th sign of Virgo both which happens to be enemies
4) Jupiter - It rules the 9th sign of Sagittarius and 12th sign of Pisces both which happen to be friends
5) Venus - It rules the 2nd sign of Taurus and 7th sign of Libra of which 2nd becomes friend and 7th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
6) Saturn - It rules the 10th sign of Capricorn and 11th sign of Aquarius both which happens to be enemies. However since the 10th sign happens to be exaltation sign of Mars it becomes friend. Thus combining the results it becomes neutral.
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be an enemy
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an enemy

Mercury: (Mooltrikona sign - Virgo)
Friends - Sun, Venus
Enemies - Moon
Neutral -  Mars, Jupiter, Rahu, Ketu
1) Sun - It rules the 12th sign of Leo and hence is a friend
2) Moon - It rules the 11th sign of Cancer and hence is an enemy
3) Mars - It rules the 3rd sign of Scorpio and 8th sign of Aries of which 3rd becomes enemy and 8th becomes friend which when combined becomes neutral
4) Jupiter - It rules the 4th sign of Sagittarius and 7th sign of Pisces of which 4th becomes friend and 7th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
5) Venus - It rules the 2nd sign of Libra and 9th sign of Taurus both which happen to be friends
6) Saturn - It rules the 5th sign of Capricorn and 6th sign of Aquarius of which 5th becomes friend and 6th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be neutral
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an neutral

Jupiter: (Mooltrikona sign - Sagittarius)
Friends - Sun, Moon, Mars
Enemies - Mercury, Venus
Neutral - Saturn, Rahu, Ketu  
1) Sun - It rules the 9th sign of Leo and hence is a friend
2) Moon - It rules the 8th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
3) Mars - It rules the 5th sign of Aries and 12th sign of Scorpio both which happen to be friends
4) Mercury - It rules the 7th sign of Gemini and 10th sign of Virgo both which happens to be enemies
5) Venus - It rules the 6th sign of Taurus and 11th sign of Libra both which happens to be enemies
6) Saturn - It rules the 2nd sign of Capricorn and 3rd sign of Aquarius of which 2nd becomes friend and 3rd becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be neutral
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an neutral

Venus: (Mooltrikona sign - Libra)
Friends - Mercury, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon,
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter   
1) Sun - It rules the 11th sign of Leo and hence is an enemy
2) Moon - It rules the 10th sign of Cancer and hence is an enemy
3) Mars - It rules the 2nd sign of Scorpio and 7th sign of Aries of which 2nd becomes friend and 7th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
4) Mercury - It rules the 9th sign of Gemini and 12th sign of Virgo both which happen to be friends
5) Jupiter - It rules the 3rd sign of Sagittarius and 6th sign of Pisces both which happens to be enemies. However since the 6th sign happens to be exaltation sign of Venus it becomes friend. Thus combining the results it becomes neutral
6) Saturn - It rules the 4th sign of Capricorn and 5th sign of Aquarius both which happens to be friends
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be friend
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an friend

Saturn: (Mooltrikona sign - Aquarius)
Friends - Mercury, Venus, Rahu, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Jupiter 
1) Sun - It rules the 7th sign of Leo and hence is an enemy
2) Moon - It rules the 6th sign of Cancer and hence is an enemy
3) Mars - It rules the 3rd sign of Aries and 10th sign of Scorpio both which happen to be enemies
4) Mercury - It rules the 5th sign of Gemini and 8th sign of Virgo both which happen to be friends
5) Jupiter - It rules the 2nd sign of Pisces and 11th sign of Sagittarius of which 2nd becomes friend and 11th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
6) Venus - It rules the 4th sign of Taurus and 9th sign of Libra both which happen to be friends
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be friend
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an friend

Rahu:
Friends - Venus, Saturn
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Mercury, Jupiter 
1) Sun - Considered to be enemy
2) Moon - Considered to be enemy
3) Mars - Considered to be enemy
4) Mercury - Considered to be neutral
5) Jupiter - Considered to be neutral
6) Venus - Considered to be friend
7) Saturn - Considered to be friend
8) Ketu - Not applicable (Can be considered to be friend)

Ketu:
Friends - Venus, Saturn
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Mercury, Jupiter 
1) Sun - Considered to be enemy
2) Moon - Considered to be enemy
3) Mars - Considered to be enemy
4) Mercury - Considered to be neutral
5) Jupiter - Considered to be neutral
6) Venus - Considered to be friend
7) Saturn - Considered to be friend
8) Rahu - Not applicable (Can be considered to be friend)

Note:
With respect to Rahu and Ketu, plenty of interpretations exist. There is a general belief that Rahu and Ketu are the agents of Saturn and Mars respectively. Also Rahu is considered to be part of the Asura Guru department comprising of Venus, Mercury and Saturn with Ketu forming part of the Deva Guru group consisting of Jupiter, Sun, Moon and Mars. Apart from all this, there are issues with respect to the signs owned by Rahu, Ketu. In general, there is no specific designated sign owned by Rahu or Ketu. There are mentions of Rahu owning Aquarius along with Saturn and Ketu co-owning Scorpio with Mars. But here again the primary responsibility continues to lie with Saturn and Mars respectively. The list above pertaining to Rahu, Ketu happens to be just one of the notions with respect to it's relationships with other planets but when it comes to these shadow planets, these measures need to be factored judiciously. Also important to note is that Moon's Mooltrikona sign falls in Taurus though it only owns the sign of Cancer but judgement of it's relationship with other planets is to be performed only from Taurus as it holds the office of responsibility.

Observation:
- There are 6 cases of Perfect Friendship and only 2 cases of Bitter Enmity among the 7 planets sans taking into account impact of Rahu and Ketu. Majority of the cases happen to be Neutral.

Perfect Friendship:
Sun - Moon
Sun - Mars
Sun - Jupiter
Mars - Jupiter
Mercury - Venus
Venus - Saturn

Bitter Enmity:
Sun-Venus
Sun-Saturn

Temporary Relationship:
This is purely based on the placement in one's chart and has nothing to do with inherent relationship prevailing between the planets. As per this rule, one can think of 7 kinds of axis relationships to exist between planets viz 1/1, 2/12, 3/12, 4/10, 5/9, 6/8, 7/7. It says that when planets are in 2/12, 3/11 or 4/10 from each other, then they happen to be temporary friends. Thus in essence when planets are in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th from each other it is considered to be favorable. There is no question of neutrality coming into place unlike how it's been assessed for natural nature of planets. One thing to note however is that even when two planets are best of friends as per permanent nature but when they are conjunct together in a sign temporarily they are not friends and the overall relationship ends up becoming neutral.

Overall Relationship:
Combining the impact of Permanent nature and temporary nature, we get the following categories based on which the final result is evaluated
Natural Friend + Temporary Friend = Best Friend
Natural Neutral + Temporary Friend = Friend
Natural Enemy + Temporary Friend = Neutral
Natural Friend + Temporary Enemy = Neutral
Natural Neutral + Temporary Enemy = Enemy
Natural Enemy + Temporary Enemy =  Worst Enemy

Summary:
Natural Friendship - From Mooltrikona sign of Planet, the rules of the signs lording 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th are friends. The rulers of 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th, 11th are enemies. Exception is if enemy sign happens to be the exaltation sign of the planet then in that case it'll be friend. In case from one angle it's a friend and from another angle it's an enemy, then it becomes neutral

Temporary Friendship - When planets in a horoscope are 2nd, 12th, 3rd, 11th, 4th, 10th from each other they tend to be temporary friends. When planets are in 1st, 7th, 5th, 9th, 6th, 8th from each other they are temporary enemies.

Overall Friendship - This works on the combination of Natural Friendship and Temporary Friendship. Friends in both cases result in extreme friendship and likewise enemies in both cases result in extreme enmity. A combination of friend in one rule and enemy in another rule will result in being neutral. Similarly Neutral combined with friend will remain a friend and likewise neutral tagged along with enemy will remain an enemy.

Lal Kitab Methodology of Friendship:
Apart from this rule based ascertainment of friendship seen within the realms of Vedic Astrology, the Red Book has it's own surmise of which planets get along and which don't. A few of it goes in similar vein as what is seen in Vedic but there are minor differences as well. It doesn't however lay out any rules splitting up between natural and temporary nature and lists them out directly. Let us see how relationship among planets is ascertained in the framework of Lal Kitab.

Sun:
Friends - Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Enemies - Venus, Saturn, Rahu
Neutral - Mercury, Ketu

Moon:
Friends - Sun, Mercury
Enemies - Ketu
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu

Mars:
Friends - Sun, Moon, Jupiter
Enemies - Mercury, Ketu
Neutral - Venus, Saturn, Rahu

Mercury:
Friends - Sun, Venus, Rahu
Enemies - Moon
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Ketu

Jupiter:
Friends - Sun, Moon, Mars
Enemies - Mercury, Venus
Neutral - Saturn, Rahu, Ketu  

Venus:
Friends - Mercury, Saturn, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Rahu
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter 

Saturn: 
Friends - Mercury, Venus, Rahu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Jupiter, Ketu

Rahu:
Friends - Mercury, Saturn, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Mars, Venus
Neutral - Moon, Jupiter

Ketu:
Friends - Venus, Rahu
Enemies - Moon, Mars
Neutral - Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn

Lal Kitab places extra emphasis on the Kala Purusha chart where Aries is always ascertained as the Lagna. It also works on some of the natural significations of the planets based on which relationships are drawn upon. Also in Red Book, Rahu and Ketu are both said to be direct agents of Saturn and here in also with regard to shadow planets relationships tend to be on a diverse tangent. However looking at it from a broad overview, a majority of planetary relationships appear somewhat similar to how it is defined in Vedic Astrology but still there are some inherent differences also witnessed that need to be noted keenly.

Astrology Trivia - Find the Planet & Nakshatra from Clues of Divisional Charts

With lock down fever reaching a frenzy, the mind was racing for some action albeit of a different kind. Some music based quizzes were conducted and then the thought came as to why not extend the principles to Astrology also and hence these trivia based quizzes ended up taking shape. This is largely based on basics of Divisional Charts and also provides a feeble opportunity to sharpen the skills in trying to derive the answer. It is more about using deductive methodologies to figure out which Planet is being referred and the Nakshatra space of the zodiac that the planet is placed in.

So here goes. Time for some trivia in the days of Quarantine. Let's see who strikes gold 🏆
Rack your brains and find out Which Planet Am I and also the Nakshatra that I'm actually placed in the rasi chart? 🏹🎲⚽🎱🥅🏓

Set of Clues:
A) I'm placed in the sign of Scorpio in Navamsa (D9)
B) I get myself into Suns territory of Leo in Hora (D2)
C) I jump into a watery sign in the Drekkana (D3)
D) I go to that spot in Taurus where fellow Navagraha mate Moon gets exalted in Chaturthamsa (D4)
E) I am placed in the middle zone in Rasi Chart (D1) within 10° to 20° and not in a Mercurial sign
F) I don't own any of the signs that I've mentioned above and also I am not a node (Common)

Answer to Trivia:
Planet : Saturn
Scorpio in D9 is ruled by Mars so that gets eliminated. Hora ruler is Sun so we strike that also off. Also it's mentioned that planet goes to Taurus in D4 whose ruler is Venus so that's also not correct. It's also mentioned that it's not the nodes hence both Rahu & Ketu are off the list. Additionally it's said that it's not a ruler of a water sign. We know the 3 water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces ruled by Moon, Mars and Jupiter so all these get ruled out. Also it's not in a Mercurial sign. Hence finally we are left with the big boss Sir Saturn. Hence Saturn is the answer 😀.

Nakshatra : Anuradha - 4
Coming to the Nakshatra, if a planet sits in Scorpio in Navamsa the mind should immediately correlate that it can only be a Venus, Mars or Saturn Nakshatra. All other planets are ruled out. Now within these 3, it's specifically mentioned that placement is between 13°20' to 16°40' which automatically rules out the Mars Nakshatras since it's always between 23°20' to 6°40' in next sign. So now it's a battle between Venus and Saturn. The next thing to note is in Drekkana D3 chart, planets will always sit in same triplicity or in effect 1,5,9 from rasi chart. It's said that it's a water element in D3 so it automatically ensures that it should be a water sign in D1 also. We know that all Venus Nakshatras sit in fire signs and all Saturn Nakshatras only sit in water signs and hence Venus gets voted out. Now among the Saturn Nakshatras of Pushya, Anuradha and Uttara Bhadrapada which one is it could be a point to ponder. Here the basics of D4 come in handy. Like in D3 chart which ends up always falling in the same element as the Rasi chart (1,5,9 or Fire/Earth/Air/Water signs), in D4 chart planets will always end up being in a kendra or square placement from rasi chart. (Movable in D1 means Movable in D4, Fixed in D1 means Fixed in D4 and Dual in D1 means Dual in D4). Hence only for Anuradha Nakshatra placed in Scorpio in a fixed sign, Taurus will also be a kendra in fixed sign whereas for both Pushya and Uttara Bhadra, sign of Taurus in D4 explicitly indicates that it won't end up being in a kendra. Hence finally we derive that Anuradha is the Nakshatra. Anuradha runs from 3°20' to 16°40' but it's said that it's in middle zone from 10° to 20°, so first 2 padas automatically are crossed out. Also to fall in Sun's hora it needs to cross 15° which obviously means Pada 3 also goes out from the equation. Hence Anuradha Pada 4 is the final correct answer 😊.

Apakrash and Upagraha Computation in Vedic Astrology

Apart from the 9 planets which is taken in consideration as the Navagrahas in Vedic Astrology, there are also certain sensitive points which arise based on specific computations which are known as Apakrash and Upagrahas. These are also quite crucial in the judgement of a horoscope especially in the case of transits or prasna analysis. The Apakrash Grahas occur based on the degree of Sun in a horoscope whereas Upagrahas are time slots assigned to each of the 7 planets (barring Rahu and Ketu) based on which the degree in which they rise are ascertained.

It is pertinent to note that when calculating the Apakrash Grahas, you don't need to know any other detail except for the longitude degree of the Sun as it's through the position of it only these non luminous points are deduced. Upagrahas on the other hand are considered as the shadowy son's of the planets and arise from the kalavelas assigned to each of the planets where a day is divided into two halves of eight parts each ruled by 7 of the planets from Sun to Saturn with the 8th portion being lord less (At times though it's also said this blank portion is ruled by Rahu). Thus, it is not even necessary to have accurate time of birth for Upagraha computation and we just slot them in the requisite sign in a horoscope as it will rise the same time irrespective of when a native is born across day time or night time based on the time at which each of the planetary portions rise.

Apakrash: (Computed from Sun's Longitudinal degree)
➜ Dhooma (Mars)
➜ Vyatipata (or Pata) (Rahu)
➜ Parivesha (or Parivela) (Moon)
➜ Indrachapa (or Chapa/Indradhanush) (Venus)
➜ Upaketu (or Dhwaja/Sikhi) (Ketu)

Upagraha: (Computed from portions assigned to each planet in day time and night time)
➜ Kala (Sun)
➜ Paridhi (Moon)
➜ Mrityu (Mars)
➜ Ardhaprahara (or Ardhayama) (Mercury)
➜ Yamaghantaka (Jupiter)
➜ Kodanda (or Karmuka) (Venus)
➜ Gulika (Saturn)
➜ Mandi (Saturn)

Apakrash
There are 5 Apakrash Grahas which fall on 5 different points in the 360 degree zodiac. They are all arrived with Sun as the basis and all of them are generally said to be malefic by nature. The calculation of the 5 Apakrash Grahas are as below:

- Dhooma : Sun + 133°20' (or Indrachapa + 180°)
- Vyatipata : 360° - Dhooma  (or Parivesha + 180°)
- Parivesha :  Vyatipata + 180°
- Indrachapa : 360° - Parivesha (or Dhooma + 180°)
- Upaketu : Indrachapa + 16°40' (or Sun - 30°)

Rules in Computing Apakrash:
1) Ascertain the degree of the Sun in the natal horoscope.
2) Convert the degree of the Sun in a sign as per the 360 degree zodiac
3) Apply the formula with the result arrived on previous step to arrive at degree of Apakrash
4) Place the result arrived at of the Apakrash degrees as per 360 degree zodiac to the respective zodiac sign and relevant degree.

Illustration:
Lets compute the 5 Apakrash for a native born on Jun 6th 2019 at 1.10 PM in Chennai, India.
1) Degree of Sun in Horoscope - Taurus 21° 13'
2) Conversion of Sun as per 360 degree zodiac - 51° 13'
3) Apply Formula to arrive at Apakrash Grahas
Dhooma : Sun + 133°20' = 51° 13' + 133°20' = 184°33'
Vyatipata : 360° - Dhooma = 360° - 184°33' = 175°27'
Parivesha : Vyatipata + 180° = 175°27' + 180° = 355°27'
Indrachapa : 360° - Parivesha = 360° - 355°27' = 4°33'
Upaketu : Indrachapa + 16°40' = 4°33' + 16°40' = 21°13'
4) Apakrash Placement in Zodiac sign with degrees
Dhooma - Libra 4°33'
Vyatipata - Virgo 25°27'
Parivesha - Pisces 25°27'
Indrachapa - Aries 4°33'
Upaketu - Aries 21°13'

Note: It must be noted that Dhooma and Indrachapa will always be 180° apart and likewise Vyatipata and Parivesha will also always be 180° away from each other. Also Upaketu plus 30° will always end up being the resultant degree of Sun in the Natal Horoscope. If the total while computing exceed 360° in step 3, we need to subtract 360° from the exceeded total.

Upagrahas
The Upagrahas are basically the shadowy son's of the respective 7 planets from Sun to Saturn. Each of the planets rule a time interval of approximately an hour and half during day time and another hour and half during night time. The Ascendant degree rising at the beginning of the time frames ruled by these planets determine the Upagraha calculations. Unlike Apakrash, all Upagrahas are not considered to be malefic. The one main Upagraha considered in horoscope analysis happens to be Saturn's son Mandi which arises out of the time portion assigned to it known as Gulika Kaala. We must however be cognizant of the fact that Gulika and Mandi are not one and the same and that Mandi degree will fall somewhere within the range of the time period provided to Saturn and will always be different when compared to the rising degree of Gulika.

There are two considerations that need to be factored into account while calculating the Upagrahas
1) By dividing the day and night into 8 equal parts ruled by 7 of the planets with one portion being left blank. In the portions ruled by the 7 planets the beginning portion of it is where the respective Upagrahas will rise. This will hold good for all the Upagrahas ruling Sun to Saturn.
2) For Mandi alone, there is a feature which is given in classical texts to compute based on specific ghatikas elapsed. This is exclusively given for computation of Mandi (Saturn's son), As per vedic calendar, time is divided into Ghatikas with each Ghatika comprising of 24 minutes each. Hence there are 60 Ghatikas in a day occurring from sunrise to next day sunrise when day and nights are equal. The day time and night time are usually divided into 30 Ghatikas each but however this will have to be proportionately increased or decreased accordingly as the length of day time or night time is greater or lesser than the aforesaid 30 ghatikas.

Time Frames ruled by the Planets and time of Upagraha Rising:
The following are the portions ruled by the 7 planets in each of the days along with the information of elapsed time intervals in which the Upagrahas rise on each of the days from Sunday to Saturday

Kala - Sun:
Kala happens to be the shadowy son of the luminary Sun. The time intervals ruled by Sun in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Monday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 4th part
Tuesday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 3rd part
Wednesday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Thursday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part
Friday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part
Saturday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part

Paridhi - Moon:
Paridhi happens to be the shadowy son of the luminary Moon. The time intervals ruled by Moon in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Monday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Tuesday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 4th part
Wednesday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Thursday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Friday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part
Saturday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part

Mrityu - Mars:
Mrityu happens to be the shadowy son of Mars. The time intervals ruled by Mars in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Monday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Tuesday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Wednesday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Thursday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Friday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Saturday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part

Ardhaprahara - Mercury:
Ardhaprahara happens to be the shadowy son of Mercury. The time intervals ruled by Mercury in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Monday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Tuesday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Wednesday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Thursday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Friday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Saturday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part

Yamaghantaka - Jupiter:
Yamaghantaka happens to be the shadowy son of Jupiter. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Monday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Tuesday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Wednesday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Thursday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Friday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Saturday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part

Kodanda - Venus:
Kodanda happens to be the shadowy son of Venus. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 2nd part
Monday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Tuesday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Wednesday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part
Thursday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Friday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Saturday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3th part

Gulika - Saturn:
Gulika happens to be the shadowy son of Saturn. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 3rd part
Monday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 2nd part
Tuesday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Wednesday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part
Thursday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part
Friday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Saturday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part

Mandi - Saturn:
Mandi also happens to be the shadowy son of Saturn but the rising point is different than that of Gulika. This is based on the Ghatikas elapsed during day and night.
Mandi is said to rise after the following time intervals during day time and night time
Sunday - Day Time After 26th interval, Night time after 10th interval
Monday - Day Time After 22nd interval, Night time after 6th interval
Tuesday - Day Time After 18th interval, Night time after 2nd interval
Wednesday - Day Time After 14th interval, Night time after 26th interval
Thursday - Day Time After 10th interval, Night time after 22nd interval
Friday - Day Time After 6th interval, Night time after 18th interval
Saturday- Day Time After 2nd interval, Night time after 14th interval

Rules in Computing Upagrahas:
1) Ascertain whether a person was born during day time (sun rise to sun set) or during night time (sun set to next day sun rise)
2) If day time born, note the sun rise and sun set time of the day and if born in night time, note the sun set time and next day sun rise time.
3) Ascertain the length of duration of the day time or night time in minutes duration
4) Next divide the duration length into 8 equal parts or kaalas.
5) Next check the week day in which the native was born which could be any day between Sunday to Saturday.
6) See the portion ruled by the planet which will be one of 8 equal parts .
7) Figure out the time frame ruled by the planet which will be spanning a duration of approximately an hour and a half.
8) Mark the start, middle and end of this time slot ruled by the planet. The beginning rising time is most crucial but however it would also be prudent to mark the middle and end time as a check point.
9) Convert duration of the sunrise and sunset in Ghatikas and multiply with the elapsed portion of Upagraha by 24 which is value of a Ghatika in minutes divided by base denominator of 30 ghatikas. This is performed only for Mandi calculation.
10) Cast the horoscope for the rising time of the Upagrahas and note where the degree of the Ascendant (Lagna) falls. This would be the degree of the Upagrahas in the horoscope.

Illustration:
Lets compute all the Upagrahas for a person born on Jun 6th 2019 at 1.10 PM in Chennai, India.
1) Native born time - Day time
2) Since day time born - Sun rise time 5:45 AM and Sun set time 6:30 PM
3) Length of duration - 12 hours 45 minutes = 765 minutes
4) Average duration - 765/8 = 95.625 minutes rounded to 96 minutes
5) Check weekday - Thursday
6) Part ruled by 7 Planets :
Sun - 5th part
Moon - 6th part
Mars - 7th part
Mercury - 8th part
Jupiter - 1st part
Venus - 2nd part
Saturn - 3rd part
7) Figure time period ruled by all the planets -
Sun - 12:09 PM to 1:45 PM
Moon - 1:45 PM to 3:21 PM
Mars - 3:21 PM to 4:57 PM
Mercury - 4:57 PM to 6:33 PM
Jupiter -  5:45 AM to 7:21 AM
Venus - 7:21 AM to 8:57 AM
Saturn - 8:57 AM to 10:33 AM
8) Mark Start Time, Middle Time and End Time of all Planets -
Sun - Start time 12:09 PM, Middle time 12:57 PM, End time 1:45 PM
Moon - Start time 1:45 PM, Middle time 2:33 PM, End time 3:21 PM
Mars - Start time 3:21 PM, Middle time 4:09 PM, End time 4:57 PM
Mercury - Start time 4:57 PM, Middle time 5:45 PM, End time 6:33 PM
Jupiter - Start time 5:45 AM, Middle time 6:33 AM, End time 7:21 AM
Venus - Start time 7:21 AM, Middle time 8:09 AM, End time 8:57 AM
Saturn - Start time 8:57 AM, Middle time 9:45 AM, End time 10:33 AM
9) Check the rising time for Mandi based on Ghatikas elapsed (Start Time + Length of Duration in Ghatikas*Specific end duration of Ghatika /30 ghatikas*24 minutes per each Ghatika)
Mandi - 5:45 AM + 31.875*10/30*24 = 5:45 AM + 255 minutes = 10:00 AM
P.S: 31.875 is obtained by dividing 765 minutes which is total sunrise time by 24 minutes per Ghatika
10) Rising Ascendant of Upagrahas as per points 7 and 8 above for Mandi
Kala - Leo 20° 29'
Paridhi - Virgo 14° 16'
Mrityu - Libra 7° 44'
Ardhaprahara - Scorpio 0° 17'
Yamaghantaka - Taurus 20° 51'
Kodanda - Gemini 13° 10'
Gulika - Cancer 4° 57'
Mandi - Cancer 19° 29'

Note: The small difference in beginning time portion ruled by planet and rising time of upagraha is on account of rounding off time in minutes to the nearest decimal place. Calculations at a seconds level can yield more accurate results. For checking the rising degree of Ascendant, Traditional Lahiri Ayanamsa has been utilized. Sunrise time is considered based on the equation of 'The center of Sun's disk being truly on the eastern horizon'

Summary:
Listed below are the zodiac signs and respective degrees in which the Apakrash and Upagraha will rise as per the attached worked out illustration:
Apakrash:
1)Dhooma - Libra 4°33'
2) Vyatipata - Virgo 25°27'
3) Parivesha - Pisces 25°27'
4) Indrachapa - Aries 4°33'
5) Upaketu - Aries 21°13'
Upagraha:
6) Kala - Leo 20° 29'
7) Paridhi - Virgo 14° 16'
8) Mrityu - Libra 7° 44'
9) Ardhaprahara - Scorpio 0° 17'
10) Yamaghantaka - Taurus 20° 51'
11) Kodanda - Gemini 13° 10'
12) Gulika - Cancer 4° 57'
13) Mandi -  Cancer 19° 29'

Information:
It can be inferred that there are a total of 13 bodies comprising of Apakrash and Upagrahas. There are views stating that both the female planets Moon and Venus don't have Upagrahas and hence they should not be counted as part of the scheme. However since there is a time slot allocated to these planets based on when they rise, they have also been factored into account. Another opinion is that Gulika and Mandi are one and the same and there are also views that Gulika rises during the beginning whereas Mandi rises at the middle period of Saturn's time. This is not true as when the calculations are performed independently based on elapsed Ghatikas, the time differs somewhat from the exact mid point of Saturn's time zone. However it is clear that Mandi's time also will fall within the portion pigeonholed for Saturn.

The Apakrash are 5 in number and they are all based on the Sun's degree. If we look at things from a helio centric perspective, the planetary order is as Mercury -> Venus -> Earth -> Mars -> Jupiter -> Saturn -> Uranus -> Neptune -> Pluto. The planets before and after Earth namely Venus and Mars are considered and have been given the names Dhooma and Indrachapa. The Moon always revolves around the earth and hence Parivesha is considered for the Moon and the 2 nodal points of the Moon are Rahu and Ketu which have been assigned Vyatipata and Upaketu respectively.

The Upagrahas are 8 in number comprising of all the planets ruling the days of the week namely Sun for Kala, Moon for Paridhi, Mars for Mrityu, Ardhaprahara for Mercury, Yamaghantaka for Jupiter, Kodanda for Venus and Gulika for Saturn. Mandi happens to be another son of Saturn and rises within the slot assigned for Saturn but at a slightly different time.

Yearly Transit Horoscope Charts in Vedic Astrology

Everyone is seemingly interested to know what the upcoming year holds for them and in the astrological parlance there are methods to deduce how things are likely to pan out through the yearly charts. There are different variations of reading yearly charts and I am listing below snippets of the methodologies adopted and how to utilize them. In my humble opinion, Vedic Astrology is a very vast tool and just with one factor you cannot really come to a conclusion. Results should be witnessed from a unified wholesome picture and the more factors supporting with basis points, the higher are the chances of events fructifying.

I shall now list down 7 types of Yearly Transit charts and give a low down on what they are all about and how to use them.
- General Transit Chart
- Tajika Solar Return Chart
- Tithi Pravesh Lunar Return Chart
- Lal Kitab Varshapal Chart
- Bhrigu Chakra Paddathi Chart
- Sudharshan Chakra Dasha Chart
- Progression Chart

General Transit Chart
This is the general way of reading transit charts taking the fixed position of Moon as per your Natal horoscope and reading the other planets with reference to the natal Moon position. It's a good ploy to do the same with the Ascendant as well as most of the time Lagna & Moon go in sync with one another with the Ascendant representing the physical aura and the Moon projecting the mental mindset. The chart can be drawn up at the time of date of birth of every year concerned and the transit placements of planets need to be considered with respect to both Lagna and Moon. In case an impending planet transit is to take place few days from your birthday date, it is good to keep that in mind as well. Additionally it would also be good to check the position of the planet in transit with respect to the same planet as placed in the natal chart. For instance if Jupiter was in Aquarius at birth but at the time of charting yearly horoscope if it is in Sagittarius, it means it's placed 11 places from it's own natal position which could indicate conferring some sort of gains.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's birth Ascendant is Cancer and natal moon is in Virgo. For instance if it's the 24th year of an individual and we find that at time of drawing up of chart, Jupiter is placed in Scorpio. We know that Jupiter in transit is said to give best results in 2,5,7,9,11. Thus, we can infer that from a physical point of view Jupiter shows positive results but however from a mental framework Jupiter in 3rd is not said to be favorable and hence we can say that overall this transit of Jupiter will be of a middling level ie successful from view point of physical self but negative from an emotional point of view. Like this we can assess the scope of other transit planets also with respect to both Ascendant and Moon.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope by fixing the Natal Ascendant and Moon as the base and reading the transits of planets based on this reference
Transit of Planets: Considered into account and effects needs to be read from both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets with reference to both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon

Tajika Solar Return Chart
This methodology as the name suggests adopts the Solar Return Chart but here we do not fix a Lagna or Moon and all the 9 planets in addition to the Ascendant are read as per what is projected in the map of heavens at the time when chart is cast. The chart is drawn up at the time of the solar return which effectively means the degree stamp in which Sun returns to its natal position which would most likely be on the date you were born or a day apart either side. Tajika has a few other specific factors to be kept in mind such as Lord of the Year which is key and generally considered to be the strongest among 5 factors mentioned below:

A) Lord of the sign occupied by the Sun or Moon:
If the Solar return chart commences at day time, then lord of the sign where sun is placed in Annual Horoscope is considered whereas if the solar return chart originates during night time, then lord of the sign where moon is placed in Annual Horoscope needs to be considered. For this purpose, Day time is reckoned from sunrise to sunset and Night time is accounted from sunset to next sunrise
Illustration:
Let's say Sunrise is at 6:05 AM and Sunset is at 6:09 PM. Sun's Natal degree is 12.20'. Let's say we are casting the chart for the 33rd solar year and the time when Sun touches it's Natal degree is at 4:45 PM, then lord of sign where Sun sits needs to be taken, if however it was 8:40 PM in the night when sun reaches it's natal position, then Lord of sign where Moon is sitting has to be considered.

B) Lord of the Ascendant in the Birth Horoscope:
This is plain and simple, you take your original Ascendant as seen in birth horoscope and consider the ruler of the sign for the lord of the year.
Illustration:
If one is born in Mithuna Lagna, then Mercury is to be considered and likewise if one were born when Aquarius was rising, then Saturn has to be taken into account since it rules Aquarius.

C) Lord of the Ascendant in the Progressed Horoscope:
This happens to be the lord of the sign where the Ascendant is stationed at the time the chart is drawn which is when the Sun reaches its exact natal degree position.
Illustration:
Lets say when Sun reaches it's Natal Degree in the Solar Return chart, the Ascendant at that point of time is Capricorn. Thus, Saturn being ruler of Capricorn is to be considered for Lord of the year

D) Lord of Muntha:
It is believed that for every completed year, the Ascendant moves a sign. Muntha is said to travel one sign in each year beginning from the natal position. We need to consider the Lord of the progressed Ascendant for the year in reckoning to determine the Lord of the year.
Illustration:
Lets say natal Lagna is Gemini and we are now drawing up chart for the 26th year. In this case the 1st year begins with Gemini and it completes a cycle in the 12th year with Lagna being in Taurus. The same channel operates for years 13-24. Lagna returns to Gemini for the 25th year and in the 26th year it will be in Cancer. Thus, the Muntha sign will be Cancer and the lord of Muntha will be Moon.

E) Lord of Thrirasis:
This depends on whether the solar return chart is erected during day time or night time. Based on that a fixed lordship is assigned to all signs and wherever the Ascendant of the Solar chart falls depending on whether it was during the day or night we need to look up to the Day time and Night time planetary rulers of the signs and select them accordingly.
Aries - Sun (Day), Jupiter (Night)
Taurus - Venus (Day), Moon (Night)
Gemini - Saturn (Day), Mercury (Night)
Cancer - Venus (Day), Mars (Night)
Leo - Jupiter (Day), Sun (Night)
Virgo - Moon (Day), Venus (Night)
Libra - Mercury (Day), Saturn (Night)
Scorpio - Mars (Day), Venus (Night)
Sagittarius - Saturn (Day), Saturn (Night)
Capricorn - Mars (Day), Mars (Night)
Aquarius - Jupiter (Day), Jupiter (Night)
Pisces - Moon (Day), Moon (Night)
Illustration:
let's say Sunrise is at 6:05 AM and Sunset is at 6:09 PM and the solar return chart is determined at 4:20 PM which falls in Day time in the Ascendant of Scorpio, then we need to consider Mars being the Day lord of Scorpio. Likewise let's say the solar return chart is cast at 9:15 PM which falls in Night time in the Ascendant of Leo, then we need to take Sun since it is the night lord of Leo.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on solar return chart by giving importance to the Lord of the Year comprising of 5 key factors
Transit of Planets: Fully taken into consideration
Chart Erection: Yearly Solar Chart (When Sun returns to it's exact degree point in the zodiac sign)
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets based mainly with respect to the Tajika  Lagna arising for the year and also subjecting a magnified zooming to the assessed Lord of the Year.

Tithi Pravesh Lunar Return Chart
The Tithi's are the one's that make up a lunar month and each of the months consists of 15 Tithis constituting the brighter half and another 15 Tithis representing the darker half. The Tithi one is born assumes paramount importance as it is formed based on the inter-relationship of the Sun (Father) and Moon (Mother) and hence can be an important reckoning to indicate the start of a new birth. Thus, the return of the Tithi in the respective luni-solar month is considered as the orientation of a new year. It can end up being a few days away or after your actual Birthday date as a lunar year tends to be shorter than a solar year. The Tithi Pravesh Chart is constructed at the exact time containing the remaining tithi percentage of your birth in the respective luni solar month. As it's like a new arising, reading a chart based on the remaining tithi percentage can give a basis of how the year is likely to pan out.

Illustration:
Let's say if someone was born in Shukla Paksha Tritiya Tithi with 40% remaining in the lunar month of Pushya when Sun was stationed in the sign of Capricorn. Now lets say for 32nd year if we are computing Tithi Pravesh chart, we need to cast the chart when Sun returns to the sign of Capricorn and the respective Shukla Paksha Trithiya Tithi is operating and having 40% remaining percentage. The Lunar month could continue to be Pushya or even move to Magha on account of ensuring Sun ends up being in the same rasi as that of birth.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on Lunar return chart considering the remaining birth tithi percentage
Transit of Planets: Fully taken into consideration
Chart Erection: Luni-Solar Chart (When Sun and Moon re-unite to form the exact Tithi percentage remaining as witnessed at birth in the respective solar month in which Sun is transiting)
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets based mainly with respect to the Tithi Pravesh Lagna occuring for the year.

Lal Kitab Varshapal Chart
This is employed based on the principles of Lal Kitab Astrology. In this chart we do not consider the positions of any planets witnessed presently as per the transits but instead deploy alterations to the positions of the planets as per the natal chart making planets change houses. Lal Kitab does not give importance to signs and the first house is always reckoned from Aries. For instance if at birth you are having Sun, Mercury, Venus in the 8th house, in year 30 all these planets will move to 12th house, in the 10th house in 31st year, 6th house in 32nd year and so on and so forth. There is a 120 year table noting down the houses where the planets placed in your natal chart will move for that particular year in operation.

Illustration:
Let's say someone were born in Cancer Lagna with Jupiter in the first house, Moon & Mars in 3rd house, Sun/Mercury/Venus in 4th house, Rahu in 5th house, Saturn in 8th house and Ketu in 11th house. Now if we were to draw up Lal Kitab Varshapal chart for say 25th year, one needs to look at the placement of planets in the 25th year as seen below:

House No. of planets as per horoscope               1 2  3  4 5 6 7 8  9 10 11 12
House position of planets in 25th year                 1 6 10 3 2 8 7 4 11  5 12  9

Thus as per Lal Kitab Varshapal chart for 25th year, Jupiter will be in 1st house, Moon&Mars will be in 10th house, Sun/Mercury/Venus will be in 3rd house, Rahu in 2nd house, Saturn in 4th house and Ketu in 12th house. Please note chart ascendant will always be Aries and Rahu/Ketu need not be in 1/7 axis when drawing up the Varshapal chart.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on shifted planetary position of houses as per 120 year Varshapal Table reckoned from each running year
Transit of Planets: Not taken into consideration
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the shifted house positions of planets from natal chart

Bhrigu Chakra Paddathi Chart
This method does not employ transit positions and the key to this measure is rotating the Ascendant each year in a house in cycles of 12. The 1st house rules the first year of one's life, 2nd house rules the second year, 3rd house rules the third year and so on and so forth with the 12th house ruling one's twelfth year. Now, this cycle is continued with the 1st house ruling the 13th year, 2nd year lording the 14th year etc. Please note the positions of the planets are static and don't change at all. It's just that with each year passing by, that particular house gets activated and we can expect results with respect to the particular year and house in question.

Illustration:
Let's say someone has just turned 28 and is entering into his 29th year. Now since we are taking cycles of 12, we see that quotient is 2 (12 times 2 is 24) and reminder is 5 (29-24). Hence we can say that the 5th house is getting activated and we must see results based on which planets are sitting in that house, the aspects it receives and the position of the owner of the 5th house. In case we are looking into the horoscope of a Simha Lagna native, then Dhanus being the 5th house gains prominence and we need to look at the planets placed in Sagittarius as well as the aspects received and also importantly analyse the role of Jupiter being the house lord of Sagittarius.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on planets placement in natal chart by shifting the Ascendant one house for each year
Transit of Planets: Not taken into consideration
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the activated house by considering the placement of planets, aspects received and the role played by the lord of the activated house

Sudarshana Chakra Dasa Chart
It is a technique where a yearly chart is studied from 3 different base points namely the position of  Ascendant, Moon and Sun which is said to denote the body at physical level, mind at mental level and soul at spiritual level respectively. In this system each of the 12 houses beginning from the 1st house is allotted a period of one year and chart for a forthcoming year is read by shifting all of the Ascendant, Moon & Sun individually to the year in question and reading the effect of the transiting planets based on the horoscope erected which adopts the solar return chart.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's birth horoscope has the Ascendant in the sign of Aries, Moon in Virgo and Sun in Pisces. If we want to read about the upcoming events in the 16th year, we need to consider the number 4 since we are dealing with a cycle of 12 and 16 divided by 12 will give quotient of 1 and reminder 4. Now we need to shift each of Ascendant, Moon and Sun 4 signs from their respective zodiac positions and read the solar return chart based on all these 3 reference points indicating the body, mind and soul. Thus in this case the 3 reference points will be Physical/Body Level Ascendant Cancer (4th from Aries), Mental/Mind Level Moon Sagittarius (4th from Virgo) and Spiritual/Soul Level Sun Gemini (4th from Pisces)

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on solar return chart considering 3 reference points - Ascendant, Moon & Sun by progressing them at the rate of one sign per year
Transit of Planets: Considered into picture and effects needs to be read from all 3 basis points
Chart Erection: Solar Return Chart in each year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets with respect to the progressed Ascendant (body), Moon (mind) & Sun (soul).

Progression Chart
This is a hypo illusionary chart utilizing the planets taking a year or more to transit such as Jupiter, Rahu/Ketu and Saturn. These are the planets whose transits we anticipate with an extra dose of excitement as there is plenty of expectations on the kind of results which they are going to bestow for those born in each Lagna or Rasi. Based on the year in question, we extrapolate how many signs these forces would have traversed based on their average transit motion which is considered as 1 year for Jupiter, 1 and half years for Rahu/Ketu and 2 and half years for Saturn. Most likely, these planets may match up with the same positions as seen in the running transit chart.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's natal Jupiter is in Cancer, Rahu in Libra, Ketu in Aries and Saturn in Capricorn. Now assuming we are drawing up chart for 22nd year, Jupiter will be Aries (Since one round of 12 gets completed in Gemini with the 13th year beginning in Cancer onwards and by counting one year for each sign the 22nd will be in Aries). Rahu will be in Leo (Rahu travels in reverse and hence one round of 18 years which is 1.5*12 gets completed in Scorpio. 18-19.5 years will be in Libra again, 19.5 to 21 years will be in Virgo and 21 to 22.5 will be in Leo). Since Rahu is in Leo, Ketu will automatically be in Aquarius being exact opposite. With respect to Saturn, it'll be in Virgo (Saturn travels 2.5 years in a sign and hence would have crossed 8 signs from natal placement at age of 20 which is 2.5*8 and will be in the 9th sign which is Virgo from 20-22.5 years of age).

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based upon utilizing those planets taking a year or more to transit across a sign
Transit of Planets: Not considered in reality but more as an extrapolation
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the progressed position of yearly transit planets such as Jupiter, Rahu/Ketu & Saturn with respect to both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon.