Reference
The Twelve Ascendants
The ascendant is the sign rising at your birth, and it fixes every other house in the chart. Each page below gives the lord, the yogakaraka, the marakas and the badhakesha for that lagna, the sign and lord of all twelve houses, and — computed daily — when that sign is actually rising and where the planets stand from it.
| Ascendant | Lord | Nature | Yogakaraka | Marakas | Badhakesha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariesमेष | Mars | Movable | — | Venus | Saturn (11th) |
| Taurusवृषभ | Venus | Fixed | Saturn | Mercury, Mars | Saturn (9th) |
| Geminiमिथुन | Mercury | Dual | — | Moon, Jupiter | Jupiter (7th) |
| Cancerकर्क | Moon | Movable | Mars | Sun, Saturn | Venus (11th) |
| Leoसिंह | Sun | Fixed | Mars | Mercury, Saturn | Mars (9th) |
| Virgoकन्या | Mercury | Dual | — | Venus, Jupiter | Jupiter (7th) |
| Libraतुला | Venus | Movable | Saturn | Mars | Sun (11th) |
| Scorpioवृश्चिक | Mars | Fixed | — | Jupiter, Venus | Moon (9th) |
| Sagittariusधनु | Jupiter | Dual | — | Saturn, Mercury | Mercury (7th) |
| Capricornमकर | Saturn | Movable | Venus | Saturn, Moon | Mars (11th) |
| Aquariusकुंभ | Saturn | Fixed | Venus | Jupiter, Sun | Venus (9th) |
| Piscesमीन | Jupiter | Dual | — | Mars, Mercury | Mercury (7th) |
FAQ
Ascendants — common questions
What is a lagna or ascendant?
The lagna is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment and place of your birth. It becomes the 1st house of your chart, and every other house is counted from it — which is why two people born on the same day with different birth times can have very different charts.
How do I find my ascendant?
You need your date, exact time and place of birth. The ascendant moves through all twelve signs in roughly 24 hours, so a new sign rises every two hours or so — and faster or slower depending on latitude. The lagna calculator computes it to the degree.
Is the ascendant more important than the Sun sign?
In Vedic astrology, yes. The chart is read primarily from the ascendant, with the Moon sign as a second lens; the Sun sign is a minor factor. This is the main reason a Vedic reading differs from the Western horoscope you may be used to.
Why does my Vedic ascendant differ from a Western one?
Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac and Vedic astrology the sidereal, which currently differ by about 24 degrees. Your rising degree is the same point in the sky; the sidereal label often falls one sign earlier.
What is a yogakaraka and why does it depend on the ascendant?
A yogakaraka rules both a kendra (4th, 7th or 10th) and a trikona (5th or 9th) from your ascendant, which makes it strongly positive for that chart whatever its natural nature. Only six of the twelve ascendants have one: Mars for Cancer and Leo, Venus for Capricorn and Aquarius, Saturn for Taurus and Libra.