Before you start
A Vedic chart, or Kundli, looks like a grid of twelve boxes with planet names inside. Reading it is a matter of asking the same questions in the same order. This guide gives that order. You need a chart made from your exact date, time and place of birth, using the sidereal zodiac and the Lahiri ayanamsha. See Lahiri ayanamsha if you are not sure what that means.
Do not expect a full life story from one reading. A chart is a symbolic framework that people use for reflection. Treat each point as a theme to think about and not as a prediction.
Step 1: Know the chart style
Vedic charts are drawn in three layouts. In the North Indian style, the houses are fixed in place, and the top central diamond is always the first house. In the South Indian style, the signs are fixed, and the first house is marked by the word Lagna or Asc. In the East Indian style, the houses are fixed in a square. Check which one you have before you read anything, because the same data looks different in each.
Step 2: Find the Lagna
The Lagna is the rising sign and the first house. In the North Indian chart it is the top center box, and the number written there is the sign, counted from Aries as one. In the South Indian chart, look for the box marked Lagna. All houses are counted from this one, as the Whole Sign system gives each house one full sign. See What is Lagna?.
Step 3: Find the Lagna lord
Each sign has a ruling planet. The ruler of your Lagna sign is the Lagna lord. Note the house and sign where it sits. This single planet is read as the key to the chart. If it is in a strong place, such as its own sign, an angle or a trine, it is said to support the whole chart.
Step 4: Find the Moon sign and Nakshatra
Look for the Moon in the chart and note its sign and its Nakshatra. These describe emotional style and mind. The Nakshatra is found from the degree of the Moon, and it also sets the Dasha. See the 27 Nakshatras and the page on the Moon sign.
Step 5: Place each planet in a house
List the nine planets and the house each one occupies, counted from the Lagna. The meaning of each house is as follows.
| House | Main themes |
|---|---|
| 1 | Self, body, personality |
| 2 | Wealth, family, speech |
| 3 | Courage, siblings, effort |
| 4 | Home, mother, peace of mind |
| 5 | Children, creativity, learning |
| 6 | Work, health, rivals, service |
| 7 | Marriage, partners |
| 8 | Change, shared resources, research |
| 9 | Fortune, teachers, belief |
| 10 | Career, public role |
| 11 | Gains, friends, hopes |
| 12 | Loss, rest, foreign lands, spirit |
See the 12 houses for a Western account of the same areas, and the nine Grahas for what each planet represents.
Step 6: Note the strength of each planet
A planet is said to be strong in its own sign, in its exalted sign, or in a friendly sign. It is weak in its debilitated sign, in an enemy sign, or when it is very close to the Sun, called combust. A strong planet gives its results with ease. A weak planet needs more effort. Mark any planet in an extreme position and note it, but do not label a planet as bad. Look for balancing factors.
Step 7: Check the groups of houses
Houses are grouped by theme in Vedic astrology. The first, fourth, seventh and tenth are the Kendras, or angles, and are strong. The first, fifth and ninth are the Trikonas, or trines, and are the most favorable. The sixth, eighth and twelfth are the Dusthanas, houses of difficulty, which are linked to health, change and loss. The third, sixth, tenth and eleventh are the Upachayas, or houses of growth, where results improve with time. A planet lord of a trine placed in an angle is a classic pattern of strength.
Step 8: Read the aspects
In Vedic astrology, every planet aspects the sign opposite it, the seventh from itself. Mars also aspects the fourth and eighth signs, Jupiter the fifth and ninth, and Saturn the third and tenth. Note which planets look at which houses. An aspect of Jupiter on a house is traditionally seen as protective. An aspect of Saturn can bring delay and care. See the major aspects for the Western method, which is based on degrees.
Step 9: Look for yogas
A Yoga is a special planetary combination described in the classical texts. Examples include a Gajakesari Yoga, where Jupiter is in an angle from the Moon, and a Raja Yoga, where the lords of an angle and a trine are linked. Yogas are used to describe talents and themes, but many are weak or cancelled, so a single yoga should not decide a reading. Do not be swayed by long lists of yogas in an automated report.
Step 10: Check the current Dasha
The last step is time. Find the Mahadasha and Antardasha that are running now. Look at the house and sign of the Dasha planet, the houses it rules and its strength. These show the active themes of the period. See Vimshottari Dasha for the method. Pair this with the movement of planets in the sky now, called transits.
Step 11: Check the Navamsa
The Navamsa, or D9 chart, is a divisional chart made by splitting each sign into nine parts. It is read for marriage and for the true strength of planets. A planet that is strong in both the main chart and the Navamsa is said to be reliable. For a first reading, you can leave this step until later.
Putting it together
Write a short summary in plain words. Name the Lagna and its lord, the Moon sign and Nakshatra, the houses with several planets, the strongest and weakest planets, and the running Dasha. Then ask what these suggest as themes, for example a focus on work in the tenth house, or a need to learn patience in a Saturn period. Compare this with your own experience. A useful reading is one that makes you reflect and not one that tells you what will happen.
Common beginner mistakes
Reading planets alone without houses. Using the wrong ayanamsha or a tropical chart. Taking an approximate birth time as exact. Reading a dosha or a weak planet as a prediction of harm. Mixing Western and Vedic rules in the same reading. When in doubt, keep to one system. See sidereal vs tropical for the difference.