The Bhamsa takes its name from bha, a word for a nakshatra, and the chart is also called the Nakshatramsa. It divides each sign into twenty-seven parts, one for each of the twenty-seven lunar mansions, and it is the chart the tradition uses to look at what a person is born with: natural strengths, natural gaps and inherited tendencies.
What the Bhamsa is read for
The tradition describes the Bhamsa as showing inborn strength and weakness, the raw material of a character before experience has shaped it. Teachers use it to see how comfortable each planet is at a deep level, since the planets in the D27 are judged by their dignity: in their own sign, exalted, in a friend’s sign or in a difficult one. Some also use it to understand why a person with similar charts to another reacts differently to similar situations.
The idea of “inborn weakness” needs gentle handling. A planet that sits poorly in this chart is read as an area where a person may need more effort or support, never as a fixed flaw. Character is formed by many things, and every birth chart has easy and demanding areas. The site does not read the D27 as a judgement on anyone.
How the Bhamsa is calculated
The Parashari rule used by the divisional charts calculator splits each sign into twenty-seven parts of 1 degree 6 minutes 40 seconds (30 divided by 27). For a fire sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) the count begins at Aries. For an earth sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) it begins at Cancer. For an air sign (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) it begins at Libra. For a water sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) it begins at Capricorn. Each following part takes the next sign in order.
| Sign divided | Part 1 falls in | Last part (27) falls in |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Aries | Gemini |
| Taurus | Cancer | Virgo |
| Gemini | Libra | Sagittarius |
| Cancer | Capricorn | Pisces |
| Leo | Aries | Gemini |
| Virgo | Cancer | Virgo |
| Libra | Libra | Sagittarius |
| Scorpio | Capricorn | Pisces |
| Sagittarius | Aries | Gemini |
| Capricorn | Cancer | Virgo |
| Aquarius | Libra | Sagittarius |
| Pisces | Capricorn | Pisces |
Take a planet at 6°30′ of Virgo. Each part is 1°07′ long, so this position lies in part 6 (from 5°33′ to 6°40′). By the rule above, part 6 of Virgo is Sagittarius, so the planet sits in Sagittarius in D27.
Since 27 is not a multiple of 12, the twenty-seven parts go round the zodiac twice and then continue through three signs of a third round. The first part and the last part of a sign therefore differ: for a fire sign, part 1 is Aries and part 27 is Gemini, 26 signs on from Aries.
Why twenty-seven
A nakshatra spans 13 degrees 20 minutes, and one Bhamsa is 1 degree 6 minutes 40 seconds, so each nakshatra holds exactly twelve of them. Over the whole zodiac there are 324 Bhamsas, which is 27 times 12. The number twenty-seven connects the chart to the nakshatras without using the lunar mansions themselves: the parts of a sign are counted in signs, in the way of the other vargas, and not as nakshatras in order. The nakshatra calculator shows the nakshatra of the Moon and the planets for readers who want that other view.
Sensitivity to birth time
A part of just over one degree is crossed by the ascendant in under five minutes, so the Lagna of the D27 changes in a very short time. If the birth time is approximate, it is wiser to read the planets’ signs and dignity than to rely on the house positions.
Where schools differ
The element-based starts at Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are the rule in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and are used by the site. Other counting schemes exist for this chart and published software varies. Interpretation also varies: some teachers use the D27 for the strength of planets in general, and others for emotional makeup. The chart is not a guide to health, and any health concern is a matter for a doctor.
How much weight teachers give it
In the commonly quoted Vimshopaka weights the Bhamsa carries 0.5 out of 20 in the Shodashavarga, among the lower shares, and it is not in the smaller sets. It is a seldom-used chart in routine practice. Astrologers who use it tend to consult it as a check on a planet that looks strong in the Rashi chart but may lack depth, or the reverse.
The ordinary route to understanding a person’s temperament runs through the Lagna, the Moon and the nakshatra in the Rashi chart, using the guides to planets in the houses and the ascendants. The D27 is an extra detail on that picture.
Reading your own Bhamsa
Choose D27 in the calculator, enter your details, and look at the sign of each planet, its dignity and its house from the D27 Lagna. Compare with the Rashi chart. The Mahadasha explained shows how the running period colours which themes come forward.
The preceding chart is the Siddhamsa (D24) and the next is the Trimshamsa (D30).
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the D27 chart used for?
Tradition reads it for inborn strengths and weaknesses, judging how comfortable each planet is at a deep level. It describes tendencies and is not a judgement of character.
↳ How is the Bhamsa calculated?
Each sign is divided into twenty-seven parts of 1 degree 6 minutes 40 seconds. The count starts at Aries for fire signs, Cancer for earth signs, Libra for air signs and Capricorn for water signs.
↳ Is the Bhamsa the same as the Nakshatramsa?
Yes, these are two names for the D27. Both point to the twenty-seven parts, one for each nakshatra.
↳ Does a weak planet in the D27 mean a flaw in me?
No. It is read as an area that may need more effort or support. Every chart has easier and more demanding areas, and character depends on far more than a chart.
↳ How many Bhamsas are in one nakshatra?
Twelve. A nakshatra spans 13 degrees 20 minutes and a Bhamsa is 1 degree 6 minutes 40 seconds.