Shashtiamsa D60 Chart Explained

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The Shashtiamsa, or D60, is the finest of the sixteen divisional charts taught by Sage Parashara. Shashti means sixty: each sign is divided into sixty parts of half a degree. Parashara says it is to be consulted for all indications, and when he adds up a planet's strength across all sixteen charts he gives the D60 a larger share than any other, including the rasi chart itself. Tradition explains this by linking the D60 with the karma carried into this birth, the deep background from which the events of life grow.

How the Shashtiamsa is calculated

Each sign of 30 degrees is divided into 60 parts of 0°30'. Unlike most divisional charts, there is no odd and even rule and no movable, fixed and dual rule for the sign. The parts are simply counted from the sign the planet is in.

Parashara's shortcut:

Take the planet's degrees and minutes within its sign and double them.
Drop the fraction.
Divide by 12 and keep the remainder.
Add one.
Count that many signs from the planet's own sign, starting with that sign as one.

Sixty parts make exactly five rounds of the zodiac, so every sign begins with itself and ends with the sign before it.

Worked examples

Sun at 14°20' Leo.

Double 14°20' to get 28°40'; drop the fraction: 28.
28 divided by 12 leaves 4; add one: 5.
The 5th sign from Leo is Sagittarius.
The Sun is in Sagittarius in D60. (It is in the 29th half-degree part, 14°00' to 14°30'.)

Moon at 7°45' Taurus.

Double 7°45' to get 15°30'; drop the fraction: 15.
15 divided by 12 leaves 3; add one: 4.
The 4th sign from Taurus is Leo.
The Moon is in Leo in D60.

Jupiter at 21°10' Sagittarius.

Double 21°10' to get 42°20'; drop the fraction: 42.
42 divided by 12 leaves 6; add one: 7.
The 7th sign from Sagittarius is Gemini.
Jupiter is in Gemini in D60.

Notice how fine the division is. If the Moon in the second example were at 8°05' instead of 7°45', it would move to Virgo.

The sixty named parts

Each of the sixty parts has a name and a nature, gentle or fierce. The list begins with Ghora and ends with Chandrarekha. For odd signs the names are applied in order from the first part; for even signs the order is reversed, so the first part of an even sign takes the last name.

Some of the names sound alarming in translation. They should not be taken literally. They are the old way of saying that a planet in a gentle part gives its results smoothly and a planet in a fierce part gives them with more intensity or effort. No part of the D60 is a sentence passed on anyone, and many accomplished people have key planets in "fierce" parts.

Why Parashara values it so highly

When planetary strength is totalled on a scale of twenty points over all sixteen charts, the D60 receives 4 points, the rasi chart 3.5 and the Navamsa 3. In the ten-chart scheme the D60 receives 5 points and the rasi chart 3. Parashara also remarks that a planet in a benefic Shashtiamsa gives good results and one in a malefic Shashtiamsa the reverse.

This high rank needs to be read with common sense. In Parashara's time the D60 could be used only when the moment of birth had been observed with care. The weight tells us how much the chart matters when it is known to be correct. It does not license anyone to build a reading on a D60 drawn from a rounded birth time.

How to read it, step by step

1. Read the rasi chart and Navamsa first. The D60 confirms and refines; it never replaces them.

2. Look at each planet's D60 sign. A planet in its own, exalted or friendly sign in the D60 has deep support. Results it promises in the rasi chart tend to come more fully.

3. Compare with the rasi sign. A planet in the same sign in the rasi chart and the D60 is strengthened in the way a Vargottama planet is strengthened by repeating its sign in the Navamsa. By the rule above this happens in the 1st, 13th, 25th, 37th and 49th parts, that is, in the first half degree after 0°, 6°, 12°, 18° and 24° of any sign.

4. The Lagna lord and the Atmakaraka. The D60 placements of these two say the most about the person's basic direction.

5. The D60 Lagna and houses, only when the birth time has been rectified. Some astrologers then read the D60 as a complete chart, house by house, exactly like the rasi chart.

6. Timing. The dasha of a planet well placed in the rasi chart, Navamsa and D60 together is usually among the most fruitful periods of life.

Reading a mixed picture

A planet exalted in the rasi chart but in its debilitation sign in the D60 still gives results. The promise is real but comes with more work, or the satisfaction is smaller than the outward success. A planet that is weak in the rasi chart yet strong in the D60 often surprises: it delivers more than expected, usually later in life.

The D60 and birth time

The Lagna takes about two hours to cross a sign, so each of the 60 parts rises for only about 2 minutes. Even the Akshavedamsa D45 is coarser. For this reason the D60 Lagna is one of the tools used in birth time rectification: an astrologer tests which of the possible D60 Lagnas within the uncertain span best fits the known events and nature of the person, compared with the Navamsa Lagna and the other divisional Lagnas.

The planets are safer. The Sun stays in one part for about 12 hours, Mars usually for most of a day, and Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu for several days. The Moon crosses a part in under an hour, so its D60 sign needs a birth time good to a few minutes. Remember also that the choice of ayanamsa shifts every position by the same small amount, and a difference of a few minutes of arc is enough to change a D60 sign for a planet near the edge of a part.

Summary

The Shashtiamsa divides each sign into 60 parts of half a degree, counted from the sign itself: double the degrees, drop the fraction, take the remainder of twelve, add one and count from the planet's sign. Parashara gives it the greatest weight among the sixteen charts and tradition links it with past karma. Use it to confirm what the rasi chart and Navamsa show, rely on the slow planets' D60 signs for ordinary birth records, and read its Lagna and houses only when the birth time has been rectified.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Shashtiamsa chart?

The Shashtiamsa or D60 is the finest of Parashara's sixteen divisional charts. Each sign is divided into 60 parts of half a degree. It is read for all matters, and is traditionally linked with the karma a person brings into this life.

How is the D60 chart calculated?

Divide each sign into 60 parts of 30 minutes of arc and count the parts from the sign itself. The shortcut is to double the degrees, drop the fraction, take the remainder after dividing by 12, add one, and count that many signs from the sign the planet is in.

Is the D60 chart more important than the birth chart?

No. Parashara gives the D60 the highest weight when strength is totalled across the sixteen charts, but the rasi chart and Navamsa remain the basis of every reading. The D60 confirms and refines them.

How accurate must the birth time be for D60?

The D60 Lagna changes about every two minutes, so its houses need a carefully rectified birth time. The D60 signs of the slow planets and the Sun are reliable for ordinary birth records.