Vedic astrology

Kundli

Also known as: kundalijanam kundlijanam kundalijanma kundalibirth chart in Vedic astrologyVedic birth charthoroscope chartjathakam

A kundli (janam kundali) is the Vedic birth chart: a map of the sky for the exact moment and place of birth, calculated in the sidereal zodiac, showing the Lagna, the twelve houses and the positions of the nine grahas.

The word kundli comes from the Sanskrit kundali, a circle or coil. Janam kundali means the chart of birth. In India it is one of the most common astrological documents: families often prepare it when a child is born, and it is consulted again when people think about a career, a move or a marriage. In Western terms it is a natal chart, but it is calculated and read according to the rules of Jyotish, the Vedic tradition.

Three pieces of data are needed: the date, the exact time and the place of birth. From them the astronomer works out the Lagna, the sign rising on the eastern horizon at that minute. The Lagna becomes the first house, and the remaining eleven houses follow sign by sign. This is the whole-sign house system, the classical method of Jyotish, and it is also the method AstroSensus uses in its Vedic view. Because the Lagna changes sign roughly every two hours, an error of a few minutes in the birth time can shift the whole chart.

A kundli is calculated in the sidereal zodiac, which is tied to the fixed stars, not to the equinox. The difference between the two zodiacs is called the ayanamsa and is now about 24 degrees. AstroSensus uses the Lahiri ayanamsa, the standard adopted in India. That is why many people find that their Vedic Sun or Moon sign is one sign earlier than in a Western chart.

The chart contains the nine grahas: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the two lunar nodes, Rahu and Ketu. Each falls in a sign (rashi) and a house (bhava). Next to them the kundli lists the Moon sign, which plays a central role in Jyotish, and the nakshatra of the Moon, one of the 27 lunar mansions. The Moon's nakshatra also sets the starting point of the Vimshottari dasha, the sequence of planetary periods across a lifetime.

The kundli is drawn in several styles. The North Indian chart is a diamond in which the houses stay fixed and the signs move. The South Indian chart is a square grid in which the signs stay fixed and the Lagna is marked. The East Indian style is used mainly in Bengal and Odisha. The information is the same; only the layout differs. Alongside the main chart, called the rashi chart or D1, astrologers look at divisional charts, the best known being the navamsa (D9).

Reading a kundli usually starts with the Lagna and its lord, then the Moon, then the strongest and weakest grahas, the yogas and the current dasha. A kundli describes tendencies, strengths and themes that tradition associates with particular placements. It is a language for reflection, not a fixed script of a life.