How Brihat Jataka counts a planetary aspect
The notes explain drishti, or aspect, through angles measured from a planet’s exact position. Learn the starting point, the ordinary fractions, and the special full aspects in this edition.
STEP 1
Count from the planet’s degree
Let the planet’s exact longitude be the starting point, A. Count that point as the first position, then move in zodiac order in 30° steps. The third position is 60° from A; the seventh is 180° from A. This construction starts from the planet, not the ascendant.
STEP 2
Read the ordinary aspect points
The stanza assigns a fraction of sight to seven angular positions. Here “sight” is the text’s classification for these angles.
| Position from the planet | Angle from A | Fraction of sight |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 60° | ¼ |
| 4th | 90° | ¾ |
| 5th | 120° | ½ |
| 7th | 180° | Full |
| 8th | 210° | ¾ |
| 9th | 240° | ½ |
| 10th | 270° | ¼ |
STEP 3
Apply the special full aspects
The following positions count as full instead of the ordinary fraction. Each of these planets also retains the full seventh aspect.
| Planet | Positions from the planet | Angles from A |
|---|---|---|
| Saturn | 3rd and 10th | 60° and 270° |
| Jupiter | 5th and 9th | 120° and 240° |
| Mars | 4th and 8th | 90° and 210° |
STEP 4
Check one example and its range
For Saturn at 10° Aries, the full-aspect centers are 10° Gemini, 10° Libra and 10° Capricorn. The notes assign a range of 15° on either side of each listed center. Around 10° Libra, that is 25° Virgo through 25° Libra. The notes apply the same range to the special aspects.
This is the angular scheme described in this edition’s notes. The fractions and ranges are traditional chart definitions, not measurements of a physical influence.