Learning astrology

How to read a kundli, one step at a time

A kundli is read in a fixed order: lagna, houses, planets, signs, the Moon's nakshatra, then the dasha running now. Here is that order, with what the classical texts list at each step.

Updated 2026-11-05

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Short answer

To read a kundli, check the lagna (ascendant) first, because Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra says the birth ascendant must be corrected before anything else ¹. Then read the 12 houses, the planets placed in them and the signs they occupy, using Parashara's list of what each house signifies ². Next find the Moon's nakshatra, which decides the Vimshottari dasha a person is born into, and read the period running now ⁴. The client card in Kismo's one test reading already shows the birth details and chart, so it tests reading, not calculation.

First step: Correct the birth ascendant (janmalagna) before anything else ¹
Houses: 12 bhavas, each with its own list of matters in BPHS chapter 11 ²
Aspects: Every planet aspects the 7th from itself; Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have extra aspects ⁵
Nakshatras: 27, ruled in three rounds of nine planets counted from Krittika ⁴
Dasha cycle: Vimshottari, 120 years in all ⁴
Chart styles: North Indian and South Indian; kundli apps draw both ⁹

The basics

What is a kundli, and what are you reading when you read one?

A kundli is the birth chart, read from the sign rising at the moment of birth. Prasna Marga names this branch jataka: predictions made on the basis of the rising sign at birth ¹⁰.

The chart has 12 houses, nine planets and 12 signs. You can draw it in the North Indian or the South Indian style, and kundli apps show both ⁹. The style changes only the picture, not the reading.

Before you start, ask for three things: date of birth, time of birth and place of birth. A wrong time moves the lagna, and the lagna sets every house that follows.

Step 1

Why do you read the lagna before anything else?

The lagna comes first because every house is counted from it. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS) says the birth ascendant is to be corrected first, and only then the moment of conception ¹.

Parashara reads the 1st house for the body, appearance, knowledge and nature of the person ². So the lagna, its lord and any planet in it tell you who you are reading for, before you look at any question.

If the client is unsure of the time, say so in the reading and keep it general. The fixes for a doubtful time are on how to do birth time rectification.

Step 2

What does each of the 12 houses show in a kundli?

Each house in a kundli has its own list of matters, given in BPHS chapter 11, verses 2 to 13 ². Chapter 32 adds one significator planet (karaka) for each house ³.

House	What BPHS chapter 11 lists [2]	Karaka in BPHS 32.34 [3]
1st	Body, appearance, knowledge, nature	Sun
2nd	Wealth, grain, family	Jupiter
3rd	Valour, servants, younger siblings, journeys	Mars
4th	Vehicles, relatives, mother's happiness, land, houses	Moon
5th	Mantras, knowledge, intellect, children	Jupiter
6th	Maternal uncles, fears, enemies, wounds	Mars
7th	Spouse, journeys, trade, lost articles	Venus
8th	Longevity, battles, inherited wealth	Saturn
9th	Fortune, dharma, pilgrimages, in-laws	Jupiter
10th	Government, livelihood, honour, father, foreign residence, debts	Mercury
11th	Gains, income, increase	Jupiter
12th	Expenditure and losses	Saturn

A house is not judged by its list alone. BPHS says a house prospers when benefics join or aspect it and its lord is strong ⁸. It suffers when its lord is weak and joined with the lords of the 6th, 8th or 12th ⁸.

Step 3

How do you read the planets and the signs they sit in?

Planets are read by what they stand for and how strong their sign makes them. BPHS gives each a role: the Sun is the soul, the Moon the mind, Mars strength, Mercury speech, Jupiter knowledge and happiness, Venus potency and Saturn sorrow ⁶.

A planet in its exaltation sign is at its strongest. BPHS chapter 3 lists the exaltation signs in planetary order from the Sun ⁷.

Planet	Stands for [6]	Exalted in [7]
Sun	Soul	Aries
Moon	Mind	Taurus
Mars	Strength	Capricorn
Mercury	Speech	Virgo
Jupiter	Knowledge, happiness	Cancer
Venus	Potency	Pisces
Saturn	Sorrow	Libra

Signs also have a nature. Counted from Aries, they run movable, fixed and dual in turn, so Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are the movable signs ¹¹.

Step 4

Which houses does a planet aspect in a kundli?

Every planet in a kundli aspects the 7th house from where it sits, and three planets aspect more. BPHS chapter 26 gives Saturn extra aspects on the 3rd and 10th, Jupiter on the 5th and 9th, and Mars on the 4th and 8th ⁵.

Count from the planet's own house, not from the lagna. Jupiter in the 2nd house, for example, aspects the 6th, 8th and 10th houses, which is the 5th, 7th and 9th counted from Jupiter.

Step 5

Where do the nakshatra and the dasha come into a kundli reading?

The Moon's nakshatra decides which dasha a person is born into. BPHS counts the nakshatras from Krittika in three rounds of nine, ruled in turn by the Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu and Venus ⁴.

Three rounds of nine give the 27 nakshatras. The Vimshottari cycle lasts 120 years, and the balance of the first period comes from how much of its birth nakshatra the Moon had already crossed ⁴.

For a beginner, one rule is enough: read the dasha running today, and the house its lord owns and occupies. The full method is on how to read dasha and how to read antardasha.

The order

In what order should a beginner read a whole kundli?

Check the birth date, time and place, and confirm the lagna ¹.
Read the lagna, its lord and any planet in the 1st house ².
Find the house the question belongs to: the 7th for a spouse, the 10th for livelihood ².
Look at the planets in that house and the planets aspecting it ⁵.
Judge that house's lord: its sign, its strength and whether it joins the 6th, 8th or 12th lords ^7,8.
Note the Moon's sign and nakshatra ⁴.
Read the dasha running now and connect its lord to the house of the question ⁴.
Put it to the client as guidance, never as a promise.

Practise this order on charts of people whose lives you know, such as family members who agree. For the next level, see how to read the 7th house and the books worth buying first.

On Kismo

How is kundli reading tested when you apply to Kismo?

Kismo tests kundli reading in the last of its three application steps: one chat reading with a client, about 10 minutes, in Hinglish or English. Some applicants record a case-study video instead.

What the client card shows	What you do
Name, age, city and the question	Find the house that question belongs to
Birth details and the chart	Read lagna, house, lord and dasha in the order above
A client waiting in chat	Type every answer yourself; pasted answers are sent back

There is one try, and a person reads the whole chat before deciding within 2 days. Choose your practices with care, because they cannot be changed after you submit, and if you are new, pick "Just starting out" for experience.

Questions

What do astrologers ask about this?

Which house should I look at first in a kundli?

Look at the 1st house, the lagna, first. BPHS says the birth ascendant is to be corrected before anything else, and it reads the 1st house for the body, appearance, knowledge and nature of the person ^1,2. Every other house is counted from it.

What is the difference between rashi and nakshatra in a kundli?

A rashi is one of 12 signs, and a nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions. The Moon's nakshatra matters most for timing, because it sets the first Vimshottari dasha and the balance left at birth ⁴.

Do I need software to read a kundli?

You need software, or an app, to cast the chart accurately, but not to read it. Free options exist; see astrology software for astrologers. In Kismo's application reading, the chart is already on the client card.

How do I find which houses a planet aspects?

Count from the planet's own house. Every planet aspects the 7th from itself; Saturn also aspects the 3rd and 10th, Jupiter the 5th and 9th, and Mars the 4th and 8th, as BPHS chapter 26 says ⁵.

What if the client does not know their birth time?

Then the lagna is uncertain and so is every house. Say so plainly and keep to what the Moon sign shows, or read the question itself through prashna, the chart of the moment.

Can I tell a client exactly what will happen from their kundli?

No. A kundli reading is guidance about tendencies and timing, not a promise. Kismo's Astrologer Agreement also bars death predictions, medical, legal or financial advice, and anything on a pregnancy's outcome.

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