Is a kundli the same as a birth chart?

Yes. Kundli (also janam kundli or janam patrika) is the Hindi and Sanskrit name for the birth chart used in Vedic astrology. It shows the sidereal positions of the Sun, Moon, five visible planets, Rahu and Ketu, and the rising sign (lagna) at your birth.

What do I need to make my kundli?

Your date of birth, exact time of birth and city of birth. The time matters most: the lagna changes roughly every two hours, and the house placements, divisional charts and dasha balance all depend on it.

What if I do not know my exact birth time?

Your Moon sign is usually still reliable, because the Moon stays in one sign for about two and a quarter days, and your nakshatra is often correct too. The lagna and houses are the parts that become uncertain. Check a birth certificate or hospital record if you can.

Why is my Vedic sign different from my Western sign?

Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, aligned to the stars, while Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, aligned to the seasons. They currently differ by about 24 degrees (the ayanamsa), so many planets fall one sign earlier in a Vedic chart.

Which is more important, the Sun sign, Moon sign or lagna?

In Vedic astrology the lagna (ascendant) and the Moon sign (rashi) matter more than the Sun sign. The lagna sets up all twelve houses; the Moon describes the mind and emotions and is the basis for nakshatra, dasha and transit readings.

Can a birth chart predict health problems or death?

Naksha does not make health, death or medical predictions, and no chart should replace a doctor. A chart is a lens for reflection on temperament and timing, not a diagnosis.

What does my birth chart (kundli) mean? A plain guide

What a kundli actually is

In Vedic astrology (Jyotish), your kundli is calculated from three facts: your date of birth, time of birth and place of birth. From these, an astrologer or app works out where each graha (planet) sat in the sidereal zodiac, the zodiac aligned with the fixed stars. Naksha uses the Lahiri ayanamsa, the standard in India, and the whole-sign house system, where each house is one complete sign.

The result is usually drawn as a square chart. North Indian charts keep the houses fixed and write sign numbers in them; South Indian charts keep the signs fixed and mark the lagna. Both show exactly the same information, just laid out differently.

Layer 1: your lagna (ascendant)

The lagna is the sign rising on the eastern horizon when you were born. It is the most time-sensitive point in the chart, changing about every two hours, which is why an accurate birth time matters. The lagna becomes your 1st house, and the following signs become houses 2 to 12 in order.

The lagna describes your body, your instinctive approach to life and how others first meet you. Its ruling planet, the lagna lord, is one of the most important planets in your chart: where it sits shows where your attention naturally goes.

Layer 2: your Moon sign (rashi) and nakshatra

Vedic astrology leads with the Moon, not the Sun. Your rashi is the sign the Moon occupied, and it describes the mind, moods and what makes you feel secure. Indian horoscopes and transit readings, including Sade Sati, are counted from the Moon sign.

Within that sign, the Moon also sat in one of the 27 nakshatras, lunar mansions of 13°20' each. Your birth nakshatra is a finer layer of temperament, the starting point of your Vimshottari dasha and the basis of kundli matching.

Layer 3: the 12 houses

Each house is an area of life. A simple summary:

House	Main themes
1st	Self, body, temperament, overall direction
2nd	Family, speech, savings, food
3rd	Courage, effort, siblings, communication, short travel
4th	Home, mother, inner peace, property, vehicles
5th	Creativity, children, romance, learning, past merit
6th	Work routines, service, competition, obstacles
7th	Marriage, partnership, business partners, the public
8th	Transformation, shared resources, research, the hidden
9th	Dharma, father, teachers, higher learning, long travel, luck
10th	Career, reputation, authority, public action
11th	Gains, income, friends, networks, ambitions
12th	Letting go, expenses, foreign lands, rest, spirituality

Houses 1, 4, 7 and 10 (kendras) are the pillars of the chart; houses 1, 5 and 9 (trikonas) are the most supportive. Houses 6, 8 and 12 (dusthanas) describe challenge and change, which is often where growth happens.

Layer 4: the nine planets (grahas)

Sun (Surya): soul, confidence, father, authority.
Moon (Chandra): mind, emotions, mother, comfort.
Mars (Mangal): energy, courage, drive, siblings, property.
Mercury (Budh): intellect, speech, learning, trade.
Jupiter (Guru): wisdom, growth, teachers, children, faith.
Venus (Shukra): love, beauty, comfort, art, relationships.
Saturn (Shani): discipline, time, effort, responsibility, endurance.
Rahu: the north lunar node; desire, ambition, the unfamiliar.
Ketu: the south lunar node; detachment, past skill, insight.

A planet's sign shows its style and strength (exalted, own sign, friendly, or debilitated), and its house shows the area of life where that energy plays out. Planets also rule houses: the lord of the 10th, for example, carries career themes wherever it sits.

A simple worked example

Take an illustrative chart (not a real person): Cancer lagna, Moon in Taurus in Rohini nakshatra, and Jupiter in the 10th house in Aries.

Cancer rising suggests a caring, protective instinct; its lord is the Moon, so emotional security shapes the whole chart.
The Moon in Taurus is exalted, and Rohini adds warmth, taste and patience. Taurus is the 11th sign counted from Cancer, so feelings are tied to friends, networks and goals.
Jupiter in the 10th from the lagna points to a career built on teaching, advising or guiding. Jupiter rules the 6th and 9th houses for Cancer lagna, linking work routines and higher learning to that career.
With the Moon in Rohini, this person's Vimshottari dasha sequence starts with a Moon period.

Real reading goes further: aspects, conjunctions, yogas, the navamsa (D9) chart and the current dasha. The principle stays the same, though: sign, house and lord, read together.

Common mistakes when reading your own chart

Reading one placement in isolation. A "bad" planet can be balanced by its lord, aspects or dasha timing.
Using a Western sign for a Vedic reading. Check that your chart is sidereal.
Treating doshas as verdicts. Mangal dosha, Sade Sati and similar ideas describe pressure points, not fixed outcomes.
Ignoring timing. Your dasha shows which parts of the chart are active now.

How Naksha reads your birth chart

Naksha builds your full sidereal chart from your birth details, including your lagna, Moon sign, nakshatra, planetary placements, divisional charts and Vimshottari and Yogini dasha timelines. It then gives you a daily reading for your chart, plus Ved, an AI astrologer you can ask about career, relationships, money and timing, answered from your own chart. It's free on the web and on Android.