Vedic Astrology Glossary

Ayanamsa is the angular offset — about 24° today — between the tropical zodiac of Western astrology and the sidereal zodiac of Vedic astrology. Kundli Saathi applies the Lahiri ayanamsa, the most widely used in India, to place every planet in its Vedic sign.

Bhava is a house in Vedic astrology — one of the twelve divisions of the birth chart, each governing a set of life areas such as self, wealth, siblings, home, children, work or marriage. Kundli Saathi counts houses in the whole-sign system from the Lagna.

Graha is Sanskrit for 'planet', but the nine Grahas of Vedic astrology include the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu, which are mathematical points rather than celestial bodies. The nine are the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.

Karaka is a 'significator' — a planet naturally associated with a particular person or area of life, such as the Sun with the father, the Moon with the mother and mind, or Venus with the spouse. A karaka is read together with the house and house lord for the same theme.

Kundli is the Vedic birth chart — a diagram of the sign, house and degree of each of the nine grahas at the exact moment and place of a person's birth. Every other reading in Vedic astrology, from Dasha timing to marriage matching, starts from it.

Lagna is the ascendant in Vedic astrology — the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the exact time and place of birth. It becomes the 1st house of the chart and sets the order of all twelve houses.

Nakshatra is one of the 27 lunar mansions of Vedic astrology, each spanning 13°20′ of the zodiac — a finer division than the twelve Rashis. The Moon's Nakshatra at birth sets the starting point of the Vimshottari Dasha and is read as a strong indicator of disposition.

Pada is one of the four quarters of a Nakshatra, each 3°20′ wide. Every Pada matches one Navamsa sign, so it adds a finer layer of nuance to the Nakshatra reading.

Rashi is a zodiac sign in Vedic astrology — one of the twelve 30° divisions of the sidereal zodiac. "Your Rashi" usually means the sign the Moon occupied at birth, the sign a Vedic astrologer asks for first; the Sun's Rashi is closer to the Western sun sign.

Antardasha (also called Bhukti) is a 'sub-period' inside a Mahadasha — nine of them, one per graha, in the same fixed order. Its length is the Mahadasha's years multiplied by the sub-period lord's years and divided by 120, which adds finer timing inside the Mahadasha.

Dasha is the Vedic astrology term for a planetary time period — the system that turns a fixed birth chart into a timeline of periods ruled by different grahas. The Vimshottari Dasha, calculated from the Moon's Nakshatra at birth, is the one in most widespread use.

Mahadasha is the 'major period' of the Vimshottari Dasha system — a stretch of 6 to 20 years ruled by one of the nine grahas. The nine Mahadashas run in a fixed order and total 120 years, and the one running now is the most consulted operative timing marker in Vedic astrology.

Pratyantardasha (Pratyantar Dasha) is the 'sub-sub-period' inside an Antardasha — the third level of the Vimshottari Dasha system, used for month-level timing. Its length is the Antardasha's length multiplied by the sub-sub-period lord's years and divided by 120.

Vimshottari Dasha is the 120-year planetary period system described in the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, calculated from the Moon's Nakshatra at birth. It runs nine Mahadashas in a fixed order and is the default Dasha system in modern Vedic practice.

Dasamsa (D10) is the divisional chart made by dividing each Rashi into ten parts of 3°, used primarily for career and profession timing.

Navamsa (D9) is the divisional chart made by dividing each Rashi into nine parts of 3°20′. It is the most consulted divisional chart, especially for marriage and dharma readings and as a strength-check on the main birth chart.

Vargottama describes a planet that falls in the same sign in both the Rashi chart (D1) and the Navamsa chart (D9). Classical tradition reads the repetition as a strengthening of that planet's placement.

Yoga is a specific planetary configuration with a named effect in Vedic astrology — for example Gaja Kesari Yoga (Jupiter and the Moon in angles) or Budhaditya Yoga (Mercury with the Sun) — and has nothing to do with the exercise practice. The classics list hundreds; in practice 20-30 are widely consulted.

Yogakaraka is a planet that rules both a kendra (4th, 7th or 10th) and a trikona (5th or 9th) house for a given Lagna. Classical tradition reads such a planet as especially supportive for that chart.

Bhakoot Dosha is the flag raised when the Bhakoot factor of Ashtakoot scores zero, because the two Moon signs sit in a problematic relative position — specifically 6/8 or 9/5 from each other (2/12 also scores zero). Modern practice considers many mitigants before treating it as disqualifying.

Kaal Sarpa Dosha is a chart configuration in which all seven visible planets sit on one side of the Rahu-Ketu axis. It is a real, checkable pattern, but it is widely over-marketed; the classical texts treat it far more cautiously than its modern reputation suggests.

Manglik describes a birth chart in which Mars (Mangal) sits in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house from the Lagna, and some traditions also count the 2nd. It is classically associated with marital friction; modern practice considers many mitigating factors before declaring a real concern.

Nadi Dosha is the Ashtakoot flag raised when both partners' Moon Nakshatras fall under the same Nadi (Aadi, Madhya or Antya). Nadi is worth 8 of the 36 points, the most of any factor, and it scores all or nothing.

Gochara (Gochar) is transit in Vedic astrology — the present movement of the planets through the zodiac, read against the natal chart and most often counted from the natal Moon sign. Sade Sati is the best-known gochara pattern.

Sade Sati is Saturn's 7.5-year transit through the sign before, the sign of, and the sign after the Moon's natal Rashi. It is treated as a period of friction and discipline rather than plain misfortune, and depends on Saturn's natal placement and the particular sign.

Ashtakoot is the 8-factor compatibility scoring system of Vedic matchmaking (Milan): Varna, Vashya, Tara, Yoni, Graha Maitri, Gana, Bhakoot and Nadi. Each factor scores 0 to its maximum, and the total out of 36 is the headline number.