Shabda Kosha

The Vedic birth chart showing planetary positions at the moment of birth.

One of the 12 zodiac signs used in Vedic astrology.

The ascendant — the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth.

A house in the birth chart; each of the 12 divisions governs a specific domain of life.

One of the 27 lunar mansions dividing the zodiac into 13°20' segments; the Moon's daily position.

The nine planets of Vedic astrology: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu.

A planetary period in the Vimshottari dasha system governing a particular life phase.

A specific planetary combination in the birth chart that produces a defined result in the native's life.

An auspicious moment chosen by astrological calculation for beginning important activities.

Saturn's 7.5-year transit crossing the signs adjacent to and including the natal Moon sign.

A sub-period within a major Mahadasha planetary period, lasting weeks to months.

A chart affliction or defect caused by a malefic planet in a sensitive position.

A person whose birth chart has Mars in one of the houses 1, 4, 7, 8, or 12 (Mangal Dosha).

The Vedic almanac with five daily elements: Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karana.

A lunar day — one of 30 divisions of the lunar month, each representing 12° of Sun-Moon angular difference.

Half a Tithi (6° of Sun-Moon separation), one of the five Panchang elements used in muhurta selection.

The planet with the highest degree in the birth chart — the significator of the soul's evolutionary purpose.

The four angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) — the strongest and most prominent positions in the birth chart.

The three trine houses (1st, 5th, 9th) — the most auspicious positions, associated with dharma and fortune.

The three difficult houses (6th, 8th, 12th) associated with enemies, obstacles, loss, and hidden forces.

A planet in the same sign in both the natal (Rashi) chart and the Navamsha (D9) — significantly strengthening its indications.

Debilitation — the zodiac sign where a planet is at its weakest, opposite to its exaltation sign.

Exaltation — the zodiac sign where a planet is at its most powerful and beneficent.

A special sign position for a planet — stronger than its own sign, weaker than exaltation — in a specific degree range.

Retrograde motion — a planet appearing to move backward through the zodiac, intensifying and internalizing its energy.

The obstructor house and its lord — a specific house that creates hidden obstacles depending on the ascendant sign.

A mutual sign exchange between two planets — each occupying the other's own sign, creating a powerful yogic connection.

A planetary aspect — a planet's 'gaze' on a house or another planet, influencing it for good or ill.

The spiritually sensitive junction points at the end of water signs and beginning of fire signs in both Rashi and Nakshatra divisions.

The 9th harmonic divisional chart (D9) — the most important varga chart, used to assess marriage, the soul's purpose, and dharmic path.

Horary astrology — a chart cast for the exact moment a sincere question is posed, read to answer that specific query.

A sacred sound, syllable, word, or verse chanted or meditated upon for spiritual transformation and protection.

A devotional hymn of forty verses, typically praising a deity's qualities and seeking blessings.

A devotional ritual of waving a lamp (diya) before a deity while singing its praises; also the hymn sung during this rite.

A Sanskrit hymn of praise to a deity, typically more literary and metrically varied than a chalisa.

An informal devotional song expressing personal love and longing for the divine, typically in vernacular languages.

A sacred geometric diagram used as a meditative focus or as an astrological remedy — the visual equivalent of a mantra.

A canonical text or body of teaching — the authoritative scriptures that form the foundational knowledge of a tradition.

A transitional junction zone — between zodiac signs, dasha periods, or other cycles — often an unsettled or karmic threshold.

A planet within a certain degree of the Sun — hidden in solar rays, its significations weakened or internalized.

The second divisional chart (D2) — each sign split into two halves governed by Sun and Moon; also the planetary hour system.

A divisional chart — a harmonic subdivision of the zodiac used to examine specific life areas in greater detail.

The third divisional chart (D3) — each sign divided into three equal 10° portions — used to assess siblings and co-borns.

Moveable (cardinal) signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn — signs that initiate and act decisively.

Fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius — signs that consolidate, sustain, and resist change.

Dual (mutable) signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces — flexible, transitional signs bridging two seasons.

The house placement where a planet is in maximum affliction — struggling to express its natural qualities, causing 'death-like' suffering to those significations.

A systematic body of esoteric practices and texts — using ritual, mantra, yantra, and meditation to realize the divine within.

Shadow sub-planets derived from calculations — Mandi, Gulika, Dhuma, etc. — used for fine-grained harm and timing analysis.

The most widely used Vedic planetary period system — a 120-year cycle of nine planetary periods based on the Moon's nakshatra at birth.