Astrology glossary
Lagna, bhava, nakshatra, dasha, navamsa, tithi, muhurta: the most important words of the kundli and the panchang, one line each, by area. The full glossary opens beside every technical word on the site.
- Abhijit (nakshatra) (अभिजित)
- A small span at the end of Uttara Ashadha and start of Shravana that some muhurta texts count as a 28th nakshatra.
- Abhijit muhurta (अभिजित मुहूर्त)
- The eighth of the fifteen daytime muhurtas, around local midday.
- Adhi yoga (अधि योग)
- Gentle planets in the 6th, 7th and 8th from the Moon.
- Adhika masa (अधिक मास)
- A lunar month with no sankranti in it; it comes about every 32–33 months and is also called Purushottama masa.
- Akshavedamsa (D45) (अक्षवेदांश (D45))
- The sign split into forty-five; linked with the paternal legacy and character.
- Amanta (अमांत)
- The month that ends on amavasya; used in Gujarat, Maharashtra and South India.
- Amavasya (अमावस्या)
- The last (30th) tithi, in the krishna paksha, the new Moon.
- Anapha yoga (अनफा योग)
- A planet other than the Sun in the 12th from the Moon.
- Annaprashan (अन्नप्राशन)
- The rite of a baby's first taste of grain; when solid food starts is for the doctor to decide.
- Ansha, kala, vikala (degree, minute, second) (अंश, कला, विकला)
- Units of the zodiac: one sign is 30 degrees, one degree 60 minutes, one minute 60 seconds.
- Antardasha (bhukti) (अंतर्दशा (भुक्ति))
- The second level inside a mahadasha, split into nine parts in the same order; length = MD years × sub-lord years ÷ 120.
- Apoklima (cadent houses) (आपोक्लिम)
- The houses after the panapharas: the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th.
- Ashtakavarga (अष्टकवर्ग)
- A counting system in which seven planets and the lagna give points to each sign; used for reading transits.
- Ashtakoot (अष्टकूट)
- The eight kootas of matching (varna, vashya, tara, yoni, graha maitri, gana, bhakoot, nadi), 36 points in all.
- Ashtottari dasha (अष्टोत्तरी दशा)
- A 108-year dasha system of eight planets (without Ketu), used under certain conditions.
- Asta (combustion) (अस्त)
- A planet so close to the Sun that it is lost in its glare; the distance differs for each planet.
- Atmakaraka (आत्मकारक)
- In the Jaimini system, the planet with the highest degree within its sign, taken as the significator of the self.
- Avakahada chakra (अवकहड़ा चक्र)
- A small table built from the Moon's sign and nakshatra: name syllable, varna, vashya, yoni, gana, nadi, tattva and pāya.
- Ayana (अयन)
- The two six-month halves of the Sun's northward (uttarayana) and southward (dakshinayana) course; panchangs often count uttarayana from Makar Sankranti.
- Ayanamsa (अयनांश)
- The gap between the tropical and the sidereal zodiac, about 24° at present.
- Bhadra (Vishti karana) (भद्रा (विष्टि))
- The seventh movable karana, which tradition does not choose for new beginnings; only a rule for choosing a time.
- Bhadra yoga (भद्र योग)
- The Pancha Mahapurusha yoga formed by Mercury.
- Bhakoot (भकूट)
- The koota from the distance between the two Moon signs; worth 7 points in matching.
- Bhakoot dosha (भकूट दोष)
- The two Moon signs at 2–12, 5–9 or 6–8; not counted when the sign lords are the same or friends.
- Bhamsha / Saptavimshamsa (D27) (भांश (D27))
- The sign split into twenty-seven; linked with temperament and capacity.
- Bhava (house) (भाव)
- The twelve divisions of the chart, each linked by tradition with certain areas of life.
- Bhava bala (भाव बल)
- The arithmetic strength of a house, built from its lord, direction and aspects.
- Bhava chalit (भाव चलित)
- A chart that divides the houses by the actual degrees of the lagna and midheaven; ePandit uses the Śrīpati method.
- Bhava madhya (house midpoint) (भाव मध्य)
- The middle degree of a house; in the chalit, the lagna is the 1st-house midpoint and the MC the 10th.
- Bhava sandhi (house junction) (भाव संधि)
- The point between two neighbouring house midpoints, where one house ends and the next begins.
- Bhavesh (house lord) (भावेश)
- The planet that rules the sign falling in a house.
- Bhinnashtakavarga (BAV) (भिन्नाष्टकवर्ग (BAV))
- One planet's own table, giving every sign 0 to 8 bindus.
- Bindu (बिंदु)
- One point given to a sign by a contributor in the ashtakavarga.
- Birth chart (kundli) (कुंडली)
- A map of the sky at the moment of birth: twelve houses, twelve signs and nine grahas.
- Brahma muhurta (ब्रह्म मुहूर्त)
- The muhurta before sunrise (about 96 to 48 minutes before), which tradition picks for study and meditation.
- Budh (Mercury) (बुध)
- The graha tradition links with intellect, speech and trade; lord of Mithuna and Kanya, exalted in Kanya.
- Budha-Aditya yoga (बुधादित्य योग)
- The Sun and Mercury in the same sign; a very common yoga, the name from tradition.
- Cancellation (bhanga) (निवारण (भंग))
- The conditions in the texts under which a yoga or dosha is not counted; ePandit shows them alongside.
- Chandra (Moon) (चंद्र)
- The graha tradition links with the mind and the mother; lord of Karka, exalted in Vrishabha.
- Chandra bala (चंद्र बल)
- Which house from the birth Moon sign the day's Moon is in; tradition favours 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11.
- Chandra kundli (Moon chart) (चंद्र कुंडली)
- The same chart read with the Moon's sign taken as the 1st house.
- Chandra masa (lunar month) (चंद्र मास)
- The month from one new Moon to the next (or full Moon to full Moon), about 29.5 days.
- Chandra-Mangala yoga (चंद्र-मंगल योग)
- The Moon and Mars in one sign (Raman also counts their mutual aspect).
- Chara dasha (चर दशा)
- The sign-based dasha of the Jaimini system, in which signs rather than planets take turns.
- Chara karaka (चर कारक)
- Seven significators set by degree order: atma, amatya, bhratru, matru, putra, gnati and dara karaka.
- Chara rashi (movable sign) (चर राशि)
- Mesha, Karka, Tula and Makara, which tradition links with motion and beginnings.
- Chaturthamsa (D4) (चतुर्थांश (D4))
- The sign split into four; linked with home and property.
- Chaturvimshamsa (D24) (चतुर्विंशांश (D24))
- The sign split into twenty-four; linked with learning.
- Chesta bala (motional strength) (चेष्टा बल)
- Strength from a planet's motion, especially retrogression; for Mars to Saturn.
- Chhaya graha (shadow planet) (छाया ग्रह)
- A name for Rahu and Ketu, since they are calculated points, not bodies.
- Choghadiya (चौघड़िया)
- A system splitting day and night into eight parts each (amrit, shubh, labh, char, udveg, kaal, rog); the names are traditional labels.
- Daan (charity) (दान)
- Giving to those in need, which tradition links with the grahas; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Darakaraka (दारकारक)
- In the Jaimini system, the planet with the lowest degree, taken as the significator of the spouse.
- Dasha (दशा)
- A system that divides life's timeline into periods run by the grahas in turn.
- Dasha balance at birth (भोग्य दशा (दशा शेष))
- The unused part of the first mahadasha at birth, set by how much of its nakshatra the Moon has left.
- Dasha sandhi (दशा संधि)
- The junction where one mahadasha ends and the next begins, which tradition sees as a time of transition.
- Dashamsa (D10) (दशमांश (D10))
- The sign split into ten; linked with work and career.
- Dashanath (dasha lord) (दशानाथ)
- The planet whose period is running is the lord of that period.
- Day's nakshatra (आज का नक्षत्र)
- The third limb of the panchang: the nakshatra the Moon is in today.
- Dhaiya (ढैया)
- Saturn's transit of about 2½ years through the 4th or 8th sign from the Moon sign; like sade sati, read with the rest of the chart.
- Dhana bhava (2nd house) (धन भाव)
- The 2nd house: savings, family, speech and food.
- Dhana yoga (धन योग)
- A link between the 2nd/11th and 5th/9th lords that tradition associates with earning; not a promise of any sum.
- Dhanu (Sagittarius) (धनु)
- The 9th sign, fire, dual; ruled by Jupiter.
- Dharma bhava (9th house) (धर्म (भाग्य) भाव)
- The 9th house: dharma, teachers, father, long journeys and fortune.
- Dig bala (directional strength) (दिग्बल)
- The full score a planet gets in one particular house (direction), e.g. the Sun and Mars in the 10th.
- Dosha (दोष)
- A traditional name for a placement the texts ask us to look at carefully; ePandit shows it with its cancellations and without fear.
- Drekkana (D3) (द्रेष्काण (D3))
- The sign split into three parts of 10°; linked with siblings.
- Drik bala (aspectual strength) (दृग् बल)
- Strength added or reduced by the aspects of other planets.
- Drishti (aspect) (दृष्टि)
- A planet's 'glance' at another house; every planet aspects the 7th, Mars also the 4th and 8th, Jupiter the 5th and 9th, Saturn the 3rd and 10th.
- Durmuhurta (दुर्मुहूर्त)
- Certain muhurtas of each weekday that muhurta texts set aside for important work.
- Durudhara yoga (दुरुधरा योग)
- Planets (other than the Sun) in both the 2nd and the 12th from the Moon.
- Dusthana (trik houses) (दुःस्थान (त्रिक))
- The 6th, 8th and 12th houses; a technical group name for houses of effort, change and expense, not a verdict.
- Dwadashamsa (D12) (द्वादशांश (D12))
- The sign split into twelve; linked with parents.
- Dwiswabhava rashi (dual sign) (द्विस्वभाव राशि)
- Mithuna, Kanya, Dhanu and Meena, which are taken to share movable and fixed qualities.
- Ekadashi (एकादशी)
- The 11th tithi of each paksha, a widely kept vrat day.
- Functional benefic (कार्यकारी शुभ ग्रह)
- A planet taken as supportive in a chart because it rules favourable houses (such as 1, 5, 9) for that lagna.
- Gajakesari yoga (गजकेसरी योग)
- Jupiter in a kendra (1, 4, 7, 10) from the Moon.
- Gana (गण)
- Three groups by nakshatra: deva, manushya, rakshasa; rakshasa is an old category name, not evil; worth 6 points in matching.
- Gana dosha (गण दोष)
- When the two people's ganas do not match in matching; ePandit shows it with its cancellations.
- Gandanta (गंडांत)
- The short span around the nakshatra junctions where water signs meet fire signs (Revati–Ashwini, Ashlesha–Magha, Jyeshtha–Mula).
- Gandmool (गंडमूल)
- Birth in six nakshatras (Ashwini, Ashlesha, Magha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Revati); the shānti is optional and it signals no misfortune for anyone.
- Garbhadhan (गर्भाधान)
- The first of the sixteen sanskars, linked with the wish for a child.
- Ghati (ghatika) (घटी)
- A traditional unit of time: one-sixtieth of a day and night, i.e. 24 minutes.
- Gochara (transit) (गोचर)
- Reading the planets' current movement against the birth chart, traditionally from the Moon sign.
- Godhuli (गोधूलि)
- The time around sunset, which many traditions choose for weddings.
- Graha (ग्रह)
- The nine bodies of jyotish: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.
- Graha maitri (koota) (ग्रह मैत्री (कूट))
- The friendship between the lords of the two Moon signs; worth 5 points in matching.
- Graha shanti (ग्रह शांति)
- A worship and homa rite for a graha, described in the last chapters of BPHS; guidance only, source-labelled, never tied to fear.
- Graha yuddha (planetary war) (ग्रह युद्ध)
- Two of the planets Mars to Saturn coming within one degree of each other; the texts name one of them the winner.
- Gulika kaal (गुलिक काल)
- A one-eighth part of the day linked with Saturn, in South Indian panchangs.
- Guna milan (गुण मिलान)
- Counting the ashtakoot points between two charts; points alone never decide a marriage.
- Guru (Jupiter) (गुरु (बृहस्पति))
- The graha tradition links with wisdom, dharma and children; lord of Dhanu and Meena, exalted in Karka.
- Hamsa yoga (हंस योग)
- The Pancha Mahapurusha yoga formed by Jupiter.
- Harsha yoga (हर्ष योग)
- The 6th lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th.
- Havan (homa) (हवन (होम))
- The Vedic rite of offering oblations into fire; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Hora (D2) (होरा (D2))
- The sign split in two (Sun and Moon horas); tradition links it with wealth.
- Hora (planetary hour) (होरा)
- The 24 parts of a day and night counted from sunrise, each with a planetary lord; the first belongs to the weekday's lord.
- Hora shastra (होरा शास्त्र)
- The branch of jyotish dealing with birth charts (one of three branches, with siddhanta and samhita).
- Ishtakaal (इष्टकाल)
- The time elapsed from sunrise to the moment of birth, written in ghati and pala.
- Jaimini system (जैमिनी पद्धति)
- The system based on the Jaimini Sutras, with tools such as chara karakas, sign aspects and chara dasha.
- Janma nakshatra (birth star) (जन्म नक्षत्र)
- The nakshatra the Moon occupies at birth; the dasha and the name syllable come from it.
- Janma rashi (Moon sign) (जन्म राशि)
- The sign the Moon occupies at birth; in North India this is what 'your rashi' usually means.
- Japa (जप)
- Repeated, counted recitation of a mantra or name, often on a mala; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Jatakarma (जातकर्म)
- The rite just after birth that welcomes the baby.
- Jyotish (ज्योतिष)
- The Indian discipline, a Vedanga, of reading time and life through the lights of the sky.
- Kaal sarp (calm check) (काल सर्प (शांत जाँच))
- All seven planets on one side of Rahu and Ketu; BPHS does not name it, it is a later classification; ePandit shows it only as a pattern.
- Kakshya (कक्ष्या)
- The eight 3°45′ parts of each sign in the ashtakavarga, used to read a transit more finely.
- Kala bala (temporal strength) (काल बल)
- Strength from the time of birth: day or night, paksha, year, month, weekday and hora.
- Kalatra bhava (7th house) (कलत्र भाव)
- The 7th house: spouse, partnership and dealings with others.
- Kanya (Virgo) (कन्या)
- The 6th sign, earth, dual; ruled by Mercury.
- Karaka (significator) (कारक)
- A planet taken to represent a subject, e.g. Jupiter for children and Venus for marriage.
- Karana (करण)
- Half a tithi (6°); 11 karanas in all, 4 fixed and 7 movable.
- Karka (Cancer) (कर्क)
- The 4th sign, water, movable; ruled by the Moon.
- Karma bhava (10th house) (कर्म भाव)
- The 10th house: work, profession, status and public standing.
- Kemadruma yoga (केमद्रुम योग)
- No planet but the Sun on either side (2nd, 12th) of the Moon; in most charts at least one cancellation applies.
- Kendra (angular houses) (केंद्र)
- The 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses, which tradition sees as the pillars of the chart.
- Kendradhipati dosha (केंद्राधिपति दोष)
- The classical rule that a gentle planet owning a kendra is taken to lose some of its gentle nature.
- Ketu (केतु)
- The Moon's south node, always exactly 180° from Rahu.
- Khavedamsa (D40) (खवेदांश (D40))
- The sign split into forty; linked with the maternal legacy.
- Krishna paksha (कृष्ण पक्ष)
- The waning fortnight from purnima to amavasya.
- Kshaya masa (क्षय मास)
- The rare lunar month in which two sankrantis fall.
- Kshaya tithi (क्षय तिथि)
- A tithi that starts after one sunrise and ends before the next, so it is 'skipped' in the panchang.
- Kumbha (Aquarius) (कुंभ)
- The 11th sign, air, fixed; ruled by Saturn.
- Labha bhava (11th house) (लाभ भाव)
- The 11th house: income, gains, elder siblings and circle of friends.
- Lagna (ascendant) (लग्न)
- The sign and degree rising on the eastern horizon at birth; it becomes the 1st house.
- Lagna shuddhi (लग्न शुद्धि)
- Checking the lagna rising at the chosen time, and the planets from it, in muhurta.
- Lagnesh (lagna lord) (लग्नेश)
- The planet that rules the sign of the lagna.
- Lahiri ayanamsa (लाहिड़ी अयनांश)
- The Chitrapaksha ayanamsa, which places the star Chitra (Spica) at 180°, adopted in India's calendar reform; ePandit uses it.
- Lal Kitab (लाल किताब)
- A separate tradition of remedies that ePandit shows under its own label; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Lok manyata (source label) (लोक मान्यता (स्रोत-लेबल))
- The label for a point that comes from folk belief.
- Mahadasha (महादशा)
- The top level of a dasha; e.g. Venus runs 20 years and the Sun 6.
- Makara (Capricorn) (मकर)
- The 10th sign, earth, movable; ruled by Saturn.
- Malavya yoga (मालव्य योग)
- The Pancha Mahapurusha yoga formed by Venus.
- Mangal (Mars) (मंगल)
- The graha tradition links with courage and energy; lord of Mesha and Vrishchika, exalted in Makara.
- Mangal dosha (kuja dosha) (मंगल दोष (कुज दोष))
- Mars in the 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th from the lagna, Moon or Venus with no cancellation applying; looked at only in matching, and it decides nothing alone.
- Mangal dosha parihar (मंगल दोष परिहार)
- The classical conditions (per-house exemptions, Simha/Kumbha, with Jupiter or the Moon) under which mangal dosha is not counted.
- Mantra (मंत्र)
- A sacred formula recited for a deity or graha; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Maraka sthana (मारक स्थान)
- The classical term for the 2nd and 7th houses in longevity calculation; ePandit does not compute longevity.
- Margi (direct) (मार्गी)
- A planet's normal forward motion; the opposite of retrograde.
- Meena (Pisces) (मीन)
- The 12th sign, water, dual; ruled by Jupiter.
- Mesha (Aries) (मेष)
- The 1st sign, fire, movable; ruled by Mars.
- Midheaven (MC) (दशम (MC))
- The point of the ecliptic that is highest in the sky, on the meridian, at birth.
- Mithuna (Gemini) (मिथुन)
- The 3rd sign, air, dual; ruled by Mercury.
- Moolatrikona (मूलत्रिकोण)
- A set part of a planet's sign where its dignity is ranked above own sign, e.g. the Sun in Simha 0–20°.
- Muhurta (मुहूर्त)
- A time chosen for an undertaking; as a unit, 48 minutes (one-thirtieth of a day and night).
- Mundan (chudakarma) (मुंडन (चूड़ाकर्म))
- The rite of shaving a child's birth hair for the first time.
- Muntha (मुंथा)
- A point in the annual chart that advances one sign a year from the birth lagna.
- Nabhasa yogas (नाभस योग)
- Yogas formed by the overall shape of the planets' spread in a chart; 'sarpa yoga' is one of them.
- Nadi (नाड़ी)
- Three groups by nakshatra: aadi, madhya, antya; worth the most points in matching, 8.
- Nadi dosha (नाड़ी दोष)
- The bride's and groom's birth nakshatras sharing one nadi; the Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi gives three cancellations.
- Naisargika bala (natural strength) (नैसर्गिक बल)
- Each planet's fixed natural strength; the Sun's is highest (60 virupas) and Saturn's lowest.
- Naisargika maitri (natural friendship) (नैसर्गिक मैत्री)
- The fixed friend, neutral and unfriendly relations between planets, the same in every chart.
- Nakshatra (नक्षत्र)
- The 27 divisions of the zodiac of 13°20′ each; the Moon spends about a day in each.
- Nakshatra deity (नक्षत्र देवता)
- The deity linked with each nakshatra, e.g. the Ashvini Kumaras for Ashwini.
- Nakshatra groups (muhurta) (नक्षत्र समूह (मुहूर्त))
- Seven groups by nature in the Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi: fixed, movable, gentle, swift, mixed, forceful and sharp.
- Nakshatra lord (नक्षत्र स्वामी)
- The planet ruling each nakshatra in the Vimshottari order, e.g. Ketu for Ashwini.
- Name syllable (नाम अक्षर)
- The syllable given by the pada of the birth nakshatra, with which tradition starts a name.
- Namkaran (नामकरण)
- The naming rite, usually on the 11th or 12th day; the first letter from the birth nakshatra's pada.
- Neecha (debilitation) (नीच)
- The sign exactly opposite the exaltation sign; a technical dignity state, not a verdict on its own.
- Neecha bhanga (नीचभंग)
- The cancellation of debilitation when certain conditions in the chart are met.
- Neecha bhanga raja yoga (नीचभंग राज योग)
- The raja yoga Phaladeepika counts when the conditions that cancel a planet's debilitation are met.
- Nirayana (sidereal) (निरयन)
- The zodiac measured against the fixed stars; Indian astrology uses it.
- Nishkraman (निष्क्रमण)
- The rite of taking the baby outdoors for the first time to see the Sun.
- North Indian chart style (उत्तर भारतीय कुंडली)
- The diamond-shaped chart in which the houses stay fixed and the sign numbers change.
- Odd and even signs (विषम और सम राशि)
- Counting from Mesha, odd signs (1, 3, 5…) are classed male and even signs (2, 4, 6…) female.
- Pada (quarter) (पद (चरण))
- A quarter of a nakshatra, 3°20′; each of the 108 padas has its own name syllable.
- Paksha (पक्ष)
- Half a lunar month, 15 tithis: shukla or krishna.
- Pala (vighati) (पल)
- One-sixtieth of a ghati, i.e. 24 seconds.
- Panaphara (succedent houses) (पणफर)
- The houses after the kendras: the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th.
- Pancha Mahapurusha yogas (पंच महापुरुष योग)
- Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus or Saturn in its own or exaltation sign in a kendra from the lagna.
- Panchadha maitri (fivefold relation) (पंचधा मैत्री)
- Natural and temporary relations combined into five grades, from great friend to great opponent.
- Panchaka (पंचक)
- The Moon in Kumbha and Meena (second half of Dhanishtha to Revati), when tradition defers certain tasks.
- Panchang (पंचांग)
- The Hindu almanac of the day's five limbs: tithi, vaar, nakshatra, yoga and karana.
- Panchang shuddhi (पंचांग शुद्धि)
- Checking all five limbs, tithi, vaar, nakshatra, yoga and karana, for a muhurta.
- Parampara (source label) (परंपरा (स्रोत-लेबल))
- The label for a point from living tradition that was not found in our library of texts.
- Parashari system (पराशरी पद्धति)
- The system based on the Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra, centred on Vimshottari dasha and house lordship; ePandit follows it.
- Parivartana yoga (परिवर्तन योग)
- The lords of two houses sitting in each other's signs (sign exchange).
- Pitru check (calm) (पितृ स्मरण (शांत जाँच))
- 'Pitru dosha' is not found in our texts; ePandit shows only where the 9th lord and the Sun stand, and sees śrāddha as the living way of remembering ancestors.
- Prana dasha (प्राण दशा)
- The fifth level inside a sookshma dasha, lasting a few hours.
- Prashna (horary) (प्रश्न)
- The method of reading an answer from the chart of the moment a question is asked.
- Pratyantar dasha (प्रत्यंतर दशा)
- The third level inside an antardasha, divided in the same proportion.
- Purnima (पूर्णिमा)
- The 15th tithi of the shukla paksha, the full Moon.
- Purnimanta (पूर्णिमांत)
- The month that ends on purnima; used in North India.
- Putra bhava (5th house) (पुत्र भाव)
- The 5th house: children, intelligence, learning and past merit.
- Pāya (पाया)
- A folk custom written in janam-patris (gold, silver, copper, iron); no ceremony or fortune depends on it.
- Rahu (राहु)
- The Moon's north node, where its orbit crosses the ecliptic; ePandit uses the mean node.
- Rahu kaal (राहु काल)
- One-eighth of the daytime, a different part each weekday; tradition does not choose it for new beginnings.
- Raja yoga (राज योग)
- A link between kendra and trikona lords; a leaning towards responsibility and opportunity, not a promise of position.
- Randhra bhava (8th house) (रंध्र भाव)
- The 8th house: hidden matters, sudden change, research and inheritance.
- Rashi (sign) (राशि)
- The twelve equal 30° parts of the zodiac, from Mesha to Meena.
- Rashi chart (D1) (राशि कुंडली (D1))
- The main birth chart, in which each house is one whole sign; every divisional chart is built from it.
- Rashi swami (sign lord) (राशि स्वामी)
- The planet that rules each sign, e.g. Mars for Mesha and Venus for Vrishabha.
- Ratna (gem) (रत्न)
- A gem linked with a graha; ePandit suggests one only for the chart's functional benefics, always beside its uparatna; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Required shadbala (आवश्यक बल)
- The minimum Raman sets for each planet, e.g. Sun 300 and Mercury 420 virupas.
- Ripu bhava (6th house) (षष्ठ (रिपु) भाव)
- The 6th house: daily work, service, debts and competition.
- Ritu (season) (ऋतु)
- The six two-month seasons: vasanta, grishma, varsha, sharad, hemanta, shishira.
- Ruchaka yoga (रुचक योग)
- The Pancha Mahapurusha yoga formed by Mars.
- Rudraksha (रुद्राक्ष)
- The dried seed of the rudraksha tree, sorted by its number of faces (mukhi) and worn as beads; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Rupa (रूप)
- The larger unit of shadbala; 1 rupa = 60 virupas.
- Sade sati (साढ़े साती)
- Saturn's transit through the 12th, 1st and 2nd signs from the Moon sign, about 7½ years; read with vedha, ashtakavarga and the dasha, never alone.
- Sahaja bhava (3rd house) (सहज भाव)
- The 3rd house: younger siblings, courage, writing and short journeys.
- Samhita (संहिता)
- The branch of jyotish dealing with weather, omens, building and collective matters.
- Sankranti (संक्रांति)
- The Sun's entry into the next sidereal sign, e.g. Makar Sankranti.
- Sanskar (संस्कार)
- The Vedic rites held at life's turning points, such as naming and first feeding.
- Saptamsa (D7) (सप्तांश (D7))
- The sign split into seven; linked with children.
- Saptavarga (सप्तवर्ग)
- The shadvarga plus the saptamsa (D7), seven vargas in all; used in part of shadbala.
- Sarala yoga (सरल योग)
- The 8th lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th.
- Sarvashtakavarga (SAV) (सर्वाष्टकवर्ग (SAV))
- The seven BAV tables added sign by sign; the total is 337 in every chart.
- Saumya and krura grahas (सौम्य और क्रूर ग्रह)
- An old grouping by nature: Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and the waxing Moon gentle; Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu fierce; not a verdict.
- Saura masa (solar month) (सौर मास)
- The time the Sun spends in one sign, from one sankranti to the next.
- Sayana (tropical) (सायन)
- The zodiac measured from the spring equinox, used in Western astrology.
- Seva (service) (सेवा)
- Service to parents, elders, cows or those in need, which tradition links with each graha; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Shadbala (षड्बल)
- An arithmetic measure of a planet's strength made by adding six parts; the number alone decides no result.
- Shadvarga (षड्वर्ग)
- The group of six vargas: D1, D2, D3, D9, D12 and D30.
- Shaka Samvat (शक संवत)
- The era of India's national calendar, 78 years behind the Common Era.
- Shani (Saturn) (शनि)
- The graha tradition links with discipline, work and time; lord of Makara and Kumbha, exalted in Tula.
- Shasha yoga (शश योग)
- The Pancha Mahapurusha yoga formed by Saturn.
- Shashtiamsa (D60) (षष्ट्यंश (D60))
- The sign split into sixty parts of half a degree each; the varga most sensitive to birth time.
- Shastra (source label) (शास्त्र (स्रोत-लेबल))
- The ePandit label for a point checked against a named classical text.
- Shodash sanskar (षोडश संस्कार)
- The sixteen main sanskars of tradition, from garbhadhan to marriage and beyond.
- Shodashamsa (D16) (षोडशांश (D16))
- The sign split into sixteen; linked with vehicles and comforts.
- Shodashvarga (षोडशवर्ग)
- Parashara's sixteen divisional charts, from D1 to D60.
- Shodhana (reduction) (शोधन)
- Reducing the ashtakavarga figures by the trikona and ekadhipatya rules; ePandit shows the unreduced figures.
- Shukla paksha (शुक्ल पक्ष)
- The waxing fortnight from amavasya to purnima.
- Shukra (Venus) (शुक्र)
- The graha tradition links with love, art and comfort; lord of Vrishabha and Tula, exalted in Meena.
- Siddhanta (सिद्धांत)
- The mathematical-astronomical branch of jyotish that computes planetary positions.
- Simha (Leo) (सिंह)
- The 5th sign, fire, fixed; ruled by the Sun.
- Sookshma dasha (सूक्ष्म दशा)
- The fourth level inside a pratyantar, lasting a few days.
- Source label (स्रोत-लेबल)
- The source written beside every remedy: shastra, tradition, folk belief or Lal Kitab.
- South Indian chart style (दक्षिण भारतीय कुंडली)
- The square chart in which the signs stay fixed and the lagna is marked.
- Sthana bala (positional strength) (स्थान बल)
- Strength from position: sign, exaltation, vargas, kendra and so on.
- Sthira rashi (fixed sign) (स्थिर राशि)
- Vrishabha, Simha, Vrishchika and Kumbha, which tradition links with steadiness.
- Sukha bhava (4th house) (सुख भाव)
- The 4th house: mother, home, vehicles and inner comfort.
- Sunapha yoga (सुनफा योग)
- A planet other than the Sun in the 2nd from the Moon.
- Surya (Sun) (सूर्य)
- The graha tradition links with the self and the father; lord of Simha, exalted in Mesha.
- Suryoday (sunrise) (सूर्योदय)
- The start of the panchang day; its time, and so the day's limbs, change with place.
- Svakshetra (own sign) (स्वक्षेत्र (स्वराशि))
- A planet placed in a sign it rules, e.g. Venus in Tula.
- Tajik (varshaphal) (ताजिक (वर्षफल))
- The annual-chart system, cast for the moment the Sun returns to its birth position.
- Tanu bhava (1st house) (तनु भाव)
- The 1st house: body, temperament and the direction of life.
- Tara (koota) (तारा (कूट))
- The koota from counting one person's birth nakshatra to the other's; worth 3 points in matching.
- Tara bala (तारा बल)
- Counting from the birth nakshatra to the day's nakshatra to see which of nine taras (janma, sampat, vipat, kshema…) it is.
- Tatkalika maitri (temporary friendship) (तात्कालिक मैत्री)
- Planets in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th or 12th from each other count as friends in that chart.
- Tattva (element) (तत्त्व)
- The four elements of the signs, fire, earth, air and water, repeating in order from Mesha.
- Tithi (तिथि)
- Each 12° the Moon gains on the Sun is one tithi; a lunar month has 30.
- Tithi groups (Nanda to Purna) (नंदा, भद्रा, जया, रिक्ता, पूर्णा)
- Five groups of tithis repeating every five; tradition seldom picks rikta (4, 9, 14) for new beginnings.
- Trikona (trines) (त्रिकोण)
- The 1st, 5th and 9th houses, also called the Lakshmi sthanas.
- Trimshamsa (D30) (त्रिंशांश (D30))
- The sign split into five unequal parts (of Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus); linked with life's challenges.
- Tula (Libra) (तुला)
- The 7th sign, air, movable; ruled by Venus.
- Uchcha (exaltation) (उच्च)
- The sign (and degree) where tradition places a planet at its highest dignity, e.g. the Sun at Mesha 10°.
- Uchcha bala (उच्च बल)
- The part of sthana bala based on a planet's distance from its debilitation point; 60 virupas at exaltation.
- Udaya tithi (उदय तिथि)
- The tithi running at sunrise, which sets the day's tithi and most vrats.
- Upachaya (houses of growth) (उपचय)
- The 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th houses, whose results tradition sees growing with time and effort.
- Upanayan (उपनयन)
- The rite of taking the sacred thread and beginning Vedic study.
- Uparatna (substitute gem) (उपरत्न)
- The traditional lower-cost alternative to a gem, shown beside every ratna; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Upaya (remedy) (उपाय)
- Conduct, prayer, charity or objects that tradition suggests; on ePandit, guidance only, source-labelled, ₹0 options first.
- Vaar (weekday) (वार)
- The weekday, each with a planetary lord; in the panchang the day changes at sunrise.
- Vakri (retrograde) (वक्री)
- A planet appearing to move backwards as seen from Earth; the Sun and Moon never do.
- Varga (divisional chart) (वर्ग (विभागीय कुंडली))
- A supporting chart made by dividing each sign into equal parts, such as the navamsa (D9).
- Vargottama (वर्गोत्तम)
- A planet (or the lagna) occupying the same sign in the rashi chart and the navamsa.
- Varjyam (वर्ज्य)
- A set part of each nakshatra that South Indian panchangs in particular set aside for new work.
- Varna (koota) (वर्ण (कूट))
- An old astrological category from the Moon sign's element, not caste; worth 1 point in matching.
- Varshesh (year lord) (वर्षेश)
- The lord of the year in the annual chart, chosen from five office-bearers.
- Vashya (वश्य)
- Five groups by Moon sign (quadruped, human, water, wild, insect); worth 2 points in matching.
- Vedha (obstruction) (वेध)
- The transit rule in which another planet's position blocks the result of a favourable transit.
- Vidyarambh (विद्यारंभ)
- The rite that begins a child's learning by writing the first letters.
- Vikram Samvat (विक्रम संवत)
- The era used in North India, about 57 years ahead of the Common Era.
- Vimala yoga (विमल योग)
- The 12th lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th.
- Vimshamsa (D20) (विंशांश (D20))
- The sign split into twenty; linked with worship and spiritual life.
- Vimshopaka bala (विंशोपक बल)
- A score out of 20 from a planet's dignity across the vargas.
- Vimshottari dasha (विंशोत्तरी दशा)
- A 120-year cycle of nine mahadashas, starting from the lord of the birth nakshatra.
- Vipareeta raja yoga (विपरीत राज योग)
- The lord of the 6th, 8th or 12th placed in one of these same houses (Harsha, Sarala, Vimala).
- Vipareeta vedha (विपरीत वेध)
- The reverse of vedha: the result of a difficult transit blocked by another planet's position.
- Virupa (shashtiamsa) (विरूप (षष्ट्यंश))
- The smaller unit of shadbala, one-sixtieth of a rupa.
- Vishesh drishti (special aspect) (विशेष दृष्टि)
- The extra full aspects of Mars (4th, 8th), Jupiter (5th, 9th) and Saturn (3rd, 10th) besides the 7th.
- Vivah (विवाह)
- The marriage sanskar, whose muhurta and matching rules are in the muhurta texts.
- Vrat (fast) (व्रत)
- A vow of restraint or fasting on a tithi or weekday; for health, a doctor's advice comes first; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Vriddhi tithi (वृद्धि तिथि)
- A tithi that spans two sunrises, so it is written on two days.
- Vrishabha (Taurus) (वृषभ)
- The 2nd sign, earth, fixed; ruled by Venus.
- Vrishchika (Scorpio) (वृश्चिक)
- The 8th sign, water, fixed; ruled by Mars.
- Vyaya bhava (12th house) (व्यय भाव)
- The 12th house: expense, distant lands, solitude and liberation.
- Yamaganda (यमगंड)
- A one-eighth part of the day like rahu kaal, printed mainly in South Indian panchangs.
- Yantra (यंत्र)
- A geometric diagram linked with a deity or graha, used in worship; guidance only, source-labelled.
- Yoga (chart combination) (योग (कुंडली))
- A specific planetary combination whose rule is written in the texts; no yoga decides a life by itself.
- Yoga (panchang) (योग (पंचांग))
- The 27 yogas from the sum of the Sun's and Moon's longitudes in 13°20′ steps, Vishkambha to Vaidhriti.
- Yogakaraka (योगकारक)
- A planet that rules both a kendra and a trikona for a lagna, e.g. Saturn for Vrishabha and Tula lagnas.
- Yogini dasha (योगिनी दशा)
- A 36-year cycle of eight yoginis (Mangala to Sankata) lasting 1 to 8 years each.
- Yoni (योनि)
- An animal symbol given to each nakshatra (14 animals); worth 4 points in matching.
- Yuti (conjunction) (युति)
- Two or more planets in the same sign (house).