Glossary of Sanskrit and Vedic Astrology Terms Used - Jyoti Guide

The table below defines every Sanskrit and technical term you will encounter in the app and in these docs. Where a term is explained in depth elsewhere, the Meaning column links directly to that page. If you are new to Vedic astrology, start with the Concepts section for the big picture before diving into individual terms here.

A – G

Term	Meaning
Antardaśā	A sub-period within a mahādaśā; the second level of the Vimśottarī timeline. Also called a bhukti.
Ashtakavarga	A benefic-point system that maps planetary support onto signs and houses, most useful for evaluating transits. See Ashtakavarga.
Ashtakūṭa	The eight-fold, 36-point compatibility scoring system used in Vedic match-making. See Ashtakūṭa scoring.
Astaṁgata	Combustion — a planet that is too close to the Sun in longitude, weakening its significations. See Bhāvas & aspects.
Ayanāṁśa	The angular difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs, subtracted from a tropical position to obtain the sidereal one. See Ayanāṁśa options.
BAV (Bhinnāṣṭakavarga)	One planet’s individual Ashtakavarga map, showing its own 0–56 bindu contributions across the twelve signs.
Bhakūṭa	A 7-point compatibility kūṭa based on the relationship between the two Moon signs; one of the heaviest doshas when afflicted.
Bhāva	A house — one of the twelve life areas radiating from the Lagna. See Bhāvas & aspects.
Bindu	A single benefic point in the Ashtakavarga system. Signs accumulate bindus from contributing planets and are rated accordingly.
Cheṣṭā-bala	”Motional” strength — the component of Shadbala derived from a planet’s speed and retrogression. See Shadbala computation.
Daśā	A planetary time-period in a predictive timing system. The default system is Vimśottarī Daśā.
Dig-bala	Directional strength — the component of Shadbala reflecting how well a planet’s natural direction aligns with its house position.
Dṛk-bala	Aspect strength — the net Shadbala component derived from the benefic and malefic aspects a planet receives.
Dṛṣṭi	Aspect — the way a planet “looks at” and influences other houses and planets. See Bhāvas & aspects.
Gaṇa	Temperament class — Deva (divine), Manuṣya (human), or Rākṣasa (demonic); contributes a 6-point kūṭa in compatibility scoring.
Gochara	Transit — the ongoing motion of planets over a natal chart. See Gochara.
Graha	A planet; the nine grahas are the seven classical bodies (Sun through Saturn) plus Rāhu and Ketu. See Rāśis & grahas.

K – N

Term	Meaning
Kāla-bala	Temporal strength — the time-based components within Shadbala (day/night, pakṣa, hour, season, and year lords).
Karaṇa	Half a tithi; the fifth limb of the Panchāng. There are eleven karaṇas in the classical list.
Kendra	An angular house — the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th. Kendras are among the most powerful positions for a planet or graha lord.
Kūṭa	Any one of the eight compatibility factors in the Ashtakūṭa system. Each kūṭa has its own maximum point value and its own significance.
Lagna	The ascendant — the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth; it defines the 1st house.
Mahādaśā	A major planetary period in the Vimśottarī system; each of the nine grahas rules a period ranging from 6 to 20 years.
Mangal dosha	A Mars affliction considered relevant to marriage matching; a chart with Mars in certain houses is called Manglik. See Couple Compatibility.
Muhūrta	An auspicious moment chosen for starting an undertaking; the Vedic art of electional astrology. See Choosing a date.
Nāḍī	A nakṣatra attribute (Ādi, Madhya, or Antya) representing prāṇic type; the highest-weighted kūṭa in Ashtakūṭa matching at 8 points.
Naisargika-bala	Natural (fixed) strength — the permanent Shadbala component reflecting each planet’s inherent luminosity and importance.
Nakṣatra	A lunar mansion — one of the 27 equal star-segments of 13°20′ each. The Moon’s nakṣatra is central to timing and compatibility. See Nakṣatras & padas.
Navāṁśa (D9)	The ninth-harmonic divisional chart, used for marriage, dharma, and overall planetary strength. See Divisional charts.

P – R

Term	Meaning
Pada	A quarter of a nakṣatra, spanning 3°20′. Each nakṣatra has four padas, each associated with a sign of the zodiac.
Pakṣa	A lunar fortnight — śukla pakṣa (waxing, new to full moon) or kṛṣṇa pakṣa (waning, full to new moon).
Panchāng	The five-limbed daily Vedic almanac: tithi, vāra, nakṣatra, yoga, and karaṇa. See Panchāng.
Parāśarī	The mainstream system of aspects, strength calculation, and house significations attributed to the sage Parāśara and codified in the BPHS.
Pratyantardaśā	The third (sub-sub-period) level of the Vimśottarī timeline, nested within an antardaśā.
Rāśi	A zodiac sign; also used to refer to the D1 base chart (the Rāśi chart) as distinct from the divisional charts. See Rāśis & grahas.
Rūpa / Virūpa	Units of Shadbala strength. 1 rūpa = 60 virūpas. A planet’s total virūpas divided by its minimum threshold gives its strength ratio.

S – Z

Term	Meaning
Sade Sati	Saturn’s roughly 7.5-year transit across the 12th, 1st, and 2nd houses from the natal Moon sign — a widely watched transit period.
Sarvāṣṭakavarga (SAV)	The combined Ashtakavarga of all seven grahas, showing each sign’s total bindu count from 0 to 56.
Shadbala	The six-fold numerical measurement of planetary strength. See Shadbala.
Shoḍaśavarga	The set of sixteen divisional (harmonic) charts used in classical jyotiṣa. See Divisional charts.
Sthāna-bala	Positional strength — the component of Shadbala based on a planet’s sign placement (exaltation, own sign, friend’s sign, etc.).
Tājaka / Varshaphal	The annual solar-return chart system; the Tājaka tradition includes its own yogas and annual daśā. See Tājaka.
Tārā	Birth-star compatibility; a 3-point kūṭa based on counting from one partner’s nakṣatra to the other’s.
Tithi	A lunar day, defined by the Moon gaining 12° on the Sun; the first and most important limb of the Panchāng.
Trikoṇa	A trine house — the 1st, 5th, or 9th — associated with fortune, dharma, and benefic matters.
Uccha / Nīcha	Exaltation / debilitation — the sign where a planet is at its strongest (uccha) or weakest (nīcha).
Vāra	The weekday; each of the seven days is ruled by a planet and is the second limb of the Panchāng.
Varga	A divisional (harmonic) chart derived by subdividing each sign.
Vargottama	A planet or Lagna that occupies the same sign in both the D1 and D9 charts — considered a position of enhanced strength.
Varṇa	Spiritual or temperamental class; contributes a 1-point kūṭa in compatibility scoring.
Vaśya	Mutual attraction and control between two people; a 2-point kūṭa in Ashtakūṭa matching.
Vimśottarī	The 120-year daśā system used by default in the app; the most widely used predictive timing system in jyotiṣa. See Vimśottarī Daśā.
Yoga (Panchāng)	The fourth limb of the Panchāng — one of 27 values derived from the combined longitude of the Sun and Moon. Distinct from the broader term yoga (planetary combination).
Yoni	Animal-symbol compatibility based on each nakṣatra’s associated creature; a 4-point kūṭa in Ashtakūṭa matching.