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Vedic Astrology Lessons: Chakras

Ascendant: Lagna

The Eastern Horizon where the Sun rises is called the ascendant. In Sanskrit is called the lagna, which means it is the tying down point of the chart. The sign of the zodiac that was in the eastern horizon of the sky at the time of your birth is your ascending sign, your lagna. It is the point that has tied down the position of all the houses in the natal horoscope. The ascendant changes every 2½ hours.

In Vedic Astrology this is one of the most important points in a chart as it dictates the house-planet relationship. In western astrology most people are concerned about their Sun Sign, but in Jyotish people are more concerned about their ascendant. The Sun sign is important as it is the place where the Atma (soul) works through, but even this is understood in the proper house which will be based on the lagna. The Lagna shows our intelligence and how we will apply it. It will also be the primary indication of the body, which is what ties one to this world.


The Chart Types (Chakras)

There are three main types of charts used in Vedic astrology. They all display the same information but in a different format. Each places emphasis in a different area. It is advised to begin with North Indian first, then learn South Indian and finally East Indian. When you learn them all you will be able to look at a chart with a multiple dimensional viewpoint, taking any house, planet or sign as the ascendant.

North Indian

Bhrigu Chakra

Venus

Counter-clockwise

House based, signs move

South Indian

Guru Chakra

Jupiter

Clockwise

Sign based, houses move

East Indian

Surya Chakra

Sun

Counter-clockwise

Sign based, houses move

North Indian (Bhrigu Chakra)

The North Indian Chart is made of diamonds and has the houses fixed always in the same place. The lagna is always the first house. The signs move through the houses in a counter-clockwise motion. This is how the sky looks from earth, the houses remain the same but the stars are moving through the sky. The first house is always sunrise and the 7th house is always sunset. The sign rising on the eastern horizon takes residence in the first house.

The signs of the zodiac (Rasi) are placed in each house according to their number.


1

Aries

7

Libra

2

Taurus

8

Scorpio

3

Gemini

9

Sagittarius

4

Cancer

10

Capricorn

5

Leo

11

Aquarius

6

Virgo

12

Pisces

The example chart has Gemini as the Lagna, the number 3 which represents Gemini is placed in the 1st house. The 2nd house then becomes Cancer with the number 4 placed there to represent the sign. The houses will always remain the same, while the signs of the zodiac will circulate through the houses.

 

 
1. Take your own chart and write it by hand. Put the number of the lagna in the first house and write it to learn to separate the houses from the signs within them.
2. Look at the lord of each sign relative to the house it is placed in. For example, if Gemini is in the lagna then Mercury is the lord of the lagna. If Cancer is in the second house, then Moon is the lord of the second house. If Sagittarius is in the 7th house, then Jupiter is the lord of the 7th . Calculate the lord of each house in your own chart.
The North Indian chart makes the trines very easy to see and work with. The middle four houses stand out. These are the houses of the four ayanas (goals of human life). The trines to each of these in turn stands out very strongly. The four inner diamonds (Kendras-1,4,7,10) are called Visnu sthanas, places of Visnu, the god of sustenance. The trines (Kona-1,5,9) are called Laksmi sthanas, places of Laksmi, the goddess of prosperity and female partner to Visnu.  

  In the diagrams, one can see how the four ayana rule the middle four kendras (center). Each ayana has its support in the Kona (corners) which are 5 and 9 houses away from that house.
  These trines called konas are the Laksmi sthanas (place of Laksmi) the Devi/goddess that takes care of that area of life. Laksmi is a goddess connected to the planet Venus.
Diamonds are ruled by the planet Venus. Bhrigu is a sage who was blood related to the planet Venus. Therefore this chart made of diamonds, showing the kendras and konas predominant, and used by the Sage Brighu is ruled by the planet Venus and called the Bhrigu Chakra.

3. Calculate which planets are in which ayana of life.
4. Which ayana has the most planets?
5. Which ayana is the lagna lord placed in? The Moon? The Sun? The Lord of the 9th ?

Bringing Life to the Bhrigu Chakra

The Bhrigu Chakra is turned on its side from the horizon. The horizon line cuts the first house in half, so half the lagna is under the horizon and the other half is above the horizon.

The Sunrises in the first house and sets in the seventh house.

The inward spaces
From house 1st to 7th is the night
The seen part of life
From houses 7th to 1st is the day

The fourth house is midnight
The tenth house is high noon

 

When the Sun rises, and it is seen as a half globe, it is right on the ascendant. It is important to visualize this in the environment outside of yourself.

So the chart can be laid over the visible sky above to see the position of the planets. All the planets take the same course as the Sun, moving along what is called the ecliptic. There is only an 8 degree of variation from where the Sun crosses in the sky. It is a belt across the sky in which the planets move within.


 

We will take the Sun as a first example to illustrate how the Sun is the keeper of time, and to begin to see its movement with in the chart and how that relates to sky above. See how the houses relate to the sky above, in the same way they will relate to what is below the earth (from our vantage point).


We will generalize for learning sake, and take Sunrise at 6:00AM and Sunset at 6:00PM. The Sun will rise in the center of the lagna at 6AM. It will be in the first house till 7AM. At that point it will enter the twelfth house and be there from 7 to 9AM, when it will enter the 11 th house. The Sun will be in the 10 th house of Karma from 11 to 1PM. This center most point (near about 12PM) where the Sun is the highest and hottest is called the mid-heaven.

6. Look at the position of the Sun in your chart and see how it correlates to the time of your birth. Take into account some variation at different times of the year depending on the sunrise.

7. Watch the Sun throughout the day and cast a few charts to see how it moves through the houses.


One must become accustomed to reading the chart, perceiving it properly, before beginning metaphysical interpretation. The first example chart has a native born at 12:00PM during the time of the year when the Sun was in Leo. This will place the Sun in the 10 th house as well as make the tenth house ruled by Leo. If the Sun is in the 10 th house ruled by Leo then the ascendant must be Scorpio.
The second sample chart, the native was born at Sunset while the Sun was in Scorpio. This will make the lagna Taurus, so as the Sun set the constellation of Taurus was rising on the eastern horizon.
8. The next chart belongs to a native who was born at midnight while the Sun was in Sagittarius. What was the lagna (stars rising on the eastern horizon) when the native was born?
9. In the next example, what house is the Sun in? About what time was the native born? If they were born on November 20th, what would be the lagna? If they were born on April 1st, what would be the lagna?
10. In the next example, what house is the Sun in? About what time was the native born? If they were born on November 1st, what would be the lagna? If they were born on April 21st, what would be the lagna?

Now that the houses have a physical reality to you in the sky, you can use the Bhrigu chakra

11. Look at your chart to see what was in the sky when you were born and where it was above you. Bring the chart into the sky above you. Where in the sky or below the Earth was your Sun when you were born? What other planets were located in the sky?

12. Take some time to cast the chart just after sunset for your location. Go outside and locate the planets, and the Moon. Predict where they will be before going out and looking at the sky. Predict when Venus will set, or when it will rise and take time to watch this. What times of year is Jupiter visible in the sky? Make sure to calculate and observe this.

 

South Indian Chart (Guru Chakra)

The South Indian chart is made of squares and places the signs in a clockwise manner. The signs never change but the houses move in the chart. The ascendant is placed in a sign and the houses proceed from that sign. The Lagna is marked by a line crossing the house or by either writing Lag (Lagna) or Asc (Ascendant). The clockwise motion of the signs is as it is perceived from the Sun's viewpoint.


In the example, a line is crossed through Gemini, the 3rd sign. Gemini is then the first house (lagna). The Sun is placed in Virgo in the 4th house (it is four signs away from the lagna). In this way the signs remain the same and the houses will change depending on the lagna.

Where the North Indian chart represents the view of the houses from the vantage point of Earth, the South Indian chart represent the movement of the Earth while the signs remain still in the universe. The signs and the Sun remain still and the revolving Earth changes houses as if a higher power outside the earth is watching. This chart is considered to be ruled by Jupiter (called Guru or Brihaspati in Sanskrit). It is said to bring prosperity to those who use it as Jupiter is the karaka (signifier) of wealth. It is called the Guru Chakra.

 



13. In the next South Indian chart, which sign (rasi) is the lagna? What rasi and house (bhava) contains the Sun?


Rules based on signs, like the exaltation and debilitation, remain the same in this chart.

14. First draw your own chart in the South Indian style, placing all the planets in the appropriate signs.
15. Which planets are Uccha and which planets are Neecha?

The Guru Chakra is always used when doing Vastu (Indian Feng Shui). The Rasi of Aries is lined up to the Easternmost direction. According to the rules of Vastu, the center of the room should remain empty. It is called the Brahmasthanam (the place of god). It is the all encompassing Emptiness (Shunya) in the center of everything. The Center is best left open and uncluttered.


In the example diagram, Aries has been lined up to the East of a person's bedroom. The doorway falls into Aries. The alter is in Pisces and Aquarius. The circular table is in Gemini. The desk is in Sagittarius and Capricorn while the desk is in Scorpio. The bed is falling into Leo and Virgo. If a person was to enter the room and take a seat, we could see what sign they were sitting in. Will they sit by the door in Taurus, or will they sit near the bed in Libra, or will they sit on the desk chair in Scorpio. When you are looking at the signs upon the Earth, you will always use the Guru Chakra.

16. Draw a map of the floor plan of your house. Then overlay the Guru Chakra over the house with Aries in the Eastern-most directions? Which room contains your Lagna, which room contains your Lagna lord? [In Vastu, house design is based upon the ashtakavarga of the signs.]

17. Draw a map of your bedroom. Then overlay the Guru Chakra. Where is Venus in your bedroom? If possible, try to arrange your bed to be in the place of Venus, as Venus is the karaka for beds. [The room layout is based on the position of the karaka for the purpose of the room.] If you have a standing light, try to place it in the position of the Sun. Noticing how easy or hard these two factors are, how suitable is this room for your individual purposes?




East Indian Chart (Surya Chakra)

The north Indian chart is made of all diamonds/diagonlas, the south Indian is made of all squares/ straight lines. The East Indian chart is made of both diamonds and squares. It is meant to look like the Sun with rays coming from it.

The signs remain in the same position and the houses move. The Ascendant is placed in a sign and the houses are reckoned from it. The signs are placed in a counter-clockwise motion as they are perceived from earth looking up at the sky.


In the example chart, the ascendant is Gemini and the Sun is in the fourth house in Virgo. The Moon is in the 11th house in Aries.

Surya is the planet which rules vision, to see, to perceive. Surya must be strong to be able to read an astrological chart. The Surya Chakra is considered the best for predictive purposes.


The aspect that stands out the most in this chart is the gunas of rajas, tamas and sattva. The gunas relate directly to the trinity of Brahma the creator (rajas), Visnu the sustainer (sattva), and Maheshwar the destroyer (tamas). There are three shapes, the squares hold Brahma. The triangles that are circulating clockwise and upward hold Visnu. And the triangles that go downwards and counter-clockwise represent Shiva. This is the general foundation, but these houses will shift according to Lagna and Arudha Lagna.

The Arudha Lagna is like the Lagna, but while the Lagna shows what you are, the Arudha Lagna is a point that shows how you are perceived. Perception and truth are not always the same. Since the East Indian chart shows the gunas, it is very important for understanding the Arudha (image). This is a more advanced level of astrology; seeing the difference from an experience and the perception of an experience. When one begins to use Arudhas, this chart will shed light on what was once before darkness. The Sun reveals everything, and no untruth (image) can hide from it. When an astrologer uses multiple special lagnas and arudhas the Surya Chakra will prove very powerful.

18. Draw your own chart in the East Indian style. Also place the Arudhas in the proper places; AL, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10, A11, UL.

Drawing the chart by Hand

It is important to draw the chart by hand, especially as a beginner. The chart is a yantra of the human incarnation; it contains all potentialities of an individual. It is a sacred diagram and should be studied by hand before moving to computer generated charts.

Before drawing any type of chart, first a small mantra to Ganesh is recited. Then one says a small mantra to Surya, the Sun god.

The chart itself should be drawn in black pen [when using the North Indian the signs are also written in black]. The planets are placed in the chart with red pen. When the planets are written in red it is said they become alive and will reveal much more to the astrologer.

 

Conclusion

It is said that the south Indian is on the earth, the North Indian is on the ceiling and the East in Indian is in the sky. The South Indian is most beneficial when doing vastu (vedic architecture) and casting a chart in an environment. It is said to be the most financially rewarding of the styles. The North Indian diamond chart is good to see a person's abilities as the quadrants and trines stand out. It is also good to get an easy concept of the sky. The East Indian chart which uses both diamonds and squares and is connected to the main luminary is known to be good for prediction. To be a good astrologer you should be able to read any of these three, but that will come in time. To not get too attached to a single style, occasionally try using different ones.

19. Now that you have a better grasp, draw your chart in each style. Draw the North Indian chart 3 times:
a. one with Lagna in the first house (physical body)
b. the second with Moon as the first house (subtle body) which is called Chandra Lagna
c. the third with Sun as the first house (causal body) which is called Surya Lagna.

20. Draw a South Indian chart in the proper procedure with proper colors.

21. Draw an East Indian chart in the same way.