Vedic Astrology and Vastu Glossary: Terms in Simple English

A planetary time period in your birth chart. The dasha you are in now is the main thing that speaks to timing, such as when a change in work or marriage looks more likely and when it looks less likely.

The Sanskrit word for a planet in Jyotish. There are nine grahas, and two of them, Rahu and Ketu, are lunar nodes: calculated points on the Moon's path that are not physical bodies at all.

The Sanskrit name for Vedic astrology, spelt Jyotish or Jyothisham depending on who is writing. It reads a life from the positions of the nine grahas at birth. A jyotishi is the person who reads the chart.

Your birth chart, drawn from the date, time and place you were born. Every reading starts here, whether the question is about marriage, work or a Muhurtham. Kundli, Kundali and Janam Kundli all mean the same chart.

The ascendant: the zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment you were born. It marks the first house and sets where every other house falls, which is why an uncertain birth time can change a chart.

A major planetary period in the Vimshottari dasha system, lasting between 6 and 20 years depending on the planet. Each one is split into shorter sub-periods called antardashas.

One of 27 lunar constellations. Your birth Nakshatra is the star the Moon was in when you were born, and it is used with your Rashi in matching and in reading a chart.

The nine bodies used in Vedic astrology: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Where they stood at your birth is the basis of a chart reading.

The zodiac sign the Moon was in when you were born. It is not the Sun sign used in Western astrology, and Kundli matching runs on the Moon sign.

In Jyotish, a named combination of planets in a chart, said to point to particular results. It has nothing to do with the exercise.

The 36-point system for comparing two charts before a marriage. It looks at eight factors, from temperament to health to family, and adds up the points. Nadi alone carries 8 of the 36 and Bhakoot 7, so the total hides more than it shows.

One of the eight Ashtakoot factors, worth 7 of the 36 points. It compares the Moon signs of the two people, and a pairing thought to be poor is called Bhakoot dosha. It has cancellation conditions like most doshas, so a low Bhakoot score is a reason to ask a question and no more.

In Kundli matching, the points given for each of the eight factors, adding up to a total out of 36. A total of 18 is the usual cut-off. The number is the first thing to read. It is never the last.

A chart placement where all seven visible planets sit between Rahu and Ketu. It sounds alarming. How much it matters depends on the exact placement and the dasha running now, and some versions are mild enough that no remedy is needed.

A placement of Mars said to affect marriage. The texts list several conditions that cancel or soften it, so someone flagged as Manglik is not automatically a difficult match.

One of the eight Ashtakoot factors, and the heaviest at 8 of the 36 points. When two people fall in the same Nadi, that is Nadi dosha. Because the weight is so high a Nadi flag gets attention, and it too has cancellation conditions that need checking before anyone decides. This is the matching factor, a different thing from Nadi leaf astrology.

The seven-and-a-half-year stretch when Saturn passes through the sign before your Moon sign, the sign itself and the one after. The texts call it a testing time. What it means for you depends on the whole chart, and the label says very little by itself.

The ritual before construction starts, to seek blessings on the land. The date is normally picked through Muhurtham.

The ceremony when a family first enters a new home. The date and time come from Muhurtham. If you are still unsure about the layout, get the Vastu looked at first, because it is far easier to fix a floor plan before you move in.

A date and time chosen for something important, such as a wedding, a Griha Pravesh or a business opening. It comes from the Panchang and the charts of the people involved.

A Hindu calendar that tracks the Moon and the Sun. It has five parts: tithi, weekday, nakshatra, yoga and karana, and Muhurtham dates come from it. Many Telugu families open the new year by listening to the Ugadi Panchangam.

A stretch of about an hour and a half each day, ruled by Rahu, that people avoid for starting something new. It moves with the weekday and with sunrise and sunset, so the time is different every day.

The central zone of a plot or building in Vastu Shastra. The texts want it kept open, light and uncluttered, with no heavy structure, toilet or storage on it.

Short for Vastu Shastra, the old Indian system for placing rooms, doors and furniture in a building. Vastu, Vaastu and Vasthu are one word spelt three ways. In a flat you cannot change the facing, but you can change what goes where inside.

A directional imbalance in a home or office layout, such as a kitchen in the wrong corner or a blocked entrance. Most can be fixed by moving things around, and no builder is needed.

In Vastu Shastra, the figure drawn within a grid, the Vastu Purusha Mandala, laid over a plot with the head to the north-east. The grid helps work out which zones suit which uses.

Two numbers from numerology, both worked out from your date of birth. The birth number comes from the day of the month, the destiny number from the full date. They sit next to a chart reading and do not replace it.