
Learning Horoscope Reading
By Munish Bawa
As we are aware that the Astrology is becoming popular day by day. This is because of the basic reason that the Astrology is used for the prediction for short term as well as long term future. In earlier chapters though we understood the concept of key elements of horoscope reading Planets, Zodiac Signs and Kundli (Horoscope) & house signification. Yet in this chapter we will try to establish connection between all of these in reading horoscope.
Basic Elements of Predictive Horoscope Reading
- Classification of Houses
- Concept of Benefic and Malefic Planets.
- Friendship and Enmities between Planets
- Yoga in Horoscope
- Strength of planets
- Aspects of Planets in various houses
- Divisional Charts and its significance.
- Dasha System to predict time of event
- Transit ( Gochar ) of Planets
Classification of Houses of Kundli ( Horoscope )
KENDRA STHANA ( CENTRE ) :
House No 1 , 4 , 7 and 10 are “Kendra Sthana” and ruler of these house are Yogkarka ( Benefic ) planets yet with some conditions.
TRIKONA STHANA ( TRINE ) :
House No 1 , 5 , 9 are treated as Trikona Sthana and ruler of these houses will always be Yogkarka ( Benefic ).
TRISHADAYA :
House no 3 , 6, 11 are “Trishadaya” houses and subsequently ruler of these houses are Ayogkarka ( Malefic ).

House No 6 , 8 and 12 Houses are always treated as bad houses. Thus planets having placement in these houses does not give good results.
House No 2 and 7 are called Marak Sthana ( Places of Death ).
Concept of Benefic and Malefic Planets
Natural ( Naisargik ) Benefic and Malefic Planets
Out of nine planets Saturn , Mars , Sun , Rahu and Ketu are natural Malefic Planets. Jupiter and Venus are Natural Benefic planets. However Moon and Mercury are two planets those are Benefic as well as Malefic too based on certain conditions.
Moon : Moon is benefic during Shukla Paksh ( increasing Moon ) and Malefic during Krishan Paksh ( decreasing Moon ).
Mercury : Mercury becomes Benefic if he joins and Benefic Planet and becomes Malefic if associates with a Malefic Planet. Mercury with increasing Moon is benefic. Furthermore it becomes Malefic if it is with decreasing Moon.
According to Many sages Sun is not a Malefic Planet although he is very strict and harsh ( Krur Grah ). As it represents Father hence becomes very harsh for the betterment.
Benefic and Malefic Due to Lordship of Planets
Kendra House Rulers: Benefic planets that rule over Kendras (1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses) do not give favorable results, while malefic planets ruling these houses are not necessarily inauspicious.
Trikona House Rulers: The ruler of a Trikona house (5th or 9th) will bring positive outcomes. The ruler of the Lagna (Ascendant) is especially important because the Lagna is both a Kendra and a Kona.
The 5th and 9th houses are especially related to wealth, while the 7th and 10th houses are connected to happiness.
Trishadaya House Rulers: Planets that rule the 3rd, 6th, or 11th houses tend to give negative results.
The impact of planets ruling the 12th and 8th houses depends on their relationships with other planets. Within each group of houses, significance increases in a certain order. The 8th house ruler is generally not favorable, as it governs the 12th house from the 9th, but if the 8th house ruler also owns the 3rd, 6th, or 11th house, it can have especially harmful effects. However, if the 8th house ruler also rules a Trikona, it can bring positive results.
A planet that rules a major house tends to overpower the effects of a planet ruling a less important house and will primarily give its own results. The 8th house rulership of the Sun and Moon is not considered harmful.
Friendship and Enmities between Planets
Natural (Naisargik) Relationship
Physical Planets
To understand planetary relationships, a simple formula is often used. The planets’ friendship or enmity is determined based on the Moolatrikona sign. The 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 12th lords from the Moolatrikona sign are considered friends, while the 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th, and 11th lords are considered enemies. In cases where both friendship and enmity occur simultaneously, neither prevails. Instead, a state of neutrality or equality is considered.
However, there is an exception for Mars.
Mars has its Moolatrikona sign in Aries, and its 10th and 11th lords from the Moolatrikona sign are Capricorn and Aquarius having lord as Saturn. According to the formula, Saturn should be considered an enemy to Mars. But there’s a twist here: Mars is exalted in Capricorn, which is the 10th sign from its Moontrikona sign. This makes Capricorn a friendly sign for Mars. Due to this combination, Saturn, which is the lord of Capricorn, becomes neutral to Mars instead of an enemy.
Shadow Planets
- Rahu: The Sun, Moon, and Mars are considered his enemies. Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn are his friends, while Mercury is neutral.
- Ketu: The Sun and Moon are his enemies. Mars, Venus, and Saturn are his friends, and Mercury and Jupiter are neutral towards him.
Planet (Graha) | Friend | Neutral | Enemy |
---|---|---|---|
SUN | Mars Moon Jupiter | Mercury | Saturn Venus |
MOON | Sun Mercury | Jupiter Saturn Mars Venus | |
MARS | Sun Moon Jupiter | Venus Saturn | Mercury |
MERCURY | Sun Venus | Jupiter Saturn Mars | Moon |
JUPITER | Sun Moon Mars | Saturn | Mercury Venus |
VENUS | Saturn Mercury | Mars Jupiter | Sun Moon |
SATURN | Venus Mercury | Jupiter | Sun Moon Mars |
- Relationship of Rahu and Ketu
- Rahu: The Sun, Moon, and Mars are considered his enemies. Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn are his friends, while Mercury is neutral.
- Ketu: The Sun and Moon are his enemies. Mars, Venus, and Saturn are his friends, and Mercury and Jupiter are neutral towards him.
Temporary ( Tatkalin ) Relationship
Rule to decide Temporary Relationship: In astrology, planets form temporary relationships on the bases of their positions in a particular horoscope.
Friends: if two planets are located in certain houses from each other, they develop a friendly or cordial connection. From the position of one planet in case another planet is 3 house ahead or 3 houses behind, they become temporarily friendly towards each other. So friend houses are 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th and 12th.
Enemy: On the other hand, if the planets are in different combinations of houses, they experience temporary enmity. These houses are 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th.

Panchda Maitri ( Compound 5 Fold Relationship )
Based on both abovesaid ways to establish friendship, in every horoscope we conclude five fold Relationship i.e. Extreme Friend , Friend, Neutral, Enemy and Extreme Enemy.
This conclusion is drawn based on the combination of both Natural and Temporary Relationship.
Friends + Friend is “Extreme friend”
Neutral + Friend is “Friend”
Enemy + Friend is “Neutral”
Neutral + Enemy is “Enemy”
Enemy + Enemy is “Extreme Enemy”
Natural Relationship | Temporary Relationship | 5 Fold Relationship |
---|---|---|
Friend | Friend | Extreme Friend |
Neutral | Friend | Friend |
Friend | Enemy | Neutral |
Enemy | Friend | |
Neutral | Enemy | Enemy |
Enemy | Enemy | Extreme Enemy |
Yogas in Astrology
Evaluating Yogas in a horoscope is the first step of Horoscope Reading post checking basic assumption. Although these Yogas may be Auspicious Yogas or Un-auspicious Yogas. Formation of these yogas are based on some factors. Few of them are listed below.
- On the basis of the position of of the planet.
- On the basis of Combination of two or more planets
- On the basis of aspect of a planet.
- On the basis of Exchange of planets in each other’s lordship.
Strength of planets
Shad Bala refers to the Six different type of strengths a planet possesses in astrology. Furthermore evaluation for these strengths are being calculated for each planet from the Sun to Saturn (excluding the nodes Rahu and Ketu) which is a key element for horoscope reading. These strengths include:
- Sthan Bala (positional)
- Dig Bala (directional)
- Kaal Bala (Temporal), inclusive of Ayan Bala (equinoctial)
- Chesht Bala (motional)
- Naisargika Bala (natural)
- Drik Bala (aspectual)
Aspects of Rashis and Planets in various houses for horoscope reading
Rashi Aspect
- Each movable zodiac sign (Rashi) aspects the three fixed zodiac signs, but not the one adjacent to it.
- Conversely, each fixed zodiac sign aspects the three movable signs, but not the adjacent movable sign.
- A common zodiac sign (Rashi) aspects the other three common signs.
- Additionally, a planet in a particular sign will have the same aspect as that sign.
Rashi ( Zodiac Sign ) | Behavior | Aspect on other rashis |
---|---|---|
Aries (Mesh) | Movable | Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius |
Taurus (Vrish) | Fixed | Cancer, Libra, Capricorn |
Gemini (Mithun) | Common | Virgo, Saggitarius, Pisces |
Cancer (Kark) | Movable | Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius |
Leo (Singh) | Fixed | Aries, Libra, Capricorn |
Virgo (Kanya) | Common | Gemini, Saggitarius, Pisces |
Libra (Tula) | Movable | Taurus, Leo, Aquarius |
Scorpio (Vrishchak) | Fixed | Aries, Cancer, Capricorn |
Saggitarius (Dhanu) | Common | Gemini, Virgo, Pisces |
Capricorn (Makar) | Movable | Taurus, Leo, Scorpio |
Aquarius (Kumbh) | Fixed | Aries, Cancer, Libra |
Pisces (Meen) | Common | Gemini, Virgo, Saggitarius |
Planet Aspect
The aspects between planets which we need to consider during horoscope reading are divided into specific pairs: 3rd and 10th, 5th and 9th, 4th and 8th, and lastly the 7th. The effects of these aspects increase in stages, like quarters: 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full, with the impact being stronger as the aspect becomes more complete. All planets give a full aspect to the 7th house. In addition, certain planets—Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars—have special aspects. Saturn influences the 3rd and 10th houses, Jupiter affects the 5th and 9th houses, and Mars has an effect on the 4th and 8th houses.




Divisional Charts and its significance
Varga | Chart | Area of Influence |
---|---|---|
Rasi | D-1 | Physical Existence |
Hora | D-2 | Wealth, Resources and Money |
Drekkana | D-3 | Environment related to Brothers and Sisters |
Chaturthamsa | D-4 | Residence, Houses, Properties and Fortune |
Panchamsa | D-5 | Fame, Authority and Power |
Shashthamsa | D-6 | Health |
Saptamsa | D-7 | Environment related to children |
Ashtamsa | D-8 | Legal Issues, Sudden and Unexpected troubles |
Navamsa | D-9 | Marriage, Spouse, Dharma, Skills |
Dasamsa | D-10 | Career, Karma and Achievements |
Rudramsa | D-11 | Death and Destruction |
Dwadasamsa | D-12 | Environment related to parents |
Shodasamsa | D-16 | Vehicle Related Pleasures |
Vimsamsa | D-20 | Religious and spiritual matters |
Chaturvimsamsa | D-24 | Learning, Knowledge and Education |
Nakshatramsa | D-27 | Strengths and Weaknesses and inherent nature |
Trimsamsa | D-30 | Evils and punishment, sub-conscious self, Diseases |
Khavedamsa | D-40 | Auspicious and Inauspicious events |
Akshavedamsa | D-45 | General Issues |
Shashtyamsa | D-60/H-60 | Balance sheet of past lives |
Dasha System to predict time of event
From the above mentioned topics we have now fair understanding regarding reading a horoscope. From this we may able to forecast few events regarding the person’s life. Although horoscope Reading would not complete if we are not able to forecast the time of events. So to evaluate time of event we need to consider “Dasha system”
There are many types of Dashas which are being described by our sages, but in Kali-yuga best suited Dasha is “Vishmottri Dasha”. In the era of Kali Yuga, natural life-span of a human being is generally taken, as 120 years and Vishmottri Dasha is of 120 Years ( Sun – 6 years, Moon – 10 years, Mars – 7 years, Rahu – 18 years, Jupiter – 16 years, Saturn – 19 years, Mercury – 17 years, Ketu – 7 years and Venus – 20 years ). Therefore Vimshottari Dasha is considered to be the most appropriate and the best of all Dashas.
Although, in certain special cases, our sages emphasizes other types of Dashas (planetary periods) too. These Dasha’s are Astottara, Shodshottari, Dwadashottari, Panchottari, Shatabdik, Chaturashitisama, Dwisaptati-sama, Shastihayani, and Shat-trimshat-sama.
Transit ( Gochar ) of Planets
Transit of planet is basically position of planets at particular time when we need to evaluate a particular horoscope. In other language the forth dimension of universe is “time” and time of universe is always the relative position of Zodiac as well as planets.
Current position of planets in various zodiac sign ( Gochar ) with reference to Natal chart need to be evaluated for complete analysis of horoscope is a critical aspect of horoscope reading. Ashtakvarga is a key tool for prediction of Gochar’s impact io a horoscope.
The another important reason for evaluation of Gochar ( Transit of planets ) is to find out Muhurat ( auspicious time ) for doing any important activity.