How it works

The zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth — anchors the entire chart and determines house-lordship roles.

One of the 12 zodiac signs (Aries to Pisces). Each is ruled by a planet whose nature it inherits.

One of 12 houses radiating from the lagna, each representing a domain of life (self, money, siblings, home, …).

One of 27 lunar mansions of ~13°20' each. The Moon's natal nakshatra rules personality and Vimshottari sequence.

One of 4 quarters within a nakshatra (~3°20'). Often used to map a person to one of 108 nakshatra-pada slots.

The 9th divisional chart (D9). Reveals marriage potential, dharma, and the inner strength of every natal placement.

'To grab / seize'. The 9 grahas: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu. Rahu / Ketu are lunar nodes, not planets.

Two grahas in the same rasi. Their natures blend; the stronger or more dignified one usually dominates the outcome.

The single sign where a planet's lordship is at its absolute strongest — stronger than own sign, just below exaltation. Each planet has one.

A planet within ~6–10° of the Sun. Combust planets lose predictive strength and may produce muted or distorted results.

A planetary period activating a portion of the chart's promise. The Vimshottari system maps the entire life to a 120-year cycle.

The top-level Vimshottari period (6–20 years). Its lord's house, sign, and aspects define the era's main theme.

Sub-period inside a Mahadasha (months to years). The AD lord modulates the MD theme — same lord boosts; conflict splits.

Sub-sub-period inside an Antardasha (days to months). Fine-grain timing layer for predicting specific events.

The 120-year dasha system used by mainstream Parashari Jyotish. Sequence and durations are fixed by natal Moon nakshatra.

36-year short cycle of 8 yoginis, used for short-term timing alongside Vimshottari. Useful when Vimshottari periods are too broad.

Jaimini rasi-based (not graha-based) dasha system. Key for career, marriage, and relationship timing. Used heavily by Sanjay Rath + K.N. Rao.

K.N. Rao's preferred primary Jaimini natal dasha — rasi-based, derived from atmakaraka. Powerful for life-arc reading.

108-year alternative dasha system. Works best when natal Moon is in Krishna paksha (waning lunar half).

A named planetary combination (e.g. Gajakesari, Raja Yoga) that grants a specific blessing. Activates fully in its lords' dashas.

A flagged challenge (e.g. Manglik, Kala Sarpa, Sade Sati). Doshas warn about timing-sensitive cautions but most have cancellation rules.

The planet with the highest degree in the chart (excluding Rahu / Ketu). Represents the soul's primary theme in this life.

A planet that rules both a kendra (1/4/7/10) and a trikona (1/5/9) from the lagna — the lagna's most beneficial planet.

Angular houses 1, 4, 7, 10 — pillars of life (self, home, partner, career). Strong planets here drive worldly visibility.

Trine houses 1, 5, 9 — pure benefic houses of dharma, intelligence, fortune. Trikona lords are always auspicious.

The challenging houses 6, 8, 12. Activations can mean conflict, transformation, or hidden loss — but also viparita raja yoga potential.

Planetary aspect — the houses a planet 'looks at' from its position. Saturn aspects 3rd/7th/10th, Jupiter 5th/7th/9th, Mars 4th/7th/8th.

A natural significator — each planet 'owns' certain topics (Jupiter for wisdom, Venus for love, Saturn for discipline …).

When 6/8/12 lords (dusthana lords) mutually exchange or occupy each other's houses. Adversity becomes the vehicle for unexpected rise.

9th house afflicted, often by Rahu. Inherited ancestral karmic burden — typically manifests as repeating-pattern struggles.

Jupiter conjunct or aspected by Rahu/Ketu. Wisdom inverted — risk of impulsive teaching, false guru figures, or unconventional knowledge paths.

Six-fold strength system: Sthana (positional), Dig (directional), Kala (temporal), Cheshta (motional), Naisargika (natural), Drik (aspectual).

8-source benefic-point system. Each planet collects bindus (points) from each contributor across the zodiac; Sarvashtakavarga sums all sources.

Remedial measure to reshape the *response* to active karma — not the chart itself. Mantra > Yantra > Daana > Ratna is the senior preference order.

Sound-based remedy: bīja syllables + deity mantras. Senior practitioners' most-preferred upaya — no side effects, no cost.

Geometric talisman attuned to a graha or deity (Surya yantra, Navagraha yantra). Worn or installed for sustained alignment.

Planetary gemstone: Ruby (Sun), Pearl (Moon), Coral (Mars), Emerald (Mercury), Yellow Sapphire (Jupiter), Diamond (Venus), Blue Sapphire (Saturn), Hessonite (Rahu), Cat's-Eye (Ketu). Always wear with 24-48hr trial.

Charitable giving — specific items donated on specific weekdays tied to grahas (white on Monday for Moon; sesame on Saturday for Saturn).

Natal Jyotish — the most common modern application. Casts a chart from birth time and reads life themes from it.

Horary — chart cast at the moment of question. Used when birth time is unknown or for specific yes/no inquiries.

Electional — choosing an auspicious time to start a venture (marriage, business, travel). Uses panchanga + transits.

Mundane Jyotish — covers nations, weather, omens, political events. The classical text Brihat Samhita by Varahamihira is canonical.

Lineage-held pre-written leaf readings claimed to predict individual lives — controversial and not part of mainstream Parashari practice.

The 5-limb Vedic daily almanac: weekday lord, tithi (lunar day), nakshatra, yoga, karana. Used for muhurta (auspicious timing).

Personal moksha deity, derived from the 12th house from Atmakaraka in D9. The form of the Divine that best supports this soul.

The ~7.5-year Saturn transit over 12th, 1st, and 2nd houses from natal Moon. Tests, restructures, and matures the chart's themes.

The offset between tropical and sidereal zodiac. The single biggest technical choice in Jyotish — Lahiri (1956 GoI standard) is default. NEVER mix systems within one analysis.

Chitrapaksha ayanamsa — India's 1956 government-standardized sidereal reference. Used by ≥ 80% of practitioners + nearly all software defaults.

Vedic 8-fold compatibility system used for marriage matching. 8 kutas (Varna, Vashya, Tara, Yoni, Graha Maitri, Gana, Bhakuta, Nadi) sum to 36 gunas; ≥ 18 is the typical minimum.