TAKSA
What is Taksa (Thai Naming Astrology)?
Taksa (ทักษา) is a Thai astrological system that starts from the planet ruling a person’s day of birth and assigns the eight planets to eight positions of good and ill fortune: Boriwan, Ayu, Det, Si, Mula, Utsaha, Montri, and Kalakini. Because each planet is linked to a group of letters of the Thai alphabet, Taksa is still widely used in Thailand as the standard guide for choosing an auspicious name.
Overview
- System
- Fate Reading (reads eight positions of fortune and their letters from the planet of the birth day)
- Origin
- Thailand (rooted in Indic astrology)
- What You Need
- Day of the week of birth (for Wednesday, day or night) and the letters of a name
- Best For
- Naming, life, career
- Time Frame
- Life as a whole
Origins & History
Taksa rests on texts handed down under names such as Taksa Phayakon, Taksa Pakon, and Maha Taksa, which predict the course of events from the influence of the eight planets (atthakhro). The texts were originally in Pali and Sanskrit and their author is unknown; one explanation traces the name to the Sanskrit Daksha. Another view holds that the texts came from the Mon and were revised in the Rattanakosin period. Taksa principles were also applied in other manuals, including a guide to warfare and a text on choosing land for building a house.
The best-known part of Taksa is its naming section. It has been used to choose letters that suit a person’s day of birth for the Pali names monks receive at ordination, for the names of royalty, and for the names of ordinary people. Naming by Taksa remains popular in Thai society today and is widely used when choosing a child’s name.
How It Works
- 01Confirm the day of the week of birth. The astrological day begins at sunrise (around 6 a.m.), and Wednesday is split: Mercury rules the day (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Rahu rules the night (after 6 p.m.).
- 02On the Taksa chart, which arranges the eight planets clockwise around the compass (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, Rahu, Venus), place the planet of your birth day in the Boriwan position.
- 03Counting clockwise from there, assign the positions Ayu, Det, Si, Mula, Utsaha, Montri, and Kalakini in order.
- 04Check the letter group linked to each planet, see which position each letter of a name falls into, and above all make sure it contains no Kalakini (unlucky) letters.
What It Reveals
Taksa is suited to judging whether the letters of a name are auspicious, and to choosing a name with an eye to which area of life—career, wealth, supporters—one wants to strengthen. At the same time, its only inputs are the day of birth and letters, so it does not claim to describe personality or foretell specific events in detail. Treatment of colors and letters also varies among schools and astrologers.
The eight planets and their letter groups
Taksa numbers the planets of Sunday through Saturday plus Rahu (Wednesday night) from 1 to 8: Sun 1, Moon 2, Mars 3, Mercury 4, Jupiter 5, Venus 6, Saturn 7, Rahu 8. The Taksa chart places them clockwise around the eight directions, starting in the northeast: Sun (northeast), Moon (east), Mars (southeast), Mercury (south), Saturn (southwest), Jupiter (west), Rahu (northwest), and Venus (north).
Each planet owns a group of Thai letters: Sunday has อ and all vowels; Monday ก ข ค ฆ ง; Tuesday จ ฉ ช ซ ฌ ญ; Wednesday (day) ฎ ฏ ฐ ฑ ฒ ณ; Thursday บ ป ผ ฝ พ ฟ ภ ม; Friday ศ ษ ส ห ฬ; Saturday ด ต ถ ท ธ น; and Wednesday (night) ย ร ล ว. Letters were added to the original Pali scheme to cover the larger Thai alphabet.
Because the meaning of each letter depends on the day of birth, the same letter can be lucky for one person and unlucky for another. For someone born on Wednesday during the day, for example, Mercury’s letters are Boriwan, Saturn’s are Ayu, Jupiter’s are Det, Rahu’s are Si, and Mars’s letters (จ ฉ ช ซ ฌ ญ) fall in Kalakini.
The eight Taksa positions and their meanings
- Boriwan (บริวาร)
- Oneself and the people around one: children, spouse, friends, subordinates. The planet of the birth day always sits here.
- Ayu (อายุ)
- Health and long life.
- Det (เดช)
- Power, reputation, and honor. In ordinary naming, traditionally favored as the first letter of men’s names.
- Si (ศรี)
- Goodness, grace, auspiciousness, and wealth. In ordinary naming, traditionally favored as the first letter of women’s names.
- Mula (มูละ)
- The roots of the family line and inherited property.
- Utsaha (อุตสาหะ)
- Effort, endurance, and diligence.
- Montri (มนตรี)
- Position at work, supporters, and patrons.
- Kalakini (กาลกิณี)
- Misfortune, obstacles, and enemies. The only unlucky position of the eight; its letters are avoided in names.
How Taksa is used for names and colors
For ordinary names, Kalakini letters are avoided and letters from the other seven positions are used. Monks’ Pali names and royal names are often said to begin with a Boriwan letter, which also signals the day of birth. For people born on Monday, vowels fall in Kalakini; since no name can be formed without vowels, monastic naming has handled this by simply not starting the name with one.
Thai media lists of lucky colors by day of birth often classify colors by Taksa position, as a “Det color”, “Si color”, or “Kalakini color”. However, the colors assigned to the planets and the resulting combinations differ from one astrologer to another, and there is no single fixed chart. The guardian Buddha images and basic colors of each birth day are covered in the article on Thai weekday divination.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Taksa?
- Taksa is a Thai astrological system that starts from the planet of a person’s birth day and assigns the eight planets to eight positions: Boriwan, Ayu, Det, Si, Mula, Utsaha, Montri, and Kalakini. Because each planet is linked to a group of Thai letters, it is mainly used for choosing auspicious names.
- How do I find my Kalakini (unlucky) letters?
- Your Kalakini letters belong to the planet just before your birth-day planet on the chart. Sunday-born: ศ ษ ส ห ฬ; Monday: อ and vowels; Tuesday: ก ข ค ฆ ง; Wednesday (day): จ ฉ ช ซ ฌ ญ; Wednesday (night): บ ป ผ ฝ พ ฟ ภ ม; Thursday: ด ต ถ ท ธ น; Friday: ย ร ล ว; Saturday: ฎ ฏ ฐ ฑ ฒ ณ.
- Why is Wednesday split into day and night?
- In Taksa, Wednesday alone is ruled by two planets: Mercury by day (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Rahu by night (after 6 p.m.). In addition, the astrological day begins at sunrise, so someone born between midnight and dawn is counted under the previous day.
- Which letter should a name start with?
- A widely known view holds that men’s names should start with a Det letter and women’s names with a Si letter. Sources differ, however, and some writers recommend starting with an Utsaha or Montri letter instead.
- How is Taksa different from Thai weekday divination?
- Thai weekday divination tells you the guardian Buddha image and color of your birth day. Taksa uses the same eight-part division of the week but arranges the eight planets into positions of good and ill fortune, and reads the fortune of letters and colors from them.
Related Methods
References
- Amnat Paksasuk, “Tamra Taksa and Thai Naming”, Vannavidas vol. 13 (Thammasat University, 2013) (https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/VANNAVIDAS/article/view/48400)
- Chakkrit Snae, “Constructing a Rule Based Naming System for Thai Names Using the Concept of Ontologies” (2006) (https://aclanthology.org/W06-2612.pdf)
- Thairath Online: Lucky and Kalakini colors by day of birth (Thai) (https://www.thairath.co.th/horoscope/belief/1136650)
- Sanook: Lucky color chart by day of birth (Thai) (https://www.sanook.com/horoscope/295007/)