Vedic astrology terms, in plain English

Lagna (Ascendant)

The zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at your exact birth moment. It sets the whole chart, becomes your 1st house, and shapes your personality, body and life direction.

Rashi (Moon sign)

Your Moon's zodiac sign. In Vedic astrology the Moon sign matters more than the Sun sign for the mind and emotions, and it anchors much of the timing system.

Nakshatra (lunar mansion)

One of 27 divisions of the sky, each about 13 degrees. Your Moon's nakshatra fine-tunes your nature far more than the sign alone, and it sets the starting point of your dasha periods.

Pada (quarter)

Each nakshatra is split into four padas (quarters). The pada adds another layer of detail and links the nakshatra to a divisional chart for deeper reading.

Dasha (Mahadasha)

A planetary period that colours a whole stretch of life. Under the Vimshottari system each major period (mahadasha) runs for a set number of years and is ruled by one planet.

Antardasha (sub-period)

A smaller period inside a mahadasha, ruled by another planet. Antardashas let an astrologer time events to a season rather than a whole decade.

Vimshottari Dasha

The main 120-year planetary timing system in Vedic astrology, based on your Moon's nakshatra at birth. It sequences the nine planets' mahadashas across your life.

House (Bhava)

One of 12 life areas in the chart. The 1st is the self, the 2nd money and speech, the 7th marriage, the 10th career, and so on. Where a planet sits by house shows the area of life it acts on.

House lord

The planet that rules a house (through the sign on that house). Its strength and placement reveal how that area of life unfolds, for example the 10th-house lord for career.

Yoga

A specific combination of planets that produces a defined result, good or challenging. Examples include Gaja Kesari yoga (Jupiter and Moon) and dhana yogas for wealth.

Ayanamsa

The angular difference between the sidereal (star-based) zodiac used in Vedic astrology and the tropical (season-based) zodiac. AstroWealth uses the Lahiri ayanamsa, the standard in India.

Sidereal zodiac

The star-aligned zodiac used in Vedic astrology, measured against the fixed stars. It differs from the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology by roughly 24 degrees today.

Retrograde

When a planet appears to move backward from Earth's viewpoint. It is not bad; it usually means that planet works in a slower, deeper, more inward way in the chart.

Combustion

When a planet sits very close to the Sun and is weakened or 'burnt' by its glare. A combust planet often needs support to give its full results.

Exaltation & debilitation

A planet is exalted in the sign where it is strongest and debilitated in the opposite sign where it is weakest. For example Jupiter is exalted in Cancer and debilitated in Capricorn.

Own sign

A sign a planet rules, where it feels at home and gives steady, strong results. This is strong, but it is not the same as exaltation.

Divisional charts (Vargas / D-charts)

Extra charts built from your main chart that zoom into one area of life. The D9 (Navamsa) refines marriage and destiny, the D10 career, the D2 wealth, and so on.

Navamsa (D9)

The most important divisional chart, dividing each sign into nine parts. It is read alongside the main chart for marriage, dharma and the inner strength of planets. A promise is firm when it holds in both.

KP astrology (Krishnamurti Paddhati)

A modern Vedic system that adds a precise 'sub-lord' layer and exact house cusps for sharp, event-level timing. AstroWealth uses KP alongside classical analysis.

Sub-lord

In KP, each nakshatra is divided into unequal parts ruled by planets; the ruler of the part a point falls in is its sub-lord. The sub-lord decides whether an event is promised and when.

Gochara (transit)

The current, real-time movement of the planets across the sky, read against your birth chart. Major transits of Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu mark shifts in career, money and life phases.

Gun Milan (Ashtakoota)

The classical 36-point compatibility score for marriage, comparing two people's Moon signs and nakshatras across eight factors (kootas) such as Nadi, Bhakoot and Gana.

Sade Sati

The roughly seven-and-a-half year period when Saturn transits the sign before, over and after your Moon sign. It is a demanding but maturing phase, not a curse.

Rahu & Ketu (lunar nodes)

The two shadow points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's. Rahu brings worldly desire and sudden change; Ketu brings detachment and spiritual insight. They always sit opposite each other.

Muhurta

The art of choosing an auspicious date and time to begin something important, such as a business launch, using the day's planetary conditions.

What is a dasha in Vedic astrology?

A dasha is a planetary period that governs a stretch of your life. In the Vimshottari system, each major period (mahadasha) lasts a set number of years and is ruled by one planet, and it is divided into sub-periods called antardashas for finer timing.

What is the difference between a rashi and a nakshatra?

A rashi is one of the 12 zodiac signs. A nakshatra is one of 27 finer lunar mansions. Your Moon's nakshatra describes your nature in more detail than the sign and sets the order of your dasha periods.

What is a divisional chart or D-chart?

A divisional chart is an extra chart derived from your main chart that focuses on one area of life, such as the D9 (Navamsa) for marriage or the D10 for career. A result is considered firm when it appears in both the main chart and the relevant D-chart.

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✦ Why Astrology

“Astrology represents the summation of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity.”

· Carl Jung, psychologist