Gochar: what a transit is in Jyotish
Gochar is the transit of a graha through the signs of the zodiac as seen from the natal chart. The rule is read from the sign the graha is in, counted from the natal Moon or the Lagna.
What it is
Slow grahas transit slowly. The Moon changes sign about every two and a half days, Mars about every six weeks, Jupiter about once a year, and Saturn about every two and a half years. Saturn's transit is the basis of Sade Sati.
How it is worked out or read
A transit is calculated from the same ephemeris as the birth chart, at the date and time required. The site computes Saturn's current sign for Sade Sati; other transits are not yet shown.
Where it appears on this site
Saturn's transit is used in the chart checks. The Sade Sati article describes the rule.
The idea of gochar
Gochar means the movement of the grahas through the signs, and in Jyotish the movement is read against the natal chart rather than against the calendar alone. The sign a graha occupies is counted from the natal Moon sign or from the Lagna, depending on the rule, and the resulting house is the one the transit is read in. The method is simple to state and detailed in application, and the classical texts give a table of favourable and unfavourable houses for each graha.
The slow grahas matter most in practice. The Moon moves through the signs in about two and a half days, Mars in about six weeks, Jupiter about once a year and Saturn in about two and a half years. A reader who wants a stable view of a period looks at the slower grahas, while the Moon is used for the day-to-day tone.
Saturn's transit and Sade Sati
Saturn's transit is the basis of the Sade Sati rule. The rule asks whether Saturn is in the twelfth, first or second sign counted from the natal Moon sign. Because Saturn stays about two and a half years in each sign, the whole Sade Sati lasts about seven and a half years. The Dhaiyya condition, Saturn in the fourth or eighth sign from the Moon, is a shorter form of the same idea.
The chart checks on this site compute Saturn's sidereal sign at the date chosen, and report whether the Sade Sati or Dhaiyya condition applies. The result changes as Saturn moves, so the checks should be read with the date in mind.
How much weight a transit should carry
The weight a transit should carry is a matter of tradition. Some schools give transits of the slow grahas great importance, others give them less, and many use them mainly in combination with the dasha. A reader should state the transit used, the reference sign and the date, and should avoid reading a single transit as a verdict. The site presents the transit positions as calculated facts and any reading of them as a traditional interpretation.