ॐ नमः िशवाय

Graha Chakra
By
Shanmukha, India
[Dedication: This article is reverentially
dedicated to my Guru
Mahamahopadhyaya Sri Iranganti
Rangacharya.]

1. Introduction
In Parasara system the reckoning of

Shanmukha a.k.a T.S.V.R. Nageswara

bhavas is always in the order of natural
zodiac, where as in Jaimini system, there
are four of ways of reckoning the bhavas
Rao, is 30 years, a graduate in Electronics
(houses). They are
and Communication Engineering, works in
a scientific organization of Indian Govt. He 1. Udaya Chakra,
started his study of Astrology when he was
22 years old and though not traditionally 2. Prakriti Chakra,
trained; he is very fond of the wonderful
system of Jaimini and learns it from his 3. Vikriti Chakra,
Guru, the Living Legend of Jaimini
Astrology Sri Iranganti Rangacharya. He is 4. Graha Chakra
now working on ancient commentaries on
Jaimini and writes some of his musings on This paper explains these four chakras and
Jaimini system at his personal blog. discusses Graha Chakra in detail with
http://sutramritam.blogspot.com. suitable examples.

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2. Reckoning of Bhavas in Jaimini:
The Venerable Sage Jaimini explained the reckoning of bhavas and dasas in the following
two sutras.

ूाची वृििवर्षमेष ु १-१-२५

परावृोरेष ु १-१-२६
्
निचत १-१-२७
prācī vṛttirviṣameṣu 1-1-25
parāvṛttyottareṣu 1-1-26
nakvacit 1-1-27

Translation: For odd signs the reckoning of bhavas (houses) and dasa signs will be in regular
zodiacal order, for even signs the order will be anti – zodiacal and sometimes different ways
of reckoning are also be used.

Odd signs : Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius

Even Signs : Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn

Example: If Gemini an odd sign is the Asc, then 1H is Ge, 2H is Cn, 3H is Leo and so on. If
Scorpio an even sign is the Asc, then 1H is Li, 2H is Vi, 3H is Leo and so on.

The Controversy: The commentators interpreted these verses pertaining to reckoning the
dasa signs, but study of Vriddha Karika verses indicates it is not true always. These three
sutras also apply to reckoning of dasas as well, for example in special Ayurdasas like
Atmanobhavapamsa dasas etc. There have been different views in interpreting the above
mentioned 3rd sutra. Sage indicates that sometimes this reckoning according to odd and even
nature of signs may not be followed, this is to be noted. But, He doesn’t spell out the
situation. So, we must checkout what Vriddha Karika has to say in this regard. Fortunately a
Vriddha Karika addresses this issue and we strictly follow them in understanding Jaimini.
But, Neelakantha interprets these sutras differently by the authority of another Vriddha

Karika verse. He interprets that निचत ् (nakvacit 1-1-27) deals with the reckoning of
successive dasa signs for Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius based on Vishama Pada and
Sama Pada principle. His interpretation is useful only in his variation of Chara Dasa and not
given here for want of brevity.

The adhikara sutras of Jaimini clearly indicate that there are other ways of reckoning as
्
well. However, the key point here lies in understanding the meaning of निचत (nakvacit 1-
1-27). A Vriddha Karika explained the real purport of these sutras cited above and has given
the four ways of counting bhavas. In this paper, we only discuss Graha Chakra with
examples, which is useful in understanding the Manipravala Rajayoga article published later
on in this magazine.

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 Vriddha Karika 1:

चबं चतिु वर्ध ं ज्ञेय मा मौदियकं ृतम ्

ितीयंत ु ूकृ तां िवकृ ं तृतीयकम ्
महचबं चतधु ार् मेव ं चब िनणर्यः
भावा ादश लााः बम मय्दियकं भवेत ्
ु
यऽ बम माां गणनंोजयग्ु मयोः
ूकृ ां िहतबं यऽ यग्ु मौजयोथाः
गणनं तिकृ ां मह चबमधोते
लाधीशं समार चोरोरतः ितान ्
्
ज्ञाा महान चरवशािशीन ्
चब बमेणवै
महा एवंिहभावाः ःु ल िवािदसंिज्ञताः
एवं नवष ु भावेष ु िव नवशः महान ्
कमर् नेऽिप लेश ं  लाभे धन ितम ्
येत ु ष रिशं िवो िवधानतः
्
महचबिमदं ूोम फल ज्ञानाय सूिरिभः
cakraṁ caturvidhaṁ jñeya mādya maudayikaṁ smṛtam
dvitīyaṁtu prakṛtākhyaṁ vikṛtyakhyaṁ tṛtīyakam
grahacakraṁ caturdhākhya mevaṁ cakrasya nirṇayaḥ
bhāvā dvādaśa lagnādyāḥ krama maydayikaṁ bhavet
yatra krama vyutkramābhyāṁ gaṇanaṁtvojayugmayoḥ
prakṛtyākhyaṁ hitacckraṁ yatra yugmaujayostathāḥ
gaṇanaṁ tadvikṛtyākhyaṁ graha cakramadhocyate
lagnādhīśaṁ samārabhya cottarottarataḥ sthitān
jñātvā grahān caravaśādraśīn cakra krameṇavai
grahā evaṁhibhāvāḥ syuḥ lagna vittādisaṁjñitāḥ
evaṁ navaṣu bhāveṣu vinyasya navaśaḥ grahān
karma sthane'pi lagneśaṁ nyasya lābhe dhana sthitam
vyayetu ṣaṣṭha raśisthaṁ vinyasyokta vidhānataḥ
grahacakramidaṁ proktam phala jñānāya sūribhiḥ

1
Courtesy: Jataka Sara Sangaha of Raghava Bhatta and Jaimini Sutramritam by Sri Rangacharya.
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 Literal Translation: There are four types of chakras for the reckoning of the houses.
They are Udaya, Prakriti, Vikriti and Graha Chakra. The twelve houses from lagna can be
reckoned in these four ways.

1. Udaya Chakra means reckoning of twelve houses from lagna in regular zodiacal
(Udaya) fashion.

2. Prakriti Chakra means counting houses; in zodiacal fashion if lagna is odd sign and
anti-zodiacal if lagna is even sign.

3. Vikriti Chakra means counting houses; in anti-zodiacal fashion if lagna is odd sign
and zodiacal if lagna is even sign.

4. Graha Chakra reckoning means reckoning the bhavas from lord of lagna in regular
zodiacal (Udaya chakra) fashion. So, the lord of the lagna will be the 1st house (Tanu
Bhava) and the subsequent bhavas are the planets next to him by Udaya chakra
(Zodiacal) fashion. After the 9 bhavas, then lord of lagna will be the 10th bhava, 2nd
bhava and 6th bhava found above in Graha Chakra will be the 11th bhava and the 12th
bhava respectively. Please follow the illustration below.

Udaya Chakra is used in usual horoscopic interpretation, Sthira dasa, Brahma dasa etc.
Prakriti Chakra is extensively used calculation of 8th house for longevity, Niryana Sula
Dasas, Varnada Dasa, Chara dasa (Raghava Bhatta method), Hora dasa etc.
Vikriti Chakra is used in Chara Dasa (Raghava Bhatta method) for female charts etc.

3 Graha Chakra - Illustrations:

3.1 Important Principles:

1. The longitude of Rahu and Ketu should be calculated from end of sign. For example if
Rahu is at 27⁰10′, then effectively Rahu covered only (30⁰ - 27⁰10′ = 2⁰50′). Similarly for
Ketu as well.

2. It must be understood that if two or more planets occupy the same sign, then the
2
planet that gets lesser degree, minutes, seconds (DMS) in the sign is considered first .
Then next higher DMS planet and so on. Please follow the examples below to
understand this.

3. Irrespective of the longitude of the lord of lagna in the sign, he will be considered as
Tanu Bhava.

3.2 Steps In Identifying the Bhavas in Graha Chakra:

Step 1: Identify the lord of lagna and its placement. He represents First house

2
This clue is given exclusively in Somanatha Kalpalatha commentary.
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Step 2: See whether any planet conjunct with lord of lagna, that planet becomes, the
second house. If more than one planet conjunct with lagna lord, decide the
planet’s order using the principle 2 given above in previous page.
Step 3: Move on to next sign and repeat the step 2
Step 4: Repeat the step 3 until all the nine planets are covered, that is nine bhavas are
determined.
Step 5: Now, the lagna lord itself becomes the Rajya bhava (10th house)
Step 6: The planet determined above as second house in step 2 becomes Labha bhava
(11th house).
Step 7: The planet determined above as representing 6th house becomes Vyaya Bhava
(12th house). This is a very important rider.

Please follow the illustrations below to understand peculiar principles mentioned above.

3.3 Illustrations

Example 1:
In the following chart,

Step 1: In this chart Lagna falls in Pisces and its lord is Jupiter placed in Aquarius. So,
Jupiter represents Tanu Bhava (First House).
Step 2: Since no planet conjunct with lord of lagna, move on to step 3.
Step 3: In the next sign Pisces, two Venus at 15⁰12′ and Mars at 21⁰40′ are placed in.
Since Venus obtaining lesser Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS), he is
considered first and becomes Dhana Bhava (2nd house) and subsequently Mars
becomes Bhatri Bhava (3rd house).

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Step 4: Similarly, Sun, Mercury, Ketu, Saturn, Moon, Rahu becomes 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
and 9th houses respectively.
Step 5: Lord of lagna, (i.e.; 1st house in Graha Chakra) Jupiter, becomes the Rajya
Bhava (10th house).
Step 6: The planet representing 2nd house in this Graha Chakra, that is Venus in this
case, becomes Labha Bhava (11th house).
Step 7: Ketu represents Vyaya Bhava (12th house) being the 6th bhava in Graha Chakra.
In, summarizing the above exercise, the following table can be constructed.

House Bhava Planet

1st Tanu Bhava Jupiter
2nd Dhana Bhava Venus
3rd Sahaja Bhava Mars
4th Matri Bhava Sun
5th Putra Bhava Mercury
6th Satri Bhava Ketu
7th Kalatra Bhava Saturn
8th Mrityu Bhava Moon
9th Bhagya Bhava Rahu
10th Karma Bhava Jupiter
11th Labha Bhava Venus
12th Vyaya Bhava Ketu

Example 2:
In the following chart, seven planets are occupied in sign Capricorn. Let us construct the
Graha chakra.

Step 1: Lord of Lagna Saturn is placed in Capricorn. So he becomes 1st house.

Step 2: Since a number of planets are conjunct with Saturn, we have to consider the
longitudes of the planets. Mars is at 4⁰30′ and Ketu covered (30 – 25⁰09′) 4⁰51′.
Try to understand this situation. Both Mars and Ketu covered equal degrees of
4⁰. Now, look at the minutes of these planets, Mars is at 30 minutes of 4th degree
where as Ketu at 51 minute of 4th degree. So, as Mars gets lesser minutes,
factually lesser DMS in the sign, Mars becomes 2nd house and Ketu becomes 3rd
house.
Step 3, 4: Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Rahu, Moon becomes the respective 4th, 5th, 6th,
7th, 8th, 9th bhavas in the order of their longitudes in increasing order.
Step 5: Lord of lagna (i.e.; 1st house in Graha chakra), Saturn becomes 10th house
Step 6: The planet representing 2nd house in this Graha Chakra, that is Ketu in this
case, becomes Labha Bhava (11th house).
Step 7: The planet representing 6th house in this Graha Chakra, that is Jupiter in this
case, becomes Vyaya Bhava (12th house).

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The following table summarizes the above exercise.

House Bhava Planet

1st Tanu Bhava Saturn
2nd Dhana Bhava Ketu
3rd Sahaja Bhava Mars
4th Matri Bhava Sun
5th Putra Bhava Venus
6th Satri Bhava Jupiter
7th Kalatra Bhava Mercury
8th Mrityu Bhava Rahu
9th Bhagya Bhava Moon
10th Karma Bhava Saturn
11th Labha Bhava Ketu
12th Vyaya Bhava Jupiter

4. Application of Graha Chakra

The classical literature as available now, doesn’t give many clues about interpretation of this
Graha Chakra and it is unfortunate, this wonderful tradition of Jaimini has been lost to us.
A humble attempt to bring out this principle has been in order and the outcome of the
research will be informed at a later stage. For now, the following is given for the benefit of
readers.

This Graha Chakra principle is extensively used in delineating the results of Jaimini Rasi
dasas. The legend of Jaimini Astrology Sri Vemuri Rama Murthi Sastri never calculated a

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dasa without mentioning the Dasa Karakas. These dasa karakas puzzled many astrologers
who happened to look at the horoscopes prepared by him. The calculation of dasa karakas is
based on the principle of Graha Chakra, where the reference point changes from lagna lord
to the lord of dasa sign. For example, in a Leo lagna horoscope, for calculating dasa karakas
of Aries, Mars becomes the Tanu Bhava and so on.

For example, if we look at the “New Light on Jaimini – 2” published in SA’s 1st Annual
issue, the respective dasa karakas were determined using this principle of reckoning Karaka
planets of respective bhavas from lord of dasa rasi. The lord of dasa rasi becomes the Tanu
bhava irrespective of his longitude in the sign.

The second application of this principle has been brought out by Raghava Bhatta vide his
“Jataka Sara Sangraha”, and by Sri Iranganti Rangacharya in recent times. This is explained
in the “Manipravala Rajayoga” article published further on in this issue of Saptarishis
Astrology.

Late D. V. Subba Rao, A Giant Of Astrology

Priyamruti yoga is caused when the 7th lord aspects the 8th lord. The native will
become a widow in the dasa of the 8th lord

When the 5th lord attains a kendra, Padmaraga yoga is caused. This makes one
annihilate enemies. – Vasista Jataka

When the 10th lord obtains a kendra and aspected by a benefic this yoga called
Suprajata Yoga is caused. The native will enjoy life well and becomes a famous -
Vasista Jataka

The lords of 5th and 6th in conjunction occupying the 3rd bhava, confers this yoga
called Saradeepa Sakti Yoga. These people are insignificant, they suffer many sided
agonies, they cannot live in their own houses. These results are severe for persons born
in Kanya Lagna.

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