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In short
The Shodashamsa, or D16, is the divisional chart made by cutting each sign into sixteen parts of 1°52'30". BPHS starts the count from Aries for movable signs, Leo for fixed and Sagittarius for dual signs, and reads "conveyances" from it. This app computes it and gives it a weight of 2 in Vimshopaka bala.
What the term means
Shodashamsa means "sixteenth part"; BPHS also calls it the Kalamsa. It is the varga made by cutting each 30-degree sign into sixteen parts of 1°52'30" and giving each part a sign. The starting sign depends on the sign's modality, whether it is movable, fixed or dual.
Where the term comes from
BPHS Ch. 6 Sl. 16 gives the rule: start from Mesh (Aries) for a movable sign, from Simh (Leo) for a fixed sign and from Dhanu (Sagittarius) for a dual sign, and distribute the sixteen parts in order. Four presiding deities repeat four times, reversed for an even sign. Ch. 7 Sl. 1-8 assigns the chart "benefits and adversities through conveyances" and adds that a house whose lord sits in a benefic Shodashamsa flourishes. In the full sixteen-chart Vimshopak scheme (Ch. 7 Sl. 21-25) it is weighted 2, behind only the Shashtiamsa, the Rashi chart and the Navamsa.
How this app computes it
- The part is the degree within the sign divided by 1.875, rounded down (parts 1 to 16).
- Movable signs count from Aries, fixed signs from Leo, dual signs from Sagittarius, one sign per part. There is no odd/even rule for the sign itself.
- The D16 sign carries a weight of 2 out of 20 in this app's Vimshopaka bala. Same-sign D1 and D16 is flagged vargottama; D16 houses need the Ascendant.
- The engine does not test the Ch. 7 rule about a house lord in a benefic Shodashamsa, and it does not return the deity names.
A small illustration
For 19 January 1985, 11:14 IST, New Delhi, the Sun is at Capricorn 5.46. Capricorn is movable, so the count starts at Aries; 5.46 degrees is the third part, two signs on: Gemini. Saturn at Scorpio 2.64 is in a fixed sign, so the count starts at Leo, and the second part lands on Virgo.
Pages that use this term
- Shodashamsa (D16) calculator - every planet's D16 sign from your birth details.
- The 4th house (Sukha Bhava) - reads the D16 beside the house of comforts and vehicles.
- Venus in the 4th house - a planet-in-house page that points to the D16.
- Sagittarius (Dhanu Rashi) - a sign page that lists its divisions, the D16 among them.
- Vimshopaka bala calculator - shows the D16 placement in each planet's breakdown.
Related terms
- Divisional chart - the family the D16 belongs to.
- Chaturthamsa (D4) - read beside it on the 4th-house pages.
- Akshavedamsa (D45) - uses the same Aries, Leo, Sagittarius starts.
Shodashamsa D16 Chart
Sixteen parts per sign, started by modality - BPHS reads D16 for conveyances and comfort.
What it needs
Date, time and place
That is more than this article asks for - it only ever takes a date, and sometimes a time, and never a name or a birth place. So this one runs on its own page, which asks for exactly what it needs and stores none of it.
Run it on its own page