Counting from your birth star, stars 1–9 are the first round (pariyaya), 10–18 the second and 19–27 the third. Kalaprakasika (pp. 166–167) gives each round the same nine taras, but not the same force. In the second round the 10th star has half the strength of Janma, and the three adverse taras are milder: only one quarter of each is avoided. The third round, the book says, has no adverse taras as such.
☕ Three rounds of the same nine
The Tara bala page counts from your birth star to the day's star and reduces the count to nine taras. Since there are 27 stars, the nine come round three times. Kalaprakasika calls each round of nine a pariyaya (a cycle).
The book says the second and third rounds are weaker. In the second round, the 10th star from your birth star has only half the strength of the birth star itself. Its 3rd, 5th and 7th taras (the 12th, 14th and 16th stars) are not as adverse as in the first round: Vipath of the second round (the 12th star): only its 1st quarter is avoided; Pratyari of the second round (the 14th star): only its 4th quarter is avoided; Vadha of the second round (the 16th star): only its 3rd quarter is avoided. Each star has four quarters (padas), so three quarters of each of these stars are open.
In the third round (the 19th to the 27th star) the book says the taras have no adverse quality as such. Other rules can still name a star in it: the named stars page shows the 22nd, 23rd, 25th and 27th. The book also grades chandrashtamam by these rounds: see the six kinds of chandrashtama.
Nava Panchangam does not use this rule in its day score. This page explains it as the books give it. The day score counts every round the same way, so the 12th star weighs the same as the 3rd. That is the app's simplification.
The three rounds, as the book gives them
- Round 1: the 1st to the 9th star from the birth star
- Round 2: the 10th to the 18th star from the birth star
- Round 3: the 19th to the 27th star from the birth star
- Round 1: the nine taras at full force
- Round 2: the 10th star at half the strength of Janma
- Vipath of the second round (the 12th star): only its 1st quarter is avoided
- Pratyari of the second round (the 14th star): only its 4th quarter is avoided
- Vadha of the second round (the 16th star): only its 3rd quarter is avoided
- Round 3: no adverse taras as such
Frequently Asked Questions
What does pariyaya mean?
A cycle. Kalaprakasika uses it for a set of nine stars counted from the birth star: the first nine, the second nine and the third nine.
Is the 12th star from my birth star a Vipath day?
It is the Vipath of the second round. Kalaprakasika treats it as milder than the first-round Vipath (the 3rd star) and avoids only the first quarter of it.
Does the third round have any adverse star?
Not as a tara, the book says. Separate rules in the same chapter name some stars in it, such as the 22nd and the 27th, for reasons of their own.
Is this the same rule as in Dinam porutham?
Yes. Kalaprakasika repeats the second-round quarter rule in its marriage-matching chapter (p. 69), where the count runs from the bride's star to the groom's.
Does the app weaken the second and third rounds?
No. Its day score gives each tara the same weight in every round. This page explains the book's rule.
From the source
A worked set of rounds, the second round's quarters, and a sentence the printed book does not make clear.
🔢 The three rounds for a Ashwini birth star
Count from Ashwini as 1. Each row is one tara; each column is one round.
| Tara | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janma | 1: Ashwini | 10: Magha | 19: Moola |
| Sampath | 2: Bharani | 11: Purva Phalguni | 20: Purva Ashadha |
| Vipath | 3: Krittika | 12: Uttara Phalguni | 21: Uttara Ashadha |
| Kshema | 4: Rohini | 13: Hasta | 22: Shravana |
| Pratyari | 5: Mrigashira | 14: Chitra | 23: Dhanishta |
| Sadhaka | 6: Ardra | 15: Swati | 24: Shatabhisha |
| Vadha | 7: Punarvasu | 16: Vishakha | 25: Purva Bhadrapada |
| Mitra | 8: Pushya | 17: Anuradha | 26: Uttara Bhadrapada |
| Parama Mitra | 9: Ashlesha | 18: Jyeshta | 27: Revati |
🌓 Which quarter of the second round is avoided
For a Ashwini birth star the three stars are Uttara Phalguni (its 1st quarter), Chitra (its 4th quarter), Vishakha (its 3rd quarter). The other three quarters of each are not avoided under this rule.
📝 A sentence the print does not make clear
On p. 167 the book also gives the 19th star half the strength of an earlier star. The number of that earlier star is damaged in print, so this page does not guess which it is.