Basics
Kalachakra Dasa is (like Vimsottari) a Lunar Nakshatra Dasa, i.e. a Dasa that is based upon the position of the Moon in her Lunar mansion.
But there are fundamental differences between Kalachakra and other Nakshatra Dasas
- Kalachakra is based upon Nakshatra Padas (instead of Nakshatras). The reader may recognize that Nakshatra Padas are the same as Navamsas. That means that Kalachakra is a Navamsa based Nakshatra Dasa.
- It is a Rasi Dasa (instead of Graha Dasa), i.e. the Dasa lords are Rasis and not planets.
- There are different opinions about the calculation methods. This is a problem similar to the Dasas of Jaimini Astrology.
- The Dasa is extremly sensitive for birth time and Ayanamsa changes. So it is applicable only if the native's birth time is quite accurate. A change of Ayanamsa can result in completely different results.
Savya and Apsavya Chakra
Each Nakshatra of the zodiac gets 9 different steps of the chakra. There are therefore 108 * 9 = 972 Dasas in the zodiac.
There are two main step directions of the chakra: direct and reverse motion. The first is called Savya, the second is called Apsavya.
- The motion in Savya is from Aries to Pisces. It begins again in Aries after finishing one cycle of the zodiac.
- The Apsavya motion is similar but reverse. So it proceeds from Pisces to Aries, etc.
There are two different chakras in Savya and Apsavya. So we get in total 4 groups of chakras.
These groups are called
- 1a. Aswini group (first Savya group)
- 1b. Bharani group (second Savya group)
- 2a. Rohini group (first Apsavya group)
- 2b. Mrigasira group (second Apsavya group)
Savya and Apsavya Nakshatras build groups of three. First group (1a/2a) comes at the beginning and at the end of each cycle, i.e. the order is Aswini-Bharani-Aswini for Savya and Rohini-Mrigasira-Rohini for Apsavya.
The table below shows how to map Nakshatras to the 4 chakras.
| Number | Nakshatra | Savya/Apsavya | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aswini | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 2 | Bharani | Savya | 2. Bharani |
| 3 | Krittika | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 4 | Rohini | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 5 | Mrigasira | Apsavya | 4. Mrigasira |
| 6 | Ardra | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 7 | Punarvasu | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 8 | Pushyami | Savya | 2. Bharani |
| 9 | Aslesha | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 10 | Magha | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 11 | Purvaphalguni | Apsavya | 4. Mrigasira |
| 12 | Uttaraphalguni | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 13 | Hasta | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 14 | Chitra | Savya | 2. Bharani |
| 15 | Swati | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 16 | Visakha | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 17 | Anuradha | Apsavya | 4. Mrigasira |
| 18 | Jyeshta | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 19 | Mula | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 20 | Purvashadha | Savya | 2. Bharani |
| 21 | Uttarashadha | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 22 | Sravana | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 23 | Dhanista | Apsavya | 4. Mrigasira |
| 24 | Satabhisha | Apsavya | 3. Rohini |
| 25 | Purvabhadra | Savya | 1. Aswini |
| 26 | Uttarabhadra | Savya | 2. Bharani |
| 27 | Revati | Savya | 1. Aswini |
Remarks
- There is a change of Savya/Apsavya after 3 Nakshatras = 12 Navamsas. So the odd cycles in Navamsa chart are Savya, the even ones are Apsavya.
- Savya and Apsavya change every 3 Nakshatras. But there is Savya at the beginning and at the end of the zodiac; so we can find 6 Savya nakshatras if we proceed from Purvabhadra to Krittika.
Nakshatras corresponding to Groups
The following shows the results of the table above in reverse logical order, i.e. Nakshatras are shown in their groups.
| Group | Subgroup | Nakshatras |
|---|---|---|
| Savya | 1. Aswini | Aswini, Krittika, Punarvasu, Aslesha, Hasta, Swati, Mula, Uttarashadha, Purvabhadra, Revati |
| Savya | 2. Bharani | Bharani, Pushyami, Chitra, Purvashadha, Uttarabhadra |
| Apsavya | 3. Rohini | Rohini, Ardra, Magha, Uttaraphalguni, Visakha, Jyeshta, Sravana, Satabhisha |
| Apsavya | 4. Mrigasira | Mrigasira, Purvaphalguni, Anuradha, Dhanista |
Paramayus
Paramayus is the maximum span of one cycle of the Kalachakra. Paramayus means also maximum span of life. There are 4 types of Paramayus: 83, 86, 85 and 100 years. These values depend on the birth Nakshatra and the Pada.
The table shows the Paramayus for Savya/Apsavya chakra depending on the Nakshatra Pada of the birth chart.
| Type/Years | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savya Chakra | 100 | 85 | 83 | 86 |
| Apsavya Chakra | 86 | 83 | 85 | 100 |
Duration of the Mahadasas
Each Rasi has a fixed duration between 4 and 21 years. See table below.
| Rasi | Lord | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Aries, Scorpio | Mars | 7 |
| Taurus, Libra | Venus | 16 |
| Gemini, Virgo | Mercury | 9 |
| Cancer | Moon | 21 |
| Leo | Sun | 5 |
| Sagittarius, Pisces | Jupiter | 10 |
| Capricorn, Aquarius | Saturn | 4 |