Research

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Niryana Shoola Dasa

According to Dr. B. V. Raman's book "Studies in Jaimini Astrology"
from 1950, considerable importance is given to Niryana Shoola Dasa by
Jaimini-Scholars. However, the explanations by commentators regarding
the method and scope of calculating were vague, and Dr. B. V. Raman
therefore decided to give the most popular method:
Quote:
"If the Lagna is an odd sign, the Dasa must start from the Lagna. If
the Lagna is an even sign, the Dasa starts from the 7th house. The
order is direct or converse according as the Lagna is odd or even. The
duration of each Dasa is 9 years".
I used this method of calculating Niryana Shoola Dasa for many years,
and I got some good results from it. Also I observed that this Dasasystem can be profitably used for all kinds of predictions both good
and bad, and since it was also very easy and fast to use I soon became
very fond of it.
There was however a little doubt in my mind that something important
was missing somewhere, and this feeling motivated me to take a close
look into the Jaimini-Sutras myself to see if perhaps I could find out
something more about this.
I found out that there are really many sutras dealing with different
kinds of Shoola Dasas in Jaimini-Sutras. In some cases they were
calculated from the different Maraka-places and sometimes from the
Karaka-planets. But they all had two things in common:
1) They were of the duration of 9 years each.
2) They moved forewards and backwards in case of odd and even signs.
Up to this point my findings very much confirmed the method given by
the late Dr. B. V. Raman. It was only when I found two sutras one-byone dealing exclusively with Niryana Shoola Dasa that all my doubts
were cleared.
Suddenly I realized how Niryana Shoola Dasa should be calculated and
not only that. There was also an important hint about a peculiar way
of using it for predictive purpose.

Adhyaya 2, pada 4:
Sutra 16: Niryanalabhadishooladasaphale.
"In predicting results, the 7th from the Niryana Shoola Dasa should be
taken first into account".

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Sutra 17: Purushesamahsamanyatah.

"If the Arambha or commencing [Niryana Shoola] Dasa falls in a
masculine sign, then the subsequent Rasi Dasas will be counted
regularly and each Dasa gets 9 years only".
MY NOTES:
In sutra 17 we are being told that in case of
direct and each dasa gets 9 years. But we are
about counting the dasas from the 7th house
Only in the translators own personal notes on
told to do so:

odd signs the dasas are

not being told anything
in case of even signs.
this sutra we are being

Quote:
If the commencing Dasa falls in a feminine sign then the Dasas have to
be counted from the 7th sign from it. In masculine horoscopes the
Arambha Dasa commences from Lagna. In feminine horoscopes it commences
from the 7th.
MY NOTES:
This may be either the translators own opinion or it may perhaps come
from some oral tradition that he knows about. I don't know about that.
I am however not convinced that it has anything to do with Jaimini.
Then sutra 16 informs us that the 7th house should be taken first into
account in case of Niryana Shoola Dasa. But still nothing special has
been said about the 7th house in relation to the even signs.

Turning the table

Perhaps there is a much simpler solution to these two sutras. What if
this 7th-house-business has nothing to do with odd and even signs?
Could it be, that Jaimini is really suggesting the possibility of
turning the table, so to speak, by judging the horoscope from both the
Lagna and from the 7th in case of Niryana Shoola Dasa?
Could it be a speciality of Niryana Shoola Dasa to judge the effect of
the dasa not only from the Dwara Rasi or running Dasa itself, but also
from the 7th house therefrom to get a qualified second opinion?
I think this is a very logical solution, and I have sometimes by
mistake calculated the Niryana Shoola Dasa "wrongly" in case of even
signs by starting from the Lagna itself. I got very nice results from
this anyway. Then I have also seen some cases of the Ascendant being
in an odd sign, where the picture became even clearer when judged from
the 7th house.

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Calculating Niryana Shoola Dasa

Based on this interpretation of sutra 16 and 17 and by ignoring the

idea of counting the dasas from the 7th house in case of even signs, I
have concluded the following two simple rules about Niryana Shoola
Dasa:
1) Niryana Shoola Dasa always starts from the Ascendant running
forewards in case the Ascendant is an odd sign and backwards in case
of an even sign.
2) Each dasa-period runs for 9 years only.

No sub-periods
I have never seen anything indicating Jaimini using sub-periods for
the Dasa-systems having fixed periods like Sthira Dasa and Niryana
Shoola Dasa. I think sub-periods were only calculated in case of Chara
Dasa and the other Dasa-systems based on that particular method of
counting the years.
In connection to Sthira Dasa and Niryana Shoola Dasa I am of the
impression that Jaimini used Navamsa-Dasa for precise timings. I think
the very word Navamsa has a double meaning here by indicating the
dividing of not only the Rashi but also its Shoola-dasa-period by 9.
Therefore the period of each Navamsa-dasa will be ONE YEAR only.
However, the Sthira Dasa starts from the SIGN occupied by the Brahmaplanet, and when used in connection to Sthira Dasa the Navamsa Dasa
should start from the NAVAMSA occupied by the Brahma-planet.

Navamsa Dasa
In case of Niryana Shoola Dasa on the other hand I believe there may
be an additional solution. It seems logical to assume that the Navamsa
Dasa could also start from the Navamsa occupied by the Ascendant
itself. This means we get two different kinds of Navamsa Dasa. But
then of course this whole thing becomes a very delicate matter, since
a minor error in the birthtime of only a few minutes may give a
completely different Navamsa-Lagna.
Anyway, this opens a very interesting area of research regarding
rectification of the birthtime, since Navamsa-Dasa seems to be a very

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effective tool. It is however a diffecult subject for research, since

much depends on very accurate birth-data. It is very easy to go wrong,
and it can be very time-consuming if one has to verify not only the
sign of the Ascendant itself but also each one of the nine possible
navamsas of the ascending sign.
In case of doubt it may be a good idea to play it safe by counting the
Navamsa Dasas from the Navamsa occupied by the Brahma-planet, as I
have described earlier in connection to Sthira Dasa.

Transit Saturn
There seems to be a very interesting relationship between transit
Saturn and the Niryana Shoola Dasa. At first I didn't believe this,
but then little by little I came to realize the obviousness of the
truth in this. Please observe the following sutra very closely:
(Adhyaya 2, pada 4)
Sutra 33: Thathatsanavapiveditavyamityekeacharyavadanti.
"Some Acharyas say that all the results which have been ascribed to
planets and signs in the previous sutras [Adh. 2, pada 4] may also be
predicted with reference to Sani and his position".
MY NOTES:
I far as I have seen, nobody has ever given any kind of serious
consideration to the importance of this sutra. It is one of the very
last sutras in a chapter exclusively dealing with different Dasasystems including the Niryana Shoola Dasa.
I think this sutra is about transit Saturn, and I think Jaimini is
hinting at the possibility of using transit Saturn in connection to at
least one of the Dasa-Systems in particular mentioned in that chapter.
I believe the Niryana Shoola Dasa to be exactly that Dasa-system, and
I have got some very nice results from this.

Rules of judgment
When dealing with Niryana Shoola Dasa one has to be aware of a few
peculiar rules of Jaimini regarding the planets (and transit-Saturn)
and their relation to the 12 houses from the running Niryana Shoola
Dasa:
1) It either works in trines, meaning when the planet is 1st-5th-9th
from a given house.

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2) Or it works by the special Jaimini-aspects, which I have already

described earlier.

Predicting marriage and children

I like to illustrate the sophisticated use of transit Saturn in

combination with Niryana Shoola Dasa by way of an example, and I like
to employ the same example-horoscope as I have used earlier in case of
Chara Dasa, Sthira Dasa and Navamsa Dasa.
Male Person, born December 31st, 1957, Time: 04:00PM, Zone: 1:00
Copenhagen, longitude: 12E35, Latitude: 55N42, Lahiri Ayanamsa.
Asc
Sun
Moon
Mars
Merc
Jup
Ven
Sat
Rahu
Ketu

20:55 Gem
16:24 Sgt
13:01 Ari
12:40 Sco
03:46 Sgt R
05:16 Lib
21:54 Cap
26:07 Sco
15:25 Lib
15:25 Ari

This man was married and got his first child (a daughter) at the age
of 25 when Saturn was transitting in Libra.

Leo-Dasa
The person was born in the Gemini-Ascendant (odd sign) and counting
forewards the period of 9 years for each sign we get the running
Niryana Shoola Dasa at that time as Leo.
When people are being married or starting important relationships then
I have often observed transit Saturn being trinal (1st-5th-9th) from
either the 1st or the 7th house from the running Niryana Shoola Dasa.
Please observe that in this horoscope Saturn by transitting in Libra
is actually trinal from the 7th house of Aquarius.
Indications like this should however always be double-checked by other
methods such as Chara Dasa and its sub-periods or combined Sthira Dasa
and Navamsa Dasa. Also please remember never to go against the
indication of the natal chart. If it is clearly the chart of a

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bachelor then perhaps

predicting marriage!

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one

should

not

be

too

entusiastic

about

In case of childbirth I have often observed Saturn to be either

transiting the 5th-lord or aspecting the 5th-lord from the running
Niryana Shoola Dasa by the special Jaimini-aspects. Please observe
that in this case Saturn is transitting in Libra occupied by Jupiter,
being the 5th-lord from Leo, the running Niryana Shoola Dasa.
The predictions about children should also be double-checked with the
other Dasa-systems, and here again one should not go against the
indication of the natal chart.

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