Vedic Astrology Glossary

Short explanations of the Vedic astrology terms that come up throughout the site, with their plain-language equivalents. Sanskrit-derived terms are generally kept untranslated; you'll find a short equivalent and a full explanation next to each one.

Antardasha (Bhukti)— A sub-period within a main period
The sub-period into which a main Dasha period is itself divided, again according to the nine planets. The main dasha sets the overall theme; the antardasha shows which facet of that theme stands out.
Ascendant (Lagna)— The sign degree rising in the east at birth
The zodiac degree rising on the eastern horizon at the exact time and place of birth; it marks the start of the chart's 1st house and represents a person's outward presence and approach to life.
Ayanamsa— The angular gap between the sidereal and tropical zodiacs
The angular difference between the starting points of the sidereal and tropical zodiacs, which slowly grows over the years. Kavi Astrology's calculations use the classical Lahiri ayanamsa.
Chandrashtama (Ashtama Moon)— A day when the Moon is in the 8th house from your sign
A day when transiting Moon falls in the 8th house counted from a person's birth sign — classically considered better suited to rest than to major decisions.
Dasha (Vimshottari Dasha)— A 120-year system of planetary periods
A classical timing system, starting from the birth Moon nakshatra, in which the nine planets rule in sequence over a total 120-year cycle. Whichever planet's 'period' you are in shows the themes that come to the fore in your life during that time.
Dosha— A placement that calls for attention in the chart
The term for a planetary placement that can create potential difficulty in a specific life area — one of the best known being Mangal/Kuja Dosha, associated with friction in marriage.
Drishti— A planetary or sign aspect ("glance")
The classical Vedic system in which a planet or sign "looks at" certain houses/signs from its position. Each planet has its own planet-specific glances (e.g. Mars also aspects the 4th, 7th, and 8th houses, Jupiter the 5th, 7th, and 9th).
Gochara— Transit — the planets' current sky positions
The term for the planets' current positions and how they relate to the signs and houses of the birth chart; used to read day-to-day or period-specific influences.
House (Bhava)— The 12 life areas set by the moment of birth
One of 12 divisions calculated from the birth ascendant, each representing a specific life area such as career, marriage, or health. Kavi Astrology uses the Whole Sign house system by default.
Karaka— The planet that signifies a given life area
The planet classically considered the significator of a specific life area (marriage, career, mother, father, and so on). Venus, for example, is the karaka for marriage, and Jupiter for the husband/abundance.
Muhurta— The choice of an auspicious moment
The tradition of choosing the most favorable moment, based on sky positions, to begin something important such as a marriage, a new job, or a journey; it draws on measures like Tarabala and Tithi.
Muntha— The ascendant point advanced by age
In the Tajaka (annual chart) system, the point found by advancing the birth ascendant by the number of years lived, showing which life area stands out for that year.
Nakshatra— One of the 27 lunar mansions / star clusters
The system of dividing the zodiac into 27 equal 13°20' segments known as lunar mansions. The nakshatra the Moon occupies at birth (the Janma Nakshatra) underlies a person's character reading and the Vimshottari Dasha calculation.
Pada— One of a nakshatra's 4 sub-divisions
The term for each of a nakshatra's four equal 3°20' sub-divisions; it is used to determine the sign of the next harmonic chart (the Navamsa).
Planet (Graha)— The 9 celestial bodies used in Vedic astrology
The general term for the nine celestial bodies (Navagraha) used in Vedic chart interpretation — the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon's orbital nodes, Rahu and Ketu.
Rahu & Ketu— The Moon's North and South Nodes
The two mathematical points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic. Rahu (the North Node) represents expansion and worldly desire, Ketu (the South Node) represents introspection and past-life legacy; they always sit exactly opposite each other (180°).
Rectification— A method for narrowing down an unknown birth time
When the birth time is not precisely known, the work of narrowing down the likely birth time by testing it against real life events (such as marriage or a career change) using several independent astrological methods.
Sade Sati— Saturn's roughly 7.5-year transit period
The roughly 7.5-year period during which transiting Saturn moves through the sign before, the sign of, and the sign after the natal Moon sign. Classical texts describe it as a challenging but maturing stretch.
Sidereal / Tropical— Star-based zodiac / season-based zodiac
The sidereal zodiac fixes sign boundaries to the actual stars (the basis of Vedic astrology), while the tropical zodiac fixes them to the spring equinox (the basis of Western astrology). The gap between the two systems is measured by the ayanamsa, an angle that slowly grows over time.
Sign (Rashi)— A 30-degree slice of the zodiac
One of the 12 equal (30°) divisions of the zodiac; each sign has its own element (fire, earth, air, water), nature, and ruling planet.
Tajaka (Varshaphal)— The annual chart — the solar return chart
An annual chart cast for the moment the transiting Sun returns each year to its exact natal degree; it reads the year's overall theme through concepts specific to this system, such as Muntha and Varshesha.
Tarabala— The day's star strength relative to your birth nakshatra
A classical measure derived from counting nakshatras from your birth nakshatra to the target day, showing how supportive that day is for you.
Tithi— A lunar day
A calendar unit defined by a 12° angular gap between the Moon and the Sun; a lunar month is divided into 30 tithis, each considered suitable or unsuitable for particular kinds of activity.
Upagraha (Shadow Planet)— Calculated secondary planetary points
The general term for secondary points (such as Gulika and Mandi) that are not real celestial bodies but are calculated from specific mathematical formulas; they are used as an extra layer of interpretation.
Varga (Divisional/Harmonic Chart)— The birth chart split into sub-charts
A mathematically derived subdivision of the main birth chart (the Rashi chart), each one built to focus more closely on a specific life area. The Navamsa (D9) and Dashamsa (D10) are the most commonly used varga charts.
Vedic Astrology (Jyotish)— An Indian tradition of reading the sky
A classical astrological tradition originating in India that reads the positions of the planets and stars at the moment of birth against the sidereal (star-fixed) zodiac. Unlike Western astrology, it is anchored to actual star positions rather than the seasons.
Yoga— A special combination formed by planets
A classical combination formed when two or more planets come together in a particular placement or relationship, giving the chart a distinctive effect — supportive or challenging.