Everything so far in this series has been graha drishti, the aspects of planets, as taught in the Parashari tradition. There is a second system, and it is based on signs. Rashi drishti, the aspect of a sign, belongs to the Jaimini tradition, named for the sage Jaimini to whom the Jaimini Sutras are traditionally attributed. Here the sign does the looking, and which signs it sees depends on whether it is movable, fixed or dual.
This is a different grammar from the one used in the rest of the library, and readers who mix the two get confused results. The aim here is to state Jaimini’s rule, show the table and explain where each approach is used.
The three kinds of sign
Every sign is movable (chara), fixed (sthira) or dual (dwiswabhava), repeating around the zodiac.
| Kind | Signs |
|---|---|
| Movable | Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn |
| Fixed | Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius |
| Dual | Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces |
The rule
The tradition states it in three lines.
- A movable sign aspects all the fixed signs except the one adjacent to it.
- A fixed sign aspects all the movable signs except the one adjacent to it.
- A dual sign aspects the other dual signs.
The adjacent sign that is excluded is the one right next to it. For a movable sign this is the next sign forward (Aries excludes Taurus), and for a fixed sign it is the sign just before (Taurus excludes Aries). That makes every aspect mutual: if Aries aspects Leo, then Leo aspects Aries.
The full table
| Sign | Aspects these signs |
|---|---|
| Aries | Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius |
| Taurus | Cancer, Libra, Capricorn |
| Gemini | Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces |
| Cancer | Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius |
| Leo | Aries, Libra, Capricorn |
| Virgo | Gemini, Sagittarius, Pisces |
| Libra | Taurus, Leo, Aquarius |
| Scorpio | Aries, Cancer, Capricorn |
| Sagittarius | Gemini, Virgo, Pisces |
| Capricorn | Taurus, Leo, Scorpio |
| Aquarius | Aries, Cancer, Libra |
| Pisces | Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius |
Each sign sees three signs, and each is seen by the same three.
What planets do
In the Jaimini method, a planet shares the aspects of the sign it occupies. A planet in Aries aspects Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, and any planet there is aspected too. The look is not weaker or stronger by planet: it does not depend on whether the planet is Mars or the Moon. The nature of the planet still colours what is sent, so Jupiter’s look remains supportive and Saturn’s serious, but the reach is set by the sign.
Jaimini also uses a different set of significators. His chara karakas are assigned by degree in the sign (the planet furthest along is the Atmakaraka, the next the Amatyakaraka and so on). The site’s Atmakaraka calculator and the Amatyakaraka and Darakaraka calculator work these out.
How this differs from Parashari aspects
Compare Aries. By the Parashari method, a planet in Aries looks at Libra by the 7th, and Mars also looks at Cancer and Scorpio. By Jaimini’s rashi drishti, a planet in Aries looks at Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Only the sign of Scorpio coincides, in Mars’s case. The two methods answer different questions, and neither is a corrected version of the other.
| Parashari graha drishti | Jaimini rashi drishti | |
|---|---|---|
| Who looks | The planet | The sign |
| What decides the reach | Count from the planet (7th, plus special looks) | Type of sign (movable, fixed, dual) |
| Strength | Fractions, with the 7th in full | The sign look is simply present or absent |
| Used for | Most Parashari readings, yogas, Shadbala | Jaimini readings and the Chara dasha |
Because the Jaimini method does not use planetary counts, the special aspects of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have no role in it. Nodes are treated by Jaimini commentators in particular ways that differ by lineage, so check which approach a teacher follows. The Parashari debate over nodes is in Rahu and Ketu aspects.
Where Jaimini aspects are used
Jaimini’s system has its own timing method, the Chara dasha, whose periods are governed by signs and the way signs aspect each other, and its own structures such as the Arudha padas and Karakamsha. Any reading using these tools relies on rashi drishti. The planetary periods used elsewhere on this site are the Vimshottari dashas: see mahadasha and antardasha explained.
How to use both without confusing them
- Choose one frame per reading. Use graha drishti in a Parashari reading and rashi drishti in a Jaimini one, and say which.
- Note where they agree. When a planet is seen by both methods, the agreement is a stable sign.
- Do not mix tables. The 7th look is not in the Jaimini table for every sign. Taurus and Scorpio, for instance, are mutually aspected in the Parashari method (they are 7th from each other) but not under Jaimini’s rule, which pairs a fixed sign with the movable signs, as the table shows.
For the planetary system, begin with the 7th aspect of every planet, and for a working sequence, see how to read aspects in a chart.
Checking it in your chart
- Find the sign of the planet or house you want to read in the planet position calculator.
- Identify its type: movable, fixed or dual.
- Use the table to list the three signs it aspects and the three that aspect it.
- Note planets in those signs, and read them by their nature.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is rashi drishti?
It is the aspect of a sign in the Jaimini tradition. Movable signs aspect fixed signs except the adjacent one, fixed aspect movable except the adjacent one, and dual aspect the other dual signs.
↳ How is it different from Parashari aspects?
Parashari aspects belong to planets and are counted from them, with special looks for Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Jaimini aspects belong to signs and depend on the sign type.
↳ Do planets have their own aspects in Jaimini astrology?
Planets share the aspects of the sign they occupy, so they do not have separate counts of their own. Their nature still colours what the sign look carries.
↳ Can I use both systems on one chart?
Yes, if you keep them apart and say which you are using. Where both methods agree on a link, many readers treat it as steadier.