Sanskrit terms used on this site
Many Jyotish terms are Sanskrit, and this guide explains how they are written on the site. The site uses standard transliteration for English pages and Devanagari for Hindi pages.
What it is
The English pages use simplified spellings, such as Lagna, Rashi, Graha and Nakshatra, with diacritics omitted for readability. The Hindi pages use the standard Devanagari spellings.
How it is worked out or read
Pronunciation varies by region, so the guide gives the common form and not a single correct one. Where the spelling differs between sources, the site follows the most widely used form.
Where it appears on this site
Each term is in the glossary. The short glossary article lists the most common.
Why spellings vary
Jyotish terms come from Sanskrit, which is written in Devanagari, and there is more than one way to write them in the Roman alphabet. The academic system, IAST, uses marks such as ā, ś and ṣ to show long vowels and different sibilants, so that Śukra and śani are written exactly. Popular writing drops these marks and spells by sound, giving Shukra, Sukra or even Shukr. Regional pronunciation adds further variety: Hindi often drops the final short a, so Mangala becomes Mangal and Rahu stays Rahu.
This site uses simple spellings without diacritics, such as Shukra, Shani and Vrishchika, and gives the Devanagari on Hindi pages.
Common patterns
A few patterns make many terms easier to recognise. The ending -esha or -adhipati means lord, so lagnesha is the lord of the Lagna and bhavadhipati is the lord of a house. The prefix su- means good and ku- means bad, as in suyoga. The words for numbers recur in house names and counts: dwi for two, tri for three, chatur for four, pancha for five, shad for six, sapta for seven, ashta for eight, nava for nine and dasha for ten. So ashtakoota is eight kutas and navamsha is the ninth division.
Key terms grouped
For the chart: kundli or janma patrika for the chart, lagna for the ascendant, bhava for house, rashi for sign, graha for planet, drishti for aspect, yuti for conjunction. For dignity: uchcha for exaltation, neecha for debilitation, swakshetra for own sign, moolatrikona for a special strength zone, mitra and shatru for friend and enemy. For time: dasha and antardasha for periods, gochar for transit, vakri for retrograde, asta for combust. For the calendar: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana, the five limbs of the panchang.
Words with more than one meaning
Some words mean different things in different contexts, which confuses beginners. Yoga in the panchang is one of twenty-seven divisions based on the sum of the Sun's and Moon's longitudes; yoga in a chart is a combination of planets; and yoga in general use is the practice of discipline. Muhurta is both a unit of 48 minutes and an auspicious time chosen for an event. Hora is both an hour ruled by a planet and the name of the branch of Jyotish dealing with charts. When a term seems not to fit, check which meaning the context requires.
Using the terms with care
Learning the Sanskrit terms helps a reader follow texts and conversations with practitioners, and it avoids the distortions that come from translating everything into English words with different associations. Exaltation is a close fit for uchcha, but debilitation for neecha carries a heavier tone than the original. When in doubt, use the Sanskrit term and explain it, rather than forcing an English equivalent.