Articles
All joshiastro articles, grouped by subject. Each article says what a term or method is and how it is worked out; traditional attributions are labelled as such.
Foundations
- What is Jyotish? The Vedic astrology of the sky
- Sidereal vs tropical zodiac explained
- What is the ayanamsa?
- The Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa
- The Raman ayanamsa
- The KP (Krishnamurti) ayanamsa
- Precession of the equinoxes and why the zodiacs drift
- What is a rashi (zodiac sign)?
- What is a graha (planet) in Jyotish?
- What is a nakshatra (lunar mansion)?
- What is a bhava (house)?
- Whole-sign houses explained
- Equal house system
- What is the Lagna (ascendant)?
- How the Lagna is calculated
- Why birth time matters so much
- What is an ephemeris?
- Tithi explained: the lunar day
- Shukla and Krishna paksha
- Karana explained: the half tithi
- Yoga in the panchang (not the same as yoga practice)
- Vara: the weekdays and their rulers
- The five limbs of the panchang (panchang anga)
- How to read a daily panchang
- Why the panchang uses sunrise
- What is a kundli?
- Panchang and the civil calendar: what differs
- Sidereal day and solar day
- What is a dasha period?
- What is a house cusp?
- What is a muhurta as a unit of time?
Rashis
- Mesha rashi (Aries): ruler, element and keywords
- Vrishabha rashi (Taurus): ruler, element and keywords
- Mithuna rashi (Gemini): ruler, element and keywords
- Karka rashi (Cancer): ruler, element and keywords
- Simha rashi (Leo): ruler, element and keywords
- Kanya rashi (Virgo): ruler, element and keywords
- Tula rashi (Libra): ruler, element and keywords
- Vrishchika rashi (Scorpio): ruler, element and keywords
- Dhanu rashi (Sagittarius): ruler, element and keywords
- Makara rashi (Capricorn): ruler, element and keywords
- Kumbha rashi (Aquarius): ruler, element and keywords
- Meena rashi (Pisces): ruler, element and keywords
- Movable, fixed and dual signs (chara, sthira, dwiswabhava)
- The four elements of the rashis (tattva)
- Rashi lords: which graha rules which sign
- Exaltation (uchcha) and debilitation (neecha) explained
- Moolatrikona: the special sign of a graha
- Own sign, friends and enemies of grahas
- The symbols of the twelve rashis
- Rashi and Moon sign: the difference
- How the rashis are numbered
- Signs, seasons and the solar year
Grahas
- Surya (Sun) in Jyotish: soul, authority and father
- Chandra (Moon) in Jyotish: mind and emotions
- Mangal (Mars) in Jyotish: energy and courage
- Budh (Mercury) in Jyotish: intellect and speech
- Guru (Jupiter) in Jyotish: wisdom and dharma
- Shukra (Venus) in Jyotish: love and the arts
- Shani (Saturn) in Jyotish: discipline and endurance
- Rahu: the north node in Jyotish
- Ketu: the south node in Jyotish
- Mean node and true node: Rahu and Ketu calculation
- Vakri (retrograde) grahas: what it means
- Combustion (asta) of planets near the Sun
- Naisargika karakas: the natural significators
- Graha drishti: planetary aspects
- Planetary friendship table (naisargika maitri)
- Benefic and malefic grahas: what the terms mean
- The seven visible grahas and the two nodes
- Vimshottari years of each graha
- Graha karakatva: how a graha's themes change by house
- The Sun and Moon as a pair
- Mars and Venus: contrasting temperaments
- Guru and Shani: the two great teachers
- Fast and slow grahas
Nakshatras
- Ashwini nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Bharani nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Krittika nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Rohini nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Mrigashira nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Ardra nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Punarvasu nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Pushya nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Ashlesha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Magha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Purva Phalguni nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Uttara Phalguni nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Hasta nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Chitra nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Swati nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Vishakha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Anuradha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Jyeshtha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Mula nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Purva Ashadha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Uttara Ashadha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Shravana nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Dhanishta nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Shatabhisha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Uttara Bhadrapada nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Revati nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
- Nakshatra padas (quarters) explained
- Why the nakshatra deities matter
- Gana classes of nakshatras
Dashas and calendar
- Vimshottari dasha explained
- Dasha balance at birth
- Mahadasha and antardasha
- Pratyantardasha: the third level of dasha
- Dasha systems compared: Vimshottari, Yogini, Chara
- Yogini dasha: an 36-year cycle
- How to read a dasha timeline
- Dasha and transit (gochar): how they work together
- Gochar: what a transit is in Jyotish
- Sade Sati: Saturn's transit over the Moon sign
- What is muhurat?
- Choghadiya: the eight-part day
- Rahu Kaal: what it is and how it is calculated
- Abhijit muhurat: the midday window
- Amrit kaal and other day windows
- Ekadashi: the eleventh tithi and its observance
- Purnima and Amavasya: full and new Moon in the panchang
- Sankranti: the Sun's entry into a sign
- Makar Sankranti and why its date changes
- Amanta and purnimanta lunar months
- Adhik maas: the extra lunar month
- Vikram Samvat and Saka era: the Indian calendar eras
- How festival dates are fixed by the panchang
- Nakshatra timing for daily activities
- Moon sign (chandra rashi) in daily life
- How a dasha end date is calculated
- Why dasha periods do not overlap
- Caution when reading a dasha timeline
- The role of the dasha lord
- How the first mahadasha start date is set
- Printing a dasha calendar
Birth chart
- How to read a birth chart: a step-by-step guide
- North and South Indian chart styles
- The Lagna chart and the first house
- Chandra lagna: the chart from the Moon
- The twelve houses at a glance
- First house (tanu bhava): self and body
- Second house (dhana bhava): wealth and speech
- Third house (sahaja bhava): effort and siblings
- Fourth house (sukha bhava): home and mother
- Fifth house (putra bhava): intellect and children
- Sixth house (ripu bhava): service and challenges
- Seventh house (yuvati bhava): partnerships
- Eighth house (randhra bhava): transformation
- Ninth house (dharma bhava): fortune and teachers
- Tenth house (karma bhava): career
- Eleventh house (labha bhava): gains
- Twelfth house (vyaya bhava): losses and moksha
- Kendra and trikona houses
- Upachaya houses: the growing houses
- Dusthana houses: the difficult houses
- Reading a graha in a house
- Sign and house: two different things
- Reading planets by sign
- Conjunction (yuti): two grahas in one sign
- Planetary aspects in the chart
- Retrograde grahas in a chart
- Divisional charts (varga): an overview
- Navamsha (D9) chart explained
- Dashamsha (D10) chart explained
- Checklist for checking any birth chart
- Ashtakavarga: an overview of the bindu system
- House lords explained
- The role of a kendra lord
- A planet in its own sign
- The order to read a birth chart
- What the degree of a planet tells you
Yogas
- What is a yoga in a birth chart?
- Gaja Kesari yoga
- Budhaditya yoga
- Chandra-Mangal yoga
- Raja yoga: the general term
- Dhana yoga: the wealth combinations
- Pancha Mahapurusha yogas
- Ruchaka yoga (Mars)
- Bhadra yoga (Mercury)
- Hamsa yoga (Jupiter)
- Malavya yoga (Venus)
- Shasha yoga (Saturn)
- Viparita Raja yoga
- Neecha Bhanga Raja yoga
- Kemadruma yoga
- Sunapha, Anapha and Doorudhara yogas
- Vesi, Vasi and Ubhayachari yogas
- Amala yoga
- Parvata yoga
- Kahala yoga
- Adhi yoga
- Sannyasa yoga
- When a yoga is weak or cancelled
- Caution on yoga lists in online tools
- Yoga versus a simple planetary combination
- Saraswati yoga
- Lakshmi yoga
- Kaal Sarpa yoga in the classical sense
- Shubha kartari: benefics on both sides
- Common mistakes when reading yogas
Compatibility
- Ashtakoota (guna milan): the eight kutas
- Varna kuta in guna milan
- Vashya kuta in guna milan
- Tara kuta in guna milan
- Yoni kuta in guna milan
- Graha maitri kuta in guna milan
- Gana kuta in guna milan
- Bhakoot kuta in guna milan
- Nadi kuta in guna milan
- Nadi dosha: what the tradition says
- Manglik (Kuja) dosha explained
- Rules that cancel manglik dosha
- Limits of kundli milan
- Birth details needed for matching
- Matching, consent and the decision to marry
- The seventh house and marriage in the chart
- Venus and Jupiter as marriage indicators
- Using charts for business partnerships
- Common myths about compatibility
- Remedies: what is traditional and what is not evidence
- Gana and temperament: what the texts say
- Caution about marriage timing claims
- Principles of mutual compatibility
Guides
- How to find an accurate birth time
- Using a birth certificate or hospital record
- Birth time rectification: what it is
- Timezone, UTC offset and daylight saving
- Indian Standard Time and historical offsets
- Finding your latitude and longitude
- Choosing an ayanamsa: what to consider
- How to use the joshiastro tools
- Printing and saving a page as PDF
- A 30-day reading plan for beginners
- A short glossary of Jyotish terms
- Sanskrit terms used on this site
- The main classical texts of Jyotish
- Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra: an overview
- Surya Siddhanta: an overview
- Jyotish and modern science: what the evidence shows
- Using astrology without giving up judgement
- Questions to ask a Jyotish practitioner
- Caution about paid readings and scams
- How to judge a source on Jyotish
- Keeping a chart journal
- Organising charts for a family
- Naming a child by nakshatra (naamkaran)
- Samskaras and the role of the panchang
- Muhurat for a housewarming (griha pravesh)
- Muhurat for starting a business
- Travel and the panchang
- Health and astrology: why you should see a doctor
- FAQ: How accurate is Jyotish?
- FAQ: Why do two astrologers read the same chart differently?
- Planning a month with the panchang
- Using the panchang to choose travel days
- Reading your first birth chart
- Sankalpa and intentions: a caution
- Digital and printed panchangs
- How to print a chart
- Comparing two charts fairly
History
- A short history of Jyotish
- Vedanga Jyotisha: the early text
- Aryabhata and Indian astronomy
- Varahamihira and the Brihat Samhita
- The Jaimini Sutras: an overview
- Phaladeepika: an overview
- Jataka texts of Jyotish
- The history of sidereal and tropical systems
- Calendar reform in India
- Who makes a panchang?
- Bhaskaracharya and the Siddhanta Shiromani
- Brahmagupta and the Brahmasphutasiddhanta
- Madhava and the Kerala school of astronomy
Calculation
- How an ephemeris works
- How the Moon's position is calculated
- How the Sun's position is calculated
- How sunrise is calculated for a city
- How the time a tithi ends is found
- How nakshatra boundaries are fixed
- Sidereal time and the Lagna formula
- The obliquity of the ecliptic
- The Julian day number
- IST, UTC and local mean time
- How to compare panchang software
- How joshiastro checks results against published panchangs
- Why we publish our method
- Rounding, precision and what a degree means
- Leap years and the 365.25-day year in dasha
- Mean and true positions in Jyotish
- The sidereal year
- The tropical year
- The lunar month: synodic and sidereal
- Eclipse basics
- Ayana and the solstices
- A worked example of time-zone conversion
- Typical planetary speeds
- Why the Moon's speed varies