Reference

Glossary

Every term we use, in one sentence of plain English. The same definitions appear as tap-for-meaning underlines throughout the app.

Chart basics

AscendantLagna: The sign rising on the eastern horizon when you were born — it anchors all twelve houses of your chart.
CombustAsta: A planet so close to the Sun that it cannot act freely. It does not mean defeat — only that the work of that planet needs a little more support from you.Within orb of the Sun; severity graded mild/moderate/deep.
DashaDaśā: The chapters of your life — each dasha belongs to one planet, and that planet gives those years its colour. Which one is running tells you what this stretch of time is for.
Gulika: A shadow point of Saturn marking areas of life that need extra care.An upagraha (non-physical point) computed from Saturn's portion of the day.
Karma: Action and its momentum — what has already been done and set moving, and what today's doing is setting up for later. The chart shows the leaning; the karma is your own.
Karma ChakraKarma cakra: Your life timeline — the chapters your chart is already running, and what each one asks of you.Karmgyan's reading of the dasha tree and transits as a narrated wheel of karma: Today for the moment, Life Map for the long arc.
KundliKuṇḍalī: Your birth chart — a map of the sky at the exact moment and place you were born.
MandiMāndi: A second shadow point connected with Saturn, read together with Gulika.
Moon SignRāśi: The sign the Moon occupied at your birth — the basis of Vedic horoscopes, and often different from the sun sign newspapers use.
PanchangPañcāṅga: The Vedic almanac — five daily measures of the Moon and Sun that describe the quality of each day.The five limbs: tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, vara.
RasiRāśi: Your Moon sign — the sign the Moon occupied at your birth, which Vedic astrology reads first.
RetrogradeVakrī: A planet that appears to move backwards when seen from Earth. Such a planet turns its results inward, and gives them late — but it does give them.This is apparent motion only; it is marked R in the chart.
Sun Sign: The sign the Sun was in when you were born — what Western newspaper horoscopes run on. In India the horoscope is read from the Moon sign, which is why the two so often differ.Vedic (sidereal) sun signs shift ~24° from Western tropical ones, so the two systems often disagree.
Varga: A divisional chart — the birth chart re-divided to zoom into one life area, like career (D10) or marriage (D9).

Panchang

Abhijit MuhurtaAbhijit muhūrta: A short auspicious window around midday, in which anything can be begun. When no other muhurta is available, this one is always at hand.
Brahma MuhurtaBrahma muhūrta: The stretch before sunrise, held to be the best for practice and meditation. The mind is at its clearest then.
KaranaKaraṇa: Half of a tithi — a fine timing layer for activities.
NakshatraNakṣatra: The lunar mansion the Moon is in — one of 27 archetypes shaping the day.
Rahu KaalRāhu kāla: The hour and a half each day not considered favourable for a new beginning. If you are starting something auspicious, pick a time before or after it — the rest of the day is open.
TaraTārā: How today's star relates to your birth star — a quick favourable/unfavourable compass for the day.Tara Bala: the 9-fold count from janma nakshatra.
Tithi: A day made from the Moon's phase — one of thirty. The tithi sets the character of the day, which is why fasts and festivals follow it.
VaraVāra: The weekday — each day is ruled by a planet that colours everything begun on it.
Yoga: A daily quality formed by Sun + Moon — colours the mood of the day.

Timing windows

Gand MoolGaṇḍa-mūla: Birth in certain junction stars, traditionally softened with a small ritual — not a flaw, a note for care.The six nakshatras ruled by Mercury and Ketu at sign junctions.
Gulika KaalGulika kāla: The part of the day ruled by Gulika — tradition leaves it out for beginning auspicious work. There is no shortage of time in the rest of the day.
MuhuratMuhūrta: An auspicious time window — choosing when to begin something so the sky supports it.
PanchakPañcaka: A five-day stretch each month in which some work — building, and travel south especially — is done with thought. Don't let anything urgent wait; just the day after panchak ends is the better one.Moon transiting Dhanishta (2nd half) through Revati.
YamagandaYamagaṇḍa: A daily window considered inauspicious for beginnings — avoid starting new work in it.

Divisional charts (vargas)

D1Rāśi: Your main birth chart — the foundation of every other reading.Rasi chart, the principal divisional in Vedic astrology.
D10Daśāṁśa: Career, profession, and how you make your mark in the world.Dasamsa chart (10th harmonic).
D12Dwādaśāṁśa: Parents and ancestral roots.Dwadasamsa chart (12th harmonic).
D16Ṣoḍaśāṁśa: Vehicles, luxuries, and comforts.Shodasamsa chart (16th harmonic).
D2Horā: What your chart says about wealth and earning power.Hora chart (2nd harmonic).
D20Viṁśāṁśa: Spiritual practice and inner growth.Vimsamsa chart (20th harmonic).
D24Chaturviṁśāṁśa: Education, learning, and intellectual depth.Chaturvimsamsa chart (24th harmonic).
D27Bhāṁśa: Inner strength and weakness — what holds you up or holds you back.Bhamsa / Nakshatramsa chart (27th harmonic).
D3Drekkāṇa: Siblings, courage, and the people around you.Drekkana chart (3rd harmonic).
D30Triṁśāṁśa: Hidden challenges and life's harder lessons.Trimsamsa chart (30th harmonic).
D4Chaturthāṁśa: Home, comfort, property, and emotional foundation.Chaturthamsa chart (4th harmonic).
D40Khavedāṁśa: What you inherit from your mother's line.Khavedamsa chart (40th harmonic).
D45Akṣavedāṁśa: What you inherit from your father's line.Akshavedamsa chart (45th harmonic).
D60Ṣaṣṭiāṁśa: Past-life karma — the deepest layer of your chart.Shashtiamsa chart (60th harmonic).
D7Saptāṁśa: Children, and what you leave behind you.Saptamsa chart (7th harmonic).
D9Navāṁśa: Marriage, partner, and the soul's dharma — your inner blueprint.Navamsa chart (9th harmonic). The most important divisional after D1.

Dashas (time periods)

AntardashaAntar-daśā: The sub-period inside your main period — finer tuning on the year-to-year story.
Ashtam ShaniAṣṭama Śani: Saturn passing through the 8th from your Moon — a period of deep inward change. Drop the hurry and finish one thing before picking up the next; that is how it passes.Saturn in 8th house from natal Moon. The harder dhaiyya phase.
DhaiyyaDhaiyyā: A 2.5-year Saturn phase from the 4th or 8th house of your Moon — slower, more reflective work.
Kantaka ShaniKaṇṭaka Śani: Saturn passing through the 4th from your Moon — pressure can come on home and peace of mind. Attend to the basics at home; this period came to strengthen exactly those.Saturn in 4th house from natal Moon. One of the two dhaiyya phases.
MahadashaMahā-daśā: The main planetary period you're living through — sets the overall theme.
Sade SatiSāḍesātī: Saturn's seven-and-a-half-year passage through and around your Moon sign — not a thing to fear, but a time when effort is accounted for and you are made solid. Keep the routine simple and your duties done; that is the period's real earning.Saturn in 12th, 1st, or 2nd from natal Moon.
Saturn DhaiyyaDhaiyyā: A 2.5-year Saturn phase across the 4th or 8th from your Moon — quieter than Sade Sati but still a heads-down period.Saturn in 4th (Kantaka) or 8th (Ashtam) from natal Moon.
UpachayaUpacaya: The 'growing' houses (3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th) — where slow, steady effort pays off over time.Upachaya houses: 3, 6, 10, 11. Malefics here often produce results over time.
Vimshottari DashaViṁśottarī daśā: Your personal life timeline — which planet is steering your life right now.A 120-year sequence running from the Moon's nakshatra — the main system for reading timing.

Houses

DusthanaDuḥsthāna: The challenging houses (6th, 8th, 12th) — where you struggle and grow.
Kendra: The four 'angles' of your chart (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) — your visible life.
Lagna: Your rising sign — the lens through which life looks at you.
TrikonaTrikoṇa: The three trine houses (1st, 5th, 9th) — your dharma and good fortune.

Strength and structure

AshtakavargaAṣṭakavarga: A classical count that tells you in points how much support each house is getting from the planets.8-point benefic dot system per planet across 12 houses.
ShadbalaṢaḍbala: A classical calculation that tells you, across six different measures, how strong each planet in your chart is. It is not an exam, only one of the chart's measurements.Six-fold strength: positional, directional, temporal, motional, natural, aspectual.
Vargottama: When a planet is doubly strong — same sign in birth chart and D9.Planet in identical sign in D1 and D9. A powerful indicator.

Yogas (chart patterns)

Gajakesari Yoga: Mind and wisdom support each other — strong learning and judgement.Jupiter in kendra (1/4/7/10) from Moon.
Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga: A weakness in your chart that becomes a surprising strength.Cancellation of debilitation that produces a Raja Yoga.
Pancha Mahapurusha Yoga: One of the five great personality types — exceptional gifts in a specific area.Mars/Mercury/Jupiter/Venus/Saturn in own or exalted sign in a kendra.
Raja Yoga: A pattern that lifts your status, authority, and visibility.Kendra lord + trikona lord conjunction or exchange.
Vipreet Raja Yoga: Hardship that paradoxically lifts you up later in life.The mutual placement of the lords of the 6th, 8th and 12th houses.

Doshas (compatibility blockers)

Bhakoot DoshaBhakūṭa doṣa: Emotional and material alignment between partners.Moon sign relationship — 6-8 or 2-12 between partners is flagged.
Kaal Sarp DoshaKāla-sarpa doṣa: All seven planets hemmed between Rahu and Ketu — a pattern read as karmic pressure that concentrates life's lessons.Classified by the axis (Anant, Kulik, etc.); cancelled by several conditions.
Mangal DoshaMaṅgala doṣa: Whether Mars's sharp energy is evenly matched on both sides — that is all this looks at. A dosha is not a curse, only a place that needs a little more understanding.Mars in 1/2/4/7/8/12 from lagna or Moon — classical placement check.
Nadi DoshaNāḍī doṣa: Health and progeny harmony — energy compatibility between partners.Same nadi (Adi/Madhya/Antya) between partners' Moon nakshatras.
Rajju Dosha: A traditional check on the longevity of the relationship.Nakshatra-group check based on body parts (head/throat/heart/etc).
Vedha Dosha: Whether each partner's nakshatra obstructs the other's.

Matching

AshtakootaAṣṭakūṭa: The classical 8-fold marriage compatibility test, scored out of 36.Eight koota tests: Varna, Vashya, Tara, Yoni, Graha Maitri, Gana, Bhakoot, Nadi.
Ashtapadi MilanAṣṭapadī milana: The eight steps of marriage matching — beyond the basic Ashtakoota.
Guna MilanGuṇa milana: The points-based matching check between two charts. The score is not the whole story, but it is where the reading starts.
NavamsaNavāṁśa: Your marriage and dharma chart. The real construction of your relationships shows here, which is why it is the first chart read after the D1.D9 chart — the most important divisional after D1.

Karakas (planetary roles)

Atma KarakaĀtma kāraka: Your soul's lead actor — the planet driving your deepest purpose.Planet with highest degree in any sign.
KarakaKāraka: The planet that 'stands for' a topic in your chart (e.g. Venus = relationships).
Karakamsha: The sign your soul-significator occupies in the navamsa. It is the soul's own ascendant, and your dharma is read from there.Atma Karaka's navamsa position projected onto D1.

Purusharthas (life's four aims)

Artha: Your work, your earnings, and the ground everything else stands on.Houses 2, 6, 10 (earth trine).
Dharma: Your purpose and principles — the path you're meant to walk.Houses 1, 5, 9 (fire trine).
KamaKāma: Your desires, your relationships, and the savour of life as it is actually lived.Houses 3, 7, 11 (air trine).
MokshaMokṣa: Inner work, liberation, and the dissolving of the self.Houses 4, 8, 12 (water trine).
PurusharthaPuruṣārtha: The four aims of human life — dharma, artha, kama, moksha. Together they describe a complete life.

Past-life karma

Central Planet Of Previous Life: The planet your soul brought karmic themes from in the previous birth.Computed by walking +6 in the Vimshottari sequence from the Moon nakshatra's ruling planet.
CPPL: Central Planet of Previous Life — the karmic theme your soul carried into this body.

Reference systems

Ayanamsa: The difference by which the zodiac is set against the actual stars. This is why the Vedic and Western signs come out different.Difference between tropical and sidereal zodiac.
Jaimini: An older school of Jyotish that reads the chart through Chara Karakas.Sage Jaimini's sutra-based system. Karakamsha + Chara Dasha.
KP System: A precise yes/no timing method — answers to the minute, not the hour.Krishnamurti Paddhati — 249 sub-divisions of the zodiac.
Lahiri AyanamsaLāhirī ayanāṁśa: The measure most widely accepted in India for aligning the signs with the real sky. Every calculation on Karmgyan uses it.Default ayanamsa for most North Indian and South Indian Jyotish.
Nadi: Granular archetypal readings based on tiny chart fractions.150 nadi amsas — 12'/arc each.
SiderealNirayana: The zodiac measured against the actual stars — the system Vedic astrology uses.Differs from the Western tropical zodiac by the ayanamsa (~24° today).
Swiss Ephemeris: The astronomical engine that computes planet positions — the same data professional astronomers use.Compressed JPL ephemeris by Astrodienst; accuracy far beyond a printed panchang.