Jyotish glossary

Abhijitअभिजित · the midday muhurta; also a 28th nakshatra

Abhijit is best known as the muhurta around local midday, the eighth of the fifteen daytime muhurtas, which tradition treats as a strong window for starting important work. Many almanacs leave it out on Wednesdays. The same name is also given to a 28th nakshatra, carved from the end of Uttara Ashadha and the start of Shravana; it is used in some muhurta and matching methods but plays no part in Vimshottari dasha.

Read moreSee also: Muhurat, Nakshatra, Panchang

Antardashaअंतर्दशा · sub-period (bhukti)

An antardasha is a sub-period inside a mahadasha. Each mahadasha is split into nine antardashas, starting with the mahadasha lord's own and then following the Vimshottari order. Its length is the mahadasha's years times the sub-lord's years, divided by 120; the antardasha is split again into pratyantar dashas for finer timing.

Read moreSee also: Mahadasha, Vimshottari, Dasha

Ashtakavargaअष्टकवर्ग · eight-source point system

Ashtakavarga scores every sign from eight reference points, the seven planets and the lagna, giving each planet 0 to 8 points (bindus) per sign. Adding all seven tables gives the sarvashtakavarga, whose total is always 337. Signs with more points are read as more supportive for the houses they hold and for planets transiting them, which makes it a practical tool for judging gochar.

See also: Gochar, Shadbala

Astaअस्त · combust

A planet is asta, or combust, when it sits so close to the Sun that it is lost in the Sun's glare. Classical texts give each planet its own orb, and the figures differ a little between texts, often narrower for a retrograde Mercury or Venus. A combust planet is read as less able to show its significations openly, though many astrologers soften this for Mercury, which is almost always near the Sun.

See also: Vakri, Graha, Shadbala

Atmakarakaआत्मकारक · significator of the self

In the Jaimini system the atmakaraka is the planet with the highest degree within its sign, whatever the sign. It is read as the chart's central theme, the lessons the soul keeps returning to. Schools differ on whether to count seven planets or eight (adding Rahu, measured backwards), which can change the result.

See also: Karaka, Navamsa

Ayanamsaअयनांश · precession correction

The ayanamsa is the gap in degrees between the tropical zodiac, tied to the equinox, and the sidereal zodiac, tied to the stars. Because the equinox slowly drifts backwards against the stars, the gap grows by roughly one degree every 72 years. The Government of India's calendar uses the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, about 24° today, and so does our site; other ayanamsas, such as Raman or Krishnamurti, give slightly different values.

Read moreSee also: Sidereal Zodiac, Rashi

Bhakootभकूट · Moon-sign compatibility koota

Bhakoot is the seventh of the eight kootas in gun milan and carries 7 of the 36 points. It compares the two Moon signs: the same sign, or signs 3/11, 4/10 or 1/7 apart, score the full 7. Signs 2/12, 5/9 or 6/8 apart score zero unless an exception applies, such as both signs sharing a lord or friendly lords.

Read moreSee also: Gun Milan, Nadi, Janma Rashi

Bhavaभाव · house

A bhava is one of the twelve houses of the chart, each a field of life such as self, wealth, siblings, home or career. Houses are counted from the lagna; in the whole-sign method most Parashari astrologers use, the rising sign is the whole first house, the next sign the second, and so on. A house is read through its sign, its lord, the planets in it and the aspects on it.

Read moreSee also: Lagna, Bhava Chalit, Kendra

Bhava Chalitभाव चलित · house-cusp chart

The bhava chalit chart places planets in houses measured from the exact degree of the ascendant rather than by whole signs. A planet near the start or end of a sign can then fall into the neighbouring house. Many astrologers read the whole-sign chart first and use chalit to decide which house a borderline planet actually gives results for; others rely on one method only.

Read moreSee also: Bhava, Lagna, Kundli

Choghadiyaचौघड़िया · eight daily time slots

Choghadiya divides daytime (sunrise to sunset) and night (sunset to sunrise) into eight parts each, so each slot runs about an hour and a half. Each slot has a name: Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Char are taken as favourable, Udveg, Kaal and Rog as ones to avoid for new beginnings. It is a quick, popular method, especially in western and northern India, and a simpler alternative to a full muhurta.

Read moreSee also: Rahu Kaal, Muhurat, Hora

Dashaदशा · planetary period

A dasha is a period of life ruled by one planet, during which that planet's promise in the birth chart comes forward. Jyotish has many dasha systems; Vimshottari is by far the most used, while Yogini, Ashtottari and Jaimini's Chara dasha are used by some schools. The chart shows what is possible, and the dasha shows roughly when it is likely to unfold.

Read moreSee also: Vimshottari, Mahadasha, Antardasha

Dhaiyaढैय्या · Saturn's 2½-year transit

Dhaiya is Saturn's transit through the 4th or the 8th sign from your Moon sign, lasting about two and a half years because Saturn spends that long in each sign. Tradition links it with extra responsibility and slower progress in home or personal matters. Like sade sati, how it feels depends on Saturn's strength and role in your own chart and on the dasha running at the time.

Read moreSee also: Sade Sati, Gochar, Janma Rashi

Dhana Yogaधन योग · combination for wealth

A dhana yoga is a planetary combination for earning and keeping wealth, usually formed when the lords of the wealth houses (the 2nd and 11th) connect with the lords of the lagna, 5th or 9th. The connection can be by conjunction, mutual aspect or exchange of signs. How much it delivers depends on the strength of the planets involved and on the dashas that activate them.

Read moreSee also: Yoga, Raja Yoga, Trikona

Digbalaदिग्बल · directional strength

Digbala is the strength a planet gains in a particular angle of the chart. Mercury and Jupiter are strongest in the 1st house (east), the Moon and Venus in the 4th (north), Saturn in the 7th (west), and the Sun and Mars in the 10th (south). A planet in the opposite house has no directional strength; digbala is one of the six parts of shadbala.

Read moreSee also: Shadbala, Kendra

Drishtiदृष्टि · aspect

Drishti is a planet's glance or influence on other houses and the planets in them. Every planet aspects the 7th house from itself; Mars also aspects the 4th and 8th, Jupiter the 5th and 9th, and Saturn the 3rd and 10th. Traditions differ on Rahu and Ketu: some give them the 5th and 9th aspects, others only the 7th. Jaimini astrology also uses a separate system of sign-to-sign aspects.

Read moreSee also: Graha, Bhava

Dusthanaदुःस्थान · houses of difficulty (6, 8, 12)

The dusthanas are the 6th, 8th and 12th houses, which deal with obstacles and disputes, sudden change and hidden matters, and expense, loss and retreat. Planets ruling or sitting in them are traditionally said to struggle to give comfortable results. They are not simply bad: the 6th rewards effort, the 8th research and depth, the 12th spiritual life, and a dusthana lord placed in another dusthana can even form a favourable viparita raja yoga.

Read moreSee also: Kendra, Trikona, Upachaya

Gaja Kesari Yogaगजकेसरी योग · Jupiter–Moon yoga

Gaja Kesari yoga forms when Jupiter is in a kendra (the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house) counted from the Moon. The name means elephant and lion, and tradition links it with good sense, reputation and the respect of others. Because the pattern is common, astrologers check whether Jupiter and the Moon are strong, unafflicted and not debilitated before giving it much weight.

Read moreSee also: Yoga, Kendra, Raja Yoga

Ganaगण · temperament class

Every nakshatra belongs to one of three ganas: Deva (divine, gentle), Manushya (human, balanced) or Rakshasa (fierce, independent). In gun milan the gana koota carries 6 of the 36 points and compares the temperaments of the two Moon nakshatras. Rakshasa gana describes a strong, self-willed nature, not a bad person.

Read moreSee also: Gun Milan, Yoni, Nakshatra

Gandantaगंडांत · water-fire sign junction

Gandanta is the junction where a water sign ends and a fire sign begins: Cancer to Leo, Scorpio to Sagittarius and Pisces to Aries. It covers the last pada of Ashlesha, Jyeshtha and Revati and the first pada of Magha, Mula and Ashwini. Tradition treats these points as transitional and sensitive, places where one kind of energy hands over to another; it is a note of attention, not a verdict on a life.

Read moreSee also: Nakshatra, Pada

Gocharगोचर · transit

Gochar is the current movement of the planets through the signs, compared with your birth chart. Traditionally transits are counted from the Moon sign, which is how rashifal is written, though astrologers also check them from the lagna. Slow planets, Saturn, Jupiter, Rahu and Ketu, shape the longer themes, and a transit mostly gives results that the running dasha already supports.

Read moreSee also: Sade Sati, Dhaiya, Ashtakavarga

Grahaग्रह · planet

A graha is one of the nine bodies Jyotish reads: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, plus Rahu and Ketu, the two lunar nodes. The word means one who seizes or grasps, so it covers the luminaries and the nodes, which are not planets in the astronomical sense. Each graha signifies certain people and areas of life and acts through the sign and house it occupies.

Read moreSee also: Karaka, Shubha and Papa, Drishti

Gun Milanगुण मिलान · 36-point compatibility (ashtakoota)

Gun milan compares the Moon nakshatras and signs of two people across eight kootas worth 36 points: varna 1, vashya 2, tara 3, yoni 4, graha maitri 5, gana 6, bhakoot 7 and nadi 8. A score of 18 or more is the commonly quoted threshold. It is a first screen of temperament, and a careful match also looks at both full charts, Manglik status and the dashas ahead.

Read moreSee also: Bhakoot, Nadi, Gana, Yoni, Manglik

Horaहोरा · planetary hour; also the D2 chart

A hora is a planetary hour: the day from sunrise is divided into 24 horas, the first ruled by the weekday's own planet and the rest following the order Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars. People use it to pick a time suited to a task, such as a Mercury hora for writing. Hora is also the name of the D2 divisional chart, which splits each sign into two halves ruled by the Sun and the Moon and is read for wealth.

See also: Vara, Choghadiya, Varga

Janma Rashiजन्म राशि · Moon sign at birth

Your janma rashi is the sidereal sign the Moon occupied when you were born. In Indian practice it is the sign people mean when they ask your rashi, and it is used for rashifal, sade sati, gun milan and naming. It often differs from your Western Sun sign, which is a different point in a different zodiac.

Read moreSee also: Rashi, Lagna, Naam Akshar

Kaal Sarpकाल सर्प · all planets between Rahu and Ketu

Kaal sarp describes a chart in which all seven planets fall on one side of the Rahu–Ketu axis. It does not appear in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra or the other major classical texts; it became popular in later and modern practice, and astrologers disagree on its definition and even on whether it exists. Where it is used, it is read as a theme of intensity and uneven progress, and it never outweighs the rest of the chart.

Read moreSee also: Yoga, Graha, Manglik

Kalapurushaकालपुरुष · the cosmic person

Kalapurusha is the zodiac pictured as one human body, from Aries at the head through Taurus at the face down to Pisces at the feet. In this natural chart Aries is the first house, Taurus the second and so on, which is why the houses echo the signs' themes. The body mapping is a classical symbol used in reading, not a medical diagnosis.

Read moreSee also: Rashi, Bhava, Tatva

Karakaकारक · significator

A karaka is the planet that naturally signifies a person or area of life: the Sun for the father, the Moon for the mother and mind, Jupiter for children and wisdom, Venus for marriage and comforts. Each house also has karakas, such as Jupiter for the 5th and Saturn for the 8th. Jaimini astrology adds chara (movable) karakas assigned by degree, of which the atmakaraka is the first.

Read moreSee also: Atmakaraka, Graha, Bhava

Karanaकरण · half a tithi

A karana is half of a tithi, the time the Moon takes to gain 6° on the Sun, so there are two in every tithi. There are eleven karanas: seven movable ones that repeat through the month and four fixed ones that occur once, around the new moon. Karana is one of the five limbs of the panchang, and Vishti, also called Bhadra, is traditionally avoided for new beginnings.

Read moreSee also: Tithi, Panchang, Muhurat

Kendraकेंद्र · angular houses (1, 4, 7, 10)

The kendras are the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses, the pillars of the chart: self, home, partnership and career. Planets here are well placed to act and are seen clearly in life. Tradition says natural benefics ruling kendras lose some of their benefic quality and natural malefics lose some of their harshness, and the link between a kendra lord and a trikona lord forms a raja yoga.

Read moreSee also: Trikona, Raja Yoga, Digbala

Kundliकुंडली · birth chart

A kundli is the map of the sky at the moment and place of birth, showing the lagna, the twelve houses and where the nine grahas sat in the sidereal signs and nakshatras. North Indian charts draw it as a diamond with fixed houses, South Indian charts as a square with fixed signs; the content is the same. It needs an accurate birth date, time and place, because the lagna changes about every two hours.

Read moreSee also: Lagna, Bhava, Graha

Lagnaलग्न · ascendant

The lagna is the sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth, and it becomes the first house of the chart. Because every sign rises in turn through the day, the lagna changes roughly every two hours, which is why an accurate birth time matters. It describes the body, temperament and the overall direction of life, and every house is counted from it.

Read moreSee also: Lagnesh, Bhava, Janma Rashi

Lagneshलग्नेश · lord of the ascendant

The lagnesh is the planet that rules the sign on the lagna, for example Mars for Aries rising or Venus for Libra rising. Its strength and placement say a great deal about vitality and how well you can pursue your aims, and the house it sits in often becomes a central area of life. A strong lagnesh is counted among the most helpful features a chart can have.

Read moreSee also: Lagna, Swakshetra, Shadbala

Mahadashaमहादशा · major planetary period

A mahadasha is one of the major periods in a dasha system. In Vimshottari they run Ketu 7 years, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19 and Mercury 17, and the first one is set by the nakshatra the Moon occupied at birth. The results depend on how the dasha lord is placed and what it rules in your own chart, not on the planet's reputation.

Read moreSee also: Antardasha, Vimshottari, Dasha

Manglikमांगलिक · Mars placement checked in matching

A chart is called manglik when Mars sits in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house; some traditions leave out the 2nd, and many also check the houses from the Moon and from Venus. Texts list many exceptions that cancel it, for example by sign or by aspect, and a large share of all charts meet the basic rule. It is one factor in matching, weighed with the rest of both charts, and two manglik charts are traditionally considered a good pair.

Read moreSee also: Gun Milan, Kaal Sarp

Marakaमारक · 2nd and 7th house lords

Maraka is the classical name for the 2nd and 7th houses and their lords, counted as the 12th from the 3rd and the 8th houses, which the texts treat as houses of longevity. In the old texts the idea is used in the study of longevity; in everyday reading, maraka periods are simply treated as times that ask for more care and rest. Modern astrologers, including our site, never use it to predict the length of a life.

Read moreSee also: Dusthana, Kendra

Moolatrikonaमूलत्रिकोण · a planet's office sign

Moolatrikona is a stretch of a sign where a planet acts with purpose and steadiness, ranked just below exaltation and above its own sign. BPHS gives the Sun Leo 0–20°, the Moon Taurus 3–30°, Mars Aries 0–12°, Mercury Virgo 15–20°, Jupiter Sagittarius 0–10°, Venus Libra 0–15° and Saturn Aquarius 0–20°. The rest of each of those signs counts as the planet's own sign.

Read moreSee also: Uchcha, Swakshetra, Neecha

Muhuratमुहूर्त · auspicious time

A muhurat is a time chosen so that the panchang and the planets support the work being started, such as a wedding, a housewarming or a new venture. The word also names a unit of 48 minutes, one thirtieth of a day and night. Classical rules, set out in texts like Muhurta Chintamani, weigh the tithi, nakshatra, weekday, lagna and the people involved.

Read moreSee also: Panchang, Abhijit, Choghadiya

Naam Aksharनाम अक्षर · naming syllable

Each of the 108 nakshatra padas has a traditional syllable, and a child's name is often started with the syllable of the pada the Moon occupied at birth. For example, the four padas of Ashwini give Chu, Che, Cho and La. The syllable lists vary a little between regions; ours follow the North Indian tradition used in most Hindi almanacs.

Read moreSee also: Pada, Nakshatra, Janma Rashi

Nadiनाड़ी · constitution class in matching

Every nakshatra belongs to one of three nadis: Adi (vata), Madhya (pitta) or Antya (kapha). In gun milan the nadi koota carries the most points, 8 of 36, and two people with the same nadi traditionally score zero. Texts list exceptions, for instance when the nakshatras differ but the Moon sign is the same, so a same-nadi match is examined rather than dismissed.

Read moreSee also: Gun Milan, Gana, Bhakoot

Nakshatraनक्षत्र · lunar mansion

A nakshatra is one of the 27 equal divisions of the zodiac, each 13°20′ long, named after a star or star group near the Moon's path. The Moon passes through roughly one nakshatra a day. Each has a ruling planet in the Vimshottari order, a deity and a symbol, and the Moon's nakshatra at birth sets the dasha sequence and the naming syllable.

Read moreSee also: Pada, Vimshottari, Naam Akshar

Navamsaनवांश · D9 chart

The navamsa, or D9, divides each sign into nine parts of 3°20′ and builds a new chart from them; each part matches one nakshatra pada. It is the most used divisional chart, read for marriage and partnership and to confirm the real strength of a planet seen in the birth chart. A planet in the same sign in both charts is called vargottama and is counted as strong.

Read moreSee also: Varga, Pada, Atmakaraka

Neechaनीच · debilitation

A planet is neecha, or debilitated, in the sign opposite its exaltation: the Sun in Libra, the Moon in Scorpio, Mars in Cancer, Mercury in Pisces, Jupiter in Capricorn, Venus in Virgo and Saturn in Aries. Here it finds its significations harder to express easily. Debilitation is often modified by neecha bhanga, and many people with debilitated planets develop real skill in those areas through effort.

Read moreSee also: Neecha Bhanga, Uchcha, Moolatrikona

Neecha Bhangaनीचभंग · cancellation of debilitation

Neecha bhanga is the cancellation of a planet's debilitation. Common conditions include the lord of the debilitation sign, or of the planet's exaltation sign, sitting in a kendra from the lagna or the Moon, or the debilitated planet being aspected by its sign lord. Texts list the rules differently, and many astrologers read it as difficulty early on that turns into strength later.

See also: Neecha, Uchcha, Kendra

Padaचरण (पद) · quarter of a nakshatra

A pada is one quarter of a nakshatra, 3°20′ long, giving 108 padas round the zodiac. Each pada falls in one navamsa sign, which colours how that part of the nakshatra behaves. Padas also give the traditional naming syllables.

Read moreSee also: Nakshatra, Navamsa, Naam Akshar

Panchangपंचांग · five-limbed almanac

The panchang is the Hindu almanac, named for its five limbs: tithi (lunar day), vara (weekday), nakshatra (the Moon's star), yoga (a combination of Sun and Moon longitudes) and karana (half-tithi). It is calculated for a place, from local sunrise, so it differs slightly from city to city. It is used to choose muhurtas and to fix festival and fasting dates.

Read moreSee also: Tithi, Vara, Karana, Yoga

Rahu Kaalराहु काल · daily period ruled by Rahu

Rahu kaal is one eighth of the daytime, from sunrise to sunset, set aside each day as Rahu's portion; its slot depends on the weekday and its length on the day's length, about an hour and a half on average. Many families, especially in South India, avoid starting new work in it, while work already underway simply continues. Because it depends on local sunrise and sunset, it must be calculated for your own city.

Read moreSee also: Choghadiya, Muhurat, Panchang

Raja Yogaराजयोग · combination for rise and status

In Parashari astrology a raja yoga forms when the lord of a kendra (1, 4, 7, 10) connects with the lord of a trikona (1, 5, 9) by conjunction, mutual aspect or exchange of signs. A single planet ruling both a kendra and a trikona, a yogakaraka, is especially valued. Such yogas point to rise, recognition and effective action, usually during the dashas of the planets that form them.

Read moreSee also: Kendra, Trikona, Yoga, Dhana Yoga

Rashiराशि · zodiac sign

A rashi is one of the twelve 30° signs of the zodiac, from Mesha (Aries) to Meena (Pisces). Each has an element, a quality (movable, fixed or dual) and a ruling planet, and colours how any planet placed in it expresses itself. In everyday Indian usage your rashi means your Moon sign, measured in the sidereal zodiac.

Read moreSee also: Janma Rashi, Tatva, Sidereal Zodiac

Sade Satiसाढ़ेसाती · Saturn's 7½-year transit

Sade sati is Saturn's transit through the 12th, 1st and 2nd signs from your Moon sign, about two and a half years in each, so roughly seven and a half years in all. It comes around about once every 29–30 years. Tradition links it with pressure, responsibility and maturing through effort; many people also achieve a great deal during it, and its effect depends on Saturn's role in your own chart and the dasha running.

Read moreSee also: Dhaiya, Gochar, Janma Rashi

Shadbalaषड्बल · six-fold strength

Shadbala measures a planet's strength from six sources: position (sthana bala), direction (dig bala), time (kala bala), motion (cheshta bala), natural strength (naisargika bala) and aspects received (drik bala). The total, in units called rupas, is compared with a minimum set for each planet. It is a numerical check that complements, rather than replaces, reading the chart as a whole.

See also: Digbala, Ashtakavarga, Vakri

Shubha and Papaशुभ और पाप ग्रह · natural benefics and malefics

Jyotish divides the grahas by nature. Jupiter and Venus are the natural benefics (shubha), with Mercury benefic when not joined by malefics and the Moon when waxing; the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu are natural malefics (papa), the Sun being the mildest. Separately, each lagna makes some planets functional benefics or malefics by the houses they rule, and that often matters more in reading a chart.

Read moreSee also: Graha, Kendra, Trikona

Sidereal Zodiacनिरयण राशिचक्र · star-based zodiac (nirayana)

The sidereal zodiac measures the signs against the fixed stars, while the tropical zodiac used in most Western astrology starts from the spring equinox. The two are now about 24° apart, so most people's Vedic signs fall one sign earlier than their Western ones. Jyotish uses the sidereal zodiac, and our site applies the Lahiri ayanamsa to convert.

Read moreSee also: Ayanamsa, Rashi

Swakshetraस्वक्षेत्र · own sign

A planet is swakshetra when it sits in a sign it rules: the Sun in Leo, the Moon in Cancer, Mars in Aries or Scorpio, Mercury in Gemini or Virgo, Jupiter in Sagittarius or Pisces, Venus in Taurus or Libra, Saturn in Capricorn or Aquarius. Like a person at home, it acts comfortably and protects the house it occupies. Rahu and Ketu own no sign in BPHS, though some later authors assign them co-rulerships.

Read moreSee also: Moolatrikona, Uchcha, Lagnesh

Tatvaतत्त्व · element

Each sign belongs to one of four elements: fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) and water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). The grahas are also linked to the five tatvas, with Jupiter ruling ether (akasha). The balance of elements in a chart is a quick sketch of temperament.

Read moreSee also: Rashi, Kalapurusha

Tithiतिथि · lunar day

A tithi is the time the Moon takes to move 12° ahead of the Sun, so a lunar month holds 30 tithis, 15 in the waxing half (shukla paksha) and 15 in the waning half (krishna paksha). Because the Moon's speed varies, a tithi can be shorter or longer than a day, and the tithi at sunrise usually names the day. Festivals, fasts and many muhurtas are fixed by tithi.

Read moreSee also: Panchang, Karana, Vara

Trikonaत्रिकोण · trines (1, 5, 9)

The trikonas are the 1st, 5th and 9th houses, the houses of dharma, merit and fortune: self, intelligence and children, and faith, teachers and luck. They are counted as the most auspicious houses, and their lords are considered helpful for any lagna. When a trikona lord joins a kendra lord, a raja yoga forms.

Read moreSee also: Kendra, Raja Yoga, Dusthana

Uchchaउच्च · exaltation

A planet is uchcha, or exalted, in the sign where it is strongest and most generous: the Sun in Aries (deepest at 10°), the Moon in Taurus (3°), Mars in Capricorn (28°), Mercury in Virgo (15°), Jupiter in Cancer (5°), Venus in Pisces (27°) and Saturn in Libra (20°). Texts differ on Rahu and Ketu, most often giving Taurus and Scorpio, some Gemini and Sagittarius. An exalted planet still needs a good house and support to give its best.

Read moreSee also: Neecha, Moolatrikona, Swakshetra

Upachayaउपचय · houses of growth (3, 6, 10, 11)

The upachaya houses are the 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th, whose matters grow with time and effort: courage, overcoming obstacles, career and gains. Natural malefics such as Mars, Saturn and Rahu are traditionally said to do well here, turning their drive into results. Things promised by these houses often improve as a person gets older.

Read moreSee also: Dusthana, Kendra, Shubha and Papa

Vakriवक्री · retrograde

A planet is vakri, or retrograde, when seen from Earth it appears to move backwards through the zodiac for a while. Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn go retrograde from time to time; the Sun and Moon never do, and Rahu and Ketu always move backwards. Classical texts give a retrograde planet extra strength (cheshta bala), and it is often read as working in a more inward or repeated way.

Read moreSee also: Asta, Shadbala, Gochar

Varaवार · weekday

Vara is the weekday, each ruled by a graha: Sunday the Sun, Monday the Moon, Tuesday Mars, Wednesday Mercury, Thursday Jupiter, Friday Venus and Saturday Saturn. In the panchang a vara runs from sunrise to sunrise, not midnight to midnight. It is one of the five limbs of the panchang and matters in choosing muhurtas.

Read moreSee also: Panchang, Hora, Tithi

Vargaवर्ग · divisional chart

A varga is a divisional chart made by splitting each sign into equal parts and mapping them to signs again, giving a finer view of one area of life. BPHS describes sixteen, including the D2 hora for wealth, D4 for property, D7 for children, D9 navamsa for marriage and strength, D10 for career and D60 for past karma. Divisional charts need an accurate birth time, since the finer ones change within minutes.

See also: Navamsa, Hora, Kundli

Vimshottariविंशोत्तरी · 120-year dasha system

Vimshottari is the main dasha system of Parashari astrology, a 120-year cycle of nine planetary periods: Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19 and Mercury 17 years. The same order gives the lords of the nakshatras from Ashwini onwards. Your first dasha belongs to the lord of the Moon's birth nakshatra, and its remaining balance depends on how far the Moon had travelled through it.

Read moreSee also: Mahadasha, Antardasha, Nakshatra

Yogaयोग · planetary combination; also a panchang limb

In chart reading a yoga is a specific combination of planets, houses or signs that points to a particular result, such as raja yoga, dhana yoga or Gaja Kesari yoga. A yoga gives its results mainly when the planets forming it are strong and their dashas run. Separately, in the panchang, yoga is one of 27 daily divisions based on the sum of the Sun's and Moon's longitudes.

See also: Raja Yoga, Dhana Yoga, Gaja Kesari Yoga, Panchang

Yoniयोनि · animal nature in matching

Each nakshatra is assigned one of fourteen animal yonis, such as the horse, elephant, serpent or deer, each male or female. In gun milan the yoni koota carries 4 of the 36 points and compares instinctive and physical compatibility: the same yoni scores highest, and traditionally hostile pairs, like the cat and rat, score lowest. It is one small part of the full picture.

Read moreSee also: Gun Milan, Gana, Nadi

Written by the Satmarg Astro editorial team from the classical texts. Astrology is guidance for reflection — not medical, legal or financial advice. Our method