Introduction to Vedic Astrology

1 Introduction to Planets, Signs, and Houses

The Nine Planets or Grahas

Each planet has many characteristics. Each planet has an element (earth, water, fire, air, and ether). Each planet has a guna (sattva, rajas, and tamas).

1. Surya – Sun (fire, sattva)

2. Chandra or Soma – Moon (water, sattva)

3. Mangala or Kuja – Mars (fire, tamas)

4. Budha – Mercury (earth, rajas)

5. Brihaspati or Guru – Jupiter (ether, sattva)

6. Shukra – Venus (water, rajas)

7. Shani – Saturn (air, tamas)

8. Rahu – North Node (tamas)

9. Ketu – South Node (tamas)

Rahu and Ketu are the nodes of the Moon. Rahu and Ketu are known as Chayya Grahas or shadow planets, as they are points on the ecliptic where the eclipses occur. The ancient Indian astrologers recognized the importance of eclipses in life and gave Rahu and Ketu the status of planets.

The planets rotate around the Sun in an anticlockwise direction through different stars and constellations. Traditionally, the planets’ names are written in the charts with the first two letters of their Sanskrit name. For example, the Sun (Surya or Ravi) is written as SU or RA. You can also use their Western names to write the Moon as Mo. Alternatively, you can use the symbols of the planets.

The 12 Signs or Rashis

The signs used in Vedic astrology are similar to Western astrology/ tropical astrology. However, the areas these signs cover differ from those of their Western counterparts. They are more astronomically precise. The signs are based on the constellations in the sky; the names given to the signs reflect their characteristics. Each sign or rashi has its Sanskrit name. The rashis are the twelve faces of the Sun and reflect the seasons. They are:

1. Mesha: Aries ruled by Mars – 0 to 30 degrees

2. Vrishabha: Taurus ruled by Venus – 30 to 60 degrees

3. Mithuna: Gemini ruled by Mercury – 60 to 90 degrees

4. Kartaka: Cancer ruled by the Moon – 90 to 120 degrees

5. Simha: Leo ruled by the Sun – 120 to 150 degrees

6. Kanya: Virgo ruled by Mercury – 150 to 180 degrees

7. Tula: Libra ruled by Venus – 180 to 210 degrees

8. Vrishchika: Scorpio ruled by Mars – 210 to 240 degrees

9. Dhanu: Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter – 240 to 270 degrees

10. Makara: Capricorn ruled by Saturn – 270 to 300 degrees

11. Kumbha: Aquarius ruled by Saturn – 300 to 330 degrees

12. Mina: Pisces ruled by Jupiter – 330 to 360 degrees

You can learn the Sanskrit name of each sign or use the Western one. You can also use the signs numerically, i.e., Tula / Libra is number 7. Many Vedic charts only put the numbers in the signs. They also use the first two letters of the sign, e.g., Tula can be written as Tu for Tula or Li for Libra.

The 12 Houses or Bhavas (or Bhava Chakra)

Vedic astrology is based on houses or Bhavas. In Sanskrit, bhava means expression, a state of being, as well as a division, and Chakra means a wheel. The Bhava Chakra is our natal chart, an expression of our life through the wheel of time. This chart shows what we bring into our lives, how we are going to express it, what obstructions we are going to face, and what good fortune will be there to make things easier for us. Every second of this life is expressed through our natal chart, which is why we need to understand and study it.

Not everything will be revealed to you immediately, but as you start studying Vedic astrology, insight into yourself will deepen. You will start comprehending why you were born. What motivates you? Why do you face problems and obstructions? And most importantly, you will start to understand how you can deal with them successfully.

1. Thanu Bhava – Self – 1st house. Also known as the lagna or the ascendant.

2. Dhana Bhava – Wealth – 2nd house

3. Sahaja or Bhratru Bhava – Brothers – 3rd house

4. Matru Bhava – Mother – 4th house

5. Putra Bhava – Children – 5th house

6. Ari or Shatru Bhava – enemies – 6th house

7. Jaya or Yuvati Bhava – wife or husband – 7th house

8. Ayu or Randhara Bhava – age – 8th house

9. Dharma Bhava – spirituality – 9th house

10. Karma Bhava – career – 10th house

11. Labha Bhava – profit – 11th house

12. Vyaya Bhava – loss – 12th house

The twelve houses deal with different aspects of our lives. One Rashi or sign rules each house. To know which Rashi / sign rules a house, we need to know the Ascendant Lagna or simply Ascendant (rising sign) – the most important part of the Vedic chart. The ascendant is the Rashi or sign rising at the time of birth. (The Lagna is the exact degree of the sign.)

To know your Lagna, you need to know your time of birth as well as the place of birth. The place of birth gives the exact longitude and latitude of your birthplace, and the time will tell you exactly what sign and degree of that sign was rising.

Whether you are looking at your birth, or that of a country, event, or Muhurta, the Lagna is of supreme importance. Each sign rises for about two hours during a day, and your Lagna rather than your Moon or Sun sign is the true representation of an individual. The Moon takes two and a half days to cover thirty degrees or one sign of the zodiac, the Sun takes thirty days, and the ascending sign takes only two hours. Each sign also has its nakshatra divisions. 2½ Nakshatra covers one sign. So the degree of your rising sign will give you the nakshatra. The Lagna is a point of contact between the past and the present life. It is the beginning of the cycle of birth. This is the physical manifestation of life that is connected on subtler levels to its previous births.