The Akshavedamsa takes its name from the numbers in its title: forty-five parts, each of 40 minutes of arc. Like the Khavedamsa it is one of the finest vargas in the set of sixteen, and like it, it is little used outside the Shodashavarga scheme. This page explains what it is for, how the parts are counted and why it asks for care.
What the Akshavedamsa is read for
The tradition links the D45 with the father’s side of the family and the tendencies inherited from it, and with the general character and conduct of a person: the broad moral and practical colour of a life. Teachers who use it look at the ninth house of the Rashi chart, which is classically the house of the father, and at the Sun, the natural significator (karaka) of the father, to see how they stand at a very fine level. A few also use it as a summary of overall conduct, in the way the D1 is a summary of the whole.
The chart describes tendencies and not events. It does not say anything about a father’s health, life or fortunes, and a person’s character is not fixed by the pattern of the signs. If you want to think about your family background, conversation with the family will tell you far more than a chart.
How the Akshavedamsa is calculated
The Parashari rule used by the divisional charts calculator splits each sign into forty-five parts of 40 minutes (30 degrees divided by 45). For a movable sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) the count begins at Aries. For a fixed sign (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) it begins at Leo. For a dual sign (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) it begins at Sagittarius. Each following part takes the next sign in order.
| Sign divided | Part 1 falls in | Last part (45) falls in |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Aries | Sagittarius |
| Taurus | Leo | Aries |
| Gemini | Sagittarius | Leo |
| Cancer | Aries | Sagittarius |
| Leo | Leo | Aries |
| Virgo | Sagittarius | Leo |
| Libra | Aries | Sagittarius |
| Scorpio | Leo | Aries |
| Sagittarius | Sagittarius | Leo |
| Capricorn | Aries | Sagittarius |
| Aquarius | Leo | Aries |
| Pisces | Sagittarius | Leo |
Take a planet at 8°20′ of Capricorn. Each part is 0°40′ long, so this position lies in part 13 (from 8°00′ to 8°40′). By the rule above, part 13 of Capricorn is Aries, so the planet sits in Aries in D45.
Forty-five parts make three rounds of the zodiac and nine extra signs, so the forty-fifth part falls eight signs on from the first. For a movable sign the first part is Aries and the forty-fifth is Sagittarius. The table shows the exact first and last part for every sign.
Same starts as the D16
The D45 uses the same starting signs as the D16: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius for movable, fixed and dual signs. The D20 uses the same three signs with the fixed and dual starts swapped. The only difference between the D16 and the D45 is the size of the parts, and so which part a planet falls in. The distinction is easy to lose when working by hand, which is one reason to rely on the table above or the calculator.
Sensitivity to birth time
A part of 40 minutes of arc is crossed by the ascendant in under three minutes, so the D45 Lagna depends on the birth time to the minute. Teachers who read the D45 insist on a time known to within a minute or two, ideally from a birth record. The planets’ own D45 signs are steadier than the Lagna, though the Moon, which covers 40 minutes of arc in about an hour and a quarter, can change its D45 sign quickly.
Where schools differ
The movable, fixed and dual rule with starts at Aries, Leo and Sagittarius is the Parashari scheme and is used by the site. Other counting orders are in use for the D45, and the chart is so rarely taught that software is not uniform. The interpretation differs more than the arithmetic: some teachers connect it with the father, some with character in general, and some do not use it. If your other program shows a different D45, the cause is probably the scheme or the birth time.
How much weight teachers give it
In the commonly quoted Vimshopaka weights the Akshavedamsa carries 0.5 out of 20 in the Shodashavarga, one of the smaller shares, and it is absent from the Shadvarga, Saptavarga and Dashavarga. It is seldom consulted in everyday practice. A practitioner who uses it will usually do so only after reading the ninth house, the Sun and the dasha, using the site’s guides to planets in the houses and the Sun in each sign as a base.
The fair summary is that the very fine vargas, D40, D45 and D60, are tools for specialists with reliable birth times. For most people the Rashi chart, the Navamsa, the Dashamsa and the running dasha carry nearly all of the useful information.
Reading your own Akshavedamsa
Choose D45 in the calculator, enter your details and look at the sign of the Sun and the lord of the ninth house. Compare with the Rashi chart, and treat the Lagna with caution unless your birth time is exact.
The preceding chart is the Khavedamsa (D40) and the next is the Shashtyamsa (D60).
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the D45 chart used for?
Tradition reads it for the paternal line and the broad character of a life. It describes tendencies only and says nothing definite about family events or health.
↳ How is the Akshavedamsa calculated?
Each sign is divided into forty-five parts of 40 minutes. The count starts at Aries in a movable sign, at Leo in a fixed sign and at Sagittarius in a dual sign.
↳ How is the D45 different from the D16?
Both start counting at Aries, Leo or Sagittarius by the type of sign. The D16 cuts each sign into sixteen parts and the D45 into forty-five, so the same starts give different signs.
↳ Do I need an exact birth time for the D45?
Yes, to the minute for the Lagna. Each part is only 40 minutes of arc, and the ascendant crosses it in under three minutes.
↳ Is the D45 widely used?
No. It is one of the less used vargas, and most astrologers rely more on the Rashi chart, the Navamsa, the Dashamsa and the dashas.