I am starting this tutorial series of Astrology, the great predictive science, in a simplified manner.

Predictive astrology is a very vast and technical study. One needs to spend quite some time to study and start analyzing the horoscopes. Since there are large numbers of software available for casting of horoscope, we will not discuss this and the mathematical calculations involved in it.

Janam Kundli or Horoscope is a map indicating the ascendant rising in the east and the position of various planets at the time of birth of a particular person at a particular place.

The particulars required for casting a horoscope are:

1. Date of birth
   
2. Time of birth and
   
3. Longitude and Latitude of the place of birth

To study the good or bad effects indicated in a horoscope, our great scholars saints, in older times, have used the main four constituent or components. These four components are:

1. Zodiac Sign (Rashi)
   
2. Planets (Grah)
   
3. Constellations (Nakhshatras)
   
4. Houses (Bhava)

Our great scholars studied the travel path of planets and observed the relative movements of the various planets. According to the various shapes being formed by the different constellations and sub constellation groups and the impact of a particular planet observed in the region, the sky was divided into the twelve parts. These are known as the twelve zodiac signs. It was observed that the first zodiac sign "Aries" has the shape of an Aries and hence this name and it had the qualities of the planet Mars hence the lordship of this sign was given to mars; the second sign Taurus was observed to have the shape of a bull and qualities of Venus, hence the shape of a bull denotes this sign and lordship of this sign was given to Venus and so on. Following are the twelve zodiac signs, fixed number representing the zodiac sign and the lords of zodiac signs.

Sun, the biggest source of energy to earth, in fact is a star and not the planet. Since older time it is considered that moon, mars, mercury, jupiter, venus and saturn are six planets and are moving around the sun in a fixed orbit. In predictive astrology sun has been considered a planet. The great Indian astrologer-saints discovered that although Rahu and Ketu are two shadow planets only but they influence the human being and the other matters so deeply that there presence can not be ignored. So considering rahu and ketu we have nine planets in all. The new find in planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are not only at a great distance but are very slow moving also. Hence they are not included in Indian predictive astrology.

It is considered that each of these nine planets have a portion of some of the living beings, materials, situations, institutions etc. in them. So each planets becomes the representative of the certain good or bad effects and causes this effect on the human being according to its placement in once horoscope. Considering this fact our great learned saints allocated the representation of various matters, colors, directions, stages, deeds, organs etc. to these different planets. In brief their representation is as under:

• SUN is the Karka or representative of gold, copper, ruby, king, father, soul, patience, courage, light, temple, Lord Shiva related work, forest or mountain travel, east direction, bone, eye, heart, stomach .
  
  
• MOON is the karka or representative of silver, bell metal, pearl, queen, mother, blood, eye, lungs, chest, memory, desires, emotions, beauty, milk, water,
  white color, north - west direction.
  
  
• MARS is the karka or representative of copper, coral, younger brothers, bravery, muscles, bone marrow, kitchen fire, thief, telling lies, arms & ammunition, south direction.
  
  
• MERCURY is the karka or representative of child, skin, intestines, speech, green color, intelligence for learning, maternal uncle, impotency, north direction.
  
  
• JUPITER is the karka or representative of topaz, elder brother, son, knowledge, greatness, fat in the body, wealth, lever, hips, air, husband in the horoscopes of females, king's grace, north - east direction.
  
  
• VENUS is the karka or representative of diamond, platinum, white gold, wife, semen, valuable things & wealth, bed, flower, fragrance, music, vehicles, south - east direction.
  
  
• SATURN is the karka or representative of iron, blue sapphire, oil, petrol, leather, stone, fear, insult, sorrow, diseases of very long span, lower portion of leg, labor, servants, dirt, police arrest, going to prison, means of cultivation, black color, darkness, yogi, slow, buffalo, loans, west direction.
  
  
• RAHU has, in general, all the characteristics of saturn excepts for the body parts.
  Gomedh is the stone for Rahu.
  
  
• KETU has, in general, all the characteristics of mars excepts for the body parts. It is the representative of all the secretive dealings and works. Cat's eye is its stone.
  

It has been made clear that to asess the effect of various planets and other things the on human being the sky or the envelope around the universe has been divided into twelve parts, called the zodiac signs. Each zodiac sign has a span of 360 / 12 = 30 degrees. To asess the still finer details this envelope has also been divided into twenty seven parts called Constellations (Nakshatras) and each constellation has a span of 360 / 27 =13 degrees and 20 minutes. Following are the constellations and their lord planets:

Constellation's Fixed Number	Constellation's name	Constellation's Lord Planet
1	Asvini	Ketu
2	Bharani	Venus
3	Krittika	Sun
4	Rohini	Moon
5	Mrigasira	Mars
6	Aridra	Rahu
7	Punarvasu	Jupiter
8	Pushyami	Saturn
9	Aslesha	Mercury
10	Magha	Ketu
11	Purva Phalguni	Venus
12	Uttara Phalguni	Sun
13	Hasta	Moon
14	Chitra	Mars
15	Swati	Rahu
16	Vishakha	Jupiter
17	Anuradha	Saturn
18	Jyeshta	Mercury
19	Moola	Ketu
20	Poorvashada	Venus
21	Uttarashada	Sun
22	Sravana	Moon
23	Dhanishta	Mars
24	Satabhisha	Rahu
25	Poorva Bhadra	Jupiter
26	Uttara Bhadra	Saturn
27	Revti	Mercury

The lordship of various constellations has been given to various planets as per the qualities it possesses. The start of first constellations coincides with the start of first zodiac sign i.e., Ashwini and Aries starts from the same point.

Now after the details of constellations we need to have some details of Houses (Bhavas).

As the zodiac sign path has been divided into twelve parts (the zodiac signs), in the same way the Earth has been divided into twelve imaginary parts (the Houses) as per the birth ascendant. Like plants each house also represents various qualities, characteristics, relationship etc. Following are the main astrological information collected from various houses (image on top):

• First House: It is also known as the ascendant or the house representing body. In a broader way it represents the physical position of once body i.e., height. color, body structure, head, intelligence, character etc.
  
  
• Second House: It is also known as wealth house. It also represents right eye, level of education, speech and its strength, child hood, mother's elder brother and sisters, husband's or wife's life span ( in wife or husband's horoscope respectively ) etc.
  
  
• Third House: It is also known to be the house of younger brothers and sisters. It also represents right hand, respiratory canal, brother in law's wife, sister in law's husband, father in law etc.
  
  
• Fourth House: It is also known as "Sukh Bhav". It represents mother, the house of living, vehicle, public, feelings, chest, lungs, father's life, water, well etc.
  
  
• Fifth House: It is also known as Son's House. It represents son and other children, art of writing, power of logic, future, gambling, heart, elder brother's wife, elder sister's husband, wife' s elder brother and sisters, luck etc.
  
  
• Sixth House: It is also known as Enemy House. It represents animosity, difficulties, loans, health and diseases, intestines, kidneys, mother's younger brother, life span of elder brothers and sisters etc.
  
  
• Seventh House: It is also known as Wife's House. It represents wife or husband i.e., in a male's horoscope it represents wife and in a female's horoscope it represents husband, married life, ability to produce child, urinary system, father's elder brothers and sisters, business etc.
  
  
• Eigth House: It is also known as Life Span House. It represents life - cause of death, foreign travel, research, elder maternal uncle's wife, mother's elder sister's husband, destruction etc.
  
  
• Ninth House: It is also known as Religion House. It represents religion, positive thinking, fate, father ( in astrological system followed in south India ), blessings from the king / ruler, visit to own country, fate, noble deeds, wife's younger brothers and sisters ( in case of male's horoscope ) and husband's younger brothers and sisters ( in case of female's horoscope ), younger brother's wife, younger sister's husband etc.
  
  
• Tenth House: It is also known as "Karma Bhava" or "Deeds House". It represents good or bad deeds, position, government, father's wealth, mother in law, younger brother's age, knee etc.
  
  
• Eleventh House: It is also known as "Income House" or "Gains House". It represents income, legs, elder brothers and sisters, mother's age, father's younger brothers and sisters, daughter in law, son in law, charity etc.
  
  
• Twelfth House: It is known as "Mokhsh Bhava" or "Expenses House". It represents expenses, left eye, feet, sleep, pleasures, paternal grand mother, age of sons and daughters, etc.

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