The 12 Bhavas (Houses)
Each bhava represents an area of life. House 1 is always the Lagna; the rest follow counterclockwise. To read a house: look at (1) the sign in it, (2) any planets sitting there, (3) where the LORD of that sign is placed elsewhere in the chart.
| House | Name | Areas of life |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanu / तनु | self, body, personality, overall vitality |
| 2 | Dhana / धन | wealth, family, speech, food |
| 3 | Sahaja / सहज | siblings, courage, short journeys, communication |
| 4 | Sukha / सुख | mother, home, comfort, education, vehicles |
| 5 | Putra / पुत्र | children, intellect, creativity, past-life merit |
| 6 | Ari / अरि | enemies, illness, debts, daily work, obstacles |
| 7 | Yuvati / युवती | spouse, partnerships, business, public dealings |
| 8 | Ayu / आयु | longevity, hidden things, transformation, inheritance |
| 9 | Dharma / धर्म | father, fortune, higher learning, religion, long journeys |
| 10 | Karma / कर्म | career, status, public reputation, action in the world |
| 11 | Labha / लाभ | gains, friendships, hopes, elder siblings |
| 12 | Vyaya / व्यय | losses, expenses, foreign lands, liberation, sleep |
House categories
- Kendras (Angles) — 1, 4, 7, 10
- The strongest houses. A planet placed here exerts powerful influence.
- Trikonas (Trines) — 1, 5, 9
- The most auspicious houses. The "dharma trikonas" — soul, creativity, fortune.
- Dusthanas (Difficult houses) — 6, 8, 12
- Challenging — disease, loss, obstacles. But 8 also brings transformation, and 12 enables liberation.
- Upachayas (Growing houses) — 3, 6, 10, 11
- Houses that improve with time — effort here pays compounding returns.
- Marakas (Mortality houses) — 2, 7
- Classical texts call these "killing" houses — they relate to health and life-force in long-life calculations.
Meaning groups (Bhava trines)
- Dharma — 1, 5, 9 (soul, purpose, fortune)
- Artha — 2, 6, 10 (wealth, work, career)
- Kama — 3, 7, 11 (desires, partnership, gains)
- Moksha — 4, 8, 12 (peace, transformation, liberation)