Vedic astrology, in plain English.

If you only know your sun sign, start here. Every term we use on this site, with the closest Western idea where there is one.

Start here

The few words you need before anything else makes sense.

Nakshatraनक्षत्र

Also seen as birth star, lunar mansion, nakshatras

One of 27 equal slices of the sky, each tied to a group of real stars. Your birth star is the one the Moon was in.

The Vedic tradition divides the Moon's path around the sky into 27 slices. Each slice is 13°20′ wide and is named after a group of stars. The Moon moves through about one slice a day, so there is a birth star for every person.

In Western terms: There is no Western match. Sun signs split the sky into 12 parts, while this system uses 27 and follows the Moon.

See also: Birth star, Moon sign, Zodiac sign, Pada

Birth star

Also seen as janma nakshatra, Moon nakshatra, your nakshatra

The star slice the Moon sat in at the moment you were born.

Your birth star is found by looking at where the Moon was on your birth date, time and place. The tradition treats it as the main marker of temperament, and it is also the starting point for many timing methods.

In Western terms: It is like a Moon sign, but finer: 27 parts instead of 12.

Vedic astrologyज्योतिष

Also seen as Jyotisha, Jyotish, Indian astrology, Hindu astrology

India's traditional astrology. It uses the star-fixed zodiac and puts the Moon and birth star at the center.

Jyotisha means 'science of light'. It is the astrology that grew out of the Indian tradition and uses the Moon, the rising sign and a set of timing cycles. Vediq presents it as a tradition, with sources named, and not as a guarantee of anything.

In Western terms: It shares the planets and signs with Western astrology, but measures the sky differently and gives the Moon more weight.

The sky

How Vedic astrology measures where things are.

Zodiac sign

Also seen as sign, rashi, sun sign

One of 12 equal 30° sections of the sky, such as Aries or Libra.

The sky's path around Earth is cut into 12 signs. Western astrology uses them for your Sun sign. Vedic astrology uses the same 12 names, but its signs line up with different stars.

In Western terms: These are the same 12 names Western readers know, shifted by about 24° in the Vedic system.

Rashiराशि

Also seen as raashi, sign

The Sanskrit word for a zodiac sign, one of 12 equal 30° sections of the sky.

Rashi means 'heap' or 'group'. In Vedic charts it names the sign a planet sits in. Your 'Moon rashi' is the sign the Moon was in at birth.

In Western terms: It is the same thing as a zodiac sign, measured with the star-fixed zodiac.

Sun sign

Also seen as star sign

The zodiac sign the Sun was in on your birthday, the one most Western horoscopes use.

Your Sun sign comes from your birth date alone. Because the signs are based on the seasons, it often differs from the same chart drawn with the star-fixed zodiac. Many people have a different Sun sign in Vedic astrology.

In Western terms: This is the sign most Western readers mean when they say 'I'm a Libra'.

Moon sign

Also seen as Moon rashi, chandra rashi

The zodiac sign the Moon was in when you were born.

The Moon spends about two and a quarter days in each sign. In Vedic astrology the Moon sign is a main anchor of a chart, alongside the birth star. It is often linked with mood and inner life.

In Western terms: Same idea as a Western Moon sign, but with the star-fixed zodiac it often lands one sign earlier.

See also: Rashi, Birth star, Sidereal zodiac

Sidereal zodiacनिरयण

Also seen as sidereal, star-fixed zodiac, nirayana

A zodiac pinned to the actual background stars, so the signs stay lined up with them.

The sidereal zodiac measures from fixed stars. Vedic astrology uses it, and so do the 27 birth stars on Vediq. Because it follows the stars, it sits about 24° behind the Western zodiac today.

In Western terms: Western astrology mostly uses the tropical zodiac instead, which follows the seasons.

See also: Tropical zodiac, Ayanamsa, Ecliptic

Tropical zodiac

Also seen as tropical, seasonal zodiac

A zodiac pinned to the seasons, starting Aries at the March equinox. Most Western apps use it.

In the tropical zodiac, 0° Aries is always the point where the Sun crosses the equator in March. Over centuries the stars have drifted against this point. That drift is why the two zodiacs now disagree.

In Western terms: This is the zodiac behind the Sun sign you already know.

See also: Sidereal zodiac, Ayanamsa, Sun sign

Ayanamsaअयनांश

Also seen as ayanamsha, Lahiri, precession offset

The gap between the Western zodiac and the star-fixed one. Today it is about 24°.

Earth's axis wobbles slowly, so the seasons drift against the stars by about 1° every 72 years. Ayanamsa is that accumulated drift. Vedic astrologers subtract it from the Western position to get the star-fixed one. The most common choice is called Lahiri.

In Western terms: Western astrology ignores this gap, which is why your Vedic Sun sign is often the sign before your Western one.

Ecliptic

Also seen as zodiac belt

The path the Sun appears to follow across the sky over a year. The zodiac and the Moon's stars sit along it.

Seen from Earth, the Sun traces a line across the sky through the year. Planets and the Moon stay close to this line. Both the 12 signs and the 27 birth stars are cut out of it.

Longitude (celestial)

Also seen as degrees, zodiacal longitude

A position along the zodiac measured in degrees from 0° to 360°. It names where a planet sits.

Zodiac position is given as a number of degrees along the circle. Aries starts at 0°, Taurus at 30°, and so on. Each birth star covers 13°20′ of this circle, so a degree tells you the star.

Junction starयोगतारा

Also seen as yogatara, identifying star

The brightest or most useful star in a birth star's group, used to point out where that group is.

Each birth star is a cluster of stars, and the tradition picks one to mark it. Vediq lists this star by its name and catalog label (like α Boötis) so you can find it in a star chart. It is the sky marker, not a separate meaning.

Your chart

The parts of a birth chart and what they are called.

Kundliकुण्डली

Also seen as kundali, janam kundli, janma kundali, Vedic birth chart

A birth chart: a map of where the planets and signs stood when you were born.

Kundli is the everyday Indian word for a birth chart. It is drawn from your birth date, time and place. It lists each planet's sign and star, and the rising sign.

In Western terms: Same idea as a natal chart, drawn with the star-fixed zodiac.

Birth chart

Also seen as natal chart, horoscope

A map of the sky as it was at your birth, based on your date, time and place.

A birth chart shows where the Sun, Moon and planets were, and which sign was rising on the eastern horizon. Different traditions draw it in different ways. The Vedic version is called a kundli.

In Western terms: This is the same idea Western astrologers call a natal chart.

Doshaदोष

Also seen as doshas

A pattern in a chart that the tradition treats as a point of difficulty. It is not a fault in you.

Some chart patterns are named doshas in traditional books, such as the one linked to Mars. Vediq does not use them to scare anyone. Readers often meet the word in matchmaking talk, where it is overstated.

In Western terms: It is a little like a 'hard aspect' in Western charts, a pattern the tradition marks as tense.

Yoga (in astrology)योग

Also seen as yogas, raja yoga

A named pairing of planets or signs in a chart that the tradition reads as a special theme.

Here, yoga does not mean the exercise practice. It means 'union' or 'combination'. Classical books list hundreds of named combinations, each with a traditional meaning.

In Western terms: It is similar to a Western chart pattern such as a stellium or a grand trine.

Grahaग्रह

Also seen as grahas, planet

A 'seizer': one of the nine bodies Vedic astrology tracks, including the Sun, Moon and two lunar points.

The nine grahas are the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. The tradition treats them as influences that shape timing and themes. Rahu and Ketu are not physical bodies.

In Western terms: Close to 'planets' in Western astrology, with Rahu and Ketu added and Uranus, Neptune and Pluto left out.

See also: Rahu, Ketu, Lord (ruler), Vimshottari

Rahuराहु

Also seen as north node, dragon's head

A point in the sky where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's, treated as a planet-like influence.

Rahu is not a body but a spot on the sky where eclipses happen. The tradition links it with hunger, novelty and the unusual. It is always exactly opposite Ketu.

In Western terms: It matches the North Node in Western astrology.

Ketuकेतु

Also seen as south node, dragon's tail

The point opposite Rahu on the sky, linked in the tradition with detachment and letting go.

Ketu is the second eclipse point, always across from Rahu. The tradition links it with what is already known, with release and with inner focus.

In Western terms: It matches the South Node in Western astrology.

Lagnaलग्न

Also seen as ascendant, rising sign

The zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment you were born.

The lagna changes about every two hours, so it needs an accurate birth time. In Vedic charts it is the starting point for the houses. Many readings use it as the 'self' of the chart.

In Western terms: Same as the Ascendant or rising sign, but in the star-fixed zodiac.

House (bhava)भाव

Also seen as bhava, houses

One of 12 areas of life in a birth chart, such as home, work or partnership.

A chart is split into 12 houses, counted from the rising sign. Each house stands for a field of life. Planets in a house are read as bearing on that field.

In Western terms: Works like Western houses, though the method of counting differs.

Navamsaनवांश

Also seen as navamsha, D9

A closer view of a chart that splits each sign into nine parts, often used when looking at relationships.

Each sign is cut into nine equal parts of 3°20′, and each part is placed in a sign of its own. The result is a second chart read beside the main one. Each part equals one pada of a birth star.

Padaपाद

Also seen as charan, quarter

A quarter of a birth star, 3°20′ wide. Each star has four, so there are 108 in all.

Every birth star is split into four quarters called padas. Two people with the same birth star can have different padas. Each pada also falls in one of the 12 signs.

Lord (ruler)

Also seen as ruler, star lord, nakshatra lord, dasha lord

The planet that the tradition assigns to a birth star or sign, setting its tone.

Each of the 27 stars has a ruling planet in the timing system called Vimshottari. The planets repeat in a fixed order of nine, three times around. The ruler of your birth star decides where your life-cycle timeline begins.

In Western terms: Similar to a sign's 'ruling planet', such as Venus for Taurus, but here each star has one.

Retrogradeवक्री

Also seen as vakri

When a planet seems to move backward against the stars, as seen from Earth.

Planets only look like they reverse, because Earth overtakes them in its orbit. The tradition reads a retrograde planet as working in a more inward or delayed way. Rahu and Ketu always move backward.

In Western terms: Same idea as Western retrogrades.

Guna Milanगुण मिलन

Also seen as Ashtakoota, ashtakuta, 36 points, kundli matching

The traditional way to compare two birth charts for a match, scored out of 36 points across eight areas.

Guna Milan compares the two Moons: their stars and signs. It scores eight areas called kootas and adds them up to 36. The tradition often reads 18 or more as workable. It is a conversation starter, not a verdict on a relationship.

In Western terms: Compare with Western synastry, but it is a fixed scoring sheet and looks only at the Moon.

Kootaकूट

Also seen as kuta, guna, kootas

One of the eight areas scored in a Guna Milan match, such as temperament, mind or health.

The eight kootas are Varna, Vashya, Tara, Yoni, Graha Maitri, Gana, Bhakoot and Nadi. Each carries a different number of points, from 1 to 8, which add up to 36.

Time and cycles

How the tradition divides a life and a day.

Vimshottariविंशोत्तरी

Also seen as Vimshottari dasha, Vimsottari

A 120-year timing cycle that gives each of nine planets a stretch of life, starting from your birth star.

Vimshottari splits an imagined 120-year life into nine periods, each ruled by one planet. Where you begin depends on your birth star. Vediq treats it as a traditional framework, not a forecast.

In Western terms: It resembles Western 'profections' or 'time lords' in spirit: planets taking turns to set the tone.

See also: Dasha, Lord (ruler), Birth star

Dashaदशा

Also seen as mahadasha, antardasha, planetary period

A named stretch of years ruled by one planet, used in Vedic astrology to mark life chapters.

Each dasha lasts a set number of years. Smaller periods nest inside larger ones. The tradition reads a dasha as a theme for that time, not a fixed event.

In Western terms: It is a bit like a Western transit or profection period, but follows a fixed schedule from birth.

Transit

Also seen as gochar, gochara

A planet's current position in the sky, compared with where it stood in your birth chart.

Planets keep moving after you are born. A transit is where one is now, usually read against your own chart. Slow planets such as Saturn matter most for long periods, and the Moon for day-by-day timing.

In Western terms: Same idea as Western transits.

Sade Satiसाढ़े साती

Also seen as sadesati, seven and a half years

A roughly seven-and-a-half-year stretch when Saturn passes through three signs around your Moon sign.

Saturn takes about two and a half years in each sign. When it moves through the sign before, the sign of, and the sign after your Moon sign, that is Sade Sati. The tradition describes it as a testing, serious time. Vediq does not use it to predict events.

In Western terms: It resembles a Saturn transit over your Moon, though Western astrology has no named seven-year version.

Panchangaपञ्चाङ्ग

Also seen as panchang, Hindu almanac

A traditional Indian almanac that lists the day's Moon star, Moon phase and other timing details.

Panchanga means 'five limbs'. It tracks five items for each day, including the lunar day, the Moon's birth star, and the weekday. People use it to pick days for events.

In Western terms: Compare with an astrological ephemeris or calendar, but with a daily focus.

Tithiतिथि

Also seen as lunar day

A lunar day: one of 30 steps of the Moon's cycle from new Moon to new Moon.

A tithi ends each time the Moon has gained 12° on the Sun. There are 30 in a lunar month, and they vary in length. Each carries a traditional character.

In Western terms: Similar to a Moon phase, but split finer into 30 parts.

Muhurtaमुहूर्त

Also seen as muhurat, auspicious time

A time chosen as suitable for starting something, based on the Moon's star and day.

Muhurta also means a time slice of about 48 minutes. Muhurta guides, such as the classical Muhurta Chintamani, list which stars suit which kinds of starts. It is a traditional method for picking a date.

In Western terms: It is close to Western 'electional astrology', where you choose a time to begin something.

See also: Panchanga, Muhurta Chintamani, Tara

Taraतारा

Also seen as tara bala, taras

A way of counting from your birth star to today's Moon star to rate the day, in nine repeating steps.

You count from your birth star to the star the Moon is in now, then divide by nine. Each remainder has a name, such as Sampat or Vipat, with a traditional mood: helpful or tricky. Vediq's daily guide uses this counting as one traditional view, and notes it follows one source.

Mahadashaमहादशा

Also seen as major period, life chapter

A long planetary period, from 6 to 20 years, that the tradition reads as a chapter of life.

The Vimshottari system cuts a 120-year cycle into nine mahadashas, one per planet, in a fixed order. Where you start depends on your birth star. Each is read as a theme for those years, not a fixed event.

See also: Dasha, Antardasha, Vimshottari

Antardashaअन्तर्दशा

Also seen as bhukti, sub-period

A shorter period inside a mahadasha, ruled by its own planet.

Each mahadasha is split into nine sub-periods, one per planet. The tradition reads the main planet as the chapter and the sub-planet as the tone of that stretch.

Dhaiyaढैया

Also seen as small panoti, Kantak Shani, Ashtama Shani

A shorter Saturn period of about two and a half years, when Saturn is in the 4th or 8th sign from your Moon.

Where Sade Sati covers three signs, Dhaiya covers one. The tradition counts Saturn in the 4th or 8th sign from the Moon as a heavier stretch, read as a time that asks for patience. It is a description, not a forecast.

Rahu Kalamराहु काल

Also seen as Rahu Kaal, Rahukalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam, inauspicious time

A stretch of about 90 minutes each day that the tradition says to avoid for new starts.

The daylight hours are cut into eight equal parts. Which part is Rahu Kalam depends on the weekday. Yamaganda and Gulika are two more such parts, counted the same way. People often avoid beginning something new in them.

Symbols and sources

Gods, animals, temperaments and the books we cite.

Nature (gana)गण

Also seen as gana, temperament, nature

One of three traditional temperaments a birth star is filed under: Deva, Manushya or Rakshasa.

Every star is placed in one of three groups. The groups are used in matchmaking to compare two people. They are categories in a system, not a rating of anyone's worth.

In Western terms: Roughly similar to the three modalities (cardinal, fixed, mutable) as a way of grouping, though they mean different things.

Devaदेव

Also seen as divine nature, god-like

The 'god-like' temperament group, tied in the tradition to gentle, light, refined stars.

Deva stars are described as mild and kind. The word means 'divine being'. It is a label in matching, not a sign of being better or worse.

See also: Nature (gana), Manushya, Rakshasa

Manushyaमनुष्य

Also seen as human nature

The 'human' temperament group, tied in the tradition to a balanced mix of drive and care.

Manushya stars are described as worldly, mixed and practical. The word means 'human'. It is a matching label and says nothing about worth.

Rakshasaराक्षस

Also seen as demon nature, rakshasha

The 'fierce' temperament group, tied in the tradition to bold, intense, strong-willed stars.

Rakshasa is an old word for powerful, fierce beings from Indian stories. Stars in this group are described as strong-willed and intense. Despite the name, it is a matching label, not a verdict on character.

Deity (devata)देवता

Also seen as devata, presiding god, ruling deity

The god or divine group the old texts attach to a birth star. It gives the star its symbolic character.

Each star has a deity in the ancient lists. Five stars have different deities in the older and the later list, and Vediq shows both. The deity's stories are used to explain what the star is about.

Star animal

Also seen as yoni, nakshatra animal

An animal assigned to each birth star in classical matching. It is a symbol, not a personality test.

Classical texts give every birth star an animal, in male and female pairs. Matching guides use it to compare two people's natural ease. Some pairs, such as Cow and Tiger, are listed as opposed.

Abhijitअभिजित्

Also seen as 28th star

A lost 28th star, the bright star Vega, found in an old list but dropped from the standard 27.

An old text lists 28 stars and includes Abhijit. The later system of 27 equal slices left it out. Vediq notes it for completeness and does not give it a birth star slot.

Surya Siddhantaसूर्य सिद्धान्त

Also seen as Surya Siddhānta

An old Sanskrit astronomy text, used as a source for the stars' sky positions.

The Surya Siddhanta is a classical Indian book of astronomy with star positions and calculation methods. Vediq cites it for where the stars sit. It is a historical source, not a modern star catalog.

Muhurta Chintamaniमुहूर्त चिन्तामणि

Also seen as Muhurtachintamani

A classical Sanskrit guide to picking good times, which also lists each star's animal and nature.

This later classical text gathers rules for timing, weddings and other events. Vediq cites it for the animal and nature of each birth star.

See also: Muhurta, Star animal, Nature (gana)

Taittiriya Samhitaतैत्तिरीय संहिता

Also seen as Taittiriya Samhitā, TS

An ancient Indian text of ritual verses. It holds an early list of the stars and their gods.

The Taittiriya Samhita belongs to the Yajurveda, one of the oldest Indian text families. It gives an early list of the birth stars with the gods attached to them. Vediq uses it for the older deity list.