How to Interpret a Vedic Astrology Birth Chart

In analyzing an individual’s chart, the most simple and accurate way to approach this is to focus on one area of life at a time. Each area of life is indicated by many factors. Analyzing each factor, and then summing it all up is the best approach. There may be negative influences in the chart, but there may also be positive influences which will ameliorate the negative forces and provide hope. It is important to look from all different angles to make the best judgment. Let us take a look at the steps we can take to analyze a birth chart and provide a successful astrology reading.

 

Analyze the house that represents that area of life –First we look at the house itself. Are we analyzing relationships? We start with the seventh house. Are we analyzing children or career? We look to the fifth and tenth houses respectively. We check to see what planets inhabit that house. These planets will affect the house in two different ways. They will affect it based on their natural benefic or malefic dispositions, and they will affect it based on their house ownerships. Natural benefics like Jupiter and Venus will bring beneficial results to the house they are located in, but if they own bad houses like 3, 6, 8, 11 they will also bring certain negative results. However, they still do not necessarily lose all their benefic qualities. The same goes with malefic planets. Even though they may be yoga karaka for the chart, such as Saturn for Taurus ascendant owning both the 9th and 10th houses, they will bring good results to the house they are posited in but will still not lose their inherent nature as malefic planets. It will take deeper analysis to find out which areas of life will be afflicted and which will prosper with these natural/temporal, benefic/malefic planets. For example, malefic planets who act as temporal benefics may provide success, wealth, and fame but may still afflict the person’s health. It depends which area of life we are looking at, and after analyzing all other factors we will be able to safely predict if a specific area will be afflicted or not.The next thing to check is if there are any yogas, combustions, or planetary wars happening in that house. Good yogas will lift up the significations of the house, while combustions and planetary wars will spoil them. If there is a debilitated planet posited there, check for neecha banga, or cancellation of debilitation before making a decision as to its negative effects upon the house. Finally, we check the planetary aspects upon the house. A benefic Jupiter’s aspect will open the door to many blessings even if the house itself is very afflicted.

 

Analyze the lord of that house –

Check the strength and influences upon the lord of that house. The strength of the lord determines how much it can uphold the houses it rules. A very weak lord will weaken the houses it rules, and a strong lord will make its houses strong. How do we determine the strength of the lord? First check the sign it is in. Is it its own sign, a friend, a neutral or an enemy planet? Is it exalted, in moolatrikona, or debilitated? This will affect both the planet, and the house the planet is in. If it is in an enemy’s sign it is neither good for the planet nor the house. Imagine if you were invited to go to your enemy’s house. You would probably be nervous, would not accept anything to drink or eat, and would just want to get out of there as quickly as possible. You do not trust your enemy, so you will not function to the best of your ability and your heart may be pounding the whole time. On the other hand if you are at a friend’s house you will be happy, cheerful, and comfortable. You may even spend the night and have good dreams. This is because you trust your friend completely and you are in your most comfortable behavior. It is the same way with planets.

 

What planets are conjoined to this planet? What planets are aspecting it? Is it involved in any planetary yogas, or sign exchange with another planet? Is it combust or in a planetary war? Does it win or lose that war? These will all influence the strength of the planet and thereby the significations of the houses it rules. What house is the planet in? Is it in a dusthana, angle, or trine? Later, these will be the similar factors to check for other planets such as karakas.

 

Navamsa –

The navamsa is the next important factor to determine the validity of the indications in the rashi chart. If a planet is very strong in the rashi chart, is it equally strong in the navamsa or has it lost its strength through debilitation or conjunction? Does the planet become strong in the navamsa through exaltation? Do certain patterns repeat themselves in the navamsa? Is the planet Vargottama, or in the same sign in the navamsa as in the rashi? The navamsa will confirm or deny the indications in the rashi chart.

 

From the Moon –

Not less important is taking the lagna from the moon. If a planet is 8th from the lagna, is it also 12th from the Moon? Does it go to 9th from the Moon instead? Certain factors such as these will fortify, neutralize, or weaken planetary indications. The Moon as a lagna is suppose to show us our mental state as oppose to our physical which is shown through the lagna. However, many events may still be seen using Moon as lagna.

 

Despositor –

When analyzing the lord of the house check to see who the despositor lord is, and where the lord is placed.  The placement of the lord of a house is important in determining how well that lord upholds his house(s). A weak placement of the despositor brings down the results, while a strong lord energizes the house and the planets contained therein.

 

Karaka Planet and Chara Karaka –

The karaka is the planet that signifies the aspect of life we are analyzing. For courage we would look to Mars, for children Jupiter, for relationships Venus, for emotional stability Moon, etc. The chara karaka is the planet that signifies a person in our lives depending on its zodiacal degree. The planet in the highest degree represents oneself, or Atmakaraka. The fourth highest degree is one’s mother or Matrukaraka, the seventh one’s spouse or Darakaraka etc. We would look to the karaka and the chara karaka to further analyze the area of life we are looking at. The analysis would be similar to analyzing the lord of the house explained above, except we are only looking at the general status of the karaka for confirmation- not a detailed overview as with the lord of the house.

 

Avastha of Planets –

The degrees of a planet determine the age of that planet. Is the planet very young, such as at one to four degrees? Then it is a baby and, just like a real baby not being able to support him or herself alone, may not have the necessary strength to uphold its significations or that of the houses it rules. Is it in very old age, such as twenty-six to thirty degrees? The ideal degrees of a planet for optimal performance are between ten to twenty degrees. We can go into much more detail regarding Avastha of planets, but this can be discussed elsewhere so we will just keep to the basics of a planet losing strength if it is very old or just a baby, and gaining strength if it is a teenager.

 

Summary –

After determining all of the above factors for a certain area of life such as relationships, children, career, etc., we then sum everything up. What is the conclusion? Are most factors positive and therefore pointing in the same direction? Or are most indications negative and pointing towards the opposite direction? When either of these is the case then we can conclude with certainty whether the results will be positive or negative in that particular sphere of life. If, however, the results are mixed throughout the analysis then we will have to analyze the most important factors. What are the strongest indications? The most important in this case are the house and its lord, followed by the Navamsa. If these are in mixed conditions we can expect mixed results. This may mean, regarding finances for example, that the person may have much money at one time and not much at another time. The Vimshottari Dasa sequence will reveal the timing of these events. Let us just remember that if the lord of the house is in a very weak and afflicted condition, but there are beneficial planets or aspects on one of its houses we need not expect negative results for that house just because its lord is weak. This is where benefic planets are capable of removing a thousand blemishes. We would expect the negative results during the major or sub periods of the malefic planets causing affliction, and beneficial and good results during the dasa or sub periods of the planets providing hope through their benefic influence.

This is a basic way of beginning the process of reading an astrological chart and providing an accurate prediction. The best of luck!


-Monica M
www.vedicastrology.studio
vedicastrologystudio@gmail.com