Lagna · the ascendant
Lagna: the rising sign, the Lagna lord and the 12 lagnas
What the Lagna (ascendant) is, how it differs from your rashi, how it is found from your birth time, and the lord and the good and bad planets of each of the 12 lagnas, from BPHS.
In short
Lagna is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon when you were born. It is the 1st house of your birth chart and sets which planet rules every other house. It changes about every two hours, so it needs your exact birth time and place; your rashi, the Moon's sign, does not.
The 12 lagnas, their lords and the planets BPHS names for each
| Lagna | Lagna lord | Auspicious | Gives Raja yoga | Malefic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesha (Aries) | Mars | Jupiter and the Sun | None named | Saturn, Mercury and Venus |
| Vrishabha (Taurus) | Venus | Saturn and the Sun | Saturn | Jupiter, Venus and the Moon |
| Mithuna (Gemini) | Mercury | Venus | None named | Mars, Jupiter and the Sun |
| Karka (Cancer) | The Moon | Mars, Jupiter and the Moon | Mars | Venus and Mercury |
| Simha (Leo) | The Sun | Mars, Jupiter and the Sun | None named | Mercury, Venus and Saturn |
| Kanya (Virgo) | Mercury | Mercury and Venus | None named | Mars, Jupiter and the Moon |
| Tula (Libra) | Venus | Saturn and Mercury | The Moon and Mercury | Jupiter, the Sun and Mars |
| Vrishchika (Scorpio) | Mars | Jupiter and the Moon | The Sun and the Moon | Venus, Mercury and Saturn |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Jupiter | Mars and the Sun | The Sun and Mercury | Venus |
| Makara (Capricorn) | Saturn | Venus and Mercury | Venus | Mars, Jupiter and the Moon |
| Kumbha (Aquarius) | Saturn | Venus and Saturn | Venus | Jupiter, the Moon and Mars |
| Meena (Pisces) | Jupiter | Mars and the Moon | Mars and Jupiter | Saturn, Venus, the Sun and Mercury |
From BPHS ch. 34 sl. 19-44, as coded in Astrojar's engine. Where the table says "None named", Astrojar's reading of the chapter lists no planet in that column for the Lagna.
What is a Lagna?
As the Earth turns, each of the 12 signs rises in the east in turn, all twelve in a day. The sign rising at the moment of birth is the Lagna, also called the ascendant or udaya lagna. It becomes the 1st house, the next sign the 2nd house, and so on round the chart; see the 1st house in astrology for what that house shows.
Because a new sign rises about every two hours on average (some signs take less, some more, depending on the latitude), the Lagna is the most time-sensitive point in the chart.
Lagna, rashi and nakshatra
Three different points, all in one chart: the Lagna is the rising sign; the rashi is the Moon's sign; the nakshatra is the Moon's star within that sign. The houses are read from the Lagna; the Moon sign is used for transits such as Sade Sati; the nakshatra starts the dasha.
| Lagna | Rashi | Nakshatra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | The sign rising in the east | The Moon's sign | The Moon's star (13°20') |
| Changes about every | 2 hours | 2½ days | 1 day |
| Needs | Date, exact time and place | Date (time near a sign change) | Date and time |
| Used for | The houses and their lords | Transits, Sade Sati, matching | The dasha, matching |
The Lagna lord and the lords of the houses
Each house is ruled by the lord of the sign in it, so the Lagna fixes which planet rules which part of life: for a Mesha Lagna, Mars rules the 1st and 8th houses and Venus the 2nd and 7th; for a Tula Lagna it is the other way round. The Lagna lord's strength and placement are read for the whole chart. Each Lagna's page lists all twelve house lords.
The lagna chart
The lagna chart is the birth chart (D1) drawn with the Lagna in the 1st house. North Indian charts keep the houses fixed, with the Lagna in the top centre box, and write the sign numbers in; South Indian charts keep the signs fixed and mark the Lagna's box. Both show the same chart. Astrojar draws yours in either style.
Questions about Lagna
What is Lagna in astrology?
Lagna (the ascendant) is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It becomes the 1st house of the birth chart, and every other house is counted from it.
What is the difference between Lagna and rashi?
Lagna is the sign rising in the east at birth; rashi is the sign the Moon is in. The Lagna changes about every two hours, the Moon sign about every two and a half days, so two people born on the same day often share a rashi but not a Lagna.
How do I find my Lagna?
You need the exact birth time and the birth place, as well as the date. The Lagna is worked out from the local sidereal time at the birth place; a few minutes can change it near the edge of a sign. Astrojar's free chart card shows your Lagna from those three details.
What is the Lagna lord?
The planet that rules the sign of the Lagna. Mars rules Mesha and Vrishchika Lagna, Venus rules Vrishabha and Tula, Mercury rules Mithuna and Kanya, the Moon rules Karka, the Sun rules Simha, Jupiter rules Dhanu and Meena, and Saturn rules Makara and Kumbha.
What is a lagna chart?
The birth chart (D1, rashi chart) drawn with the Lagna in the 1st house. In the North Indian style the Lagna sits in the top centre box and the signs move; in the South Indian style the signs are fixed and the Lagna box is marked.
Which planets are good for my Lagna?
BPHS ch. 34 lists, for each Lagna, the planets that are auspicious, the ones that give Raja yoga and the ones that are malefic. The table on this page gives all twelve; each Lagna's page explains its own.
Sources
- Sign lords: BPHS ch. 3, as coded in Astrojar's engine. House lords are counted sign by sign from the Lagna (whole-sign houses), as Astrojar's chart does.
- Auspicious, Raja-yoga-giving and malefic planets for each Lagna: BPHS ch. 34 sl. 19-44 (R. Santhanam translation), the table Astrojar's gemstone and remedy advice follows.
- A strong Lagna lord protecting the chart: BPHS ch. 10 sl. 4, as Astrojar's remedy rules use it.
This is the traditional reading of the classical texts, given for learning and reflection. It is not a prediction for you, and not medical, legal or financial advice.
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