Vedic Astrology has stood the test of time. The ancient Vedic Principles are now over 6,000 years old, and can be made even more relevant as we enter the new millennium in helping us empower our lives. More so today than ever, Astrology can help point the way, it can give us more awareness and a tool to make proper choices in life.
Here we demonstrate how the ancient Ashtakvarga techniques of Vedic Astrology can be used effectively for the purpose of predicting future events and also how it can be used conclusively to analyze past events in the life of an entity.
The entity could be anything- a human being, a country or a corporation, which has a natal horoscope chart. The underlying unity is that such an entity is governed by collective or individual will, and has a freedom of choice. It is of course imperative that it has a date of birth, place of birth and time of birth, based on which a natal horoscope is cast and of the natal horoscope can be computed thereafter.
Ashtakvarga is a unique tool in Vedic Astrology, which quantifies the benefic and malefic influence of each planet in precise numerical terms. It is unique in that it combines the effects of different planets and can integrate the effects of different planets with respect to each other. It is also unique that it integrates the natal effects of planets with their transit status in a very simple and elegant manner, compared to very difficult progression techniques of Western Astrology or Dasha Vichar, or Varshaphal techniques of Vedic Astrology.
Further through ashtakavarga, a dynamic model for planet’s effects can be built up, whereas all the other techniques mentioned above are essentially a static model which depends on the horoscope at a specific time, be it the natal chart or the yearly chart or monthly chart.
Since the planets are in perpetual motion, a dynamic model is always preferable over a static model. Further, it is a totally integrated close loop system where the effects of all the planets are simultaneously considered. It is universal and internally consistent and it also is least dependent on an individual astrologer’s judgment. This is because the parameters are very well quantified. Each planet has a universal constant of 8 dots of destiny (Benefic and Malefic combined).
A chart has universal constant of 337 or 386 or 429 dots of destiny depending on whether one includes or excludes Lagna (Ascendant) or Rahu. Probably, this is the reason why Maitreyee says to Parashar in the introduction to Ashtakvarga:
At a later stage, Ashtakvarga techniques somewhat lost its importance. The author believes that primarily due to the immense calculations that are demanded, astrologers stopped using it. Not everybody is as fluent in fast computation as Shakuntala Devi.
However, with the advance of information technology in the last decade, and with enormous computing power now being available at the hands of an astrologer, there is bound to be renewed interest in Ashtakvarga,. More and more astrologers will start using Ashtakvarga, with vengeance for working out their predictions.
Ashtakvarga, will also take its rightful place in prediction technique and will not be yet another tool for Gochar or transit prediction.
One can then truly appreciate the significance of Parashar‘s statement:
“We can give general (Samanya) predictions on the basis of the natal chart. But definite (Nischaya) predictions can be obtained only by Ashtakvarga”
The Karma Index software first computes the standard Ashtakvarga from a horoscope chart. Presently we use Vedic Jyotish Tool for drawing Horoscope that is without considering contributions of Lagna (Ascendant) and Rahu. The input required for this is the position of planets and Ascendant position in the chart only. However, we also input the shadbal of the 7 planets from the natal chart. We then compute an average natal benefic and malefic coefficient of every planet on the basis of both shadbal and Natal Ashtakvarga strength of each planet, based on the number of benefic dots received by each planet in their Natal sign as per their individual Bhinnashtaka Varga. We then compute the daily strength of each planet based on the status of benefic dots received by the planet in the particular sign from its Bhinnashtak and Sarvashtak status.
The values are suitably modified based on whether they have received any benefic dots with reference to Kakshya lord that they are transiting at any point of time. The values are further modified with the dignity of the planet with reference to the Kakshya lord, sign lord as well as the sthanbal, combust and retrogression status of the planet with reference to the sign it is transiting at any given day. The whole value is then further discounted with respect to the Average natal coefficient of each planet to arrive at the Net positive or Net negative index value representing the net benefic or malefic effect of the particular planet for a particular day.
The algebraic sums of the daily index value of each of the 7 planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn) represents the “Karma Index” value for the chart for the particular day. The positive and negative strength, of all planets from the different criterion mentioned above, are all rationalized and expressed in terms of units of 2, the way relative strength of Shadbal is expressed. Thus, after effecting the entire criterion, the maximum or minimum index value for a planet in this model can be ± 22.5 (twenty-two point five).
Thus, if we consider all seven planets, the theoretical maximum or minimum value of Karma Index can be ± 157.5 (one hundred fifty seven point five). Next, we have introduced a concept of “Cumulative Karma Index”. The cumulative Karma Index for the first day is equal to the daily value of Karma Index for the first day. The cumulative Karma Index for the second day is the algebraic sum of Karma Index for the first day and the Karma Index for the second day and so on so forth. Thus, the cumulative Karma Index of any day is the algebraic sum of the day’s Karma Index and the previous day’s cumulative Karma Index.
The theoretical maximum and minimum value of cumulative Karma Index for a year as per this model will be ± 57, 645 (fifty seven thousand six hundred and forty five). However, this is only a theoretical limit and is not astronomically feasible.
Our experience so far shows (after a study of approx. 1,000 Karma Indexes) that the accumulated positive Karma Index for a year will rarely go beyond ± 2,500. The daily value of Karma Index will rarely cross ± 15. Also, our experience shows that if the cumulative Karma Index is greater than 1,000 points per year, it indicates extraordinary success for the native.
Average success is indicated when the cumulative Karma Index is between 500 and 1,000 per year.
If it is between 100 and 500 it shows virtually no progress. It the index is 100 or less per year it indicates negative progress and misfortunes. Misfortunes are progressively greater if the index gets lower and lower negative value.
The cumulative Karma Index gives the telescopic picture of the life of an entity as a whole in terms of positive and negative status. The cumulative process creates a dynamic model.
Apart from Karma Index, in this model we define 12 other indices based on each of the 12 houses of the horoscope chart. For the cumulative Karma Index, we consider all the seven planets but in calculating the index for individual house, we consider the following planets only:
* Lord of the house.
* Planets located in the house in the natal chart.
* Planet aspecting the house in the natal chart (aspects in Vedic astrology sense and not in the sense of Western aspects).
* Planet which is the Natural signifier of the particular house.
Thus, if a planet in a particular chart fulfills more than one criterion for a particular house, it will be considered that many times in calculating the index value for the particular house. It is obvious that maximum number of criterion a planet can fulfill will not be more than 3. Thus 3 is the maximum weight that a planet can get in the individual house index computation. The rest of the calculations are the same as that of Karma Index calculations.
Thus, the software creates a database, which is composed of daily index values of each planet, and the daily index values of Karma Index and 12 other individual house indexes. The software automatically computes the cumulative values, moving averages and any other standard stochastic parameters that may be required by an analyst.
Different queries can be made on this database based on any selection criterion. As we show you here on our website, we can predict the future of any entity- be it a person, a country or the stock market using the model of the Karma Index.