Vedic Astrology Glossary
Eight-Source Strength System
Ashtakavarga is a Vedic astrology technique that assigns numerical strength scores to each of the 12 houses, based on contributions from all eight planetary sources (the seven planets plus the ascendant). These scores quantify how strongly each house is activated — enabling precise predictions about the timing and quality of results in any life area.
Ashta means eight; varga means division or group. Ashtakavarga creates a comprehensive map of each house's strength by counting how many of the eight reference points (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and lagna) contribute positive energy to each house.
How Ashtakavarga works: For each of the eight reference points, classical rules specify which houses it casts "beneficial" influence toward. Each beneficial contribution adds one point (bindhu) to that house. The total score for any house ranges from 0 to 8 (when counted from a single planet) or up to 56 total points when all contributions are combined (Sarvashtakavarga).
Sarvashtakavarga: The combined score across all eight sources gives each house a total between 0 and 56. Houses scoring above 28 are considered strong; below 28, weak. A house scoring 30+ typically delivers excellent results in its life domain; below 25 signals chronic difficulty in that area.
Ashtakavarga and transit predictions: One of the most practical applications of ashtakavarga is transit timing. When a transiting planet passes through a house that has a high ashtakavarga score for that planet, the transit's results are amplified and generally beneficial. A transit through a low-scoring house produces diminished or delayed results. This allows for remarkably specific predictions about which transit periods will yield results.
Planet-specific Bhinnashtakavarga: Each planet has its own 8-point grid (Bhinnashtakavarga). Saturn's ashtakavarga, for instance, maps which houses have strong Saturn bindhu counts — showing where Sade Sati and Saturn transits will be most productive or challenging. Jupiter's own grid shows where Jupiter transits bring maximum benefit.
Ashtakavarga and Sade Sati: One of the best-known applications is assessing the quality of each year within Sade Sati. If the house Saturn transits during Sade Sati has a high Saturn ashtakavarga score (5+), that year of the 7.5-year cycle tends to produce better results. A low score (0-2) makes that year more challenging.
Limitations: Ashtakavarga is a supplementary technique, best used alongside dasha analysis and natal chart interpretation rather than in isolation. The scores provide quantitative input, but qualitative judgment — the nature of the planet, its sign, aspects, and the lagna — always provides context that numbers alone cannot.
Ashtakavarga is used to numerically assess the strength of each house in the birth chart and to predict which planetary transits (gochara) will produce the best results. A house with a high ashtakavarga score (above 28 in Sarvashtakavarga) reliably delivers good results in its life domain; a low score (below 25) indicates chronic difficulty. When combined with dasha analysis, ashtakavarga scores can pinpoint the most productive and challenging years within any planetary period.
In Sarvashtakavarga (the combined score across all eight sources), a house scoring 30 or above is considered strong and auspicious. A score between 25-29 is average. Below 25 indicates weakness or difficulty in that house's domain. For individual planet grids (Bhinnashtakavarga), a score of 4 or more bindhu in a house is favorable; 5-6 is strong; 0-1 is very weak. The maximum possible score in any house is 8 for a single planet's grid.
Saturn's own Bhinnashtakavarga shows how many bindhu (positive points) each house receives from Saturn's perspective. When Saturn transits a house with 5+ bindhu in its own ashtakavarga, that transit tends to produce relatively good results — discipline leads to reward. When Saturn transits a house with 0-2 bindhu, the transit is more obstructed, delayed, or difficult. This is especially useful for analyzing each year of Sade Sati and identifying which of the 7.5 years will be most challenging.
Birth Chart Report
