Introduction to Vedic Astronomy

(Source: http://esotericteaching.org/initiate/bhakti-

vaibhava/jyotish/vedic-astronomy/404-introduction-to-vedic-astronomy)

An intuitive knowledge of astronomy is essential for a Vedic astrologer. It is also helpful for newcomers to Vedic astrology to conceptualize the astronomical information abstracted in a Jyotish chart.

Vedic astrology or Jyotish is based on a detailed understanding of naked-eye observational astronomy. A competent Jyotishi should be able to understand and visualize astronomical phenomena like the rotation of the earth and its revolution around the sun, the equinoxes and other movements of the sun causing the seasons, solar and lunar eclipses, the concepts of solar and lunar months, the arrangement of the Zodiac and

movements of planets against the background of stars in the sky.

Astronomy is a highly developed subject in Vedic culture. The Vedic astronomers were able to observe and predict the movements of heavenly bodies with very accurate timing without the use of modern instruments, computers or telescopes. Vedic astronomers used time measurements based on astronomical observations accurate to less than one hundredth of a second. They used sophisticated astronomical instruments like the Jantar Mantar, shown here, to

observe heavenly bodies and calculate their present and future positions.

Geocentric Conception

Vedic astronomy and astrology consider the earth as the center, and all other heavenly bodies move around it. Vedic astronomy and astrology are thus geocentric, and not heliocentric (considering the Sun as the reference point) like Western astronomy and astrology.

Vedic astrologers are well aware that nothing in the universe is stationary. Therefore it is irrelevant to consider the movements of earth and other heavenly bodies in relation to an

arbitrary fixed point, such as the sun. It is far more convenient and practical to simply consider the surface of the earth as the central point, and calculate the motions of the bodies of the universe from their actual observed positions in the sky. In other words, Vedic astronomy considers the position and movement of all heavenly bodies in relation to the earth. Vedic astronomy and astrology consider the earth as the center, and all

other heavenly bodies move around it. Vedic astronomy and astrology are thus geocentric, and not heliocentric (considering the Sun as the reference point) like Western astronomy and astrology. The Vedic sages certainly were not ignorant of

Earth’s motion around the Sun. Vedic astronomy understands quite well that the Sun is the center of the solar system. But the Earth, the other planets, the Sun and even the Galaxy are all in constant relative motion. From which point do we measure all this movement? We live on the Earth and see the universe from this vantage point; so for Vedic astronomy, the most practical and convenient fixed point is the pole star, currently Polaris or Dhruva-loka in Sanskrit.

The Zodiac

The Zodiac is the path that the planets follow as they move relative to the background of fixed stars. You can visualize the Zodiac as a belt in the sky, about 18 degrees of arc in width, running around the earth in an east-to-west direction. Several groups of fixed stars are studded along this imaginary belt, divided into groups called Rāśis and Nakṣatras.

The fixed stars are divided into two sets, one of twelve groups and another of twenty-seven groups. The twelve groups, based on the motion of the Sun are called Signs or Rāśis; the twenty-seven

groups of stars are called Nakṣatras, stellar mansions or asterisms. This imaginary belt, with 12 Rāśis and 27 Nakṣatras ranged along on it, is called the Zodiac.

The Zodiac and its divisions of Rāśis and Nakṣatras is the reference for establishing the position of any planet or star in the sky. Since it encircles the earth, it is comprised of 360 degrees. The twelve Rāśis each occupy 30° of arc along the Zodiac, and the twenty-seven Nakṣatras, being equal in size, each span 13°20'.

The heavenly bodies called planets or Grahas move, generally from west to east, in front of the background of the fixed Rāśis and Nakṣatras. The name Graha (graha = Sanskrit ‘to catch hold of’) derives from the fact that while moving against the background of the Nakṣatras, they appear to get hold of one Nakṣatra after the other. Vedic astrology recognizes nine Grahas: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Of course, the Sun is a star, the Moon is a satellite of the earth, and Rahu and Ketu are mathematical points on the Zodiac, but Vedic astronomy and astrology refer to all of them as Grahas. The Grahas (appear to) revolve around the earth along the path of the

Zodiac.

The apparent path of the Sun along the Zodiac is called the ecliptic, because all eclipses occur along this line. The ecliptic passes through the center of the Zodiac, which is inclined at an angle of 23°28' to the plane of the Earth’s equator.

The Geocentric Framework

The most basic Vedic astronomical concepts used in Vedic astrology require an understanding of the earth, its movements, and the apparent movements of the planets around the earth. Putting all these in perspective is basic to visualizing the cosmic situation abstracted in an astrological chart.

The earth is a sphere that rotates from west to east around its axis. The axis of the earth is an imaginary line which connects the north pole and the south pole, passing through its center. Another imaginary line running around the largest circumference of the earth, equidistant from its poles, in an east-west direction is the equator. The terrestrial equator is considered as the zero degree of latitude. Parallels drawn to the equator, either north or south of it, indicate the north or south latitudes, from zero degree at the equator to 90 degrees at either pole.

Imaginary lines can also be drawn on the surface of the earth connecting the north pole to the south pole. Encompassing the circumference of the earth, these correspond

to the 360 degrees of longitude. They are also known as the terrestrial meridians. At present, the meridian passing through Greenwich in England is regarded as corresponding to zero degree of longitude.

The longitudes are marked from zero to 180 degrees east or west of Greenwich. The coordinates of latitude and the longitude locate places accurately on the surface of the earth. The 360 degrees of terrestrial longitude represent a time span of 24 hours, or one complete rotation of the Earth. One hour thus corresponds to 15 degrees of longitude, or one degree of longitude represents 4 minutes of time.

A great circle is any circle whose plane passes through the center of the earth. The equator is a great circle on the earth, equidistant from the north and south poles. Any circle on a sphere whose plane does not pass through the center of a sphere is called a small circle. The equator is a great circle representing zero degrees latitude, and all parallels to it representing the north or south latitudes are small circles.

The meridian passing through Greenwich corresponds to zero degree of longitude, and is termed as the principal meridian or the standard meridian. The angular distance between the Greenwich meridian and the meridian of a given place is called the longitude of a place. Longitude can also be described as the angle between the principal meridian and the meridian of a given place. The Sun crosses the meridian of any place at noon. The intersection of the ecliptic (the sun's apparent path around the earth) with the meridian of any place is called the zenith or midheaven.

The extension of the coordinates of latitude and longitude into space and their projection on the Zodiac is of primary importance to Vedic astronomy. Just as parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude help to locate a place on the surface of the terrestrial sphere, their extensions as parallels of declination and meridians of right ascension help to locate heavenly bodies on the celestial sphere.

The space around the earth extends to infinity. The Celestial

Sphere is an imaginary projection of the earthly coordinates of latitude and longitude into space. The Celestial Sphere has the same components as the terrestrial coordinates described above. The projection of the terrestrial equator into space is called the celestial equator. Similarly the projection of the meridians of longitude join the celestial north and south poles of the Celestial Sphere, and the projections of the small circles of north and south latitude parallel the celestial equator, just as they do on Earth.

The declination or longitude of a planet or other object is the angle between its position and the celestial equator. A planet at the terrestrial equator is said to possess zero degree declination. The declination of a planet thus corresponds exactly with the terrestrial latitude where it would be exactly overhead. The right ascension or latitude of a planet is the angle, measured eastwards along the celestial equator, from the vernal equinox to the point where the object’s meridian intersects the celestial equator.

The earth rotates once about its own axis every twenty-four hours. Along with this rotation, it also revolves around the Sun in one year or 365.2422 days (365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds). This span of time is called a tropical year. The path of the earth around the Sun appears from the earth as the Sun's path around the earth, and is called the

ecliptic. The equator runs around the middle of the earth, dividing it into northern and southern hemispheres. The ecliptic, or Sun's path, does not lie exactly along the equator, but is inclined to it. Half of the Sun’s path thus lies to the north of the equator, and a half of it to the south of the equator. The Vedic sages were well aware of this. Aryabhatta wrote over fifteen centuries ago:

"One half of the ecliptic, running from the beginning of the Rāśi Aries to the end of the Rāśi Virgo, lies obliquely inclined (to the equator) northwards. The remaining half (of the ecliptic) running from the beginning of the Rāśi Libra to the end of the

Rāśi Pisces, lies (equally inclined to the equator) southwards."

The Sun crosses the equator twice a year, giving rise to two equinoxes. The vernal equinox happens around March 21st, when the Sun crosses the equator on its northerly course. The autumnal equinox occurs around September 23rd when the Sun is on its southerly course. On these two days, the Sun is vertically above the equator and the day and night are of equal duration

all over the globe. The declination of the Sun at equinox is zero, as the terrestrial equator represents zero degrees latitude.

After vernal equinox, the Sun moves progressively to the north until it reaches a maximum declination of 23°28'. This occurs around June 21st and is known as the summer solstice. The northern hemisphere experiences the longest day and the shortest night of the year on this occasion, when the Sun is directly above the tropic of Cancer. The reverse holds true for the southern hemisphere.

After the autumnal equinox, the Sun pursues a southward course. It attains a maximum southern declination of 23°28' at the winter solstice around December 22nd when it is vertically above the tropic of Capricorn. The northern hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night of the year on this occasion. The reverse holds true for the southern hemisphere. The obliquity of the ecliptic to the equator thus causes the seasons. When it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in the southern

hemisphere. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere. The horizon is the great circle at the meeting of the earth and the sky. It varies according to the position of the observer on the surface of the earth. For example, for an observer at the north pole of the earth, the horizon corresponds with the equator while the southern hemisphere remains out of view. For one standing at the equator, the great circle passing

through the poles represents the horizon; the two poles lie on the horizon in this case. For any intermediate positions, the horizon too varies accordingly. More and more of the southern hemisphere moves out of the horizon as the observer moves northward, and more and more northern hemisphere moves out of the horizon as the observer moves southward.

The point of the celestial sphere which is directly overhead for the observer is called as the zenith. This is at right angles to the observer's horizon. Its opposite point is known as the nadir. The great Circle that passes in a north-south direction through the zenith and the nadir, through the celestial north and south poles (i.e., the north and south poles of the equator) and through the north and south points of the horizon is called the meridian which has been already referred to.

Rāśis and Nakṣatras

When the Zodiac is divided into twelve equal parts, each part extends over 30 degrees of arc. Such a division is called an astrological sign or Rāśi. A Rāśi consists of two and a quarter Nakṣatras. A particular group of stars in the Zodiac is considered as the starting point of the Zodiac and the twenty-seven Nakṣatras and the twelve Rāśis

begin from this point. A planet located along the Zodiac is located in a particular Rāśi, according to which division of the Zodiac it is in; it is also located in a particular Nakṣatra, depending upon which twenty-seventh division of the Zodiac it is in.

The planets from the Sun to Saturn have been allotted the ownership of these Rāśis. While the Sun and the Moon own one Rāśi each, the remaining planets own two Rāśis each. Rahu and Ketu are not given ownership of Rāśis because as shadow planets they have no physical forms. The names of the twelve Rāśis and the twenty-seven Nakṣatras, and their extent in the Zodiac, etc., are given in the Tables below.

A segment of the Zodiac extending from 6°40'0" to 10°53'20" of Makara Rāśi, involving the last quarter of Uttarashadha, the twenty-first Nakṣatra and the beginning of Shravana, the twenty-second Nakṣatra, is sometimes considered as a separate Nakṣatra by the name Abhijit. This addition increases the total number of Nakṣatras to twenty-eight. In this situation, Abhijit is considered the twenty-second Nakṣatra, and the subsequent Nakṣatras from Shravana onwards change numbers from 23 to 28, instead of 22 to 27.

The Rising and setting of the Rāśis

Written by David Bruce Hughes

The earth rotates around its axis from west to east once every twenty-four hours. Therefore, the entire sky, including the Zodiac, with its fixed Rāśis and Nakṣatras, appears to revolve around the earth from east to west every twenty-four hours. Thus all the Rāśis and Nakṣatras of the Zodiac appear to rise on the eastern horizon and set on the western horizon in the course of every day.

The ecliptic passes through the center of the belt of the Zodiac, which extends 9° on either side. The planets move within the limits of the Zodiac. The earth rotates around its axis from west to east once every

twenty-four hours.

Therefore, the entire sky, including the

Zodiac, with its fixed Rāśis and Nakṣatras, appears to revolve around the earth from east to west every twenty-four hours. Thus all the Rāśis and Nakṣatras of the Zodiac appear to rise on the eastern horizon and set on the western horizon in the course of every day. Six of the twelve Rāśis appear on the eastern horizon during the day, and the other six during the night. At any particular time, six of the twelve Rāśis and half of the Nakṣatras appear in the sky above the horizon, and the other six are invisible below the horizon.

The Rāśi rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth is of primary importance; it is called the Rising Sign, Ascendant or Lagna. The seventh Rāśi from Lagna is the Descendant or setting Rāśi. That is, when a particular Rāśi is rising in the eastern horizon, its opposite Rāśi is setting in the western horizon. The Descendant is always the seventh house of a horoscope.

The points where the meridian intersects the ecliptic are the Medium Coeli (above the horizon, in the southern sky) and the Imum Coeli (below the horizon, exactly opposite to the Medium Coeli). At any location on the earth, the zenith is directly overhead and the nadir is straight down, exactly opposite to the zenith. The zenith or midheaven and the Medium Coeli are located in the tenth house in a horoscope, while the nadir

and the Imum Coeli are in the fourth house.

Sidereal Time

The earth rotates around its axis in 24 hours; this is called a mean solar day. A sidereal day is 3 minutes and 56 seconds, or roughly 4 minutes shorter than the mean solar day. Why is the mean solar day longer than the sidereal day?

The earth rotates around its axis in 24 hours; this is called a mean solar day. From noon to noon is exactly 24 hours. In other words, the mean solar day is the time interval of earth's rotation in relation to the Sun. However, the earth completes one rotation with reference to any fixed star in the Zodiac in exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.09 seconds, to be precise. One rotation of the earth in relation to a fixed star is called a sidereal day. In other words, a sidereal day is the time interval between two successive transits of a fixed star over the meridian of a place. A sidereal day is 3 minutes and 56 seconds, or roughly 4 minutes shorter than the mean solar day.

Why is the mean solar day longer than the sidereal day? By the time the earth rotates once with reference to a fixed star, i.e., in one sidereal day, the Sun has moved by approximately 1° further along the Zodiac. In order for the earth to achieve the same position with reference to the Sun, it has to rotate an extra 1° thereby consuming approximately 4 additional minutes each day.

A sidereal day consists of 24 sidereal hours. Time reckoned according to this method is called the sidereal time. Since the sidereal time considers the angular rotation of the earth in relation to the fixed stars of the Zodiac, the earth will attain the same position with reference to the Zodiac every day at the same sidereal time. In other words, for any location, for the same sidereal time, the disposition of the Rāśis of the Zodiac (including the rising Rāśi, the setting Rāśi, the tenth house, the 4th house, etc.) will be the same. This is the reason why it is essential to obtain the correct sidereal time for the purposes of erecting an astrological chart for any given moment of mean solar time as provided by the watch.

Vedic Time Units

The Vedic seers used an elaborate method of reckoning time. They combined genius with religion so that it appeals to the intellectual and the devotee alike.

There were several systems of time units for different purposes.Time is fundamental to all science. All different branches of knowledge and phenomena are under the supreme control of kāla, the plenary representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as eternal time. Nothing exists without Him, and therefore everything, however wonderful it may appear to our meager knowledge, is but the work of the magical time potency of the Supreme Lord. The astrological signs represent the bodily parts of His celestial form, called the Kala-puruṣa. So ultimately all aspects of time are but different manifestations of the Lord.

The Vedic seers had an elaborate method of reckoning time. They combined genius with religion so that it appeals to the intellectual and the devotee alike. The Vedic sages had many units and systems of time measurement according to the particular application. The

following table compares some Vedic units of time with their Western equivalents. On the right is a logarithmic graph comparing the duration of various units of time.

The Vedic sages also had a complete set of angular measurements, even finer than our Western units:

Precession of the Equinoxes

The vernal equinox moves westward at a rate of approximately 50.26 seconds of arc each year. This precession causes a slow increase in the right ascension of the Zodiac. This precession takes 25,800 years to complete one circle. That Vedic Astrology takes this gradual precession into account is the principal difference between it and Western astrology.

The earth revolves around the Sun once in 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. Considered from the earth, the Sun appears to complete one round of the ecliptic during this period, which is called a tropical year. The earth regains its original angular position with the Sun in the span

of a tropical year. A tropical year is also called a year of seasons, since occurrence and timing of the seasons depend on this annual Earth-Sun cycle. If we consider the revolution of the Sun around the earth from one vernal equinox (around March 21st, when the day and night all over the globe are equal) to the next, it takes exactly one tropical year.

However, if we consider the position of the earth with reference to a fixed star of the Zodiac such as first degree of Meṣa (Aries) or the end of Revati Nakṣatra, at the end of a

tropical year the earth appears to lie some 50.26 seconds of celestial longitude to the west of its original position. In order for the earth to attain the same position with respect to a fixed star after one revolution, it takes a time span of 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes and 9.5 seconds. This duration of time is called a sidereal year. The sidereal year is just over 20 minutes longer than the tropical year; this time difference is equivalent to 50.26 seconds of celestial longitude. The difference between the tropical year and the sidereal year is similar to the difference between the solar day and the sidereal day. Each year, the Vernal equinox will fall short by 50.26 seconds along the Zodiac reckoned along the fixed stars. This continuous receding of the Vernal equinox along the Zodiac is called the precession of equinoxes.

Cause of the precession: The earth rotates around its axis like a spinning top. In doing so, its north pole (and, therefore, the celestial pole), describes a circle of some 47 degrees around the pole of the ecliptic. In other words, the point where the plane of the equator intersects the plane of the ecliptic is constantly shifting. This point, 0° Aries or the Vernal Equinox, moves westward at approximately 50.26 seconds of arc each year. This is called the precession of the equinoxes. The result of this precession is a slow increase in the right ascensions of the Zodiac. This precession takes 25,800 years to complete one circle. An appreciation of this precession is of great importance in understanding the basic concepts of Vedic astrology.

Fixed and Movable Zodiacs: The fixed or the sidereal Zodiac considers the Nakṣatras as its basis. Its first degree begins as the first degree of Meṣa (Aries) from a particular point in the Revati Nakṣatra. There is another Zodiac, however, which is reckoned from the Vernal equinoctial point;

here the first point of Aries begins from the Vernal equinox. This is called the movable or the tropical Zodiac. As has been seen, the movable Zodiac continues to recede westward along the stars which characterize the fixed Zodiac.

Because of the precession of equinoxes, the distance between the Vernal Equinox (the 1st point of the movable Zodiac) and the 1st point of Meṣa (Aries) on the fixed Zodiac has been progressively increasing at a rate of 50.26 seconds per year. This distance at any given time is called as the

Ayanamṣa, the difference between the fixed and movable Zodiac. The system that considers the fixed Zodiac is called the Nirāyaṇa (without ayana or movement) system, while the one that considers the movable Zodiac is called the Śayana (with ayana) system. The Niryāṇa values of planetary longitudes can be obtained by subtracting the Ayanamṣa for a given time from the Śayana longitudes.

The Niryāṇa and the Śayana Zodiacs coincided in the year 285 AD when the Ayanamṣa was zero. At the rate of precession of equinoxes stated above, the Ayanamṣa on the 1st of January, 1995 is 23°47'26". The equinoctial precession completes one round in approximately 26,000 years, as mentioned earlier, so that the fixed and movable Zodiacs coincide regularly after this time span. The Ayanamṣa reckoned on the basis of considering the year 285 AD as the year when the Śayana and the Niryāṇa Zodiacs coincided is called the Citrapakṣa Ayanamṣa.

Visualizing a Chart Using Stellarium

Here is something really cool that you can do to visualize the way the sky looked at the time of someone's chart. We use the Stellarium planetarium software to generate a picture of the sky at the time and place of Uddhava's birth, and then compare this with what we would expect to see from his chart.

First of all, here is Uddhava's birth chart:

As you can see, the Lagna is in Dhanuh (Sagittarius). So we would expect to see everything from 13º Dhanuh to 13º Karkata (Cancer) below the horizon, and the other side above horizon. If we take this chart and turn it so that the Lagna is on the eastern

horizon, we get this:

Now we set up the Stellarium for his birth time and location, and after adjusting the projection, we get this:

We are looking toward the north. The green tinted area is below horizon, and the thin orange line is the ecliptic. The declination lines, spaced every hour of right ascension (15º), converge on the north celestial pole. You can see the planets exactly in the positions we would expect them to be from the chart.

This is why I prefer the Southern format for charts: it gives you an accurate picture of the sky from the point of view of standing on the earth, facing north. The square form makes

it very easy to notice angles, Drsti and Argala. The Northern and Western charts put you in a spaceship flying over the Solar System. But Parasara clearly says that we use the earth-centric view because that is our observing point and also where the effects are felt. It's intuitive, and makes an old star-gazer like me feel right at home.

Effects of the Rāśis in Various Bhavas BPHS Chapter 46 Slokas 131-154

Effects of Kāla Cakra Daśā of the Rāśis in Lagna and other Bhavas: 131-132. In the Kāla Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Lagna the body remains healthy and the native spends a life with many kinds of comforts. If the Lagna Rāśi is a benefic one, the good effects are realized fully. If the Lagna Rāśi is a malefic Rāśi, there is likelihood of ill health. If a Graha in exaltation, or in its own Rāśi occupies Lagna, the native is respected by the king or government and acquires wealth. 133-134. In the Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Dhana the native receives good food, enjoys happiness of wife and children, gains wealth, achieves progress in the educational sphere, becomes a clever conversationalist and moves in good society. If the Rāśi be a benefic, good effects are realized in full, otherwise the effects would be of a mixed nature. 135-136. Happiness from co-borns, Dṛṣṭi, patience, comforts, acquisition of gold, ornaments and clothes and recognition by the king, or government, are the effects in the Kāla Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Sahaja. If the Rāśi is a benefic, the good results are realized in full, otherwise adverse effects may also be experienced. 137-138. Good relations with kinsmen, acquisition of land, houses, or a kingdom, conveyances and clothes and enjoyment of sound health, are the effects of the Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Bandhu. If the Rāśi is a benefic one, the good effects are realized in full. If it is a malefic Rāśi, adverse results are also experienced. 139-140. Being blessed with wife and children, favours from Government, enjoyment of sound health, good relations with friends, achievement of fame, good progress in the educational sphere, patience and Dṛṣṭi are the effects of the Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Putra. If the Rāśi is a benefic one, the good results are enjoyed in full. If the Rāśi is a malefic one, adverse effects are also experienced. 141-142. Danger from the king, fire and weapons and the possibility of suffering from diabetes, Gulma and jaundice are the effects in the Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Ari. If the Rāśi is a malefic one, the above adverse effects will be experienced in full. There will be some mitigation of the evil effects in the case of a benefic Rāśi. 143-144. Marriage, conjugal happiness, being blessed with children, gain of agricultural products, cows and clothes, favours and recognition from the king and achievement of

fame, are the effects in the Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Yuvati. The beneficial results will be experienced in full, if the Rāśi is a benefic one. Meagre good effects will be realized in the case of a malefic Rāśi. 145-146. Destruction of a residential house, distress, loss of wealth, poverty and danger from enemies are the effects of the Cakra Daśā of the Rāśi in Randhra. The adverse effects will be realized in full, if the Rāśi is a malefic one. Some mitigation in evil effects may be expected in the case of a benefic Rāśi. 147-148. Felicity in respect of wife, children, house, agricultural activities, performance of good and pious deeds, progress in religious inclinations and privilege of moving in the society of great religious leaders, are the effects in Chakra Dasa of the sign in the ninth house (Dharma Bhava). These of a benefic sign. Very meager good effects will be experienced in the event of the sign being a malefic one. 149-150. Acquisition of kingdom, recognition from the king, happiness from wife and children, success in ventures and performance of pious deeds are the effects in the chakra dasa of the sign in the 10th house. The good results will be realized in full in case of a benefic sign. If it is a malefic sign, the good effects will be few. 151 - 152. Felicity from wife, children and kinsmen, receipt of favors from government, acquisition of wealth and clothes and association with good people, are the effects in the Chakra Dasa of the sign in the eleventh house (Labha Bhava). The good effects will be enjoyed in full in the case of a benefic sign. Very little good will happen in the sign be a malefic one. 153 - 154. Failure in efforts and ventures, pain in the body, loss of position, poverty and unnecessary expenditures are the effects in the Kalachakra Dasa of the sign in the twelfth house (Vyaya Bhava). The adverse effects will be experienced in full in the case of a malefic sign. Some good may happen if the sign be a benefic. Commentary