Vedic astrology glossary

The terms you meet in a kundli, a panchang or a matching report, in plain words, each with the operation that computes it. Where traditions differ, the choice the API makes is on conventions.

The chart

Lagna

The ascendant: the sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment and place of birth. It sets the first house, so it needs an accurate birth time. API: POST /v1/kundli (2 credits).

Rashi

One of the 12 signs of the sidereal zodiac, 30° each, from Mesha (Aries) to Meena (Pisces). The Moon's rashi is the sign used for Vedic horoscopes. API: GET /v1/reference/rashis (1 credit).

Graha

A planet in the Vedic sense: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu. API: POST /v1/planets/positions (1 credit).

Nakshatra

One of the 27 lunar mansions, 13°20′ each, along the sidereal zodiac. The Moon's nakshatra at birth starts the Vimshottari dasha. API: GET /v1/reference/nakshatras (1 credit).

Pada

A quarter of a nakshatra, 3°20′. Each pada falls in one Navamsa sign, and it gives the first syllable of a traditional name. API: POST /v1/kundli (2 credits).

The angle between the tropical zodiac, measured from the equinox, and the sidereal zodiac of Vedic astrology, measured from the stars. It is about 24° today and grows slowly. The API uses the Lahiri ayanamsa by default. API: GET /v1/meta/conventions (0 credits).

Divisional chart (varga)

A chart made by dividing each sign into equal parts and mapping them to signs again, from D1 (the birth chart) to D60. Each is read for one area of life. API: POST /v1/kundli/divisional (2 credits).

Navamsa (D9)

The divisional chart that divides each sign into nine parts of 3°20′. It is read for marriage and for the strength of the planets. A planet in the same sign in D1 and D9 is vargottama. API: POST /v1/kundli/divisional (2 credits).

Yoga (in a chart)

A combination of planets that the classical texts name, such as Gajakesari or a Raja yoga. API: POST /v1/kundli/yogas (2 credits).

Ashtakavarga

A count of benefic points (bindus), 0 to 8, that each planet gives each sign. The total over all seven planets is the Sarvashtakavarga, used to judge transits. API: POST /v1/kundli/ashtakavarga (2 credits).

Shadbala

The six-fold strength of a planet, from its position, direction, time, motion, nature and aspects. API: POST /v1/kundli/shadbala (2 credits).

Periods and transits

Vimshottari dasha

A 120-year cycle of planetary periods, each ruled by one of the nine grahas. It starts from the lord of the Moon's nakshatra at birth, with the part already passed taken off. API: POST /v1/dasha/vimshottari (2 credits). How it is worked out: the dasha post.

Mahadasha and antardasha

A mahadasha is a major Vimshottari period. Each one divides into nine antardashas in the same proportions, and those divide again into pratyantardashas. API: POST /v1/dasha/vimshottari/current (2 credits).

Yogini dasha

A 36-year cycle of eight periods named after the Yoginis. API: POST /v1/dasha/yogini (2 credits).

Gochar (transit)

The movement of the planets through the signs now, read against the birth chart, most often from the Moon. API: POST /v1/transits/natal (2 credits).

Sade Sati

The roughly seven and a half years in which Saturn transits the sign before, the sign of, and the sign after the natal Moon. API: POST /v1/dosha/sade-sati (1 credit).

Varshaphal

The Tajik annual chart: the chart for the moment the Sun returns to its birth position each year. API: POST /v1/varshaphal (3 credits).

Doshas and matching

Manglik dosha

Mars placed in certain houses from the lagna, the Moon or Venus, commonly the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th. Traditions differ on the houses and on what cancels it. The API grades it and names each cancellation. API: POST /v1/dosha/manglik (1 credit).

Kaal Sarp dosha

All seven planets on one side of the Rahu–Ketu axis. The API reports it as none, partial or full. API: POST /v1/dosha/kaal-sarp (1 credit).

Ashtakoot (Guna Milan)

The North Indian marriage match: eight factors (kootas) scored from the two Moon signs and nakshatras, out of 36 points. The kootas are Varna, Vashya, Tara, Yoni, Graha Maitri, Gana, Bhakoot and Nadi. API: POST /v1/match/ashtakoot (1 credit).

Dashakoot (porutham)

The South Indian match: ten poruthams from the two birth stars, with Rajju checked separately. API: POST /v1/match/dashakoot (1 credit).

The panchang

Panchang

The Hindu almanac for a day and place. Its five limbs are tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana. API: GET /v1/panchang (1 credit).

Tithi

A lunar day: the time for the Moon to gain 12° on the Sun. There are 30 in a lunar month, 15 in each paksha. API: GET /v1/calendar/tithis (1 credit).

Paksha

A fortnight of the lunar month: Shukla (waxing, to the full moon) or Krishna (waning, to the new moon).

Vara

The weekday, counted from sunrise to sunrise and ruled by a planet. API: GET /v1/panchang (1 credit).

Yoga (in the panchang)

One of 27 divisions of the sum of the Sun's and the Moon's sidereal longitudes, 13°20′ each. API: GET /v1/panchang (1 credit).

Karana

Half a tithi. There are 11 karanas, which fill the 60 half-tithis of a lunar month. Vishti (Bhadra) is avoided for new work. API: GET /v1/panchang (1 credit).

Rahu Kaal

One eighth of the daytime, sunrise to sunset, held unfavourable for starting things. Which eighth depends on the weekday. API: GET /v1/panchang (1 credit).

Choghadiya

The day and the night each divided into eight parts, named Amrit, Shubh, Labh, Char, Rog, Kaal and Udveg, used to pick a time of day. API: GET /v1/panchang/choghadiya (1 credit).

Hora

A planetary hour. The day from sunrise has 24, and the first is ruled by the weekday's planet. API: GET /v1/panchang/hora (1 credit).

Muhurat

An auspicious time for an activity, such as a wedding (vivah) or entering a new home (griha pravesh), chosen from the panchang. API: GET /v1/muhurat/{occasion}/year (2 credits).

Ekadashi

The 11th tithi of each paksha, a day of fasting. The fast ends in the paran window the next day. API: GET /v1/calendar/ekadashi (1 credit).

Amanta and purnimanta

The two ways to count a lunar month: amanta from new moon to new moon, purnimanta from full moon to full moon. The API counts amanta and gives the purnimanta names alongside.

Other systems

KP (Krishnamurti Paddhati)

A system that divides each nakshatra into nine sub-parts in Vimshottari proportions, and reads the sub lord of each house cusp. API: POST /v1/kp/chart (2 credits).

Lal Kitab

A system from a set of Urdu books of the 1940s, read on a fixed chart (the teva) with Aries as the first house, and known for its remedies. API: POST /v1/lal-kitab/chart (2 credits).

Lo Shu grid

A 3×3 grid of the numbers 1 to 9, filled from the digits of the date of birth, used in numerology. API: POST /v1/numerology/loshu (1 credit).

Vastu

The Indian tradition of building layout. The API reads a plot's mandala, its door and its rooms, citing Brihat Samhita for each rule it can. API: POST /v1/vastu/plot (1 credit).