Glossary

Plain-English definitions for every Sanskrit and astrology term we use

Astrology has its own vocabulary — Sanskrit and Latin layered on classical concepts. We use the precise term where it carries meaning that English would lose, and gloss it the first time it appears. This page is the consolidated reference. For methodology (which ayanamsa, which house system, which ephemeris), see /methodology.

Zodiac & frames

Tropical zodiac: Western system; 0° Aries = the moving vernal equinox. Drifts ~24° from the constellations over millennia.
Sidereal zodiac: Vedic system; 0° Aries fixed against the actual stars. The reference frame for Indian astrology.
Ayanamsa: The angular difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs (~24° today). Subtract from a tropical longitude to get the sidereal reading.
Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa: The Government-of-India-standard ayanamsa, anchored to the star Spica (Chitra). The ayanamsa MayaAstro uses.

Astronomy & ephemeris

Ephemeris: A table of planetary positions over time. MayaAstro computes its own from Meeus + VSOP87 + Keplerian elements — no third-party astrology API.
Lagna: Ascendant — the sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth.
Vara: Day of the week. Sun=Ravi, Moon=Soma, Mars=Mangala, Mercury=Budha, Jupiter=Brihaspati, Venus=Shukra, Saturn=Shani.
Hora: Planetary hour. Day and night each split into 12 'hours' starting at sunrise; ruled in Chaldean order (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon).

Panchang

Panchang: The five-limbed Vedic almanac — Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana — for any given date and place.
Tithi: One of 30 lunar days in a synodic month. Defined by the angular separation between Sun and Moon in 12° increments. Shukla 1–15 (waxing) + Krishna 1–14 + Amavasya.
Paksha: Half lunar month — Shukla (waxing) or Krishna (waning).
Nakshatra: One of 27 lunar mansions, each spanning 13°20' of the sidereal zodiac. Your janma nakshatra = the nakshatra of your natal Moon.
Pada: A 1/4 subdivision of a nakshatra (3°20'); 108 padas total across the zodiac. Each pada is associated with a deity and a syllable.
Yoga: One of 27 categories formed by the sum of Sun and Moon longitudes in 13°20' increments. Distinct from the planetary 'yogas' below.
Karana: Half of a tithi (6° Sun-Moon separation). 11 karanas alternate; Vishti karana (Bhadra) is generally avoided.
Rahu Kalam: Inauspicious slot of the day, 1/8 of daylight, indexed by weekday. Avoid starting new ventures during this window.
Yamagandam: Inauspicious slot ruled by Yama (god of death/dharma). Avoid for important beginnings.
Gulika Kalam: Inauspicious slot ruled by Gulika (a son of Saturn). Avoid for important beginnings.
Abhijit Muhurta: An always-auspicious midday window, ~24 minutes around solar noon. Used when no other muhurta clears.
Brahma Muhurta: The 96 minutes before sunrise. The classical recommended wake-up window for spiritual practice.
Choghadiya: North-Indian framework of 8 day-slots and 8 night-slots, each ~90 minutes, classified Amrit/Shubh/Labh/Char (auspicious) or Rog/Kaal/Udyag/Vyaag (inauspicious).
Bhadra: The Vishti karana — a strongly inauspicious window during which auspicious activities are paused.

Houses & yogas

Whole Sign houses: House system where each sign = one house, starting from the ascendant sign. Used in classical Jyotish and pre-Renaissance Western astrology. The system MayaAstro uses.
Kendra: Angular houses — 1, 4, 7, 10. Strong houses for any planet placed there.
Trikona: Trine houses — 1, 5, 9. Houses of dharma, learning, fortune.
Dusthana: 'Difficult' houses — 6, 8, 12. Often counterintuitive (vipareeta) yogas can flip difficulty into gain.
Yoga (planetary): A named planetary configuration in Jyotish (e.g., Gajakesari, Hamsa). Distinct from the panchang Yoga above.
Pancha Mahapurusha Yoga: Five 'great soul' yogas — Hamsa (Jupiter), Malavya (Venus), Sasa (Saturn), Ruchaka (Mars), Bhadra (Mercury) — formed by a benefic in own/exalted sign in a kendra from the ascendant.
Gajakesari Yoga: Auspicious yoga — Jupiter in a kendra from the natal Moon. Bestows wisdom and steady fortune.

Periods (dasha)

Dasha: A planetary period — a span of years during which a particular planet's signification colors the native's life.
Mahadasha: A major dasha period in the Vimshottari system. Lengths 6–20 years depending on the lord.
Antardasha: A sub-period within a Mahadasha. Refines the seasonal flavor of the larger arc.
Vimshottari: The 120-year dasha system based on the natal Moon's nakshatra. Sequence: Ketu 7y → Venus 20 → Sun 6 → Moon 10 → Mars 7 → Rahu 18 → Jupiter 16 → Saturn 19 → Mercury 17.
Sade Sati: Saturn's 7.5-year transit through the 12th, 1st, and 2nd houses from the natal Moon. Phases: Aarambha (rising), Madhya (peak), Antya (setting).

Compatibility & dosha

Ashtakoot Guna Milan: Vedic compatibility scoring across 8 koots, 36 points total. Auspicious threshold 18.
Nadi: One of three Ayurvedic constitution categories used in koot 8. Same nadi between partners is a classical veto flag.
Bhakuta: Sign-distance compatibility koot. 6/8 and 5/9 sign-distances are classical veto flags.
Mangal Dosha: Affliction from Mars in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, or 12th house from lagna, Moon, or Venus. Per Phaladeepika 14.7. MayaAstro uses the conservative reading.
Manglik: A native afflicted with Mangal Dosha. Manglik–Manglik marriage matching is a classical cancellation per BPHS 7.21.
Synastry: Western chart-to-chart compatibility analysis — comparing one person's planets to another's by sign and aspect.

Ritual & devotional

Sankalpam: A formal vow recited before a ritual establishing time + place + intent. Standard practice before pujas and observances.
Kuladevata: Family deity — the deity worshipped across generations of one's lineage.
Ishta devata: Personal patron deity — chosen for personal devotional practice.
Gotra: Patrilineal lineage marker. Determines specific timings for some observances (e.g., Aavani Avittam).
Muhurta: An auspicious time-slot for an action. Selecting the right muhurta is a discrete branch of Jyotish.

Karmic Journey (Jaimini)

Atmakaraka: Soul significator. The planet (Sun–Saturn) with the highest degree-within-sign — its qualities are the soul's curriculum this lifetime. Per Jaimini Sutras 1.1.10–1.1.16.
Amatyakaraka: Mind/livelihood significator. The planet ranked second by degree-within-sign — the inner minister, the AK's executive function.
Bhratrukaraka: Sibling/courage significator. Third by degree-within-sign per Jaimini.
Matrukaraka: Mother/comforts significator. Fourth by degree-within-sign per Jaimini.
Putrakaraka: Children/intellect significator. Fifth by degree-within-sign per Jaimini.
Gnatikaraka: Extended-family/conflict significator. Sixth by degree-within-sign per Jaimini.
Darakaraka: Spouse/partnership significator. Lowest by degree-within-sign in the 7-karaka system.
Pitrukaraka: Father/ancestral significator. Inserted in the 8-karaka scheme using Rahu's reverse-degree (30 − actual). Per Jaimini Sutras 1.1.16.
Karakamsa: The Atmakaraka's Navamsa (D9) sign. Treated as the lagna of the soul's chart per Jaimini Sutras 1.2.1–1.2.85.
Karakamsa Lagna: Synonym for Karakamsa — the AK's D9 rasi read as the 1st cusp of the derived 'soul chart'.
Pravrajya Yoga: Renunciation yoga — 4+ planets clustered in one sign. The strongest determines the *manner* of renunciation. Per BPHS ch. 78 śloka 51.
Sannyasa Yoga: Saturn-mediated renunciation indicator — Saturn dignified at house-from-Moon 1, 7, or 10. Per Phaladeepika ch. 7.
Karma Yoga: Path-of-action indicator — 3rd-house emphasis (2+ occupants or 3rd lord in kendra). Per BPHS ch. 78.
Bhakti Yoga: Devotional path indicator — Jupiter-Venus conjunction or Jupiter aspect to 9th. Per BPHS ch. 78 + Phaladeepika ch. 6.
Jnana Yoga: Knowledge path indicator — Mercury-Jupiter conjunction within 12°. Per Phaladeepika ch. 6 + Saravali ch. 33.
Daridra Yoga: Scarcity-residue yoga — 11th lord in 6th, 8th, or 12th. Per Phaladeepika ch. 7 + Hora Sara ch. 9. Read as karmic re-orientation, not punishment.
Raja Yoga: Royal-merit yoga — kendra lord and trikona lord conjunct or in parivartana. Per BPHS ch. 39.
Drekkana: D3 divisional chart (10° per division). Surfaces sibling karma + incarnational momentum.
Dvadasamsa: D12 divisional chart (2°30' per division). The ancestral-karma lens — what was inherited from the lineage stream.
Navamsa: D9 divisional chart (3°20' per division). Read for relationships, dharma, and inner resources. The Karakamsa Lagna is the AK's D9 sign.
Trimshamsha: D30 divisional chart (varying segments per BPHS ch. 7). One of the five strength components in Pancha-Vargiya Bala.
Saptamsa: D7 divisional chart. Read for progeny matters classically.
Dasamsa: D10 divisional chart. Read for vocation and public expression.
Shashtiamsa: D60 divisional chart. The most fine-grained classical varga, read for past-karma synthesis.
Pada (nakshatra): 1/4 of a nakshatra (3°20'). Each pada has its own Navamsa lord (= pada lord) and inherits the parent nakshatra's gana, yoni, varna, nadi.
Yoni: Animal-class kinship attribute of a nakshatra (14 yonis paired across 27 nakshatras). Used in compatibility and pada-signature reading.
Gana: Temperament class of a nakshatra: Deva (divine), Manushya (human), Rakshasa (demonic). Per BPHS ch. 8.
Varna: Caste / vocational temperament — Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra. Per BPHS ch. 8 śloka 30–32.
Janma Nakshatra: The nakshatra in which the natal Moon sits. The emotional curriculum-anchor; basis of Vimshottari dasha calculation.
Karaka: Significator. A planet that signifies a domain — natural (Naisargika) and time-of-chart (Tatkalika) flavors.
Naisargika Karaka: Natural significator — fixed assignments per BPHS (Sun = soul, Moon = mind, Mars = courage, etc.).
Tatkalika Karaka: Time-of-chart significator — the chara karakas (AK, AmK, BK, MK, PK, GK, DK) which vary chart-by-chart.
Maitri: Friendship — natural (Naisargika) and temporary (Tatkalika). Used in dignity calculations and Tajika friendship reading.
Lajjitadi Avastha: Six-state condition of a planet (e.g. ashamed, hungry, joyful) per Phaladeepika 4. Affects how the planet's signification actually manifests.

KP Astrology

Krishnamurti Paddhati (KP): 20th-century South Indian system codified by K.S. Krishnamurti. Differs from Parashari via its own ayanamsa (Lahiri − 13.5″), Placidus cusps, and 4-tier sub-lord theory.
Sub-lord: Third tier of the KP lord chain. Each nakshatra is divided into 9 sub-divisions by Vimshottari proportion; the sub's planet is the 'sub-lord'. KP holds the sub-lord as the *deciding factor* for whether a cusp's results are favourable.
Sub-sub lord: Fourth tier — the 9-fold division within a sub. Used for fine-grained timing (event horizon at the 4th tier).
Star lord: Second tier of the KP chain — the nakshatra ruler. Per Vimshottari, this delivers the *results* of the cusp/planet.
Significator: A planet representing a house's themes via the 4-level chain: occupant of the house, occupant of its star, occupants of those star-lords' nakshatras, etc.
Ruling Planets: 7-factor snapshot at a moment: Day lord + Moon's sign/star/sub lords + Lagna's sign/star/sub lords. Used in horary timing.
KP-249: The unique number-to-cusp mapping for KP horary. The questioner names a number 1-249; that number maps to a cusp on the sidereal zodiac. 27 nakshatras × 9 subs + 6 sign-boundary splits = 249.
Horary (Prashna): Branch of Jyotish reading the chart of the question moment rather than the birth moment. KP horary uses the KP-249 method.

Spotted an error or a missing term? Open an issue at github.com/ranganc007/mayaastro.