Chaturvimshati means twenty-four. The Chaturvimshamsa, often called the Siddhamsa, is the chart the tradition keeps for learning: schooling, the subjects a person takes to, and how far study bears fruit. The word siddha means accomplished, which gives the chart its second name.
What the Siddhamsa is read for
The fourth house of the Rashi chart represents basic schooling and the fifth house higher learning and intelligence, with the second house linked to speech and the ninth to advanced study and teachers. Mercury is the natural significator (karaka) of intellect and skill, and Jupiter of knowledge and wisdom. The D24 is read together with these houses and planets for more detail on education: whether a person is drawn to technical, literary, practical or spiritual subjects, and how steadily study goes.
The tradition’s phrasing is about tendency and not about marks. A chart cannot say whether a particular examination will be passed or what a particular child will study. Students and parents worried about a result are best helped by good teaching, rest and support, and not by a chart. This page is for those curious about how the chart is built and read.
How the Siddhamsa is calculated
The Parashari rule used by the divisional charts calculator splits each sign into twenty-four parts of 1 degree 15 minutes. In an odd sign (Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius) the count begins at Leo. In an even sign (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces) it begins at Cancer. Each following part takes the next sign in order, so the twenty-four parts go round the zodiac exactly twice.
| Sign divided | Part 1 falls in | Last part (24) falls in |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Leo | Cancer |
| Taurus | Cancer | Gemini |
| Gemini | Leo | Cancer |
| Cancer | Cancer | Gemini |
| Leo | Leo | Cancer |
| Virgo | Cancer | Gemini |
| Libra | Leo | Cancer |
| Scorpio | Cancer | Gemini |
| Sagittarius | Leo | Cancer |
| Capricorn | Cancer | Gemini |
| Aquarius | Leo | Cancer |
| Pisces | Cancer | Gemini |
Take a planet at 13°30′ of Scorpio. Each part is 1°15′ long, so this position lies in part 11 (from 12°30′ to 13°45′). By the rule above, part 11 of Scorpio is Taurus, so the planet sits in Taurus in D24.
Because the parts go round the zodiac exactly twice, the signs of parts 13 to 24 are the same as those of parts 1 to 12, and the last part of every odd sign is Cancer, while the last part of every even sign is Gemini. All the odd signs share one pattern and all the even signs another, so the table only has two distinct rows of signs.
The simplicity of the rule
Among the finer vargas the Siddhamsa has an unusually simple start rule: odd signs start at Leo, even signs at Cancer, whatever their element or quality. It resembles the Hora, which also gives odd signs to the Sun and even signs to the Moon, and the Sun’s and Moon’s own signs, Leo and Cancer, are the starting points here as well. The same two signs, Leo and Cancer, are the signs of the D2, which can help in remembering the rule.
Sensitivity to birth time
A part of 1 degree 15 minutes is crossed by the ascendant in around five minutes, so the D24 Lagna is sensitive. As with other fine vargas, teachers advise reading the planets by sign and being cautious about the houses if the birth time is not exact.
Where schools differ
The Leo-for-odd and Cancer-for-even rule is the Parashari scheme and is used by the site. Some writers give other starting signs or reverse the odd and even assignment. The chart is also used far less than the Navamsa or Dashamsa, so published software varies, and a different sign in another program usually reflects a different scheme and not a mistake. Interpretation differs too. Some astrologers read the Siddhamsa for formal education only, others for any kind of learning including crafts and skills.
How much weight teachers give it
In the commonly quoted Vimshopaka weights the Siddhamsa carries 0.5 out of 20 in the Shodashavarga, one of the smaller shares, and it is not in the Shadvarga, Saptavarga or Dashavarga. Many practising astrologers rarely use it and judge education from the fourth, fifth and ninth houses, Mercury and Jupiter, and the dasha running during the student years.
If you are curious about your own chart, open the calculator, choose D24, and note the D24 Lagna, Mercury, Jupiter and the lords of the fourth and fifth houses. Compare with the Rashi chart, where the guides to planets in the houses and the house lords explain the fifth and ninth in detail. The Mahadasha calculator shows the periods that were running during the school and college years.
A balanced view
Learning is shaped by teachers, health, resources, opportunity and effort, and most of these are outside a chart. The Siddhamsa can offer one more way to think about a person’s inclinations, and that is all it is meant to do.
The preceding chart is the Vimshamsa (D20) and the next is the Bhamsa (D27).
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the D24 chart used for?
Tradition reads it for learning and education, together with the fourth, fifth and ninth houses of the Rashi chart and Mercury and Jupiter.
↳ How is the Siddhamsa calculated?
Each sign is divided into twenty-four parts of 1 degree 15 minutes. In an odd sign the count starts at Leo, and in an even sign it starts at Cancer.
↳ Why is it called both Siddhamsa and Chaturvimshamsa?
Chaturvimshamsa means the twenty-fourth part, which describes the division. Siddhamsa, from siddha meaning accomplished, is the name that points to the fruits of learning.
↳ Can the D24 predict exam results?
No. It describes tendencies in learning only, and results depend on teaching, effort and circumstances that no chart can foretell.
↳ Does the D24 need an exact birth time?
It does for the Lagna and houses, since the ascendant crosses a part in about five minutes. The signs of the planets are steadier.