Varshaphala Part 2: How to Cast Your Hindu Progressed Horoscope — Step-by-Step Calculation
In Part 1, we explored what the Tajaka system is and how it differs from Parasari and Jaimini. Now we get hands-on: learning to calculate the exact moment your annual chart begins.
Part 2 of 21 • Foundations • Covers: Chapter 2 — Erecting the Progressed Horoscope (Articles 8–16)
Every Varshaphala chart begins with one precise calculation: when does your personal New Year start?
In the Tajaka system, your annual horoscope — called the Progressed Horoscope or Varshaphal chart — is cast for the exact moment when the Sun returns to the same sidereal position it occupied at your birth. This moment is called the Varsharambha (commencement of the new year). In Western astrological terminology, this is the sidereal solar return.
The Core Principle:
Your individual New Year begins at the exact moment the Sun comes back to the same point he held at the time of your birth. The horoscope erected for this moment reveals your results for the coming year.
B.V. Raman provides two methods for computing this moment. Method A follows the traditional Hindu year duration from the Suryasiddhanta. Method B uses the modern astronomical value of the sidereal year. Raman himself came to favour Method B after over 30 years of study, and recommends it to students.
Understanding Indian Time Units
Method A uses traditional Indian time units. Before diving into the calculations, make sure you understand these conversions:
| Indian Unit | Equivalent | Western Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ghati | 60 Vighatis | 24 minutes |
| 1 Vighati | 60 Paras | 24 seconds |
| 1 Para | — | 0.4 seconds |
The weekdays are numbered: Sunday = 1, Monday = 2, Tuesday = 3, Wednesday = 4, Thursday = 5, Friday = 6, Saturday = 7.
Method A: The Traditional Hindu Method
Traditional Based on the Suryasiddhanta year duration. Use this if you believe the ancient value is astronomically (not merely symbolically) accurate.
According to Kesava, the duration of the solar year is 365 days, 15 ghatis, 31 vighatis, and 30 paras. In Western time, this equals 365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes, and 36 seconds.
The Samvatsara Dhruvam (year constant) is obtained by dividing this duration by 7 and keeping only the remainder:
365d 15gh 31vi 30pa ÷ 7 =
Year Constant = 1 day, 15 ghatis, 31 vighatis, 30 paras
The following table gives cumulative year-constant values for each completed age. For two-digit ages, add the values for the tens and units.
| Age | Days | Ghatis | Vighatis | Paras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 15 | 31 | 30 |
| 2 | 2 | 31 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | 46 | 34 | 30 |
| 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | 6 | 17 | 37 | 30 |
| 6 | 0 | 33 | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | 1 | 48 | 40 | 30 |
| 8 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| 9 | 4 | 19 | 43 | 30 |
| 10 | 5 | 35 | 15 | 0 |
| 20 | 4 | 10 | 30 | 0 |
| 30 | 2 | 45 | 45 | 0 |
| 40 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | 6 | 56 | 15 | 0 |
| 60 | 5 | 31 | 30 | 0 |
| 70 | 4 | 6 | 45 | 0 |
| 80 | 2 | 42 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | 1 | 17 | 15 | 0 |
Find the time and date of commencement of the 24th year for the Standard Horoscope (born Thursday, 8 August 1912, at 33 gh. 52 vig. after sunrise):
| Day | Gh. | Vi. | Para | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For 20 | 4 | 10 | 30 | 0 |
| For 3 | 3 | 46 | 34 | 30 |
| Total for 23 | 0 | 57 | 4 | 30 |
(The day total 7 wraps to 0, since 7 = 0 in modular weekday arithmetic.)
| Day | Gh. | Vi. | Para | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 23 total | 0 | 57 | 4 | 30 |
| Birth weekday & time | 5 | 33 | 52 | 0 |
| Result | 6 | 30 | 56 | 30 |
- Day 6 = Friday. The nearest Friday to 8 August is 9 August 1935.
- Time: 30 gh. 56 vi. 30 pa. after sunrise = 6:12:49 PM LMT (or 6:32:33 PM IST).
Result (Method A): The 24th year commences on Friday, 9 August 1935 at 6:12:49 PM LMT (6:32:33 PM IST). The horoscope for this moment is the Progressed Horoscope for the 24th year.
Method B: The Modern Sidereal Method RECOMMENDED
Recommended Based on the modern sidereal year: 365.256374 days (365d 6h 9m 12s). B.V. Raman favours this method after 30+ years of testing.
The modern sidereal year is approximately 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 12 seconds — differing from the traditional Hindu value by 8.5 vighatis (about 3 minutes and 24 seconds). While this seems trivially small for one year, the cumulative drift becomes significant over decades.
"A study of a number of annual charts for over 30 years has convinced me that the modern value of the sidereal year would yield better results. Hence I would urge students of astrology to follow Method B for calculating the Varshaphal charts."
This table uses English time units (hours, minutes, seconds) and the modern sidereal year duration. For two-digit ages, add the tens and units values.
| Age | Days | Hours | Minutes | Seconds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| 2 | 2 | 12 | 18 | 18 |
| 3 | 3 | 18 | 27 | 30 |
| 4 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 36 |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | 45 | 48 |
| 6 | 0 | 12 | 55 | 0 |
| 7 | 1 | 19 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 18 |
| 9 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 30 |
| 10 | 5 | 13 | 31 | 36 |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 30 | 2 | 16 | 34 | 54 |
| 40 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 30 |
| 50 | 6 | 19 | 38 | 6 |
| 60 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 42 |
| 70 | 3 | 22 | 41 | 24 |
| 80 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 0 |
| 90 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 36 |
| 100 | 6 | 15 | 16 | 12 |
Same Standard Horoscope. Birth: Thursday (day 5), 8 August 1912, 7:23:06 PM LMT (time reckoned from midnight, not from sunrise as in Method A):
| Day | Hr. | Min. | Sec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| For 3 | 3 | 18 | 27 | 30 |
| Total for 23 | 0 | 21 | 30 | 42 |
| Day | Hr. | Min. | Sec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 23 total | 0 | 21 | 30 | 42 |
| Birth weekday & time | 5 | 19 | 23 | 6 |
| Result | 6 | 16 | 53 | 48 |
- Day 6 = Friday. Nearest Friday to 8 August = 9 August 1935.
- Time: 16h 53m 48s from midnight = 4:53:48 PM LMT (5:13:32 PM IST).
Result (Method B): The 24th year commences on Friday, 9 August 1935 at 4:53:48 PM LMT (5:13:32 PM IST).
Comparing the Two Methods:
Method A gives 6:12:49 PM. Method B gives 4:53:48 PM. The difference is about 1 hour 19 minutes for the 24th year. This gap grows with age — at 23 years, the cumulative drift is 23 × 3m 24s ≈ 78 minutes. For a person aged 60, the drift would exceed 3 hours, potentially changing the ascending sign and altering the entire annual chart. This is why Raman recommends Method B.
Where to Cast the Yearly Chart
A frequently asked question: should the annual chart be cast for the birthplace or for the current place of residence?
The Varshaphala chart should be erected for the place where the native resides at the time of the solar return. The time of commencement (Varsharambha) is computed using the birth data, but the horoscope itself — the ascending sign, house cusps, and local angles — is set for the person's current location. If you live in New York but were born in Bangalore, your annual chart uses Bangalore birth data to find the moment, but New York coordinates for the chart itself.
The Standard Horoscope: 24th Year Chart
Having computed the Varsharambha moment, the Progressed Horoscope is cast exactly as a birth horoscope would be — using the ascendant, planetary longitudes, and house positions for that moment and location. Here are the planetary positions for the Standard Horoscope's 24th-year chart:
| Planet | Sign | Degree | Absolute Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | 24° 25' | 114° 25' | |
| Scorpio | 17° 26' | 227° 26' | |
| Libra | 14° 32' | 194° 32' | |
| Cancer | 23° 48' | 113° 48' | |
| Libra | 23° 8' | 203° 8' | |
| Virgo | 29° 51' | 179° 51' | |
| Aquarius | 16° 55' | 316° 55' | |
| Rahu | Sagittarius | 22° 58' | 262° 58' |
| Ketu | Gemini | 22° 58' | 82° 58' |
| Ascendant | Capricorn | 2° 0' | 272° 0' |
| Muntha | Capricorn | 12° 0' | 282° 0' |
This chart will serve as our running example throughout the entire series. In the next article, we'll begin computing the planetary relationships, aspects, and strengths that form the backbone of Tajaka interpretation.
What's Next?
You now know how to calculate the exact moment your annual chart begins and can erect the Progressed Horoscope. The next step is understanding how planets relate to and influence each other in the Tajaka system — a system of friendships, enmities, and aspects quite different from what you may know from Parasari astrology.
The unique Tajaka aspect system where aspect quality depends on the aspect type itself, planetary orbs, and the critical difference from Parasari.
Based on
Varshaphala or The Hindu Progressed Horoscope
by B.V. Raman | 13th Edition (1992) | UBS Publishers' Distributors Ltd., New Delhi