How to read your Janam Kundli: a beginner’s guide

Your Janam Kundli (birth chart) is a map of the sky at the exact time and place you were born. In Vedic astrology it is drawn using the sidereal zodiac and whole-sign houses.

The Lagna (ascendant) is the sign rising on the eastern horizon at your birth. It sets the first house and anchors the whole chart, which is why an accurate birth time matters so much.

The Moon sign and its nakshatra describe your emotional nature and are the basis of the Vimshottari dasha timeline. The Sun sign speaks to identity, vitality and your relationship with authority.

Each of the nine grahas — Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu — sits in a sign and a house. Their placement, strength and mutual aspects are what an astrologer reads to make predictions.

Start with the big picture: which house holds your ascendant lord, where the Moon is, and which dasha is currently running. From there, a consultation can go deep into career, marriage, health and timing.