The 12 Houses in Vedic Astrology
A birth chart is divided into twelve houses, or bhavas, each governing one area of life. The 1st house begins with the ascendant, and the rest follow in order of the signs. Every house has a lord, the planet ruling its sign, and where that lord sits shows where the house's matters play out.
- Tanu Bhava1st houseSelf, body and direction
- Dhana Bhava2nd houseWealth, family and speech
- Sahaja Bhava3rd houseCourage, siblings and effort
- Sukha Bhava4th houseHome, mother and inner peace
- Putra Bhava5th houseChildren, intellect and creativity
- Ari Bhava6th houseWork, health, rivals and debts
- Yuvati Bhava7th houseMarriage and partnership
- Randhra Bhava8th houseLongevity, change and hidden matters
- Dharma Bhava9th houseFortune, father and dharma
- Karma Bhava10th houseCareer, status and action
- Labha Bhava11th houseGains, income and friends
- Vyaya Bhava12th houseExpenses, foreign lands and release
The four groups of houses
Kendra (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th): the angular houses, the pillars of the chart. Planets here are strong and visible in your life.
Trikona (1st, 5th, 9th): the houses of fortune and dharma. Their lords bring blessings wherever they go.
Dusthana (6th, 8th, 12th): the houses of difficulty. Their lords tend to complicate what they touch, though two dusthana lords together can reverse into gain (Viparita Raja yoga).
Upachaya (3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th): the houses of growth. Results here improve with time and effort, and the hard planets do well in them.
A house can belong to more than one group. The 1st is both a kendra and a trikona; the 6th is both a dusthana and an upachaya, which is why hard planets do well there.