Varahamihira's dasa is not Vimshottari. Its first period goes to the strongest of the lagna, the Sun and the Moon; then come the planets in kendras from it, then those in panapharas, then those in apoklimas. A period is split among its lord and the planets placed with it, in the 5th or 9th, the 7th, or the 4th or 8th, by the weights 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/7 and 1/4. Separately, a natural-age dasa gives fixed stretches of life to the planets from the Moon to Saturn. The Nava app does not compute this. This page explains the rule only.
☕ A dasa ordered by strength and place
Brihat Jataka gives a dasa of its own, with no birth star in it. The first period goes to whichever of the lagna, the Sun and the Moon is strongest. After it come the planets in kendras from it, then those in panapharas, then those in apoklimas (Brihat Jataka, ch. VIII, v. 1). The steps are in the card “Varahamihira's order of periods” below. One translation words the three classes loosely; Suryanarain Rao's notes read them in this strict order.
When several planets fall in the same class, the stronger by the book's measure goes first; on a full tie, the one that comes out of the Sun's rays sooner (Brihat Jataka, ch. VIII, v. 2).
A period is then shared out. Its own lord counts as 1, a planet in the same sign as 1/2, one in the 5th or 9th from it as 1/3, one in the 7th as 1/7, and one in the 4th or 8th as 1/4. The period's years are divided in proportion to these weights, the lord first and the others in that order (Brihat Jataka, ch. VIII, vv. 3–4). With one planet beside the lord, the weights 1 and 1/2 come to 2 : 1, so a six-year period gives 4 years to the lord and 2 to the other. More cases are in “Sub-period shares, worked” further down.
The natural-age dasa ignores the chart: by age alone it runs Moon 1, Mars 2, Mercury 9, Venus 20, Jupiter 18, Sun 20, Saturn 50 years, 120 in all (Brihat Jataka, ch. VIII, v. 9); the ages are in “The natural-age periods” further down. Parashara's list also names a naisargika dasa (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 46, vv. 6–11, p. 506), built in another way; this page keeps to Varahamihira's. The chapter goes on to read periods as good or bad; this page keeps to the order. The Nava app does not compute this. This page explains the rule only.
Who opens, who follows, who shares
- First period: the strongest of the lagna, the Sun and the Moon
- Then: the planets in kendras from it, next those in panapharas, last those in apoklimas
- Several in one class: the stronger by the book's measure first; on a full tie, the one that leaves the Sun's rays sooner
- Sub-period weights: the period's lord 1, a planet in the same sign 1/2, in the 5th or 9th 1/3, in the 7th 1/7, in the 4th or 8th 1/4
- Sub-periods: in that order, each taking its weight's share of the period
- Natural-age periods: Moon 1, Mars 2, Mercury 9, Venus 20, Jupiter 18, Sun 20, Saturn 50 years
- Mix-up: Brihat Jataka's dasa counts from the birth star. It starts from the strongest of the lagna, the Sun and the Moon, and the birth star plays no part.
- Mix-up: every planet gets a sub-period in every period. Only the lord and the planets in the same sign, a trine, the 7th, or the 4th or 8th from it share the period.
- Mix-up: the natural-age dasa is Parashara's naisargika dasa. Varahamihira's runs by age alone in fixed stretches; Parashara's is built another way.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brihat Jataka's dasa in my Nava chart?
No. This page explains the order and the shares only; this dasa is not worked for any chart.
Why does one printed table give a trine 1/13?
It is a translator's table of cases, not the verse. By the verse's own rule a lord with one planet in its sign and one in each trine has weights 1, 1/2, 1/3 and 1/3, which come to 6 : 3 : 2 : 2, so each trine planet gets 2/13.
Does the natural-age dasa need my birth time?
No. It runs by age alone: the Moon has the first year, Saturn the stretch from 71 to 120, the same for everyone.
Deep dive: the shares, the natural-age periods, and what this builds on
The tables “Sub-period shares, worked” and “The natural-age periods”, then the page this one builds on.
➗ Sub-period shares, worked
| Planets beside the period's lord | Ratio and shares, lord first |
|---|---|
| One planet in the same sign | 2 : 1, so 2/3, 1/3 |
| One planet in the 5th or 9th | 3 : 1, so 3/4, 1/4 |
| One planet in the 4th or 8th | 4 : 1, so 4/5, 1/5 |
| One planet in the 7th | 7 : 1, so 7/8, 1/8 |
| One in the same sign and one in a trine | 6 : 3 : 2, so 6/11, 3/11, 2/11 |
| One in the same sign and one in each trine | 6 : 3 : 2 : 2, so 6/13, 3/13, 2/13, 2/13 |
Each case follows from the weights: add them, and each planet's share is its weight over the sum.
⏳ The natural-age periods
| Planet | Age |
|---|---|
| Moon | year 1 |
| Mars | years 2–3 |
| Mercury | years 4–12 |
| Venus | years 13–32 |
| Jupiter | years 33–50 |
| Sun | years 51–70 |
| Saturn | years 71–120 |
🧭 What this builds on
Where this dasa sits among the thirty or so systems is on the dasa family. Vimshottari's sub-periods, split by one rule at every level, are on sub-periods to prana.