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Vedic astrology, in the terms it actually uses

Jyotish — the Sanskrit name for Vedic astrology — measures the sky differently from the tropical, sun-sign astrology most Western readers already know, and it uses a different vocabulary to describe it. This page is a short glossary of the four terms that come up constantly. Each links to a fuller guide.

Nakshatra

One of 27 lunar mansions the Moon passes through roughly every 27.3 days — a finer, older division of the sky than the twelve rashis, and the placement Jyotish treats as most personally revealing. See the full guide to all 27 nakshatras.

Rashi

The sidereal zodiac sign — the Jyotish equivalent of a “sign,” but measured against the fixed stars (the Lahiri ayanamsa) rather than the seasons. This is why a Vedic moon sign or ascendant is usually one sign earlier than its Western tropical counterpart.

Lagna

The ascendant — the rashi rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment of birth. It requires an accurate birth time to compute, and it anchors every house position in the chart, which is why Jyotish treats birth time as far more consequential than a sun sign chart does.

Dasha

A planetary period. The Vimshottari dasha system divides a 120-year cycle among the nine grahas, so that a chart does not just describe a static personality — it describes which planetary period a person is living through right now, and when the next one begins.

More guides — on the rashis, the mahadashas, and how Vedic and Western astrology diverge — are on the way. For now, the deepest reference set is the nakshatras.