Lagna

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In Vedic Astrology Jyotiṣa, the Lagna

(Sanskrit ल न) or Ascendant, is the first
moment of contact between the soul and
its new life on earth in Jyotiṣa.[1] Lagna's
Rashi and Nakshatra represents the
"Atman" (Soul) of an Individual Person
while the Lagna Lord represents the Ruler
of the Horoscope and therefore the Rashi
& Nakshatra where the Lagna Lord is
positioned is equally very important as the
Lagna Lord also absorbs the traits and
qualities of that specific Rashi &
Nakshatra.

One's Ascendant, or Lagna, is the degree

of the rāśi (or sign) and nakshatra (or
constellation) specifically the nakshatra
pada (also known as the division of a
constellation into 4 different parts) which
is rising on the eastern horizon at the time
of one's birth.
The Most Effective Point (MEP) of the
Ascendant - Lagna, is that point of the
zodiacal belt that coincides with the
position of the horizon at the time of birth,
for a given place of birth.[2]

This is more specifically called the Udaya

Lagna to differentiate it from charts in
which other points are used to determine
the first house of the horoscope (see
below.) The Udaya Lagna is the most
important factor that plays an influential
role within the natal chart.

This Udaya Lagna also frequently referred

to as Lagna will show what is the reality
that will happen to a person in his real life
and also the characteristics of that
Lagna's Rasi and Nakshatra will be
impressed upon the person or event being
born affecting his character, behaviour,
personality and also individuality in a very
influential way.

This sign known as the Udaya Lagna will

be considered the first house of the
horoscope, and the enumeration of the
other houses follows in sequence through
the rest of the signs of the zodiac. In this
way, the Lagna does not only delineate the
rising sign, but also all the other houses in
the chart.
Let us explain the concept of lagnam. The
division of lagnam is same as raasi (1
raasi has 9 nakshatra padas). It is the
same twelve division of a complete day
each of duration two hours. However, the
definition of lagnam is related to an
individual time and place of birth. This is
to differentiate between two persons born
on the same day but at different places (or
different longitudinal divisions) or two
persons born on same day, same place but
at different time of the day.

In modern terms this is to differentiate

people born on the same day but at
different time zones. Thus, a person born
on same day but in different longitudinal
division is born while Earth is facing
different raasi and nakshatra. Thus,
lagnam of a person is the raasi and
nakshatra faced by the part of the Earth
surface on which he is born. Fix a point on
the surface of earth.

Note that the point will face all the 12

segments (raasis) of celestial sky, and
also the 27 different nakshatra's while the
earth spins on its axis. Since the raasis are
30 degree segment, the point will take 2
hours (or 5 nazhigais or 2.5 muhurtam) to
move from one raasi to other. A day is
divided in to 12 lagnams or ascendant
with each lagnam of two hour duration. A
person’s lagnam is the lagnam on which
he is born on a given day of the given
place.

Next, another Lagna used in astrology,

which is the rāśi (or sign) and nakshatra
(constellation) in which the moon is found
at birth. Usually the Moon's rasi and
nakshatra are used to see marriage
compatibility between a boy and a girl
because it's easy to locate the position of
the moon based on the Panchanga but
each and every individual must know the
following:
Please do take a note, that the matching
based on the Moon's Rasi and Nakshatra
will not be very accurate. That's because
the accuracy is not more than 10% and so
it is advised to always look at the Lagna's
(Rasi & Nakshatra) for Marriage
Matchmaking (which increases the
accuracy to about 50%).

The other 40% of marriage matchmaking

is known as Jathagam Porutham
(Matching of the Birth Chart and also the
Navamsa Chart of both boy and girl) which
is equally important together with
reference to the Lagna and that will
include all the planetary positions, Naga
Dosham and Kala Sarpa Dosham (Position
of Rahu-Ketu), Kalathra Dosham or
Mangalya Dosham [Position of (Mars-for
both), (Venus-for boy) and (Jupiter-for
girl)] and etc that needs to be taken into
account to fulfill the other 40%
requirement.

The Candra Lagna chart, which is also

another way used to analyze the
horoscope, is a chart in which the Moon's
house is treated as the first house of the
horoscope and the enumeration of the
other houses are made starting from that
rāśi and continuing in sequence
throughout the rest of the zodiac signs.
The astrologer will use the Candra Lagna
only to see from the perspective of what
one desires from his or her mind (Another
note has to be taken here, ones desires
will always remain as desires and not
always fulfilled in real life) since the
Moon's position is the reflection of the
mind among planets.

One more important aspect of the Lagna

must be taken into account, the Lagna of a
person always changes in about an
average of 2 hours which makes the Lagna
the fastest in movement and the second
position goes to the Moon.
From here we should notice that 1 day is
equal to 24 hours and the Lagna
successfully completes a rotation around
the 12 rashis within the 24 hours (an
average of 2 hours for each rashi) which
also means that the Lagna completes the
27 nakshatras and 108 nakshatra padas in
a day.

The calculation of the Lagna is usually

based on the time and place of birth when
the child that the doctor has delivered
begins to show signs of life (crying) and
might be difficult to calculate for those
who never recorded their Birth Time and
therefore most astrologers end up using
the Moon's rashi and nakshatra which is
always termed and generally taken as the
Janma Rashi and Janma Nakshatra.

One should strictly take a note that the

Moon's rashi and nakshatra does not give
an accurate and acute reading of a
person's character and so it is to be taken
as third importance only after Lagna's and
Lagnathipathi/Lagna Lord's (Rashi &
Nakshatra) because:

1. As mentioned above the Moon

represents the Mind and also the Moon's
Rasi and Nakshatra represents a mirror
image of an individual person whereby you
can never judge a person just by their
appearance as you never know what they
are from the bottom of their heart (only
Lagna's Rasi and Nakshatra can define a
person in this case). This is also akin to
the quality and characteristics of the moon
that only reflects and imitates the light of
the sun during the night.

2. Its importance only arises when you

want to calculate the Mahadasha and
Vimshottari Dasha of an individuals chart.
The results obtained from each of the
Mahadasha and Vimshottari Dasha are to
be taken from the Lagna respectively.
3. The Moon takes about 2 1/4 days to 2
1/2 days to complete 1 Rashi and almost 1
day to complete 1 Nakshatra so it will be
very common to see many people being
born in the same nakshatra but when you
come across these people in real life
(twins as an example) you'll be surprised
to notice that they're not the same in
character even though they're born in the
same Nakshatra.

As you can see this differences will arise

when their Lagna's positions (Rashi,
Nakshatra and Nakshatra padas) changes.
Therefore the purpose of the whole birth
chart of the individual person also
changes.

[It's important to note that the situations

and challenges (The Results) that arises
during the Mahadasha and Vimshottari
Dasha and also the way the individual
person faces this situations and
challenges irrespective of being easy or
hard only depends on the Lagna's Rashi
and Lagna's Nakshatra]

This is also why the first importance will

go to the Lagna's (Rashi & Nakshatra) and
Lagna Lord's (Rasi & Nakshatra) which
represents the true Janma Rashi and
Janma Nakshatra of a person that defines
the person from the perspective of their
soul and a whole person overall as Sage
Parashara have mentioned that the Lagna
is the Kalapurusha.

Kalapurusha's Head to Feet (Exterior Body

Parts) represents the 12 zodiacs that
begin with:

1. Aries stands for his head

2. Taurus for His face

3. Gemini for the Neck and shoulders

4. Cancer for chest and heart

5. Leo for his stomach and its organs

6. Virgo for his Hips

7. Libra represents the lower abdominal

and spinal region

8. Scorpio for the reproductive organs and

kidney etc

9. Sagittarius is the thigh

10. Capricorn is the Knees

11. Aquarius is the calf

12. Pisces is the feet.

While the nine planets resembles The
Kalapurusha's (Inner Body Parts) that
begins with:-

1. Sun

Body Parts It Denotes: Soul, Stomach,

bone, right eye, heart, skin, belly, head
constitution of body.

2. Moon

Body Parts It Denotes: Mind, heart,

lungs, eye, brain, blood, breast, body
fluids, intestines, renal ducts, lymphatic
duct and artery.

3. Mars
 Body Parts It Denotes: Blood, marrow,
energy, neck, veins, genitals, neck, red
blood cells, anal, female organs and
body energy.

4. Mercury

Body Parts It Denotes: Brain, hair, face,

chest, nervous system, skin, nose,
gallbladder, lungs, tongue and arms.

5. Jupiter

Body Parts It Denotes: Jupiter is the

karaka of thighs, fat, brain, liver, kidneys,
lungs, ears, tongue, memory, spleen etc.

6. Venus
 Body Parts It Denotes: Overall physical
appearance, face, facial expressions,
eyes, genitals, urine, reproductive
organs, throat and glands.

7. Saturn

Body Parts It Denotes: Lower body

parts, legs, bones, knee, bone-joints,
muscles, teeth, skin, hair and ears.

8. Rahu

Body Parts It Denotes: Legs, neck, lungs

and breathing.

9. Ketu
 Body Parts It Denotes: Belly (stomach),
feet and claws.

All of these are included in and as a single

entity known as the Kalapurusha. As
stated earlier, Sage Parashara have
mentioned that the Lagna and the Lagna
Lord resembles the Kalapurusha.
Therefore, Sage Parashara had given a
strong emphasis on the prime importance
of the Lagna and also the Lagna Lord. So it
is important for an Individual not to ignore
the position of their Lagna's (Rasi &
Nakshatra) because it represents your
individuality, character, behavior, attitude,
intelligence, personality, etc. To sum up
the Lagna (Lagna's Rasi & Nakshatra) is
the Atman (Soul) of the individual person
whereas the Lagna Lord and its (Rashi &
Nakshatra) represents the single most
important planet in the horoscope and
also how and where are you going to
utilize all of the aforementioned qualities
obtained from the Lagna to focus and
succeed your ambition and motive in your
life.

The Lagna Lord's Rashi and Nakshatra are

also equally important and must be taken
into account. This is because together
with the Lagna's Rasi and Nakshatra it will
give a very much acute and crystal clear
picture about whom you are.

In other words the Rashi and Nakshatra of

the Lagna Lord will show how you'll
behave towards each and every people
that you will come across in your life while
also maintaining and exhibiting your
Lagna's (Rasi & Nakshatra) qualities
altogether. Not only that, the Lagna Lord is
also significant in knowing how will each
major or minor planetary transits act upon
an individual person.

The Rāśi Cakra [that is, the horoscope

where the first house is the house in which
the rising sign (The Lagna) is found] is the
still the most important natal chart, but
charts can be cast for different analytical
purposes. The primary Lagnas (that is,
houses designated as the First House,
from which the rest of the houses are
enumerated) used to analyze the
horoscope are:

Udaya lagna (rising sign, or Ascendant

as first house) which represents the self,
the soul, the Kalapurusha and every
physical aspects, characteristics and
behavior of the specific individual,
career, progresses made in his/her life
and etc.
 Candra Lagna (first house counted from
the sign of the natal Moon, used to
analyze mind, memory and mental
activity, and also used to help determine
how fertile a woman will be.[3])

In addition, the ṛṣi Parāśara mentioned a

few other special ascendants or Viśeṣa
Lagni. to be used in special circumstances,
including:

Sūrya Lagna (ascendant counted from

sign where the natal Sun is located)
Kāraka Lagna (significator taken as
ascendant for all grahas)
Varṇaḍā Lagna (for social company)
 Śrī Lagna (for prosperity and marriage)
Indu Lagna (for wealth)
Horā Lagna (for financial prosperity)
Gati Lagna (for name and fame)

Lastly, there are some Lagnas which are

determined by factors outside the chart,
and are used for electional and horary
charts. These are:[4]

Dig Lagna (first house is determined by

compass direction)
Śabda Lagna (first house is determined
by the "words a client utters")
Sparṣa Lagna (first house is determined
by a part of the body which is touched)
 Nāma Lagna (first house is determined
by the numerology of the person's
name)

Ārūḍha Lagna
The term Ārūḍha Pada is also known as
"Pada". Ārūḍha literally means "mount" and
refers to the IMAGE of a sign falling on
another due to "reflection of the rays
emanating from it and being reflected by
its lord.

Keeping the reflection in view, the Kāraka

(Significator) can be taken to be the Moon.
Count from a sign to its lord. Then count
as many signs from the lord to arrive at
the ĀRŪḌHA PADA. For example, if the
Lagna Lord (Lagneśa) is in the fifth house,
then count five signs from the Lagneśa to
arrive at the ninth house. This ninth house
becomes the Ārūḍha Pada for the Lagna.

Exception: The Ārūḍha Pada cannot be in

the same sign or the seventh from it. In
case this happens, then choose the tenth
house therefrom. For example, if the
Lagneśa is in the 4th house, then the
Ārūḍha Lagna should be in the 4th from
the 4th house i.e. the 7th house. But since
this is not allowed, the tenth therefrom
should be chosen. The tenth from the 7th
house is the 4th house and the 4th house
becomes the Ārūḍha Lagna.

Ārūḍha of 1st house is also called PADA

LAGNA or ĀRŪḌHA LAGNA. Ārūḍha Lagna
stands for "manifestation of self, in this
Māyā (illusory) world". In this manner
Ārūḍha Pada can be computed for all the
houses. They are called Dhana Pada (2nd),
Bhrātṛpada (3rd), Mātṛ Pada (4th),
Mantrapada (5th), Śatrupada (6th), Dāra
Pada (7th), Roga pada (8th), Bhāgyapada
(9th), Rājyapada (10th), Lābhapada (11th)
and Upapada (12th). Jaimini discussed
Ārūḍha Lagna (AL) and Upapada (UL)
extensively in his classical treatise.
References
1. The Essentials of Vedic and thantrik
Astrology, by Komilla Sutton, The
Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, 1999,
p.96.
2. "Sri Ramana Maharshi's Moksha", by
Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada, Yogi
Impressions, India, 2008, p.49
http://hinduworldastrology.net/index.p
hp?module=book&action=samples#
3. Vedic Astrology: A Guide to the
Fundamentals of Jyotish, by Ronnie
Gale Dreyer, Samuel Weiser, York
Beach ME, 1997, pp. 47–49.
 4. Light on Life: An Introduction to the
Astrology of India, by Hart deFouw and
Robert Svoboda, Penguin, 1996,
pp.45–46.

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