The Twelve Houses of the Birth Chart and What Each One Governs
In short
A birth chart is divided into twelve houses, each representing an area of life: the first is the self, the fourth home and mother, the seventh marriage, the tenth career. All twelve are counted from the ascendant.
A Vedic birth chart is divided into twelve houses, called bhavas. Each governs a distinct area of life, and every one of them is counted from the ascendant.
The first house is the self: body, health, temperament and overall vitality. The second covers accumulated wealth, family and speech. The third is courage, siblings and short journeys. The fourth is home, mother, property and inner contentment.
The fifth governs intelligence, education, creativity and children. The sixth covers competition, service, debt, illness and adversaries. The seventh is marriage, partnership and public dealings. The eighth concerns longevity, sudden events, inheritance and hidden matters.
The ninth is fortune, higher learning, teachers and dharma. The tenth is career, reputation and standing in the world. The eleventh is gains, income and social networks. The twelfth is expenditure, distant places, seclusion and liberation.
These twelve are grouped further. The first, fourth, seventh and tenth are kendras, associated with action and stability. The first, fifth and ninth are trikonas, associated with fortune and merit. When the lord of a kendra and the lord of a trikona come into relationship, a Raja Yoga is formed.
The sixth, eighth and twelfth are the dusthanas, houses of difficulty. Even these have a constructive side, since a relationship among their lords produces Vipreet Raja Yoga, which often shows up in the charts of people who succeed after early hardship.
Reading a chart means seeing which houses are strong, which are afflicted, and which period of life brings each one forward.
Frequently asked questions
Which are the kendra and trikona houses?+
The kendras are the first, fourth, seventh and tenth. The trikonas are the first, fifth and ninth. A relationship between the lords of a kendra and a trikona forms a Raja Yoga.
What are the dusthanas?+
The sixth, eighth and twelfth are called dusthanas. They relate to struggle, sudden events and expenditure, though a Vipreet Raja Yoga is formed from these same houses.
Which house is the most important?+
The first, the Lagna, because every other house is counted from it. Change the Lagna and the whole chart changes.
Want to understand what this chart means?
Generating the chart is only the first step. Have Pandit Uday Ji read it in detail and learn how these positions bear on your career, marriage and health.
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