Nakshatras and it's Planetary Rulers, DNA Karma Planets & Planetary Controllers

The 27 Nakshatras play a key role in the realms of Vedic Astrology. As per the normal nomenclature, the stars are ruled in 3 sets of 9 Nakshatras each and given rulership to a particular planet based on the Vimshottari Dasa sequence. For instance the 1st star Ashwini, 10th star Magha and 19th star Moola are all set to be ruled by Ketu and likewise the 2nd, 11th and 20th star are provided rulership to Venus. This is the lordship which is adopted even in the Panchanga scheme when considering ''Nakshatra' that forms one of the limbs comprising of the 5 elements of Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana.

But what is interesting to note is that apart from the planet rulership, each star is also linked to a particular DNA karma planet associated with it that differs from the usual star rulers theory. Additionally, there is another technique called Angisam which mentions that sets of 3 stars each are controlled by a particular planet and when any planet is placed in the specific Nakshatra which is controlled by the particular planet, the controller helps establish to manifest the results.

Let us take a brief overview of all the Nakshatras, the planets ruling them, the karmas interlinked with them in the form of planets and also the planets that are controlling these Nakshatras. As a food for thought, Satabisha is the only Nakshatra whose planetary ruler, DNA karma planet and planetary controller all happen to be one and the same planet which is Rahu.

Planetary Ruler:
This follows the Vimshottari Dasa sequence accommodating all 9 planets. Though there are other Dasa systems adopting different rulership, it's this scheme which is taken universally when it comes to star rulership or Lordship. It is also extensively used in KP astrology where more importance is in fact given to the planetary ruler of the star in which a particular planet is perched.

Planetary DNA Karma:
Each of the Nakshatras is interwoven with a particular DNA karma pattern that follows a specified planet. Ketu is not taken into account in this scheme as it's Moksha Karaka. This is a more recently evolved branch and is linked largely to mythology and karma patterns. The main feature of deciphering the karma planet happens to be based on 3 essential factors
- The Nakshatra in which the Lagna degree falls
- The Nakshatra in which the Moon degree falls
- The Nakshatra in which the Lagna Lord degree falls
For instance let's say someone's Lagna degree falls in the Nakshatra of Arudra. Here Venus DNA karma is active for this native. The karma pattern works both in good and bad ways. We can ascertain that this native may generally be inclined to Venusian things such as fine arts, music etc but at the same time some Venus significant things could also be hard to come by for the native such as finding difficulty to express love, problems in getting married etc.

Planetary Controller:
Each of the Nakshatras in sets of 3 are under the domain of a particular planet. The reason of this sequence is because sets of 3 continuous stars complete one entire cycle in the Navamsa. This information is also mentioned in the text 'Jathaka Alankara' by the name of Angisam.  'Angu' is like a weapon in Gods hand. The controller or 'Angisathipathy' is the Graha that shoulders the responsibility when a planet sits in a particular Nakshatra. For instance if a planet Saturn is sitting in the Nakshatra of Hastha. Hastha is under the domain of Jupiter as it controls the same. Here we need to interpret that Jupiter will indirectly be influencing Saturn to produce the results as the star Hastha is within the control of Jupiter.

Overall Illustration:
If a native has let's say a planet placed in Poorva Phalguni Nakshatra, then it can be inferred that the Nakshatra is ruled by Venus, the DNA Karma pattern associated with it is Mars and it being controlled by Mercury. 

How this Information can be Used:
This can be checked with for any star or house lord ruler. Let's say for instance one's 7th lord falls in the Nakshatra of Dhanishta. This Nakshatra is ruled by Mars, has DNA connect of Saturn and controlled by Rahu. Hence we can say spouse may have martian qualities (Mars Ruler), marriage might be delayed or can work as a remedy when helping needy or aged people (Saturn DNA ruler) and it will be Rahu who takes the responsibility by being the support system in ensuring that marriage takes place. (Rahu controller)

List of Planetary Rulers, Planetary DNA Karma and Planetary Controller:
Sharing below the list of 27 Nakshatras comprising it's planetary ruler, planetary DNA Karma associated and planetary controller.

Nakshatra Tara Balan - The Moon's Asterisms!

The Nakshatras play a paramount role in the composition of Vedic Astrology. It is important not only in the holistic analysis of a chart while judging results but also plays the part of an independent contributor which could be looked at as an esteemed exclusive system all by itself. For all practical purpose, the very mention of the name Nakshatra should by default correspond only to the placement of Moon and nothing else. Its's the Moons asterisms which is considered supreme and the entire functioning of Navatara Chakra stems from the Moon only.

The Navatara Chakra system is basically a categorization of the 27 Nakshatras into 3 sets of 9 each with all the even number stars (2,4,6,8) said to be propitious, odd number stars (3,5,7) said to induce negativity with 1 and 9 being neutral. The 9th constellation is said to connote a mixture of good & bad whereas the 1st is said to represent the individual self but known to cause tensions. This is however a broad classification of the Nakshatras and can work at most times but when we take all the 27 Nakshatras as a whole without splitting into parts we would find that at times this number scheme does not bode well all the time as there are a number of exceptions brought into the muddle. The Nakshatra based text 'Kumaraswamiyam' is also known to give the results independently of all the 27 Nakshatras based on its position with Janma Nakshatra.

Let's now take a brief synopsis about the deliverance of results for all the 27 Nakshatras beginning from the Janma Nakshatra. Please note #1 is your Janma Nakshatra and should not be read as Ashwini. For instance if a native is born in Chithra star, then it happens to be #1, Swati #2, Vishakha #3 and so on and so forth.

Nakshatra #1 - The Janma Nakshatra of the native is said to infuse plenty of tensions

Nakshatra #2 - The 2nd star is said to be beneficial and especially for money related activities

Nakshatra #3 - The 3rd star can connote some sort of danger and precautionary measures are to be taken

Nakshatra #4 - Though the 4th star in general is said to denote sukha (comforts), this is a time when people will appear to nicely talk to you but end up cheating you. Hence arises the need to be careful
 
Nakshatra #5 - It is generally said not to perform any new work when the 5th Nakshatra is in operation

Nakshatra #6 - This is said to be favorable (Sadhagam). Hence one can do and achieve anything when this Nakshatra is in transit

Nakshatra #7 - Even general good things can end up going in disappointment during this period, hence arises the need to be cautious   

Nakshatra #8 - This is a very friendly Nakshatra. Any activity performed is deemed to be a success.

Nakshatra #9 - This is said to be benefic to an extent. The general notion with the 9th Nakshatra is that it enhances and so good things can end up being more better and bad things can end up getting worse

Nakshatra #10 - This is known as the Karma Nakshatra and there are chances to get cheated

Nakshatra #11 - Though this falls in the No.2 category of Navatara, this ain't a favorable Nakshatra. It is called as Samudaya Pagai Nakshatra which denotes that society or other people will look like they are helping but actually end up deceiving you

Nakshatra #12 - This is unfavorable from the stand point of work. Any new activity or task should be prevented on this day as consequences can be harmful

Nakshatra #13 - This is highly favorable. Any activity performed during this transit time of Moon will prove fruitful

Nakshatra #14 - Fights and arguments are said to take place and hence better to avert any activity

Nakshatra #15 - This is a time when one will get good support from near and dear even without any efforts or just by even simply keeping quiet

Nakshatra #16 - Even if one keeps quiet, some unnecessary issues will tend to crop up. Hence warrants the need to be extra careful

Nakshatra #17 - This is said to induce very favorable things to take place in one's favor. Yes, this does also happen to be Chandrashtama time but the effect is negligible and the negative impact of the moon transit into the 8th house from itself is said to be problematic only for a minimal duration of time

Nakshatra #18 - This is specifically termed as Pana Pagai which translates to money related problems. It is said never to undertake any money allied transactions during the transit of the Moon in the 18th Nakshatra from Janma Nakshatra

Nakshatra #19 - Any activity undertaken will be victorious and hence this is a favorable transit time

Nakshatra #20 - This is supposed to be one of the best intervals in the lunar cycle and said to work favorably in all ways

Nakshatra #21 - This is termed as 'Maaru Patta Nilai' which translates to whatever task we perform can end up going in a reverse manner. Hence the need to be careful to avoid reversal of fortunes.

Nakshatra #22 - This is known as 'Vadha Vainasika'. Counted from this Nakshatra to your Janma Nakshatra it will be 7 and counted from your Janma Nakshatra, this will be 22nd. 7th is inauspicious and 22nd is destruction. Hence this day will not only do any good but will also induce troubles

Nakshatra #23 - It is said that some issue will crop up relating to the activity being performed. Hence the need to prevent from doing any crucial tasks on this day.

Nakshatra #24 - This is a favorable Nakshatra and especially related to land dealings. Hence for construction work, signing any land agreement, this Nakshatra day can be the ace.

Nakshatra #25 - Tends to cause mind tension. It is advised to just go about your work on your own and not indulge in anything extra as it can lead to plenty of mind issues. 

Nakshatra #26 - This is related to the community (Jathi) and it is said that one will get good name from the surrounding environment with regard to whatever work performed.

Nakshatra #27 - This is a beneficial Nakshatra and auspicious things will tend to take place during this transit period.

Hence when we look at a more comprehensive view of the Tara Bal of all 27 Nakshatras as a whole, there can be some transits which casts a different version from the general Navatara Chakra theory. Apart from this there is this concept of Vedha Nakshatra which is said to repel a particular Nakshatra that also needs to be factored.

Vedha Nakshatras:
Vedha means enemy and can show some alteration to the above result and is a concept especially used in marriage matching. Even if all things are favorable, if the Moon Nakshatra of the boy and girl happen to be Vedha, it's advised not to match. It's pretty powerful because it tends to overrule even when other events are favorable.This is a factor to assess failure, hardship and incompatibility in marriage. For this purpose there are certain stars which are repellent to the other. They are supposed to be enemies and it's advised to avoid stars that are forming vedhai (enemity) to each other. For eg. Ashwini star should not be matched with Jyeshta and likewise Arudra should never be matched with Shravana. The Mars stars of Mriga, Chithra and Dhanishta end up being Vedha to each other.

Sometimes Vedha also tends to be in 6/8 but that's not always the case. Hence not only marriage even otherwise the energy of the vedha star should not be invoked. For instance from the list above the 15th Nakshatra from Janma Nakshatra is said to confer good results. But taking eg. for a Poorva Bhadra born native, the 15th Nakshatra happens to be Uthara Phalguni which should ideally constitute beneficial results but since these two happen to be Vedha to each other, the benefits may not come to pass since it supersedes the general well being granted on account of being the Vedha Nakshatra. Sharing below the list of Vedha Nakshatras to each other: 

There is also a specific vedhai (issue) in a designated area which also needs to be factored. These are called Samuga Vedhai, Vama Vedhai and Dekshina Vedhai

Samuga Vedhai (11th constellation):
Samuga Vedhai translates to Community issues. So when the 11th star is in operational transit to one's Janma Nakshatra, issues cropping up with regard to meetings, society at large can take place. Hence if any common meeting/agreement is to take place with a larger community, it is better to avoid the 11th Nakshatra.

Dekshina Vedhai (18th constellation):
Dekshina Vedhai translates to give and take issues. Hence when the 18th star is transiting, there can be some issue pertaining to changing of hands ie giving something away to get something else. This can be used both in a good or bad way and needs to be factored accordingly.

Vama Vedhai (4th constellation):
Vama Vedhai translates to hostility issues. If there is any important occasion scheduled to take place when the 4th star is in transit, it is better to avoid if possible as there can be some unnecessary fights/disappointments or an unsavory incident taking place.

Nakshatra Tara Bal Summary:
Let's summarize the 27 Nakshatras as per the usual Navatara Scheme and see which of the Nakshatras are good from the 9 sets of 3 Nakshatras each and also bearing in mind the concept of Vedha

Nakshatra Set 1 (1,10,19) : It can be seen that the 19th Nakshatra in general is said to be beneficial whereas 1st and 10th does not infuse much positives

Nakshatra Set 2 (2,11,20) : Here the 2nd and 20th are said to be favorable but 11th isn't said to be of much benefit

Nakshatra Set 3 (3,12,21) : All the stars in this set viz 3,12,21 are supposed to be unfavorable

Nakshatra Set 4 (4,13,22) : In this set only 13th is said to be very favorable. The 4th Nakshatra isn't of that much benefit and the 22nd is perhaps one of the worst Nakshatras on account of being Vainasika

Nakshatra Set 5 (5,14,23) : All the stars in this set viz 5,14,23 are supposed to be unfavorable

Nakshatra Set 6 (6,15,24) : Here all the 3 Nakshatras viz 6, 15, 24 are said to be favorable

Nakshatra Set 7 (7,16,25) : All the stars in this set viz 7,16,25 are supposed to be unfavorable

Nakshatra Set 8 (8,17,26) : Here all the 3 Nakshatras viz 8, 17, 26 are said to be favorable though we must keep in mind that the 17th star could be Chandrashtama as it falls in the 8th rasi from natal Moon

Nakshatra Set 9 (9,18,27) : It can be seen that the 27th Nakshatra is said to be really beneficial with 9th being mixed to an extent but largely beneficial whereas 18th associates with much negativity

Hence overall, the following Taras from the Janma Nakshatra are said to be relatively auspicious as compared to the rest. These are the 2nd, 6th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 24th, 26th and 27th Taras from the Janma Nakshatra which account for 12 out of the 27 Nakshatras. Also seeing the entire 27 Nakshatra Tara Bal scheme can be more useful in order to time important periods.

Primer of Different Branches of Vedic Astrology

Astrology is an ocean and there are so many different dimensions of viewing a chart. What caught my attention is that different branches of it focus more on a selective area going deep only in that particular zone to help predict pointed results. Let's take a birds eye view of these sub branches of Astrology.

- 'Jaimini' is study of 'sign' based astrology
This form of astrology largely depends on the degrees in a sign. The basis of classification of the rasis as Movable (Cardinal), Fixed (Static) and Dual (Mutable) form a major role in delving in further. Even the aspects work on this placement with the movable signs aspecting all the fixed signs except the one placed next to it and the fixed signs aspecting all the movable signs except the one next to it. The dual signs however aspect each other in the same dual category.

- 'Nadi' is study of 'planet' based astrology
Nadi Astrology is a huge branch by itself within the realm of astrology but one defining feature of it happens to be that it largely works on the significations of planets and how they influence one another. Each planet has certain characteristics associated with it and based on the planets it touches results tends to get formed. In most versions of Nadi Astrology, the Ascendant or Lagna doesn't even have a say. It works purely on planetary relationship.

- 'Lal Kitab' is study of 'house' based astrology
Lal Kitab extensively touches on the Houses and the scope is seen extensively from the Natural or what you call the Kala Purusha Horoscope which adopts Aries as the Ascendant. The Ascendant is done away with and the houses are mapped always with Aries as the Lagna. The results are all based on planets in different houses and the yearly chart movement of planets into different houses forms a major say in delivering results. The aspects also works on a house to house basis.

- 'KP' is study of 'star' based astrology
Krishnamurthy Paddathi or KP system as it's called placed much importance on the stellar constellation in which the planets are situated. It is a hybrid version of western and Indian modes of astrology as it adopts the Placidus system for casting charts. The signifying feature of KP is that as per this methodology adopted, the owner of the star in which the planet sits is said to have the major say and direct the results accordingly.

- 'Vedic Astrology' is a study of combination of planets, signs, houses, stars and lot more.
Vedic Astrology however is an amalgamation of all the above methods and considered to be the most supreme of all systems. Thus no individual method can ever supersede the ocean that is traditional vedic astrology though they help in supplementing by providing useful information but on a holistic point of view none surpasses Vedic Astrology.

Note: There are also other techniques such as Prasna, Palmistry, Muhurthas etc which can be said to be an off shoot and helpful for astrological pursuits.

Navamsa Construction and other important concepts pertaining to D9

The Navamsa or D9 happens to be the most important divisional chart in a horoscope. It goes tete-a-tete with the rasi chart and a horoscope virtually feels incomplete without its presence. As the name D9 stands it talks about the Dharma or the 9th division or in essence reflects on a microscopic view of a rasi in 9 equal divisions. For the mathematically initiated a rasi consists of 30° with each Navamsa part containing 3°20' each.

There is a myth prevailing that Navamsa is all about marriage and spouse but in essence it is the dharma trine and can also be used to assess a native's skills, abilities and talent. It also gives a break down of the strength of a planet from where it is placed in the Navamsa and many often a weak placement in rasi can get over ruled by a strong presence in Navamsa.

Navamsa can be broken into 'Nava' meaning 9 and 'Amsa' meaning division. It is also referred to as the 'Dharmamsa'. The way it is derived is that the 9th house is all about Dharma and the 11th house speaks about desires. The 11th from 9th becomes the 7th or rather the fructification from Dharma turns out to be the D9 or Navamsa chart and since the resultant happens to be the 7th house (11th from 9th), it is pretty understandable to see it as one of the primary factors for issues pertaining to marriage. The Dharma angle here however should not be compromised and holds the major say in the scheme of things.

This particular post is not about an analysis about the D9 but more about the construction of it and I will list down 3 different methods which can be used for the same. The article will also touch upon some important concepts of the Navamsa which is like a corollary addendum when one understands how the counting works.

1) Classification based Counting:
As one is aware, the 12 rasis are classified into 3 types viz Movable (Cadinal), Fixed and Dual (Mutable) and they keep getting repeated in a cyclical order with Aries being a Movable sign, Taurus Fixed and Gemini Dual with the pattern followed again from Cancer onwards. Navamsa counting always begins from a Movable sign and there's a reason for it as when you start counting from the first movable sign the 9th will end up being a dual sign with the baton being passed on again to a movable sign with the last 9th part again falling in a dual and so on and so forth. Thus if a planet falls in a movable rasi, start counting directly from the respective movable rasi, if a planet is situated in a fixed rasi start counting from the 9th sign from it and if planet is located in dual rasi begin counting 5th from the particular sign. In all these cases the resulting counting start sign will always be movable. It's easier to understand when we look at it with illustrations.

Illustration:
Eg say Sun is in Aries 11°35', Moon in Taurus 24°50' and Mars in Gemini 5°10' in the rasi chart.

Sun:
Classification - Movable (Aries)
Base - 1 (1st from movable sign)
Part - 4th part (Since it falls in degree span of 10°00' to 13°20')
Count - Start directly from the same movable sign Aries and count 4 which will be Cancer (1st from Aries is Aries and then 4th from it results in Cancer)

Moon
Classification - Fixed (Taurus)
Base - 9 (9th from fixed sign)
Part - 8th part (Since it falls in degree span of 23°20' to 26°40')
Count - Move 9th from respective sign of Taurus and then count 8 which will be Leo (9th from Taurus is Capricorn and then 8th from it results in Leo)

Mars
Classification - Dual (Gemini)
Base - 5 (5th from dual sign)
Part - 2nd part (Since it falls in degree span of 3°20' to 6°40')
Count - Move 5th from respective sign and then count 2 which will be Sagittarius (5th from Gemini is Libra and then 2nd from it results in Sagittarius)

Summary:
Planet in movable sign - start counting the division from the same movable sign
Planet in fixed sign - Move 9th from the fixed sign and start counting the divisions from the resulting movable sign
Planet in dual sign - Move 5th from the dual sign and start counting the divisions from the resulting movable sign

2) Element based counting:
Each of the rasis are also divided into 4 elements viz Fire, Earth, Air and Water starting from Aries onwards with the order repeating from Leo and again from Sagittarius as well. As discussed above under the classification mould, the counting will always begin from a movable sign as only then the symmetry ends up being maintained. Now we need to take a look at the movable sign for all the elements and the counting gets established from that particular sign.
Fire - Aries  (Leo and Sagittarius are ruled out as they are not movable)
Earth - Capricorn (Taurus and Virgo are ruled out as they are not movable)
Air - Libra (Gemini and Aquarius are ruled out as they are not movable)
Water - Cancer (Scorpio and Pisces are ruled out as they are not movable)
Let's look at this theory with an example

Illustration:
Eg Sun is in Leo 11°35', Moon in Capricorn 24°50',  Mars in Aquarius 5°10' and Mercury in 8°20' in the rasi chart

Sun:
Element - Fire
Start sign - Aries
Part - 4th part (Since it falls in degree span of 10°00' to 13°20')
Count - Start from Aries the fire movable sign and count 4 which will be Cancer (For Planet in fire, the counting needs to start from fire movable sign which is Aries)

Moon:
Element - Earth
Start sign - Capricorn
Part - 8th part (Since it falls in degree span of 23°20' to 26°40')
Count - Start from Capricorn the Earth movable sign and count 8 which will be Leo (For Planet in earth, the counting needs to start from earth movable sign which is Capricorn)

Mars:
Element - Air
Start sign - Libra
Part - 2nd part (Since it falls in degree span of 3°20' to 6°40')
Count - Start from Libra the Air movable sign and count 2 which will be Sagittarius (For Planet in air, the counting needs to start from air movable sign which is Libra)

Mercury:
Element - Water
Start sign - Cancer
Part - 3rd part (Since it falls in degree span of 6°40' to 10°00')
Count - Start from Cancer the Water movable sign and count 3 which will be Virgo (For Planet in water, the counting needs to start from water movable sign which is Cancer)

Summary:
Planet in Fire sign - start counting from Aries which is the fire movable sign
Planet in Earth sign - start counting from Capricorn which is the earth movable sign
Planet in Air sign - start counting from Libra which is the air movable sign
Planet in Water sign - start counting from Cancer which is the water movable sign

3) Star Based Counting:
This is a little different method and doesn't employ rasis directly and instead the constellations come into the picture. As one may be aware there are 27 Nakshatras making up the zodiac divided into 3 sets of 9 each. The first set of 9 Nakshatras Ashwini to Ashlesha run from Aries to Cancer, the second set of  9 Nakshatras Magha to Jyeshta run from Leo to Scorpio and the third set of 9 Nakshatras Moola to Revathi run from Sagittarius to Pisces. The reason these are broken into cycles of 9 Nakshatras is in essence because the subsequent Nakshatra after the 9th begins fresh in a new zodiac sign without having breaks in padas. Thus one can say it takes 4 rasis to cover one full set of 9 Nakshatra constellations. The trick here is that the first, fourth and seventh Nakshatra from each set will occupy the first 4 rasis (Aries to Cancer) with each of the 4 padas making up the rasis one after the other and likewise the second, fifth and eighth Nakshatra from each cycle will rule over the next 4 rasis (Leo to Scorpio) and in similar vein the third, sixth and ninth Nakshatra will lord the last 4 rasis (Sagittarius to Pisces). The concept will look easier when explained with an example.

Illustration:
Eg Sun is in Poorva Phalguni 17°35', Moon in Hastha 13°10',  Mars in Revathi 27°10' and Mercury in Pushya 11°20' in the rasi chart

Sun
Nakshatra - Second (2,5,8 set)
Zodiac Cycle - Leo to Scorpio
Pada - 2 (Poorva Phalguni 16°40'-20°00' is second pada)
Count - Start from Leo and count 2 which will be Virgo

Moon
Nakshatra - Fourth (1,4,7 set)
Zodiac Cycle - Aries to Cancer
Pada - 1 (Hastha 10°00'-13°20' is first pada)
Count - Start from Aries and count 1 which will be Aries

Mars
Nakshatra - Ninth (3,6,9 set)
Zodiac Cycle - Sagittarius to Pisces
Pada - 1 (Revathi 26°40'-30°00' is fourth pada)
Count - Start from Sagittarius and count 4 which will be Pisces

Mercury
Nakshatra - Eighth (2,5,8 set)
Zodiac Cycle -  Leo to Scorpio
Pada - 1 (Pushya 10°00'-13°20' is third pada)
Count - Start from Leo and count 3 which will be Libra

Summary:
Planet in 1,4,7 Nakshatra cycle - start counting from Aries to Cancer with 1st pada Aries, 2nd pada Taurus, 3rd pada Gemini and 4th pada Cancer
Planet in 2,5,8 Nakshatra cycle - start counting from Leo to Scorpio with 1st pada Leo, 2nd pada Virgo, 3rd pada Libra and 4th pada Scorpio
Planet in 3,6,9 Nakshatra cycle - start counting from Sagittarius to Pisces with 1st pada Sagittarius, 2nd pada Capricorn, 3rd pada Aquarius and 4th pada Pisces

Important Concepts in Navamsa:

# Vargottama
Vargottam literally means a planet occupying the same sign in both the rasi and the Navamsa and said to be auspicious as it's like a blessing because the Dharma signifies what is prevalent in the rasi chart in the Navamsa as well. From the counting mechanism it can be inferred that only in 12 cases can Vargottama even occur.

Classification based counting - 1st pada of a movable sign, 5th pada of a fixed sign and 9th pada of a dual sign
Element based counting - 1st pada of a fire sign, 5th pada of an earth sign, 9th pada of an air sign and the 1st pada of a water sign
Star based counting - In 1-4-7 cycle, Ashwini-1, Rohini -2, Punarvasu-3&4, in 2-5-8 cycle, Poorva Phalguni-1, Chitra-2, Chitra-3 and Anuradha-4, in 3-6-9 cycle, Uthara Ashada-1&2, Satabisha-3 and Revathi-4

Listed below is the set of 12 divisions of total 108 divisions (12 rasis*9parts) where a planet can end up becoming Vargotama.

Zodiac - Classification - Element - Star & Pada - Degree Span
Aries - Movable - Fire - Ashwini-1 - 00°00'-3°20'
Taurus - Fixed - Earth - Rohini-2 - 13°20'-16°40'
Gemini - Dual - Air - Punarvasu-3 - 26°40'-30°00'
Cancer - Movable - Water - Punarvasu-4 - 00°00'-3°20'
Leo - Movable - Fire - Poorva Phalguni-1 - 13°20'-16°40'
Virgo - Fixed - Earth - Chitra-2- 26°40'-30°00'
Libra - Dual - Air - Chitra-3 - 00°00'-3°20'
Scorpio - Movable - Water - Anuradha-4 - 13°20'-16°40'
Sagittarius - Movable - Fire - Uthara Ashada-1 - 26°40'-30°00'
Capricorn - Fixed - Earth - Uthara Ashada-2 - 00°00'-3°20'
Aquarius - Dual - Air - Satabisha-3 - 13°20'-16°40'
Pisces - Movable - Water - Revathi-4 - 26°40'-30°00'

As you can see there is only one portion in each sign which gets the fiefdom of being Vargotama and only 9 stars out of 27 having this privilege with 3 of them having 2 of their padas becoming Vargotama viz Punarvasu, Chitra and Uthara Ashada.

# Pushkara Navamsa and Pushkara Bhaga
The Pushkara Navamsa is a specific portion in every rasi which is said to be extremely beneficial. Unlike the Vargotama which contains one division in every sign, in Pushkara Navamsa there are two special divisions of  3°20' which is said to be highly auspicious. It happens to be the 7th and 9th division in fire element signs, 3rd and 5th division in earth element signs, 6th and 8th division in air element signs and 1st and 3rd in water element signs. On top of this there is one particular degree that carries optimal strength to enhance the signification even more which is called Pushkara Bhaga which falls as one degree within the designated degree span allotted for each of the sign elements. Here there is only one degree per sign and happens to be the 21st degree for fire element signs, 14th degree for earth element signs, 24th degree for air element signs and 7th degree for water element signs.

Counting Base:
Fire Element Sign - 7th & 9th division - Libra & Sagittarius Navamsa. Pushkara Bhaga is 21st degree
Earth Element Sign - 3rd & 5th division - Pisces & Taurus Navamsa. Pushkara Bhaga is 14th degree
Air Element Sign - 6th & 8th division - Pisces & Taurus Navamsa. Pushkara Bhaga is 24th degree
Water Element Sign - 1st & 3rd division - Cancer & Virgo Navamsa. Pushkara Bhaga is 7th degree

Zodiac - Sign - Element - Star & Pada - Degree Span
Aries - Movable - Fire - Bharani-3 - 20°00'-23°20'
Aries - Movable - Fire - Krithika-1 - 26°40'-30°00'
Taurus - Fixed - Earth - Krithika-4 - 6°40'-10°00'
Taurus - Fixed - Earth - Rohini-2 - 13°20'-16°40'
Gemini - Dual - Air - Arudra-4 - 16°40'-20°00'
Gemini - Dual - Air - Punarvasu-2 - 23°20'-26°40'
Cancer - Movable - Water - Punarvasu-4 - 00°00'-3°20'
Cancer - Movable - Water - Pushya-2 - 06°40'-10°00'
Leo - Movable - Fire - Poorva Phalguni-3 - 20°00'-23°20'
Leo - Movable - Fire - Uthara Phalguni-1 - 26°40'-30°00'
Virgo - Fixed - Earth - Uthara Phalguni-4 - 6°40'-10°00'
Virgo - Fixed - Earth - Hastha-2- 13°20'-16°40'
Libra - Dual - Air - Swati-4 - 16°40'-20°00'
Libra - Dual - Air - Vishakha-2 - 23°20'-26°40'
Scorpio - Movable - Water - Vishakha-4 - 00°00'-3°20'
Scorpio - Movable - Water - Anuradha-2 - 06°40'-10°00'
Sagittarius - Movable - Fire - Poorva Ashada-3 - 20°00'-23°20'
Sagittarius - Movable - Fire - Uthara Ashada-1 - 26°40'-30°00'
Capricorn - Fixed - Earth - Uthara Ashada-4 - 06°40'-10°00'
Capricorn - Fixed - Earth - Shravana-2 - 13°20'-16°40'
Aquarius - Dual - Air - Satabisha-4 - 16°40'-20°00'
Aquarius - Dual - Air - Poorva Bhadra-2 - 23°20'-26°40'
Pisces - Movable - Water - Poorva Bhadra-4 - 00°00'-3°20'
Pisces - Movable - Water - Uthara Bhadra-2 - 23°20'-26°40'

Note: You would observe 12 Vargottama and 24 Pushkara Navamsa but within this you would find 3 divisions overlapping with each other and these are very powerful and auspicious as they happen to be both Vargottama and in Pushkara Navamsa. The respective constellations happen to be Rohini-2, Punarvasu-4 and Uthara Ashada-1

# 64th Navamsa
This is a very sensitive division in the Navamsa and is used to associate mainly negative events with regard to a horoscope. There are also other navamsa parts such as 55th, 88th etc but the 64th is the one which is considered to be really prominent. The 64th Navamsa and the 22nd Drekkana are crucial trigger points witnessed in a horoscope.

As the number 64 connotes it happens to be the 64th part taken from both Lagna and Moon. As we know there are 9 parts in a Navamsa and hence when we cross the 63rd part, 7 houses will be passed (9*7) and the first part of the 8th house will be the 64th Navamsa. There are two ways to calculate it both from the Rasi chart (cumbersome) as well as the Navamsa chart (easy). I shall explain with an example on both these methodologies.

Illustration:
Let us say we need to calculate the 64th Navamsa from Lagna and the Lagna degree is 18°30' in Gemini sign.

Rasi method: First we need to ascertain the division of the Lagna degree which happens to be the 6th division since 18°30' falls within the range of 16°40'-20°00'. Then we need to jump straight to the 8th house or 210th degree from where the Lagna is placed in Gemini which will end up being 18°30' in Capricorn sign. As the 6th division in a movable earthy sign will fall in Gemini, the lord of Gemini which is Mercury will end up becoming the 64th Navamsa, For instance if the Lagna degree happened to be 21°30' then it would end up falling in Cancer and Moon will be the 64th Navamsa.

Navamsa Method: Just look at the 4th sign from the Navamsa Lagna and the ruler of that house will be the 64th Navamsa. In our above example Lagna degree falling in 18°30' in Gemini will appear as Pisces Lagna in Navamsa. The 4th from Pisces is Gemini and the ruler is Mercury and hence he is the 64th Navamsa. The reason this method works like this is because each portion of 3°20' occupies a sign and hence it takes 12 parts of 3°20' to completes one zodiac cycle and hence similarly is the case with multiples of 12 such as 24th, 36th, 48th and 60th part. We return back to the Lagna for the 61st part, 2nd house becomes the 62nd, 3rd house is the 63rd part and finally the the 4th house from Navamsa Lagna ends up becoming the 64th Navamsa.

# Rasi Tulya Navamsa and Navamsa Tulya Rasi
This is a concept of super imposing and reading a chart. The Rasi Tulya Navamsa works on the placements of planets in the Navamsa chart but read from the Rasi  Lagna whereas the Navamsa Tulya Rasi is mainly used in transits where a major planet is said to influence a planet not only situated in the rasi but also placed in the Navamsa. A simple way to illustrate with an example of Rasi Tulya Navamsa is lets say your Rasi Lagna is Gemini whereas your Navamsa Lagna is Pisces and for understanding purpose let's presume that Venus is placed in the 2nd house in Aries in Navamsa. We read the same placement of Venus in Aries but by an alternate method of utilizing the Rasi Lagna which in this case in Gemini and hence Venus will be viewed as being in the 11th house. I believe assessing placements of planets through this methodology gives clues on the kind of results to expect.

Important Note:
We know that there are 12 zodiac signs consisting of 30° each and every sign covers a span of 9 divisions of 3°20' each and hence it takes only 9 zodiac signs in the Navamsa to cover the distance in one rasi making 3 rasis in Navamsa blank. It should be known for instance that a planet situated in whichever degree in Aries sign will never fall in the signs of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Likewise each zodiac sign in the rasi will ensure that 3 zodiac signs in the Navamsa gets untouched. Sharing below the list of signs in each zodiac sign where the Navamsa signs never end up falling

Aries - Navamsas of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces remain untouched
Taurus - Navamsas of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius remain untouched
Gemini - Navamsas of Cancer, Leo and Virgo remain untouched
Cancer - Navamsas of Aries, Taurus and Gemini remain untouched
Leo - Navamsas of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces remain untouched
Virgo - Navamsas of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius remain untouched
Libra - Navamsas of Cancer, Leo and Virgo remain untouched
Scorpio - Navamsas of Aries, Taurus and Gemini remain untouched
Sagittarius - Navamsas of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces remain untouched
Capricorn - Navamsas of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius remain untouched
Aquarius - Navamsas of Cancer, Leo and Virgo remain untouched
Pisces - Navamsas of Aries, Taurus and Gemini remain untouched

Match Making - South Indian Format (Jadhaga Porutham)

With regard to matching horoscopes for marriage purposes, moon plays the most pivotal role. There are many different types of matching methods which go under the scanner and the surprising part is that in traditional format of matching, it's the planet Moon and its Rasi which is of supreme importance. All you need to know are basically the Nakshatra (Star constellation) and it's Rasi (zodiac sign). There are 27 Nakshatra's beginning from Ashwini (1) and ending with Revathi (27) and there are 12 Rasi's starting from Aries (Mesha) and finishing with Pisces (Meena).

Mentioned below are the prominent test criteria's for match making. Most astrologers just do this star/rasi match and for that you don't really need to go and examine horoscopes with an astrologer as you can do it yourself. However for advanced matching, definitely a recommended professional should be considered.

One more interesting thing to note is the basis of difference in the methodology of matching between North India and South India. In the North Indian scheme of things, 8 determinants (kootas) are taken into account and each of them are assigned weights ranging from 1 to 8. This will result in a total of 36 and if the overall score exceeds 18 or 50%, it can safely be assumed to be a decent match. In down South of India, usually no specific points are factored and they are generally matched on a scale of 10 to 12 factors with some criteria's given far more importance than the others. Though you find a few criteria's over lapping between the two systems, the computation is marginally different as in Ashta Koot Milan, each of the tests are assigned weights and hence you have different ranges whereas in Jadhaga Porutham that's not the case and most of the test results either point to a 'yes' or 'no'.

This particular post will highlight on the South Indian Jadhaga Porutham format of match making. The North Indian format has already been made as a separate post. Listed below are the 12 main porutham's (tests) considered to assess the compatibility between the bride and the groom. Out of these, the first 10 are the major ones and the last 2 are optionally considered.

1) Dina:
Indication : Good health and prosperity based on counting of Nakshatras
Nakshatra : Essential
Rasi : Not necessary
In this only the star constellations are taken into account and this technique tests the health and prosperity of the couple based on a counting criteria. The counting is always ascertained from the girl and the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th set of star from the girl is considered to be auspicious. For this purpose, the Nakshatras are divided into 3 sets of 9 stars each. In effect taking the 27 stars in totality, the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th (1+1=2), 13th (1+3=4), 15th (1+5=6), 17th (1+7=8), 18th (1+8=9), 20th (2+0=2), 22nd (2+2=4), 24th (2+4=6), 26th (2+6=8) and 27th (2+7=9) can be taken for matching purpose. There are some further exceptions outlined on top of this but the basic objective is the star of the boy needs to fall in the aforementioned star number counted from the girl. Under this proposition, there will be 15 stars out of 27 that will meet expectations.

- If grooms star counted from bride falls in 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th and 27th, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If grooms star counted from bride falls in any other position, then it is not a good match (Athamam)

2) Gana:
Indication: Habits, behavior and temperament based on 3 Nakshatra groups
Nakshatra : Essential
Rasi : Not necessary
This method is for determining the temperament between the individuals. Here stars are categorized into 3 sections namely God (Deva), Human (Manushya) and Demon (Rakshasa) and are matched accordingly. The girl's star should be of equal or higher level than the boy for compatibility. For eg. if girls star and boys star both fall under the same category then its considered to be auspicious. If Girls is of God and boys is either of Human or Devil, then also it's considered but the other way round is not considered as a favorable match as the female is expected to possess higher sattwik (pure) qualities than her male counterpart.

- If brides star and grooms star both fall in the same category of Deva, Manusha or Rakshasa gana, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If brides star falls in Deva Gana and grooms star falls in either of Manusha or Rakshasa gana, then it is good match (Mathimam)
- If brides star falls in Manusha Gana and grooms falls in Rakshasa gana, then also it is good match (Mathimam)
- Any other case, it is not recommended (Athamam)

3) Mahendra:
Indication : Progeny in family based on Nakshatra counting
Nakshatra : Essential
Rasi : Not necessary
This is required to assess the possibility of offspring(s) in the family and also determining the longevity and bonding of the couple. This is always counted with basis from the girls star and if the boy’s birth star falls in the positions 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 22nd and 25th from that of the girl’s birth star, it is considered to be a happy match. Going by this proposition, only 8 stars out of 27 happen to meet this test criteria.

- If grooms star counted from bride falls in 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 22nd and 25th, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If grooms star counted from bride falls in any other position, then it is not a good match (Athamam)

4) Stree Deergam:
Indication : Wealth and Prosperity from Nakshatra counting
Nakshatra : Essential
Rasi : Not necessary
This test tells about the well being, longevity and prosperity between the couple and it is determined by the distance of the boy's star from that of the girl. The larger the distance better is the match. Always take the females star as base and count the boys star from her respective star. If the boys star is more than 13 of the girl, then it is very favourable. But in today's times, anything beyond 7 stars is considered reasonable for matching purpose. For eg if girls star is Ashwini, boys star can be anything from Poosam to Revathi as only then it happens to be greater than the said equation of 7 stars.

- If grooms star counted from the brides exceeds 13, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If grooms star counted from the brides exceeds 7, then it is good match (Mathimam)
- If grooms star counted from bride falls 7 stars or below, then it is not a good match (Athamam)

5) Yoni:
Indication : Sexual inclination and physical compatibility based on animal grouping
Nakshatra : Essential
Rasi : Not necessary
This is the method that tests the sexual compatibility of the couple. The nakshatras are categorised into animal categories with each star representing either a male animal or female animal. The matching is done based on different animal traits.

- If bride star is female animal and groom star is male animal, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If bride star and groom star are both male animal or female animal, then it is good match (Mathimam)
- If bride star and groom star fall in enemy animal category irrespective of male or female, then its not recommended (Athamam)

6) Rasi:
Indication: Family welfare and prosperity based on 12 zodiac signs relationship
Nakshatra : Not necessary
Rasi : Essential
This is for ensuring a peaceful life between the couple. Both the girls as well as the boys Nakshatra's get tagged under a particular rasi based on the star rising at birth and the points are allotted accordingly based on the zodiac sign compatibility. For good match, the grooms rasi should either be the same or be more than 6 signs away from the bride (except the 8th rasi) ie 1st, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th rasi from brides rasi

- If grooms rasi is in 1st, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th from the brides rasi, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If grooms rasi is in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th or 8th from brides rasi, then it is not a good match (Athamam)

7) Rasi Adipathy:
Indication : Mental compatibility, friendship and understanding based on 7 planet lord parameters
Nakshatra : Not necessary
Rasi : Essential
This determines the mental compatibility between the partners and for this the ruler ship planet of the rasis in question is taken into account and compared. The basis of understanding is ascertained from the rasis in which the grooms and brides star fall into.

- If brides rasi and grooms rasi are friendly to each other, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If one of either brides or grooms rasi is friendly or neutral to the other, then it is good match (Mathimam)
- If both are enemy to each other, then it is not a good match (Athamam)

8) Vasiya:
Indication : Mutual physical attraction and mental happiness based on rasi compatibility
Nakshatra : Not necessary
Rasi : Essential
This is for estimating the level of mutual physical attraction between the couple. There are certain Rasi's which go along well with the other and if they are matching it is expected to be a good match, if not then the attraction factor is said to be not up to the mark.

- If grooms rasi falls in vasiya (attraction) to brides rasi, then it is very good match (Uthamam)
- If grooms rasi does not fall in vasiya (attraction) to brides rasi, then it is not a good match (Athamam)

9) Rajju:
Indication : Strength of marriage lasting based on Nakshatra body parts
Nakshatra : Essential
Rasi : Not necessary
This is an important criterion to assess how strong the marriage will be and about the health and  livelihood of the couple in question. For this each Nakshatra is linked to a body element and it is recommended that stars denoting same body part should not be matched for marriage to be long lasting. Stars of feet (Ketu/Mercury) indicate instability, stars of hip (Venus/Saturn) denote poverty, stars of navel (Sun/Jupiter) indicate issues of offsprings, stars of neck (Moon/Rahu) indicates problems to bride and stars of head (Mars) indicates problems to groom. For eg Moolam and Kettai should not be matched as they both represent the 'feet' body part.

- If brides and grooms nakshatra don't fall in the same rajju (body part), then it is a very good match (Uthamam)
- If brides and grooms nakshatra fall in the same rajju (body part), then it is not a good match (Athamam)

10) Vedha:
Indication : Hardship in marriage based on Nakshatra constellation
Nakshatra : Essential
Rasi : Not necessary
This is a factor to assess failure, hardship and incompatibility in marriage. For this purpose there are certain stars which are repellant to the other. They are supposed to be enemies and it's advised to avoid stars that are forming vedhai (enemity) to each other. For eg. Ashwini star should not be matched with Kettai and likewise Rohini should never be matched with Swati.

- If brides and grooms nakshatra don't fall in the same vedha (enmity), then it is a very good match (Uthamam)
- If brides and grooms nakshatra fall in the same vedha (enmity), then it is not a good match (Athamam)

11) Nadi:
Indication: Genetic compatibility and heredity based on 3 kinds of Nakshatra groups
Nakshatra: Essential
Rasi: Not necessary
This method computes the genetic compatibility based on the Nakshatra prevalent. The Nakshatra constellations are divided into 3 types of Nadi symbolizing 3 basic qualities of heart beat to test the genetic compatibility. It is advised that the star of the groom and bride should not fall under the same Nadi and this is somewhat similar to Rajju based match. This is however just an optional test of matching in the South Indian scheme and not given as much importance as how its viewed in the North Indian means of matching. For eg Hastham and Sadayam should not be matched as they both fall in Left Nadi, likewise Pooram and Pooradam also isn't a good match because they are in Middle Nadi and similarly Magam and Swati also shouldn't be matched as they both are in Right Nadi.

- If brides and grooms nakshatra don't fall in the same nadi (heartbeat), then it is a very good match (Uthamam)
- If brides and grooms nakshatra fall in the same nadi (heartbeat), then it is not a good match (Athamam)

12) Mara:
Indication: Conceiving ability to bear offspring based on grouping of  Nakshatras into 2 tree types
Nakshatra: Essential
Rasi: Not necessary
This method mainly tests on the ability to conceive and give birth to children. For this purpose, Nakshatras are classified into 2 tree types viz Milky trees and Dry Trees. It is highly ideal if both the girls star as well as boys star come under the ambit of milky trees. It is even beneficial if either one of their stars get assigned to a milky tree.

- If brides and grooms nakshatra both fall in the milky tree group, then it is a very good match (Uthamam)
- If either of brides and grooms nakshatra fall in milky tree group, then it is a good match (Mathimam)
- If both brides and grooms nakshatra don't fall under the milky tree group and are in dry tree group, then it is not a good match (Athamam).