Navāṁśa and dharma

Among the sixteen vargas taught by Parāśara, the

most popular and used is the navāṁśa , which consists of a division of a sign of 30º00
'into nine parts of 3º20', where the first part corresponds to a sign of the same element,
but of mobile nature ( chara ).
P. e., If we wish to calculate the navāṁśas present in the bull sign, we must start from
capricorn, which is also a land sign, but of a mobile nature. From there we know that the
firstnavāṁśa is capricorn (00º00 'to 03º20'), the second aquarium (03º20 'to 06º40'), the
third fish (06º40 'to 10º00') and thus follows until virgin (26º40 'to 30º00' ), the ninth and
lastnavāṁśa of the bull sign. There is no secret! The calculation is simple.
Once we learn to divide signs into nine parts, just determine where in each graha falls,
also including the lagna and thus get a new map, the Navamsa , which according to
Parāśara comes to kalatrā - wife or husband , that is, it deals with conjugal life.
But there is something else to be understood from this one term that Parāśara uses to
define the theme of the navāṁśa . Kalatrā refers to the condition of wife, that is, one who
has accepted the dharmaconcerning conjugal life within society, rather than simply living
relationships at random, which conveys the idea of commitment or responsibility related
to navāṁśa . Even the navāṁśa is a division of a sign into nine parts, the ninth bhāva
being called dharma-bhāva , which speaks about ethics and morals . Therefore, when we
speak of navāṁśa , we speak not only of marriage but also of dharma, that is, conduct,
adherence to principles and inner substance.
Therefore, the navāṁśa is not only intended to judge the nature of the wife or husband,
whether the individual will marry or not, whether he will be divorced or widowed, etc. It
also serves the purpose of determining how the individual lives his social role, what sense
he gives to his own life in relation to a wider context, for when we speak of the
ninth bhåva , we speak of the individual's posture in relation to the culture that he has
inherited (both in his community and country and outside it, through personal
experiences and pursuits), which includes his philosophical and religious view.
P. e., When a graha occupies the same sign both the natal chart as the Navamsa , it is said
that he isvargottama where varga means 'division' and uttama 'superior', ie 'superior
character of division'. This word has a quantitative sense of force [1] , but also a
qualitative sense, in which the graha remains faithful to its particular interest, represented
by the sign occupied, which can also be understood as a duty or dharma .
No cp. 32 of Yāvana jātaka are given several examples of how the navāṁśa occupied by
a grahasignificantly shapes its character or function. P. e., It says the following about
Chandra occupying anavāṁśa of Maṅgala (32: 1-2):
"If Chandra occupies a navāṁśa of Maṅgala under the eye of the same, the individual
will be a ferocious thief whose pleasure will reside in killing and to cause damages; if
Śukra is who looks at it, then the individual will enjoy wealth, drink and women in
abundance; Budwa, he will be a thief who will always be changing his residence, if
Sūrya, will be a king who will severely punish the criminals, if Guru, will be a very
intelligent king and endowed with good qualities; dragged by many fears. "
It is evident, through these ślokas, that the posture of an individual can not be determined
successfully without considering the navāṁśas occupied by each graha , including also
the lagna . In view of this, a more appropriate consideration for the navāṁśa is that it
deals with conjugal life because in the first place it is related to our social posture or
conduct, and marriage is a basic institution for the maintenance of a civilized society, that
is , which is based on dharma , the central theme of thenavāṁśa .
In fact, it is worth saying that dharma derives from the word dharaṇa , which means 'to
hold' or 'to hold', so dharma is the ability to maintain or fulfill an intrinsic function. P. e.,
The function of fire is to burn, illuminate and always move upward, while the function of
the human being is to serve lovingly, which presumes to develop social order, living in an
altruistic and dedicated way. Marriage enters there as a fundamental aspect, since it is
through it that most people can live in a more dedicated way, sacrificing for the other. In
addition, without marriage there is no possibility of generating good progeny and
consequently sustaining human civilization, since marriage and dharma go together and
are the basis ofkarma kāṇḍa - the section of the vedas which deals with fruitive action.