> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jyotiguide.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bhāvas and Aspects: Houses, Lords, and Sight Lines

> Understand the 12 houses, their lords, Parāśarī aspects, and combustion — structural relationships the app surfaces under Relationships & Strengths.

A chart is more than a list of planetary positions. Its meaning arises from **structure** — which life areas (houses) each planet occupies and rules, which planets see one another (aspects), and which are weakened by the Sun's proximity (combustion). The app surfaces all of these relationships under **Relationships & Strengths**, and understanding them unlocks the richest layer of chart reading.

## The twelve bhāvas (houses)

Each *bhāva* maps to a domain of human life. In Jyoti Guide's default **whole-sign** system, the sign containing the Lagna degree becomes the entire 1st house; each successive sign becomes the next house in sequence.

| House | Sanskrit | Governs                                        |
| ----- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| 1     | Tanu     | Self, body, vitality, overall life direction   |
| 2     | Dhana    | Wealth, family, speech, food                   |
| 3     | Sahaja   | Siblings, courage, effort, skills              |
| 4     | Sukha    | Home, mother, property, inner peace            |
| 5     | Putra    | Children, intellect, creativity, *pūrva puṇya* |
| 6     | Ari      | Enemies, debt, disease, service                |
| 7     | Kalatra  | Spouse, partnerships, marriage                 |
| 8     | Āyu      | Longevity, upheaval, the hidden, inheritance   |
| 9     | Dharma   | Fortune, father, guru, higher learning         |
| 10    | Karma    | Career, status, public life, action            |
| 11    | Lābha    | Gains, income, friends, aspirations            |
| 12    | Vyaya    | Loss, expenditure, foreign lands, liberation   |

Houses are grouped into categories that drive interpretation and several strength rules:

* **Kendras** (1, 4, 7, 10) — the four angular pillars of the chart, the most powerful positions for any planet.
* **Trikoṇas** (1, 5, 9) — the trine houses, associated with fortune, *dharma*, and auspiciousness.
* **Dusthānas** (6, 8, 12) — the difficult houses; planets here and lords of these houses carry challenge or obstruction.

## House lords (bhāva-īśa)

The **house lord** is the planet that rules the sign placed on a given house. Tracing where each lord *travels* to is one of *jyotiṣa*'s most powerful interpretive tools: it creates a living link between two life areas. "The 1st lord in the 5th" binds the self to creativity and children; "the 10th lord in the 10th" describes a career that stands on its own strength. The app lists every house lord and the house it occupies:

```text theme={null}
1st lord Moon is in the 5th house
2nd lord Sun is in the 11th house
10th lord Mars is in the 10th house
…
```

## Aspects (dṛṣṭi)

In *jyotiṣa*, planets **aspect** — look at and influence — other houses and the planets within them, following **sign-based rules** that differ from Western degree aspects. Under the **Parāśarī** system the app uses:

* **Every planet** aspects the **7th house** from itself (the full opposition).
* **Mars** additionally aspects the **4th and 8th** houses from itself.
* **Jupiter** additionally aspects the **5th and 9th** houses from itself.
* **Saturn** additionally aspects the **3rd and 10th** houses from itself.

The app reports aspects in both directions — what each planet casts and what each planet receives:

```text theme={null}
Mars from 10th   → 1st (Lagna) · 4th · 5th (Moon)
Jupiter from 12th → 4th · 6th · 8th (Rahu)
Saturn from 9th  → 3rd · 6th · 11th (Sun)
…
Moon is aspected by Sun and Mars.
```

An aspect from a benefic generally supports the house or planet it falls on; an aspect from a malefic stresses it. The **aspect strength** of these connections is quantified as *Dṛk-bala* within the Shadbala system.

<Note>
  Aspect strength is one of six components that make up the full **Shadbala** score. A planet heavily aspected by benefics gains substantial *Dṛk-bala* even if its dignity is modest. See the Shadbala reference for the complete weighting.
</Note>

## Combustion (astaṁgata)

When a planet comes within a certain number of degrees of the Sun, it is **combust** — figuratively burnt by the Sun's overwhelming radiance — and its significations weaken. The classical orb varies by planet, and the app states the orb it uses for each. The **Combustion** panel lists every planet's distance from the Sun, the applicable orb, and the current status:

```text theme={null}
Planet    Distance from Sun   Orb    Status
Mercury   18°42′00″           14°    —
Mars      30°48′12″           17°    —
Venus     34°52′57″           10°    —
```

A planet whose distance exceeds its orb shows `—`, meaning it is not combust. When a planet is both combust and retrograde, classical commentators debate the outcome — retrograde strength and combustion weakness operate simultaneously, making it a nuanced placement to interpret.

<Tip>
  **Continue reading:** discover the lunar mansions that power the daśā period system — [Nakṣatras & Padas](/concepts/nakshatras-and-padas).
</Tip>