What is Ashtakavarga, and how do you read it?
Ashtakavarga is a scoring system that converts a chart into numbers: for each planet, each of the twelve signs receives a count of benefic points (bindu) contributed by eight reference points. Summed across planets it produces the Sarvashtakavarga โ a single strength map of the twelve signs, read as which areas of life have support and which do not.
Written and reviewed by the team that builds the Jyotish Sarathi calculation engine.
Key takeaways
- Ashta = eight. Each planet's scoring uses eight reference points: the seven planets from Sun to Saturn, plus the lagna.
- Bhinnashtakavarga is one planet's table โ its bindu across the twelve signs, out of a maximum of 8 per sign.
- Sarvashtakavarga (SAV) sums the seven Bhinnashtakavarga tables into one row of twelve numbers, totalling 337 bindu.
- The average SAV per sign is about 28. Above that is treated as supported, below as unsupported.
- It is a comparative tool, not a verdict โ it tells you which houses are relatively stronger in this chart.
The idea in one paragraph
Classical chart reading is largely qualitative: this planet is exalted, that one is in a difficult house. Ashtakavarga takes the same information and makes it countable. For each planet you ask, from each of eight reference points, whether a given sign is favourably placed. Every "yes" is one bindu. Do it for all twelve signs and you have that planet's Bhinnashtakavarga โ a numeric profile of where in the zodiac it finds support.
Bhinnashtakavarga: one planet at a time
A single planet's table gives each sign a score from 0 to 8, since there are eight contributors. Read it as: in which signs does this planet operate with support, and in which does it not.
- A high bindu count in a sign means that when the planet acts there โ by natal placement, by transit, or as a dasha lord โ it acts with more backing.
- A low count means the opposite, even if the planet looks well placed by classical criteria.
- Transit use is the common one. A slow planet transiting a sign with few bindu in its own Bhinnashtakavarga is traditionally read as a harder passage than the same transit through a high-bindu sign.
Sarvashtakavarga: the whole chart in twelve numbers
Add the seven planetary tables together and each sign gets a total. Those twelve totals sum to 337 across the zodiac, so the arithmetic mean is a little over 28 per sign. That mean is the reference line:
| SAV in a sign | Conventional reading |
|---|---|
| Around 28 | Average โ no particular support or obstruction |
| Noticeably above 28 (say 32+) | The matters of that house have relative support |
| Noticeably below 28 (say 25 or less) | The matters of that house are relatively unsupported |
Because it is one number per sign, the SAV row is unusually easy to use as a first pass. Look at which houses stand out high and low, then go back to the D1 chart and see why โ the SAV tells you where to look, not what to say.
How to use it without over-relying on it
- 1Read the SAV row first, to see the shape of the chart's support at a glance.
- 2Take the two or three standout houses and read them properly in D1 โ their lord, occupants and aspects.
- 3Use Bhinnashtakavarga for transits. Before judging a Saturn or Jupiter transit, check the bindu that planet has in the sign it is entering. See gochar.
- 4Cross-check with Shadbala. Ashtakavarga scores signs; Shadbala scores planets. They answer different questions and disagreeing is informative.
- 5Never use it alone. A number is not a reading. Ashtakavarga is a map that tells you where to spend your attention.
Why the settings matter here too
Ashtakavarga depends on which sign each planet occupies. Most planets sit comfortably inside a sign, so the tables are stable โ but a planet within a degree or two of a sign boundary can change sign when the ayanamsha or siddhanta changes, and that shifts its entire Bhinnashtakavarga and the SAV totals with it. If a chart has a planet near a cusp, note it before treating the numbers as fixed. See what is ayanamsha.
In Jyotish Sarathi
Full Ashtakavarga with bhava-wise strength evaluation is a premium feature, computed from the same chart as everything else, alongside Shadbala planetary strength. See the features index and the methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What does Ashtakavarga mean?
"Ashta" means eight and "varga" means division or group. Each planet's table is built from eight reference points โ the seven planets from Sun to Saturn plus the lagna โ and each contributes benefic points, called bindu, to the twelve signs.
What is a good Sarvashtakavarga score?
The twelve signs always total 337 bindu, so the average is a little over 28 per sign. Signs noticeably above that average are conventionally read as supported and those noticeably below as unsupported, but the pattern within the chart matters more than any absolute threshold.
What is the difference between Bhinnashtakavarga and Sarvashtakavarga?
Bhinnashtakavarga is one planet's bindu across the twelve signs, out of 8 per sign. Sarvashtakavarga is the sum of the seven planetary tables, giving one total per sign.
Is Ashtakavarga used for transits?
Yes, that is one of its most practical uses. Checking how many bindu a transiting planet has in the sign it is entering, in its own Bhinnashtakavarga, is a standard way of judging whether a transit is likely to be supported or difficult.
In the app
Related guides
- Divisional charts (varga) โ D1 to D60 explainedWhat a varga chart is, how D1 to D60 are derived from one set of longitudes, which chart to read for which question, and why the higher vargas demand accuracy.
- Yogas in a kundali โ what they are and how to read themA yoga is a named planetary combination with a stated result. The main families โ Raja, Dhana, Panch Mahapurusha, Nabhasa, Chandra โ and how to weigh them.