Shadvarga or Shodashvarga (Part 2) Excerpts From The Article Published By Sri B J Rao : *An analysis and study of Shadvargas will convince the reader that the Astrology so far taught and practiced by Astrological Magazine, ICAS, K.N. Rao and the like is not an Astrology at all, but a myth.* The Shodashvargas, Shadvargas etc., are given the names of Rasis, but they are in fact not those Rasis. Our sages have named the vargas after the names of the twelve rasis. In Navamsa the first Navamsa of Aries starts with Aries and ends with Sagittarius in Aries. The first navamsa in Taurus is Capricorn ending with Virgo. The first navamsa of Gemini is Libra ending with Gemini. The first Navamsa of Gemini is Libra ending with Gemini. The first Navamsa of Cancer is Cancer ending with Pisces. The same cycle starts from Leo. There are three cycles each starting with Aries.. The Nakshatra padas i.e., Star quarters and the Navamsas each have 3°20'. The Star quarters and the Navamsas are coteminus. There are 108 Navamsas and there are 108 Star quarters. Among the 108 Navamsas, every 9 Navamsas have the same name of the rasis i.e., There are 9 Aries Navamsas, 9 of Taurus, 9 Gemini, 9 of Cancer, 9 of Leo, 9 of Virgo, 9 of Libra, 9 of Scorpio, 9 of Sagittarius, 9 of Capricorn, 9 of Aquarius and 9 of Pisces navamsas. Of them only Gemini navamsa coterminus with Aswani 3rd quarter in Aries sign alone is the exalted place for Sun. All other Aries navamsas are not exalted places for sun. Similarly every Taurus Navamsa is not the exalted place of Moon. Please see Illustration. Yet since the Navamsa chart is drawn like the Natal chart, it gives an optical illusion into which even Dr. Raman was trapped as can be seen from the following Illustration V. The Author claimed that 'The sun, karaka for father, occupies the 3rd, is debilitated in Navamsa, while moon, karaka for mother is strongly entrenched in his 5th house, mind. The father is two weak to control his wife. The sun debilitated Navamsa in 2nd house from Janmalagna shows, he is a money fiend". He has jumped from Natal chart to Navamsa to fall in a ditch having lost the distance sense. He meant that sun significator for father) posited in the 3rd house scorpio, being posited in Libra Navamsa is debilitated. Sun will be debilitated only when he is posited in Sagittarius Navamsa coterminus with Swathi Ist quarter of Libra sign. In the illustrative horoscope sun is posited in Scorpio sign in Libra Navamsa coterminus with Anuradha 3rd quarter. Hence the author was absolutely wrong. First of all consider different vargas are divisions in the sign (Rasi). The Zodiac divided into 12 known as signs or Rasis have each 30° in extant. Then each sign is subdivided naming them as Hora, Drekkana, Navamsa, Dwadasamsa, Trimsamsa etc. Each of the divisions have to be named to be easily remembered. Refering to the amsas (subdivisions) in degrees and minutes may be difficulty but if they are named after planets or signs it becomes easier to remember them. Just because they are named as Aries, Taurus etc these amsas (divisions) are not actually the Rasis (signs) themselves. The amsas are intended to locate the planets to as accurately as possible in the Zodiac to be able to know the distance from one planet to another. The father away from one planet to the other, lesser will be their mutual influence. If Raman is in Bangalore and Sarma is in Hyderabad, the chances of frequent meetings between them and influencing each other is less, whereas if they are in Bangalore and Mysore their mutual interaction will be more, while if both are in Bangalore; but in different wards the mutual interaction and influence will be more. If both are staying in the same street, they will either be closely attached or become mutual enemies. The amsas give a clue to their mutual distance, reactions etc. When reading an amsa Drekkana, Navamsa, dwadasamsa etc - it should ba read as Sun posited in Aries in Sun hora, Mars Drekkana, Gemini Navamsa, Cancer Dwadasamsa, Saturn trimsamsa is exalted. Then there will not be confusion of jumbling of Rasis and other Amsas as in the case of Illustration No. V. First the planet should be located in a sign with its degrees, then on the basis of the degrees locate the planet in the other amsas by ascending in the chart Illustration III. One amsa (division) of a sign bearing a sign name (aries, taurus etc.) can not be considered with another sign. Then the Himalayan Blunders occured in illustration V can be avoided.