Understand your chart.
Find your meaning.

YOUR STARTING POINT

What is a birth chart?

A birth chart is a map of the sky calculated for the date, time and place you were born. Jyotisha, or Indian astrology, reads that map through a set of traditional symbolic associations. A chart can be a way to reflect on your habits, relationships and choices; it does not determine your future.

Rāshi (D1) and Navāmśa (D9)

The rāshi chart is the main twelve-sign birth chart. Navāmśa divides each sign into nine parts to make a supplementary chart. Astrologers use it alongside the main chart, often when exploring relationships and the development of planetary themes.

North and South Indian chart styles

The North Indian diamond keeps the whole-sign house positions fixed and shows the sign numbers in those positions. The South Indian square keeps the twelve signs fixed around its edge, starting with Aries in the second box on the top row; the rising sign is marked and whole-sign houses are counted clockwise from it. The two drawings show the same placements when the birth data and calculation settings match. Neither drawing changes your selected house system: unequal house cusps are shown separately.

Choose a chart style independently of the site language and the planet-name preference. Read a Jyotisha software guide to chart formats ↗

Ascendant, or lagna

The ascendant is the sign rising on the eastern horizon at birth. It sets the starting point for the houses. In interpretation it is often associated with your approach to life and how you meet the world. It changes with time and place, so an accurate birth time matters.

READING YOUR CHART

Planets, signs and houses

A useful first question is: what theme, in what style, and in which area of life? A planet suggests a theme; the sign describes its traditional context; the house identifies an area of life. Astrologers then consider the rest of the chart.

What the planets represent

Signs

The twelve signs are divisions of the zodiac. Jyotisha generally uses a sidereal zodiac. A planet’s sign supplies context for its interpretation; the sign alone is not a complete personality reading. Explore sidereal settings and ayanamsa →

Houses

Houses divide the chart into twelve areas of life. For example, the fourth is commonly connected with home, the seventh with partnership and the tenth with work and public life. House systems can differ; Jotish displays the system selected for your chart.

Retrograde & station

Retrograde means a planet appears to move backward against the background of the zodiac as seen from Earth. Near a station, its apparent motion is especially slow. Astrologers interpret this differently across traditions; it is not a judgment that a planet or person is bad.

THE MOON’S BIRTH STAR

Nakshatra and pada

A nakshatra is one of 27 traditional divisions of the zodiac. Your Moon’s nakshatra is often called your birth star. A pada is one of four equal quarters of a nakshatra. In Vimshottari, the Moon’s birth position determines the starting planet and the portion of its period remaining at birth.

What it means for you: astrologers use the birth star as another layer of interpretation and to calculate your planetary-period timeline. A Moon close to a boundary can change category with a small change in input or settings.

THE RHYTHM OF TIME

Dashas: planetary periods

A dasha is a time period associated with a planet. An astrologer may use it to consider which chart themes deserve attention at a particular time. It is a framework for interpretation, not a promise that a specific event will happen.

Vimshottari dasha

Vimshottari is a widely used system with a repeating 120-year sequence of nine planetary periods. The position of your birth Moon determines where your personal timeline begins. Period dates also depend on the chosen length of a dasha year. Compare dasha-year choices →

Mahadasha: the larger chapter

A mahadasha is the main period, lasting several years. Its planet provides a broad theme that an astrologer reads in the context of your full birth chart.

Antardasha: a chapter within a chapter

An antardasha, also called antar dasha, is a sub-period within a mahadasha. Its planet adds another theme. For example, a Saturn antardasha within a Jupiter mahadasha might invite reflection on how patient effort supports learning and growth; it does not guarantee a particular outcome.

Pratyantardasha, sookshma and prana

These are successively smaller nested periods: pratyantardasha within an antardasha, sookshma within that, and prana within sookshma. Shorter periods offer finer timing in the system, but precise timestamps do not make a prediction certain.

THE SKY NOW

What is a transit?

A transit describes a planet’s position at a date after birth. Astrologers compare the moving sky with a birth chart and with current dashas. This can prompt reflection on a period’s themes; different schools use different rules, and no transit determines an outcome.

THE TRADITIONAL CALENDAR

Panchang and choosing a time

A panchang is a traditional calendar organized around five elements. It is calculated for a place and time; sunrise conventions and regional practices can change the result.

Vara · weekday

The weekday in the traditional sunrise-to-sunrise day.

Tithi · lunar day

A lunar day based on the angular separation of the Sun and Moon. It is not always the same length as a clock day. Shukla and Krishna paksha refer to the waxing and waning halves of the lunar cycle.

After the birth star

Nakshatra is the third element. Yoga is a division based on the combined longitudes of the Sun and Moon; karana is half a tithi. These are used in traditional calendar interpretation.

Muhurat · choosing an occasion

A muhurat is a time selected for an activity using a tradition’s timing rules. The relevant factors depend on the event, place and practitioner. It is a way to plan within a tradition, not a guarantee of success. Explore panchang methods →

MORE WORDS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER

Going a little deeper

Ayanamsa

The offset used to express a position in a chosen sidereal zodiac. Different definitions can change a placement near a boundary. Compare ayanamsas →

Yogas

In chart interpretation, yogas are named combinations of placements. They are different from the panchang element also called yoga. Their interpretation depends on the full chart and the rules a school follows.

Kesari and Śakaṭa yogas

These are traditional names for particular placements of the Moon relative to Jupiter. In the Phaladīpikā rule shown in your chart, Śakaṭa also has an exception based on the Moon’s position from the ascendant. Other traditions apply different qualifications. A named combination is a starting point for interpretation, not a verdict about your life.

Sunapha, Anapha, Durudhara and Kemadruma

These names describe whether certain planets occupy the signs next to the Moon. Phaladīpikā also mentions alternative exceptions to Kemadruma used by some authorities. Your chart shows the base condition and these exceptions separately, so you can see the reasoning.

Doshas

Some schools use dosha for a chart condition considered challenging in a particular context, such as Mangal dosha in relationship matching. Definitions and exceptions vary. A label alone should not be treated as a verdict about a person or relationship.

Compatibility and Ashtakoota

Ashtakoota is a traditional matching framework comparing birth Moon placements across eight factors. Practices and scoring vary. It is one perspective, not a measure of a relationship’s worth or a substitute for mutual understanding.

Remedies

Some astrologers suggest practices such as prayer, charity or reflection to engage with a planetary theme. Practices vary by tradition and personal belief; expensive purchases or fear-based claims are not required.

KP star and sub lords

Krishnamurti Paddhati (KP) is a distinct approach that uses star lords and finer sub-lords, among other rules, to interpret placements and timing. Settings and house cusps matter when comparing KP charts.