What is Ashtakavarga?
Ashtakavarga means eightfold division. Each of the seven planets, from the Sun to Saturn, has its own table in which eight contributors, the seven planets and the Ascendant, either give or withhold a benefic point in each sign according to fixed rules. The result is the Bhinnashtakavarga, or BAV, of that planet.
The total number of bindus in each planet’s BAV never changes from chart to chart: the Sun has 48, the Moon 49, Mars 39, Mercury 54, Jupiter 56, Venus 52 and Saturn 39. Together they make 337. What changes from chart to chart is where the points fall.
Reading the Sarvashtakavarga (SAV)
Adding the seven BAV tables gives the Sarvashtakavarga, a score for each sign. Since 337 points are spread over twelve signs, the average is about 28. A sign or house scoring well above 28 is treated as strong and supportive, and one well below it as weak.
Readers usually compare the houses against each other rather than against a fixed cut-off. It is generally favourable when the 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th houses score higher than the 8th and 12th, and when the 11th is among the highest.
Using Ashtakavarga for transits
The BAV is most often used to judge transits. When a planet passes through a sign in which its own BAV holds four or more bindus, the traditional rule of thumb is that the transit goes well; three or fewer, and it tends to be harder. The SAV of the sign gives a second opinion on how much the sign as a whole can support.