The 12 houses of a Kundli
Short answer
A Kundli is divided into 12 houses, or bhavas, each ruling an area of life. The 1st house is the self, the 2nd wealth and family, the 4th home and mother, the 5th children and intelligence, the 7th marriage and partners, the 10th career, and the 12th losses, expenses and liberation. Houses are counted from the Lagna.
What each house rules
The traditional meanings of the twelve houses are:
- 1st (Tanu): self, body, health, temperament and general direction in life.
- 2nd (Dhana): wealth, savings, family, speech and food.
- 3rd (Sahaja): younger siblings, courage, effort, short journeys and communication.
- 4th (Sukha): mother, home, property, vehicles and inner peace.
- 5th (Putra): children, intelligence, education, creativity and merit from past lives.
- 6th (Ripu): enemies, debts, illness, daily work and service.
- 7th (Yuvati): marriage, spouse, business partners and the public.
- 8th (Randhra): longevity, sudden events, inheritance and hidden knowledge.
- 9th (Dharma): fortune, father, teachers, faith and long journeys.
- 10th (Karma): career, status, authority and public reputation.
- 11th (Labha): income, gains, wishes fulfilled, friends and elder siblings.
- 12th (Vyaya): expenses, losses, foreign lands, sleep and liberation (moksha).
How houses are grouped
Kendras (1, 4, 7, 10) are the pillars of the chart; planets here act strongly. Trikonas (1, 5, 9) are houses of fortune and dharma. Dusthanas (6, 8, 12) are houses of difficulty, though they also bring endurance and spiritual growth. Upachayas (3, 6, 10, 11) are houses that improve with time and effort.
Natural significators
Each house also has a planet that naturally signifies it, called its karaka. The Sun signifies the 1st and 10th, the Moon the 4th, Jupiter the 2nd, 5th, 9th and 11th, Mars the 3rd and 6th, Venus the 7th, and Saturn the 8th and 12th. Astrologers read a house, its lord and its karaka together.
Common questions
- Which house is for marriage?
- The 7th house, along with its lord and Venus. The Navamsa (D9) chart is used to confirm.
- Which house is for career?
- The 10th house is the main house of career and status. The 2nd and 11th houses show income and gains, and the 6th shows daily work and service.
- What does an empty house mean?
- Nothing bad. An empty house works through its lord — the planet that rules its sign — and through planets that aspect it.
Sources and further reading
Jyotish is a traditional system for reflection. Interpretations vary between schools; this guide describes common practice.