The Dasamsa (D10) and how it influences Career

Dasamsa and the planets – how do they influence the life and career?

The primary chart that is used in Vedic Astrology is the Rashi chart, it shows the physical path of our life. This is the only chart in which the planets are placed as they actually were in the sky at the time of our birth. However, we can find out much more about each area of our life by using the Varga (divisional) charts. Each Varga relates to either a particular house found in the Rashi, or to an area of life that doesn’t have a designated house assigned to it in the Rashi. In these Varga charts you will often find that the planets are in different signs than they are in the Rashi, and frequently in different houses. The same applies to the Ascendant in the Varga charts as well. These charts are not considered the physical path of our lives because they are charts that don’t represent the actual physical reality of the Cosmos at the time of our birth, but they are like fractals of the Rashi planetary placements that we can jump into to find the hidden information that expands on the area of life that the Varga is derived from. Each Varga is found through a specific mathematical division, which is unique to each Varga. The placements in the Varga are based on the degree and sign a planet and the Lagna are in in the Rashi; each degree in each sign in the Rashi has a corresponding sign and degree in each Varga chart. This makes the exact degrees pertinent in Vedic Astrology, as is the exact time of birth, especially for the Varga charts in the higher divisions, as the timing gets narrower the higher we go in Vargas.

For this paper, I will be taking a closer look at the Dasamsa, or D10, which is the chart that relates to the Tenth house of the Rashi chart. The Tenth house is the most active house, it shows much about our daily activities, and from these activities we often see the career or work of a person; what we put a lot of our energy into. The Tenth house is also one of the most visible houses, as it’s located straight up in the sky, where the Sun is located at noon, which is a highly visible, prominent place. Because this house is so visible, it can show how people will see us, what we will be known for, and how well known we will be. It also indicates our level of power and authority. The D10 also shows our karmic impact on our environment as well as our daily obligations, as the Tenth house and Saturn are most directly related to karmic actions.

Saturn is the primary karaka of the Dasamsa. Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn, the natural sign related to the tenth house, so we can already see the ties between the Rashi chart and Dasamsa through this relationship. The second most important karaka for the Dasamsa is the Sun. Mercury and Jupiter also have some validity as karakas for the D10. Some astrologers only use Saturn as a karaka, but I will talk about all four of these and what qualities they have that give them extra importance in this Varga chart.

Saturn is the main indicator (karaka) for the Dasamsa because Saturn is the planet of hard work, discipline, and the ability to endure and suffer through difficulties to come out the other side to achieve success. In order to have any level of success in a particular area of life, unless we are simply incredibly lucky, we cannot have a mindset that gives up when things don’t go our way, or when they feel hard. If we are too soft, lazy or unwilling to work, we are unlikely to accomplish much to be proud of. This is the energy that Saturn embodies. He doesn’t care about comfort. He is a very austere planet, he actually thrives on getting down and dirty, doing the jobs that others shun or turn their nose up at; the jobs that are not glamourous, and often they are jobs that make us sweat and exert physical energy. Or they can be monotonous jobs that we dread doing. These are jobs that are absolutely necessary, that if neglected we will soon notice (such as garbage collectors, janitors, and grave diggers) and have a greater appreciation for those who do them, when they are not being attended to. So, in the Dasamsa, a strong and well dignified Saturn gives us the ability to understand that hard work will be needed to experience success, and this is the number one most important understanding that we can have to make it to the finish line, whatever they might be for each individual.

The Sun is also a karaka for the Dasamsa because the Sun represents power, authority, leadership and status. These are all qualities that are connected to a strong career, a person who makes it to the top of his or her profession. A well dignified Sun is a person with great confidence, inspiration and belief in themselves. Another important quality of the Sun is his steadfast energy. The Sun is absolutely consistent. He is always shining his light, in every direction, constantly. He never relents, never gives us, never waivers. This constancy is somewhat similar to the enduring nature of Saturn, and again, a quality that can propel us into success, with a never give up attitude. When we consistently move toward our goals, and apply consistent energy toward them, we are likely to eventually reach said goals.

Mercury is another secondary karaka of the Dasamsa. Mercury in this Varga determines our ability to manage power and authority. With a strongly dignified Mercury in the Dasamsa, we are good at managing our time, so that we efficiently approach our activities in life. This ability to manage our activities, to intelligently determine the best use of our energies and at what time, allows us to reach our goals quickly and with fewer obstacles or unnecessary detours.

Jupiter is the last of the planets that are considered by some astrologers to be a karaka for the Dasamsa chart. Jupiter represents the enjoyment one gets from their power and authority. How much satisfaction does one get from their career or their primary activities in life? This is governed by Jupiter; the dignity and house placement in the D10 will tell us more about the level of satisfaction we derive from our activities and career, and in what way it comes to us. Jupiter can also show us where our blessings and fortune come from in career.

The Moon in the Dasamsa shows us the level of visibility and popularity, our level of mass appeal in career and in our activities as we go about our lives. The Moon shows our ability to connect with others on a personal and relatable level, and how adaptable we are in a particular area of our career or activities.

Mars shows our energy, drive and passion and how well we use it for success in our activities. Mars can show how logically we approach our career. Mars is in some ways like Saturn in that he is one of the two survival planets. With a strong and healthy Mars in the D10, we will have the drive needed to steer us toward success in our activities.

Venus will show us our capacity to make good choices in our activities and career that will lead us to our highest fulfilment. Venus also shows our ability to be diplomatic with others, to connect with others in a way that they can be receptive to, through good manners and etiquette. Depending on the placement of Venus, it might also indicate working in a Venusian ruled career, like fashion, art, performance, luxury items, products made for women and beauty related businesses.

Rahu in the D10 shows our originality, authority or power with foreigners or foreign affairs.

Ketu in the D10 rules our critics.

What the Houses mean in the D10:

First House: The nature and quality – based on the Sign and planets placed therein - with which we can impact the world around us. How our personality and physical presence impacts our career, activities and immediate environment. The type of work we do.

Second House: How we meet the responsibilities of our work and the income generated by our deeds, and how nourishing we find our career.

Third House: Our work-mates, the ability to do what is logically correct for success in the world and the beginning stage of our profession. How well we communicate with others to manage our career. It also shows how well are we able to use our willpower and courage to create a successful career.

Fourth House: The amount of support we feel in our work, the contentment derived from our work and the wealth above and beyond what is needed to meet our needs. It also relates to the contentment and ability to connect emotionally with our career.

Fifth House: The ability to manage our profession or activities, the ability to learn, grow and develop our profession. Our creativity in managing our career. How we use intelligence in our activities.

Sixth House: The debts, delays, and doubts we have about our profession. The enemies we face, employees, and the ability to resist negativity. The obstacles and challenges to achieving what we want in our career.

Seventh House: The kind of trade we do. How we relate to others in our field. How we relate to people we deal with, such as customers, in our career.

Eighth House: The sudden changes, crises and problems we face in career and activities. Longevity or breaks, changes, and ups and downs in the career. Research can also be seen from the Eighth house, which can be an important aspect in some careers.

Ninth House: The Dharma or purpose we feel in our career. The advice and guidance we get from teachers and mentors. Blessings, luck, fortune and support we have in our career.

Tenth House: The totality of our activities in our career and life. The action and activation in our activities and career. The level of success we can gain in our career. Authority figures above us in our job. This house can also directly indicate what work we will do, similar to the First house of the D10.

Eleventh House: The gains in our career as well as our friends and social group that we can network with in our career. The fulfilment of our highest desires in career. The achievements and recognition we get from the career.

Twelfth House: The losses and expenses we incur in our career or the secret activities that harm our career. How we waste time or leak energy in our career. How charitable we in our career.

I’m now going to take a closer look at three planets in a particular Dasamsa chart, and how those planets affect the career or karmic actions of the person, as well as tying them to their house rulership and placement in the Rashi. In the Dasamsa chart I’m using, the Ascendant is Scorpio, with Saturn, Mars and Mercury in the First house. Jupiter is in the Eighth house Gemini, with Rahu. For this assessment, I will look specifically at Saturn, Mars and Jupiter.

Starting with Saturn, He is ruler of the Eighth and Ninth house in the Rashi, going into the Third house. Saturn has -90 points in the Lajjitadi Avashta calculations (coming mostly from his position in the sign of Leo, his enemy). Saturn is in a Kumara Avashta, meaning he can give about 50% of his strength in his aspects. So, Saturn is not very strong, which means he won’t harm the planets he’s aspecting with his full force. However, the person may struggle to bear any suffering that they encounter, and with Saturn in Leo, there will be self-esteem issues due to Saturn’s agitation from the Sun.

With Saturn’s rulership and house placement in the Rashi, this person is very interested in hidden, occult subjects, philosophy, religions and belief systems, and other cultures. Some of the darker aspects of life have also been of great interest to this person, like serial killers, murder and the psychology of people who are prone to these behaviours, as well as death and transformation, and what is experienced after physical death are also of great interest. This Saturn goes into the First house of Scorpio in the Dasamsa. Saturn in this position increases the Eighth house, Scorpionic energies of this Saturn. Bringing it to the first house indicates that this person has a heavy karmic debt that they are working through in this lifetime. The native started working at age thirteen, and was always very good at working hard, though they would exhaust themselves by overdoing it (probably this was more related to Mars being in the First with Saturn), and so this also meant that they didn’t stay at any particular job for very long. For most of their life, up until their mid-thirties, they mostly worked for very minimal pay or in some cases, even worked in service for no pay, as a spiritual practice. They did many physical, menial jobs, though this person is very intelligent. And they had constant changes in work, never a long term, consistent job, until the mid-thirties, which also saw their income increase dramatically. At this time, they built their own business and did quite well in partnership with another Saturnian person. Saturn forced this person to take a very different approach to life than the one they had envisioned for themselves, it was a very humble approach (though they had believed they would work in psychology or a similar profession), and it was very hard for them to rise up until Saturn matured in the thirties.

The next planet we will look at is Mars, which rules the Sixth and Eleventh houses and is placed in the Fifth house, conjunct Mercury, the First house ruler in the Rashi. Mars has a very dominant affect on this person, because of that tight conjunction with Mercury. They find Mars to be the most challenging planet to work with (as can be seen in Kaala Bala, where Mars is the highest in points and percentage – requiring the most awareness to work with), as it gives them a quick temper at times when they wish it wouldn’t. However, Mars is in a Friend’s sign (Libra) and has just -6.3 points in Lajjitadi Avashtas, so is not too harmed. Mars is in Bala Avashta, so he isn’t able to give very much of his negativity to the planets he aspects (about 25% of his total potential). Mars does give this person a lot of drive and passion to pursue their interests, and they have always been naturally good in sports, physical coordination, and they have strong will power and courage. The Mercury/Mars conjunction is a Lajjitadi Avashta, and this person was shamed throughout life by their mother and sister (Mercury rules the First and Fourth houses – self and mother, while Mars rules the Sixth and Eleventh of enemies and elder siblings). This decreased with age and distance.

Mars goes into his own sign of Scorpio in the Dasamsa, making him stronger in the Dasamsa. The native has a very strong, self-directed will to achieve whatever they put their mind to. They are willing to put in the work, and usually feel confident that they are capable of achieving their goals, as long as they have a goal in mind (it must be something they naturally have interest in). Mars in the Dasamsa also rules the Sixth house, which can indicate obstacles, which they have certainly encountered throughout life, but they are able to persevere and overcome most obstacles or find a new direction or approach that will lead them around the obstacle. These obstacles are usually Scorpio related, with many small deaths happening for them throughout life, a shedding of identity that has been quite painful at times. This made it very difficult to fit in to normal routines that other people might live by. This person is seen as a pretty intense, sometimes intimidating person. They have a lot of natural power, which they are quite aware of, and prefer to keep somewhat hidden from others, because they do actually like people and don’t want to affect people in a negative way.

Jupiter in the Rashi chart rules the Seventh and Tenth houses and goes to the First house of Gemini. Despite the above described qualities coming from Saturn and Mars, this person is also a very funny, jovial, broad-minded and accepting, empathic person. Jupiter in the First really uplifts the Rashi, aspecting the Mars/Mercury conjunction by the Fifth aspect, as well as the Fourth house Sun and Venus combination and the Moon in the Seventh house by Rashi aspect. Jupiter is ranked number one in Shad Bala, and has the highest Dig Bala score, though he’s in an Enemies sign. Jupiter is in a Bala Avashta, so, he is not very empowered in this life to give his greatest level of support to the planets he’s aspecting, however it is felt by the native to have protected them quite a bit from extreme difficulties (there certainly still were plenty), and protection might be felt due to having a very deep faith and connection with the Higher, unseen Divine Element as well as seeing as if from above all experience, which makes it all much more bearable. There is a sense that there must be a reason for it all.

Jupiter goes into the Eighth house in the Dasamsa (with Rahu). Jupiter ruling the Tenth in the Rashi, going into the Eighth house of the Dasamsa, can indicate that this person will have many ups and downs in career (as does the Scorpio Ascendant of the Dasamsa). This person will have many changes throughout life, and as far as career goes, it would be best that they chose a career that naturally flows with such changes, that does not involve doing the same work every day, as this can help them avoid some of the more negative indications of this Eighth house placement. This person may gain secret support or knowledge from a secret source. There can be gains through other people’s resources. This can also be a good placement to indicate work as an astrologer, for instance.

The reason I chose this chart, and these three planets is because there is such a strong leaning toward the Eighth house/Scorpio energies, so there is a clear focus in these energies for this person. Along with Saturn, ruler of the Eighth house in the Rashi, Mercury, the Eighth house ruler of the Dasamsa, is also in the First house of Scorpio of the D10. This person is heavily interested and focused on transformation at the deepest levels. Not just as a career choice, but in daily life, this is what they feel compelled to focus on daily. They always feel the need to shed their old skin and leave behind that which doesn’t serve them. They are always refining their habits to make them as pure as they can. They focus on healing and meditation as an important part of their life’s work and goals. If they are not working to transform themselves, then they feel they are not really living.

References:

Asheville Vedic Astrology Teachable Course – by Ryan Kurczak. Courses on the Vargas, Avashtas, and Shad Bala.