Frequently Used Terms in Vedic Astrology

The following are some of the more frequently used technical terms in Hindu Jyotish and
an understanding of these can facilitate the learning of the spiritual art for those who may
be so inclined.
Though this does not purport to be a complete list of any sort, rather it is just an
assemblage of terms as they come to the mind of the author, these can be pointers to
greater research and reading.
1. Lagna: Ascendant; first house of any chart in the horoscope.
2. Chakra: Chart
3. Rashi: Sign, also used to denote the main chart
4. Rashi Chakra: Radix; Main natal chart
5. Varga Chakra: Divisional Chart; contrary to belief in certain quarters, these divisional
charts are indispensable for any horoscopic analysis. They pertain to specific areas of life
such as marriage and dharma, career and Karma, parents, education, property, vehicles
and happiness from the same, spiritual aspects, past life, matrilineal Karma, patrilineal
Karma etc.
6. Graha: Planet, roughly translated, for want of a better word. These indicate the
metaphysical aspects of the astronomical bodies called planets and are rooted in the term
Grahan, to eclipse. Thus, Graha can eclipse our minds, for better or for worse.
7. Jyotish: Vedic/ Hindu Astrology, the Light of God, a spiritual art, Vedanga,
propounded by the Seers of ancient India.
8. Vedanga: Part of the Veda
9. Surya: Sun, the King
10. Chandra: Moon, the Queen
11. Mangal/ Kuja/ Angaraka: Mars, the Commander-in-Chief
12. Budh: Mercury, the Prince
13. Guru/ Brihaspati: Jupiter, the Great Preceptor of the Gods, the most naturally benefic
planet.
14. Shukra: Venus, the Preceptor of the Demons
15. Shani: Saturn, the dispenser of our Karma, the dispassionate and most tremendous
planet, never to be denied.
16. Rahu: North Node of the Moon
17. Ketu: South Node of the Moon
18. Drishti: Aspect, a manner of looking at someone, or something
19. Graha Drishti: Planetary Aspect
20. Rashi Drishti: Sign aspect
21. Yoga: Combination formed by two or more planets
22. Rajayoga: A Combination for success, elevation and kingship
23. Dhanyoga: A Combination for material success and wealth
24. Vipreeta Raja Yoga: A combination for success after initial trials and hardship,
formed by the combination of two or more evil planets
25. Adhipati/Lords: planets owning certain houses

26. Bhava/Houses: A Chart has 12 houses, indicating the whole gamut of circumstantial
reality as we know it.
27. Mesha: Aries
28. Vrishabh: Taurus
29. Mithun: Gemini
30. Karka: Cancer
31. Simha: Leo
32. Kanya: Virgo
33. Tula: Libra
34. Vrishchik: Scorpio
35. Dhanu: Sagittarius
36. Makar: Capricorn
37. Kumbha: Aquarius
38. Meena: Pisces
39. Dhan Bhava: 2nd House of the Chart, relating to wealth, family, movable assets,
speech, face, death
40. Vikrama Bhava: 3rd House of the chart, relating to siblings, effort, valor,
communication, short writing, magazines, periodicals, telephones, internet, copulation,
desire, Guru Upadesha, occult
41. Sukha Bhava: 4th House of the chart, relating to mother, immovable property,
happiness, vehicles, learning, heart-particularly the part related to circulation
42. Putra Bhava: 5th House, relating to Mantra, progeny, power, creative intelligence,
consultancy, Poorva Punya/ blessings accruing from the past Karma, future prospects in
this incarnation
43. Shatru Bhava: 6th House, relating to illness, debts and enemies, wounds, six types of
weaknesses, litigation, emaciation, irregular meals, insanity, feuds, cousins, nuisance,
addiction, servitude, job, bad work
44. Kalatra Bhava: 7th House, wife (attitude to first wife), sexuality, intercourse, desire,
door, partnership, foreign travel, work, happiness
45. Randhra Bhava: 8th House, Nija Dosha/ own faults, transformation, incurable and
chronic illness, occult, spirituality, sudden events, speculation, gambling, Jyotish, mental
and physical distress, death of spouse, Mangalya Bhava for women (length of marriage),
crossing oceans.
46. Dharma Bhava: 9th House, fortune, Guru, teacher, higher education, religion,
philosophy, law, lawyers, Dharma, ritual, father, foreign travel for education, past
47. Karma Bhava: 10th House, Karma, work, profession, actions, status in society, place
where the debt relating to the forefathers is transferred.
48. Labh Bhava: 11th House, gains, friends, income, social groups, learning from a secret
tradition, optimism, fulfillment of desires, punishment.
49. Vyaya Bhava: 12th House, loss, immigration, foreign travel, Ashram, monastery,
incarceration, solitude, meditation, sleep, freedom, expenditure
50. Arudha: the risen or manifest part
51. Bhava Arudha: the manifest part of the houses
52. Graha Arudha: the manifest part of the planets
53. Arudha Lagna: the manifest part of the self or the visible personality

54. Upapada Lagna: The Arudha of the 12th House, showing the external facets of the
spouse, calculated for the 12th House because marriage is about giving, seen as a
metaphysic from the 12th House
55. Darapada: The risen part of the 7th House, showing sexuality, and financial prospects
56. Srimantah Yoga: Arudha Lagna and Darapada being in Kendra or Trikona from each
other, leading to conjugal felicity and material prosperity
57. Dhimantah Yoga: Lagna Lord being placed in the 3rd, 5th or the 6th Houses, or
related to these houses, an intellectual is born who is interested in research and learning
58. Dharmakarmadhipati Yoga: Union/ exchange of the 9th and 10th Lords leading to the
highest Yoga of the land; someone who works to establish Dharma in the world
59. Shakta Yoga: Rahu or the Moon placed in the 9th House from the Lagna or the
Atmakaraka, giving the power/ Shakti to destroy. Benefic involvement shows the
destruction of good/ genocide and such things while the malefic associations show the
destruction of evil.
60. Dosha: Flaw
61. Shrapa: Curse, formed by the involvement of two or more natural malefics with a
benefic planet
62. Tithi: lunar date
63. Dasha: Periodicity
64. Moola Dasha: Periodicity showing the root of the Karma being experiences by the
mind
65. Vimshottari Dasha: Karma being experienced by the mind
66. Conditional Dasha: Periodicities detailed by Sage Parashara, selectively applicable
based on peculiar features in charts
67. Rashi Dashas: Periodicities of signs rather than planets, showing circumstantial
aspects rather then intelligence inputs
68. Narayan Dasha: King of the Dashas, also Padakrama Dasha, showing the factual and
deterministic inputs given by Sri Vishnu himself
69. Sade-Sati: The transit of Saturn ,before, atop and next to the Chandra Rashi
70. Kantak Shani: Transit Saturn in or aspecting the 10th House from Lagna, Arudha
Lagna or the Moon
71. Trikona: Trines, Lagna, 5th and 9th Houses
72. Kendra: Quadrants, Lagna, 4th, 7th and 10th Houses
73. Dusthana: 3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th Houses; evil places
74. Upachaya: 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th Houses, places of growth due to effort and natural
consequence
75. Shoola Dasha: Periodicity showing illness, troubles and death
76. Paryaya dasha: Used for illness in the Varga Chakra relating to illness
77. Mandooka Dasha: Used for timing wars and conflict and defeat and victory
78. Argala: Intervention or influence of planets, signs and Arudha Padas on each other
79. Drekkana: D-3 chart used to judge siblings, Karma and vitality depending on the type
of Drekkana
80. Turyamsha/ Chaturthamsha: D-4 chart used to judge properties
81. Shashthamsha: D-6 chart used for illness
82. Saptamsha: D-7 chart used to judge progeny
83. Dashamsha: D-10 chart used for career and Mahat Karma

84. Rudramsha: D-11 chart used to see wars and destruction

85. Dwadashamsha: D-12 chart used to see parents
86. Vimshamsha: D-20 chart used to see meditation and spiritual practices
87. Siddhamsha/ Chaturvimshamsha: D-24 chart used to study the education and learning
of the native, both formal and informal
88. Trimshamsha: D-30 chart used to see subconscious levels of suffering
89. Shashtyamsha: D-60 chart used to see sum total of past Karma and also to see the past
life itself
90. Karaka: Doer
91. Naisargika Karaka: natural significator
92. Sthira Karaka: Permanent significator
93. Chara Karaka: Temporal significator
94. Chara Karaka Replacements: If two planets are at the same degrees with difference in
minutes of arc traversed, or if the minutes are also the same then seconds, then the one
with the lower longitude takes over the Char Karaka signification of the former at some
point in time and the place of the latter is taken by the Sthira Karaka. This is a time of
upheaval.
95. Agrakaraka: The first Karaka in the replacement, the one with the highest longitude
96. Antyakaraka: The Karaka replacing the Agrakaraka
97. Madhyakhetah: If there are three Chara Karakas at the same degrees, then the middle
Karaka
98.Sandhi: Junctional regions between signs, usually taken to span 1 degree on either side
of the sign. A planet placed in Sandhi is weakened. Physical significations of the houses
they represent are endangered.
99.Gandanta: Specific Sandhi positions at the junctions of Karka-Simha, VrishchikDhanu and Meena-Mesha Rashi. These have spiritual significance but are otherwise
highly adverse.
100.Kendradhipati Dosha: The blemish acquired by a natural benefic when it lords two
quadrant houses. The Lagna Lord does not acquire this.
101.Kemadruma Yoga: The Moon unassociated and without planets in the 12th and 2nd
Houses from it, save Sun. This causes poverty but is cancelled by planets in Kendra from
Lagna.
102.Kemadruma Yoga-II: Natural malefics in the 2nd and 8th Houses from the Lagna,
Arudha Lagna and the Karakamsha. If Moon aspects by Rashi Drishti this surely
manifests.
103.Karakamsha: The Navamsha placement of the Atmakaraka.
104.Atmakaraka: The planet most advanced longitudinally in the chart, irrespective of
signs.
105.Parashara School / Jaimini School: Nothing of the sort exists; there is so such
division. Jyotish or Vedic astrology is but one art.
106.Amatyakaraka: The planet following the Atmakaraka in longitude. The
Bhratrikaraka, Matrikaraka, Pitrikaraka, Putrakaraka, Gnatikaraka and Darakaraka are the
others, in that order. This applies to living beings. For non-living beings, Putrakaraka is
excluded as non-living beings cannot procreate.