KP + Vedic Astrology Glossary
A single-page dictionary of the terms Vedic and KP astrology throw at you. Definitions are kept short — long enough to orient, short enough to skim. Cross-references (in italics) point to related entries in the same list.
A
Adhipati — the lord of a sign or house. Same as sign lord or house lord.
Antardasha (Bhukti) — the second-level sub-period inside a Mahadasha. See also Vimshottari.
Aspect (Drishti) — a "look" that one planet casts on another. Vedic astrology has 7 planetary aspects; each planet aspects the 7th house from itself, plus specific extras (Mars adds 4 & 8, Jupiter adds 5 & 9, Saturn adds 3 & 10).
Ascendant (Lagna) — the exact degree of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon at birth. The starting point of the 1st house.
Ayanamsa — the correction between the tropical (Western) zodiac and the sidereal (Vedic) zodiac. The Lahiri ayanamsa is the Indian government standard; KP uses a slightly different one (KP-Newcomb).
B
Bhava — a house. Each of the twelve houses is a bhava.
Bhukti — see Antardasha.
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra — the foundational classical text of Vedic astrology, attributed to the sage Parashara.
C
Charakaraka — a "movable karaka" in the Jaimini system. Uses the seven non-node planets ranked by degree in the chart to signify seven life roles (self, brother, mother, etc.).
Chart (birth chart / janma kundali) — the map of the sky at your moment and place of birth.
Cusp — the starting boundary of a house. In KP, cusps are computed to arc-seconds because their sub-lord decides house outcomes.
Cusp Sub-Lord — the sub-lord of a house cusp. The single most consulted point in a KP reading.
D
Dasha — a period ruled by a specific planet. Vedic astrology has many dasha systems; Vimshottari is the most common.
Deva / Manushya / Rakshasa — the three temperamental classifications of nakshatras (godly, human, demonic). Used in compatibility.
Dosha — a "flaw" in a chart. Common examples: Mangal Dosha, Kaal Sarpa Dosha, Sade Sati.
Drekkana — the third division of a sign (10° arc). One of the 16 vargas.
Dusthana — the "difficult" houses: 6, 8, and 12.
E
Exaltation (Uccha) — the sign in which a planet reaches its maximum strength. Example: Sun in Aries, Moon in Taurus, Jupiter in Cancer.
G
Gochara — the transit of a planet through the current sky, as opposed to its natal position.
Graha — a planet or planetary body. Literally "one that seizes." Vedic astrology recognises 9 grahas (see Navagraha).
Guna — quality (sattva, rajas, tamas). Used to classify signs, nakshatras, and planets.
Guna Milan (Ashtakoot) — the 36-point compatibility score used in classical Vedic matchmaking, based on the two partners' Moon nakshatras.
H
Hora — literally "hour"; also a 15° division of a sign used in varga analysis and in the ancient hora-lord scheme for lucky hours.
Horary (Prashna) — the art of answering a specific question from the chart of the moment the question was asked, rather than the person's natal chart.
House — see Bhava.
J
Janma Nakshatra — the nakshatra your Moon was in at birth. The starting anchor of your Vimshottari dasha cycle.
Jyotisha — Sanskrit for astrology, literally "the science of light."
K
Karaka — natural significator. A planet that stands for a life-theme regardless of what house it's in — e.g., Venus is the karaka of marriage; Saturn is the karaka of longevity.
Kendra — the four angular houses: 1, 4, 7, 10. Strategically important.
KP (Krishnamurti Paddhati) — the mid-20th-century refinement of Vedic astrology developed by K.S. Krishnamurti, centered on the sub-lord concept.
Kundali — a chart.
L
Lagna — see Ascendant.
Lord — the ruling planet of a sign or house. Every sign has one lord; every house has whichever planet rules the sign on its cusp.
M
Mahadasha (MD) — the first-level period in the Vimshottari dasha cycle. Nine of them, one for each graha, totalling 120 years.
Malefic / Benefic — a shorthand for whether a planet tends to help or hinder. Natural malefics: Saturn, Mars, Sun, Rahu, Ketu. Natural benefics: Jupiter, Venus, Moon (when strong), Mercury (when with a benefic).
Mangal Dosha — the Mars-in-marital-houses flaw. See the dedicated article on Mangal Dosha demystified.
Muhurta — the art of electing an auspicious time for a specific act (marriage, launch, journey).
N
Nakshatra — a lunar mansion. There are 27, each 13°20' wide.
Navagraha — the "nine planets": Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu.
Navamsa — the 9th harmonic division of a sign (3°20' arc). Considered the second most important chart after the birth chart itself.
P
Pada — a quarter of a nakshatra (3°20' arc). Each pada belongs to a specific sign.
Panchanga — the traditional five-part Vedic almanac: day, nakshatra, tithi, yoga, karana.
Parashari — the mainstream classical school of Vedic astrology, tracing its lineage to Parashara's Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra.
Prashna — see Horary.
R
Rahu / Ketu — the North and South lunar nodes. Shadow planets, but treated as full grahas for prediction.
Rashi — a sign (of the zodiac). There are twelve.
Ruling Planets (RP) — a KP technique: the six lords derived from the moment a question is asked (day-lord, sign/star/sub of ascendant, and the Moon's star and sub). Compared against the significators of the house being asked about.
S
Sade Sati — the seven-and-a-half-year period during which Saturn transits the sign before, of, and after one's natal Moon. Popularly feared; classical texts are more nuanced.
Shad Bala — a six-fold measure of a planet's strength (positional, directional, temporal, motional, aspectual, and natural). Used to grade the actual power of any given planet in a chart.
Significator — a planet that "speaks for" a house. In KP, a planet becomes a significator of a house through occupation, lordship, star-lord occupation, or star-lord lordship.
Sub-Lord — the KP layer of subdivision — each nakshatra is split into 9 unequal segments named for the Vimshottari lords.
T
Tithi — a lunar day. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month; each tithi has a ruling deity and quality.
Transit (Gochara) — the current planetary sky, compared against your natal chart.
Trikona — the three trine houses: 1, 5, 9. Considered the most auspicious houses.
V
Varga — a harmonic division of a chart. The 16 standard vargas are used to zoom into specific life areas — Navamsa for marriage, Dashamsa for career, Saptamsa for children, etc.
Vedic Astrology — the umbrella name for the astrological system that developed in India, based on the sidereal zodiac and Sanskrit texts. Also called Jyotisha.
Vimshottari Dasha — the 120-year cycle that assigns periods of the nine planetary lords to a life. The workhorse timing engine of Vedic astrology.
Y
Yoga — a combination of planetary positions that produces a specific effect. Vedic astrology recognises hundreds of named yogas (Raja Yoga, Dhana Yoga, Gaja Kesari Yoga, etc.).
Yoga Karaka — a planet that acts as the most auspicious planet for a specific ascendant, because it rules both a kendra and a trikona from that ascendant.
Z
Zodiac — the 360° belt of sky the Sun appears to move through. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac (anchored to the stars); Western astrology uses the tropical (anchored to the equinox). The two disagree by roughly 24° in the current era — a difference the ayanamsa corrects for.