Vedic Birth Chart
Jyotish · sidereal chart with the Lahiri ayanamsa · rashi, nakshatra-pada, bhava · D1 Rasi and 16 vargas · Vimshottari maha, antar and pratyantar dasha
The chart style affects all three charts.
D1 Rasi Chart
D9 Navamsa
D10 Dasamsa
Grahas (Planets)
| Graha | Rashi | Longitude | Nakshatra (Pada) | Nakshatra Lord | Bhava | Dignity |
|---|
Dignity follows BPHS: exaltation, debilitation, moolatrikona (for example the Sun in Leo 0-20°), own sign, then natural (naisargika) friendship. No dignity is shown for Rahu and Ketu, because the sources differ on this.
Varga Table (16 Divisional Charts)
Each column is a varga and each cell is the graha's sign in that varga. Gold cells are vargottama (same sign as in D1). The rules are Parashara's (BPHS) definitions; the Parashara hora (D2) gives only Leo and Cancer. D30 and above are very sensitive to the birth time. You can pick any varga in the second chart area above to see it as a square chart.
Birth Panchanga
Ashtakavarga
Yogas
Vimshottari Dasha
| Period Lord | Start | End | Duration |
|---|
Tap the arrow on a Mahadasha row to open its antardashas, and on an antardasha row to open its pratyantardashas. The period you are in now is marked "now". Durations start from the balance of the birth Moon's nakshatra (365.25-day year); dates are given in the local time of the birthplace.
Sade Sati and Current Transits
Chart Interpretation
About This Tool
Vedic astrology (Sanskrit Jyotish, "the science of light") is a deep-rooted astrological tradition that has continued for thousands of years on the Indian subcontinent. Although it shares a common celestial-mechanics foundation with Western astrology, one fundamental choice sets it apart: the sidereal zodiac. Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac and fixes the signs to the seasons, that is to the spring equinox; Vedic astrology instead fixes the signs to the actual star constellations in the sky. The Earth's axis wobbles in a cycle of about 26,000 years (precession), and so the two zodiacs drift apart over time. Today the difference between them is about 24 degrees. This tool calculates that angle between the two systems with the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa officially adopted by the government of India, subtracts it from the tropical planetary longitudes and gives you the sidereal chart. As a result the same birth may show most planets one sign earlier than in your Western chart; this is not an error but the different reference frame of two traditions.
The backbone of the Vedic chart is the nine grahas (Navagraha): the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, together with the two shadow points, Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node). Rahu and Ketu are not physical bodies but the mathematical points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic; they always stand exactly opposite each other. The mean node always moves backward, while the true node can briefly move forward. The Vedic tradition does not use the modern planets of Western astrology, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, in the classical sense, because this system is built on the lights visible to the naked eye; accordingly this tool too calculates only the nine grahas. For each graha you see its sign (rashi), its degree within the sign, its nakshatra, its pada, its house (bhava) found from the ascendant by the whole-sign method, and its natural dignity. Dignity tells you, according to the BPHS degrees and the classical naisargika friendship table, whether the planet is exalted (uccha), debilitated (neecha), in its moolatrikona degrees, in its own sign, or in a friendly, hostile or neutral sign. The nakshatra lord of each graha is given in a separate column.
Perhaps Vedic astrology's most distinctive contribution is the nakshatras: the division of the sidereal zodiac into 27 equal lunar mansions. Each nakshatra is 13 degrees 20 minutes wide and is divided into four padas (3 degrees 20 minutes). The most important of these is the janma nakshatra, the one the Moon occupied at the moment of birth; it is the starting point of the person's mental and emotional fabric, of their character tendencies and, most crucially, of the timing system. The ruler of the Moon's nakshatra determines in which planetary period life begins. This tool lists the nakshatra and pada of every planet and additionally highlights the Moon's janma nakshatra in the interpretation section.
On the timing side, Vedic astrology uses a system resembling the profection and time-lords of the Western tradition but far more detailed: the Vimshottari dasha. This system divides a life cycle of 120 years among the nine grahas; each graha brings a particular colour of life to the fore during its Mahadasha (major period). For example the Venus period lasts 20 years, Saturn 19 years and Jupiter 16 years. Which period you were born into, and how much of the first period had already passed, are derived from how far the Moon had progressed within its nakshatra at birth. This tool produces the Mahadasha table from your birth onward, divides each Mahadasha into antardasha (sub-period) and pratyantardasha (sub-sub-period) layers, and marks the period you are in today at all three levels. A sub-period lasts the length of the main period multiplied by the sub-lord's years, divided by 120.
The chart is presented in two traditional layouts. In the South Indian style the twelve signs sit in fixed positions around the square; the ascendant (Lagna) is indicated by a mark and the planets are placed in the sign cell they occupy. In the North Indian style the houses are fixed: the ascendant always sits in the top diamond, that is the first house, the signs rotate within this frame and the number of the sign each house belongs to is written inside it. The two styles show the same information through a different lens; which one you read is entirely a matter of habit, so the tool offers both. For the houses it uses the whole sign system, the most common method in classical Vedic practice: the entire sign of the ascendant is counted as the first house and each following sign becomes in turn the next house.
This tool also calculates the most important divisional chart, the Navamsa (D9). The Navamsa produces a second chart by dividing the thirty degrees of each sign into nine equal parts (3 degrees 20 minutes, exactly one pada), and in Jyotish it is read for marriage, dharma and a planet's inner strength. In classical doctrine, whatever a planet's visible position in the D1 chart, its true resilience is tested by its D9 placement. A special mark the tool gives is vargottama: if a planet falls in the same sign in both the D1 and D9 charts, it is considered in the classics a distinct sign of strength and consistency, and the tool highlights this separately. The Navamsa chart is drawn in the same South or North Indian style, with its own Navamsa Lagna. The tool also gives the Dasamsa (D10) chart: each sign is divided into ten equal parts (3 degrees) and the result is read for career, profession and status in the world. The D9 and D10 are the two most frequently consulted divisional charts in a real Jyotish reading; in analysing the 10th house and profession, D10 is placed beside D1. (The D10's sign mapping differs from the continuous formula of the D9: odd signs start from the same sign, even signs from the ninth sign; the tool applies this classical Parashara rule.) In addition the tool gives all sixteen of Parashara's vargas (D1 to D60) in a table, such as D7 for children, D12 for parents and D24 for education, and you can pick any varga in the second chart area to draw it as a square chart.
The tool also gives the panchanga of the birth moment (tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset), Ashtakavarga points with the BPHS table, a set of yogas with each rule stated, the Sade Sati periods and the current transits.
One final note of honesty: this tool gives a solid, correctly calculated base chart (D1 Rasi), sixteen vargas and three-level Vimshottari timing, but it does not replace a full Jyotish analysis. A deep Vedic reading includes reading the vargas together, ashtakavarga scoring, yoga and dosha assessments, the measurement of planetary strengths (shadbala), and reading the dasha sub-periods together with transits. Use this tool as a reliable starting point for that larger structure: seeing the sidereal positions, the nakshatras, the D9 and the periods correctly is the ground on which every remaining layer will sit. For a precise and personal interpretation it is healthiest to work with a specialist versed in the Vedic tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental difference between Vedic astrology (Jyotish) and Western astrology?
The most fundamental difference is the zodiac. Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, fixing the signs to the seasonal points, that is to the spring equinox. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, fixing the signs to the actual star constellations in the sky. Today there is a difference of about 24 degrees (the ayanamsa) between the two systems, so the same birth gives a different sign for most planets. Vedic astrology also works with its own timing systems such as the nakshatras (27 lunar mansions) and the Vimshottari dasha.
What is the ayanamsa and which one does this tool use?
The ayanamsa is the angular difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs; it increases by about 50 seconds per year because of precession. This tool uses the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, the one officially adopted by the government of India and the most widely used. The sidereal longitude is found by subtracting the ayanamsa from the tropical longitude.
What are a nakshatra and a pada?
The nakshatras are the lunar mansions formed by dividing the sidereal zodiac into 27 equal parts (each 13 degrees 20 minutes). Each nakshatra is divided into 4 padas (3 degrees 20 minutes). The nakshatra the Moon occupies at the moment of birth (the janma nakshatra) is the heart of Vedic astrology: it is used both in character analysis and as the starting point of the Vimshottari dasha calculation. This tool shows the nakshatra and pada of every planet.
What are Rahu and Ketu?
Rahu and Ketu are the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic; they are not physical bodies but mathematical points. Rahu corresponds to the North Node and Ketu to the South Node, and in the Vedic tradition they are the shadow planets (chaya graha) that make up two of the nine grahas. The mean node always moves backward, while the true node can briefly move forward. The two always stand exactly opposite each other. This tool uses the true node position for Rahu.
What is the Vimshottari dasha?
The Vimshottari dasha is the most widely used planetary period system in Vedic astrology. It distributes a total cycle of 120 years among the nine grahas (for example Venus 20 years, Saturn 19 years). Which graha's period you are in begins with the ruler of the nakshatra the Moon occupied at birth, and the balance of the first period is calculated from how far into the nakshatra the Moon had progressed. This tool produces the Mahadasha table from birth onward together with the antardasha and pratyantardasha sub-periods, and marks the period you are currently in.
What is the Navamsa (D9) and what does vargottama mean?
The Navamsa (D9) is the most important divisional chart (varga), produced by dividing each sign into nine equal parts (3 degrees 20 minutes). In Jyotish it is read for marriage, dharma and the inner strength of the planets; whatever a planet's position in the D1 chart, its true resilience is tested by its D9 placement. Vargottama is when a planet falls in the same sign in both the D1 and D9 charts, and is considered a distinct sign of strength in the classics. This tool draws the D9 chart in the same style as the D1 and additionally highlights vargottama planets.
What is the Dasamsa (D10)?
The Dasamsa (D10) is the divisional chart produced by dividing each sign into ten equal parts (3 degrees), and in Jyotish it is read for career, profession and status in the world. In analysing the 10th house and profession, D10 is placed beside D1; a planet's professional strength is judged by its D10 placement. The sign mapping differs from the continuous formula of the D9: odd signs (Aries, Gemini...) start from the same sign, even signs (Taurus, Cancer...) from the ninth sign (the classical Parashara rule). The tool draws the D10 in the same style as the D1/D9, with its own Dasamsa Lagna.
How are the houses (bhava) calculated in a Vedic chart?
This tool uses the whole sign house system, the most common method in classical Vedic practice: the entire sign in which the ascendant (Lagna) falls is counted as the first house, and each following sign becomes in turn the second, third house. In this way each house corresponds to exactly one sign. In the North Indian square chart the houses are fixed and the signs rotate; in the South Indian square chart the signs are fixed and the ascendant is marked.
What is the difference between the South and North Indian chart styles?
Both show the same information in a different layout. In the South Indian style the twelve signs are in fixed positions around the square; the ascendant is indicated by a mark and the planets are placed in the sign cells. In the North Indian style the houses are fixed; the ascendant always sits in the top diamond (the first house) and the sign numbers are written inside the houses. This tool offers both; the choice depends entirely on your reading habits.
Is this tool free and does it replace a full Jyotish analysis?
The tool is free and requires no registration. It gives your sidereal D1 (Rasi) chart, sixteen vargas including D9 and D10, your nakshatra-pada values, the planetary dignity states and a three-level Vimshottari dasha table. However, a full Jyotish analysis involves additional layers: reading the vargas together, ashtakavarga scoring, and yoga and dosha assessments. This tool provides a solid base chart and a timing skeleton; for a deep reading it is best to consult a specialist.
What is the birth panchanga?
The panchanga (five limbs) gives the tithi (lunar day), vara (weekday), nakshatra (lunar mansion), yoga (a series of 27 derived from the sum of the Sun's and Moon's longitudes) and karana (half tithi) at the moment of birth. Because the Vedic day runs from sunrise to sunrise, a birth before sunrise falls in the previous day's vara. The tool calculates sunrise and sunset for the birthplace.
What is Ashtakavarga?
Ashtakavarga counts the benefic points (bindus) that the seven grahas and the Lagna give to each sign. Each graha has its own table (Bhinnashtakavarga); the sum of the seven tables is the Sarvashtakavarga, which totals 337 in every chart. In the classics signs with 28 or more points are considered strong, and transits are read together with these points. The tool uses the BPHS table and applies no reduction (sodhana).
Which yogas does the tool check?
Only yogas with a clear definition: the five Pancha Mahapurusha yogas (Ruchaka, Bhadra, Hamsa, Malavya, Sasa), Gaja Kesari, Budhaditya, Chandra-Mangala, Kemadruma with its cancellations, raja yogas between kendra and trikona lords, and the Viparita Raja yogas. The rule of each yoga is written in the table and the grahas that meet it are shown.
What is Sade Sati and how does the tool calculate it?
Sade Sati is the roughly seven-and-a-half-year period in which Saturn passes through the sign before the natal Moon sign, the Moon sign and the sign after it. The tool searches Saturn's sidereal (Lahiri) sign ingresses from birth to the year 2100, also lists exits and re-entries caused by retrograde motion, and marks the current and the next period. It also gives today's transit table with house counts from the natal Lagna and Moon.