Ashtakavarga in depth

How does the eight-point scoring system work?

Ashtakavarga ("eight-fold division") is the most number-friendly system in Vedic astrology. Each of the seven planets is scored in every sign by eight givers: the seven planets and the lagna. Each giver either gives a point (a bindu, a dot) or does not (a rekha, a line). Rahu and Ketu are left out in the classical method.

eight judges holding up a yes or no card for every planet in every room. More yes cards, more support.

The three tables

The number of points each planet's table always holds is fixed: Sun 48, Moon 49, Mars 39, Mercury 54, Jupiter 56, Venus 52, Saturn 39, which add up to 337.

How it is read

• Houses: a sign with more than 28 points in the SAV is a supported area of life; under about 25 needs more effort. The 11th house usually scores higher than the 12th; when the 12th scores more, spending tends to outrun income.
• Transits: a planet passing through a sign where its own BAV has 4 or more points tends to give good results there; 3 or fewer, weaker. Saturn crossing a 6-point sign is a very different Saturn from one crossing a 1-point sign.
• Kakshya: each sign is cut into eight slices of 3°45′, ruled in order by Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon and the lagna. A transiting planet gives good results while it is in the slice of a giver that awarded a point there. This pins timing down to weeks.
• Reductions: the classical method reduces the tables (trikona and ekadhipatya shodhana) to get a "pinda" number used for finer timing and the old longevity methods.

the transit table on Dasha Analysis uses each planet's sign support.