Sudarshana Chakra Explained
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Every astrologer learns to read a chart from the Lagna. Many also check it from the Moon. Sage Parashara goes one step further and teaches a method in which the chart is read from three starting points at once: the Lagna, the Moon and the Sun. He calls the diagram the Sudarshana Chakra. Sudarshana means "good to look at" or "clear sight", and it is also the name of Vishnu's discus, a wheel. The chart is indeed drawn as a wheel.
It comes with its own very simple timing method, in which each house governs one year of life.
Why three starting points?
Parashara connects the three with the three sides of a person:
| Reference | Stands for |
|---|---|
| Lagna | The body and the circumstances of life |
| Moon | The mind, feelings and how life is experienced |
| Sun | The soul, vitality and inner authority |
A house is counted from each of them. The 10th house from the Lagna shows the career as it happens; the 10th from the Moon shows how the person feels about and is seen in their work; the 10th from the Sun shows the inner drive and the standing it brings. If all three are strong, the career is strong beyond doubt. If only one is strong, the result is partial.
This is the main value of the method: confirmation. A result promised from three places is dependable. A result promised from one and denied from two should be stated carefully.
How the wheel is drawn
Draw three circles inside one another and divide the whole wheel into twelve sectors, like the spokes of a wheel. Each sector is one house.
- The inner ring is the chart from the Lagna. The Lagna sign goes in the first sector.
- The middle ring is the chart from the Moon. The Moon's sign goes in the first sector.
- The outer ring is the chart from the Sun. The Sun's sign goes in the first sector.
The planets are entered in all three rings in their own signs. Now each sector shows the same house number three times: the 1st house from the Lagna, from the Moon and from the Sun lie along one spoke, the 2nd houses along the next, and so on.
You do not have to draw the wheel. The same information is in an ordinary chart if you count the houses three times. If you are not sure of your rising sign, see How to Find Your Lagna; the usual chart formats are described in North and South Indian Chart Styles.
Example. Lagna in Aries, Moon in Cancer, Sun in Libra. The 7th house is Libra from the Lagna, Capricorn from the Moon and Aries from the Sun. To judge marriage and partnership, look at all three signs, the planets in them and their lords.
How a house is judged
Parashara's rules are the familiar ones, applied three times:
- A house prospers when its own lord or natural benefics occupy or aspect it.
- A house is strained when natural malefics occupy or aspect it without any benefic help.
- Malefics in the 3rd, 6th and 11th houses are helpful, as always.
- Benefics in the 6th, 8th and 12th lose some of their power to help.
- When both benefics and malefics influence a house, the result goes with the stronger side.
Count how many of the three references give a good verdict. Three out of three is a firm promise; two out of three is a good one with some reservations.
When the method applies
Parashara adds a condition. The Sudarshana Chakra is meant for charts in which the Lagna, the Moon and the Sun are in different signs. If two of them, or all three, are in the same sign, their charts are the same, there is nothing extra to compare, and he says to judge from the ordinary birth chart.
The Sudarshana Chakra dasha
The timing method is one of the easiest in astrology.
- Each house rules one year of life, in order.
- The 1st house rules the first year (from birth to the first birthday), the 2nd house the second year, and so on to the 12th.
- The cycle then repeats every 12 years.
To find the house for any year:
> Divide your completed age by 12. Take the remainder and add 1.
| Completed age | House of the year |
|---|---|
| 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 | 1st |
| 1, 13, 25, 37, 49, 61 | 2nd |
| 2, 14, 26, 38, 50, 62 | 3rd |
| 3, 15, 27, 39, 51, 63 | 4th |
| 4, 16, 28, 40, 52, 64 | 5th |
| 5, 17, 29, 41, 53, 65 | 6th |
| 6, 18, 30, 42, 54, 66 | 7th |
| 7, 19, 31, 43, 55, 67 | 8th |
| 8, 20, 32, 44, 56, 68 | 9th |
| 9, 21, 33, 45, 57, 69 | 10th |
| 10, 22, 34, 46, 58, 70 | 11th |
| 11, 23, 35, 47, 59, 71 | 12th |
The year runs from birthday to birthday. And remember the three rings: in a 7th house year, the 7th from the Lagna, the 7th from the Moon and the 7th from the Sun are all active.
Months within the year
Each year is divided into twelve months, one for each house. The first month belongs to the house of the year itself, the second month to the next house, and so on. Parashara divides further, into periods of two and a half days, for those who want finer timing.
Reading a year
Treat the sign of the year as a temporary Lagna and look at the chart from there.
- Benefics in the kendras and trikonas (1, 4, 7, 10, 5, 9) from it favour the year.
- Malefics in the 3rd, 6th and 11th from it also favour the year.
- Malefics in the sign itself or in the 8th and 12th from it call for more care that year.
- The lord of the sign, if strong and well placed, supports the year.
The house groups are explained in Kendra Trikona and Dusthana Houses.
Example. With the Lagna in Aries, the Moon in Cancer and the Sun in Libra, a person who has completed 30 years is in a 7th house year (30 divided by 12 leaves 6; add 1). The active signs are Libra, Capricorn and Aries. Suppose Venus is in her own sign Libra beside the Sun, and Saturn is in Capricorn in the birth chart. From the Lagna, the year's sign holds Venus in her own sign, which favours partnership and public dealings. From the Moon, the year's sign holds Saturn in his own sign, which gives results through responsibility and steady effort. The year is likely to bring a serious commitment, in marriage or in business, that is welcome but carries duties.
Using it with other dashas
The Sudarshana dasha is general. It treats everyone of the same age as running the same house, so it cannot stand alone. Its place is beside the nakshatra dasha:
- The Vimshottari dasha shows which planet's period is running.
- The Sudarshana year shows which house is in focus from the Lagna, the Moon and the Sun.
- Transits show the trigger.
When the Vimshottari period points to a matter and the Sudarshana year falls on the same house, the timing is confirmed.
Summary
The Sudarshana Chakra is Parashara's three-ring chart: the houses counted from the Lagna, the Moon and the Sun, read together so that every judgement is checked three times. Its dasha gives one house to each year of life in a twelve-year cycle and one house to each month within the year. Use it to confirm what the main chart and the planetary dashas already suggest, and trust most the results on which all three references agree.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the Sudarshana Chakra in astrology?
It is a three-ring chart taught by Sage Parashara that shows the houses counted from the Lagna, from the Moon and from the Sun together, so that every matter can be judged from all three at once.
How does the Sudarshana Chakra dasha work?
Each house rules one year of life in order, starting with the 1st house in the first year, and the cycle repeats every twelve years. Within a year each house rules one month, starting from the house of that year.
Which house is active in my current year?
Divide your completed age by 12 and take the remainder, then add 1. At a completed age of 30 the remainder is 6, so the 7th house from the Lagna, from the Moon and from the Sun is active.
Is the Sudarshana Chakra more important than the Lagna chart?
No. It is a way of confirming a reading. A result shown from the Lagna, the Moon and the Sun alike is more certain than one shown from the Lagna alone.
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