Sage Parasara said in his classic “Brihat Parasara Hora Sastram”:
“There is another dasa called Kalachakra dasa, which is the most respectable of all dasa systems”. Kalachakra literally means “the wheel of Time”. It shows how the wheel of time unfolds events in the life of an individual. Parasara said that Lord Shiva explained this dasa to Goddess Parvati.
Basics
Dasa of a rasi gives the natural results of the rasi. For example, dasa of Pisces may give saattwik religious activities. Dasa of Aries may give enterprise or quarrels or wounds.
More importantly, dasa of a rasi gives the results of the house and planets in that rasi. If Aries has the 5th house in D-7, its dasa may give children. If Pisces has the 8th house in D-6, its dasa may give diseases. If Gemini has lagna in D-24, its dasa may give all-round progress in the accumulation of knowledge. If Sc has AL in D-10 and its lord Mars occupies it, its dasa may bring good developments related to career and status. Dasa of a rasi containing the 8th from AL in D-10 may give a fall in status at workplace. Dasa of a rasi may also give the results of its lord. If Mars is in the 5th house in D-7, Aries dasa may give children.
Samudaaya Ashtakavarga (SAV) plays an important role in deciding the results in a dasa. If a rasi has too many or too few rekhas in SAV of a particular divisional chart, then its dasa may bring favorable or unfavorable results, respectively, relating to the significations of that house in that divisional chart. Usually dasas of rasis with 30 or more rekhas in D-10 SAV bring the best phases in one’s career and dasas of rasis with 30 or more rekhas in in D-24 SAV bring the best periods for learning. One should keep SAV of various divisional charts with one when interpreting Kalachakra dasa.
Deha and Jeeva Rasis
In Error! Reference source not found.-Error! Reference source not found., we listed the deha and jeeva rasis of different nakshatra padas. However, these hold for one born at the beginning of the nakshatra pada. One can have different deha and jeeva rasis based on the elapsed portion in the nakshatra pada.
Deha and jeeva rasis are simply the rasis of the first and the ninth dasas in the case of one born in a savya nakshatra. In the case of one born in an apasavya nakshatra, deha and jeeva rasis are the rasis of the ninth and the first dasas.
In Error! Reference source not found., the first dasa is Sc and the ninth dasa is Sg. Since Rohini is an apasavya nakshatra, Sc becomes jeeva rasi and Sg becomes deha rasi. In Error! Reference source not found., the first dasa is Pi and the ninth dasa is Ar. Since Punarvasu is a savya nakshatra, Pi becomes deha rasi and Ar becomes jeeva rasi.
Deha rasi shows body and jeeva rasi shows the spirit. Benefics and malefics transiting in them affect them positively and negatively (respectively). If Jupiter, Mercury and Venus are transiting in one’s jeeva rasi, one may exhibit a positive spirit and be cheerful. If Mars, Sun, Saturn and Rahu are transiting in one’s jeeva rasi, one may be without any enthusiasm. If Mars, Sun, Saturn and Rahu are transiting in one’s deha rasi, one may face accidents or death.
Gatis (special movements)
We see that dasas progress in a regular fashion in Kalachakra dasa. We either go as Ar, Ta, Ge etc or as Pi, Aq, Cp etc. However, some irregularities can be found. The rasis whose dasas come after an irregular leap go by special names and special results are attributed to those dasas in classics.
(1) A trinal leap (from Sg to Ar or vice versa; from Pi to Sc or vice versa) is called “Simhaavalokana gati” (lion’s leap).
(1) Temporary reversal of the direction is called “Markati gati” (monkey’s leap). When we go as Sc, Li, Vi, Cn, Le, Ge, Ta, Ar etc in savya nakshatras, we temporarily reverse the direction when we go from Cn to Le. So Le is a markati gati rasi. Similarly, when we go as Ar, Ta, Ge, Le, Cn, Vi, Li, Sc etc in apasavya nakshatras, we temporarily reverse the direction when we go from Le to Cn. So Cn is a markati gati rasi.
(1) Leaving one rasi and jumping over it is called “Mandooki gati” (frog’s leap). When we go as Sc, Li, Vi, Cn, Le, Ge, Ta, Ar etc in savya nakshatras, we have 2 jumps – (i) from Vi to Cn and (ii) Le to Ge. So Cn and Ge are mandooki gati rasis. Similarly, when we go as Ar, Ta, Ge, Le, Cn, Vi, Li, Sc etc in apasavya nakshatras, we have 2 jumps – (i) from Ge to Le and (ii) Cn to Vi. So Le and Vi are mandooki gati rasis.
The results attributed to various leaps are given in Table 12.
Table 12: Results of gatis (leaps)
Leap Savya nakshatras Apasavya nakshatras
Lion Fear of animals, loss of friends, distress to near relations, fall in dungeons, danger from poison and weapons, fall from a vehicle, fever, destruction of house Death of father or elders, loss of position
Monkey Loss of wealth, agriculture and animals, death of father or elders Danger from water, distress to father, loss of position, anger of rulers, wandering in the forests
Frog Distress to relatives, elders and father, trouble from poison, weapons, enemies, thieves. In Le-to-Ge leap, death of mother or, death of native, trouble from rulers and diseases are possible. Distress to wife, loss of children, fever, sickness and loss of position
In addition, Parasara listed the directions to prefer and the directions avoid, while travelling and relocating, during different leaps.
(1) In the leap from Vi to Cn, east will give great results. One can take up an auspicious journey in the northern direction.
(1) In the leap from Le to Ge, east should be avoided. A journey to the southwest will be fruitful.
(1) In the leap from Cn to Le, a move in the southern direction results in losses. West is favorable.
(1) In the leap from Pi to Sc and in the normal movement from Sg to Cp, there will be troubles in the northern direction.
(1) In the leap from Sg to Ar, journeys should be avoided, as they may result in sickness, imprisonment or death.
(1) In the normal movement from Sg to Sc, journeys will bring comforts, wealth and sexual pleasures.
In the leap from Le to Cn, western direction should be avoided.
Kalachakra dasa was called “the most respectable dasa of all dasas” by Parasara. There are many controversies regarding its computation. This book follows the approach that this author found the most acceptable based on his study of “Brihat Parasara Hora Sastram” and his practical researches. A significant percentage of this author’s successful long-range life-phase predictions were made using Kalachakra dasaand that is his favorite dasa.
When we learn a new dasa, the first question we should ask is “when should it be applied and what results should be seen in it”. It is illogical to use 10 different dasas interchangably. Mixing up various dasas without knowing the subtle differences between them results in vague explanations. An intelligent astrologer will realize that different dasas are good at showing different kinds of events. Even when different dasas show the same event, they show it from different angles and focus on different aspects of the same event. Without appreciating this, one cannot understand why maharshis described tens, if not hundreds, of dasa systems.
Hence it is important to learn when a dasa can be applied and what kind of results it shows. Some authors suggested that Kalachakra dasa applies only when Moon is stronger in navamsa chart than in rasi chart. However, this author opines that Kalachakra dasa is applicable to all people, as Parasara did not impose any conditions on its applicability and went to the extent of calling it “the most respectable dasa”.
Vimsottari dasa is based on the nakshatra of Moon. Rasi division of the zodiac is ruled by Sun and it shows the physical level. Nakshatra division of the zodiac is ruled by Moon and it shows the mental level. Thus Vimsottari dasa throws light on the state of the native’s mind as time progresses. It focusses on mind.
Narayana dasa shows the progress of lagna in one’s life and it shows the direction taken by one’s life. The focus is no longer on mind, but it is on the real happenings. Of course, one’s mental state directly depends on the direction taken by one’s life and the real happenings in one’s life. In that sense, Vimsottari dasa and Narayana dasa show the same events. But the focus is different.
Kalachakra dasa depends on Moon’s navamsa. Navamsa shows one’s adherence of dharma or duty and throws light on the inner self. So the focus in Kalachakra dasa is state of the inner self and the sense of connectedness in one’s mind. It shows how connected one is with respect to the events in one’s life. For example, a political leader may be running D-10 Narayana dasa of a yogakaraka rasi and he may land political power. He may be running the Vimsottari dasa of Sun who may be exalted in D-10 and so he may be feeling powerful. However, if Kalachakra dasa of a weak and afflicted house in D-10 runs at the same time, his inner self may not feel connected with the events in his career and he may feel a void. On the other hand, if Kalachakra dasa rasi is strong and occupied by benefics in D-10, then one may be successfully involved in activities that keep his inner self engaged.
Narayana dasa specializes in showing what happens in one’s life; Vimsottari dasa specializes in showing how one’s mind views what happens in one’s life; and, Kalachakra dasa specializes in showing how one relates to what happens in one’s life and how connected one feels. It shows the inner motivation behind what happens. These three are the most important of all general purpose phalita dasas.
Different dasas do not provide different alternatives that can be used interchangeably to understand what happens in one’s life, but they provide different angles – or vantage points – to view the same kaleidoscope that life is.