Varga Charts: Gaining a Deeper Look into all Aspects of your Life

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

In Vedic astrology, the 12 houses divide up the various topics of our lives. For example, the 1st house is the house of self and how we apply our intelligence, the 4th house is house of home, mother and heart, the 6th house is the house of illness, enemies and pets, and so on.

However, our lives are complex. This means squeezing every detail about who we are into these 12 houses is not really possible. To gain a deeper look, Vedic astrologers often use Varga charts in their consultations.

What are Varga charts?

Varga means “set” or “division” in Sanskrit, which is why these charts are also referred to as divisional charts in English.

So, what do Vargas do? They act as a magnifying glass, providing a detailed examination of the specific areas of life represented by the twelve houses in the main birth chart.

By analyzing the Varga charts, astrologers can offer a more nuanced and precise reading of the various aspects of our life.

Overview of the 16 Main Varga Charts

1. Rashi (D-1): the main birth chart, representing the overall life and personality of the individual. This is your “natal” chart, and all Varga charts build off of it.

2. Hora (D-2): focuses on wealth and financial matters

3. Drekkana (D-3): provides insights into siblings and sexuality

4. Chaturthamsha (D-4): examines property and home

5. Saptamsha (D-7): relates to children and grandchildren

6. Navamsa (D-9): a crucial chart for marriage, relationships, skills and talents and overall fortune

7. Dasamsa (D-10): focuses on career, profession, and public life

8. Dwadashamsha (D-12): related to parents and inherited traits

9. Shodashamsha (D-16): examines vehicles, comforts, and general happiness

10. Vimshamsha (D-20): relates to spiritual pursuits and inclinations

11. Chaturvimshamsha (D-24): provides insights into education and learning

12. Saptavimshamsha (D-27): focuses on strength, health, and vulnerabilities

13. Trimshamsha (D-30): examines misfortunes, weaknesses, and hidden aspects

14. Khavedamsha (D-40): looks into ancestral influences and karmic patterns

15. Akshavedamsha (D-45): relates to finer aspects of character and life path

16. Shashtyamsha (D-60): a comprehensive chart that provides insights into past life karma and its impact on the current life

Using Varga Charts

Among the Varga charts I use in a consultation, the D-9 for relationships and skill and D-10 are generally the most useful. However, if a client is asking specifically about property, then its worth taking a peek at the D-4. If they have questions about their spiritual path, I would also definitely take a look at their D-20. Although the main Rashi chart also has indicators for this type of information, these Vargas will provide more insight and detail.

Case and point, the D-10.

This is the Varga chart that maps to the 10th house in the Rashi, which represents your career and reputation. Although looking at the 10th house and the 10th house lord in the Rashi chart can give you a feel for what kind of profession a person might be drawn to, the information is still general at best.

However, the information available in the D-10 can tell you details about whether a person is (or should be) employed or in business for themselves, about their office, bosses and mentors, their overall attitude towards work and what type of work is likely to bring success. Very valuable information to have indeed when advising people on professional matters indeed.

A question of timing

Let’s face it: in the West, at least, it’s very unlikely that the medical staff at the hospital is concerned whatsoever with providing a completely accurate birth time an astrologer can later use in their practice. That’s why people often have rounded up birth times on their birth certificate. In many cases, the nurse simply rounded up or down to the nearest quarter. Even if a person has a time listed like 1:37, who’s to say that that isn’t the time the nurse saw on the clock after dressing the baby and putting it in its mother’s arms?

Unless you happen to have been born at a time when the ascendant was close to changing, these differences in the time on your birth certificate and the time of your actual birth don’t matter much. However, they do make a difference when it comes to getting the correct Varga chart. Some Varga charts, like the D-60, require an accurate birth time within just a few minutes, which makes them more difficult to use unless the time has been carefully rectified.

That said, one of the best Varga charts to use for rectification is the D-9 skills and relationships chart. A person is either skilled at drawing or math or they’re not. Their first serious partner was either a playful flirt or a serious stick in the mud. Fine-tuning these kind of details helps you get closer to a more accurate birth time and, in doing so, allows an astrologer to better use these various types of charts in beneficial ways for their clients.

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Michelle R. Dean is a Vedic astrologer and writer based in Berlin. To find out more about Michelle or book a Vedic astrology consultation, swing by here.