Divisional charts are the keys to understanding horoscopes as they unlock that hidden door which refuses to open, even after the astrologer has examined the entire spectrum of variables for analyzing a bhāva. So once a bhāva has been put under the gaze, and its rāśi and the planets housing it and aspecting it, its lord and its dispositor, its strengths and its Navāṁśa, its ārūḍha padas and special lagnas, its kārakas and yogas, argalās and dṛṣṭis, have all been inspected from every possible angle, and yet clarity is not achieved, divisional charts come to the fore to dispel the clouds of obscurity.  Kalyāṇa Varmā has said that without divisional charts, one cannot take a step forward in astrology. It illuminates a bhāva where darkness prevails and enables the astrologer to examine bhāva specific queries in its minutest detail.
Varga Charts 
Divisional charts (D-Charts) are the manifold divisions or vargas of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Each rāśi is divided into x parts or aṁśas, such as 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12 etc., wherein the positions of the planets are mapped in each aṁśa accordingly. This spatial or aṁśic position of planets are transformed into a variety of rāśi charts, generating a string of diagrams which are nothing but maps of the various divisional representation of the planets. These charts depict diverse aspects of the native’s life, like marriage, children, profession, wealth, spouse, spirituality, ancestral lineage, education, troubles and ill health, past life etc.

At another level divisional charts may be contemplated as possibilities and probabilities. The bha-chakra as created by the Kalpuruṣa is a dynamic four-dimensional model wherein the twin concepts of time and space have been harmonized. Ordinary horoscopes though two-dimensional, take into account linear time and the vertical declinations of the planets. If one considers degrees to represent time, then every division of the zodiac has a corresponding division of time. Hence every division is locked in specific time grids. If the rāśi is the only reality, the true mean, or the satya, then the divisional charts are nothing by projections in multiple time zones and are illusory, like māyā. In so far they are projections of the mind, they represent possibilities, which might occur in different time frames, from whence one may learn lessons and receive signals, in order to pursue the dictat of the rāśi chart in a more meaningful way.

The nomenclatures of the charts are derived in a variety of ways. Some are based on the division numbers like Saptāṁśa and Ṣaṣṭiāṁśa, which are the 7th and 60th divisions of a sign, while others are based on their usage and focus like Siddhāṁśa, which is specifically for determining the level of siddhi or higher knowledge and wisdom that the native may or may not have the potential to achieve.  Yet others have multiple names, like the 16th divisional chart, which is known both as Ṣoḍaṣāṁśa and Kālāṁśa, the 12th divisional chart known as Dvādaśāṁśa and Suryāṁśa or the 4th divisional chart, known as Chaturthāṁśa or Turīyāṁśa. In daily parlance the divisional charts are often referred to by their divisional numbers such D-3, D-4 or D-9. The following table enlists the twenty basic divisional charts, their nomenclature and purpose.