The Divisional Charts (Vargas) — Beyond the Birth Chart

The Vedic system gives you not one chart but many. The Rasi (D1) chart — your birth chart — is the foundation, but Vedic astrologers consult divisional charts (vargas) for fine-grained readings of specific life domains. The Navamsa (D9) shows the inner reality of marriage and dharma; the Dasamsa (D10) shows career; the Saptamsa (D7) shows children. KarmaWheel computes 20 divisional charts on demand.

This article gives the overview. Each major varga has its own deep-dive article.

How divisional charts are calculated

A varga divides each 30° sign into smaller equal segments, and assigns each segment to a specific sign according to a fixed rule. For example:

• D9 (Navamsa): each sign is divided into 9 equal parts of 3°20' each. The first part of Aries goes to Aries, the second to Taurus, the third to Gemini, and so on.
• D10 (Dasamsa): each sign divided into 10 parts of 3° each, mapped to specific signs.
• D60 (Shashtiamsa): each sign divided into 60 parts of 30 minutes each — extremely fine division.

A planet's longitude in the Rasi chart determines its sign in every divisional chart. So a planet at exactly 24°30' Aries: - Is in Aries in the Rasi (D1) - Is in Sagittarius in the Navamsa (D9) - Is in Cancer in the Dasamsa (D10) - ...and so on for each varga

This is why birth time matters so much — even a few minutes of error can shift a planet from one varga sign to another.

The 20 vargas in KarmaWheel

The classical Shodashavarga (16-fold division) is the canonical set, with KarmaWheel adding a few extras:

You can switch between any varga in KarmaWheel using the chart variant dropdown above the Rasi chart.

How to read a divisional chart

Three rules to keep in mind:

1. Start with the Rasi, then go to the varga

Always read the Rasi (D1) first. The varga gives nuance and depth, not the primary reading. If marriage looks fine in the Rasi but afflicted in the Navamsa, expect smooth wedding logistics with subtle inner difficulties later. If marriage looks afflicted in both, expect challenges to manifest visibly.

2. Apply Lagna logic to the varga

In each varga, there's a varga Lagna — the sign rising in that divisional chart. Houses are counted from the varga Lagna. So Saturn in the 7th from the Navamsa Lagna is read as a marriage indicator within the Navamsa, separate from where Saturn sits in the 7th from the Rasi Lagna.

3. Vargottama planets are powerful

A planet that occupies the same sign in both the Rasi and the Navamsa is vargottama — best of the divisions. Vargottama planets are considered strong regardless of their dignity in the Rasi alone. KarmaWheel highlights vargottama planets visually so you spot them at a glance.

The most important vargas

If you want to start with just a few, focus on these three:

• Navamsa (D9) — the most important of all the vargas. Reveals the inner reality of marriage, dharma, and the fruits of one's actions. Many practitioners give the Navamsa weight nearly equal to the Rasi. KarmaWheel auto-loads the Navamsa right under the Rasi by default.
• Dasamsa (D10) — for career and professional reputation. If you're trying to understand someone's vocational path, the D10 gives the deepest reading.
• Saptamsa (D7) — for children and progeny. Used especially in fertility readings and in reading the chart of someone considering whether to have children.

The other vargas come in for specialized work — D24 for education, D20 for spiritual practice, D60 for past karma readings. Each has its own use case.

The "varga visha" technique

Some advanced readers compute the average sign-strength of each planet across all 16 vargas. A planet that occupies favorable positions in most vargas is considered strong overall, even if it sits in a tricky position in the Rasi alone. KarmaWheel doesn't expose the full varga-visha calculation in the UI yet, but you can manually check a planet across multiple vargas using the variant dropdown.

Related articles

• Navamsa (D9) — deep dive into the most important varga
• The Twelve Houses (Bhavas)
• Choosing Your Ayanamsha — how the ayanamsha affects vargas
• Getting Started with KarmaWheel