Free "Rasi Dasa Division" Program

First release: Sept 13, 1999
Bhadrapada Sukla Chaturthi (Ganesha Chaturthi)

Version 2.0: Dec 16, 1999

We are pleased to announce a free software program for Windows 95 and NT computers!

Purpose
Requirements
Features
User interface
How to download!
Why is it free?

Purpose: Many rasi dasas of Parasara and Jaimini require mahadasas to be divided into 12 equal antardasas, antardasas into 12 equal pratyantardasas and so on. Tradition recommends that time should be measured in terms of Sun's longitude. Two sub-periods of a period are deemed to be equal if and only if Sun moves by the same amount (degrees, minutes and seconds) in the two sub-periods. Days, hours, minutes and seconds in the two sub-periods need not be the same.

Given birthdate and birthtime, start year of a mahadasa and the duration of a mahadasa, this program divides the given mahadasa into sub-periods (upto deha-antaradasas!!). It uses Sun's exact longitude to carry out the equal division of periods. It can be used for any dasa system, in which mahadasas start after an integer number of solar years from birth and last an integer number of solar years. Narayana (padakrama) dasa, chara dasa, shoola dasa, mandooka dasa etc are some of the examples. In fact, most rasi dasas qualify (except Sudasa or "Sree lagna kendradi rasi dasa", in which we have the concept of the remainder of dasa at birth).
 

Requirements: This program has been tested on Windows 95 and Windows NT systems. It will most probably work on Windows 98 systems also. It will not work on Windows 3.1 systems. It will not work on Macintosh systems and other non-windows systems.

About 2.8 MB of disk space is needed for this program.
 

Features:

While my Kalachakra dasa program was put together in a couple of hours, this program took several days. It doesn't do everything for you, but it significantly reduces computation for those who research in fine sub-divisions of rasi dasas based on Sun's longitude. The features are listed below:

(1) Given birthdata and the start year and the duration of a mahadasa, it can find the start and end dates/times of all antardasas (AD), pratyantardasas (PD), sookshma-antardasas (SD), prana-antardasas (PAD) and deha-antardasas (DAD) in that mahadasa. Division is based on Sun's exact longitude.

(2) You can move from one dasa division to another level with simple mouse clicks.

(3) If you give an event date and time along with the above data, it can find running dasa divisions upto deha-antardasas at the time of the event.

(4) You can print what you see on the screen.

(5) If MAPI is configured on your computer, you can email data files to your friends from the program. If your friend doesn't have this program, you can email the screen as a plain text attachment.

(6) You can use Chitrapaksha (Lahiri) ayanamsa or a custom ayanamsa. Error in Sun's geocentric tropical longitude is less than 0.08 arc-sec. Deha-antardasa start/end times are accurate upto 1 minute or so. Ayanamsa errors don't have a big say. With these precise calculations, you can do very fine researches.

(7) You can copy & paste to other programs.

(8) You can save data you entered into files.
 

User interface: Before you install the program, you can view some pictures to see what the user interface looks like:

(1) Data entry
(2) Display of sub-periods in a chosen period
(3) Running sub-divisions of an event
 

How to download:

(1) After reading all the directions below, download the file rdd.zip to your hard disk by clicking here. You may have to select "Save file" in the dialog box that comes up and select the directory where this file will be saved.

[Note: It may take a long time to download. The file is about 2.8 MB in size. It is expected to take about 12 minutes if you have a 28.8 kbps connection to the internet. Currently we are not shipping it in floppies or CDs. If you want this program, you have to download it here. Send an email to the author if you want floppies, without counting on getting a reply.]

(2) Then unzip that file (rdd.zip) to any temporary directory using your favorite unzip program.

(3) Go to the directory where you unzipped the files.

(4) Run "Setup.exe" (it may be displayed as just "Setup") in that directory. When you run it, you will see the program logo and installation will start. It is a standard windows installation and should be straight-forward.

(5) Setup will add icons to launch the program and to launch help on your desktop and also to the new folder "Rasi Dasa Division" under "Start" >> "Programs". Use these shortcuts to launch the program or program help from the desktop icons or the start menu.

(6) Read "help" before using the program. If you understand exactly what the program does for you and exactly what you must do, you can use the program more efficiently.
 

Why is it free?

This program is useless to those who are not seriously into rasi dasas. Researchers and committed students of Vedic astrology deserve to be given tools that help their researches for free.

Though the author had to work hard and spend several days on this program inspite of his busy schedule, neither he nor SJVC feels right in charging money for this noble task. Our aim is to restore Vedic astrology to its past glory and we truly believe that fine researches in rasi dasas are a key aspect of this.

If you want to do something to please the author or SJVC in return for this program, please make a donation within your capability to a Hindu temple or a Vedic institute.

However, if you put this program to good use and share the findings of your researches with others, it will make us happier.  May God bless you and your research efforts!