The fourth varga is the Chaturthamsa, from the Sanskrit for “one fourth part”. It is sometimes called the Turyamsa, because turya also means fourth. It is the first of the six charts that appear only in the full set of sixteen, the Shodashavarga, and not in the smaller sets used for quick assessment.
A note on the site’s tools: the divisional charts calculator draws D2, D3, D7, D10, D12, D16, D20, D24, D27, D30, D40, D45 and D60, and the Navamsa calculator draws D9. It does not currently draw the D4. The rule on this page is the classical Parashari rule, and you can apply it by hand with the table below.
What the Chaturthamsa is read for
The tradition ties the D4 to the fourth house of the Rashi chart: home, land, houses and vehicles, the mother’s comfort and the feeling of being settled. Texts describe it as the chart of fortune in the sense of fixed assets and a stable base, and teachers read it when the question is about owning property, building a home, or the lasting comforts of a household.
The fourth house and its lord in the D1 come first, and the natural significators are the Moon for the home and the mother, and Mars for land. The D4 is consulted to see whether those planets are comfortable in this finer chart. As ever, the chart describes themes and not guaranteed results, and decisions about property are practical and financial ones that belong with proper advice.
How the Chaturthamsa is calculated
The Parashari rule gives each sign four parts of 7 degrees 30 minutes. The first part falls in the sign itself, the second in the 4th sign from it, the third in the 7th sign and the fourth in the 10th sign. These are the four kendras (angles) counted from the sign, so every planet falls in a sign that is in kendra to its own.
| Sign divided | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degrees | 0°00′ to 7°30′ | 7°30′ to 15°00′ | 15°00′ to 22°30′ | 22°30′ to 30°00′ |
| Aries | Aries | Cancer | Libra | Capricorn |
| Taurus | Taurus | Leo | Scorpio | Aquarius |
| Gemini | Gemini | Virgo | Sagittarius | Pisces |
| Cancer | Cancer | Libra | Capricorn | Aries |
| Leo | Leo | Scorpio | Aquarius | Taurus |
| Virgo | Virgo | Sagittarius | Pisces | Gemini |
| Libra | Libra | Capricorn | Aries | Cancer |
| Scorpio | Scorpio | Aquarius | Taurus | Leo |
| Sagittarius | Sagittarius | Pisces | Gemini | Virgo |
| Capricorn | Capricorn | Aries | Cancer | Libra |
| Aquarius | Aquarius | Taurus | Leo | Scorpio |
| Pisces | Pisces | Gemini | Virgo | Sagittarius |
Take a planet at 19°40′ of Sagittarius. Each part is 7°30′ long, so this position lies in part 3 (from 15°00′ to 22°30′). By the rule above, part 3 of Sagittarius is Gemini, so the planet sits in Gemini in D4.
Since the parts are 7 degrees 30 minutes long, the D4 Lagna changes roughly every half hour. A birth time that is accurate to ten minutes is a reasonable minimum.
Reading the kendra pattern
Because the D4 uses only the four angular signs of each starting sign, the shifts it produces keep a pattern. A planet in a movable sign in the Rashi chart lands in a movable sign, because the 4th, 7th and 10th signs from a movable sign are also movable. The same holds for fixed and dual signs. In other words, the D4 changes the sign but leaves the quality (movable, fixed or dual) untouched. That makes it a gentle varga in one sense: it never moves a planet from a steady sign to a restless one.
Where schools differ
The rule above is the one found in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and followed by most Parashari teachers. Some sources give it a different name, and a few teachers use other counting orders. If another program shows you a different D4, it is probably using such a variant. The Chaturthamsa is also one of the least used vargas in everyday practice, so published software is more likely to differ here than for the Navamsa or Dashamsa.
How much weight teachers give it
In the commonly quoted Vimshopaka weights the Chaturthamsa carries 0.5 out of 20 in the Shodashavarga, among the smallest shares, and it is absent from the Shadvarga, Saptavarga and Dashavarga. Many working astrologers rarely open it, preferring to read the fourth house and its lord, the Moon and Mars in the D1, and the dasha running at the time of a move or purchase.
This is a good example of how a varga should be held: as an extra voice and never the deciding one. If the D4 seems to disagree with a clear D1 and a supportive dasha, the usual teaching is to trust the main chart.
Using it for reflection
If you want to look at the D4 for your own chart, take the sign and degree of each planet from the divisional charts calculator (the Rashi positions are in its table) and apply the rule above. Look at where the Lagna lord, the fourth lord and the Moon fall. Then look at them again in the Rashi chart, where the house guides explain the fourth house in detail. The previous varga is the Drekkana (D3) and the next is the Saptamsa (D7).
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the D4 chart called?
It is called the Chaturthamsa, and some writers call it the Turyamsa. Both names point to the fourth part, since each sign is divided into four.
↳ What is the D4 used for?
Tradition reads it for home, land, property and a settled base, in the manner of the fourth house of the Rashi chart. It is a supporting chart and not a main one.
↳ How do I find a planet's D4 sign?
Divide the sign into four parts of 7 degrees 30 minutes. The first part gives the sign itself and the next three give the 4th, 7th and 10th signs counted from it.
↳ Why is there no D4 in the calculator?
The divisional charts calculator covers D2, D3, D7, D10, D12, D16, D20, D24, D27, D30, D40, D45 and D60, with the Navamsa in its own tool. The D4 rule is given here so it can be worked by hand.
↳ Does the D4 change the quality of a sign?
No. The 4th, 7th and 10th signs from a sign share its movable, fixed or dual quality, so the chart only moves a planet among signs of the same type.