Very few astrologers in the Northern India used the system, now days known as 'Jaimini Astrology', before May 1995 when Shri K.N. Rao's book, Predicting through Jaimini's Char Dasha came in the hands of readers and astrologers. One can say without hesitation that it was a historical break through. We, the students of astrology, are indebted to Shri K.N. Rao, who enabled us to start using, not merely the Char Dasha or the Mandook Dasha but the entire system which goes under the name of 'Jaimini Astrology'.

In his book titled Predicting through Jaimini's Char Dasha ', apart from explaining, for the first time, the correct method of calculation and computation of char dasha, Shri K.N. Rao also discussed and demonstrated in details, with abundant examples, the rules of interpretation of horoscopes according to the Jaimini Astrology generally, and for the Chara-Dasha system specifically; his main contribution, inter alia, being the use of chara karakas and rashi-drishti. The book in your hands could not be possible but for his work.

"Generally there is no dasha or bhukti which is exclusively auspicious or exclusively inauspicious. Almost always there are some favourable and some unfavourable clues. | have heard some astrologers say that the contradictory signals cancel out each other. Most respectfully, I beg to differ. My submission is that all the signals whether good or bad, do produce their results as and when there is either a positive or a negative opportunity in the transiting planetary configurations during the tenure of the dasha or the bhukti."

"The great advantage this dasha system, or for that matter any of the rashi dasha systems has over the nakshatra dharika dasha systems, such as the most popular Vimshottari dasha system, is that these can be used successfully even if the accurate time of birth is not available. The time frame of the dashas is the same for the entire ascendant and there is no bhukta-bhogya issue like it is in the nakshatra dharika dasha systems."

"On the other hand this very advantage can be seen as a limitation of this system also. In Shri Rao's own words 'A question should be posed. If two persons are born on the same day with same karakas, same ascendant but with the degrees of the lagna being different, will the readings for both of them be the same, astrologically. The answer to it is, yes.' (Page 127 of his book 'Predicting through Jaimini's Chara dasha- henceforth we will refer to it by the expression 'the book' only)."

"In the Chapter 11 of the book, Love, Relationship and Marriage, at pages 60 and 61 are given some parameters for identifying the sign during whose dasha the native is likely to get married or have a gender based relationship. These rules talk about the 7th house, the Dara-karaka, the Putra-karaka, the pada of the seventh lord and the upa-pada and its 7th because this chapter deals with the Love, Relationship and Marriage only. These parameters therefore, have basically defined the key determinants for this area of the life."

Excerpts From Chara Dasha System Shakti Mohan Singh