Divisional chart · D16
D16 Shodasamsa Chart in Vedic Astrology
The Shodasamsa, “a sixteenth of a sign”, is the D16 chart of Vedic astrology. It is read for vehicles, comforts and pleasures.
- Division
- D16
- Parts per sign
- 16
- Size of each part
- 1°52′30″
- Read for
- vehicles, comforts and pleasures
- Ascendant changes every
- about 7½ minutes
- Also spelled
- Shodasamsa, Shodashamsha, Kalamsa
What the D16 shows
The Shodasamsa splits each sign into sixteen parts of 1°52′30″. It is read for vehicles, comforts and the pleasures of life, and for the happiness or unhappiness they bring.
Venus, the significator of comforts, and the 4th house of the D16 are the first things checked.
How the D16 is calculated
Each sign of 30° is divided into 16 equal parts of 1°52′30″. Movable signs count from Aries, fixed signs from Leo, dual signs from Sagittarius.
For example, a planet at 17°24′ Taurus falls in part 10 of 16, which puts it in Taurus in the D16.
| Sign | Part 1 (0°) | Part 2 | Part 16 (last) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Aries | Taurus | Cancer |
| Taurus | Leo | Virgo | Scorpio |
| Gemini | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Pisces |
| Cancer | Aries | Taurus | Cancer |
| Leo | Leo | Virgo | Scorpio |
| Virgo | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Pisces |
| Libra | Aries | Taurus | Cancer |
| Scorpio | Leo | Virgo | Scorpio |
| Sagittarius | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Pisces |
| Capricorn | Aries | Taurus | Cancer |
| Aquarius | Leo | Virgo | Scorpio |
| Pisces | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Pisces |
Each part after the first moves on by one sign, so the 16 parts of a sign go once round the zodiac and 4 signs further.
How accurate must the birth time be?
The ascendant moves through the whole zodiac in a day, about one sign every two hours, so the finer the division, the sooner its ascendant changes. For the D16 that is about every 7½ minutes on average. A birth time rounded to the nearest quarter hour can easily give the wrong chart. The planets move far more slowly, so their D16 signs are reliable even when the ascendant is not, the Moon excepted in the finest charts.
See your D16 chart
Enter your birth details to draw your D16, with each planet's sign, house and dignity. Your full kundli also lets you compare any two divisional charts side by side.
Calculate your D16 chart