Article by U.K. Jha, India

Here is an interesting dialogue picked up from internet and placed below before commencement of actual discussion related to above captioned subject. The honest intention behind picking up this point is to impress upon the fact that a student ever stands confused when the things are not logically explained to them by their teachers. None must feel offended or defended by the ensuing discussion because it has been taken with a pious purpose of explain the things in the interest of the lovers of astrology.

1. Visti Larsen

Sv: Sv: Char Dasha

Namaste.
Well if it makes any difference, Gemini will get the extra year if Mercury is in
Virgo, but Virgo will not, but just keep its 12 years. It works

for us, but lets
see what the future tells.

Best wishes, Visti.

—– Original Message —–
From: Manoj Pathak <manojpathak@…>
To: <gjlist (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2001 7:06 AM
Subject: Re: Sv: [gjlist] Char Dasha

> >
> >Indeed for Jupiter in Cap, Sag recieves zero years.
> >For Mercury in Virgo, Virgo only gets 12 years.
> >
> No this does not help. When all exalted planets get one additional year for
> exaltation, debilitation planets loss of one year, then why discriminate
> Mercury, the planet of astrology and the planet of Mimansa, the most
> difficult and articulate form.
>
> I know things can be explained by using various kinds of languages, going
> around in circles and leading to nowhere.
>
> May be future tells us something about it.
>
> Manoj

Indeed for Jupiter in Cap, Sag recieves zero years.
>For Mercury in Virgo, Virgo only gets 12 years.
>
No this does not help. When all exalted planets get one additional year for
exaltation, debilitation planets loss of one year, then why discriminate
Mercury, the planet of astrology and the planet of Mimansa, the most
difficult and articulate form.

I know things can be explained by using various kinds of languages, going
around in circles and leading to nowhere.

May be future tells us something about it.

Manoj
1. Dear Manoj, Namaste.
We at sjvc work with the Rasi Dasa’s more often than vimshottari, so we’ve got
this covered.

Hence the reason for calculating a Rasi Dasa from a Varga, which we use
extensively and succesfully.

Indeed for Jupiter in Cap, Sag recieves zero years.
For Mercury in Virgo, Virgo only gets 12 years.

You see none of the dasa’s can recieve more than 12 years, as the final amount
of years aloted for these Dasa’s are 144 years, always.

So after calculating the first 12 signs of Chara Dasa, one lists them once more
giving the 2nd sequence. The 2nd sequence is the same 12 signs, only their years
are: 12-x, where x is the before calculated year. This will give an end result
of 144 years passed.

This is applicable to all Rasi Dasa’s, i.e. Drig, Lagnadi, Trikona, Padakrama,
etc. I’m not sure about Yogardha thou. Ayur Dasa’s are another topic.

Hope this helps
Best wishes, Visti.

—– Original Message —–
From: Manoj Pathak <manojpathak@…>
To: <gjlist (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 2:05 PM
Subject: Re: [gjlist] Char Dasha

> Hello list,
>
> I was wondering in a method of calculation of Char Dasha, there is a method
> which says that for debilitated planet you need to deduct one year and for
> exalted planet add one year to the dasha period. Now for Saggitarius,
> Jupiter placed in Capricorn dasha becomes zero but for Mercury placed in
> Kanya, the dasha of Kanya is not taken as 13 years. Surprised am I at the
> duality of statements here.

> Manoj

I know things can be explained by using various kinds of languages, going
around in circles and leading to nowhere.

May be future tells us something about it.

Manoj

Just few days back I chanced to go through the above correspondence (dated 05/08/2001 on India Divine.Org) between Manoj Pathak and Visti Larsen about calculation of Dasa duration of a sign vis-a-vis addition or subtraction of one year for exalted or debilitated status of the lord of the sign. As far as my knowledge goes both are learned astrologers engaged in teaching astrology to their students and both of them are the students of reputed astrologers. So it is natural to construe that each of them tried vehemently to project the views of their own respective Gurus.

The matter appears to have remained unresolved as both of them have left the matter to unfold itself in future. However, none of them have touched upon the core issue as to why a sign can have maximum of 12 years Dasa duration only? What is the mathematical explanation for this.

This also presents a picture of the dilemma the students of astrology are presently passing through. When basics are not clear a student always feels flustered. What is harm if an exalted Mercury gives 13 years duration to Virgo or a debilitate Jupiter gives zero years duration to Sagittarius? Why cannot this happen? What is the governing principle? None of these (or any other) scholars have ever dwelled on this basic issue.

Since, I have initiated an absorbing discussion on the various issues related to Chara Dasa through SA I felt it appropriate to take up this issue for the benefits of the students of astrology. Irony is that every one today is a great scholar in astrology regardless of his or her own actual understanding of the basic principles of this divine science. So, I know that after my exposition many would spring up to say that they knew it since beginning; albeit, none has no where explained it till date. The above referred confabulation between the two learned astrologers not only bears testimony to this fact but also highlights the confusion and ignorance presently prevalent on this topic while computing the Dasa duration of any sign in Chara Dasa as dealt in JUS.

The hidden rider in the Sutra Nathantah Samah Prayen ((I/I/29) of JUS is that the Dasa duration of a sign would be calculated on the basis of the distance traversed by the lord from the sign at a rate of one sign or 30 degree per year. Since the separation of the lord from the sign cannot exceed 12 signs or 360 degrees, the maximum Dasa duration of a sign will be 12 years only. As such, an exalted Mercury cannot give more than 12 years Dasa duration to Virgo. Similarly, in case of a debilitate Jupiter the lord has distinctly moved away from its sign and; as such, the Dasa duration of Sagittarius cannot be zero years. This mathematical principle cannot be ignored in any case.

However; in above case neither the sign Virgo Would have a Dasa duration of exact 12 years nor the sign Sagittarius would get exactly one year of Dasa duration.
Since, the scholars at large are not applying the above hidden principle of JUS strictly the Dasa duration of different signs calculated for Chara Dasa as per prevalent (though faulty) practice is mostly incorrect. For example, Virgo in above case may get even less than one year of Dasa duration and Sagittarius more than one year of Dasa period.

As the ancient scholars erroneously presumed that a sign occupied by its lord would always get a fixed Dasa period of 12 years they were left with no other option but to introduce a false assumption that one year should be deducted from the Dasa duration of the sign obtained by counting its distance upto the lord of the sign concerned. If the above mathematical principle for calculation of Dasa period is applied strictly no need for deducting one year arise in any case. Because of the ignorance of this basic mathematical principle few scholars take 12 years of Dasa period even for the sign whose lord is placed 12th to it. In this way two conditions for 12 years of Dasa period come to picture. As a result no sign then gets a Dasa period of one year in such schemes. The lack of understanding of this principle has been so glaring that many other odd concepts with irrational suggestions have been introduced in computation of Chara Dasa of Jaimini.

Here I need not elaborate them all because they have been touched in my article on Jaimini Chara Dasa and have been explained in detail in my forthcoming book on Chara Dasa. Before concluding this small write up, I would like to caution the students that each Dasa system dealt in JUS is locked with some hidden rider and key to the same can be had only from a learned preceptor. Those who try to understand the hidden meaning of Jaimini sutras under the light of descriptions available in BPHS or Vriddha Karika would more often than not land on the wrong track because author of these texts have themselves failed to reach to the bottom of these sutras. Before someone frowns on my above suggestion I would like to take one more example; say Drig Dasa of Jaimini. BPHS as usual has not been able to explain it fully. Those who have deviated from there are also not found on the right track. The concept of aspecting planet is alien to JUS. There is no sutra that can be attributed to Divya Lagna. If we carefully read JUS we find clearly that the text has been closed in second chapter. Sidhamanyat – is a proof to it. The book has been concluded here. Other chapters or talk of more chapters are the product of some fertile mind and pregnant ideas of few gossipmonger. Many scholars subscribe to this view and give credence to only first two chapters. Students may bear it in mind firmly. Hence, one should not and one must not fall in the trap of hastily constructed knowledge from any source or in any form.

About the Author: U K Jha is a graduate mechanical engineer from the University of Roorkee (now IIT, Roorkee) and has published large number of thought-provoking articles. Among the many books written by him including the world-famous title “Utopia and Anarchy of Stars” the latest ones are “Lost Horizon in Astrology” and “MandookDasa of Jaimini”. Other titles likely to hit the stands are “GangadharDasa,” “Tara Dasa,” “Chara Dasa of Jaimini,” and “NavamshaDasa of Jaimini”. A unique authority on Jaimini Astrology that he learnt in his own family and from the astro-scholars of Tantrik cult, he is today much sought after name among the students of Vaidik astrology on account of innovative ideas, one point sharp logic, acute rationality and scientific approach for dealing with the subject matter. He has done marvellous research on AshtakaVarga System of prediction that is yet to be published. Besides these he knows number of rare Dasa systems that he learnt from the scholars of secret Tantrik cult. Few of these Dasa systems would appear in the pages of SA soon.