For the New Reader
A GlossarySanskrit terms used in this consultation, with their meanings
Vedic astrology and Ayurveda share a Sanskrit vocabulary. The terms below are the ones that appear most often in your reading. They are gathered here so that nothing on the previous pages need feel unfamiliar.
Abhyanga ah-bee-ahn-gah
Warm oil self-massage. A daily Ayurvedic practice; one of the most reliable ways to soothe Vata and to ground the body.
Agni ahg-nee
"Fire" — specifically the digestive fire. Strong agni means good digestion and metabolism; weak agni means sluggish digestion and accumulated toxins.
Antardasha an-tar-dah-shah
A sub-period within a Mahadasha. While the Mahadasha sets the long chapter of your life, the Antardasha sets the shorter scene inside it (months to a few years).
Ayurveda ah-yur-vay-dah
"The science of life." India's traditional medical system, dating back roughly three thousand years and still in active clinical practice across South Asia and worldwide.
Brahma Muhurta brah-mah moo-hoor-tah
The 96 minutes before sunrise. Considered the most subtle, sattvic, and spiritually receptive window of the day. Ideal for meditation and pranayama.
Chandra chun-drah
The Moon. In Vedic astrology, the Moon governs the mind, the emotions, the body's fluids, the mother, and the maternal-care aspect of the self.
Combust
A planet sitting very close to the Sun (typically within about 8°). The Sun's brilliance "burns" or softens the planet's external expression; it works more interiorly. In your chart, Jupiter is combust.
Dasha dah-shah
A planetary period. Vedic astrology uses several dasha systems; the most common is Vimshottari Dasha, which assigns a fixed number of years to each planet in a specific sequence.
Dharma dar-mah
One's truest work in this life. Not merely "duty" — closer to "the path your soul came in to walk." The 9th house is the principal house of dharma in a chart.
Dinacharya dee-nah-char-yah
Literally "the conduct of the day." The Ayurvedic daily routine — waking, oiling, bathing, eating, working, resting, sleeping — calibrated to one's constitution.
Dosha doh-shah
One of the three fundamental energies of the body: Vata (air/space), Pitta (fire), Kapha (earth/water). Every body is a unique blend.
Exalted (Uccha) oo-chah
A planet sitting in the sign of its highest expression. Each planet has one sign of exaltation; Venus's, for example, is Meena (Pisces). Your Venus is exalted.
Ghee
Clarified butter — Ayurveda's most prized cooking fat. Deeply nourishing, supports agni (digestive fire), and good for nearly all constitutions in moderation.
Graha grah-hah
"That which grasps" — a planet. Vedic astrology counts nine grahas: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu (north node), and Ketu (south node).
Guru-Aditya Yoga
A specific planetary combination — Sun (Aditya) conjunct Jupiter (Guru) in the same sign. Indicates wisdom, authority, strong dharmic foundation. Present in your chart in the 9th house.
Jyotish joh-tish
"The science of light." The Sanskrit name for Vedic astrology. Considered one of the six classical limbs of the Vedas.
Kapha kah-fah
The dosha of earth and water. Governs structure, lubrication, immunity, weight, calm. Excess Kapha: sluggishness, congestion, water retention. Deficient Kapha: dryness, fragility.
Kendra
An angular house — the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th. These are the chart's "pillars" — placements here gain strength.
Lagna lug-nah
The Ascendant — the sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. The 1st house of the chart. Considered as important as the Sun and Moon in Vedic astrology.
Mahadasha mah-hah-dah-shah
A "great period" — the long planetary chapter (six to twenty years) governing this stage of your life. You are inside Jupiter Mahadasha, 2016–2032.
Mala mah-lah
A string of 108 beads used for counting mantra repetitions. One full mala = 108 mantras = one complete round of practice.
Mantra
A sacred sound or phrase, traditionally repeated as a form of meditation, devotion, or planetary remedy. Vedic astrology assigns a mantra to each planet.
Maraka mah-rah-kah
"Killer" or "ender" — the technical name for the planets ruling the 2nd and 7th houses. Their stones are worn only with practitioner consultation. For Kanya lagna, the marakas are Venus and Jupiter.
Nadi Shodhana nah-dee shoh-dah-nah
"Channel cleansing" — alternate-nostril breathing. The most balancing pranayama in the system; especially good for Vata.
Nakshatra nuck-shah-trah
A lunar mansion — one of 27 thirteen-degree divisions of the zodiac. Each has its own ruling planet, deity, animal, and qualities. The nakshatra of the Moon is the chart's most personal placement.
Ojas oh-jahs
The body's "vital essence" — the subtle product of well-digested food and well-lived life. Strong ojas = vitality, immunity, glow, equanimity. Built through warm cooked food, sleep, oil, devotion.
Pitta pit-tah
The dosha of fire and transformation. Governs digestion, metabolism, intellect, focus. Excess Pitta: heat, inflammation, sharpness. Deficient Pitta: weak digestion, cold.
Prakriti prah-kri-ti
Your constitutional baseline — the doshic balance you were born with. Distinct from vikriti, the current state of imbalance.
Pranayama prah-nah-yah-mah
Breathing practices. Literally "the extension and regulation of life-force." A central practice of yoga.
Rashi rah-shi
A zodiac sign. Vedic astrology uses the same twelve signs as Western astrology, named for the same constellations, but located in the sky according to the sidereal (star-based) measurement.
Sadhana sah-dah-nah
Daily spiritual practice. Whatever shape it takes (meditation, prayer, mantra, asana), sadhana is the rhythm that keeps a person aligned with the deeper.
Svastha swah-stah
"Established in the Self." The Ayurvedic word for health — which is not the absence of illness but the felt sense of being at home in one's own body.
Trikona
A trine house — the 1st, 5th, or 9th. The chart's "houses of grace" — placements here are blessed and life-supporting.
Triphala tri-fah-lah
"Three fruits" — the classical Ayurvedic formula of amalaki, haritaki, and bibhitaki. A gentle gut tonic; one of the most-used preparations in all of Ayurveda.
Upachaya oo-pah-chai-ah
A "growing" house — the 3rd, 6th, 10th, or 11th. Placements here improve with effort and time. Your Saturn sits in the 11th, an upachaya.
Vata vah-tah
The dosha of air and space. Governs all movement — breath, circulation, thought, nervous impulse. Excess Vata: dryness, anxiety, restlessness. Deficient Vata: heaviness, stagnation.
Vayah vai-yah
The Ayurvedic life-stages: Kapha (birth to 25), Pitta (25–55), and Vata (55+). Each stage modifies the body's needs and the appropriate practices.
Vikriti vi-kri-ti
The current state of dosha imbalance. Distinct from prakriti, the constitutional baseline. The reading shows how to bring vikriti back toward prakriti.
Vimshottari Dasha vim-shot-tah-ree
The principal planetary-period system of Vedic astrology, totalling 120 years. Each planet rules a fixed number of years; your starting planet is determined by your Moon's nakshatra at birth.
Yoga (in astrology)
A specific planetary combination producing a defined result. Distinct from yoga the spiritual discipline (the words are the same, the contexts different). Your chart carries Guru-Aditya Yoga.
A Note on the Spirit of This Reading
The guidance offered here is rooted in the traditional Vedic sciences of Ayurveda and Jyotish. It is intended as lifestyle and spiritual support — never as a substitute for qualified medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your doctor or healthcare provider before beginning any new herbal, dietary, or exercise programme, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a health condition. Honouring the body means working with your healthcare team, not around them.
This consultation reveals tendencies, not fate. The chart is the map. You are the one who walks the country. Take what lands. Set down what does not. Always trust the body's own quiet wisdom over any outside instruction — including this one.
The guidance offered here is rooted in the traditional Vedic sciences of Ayurveda and Jyotish. It is intended as lifestyle and spiritual support — never as a substitute for qualified medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your doctor or healthcare provider before beginning any new herbal, dietary, or exercise programme, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a health condition. Honouring the body means working with your healthcare team, not around them.
This consultation reveals tendencies, not fate. The chart is the map. You are the one who walks the country. Take what lands. Set down what does not. Always trust the body's own quiet wisdom over any outside instruction — including this one.