How to learn Lal Kitab, from the teva to the remedies
Lal Kitab looks simple from outside and is easy to misuse. This guide covers where the books came from, how its chart differs from a normal kundli, what to read and how to handle remedies with clients.
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Short answer
To learn Lal Kitab, first learn the planets and houses of Vedic astrology, then study the Lal Kitab chart (the teva), in which the house holding the ascendant is always house 1, the fixed house of Aries 2. Read a Hindi edition of Pt. Rup Chand Joshi's five Urdu volumes, written between 1939 and 1952 1, and learn its 35-year cycle and its remedies before reading for anyone 2. Kismo lets you list Lal Kitab as a practice, but remedies there are offered only through the app's own Remedies section, at prices the app sets.
Key facts
- Author
- Pt. Rup Chand Joshi of village Pharwala, Jalandhar district, Punjab 1
- Original language
- Urdu, in five volumes published from 1939 to 1952 1
- Longest edition
- The 1952 edition, 1,173 pages 2
- Chart rule
- The ascendant's house is always house 1, the fixed house of Aries 2
- Timing
- A 35-year cycle of planetary periods 2
What is Lal Kitab, and where did it come from?
Lal Kitab is a system of astrology and remedies written in Urdu by Pt. Rup Chand Joshi of Pharwala village in Jalandhar district, Punjab 1. It came out as five books between 1939 and 1952 1.
| Year | Volume |
|---|---|
| 1939 | Lal Kitab ke Farmaan 1 |
| 1940 | Lal Kitab ke Armaan 1 |
| 1941 | Lal Kitab, Teesra Hissa 1 |
| 1942 | A further version 1 |
| 1952 | The last version, 1,173 pages 1,2 |
Most students today read Hindi versions. One available version is a page-by-page Hindi transliteration of the 1952 Urdu text, made by a group of students 2.
How is a Lal Kitab chart different from a normal kundli?
A Lal Kitab chart, the teva, keeps the planets in their houses but drops the signs. Whatever ascendant the birth chart has, its house becomes house 1, the fixed house of Aries, and the rest follow in order 2. A Libra ascendant chart and an Aries ascendant chart are read on the same house grid.
| Idea in the 1952 edition | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Pakke ghar, the 12 fixed houses 2 | Each house has a permanent meaning, whatever sign rises |
| Janam kundli, chandra kundli and makaan kundli 2 | Three charts: birth, Moon and house |
| Varshphal 2 | An annual chart read for each year of life |
| The 35-year cycle 2 | Planetary periods that repeat across a life |
| Grahaphal and rashiphal 2 | The planet's result is called the king, the sign's result its minister |
| Hast rekha and the teva 2 | The book reads the hand's lines together with the chart |
That last link is why many Lal Kitab readers also study palmistry.
What should you learn first for Lal Kitab?
Learn the Vedic planets and houses first, because Lal Kitab uses the same nine planets and twelve houses even though it sets the signs aside 2. Our page on learning Vedic astrology covers that ground.
Then learn the book's Urdu vocabulary. Hindi editions keep these words, so you meet them on every page 2.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Teva | The horoscope as Lal Kitab draws it |
| Khana | A house, as in khana number 1 |
| Pakka ghar | A planet's or a house's fixed home |
| Farmaan | One of the book's numbered sections |
| Upay | A remedy |
| Varshphal | The annual chart |
What is a good learning path for Lal Kitab?
A good Lal Kitab path moves from drawing the teva to timing to remedies, in that order. Remedies come last because they only make sense once you can read the chart.
- Convert ten charts you know into tevas, putting the ascendant's house at number 1 2.
- Learn the 12 pakke ghar and what each planet does in each house 2.
- Study planetary aspects and relationships, which the book treats in its own farmaan 2.
- Learn the varshphal and the 35-year cycle, and check them against a few lives you know 2.
- Study the remedies last, with the Lal Kitab text open beside any later book.
Which Lal Kitab books should you read?
The Lal Kitab books to read are a faithful Hindi version of the original first, then one or two later explanations. Later authors add remedies of their own, so compare every remedy with the original wording.
| Book | Author or editor | Publisher | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lal Kitab, 1941 and 1952 editions | Pt. Rup Chand Joshi | Original Urdu; 1952 Hindi transliteration by students 1,2 | The source text |
| Asli Pracheen Lal Kitab | Girdhari Lal Sharma and Manohar Lal Sharma Vashisht | Lakshmi Prakashan, Delhi 5 | A Hindi reading of the original |
| Arun Samhita Lal Kitab | Dr Arun Anadi Krishna Das | Hare Krishna Trust, Chandigarh, 1999 3 | An illustrated Hindi explanation |
| Sampurna Lal Kitab aur Hastarekha Gyan | Umesh Puri Gyaneshwar | Randhir Prakashan, Haridwar, 2010 4 | Lal Kitab with palmistry |
Where can you learn Lal Kitab, and how long does it take?
Lal Kitab is learned from private teachers, online academies and the books themselves, not from the two institutional routes on our Vedic page. IGNOU's eight MA (Jyotish) papers do not include it 7, and the ICAS course list covers Jyotish, nakshatra, Nadi, palmistry and Vastu but no Lal Kitab 6.
| Route | Cost | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Self-study from a Hindi edition | The price of the book | Editions differ; keep the original wording to hand |
| A private teacher or online academy | Set by the teacher | Ask to see a teva worked from start to finish |
| A general Jyotish course first | ICAS: exam fee Rs 1,000 plus Rs 1,000 life membership 6 | Gives you the planets and houses Lal Kitab assumes |
If you already read Vedic charts, a few months of steady study is enough to draw and read a teva. Using the varshphal and the remedies well usually takes a year of practice on real lives.
How should a Lal Kitab reader handle remedies with paying clients?
A Lal Kitab reader should offer remedies as optional, simple and free of fear, and never as a condition for a good outcome. The older Jyotish texts point the same way: Phaladeepika names virtuous acts, vows, gifts and worship as the remedy, and says the planets favour the harmless and self-controlled 8.
- Never tell a client that something bad will happen without a remedy.
- Never promise that a remedy will work.
- Never sell or push costly items.
- Explain the reading first; mention a remedy only if the client wants one.
You are ready for paying clients when you can read a teva without the book and explain it in plain words. More on this in fear-free remedies.
How do clients ask about Lal Kitab online?
Online clients usually ask for Lal Kitab by its remedies: they type 'Lal Kitab upay for job' or 'Lal Kitab totke for marriage' and share a date of birth. Many have seen a remedy in a short video and want to know if it suits them.
Turn the request back into a reading. Ask the life question behind it, read the teva, and only then discuss whether any simple remedy fits.
What changes for a Lal Kitab reader on Kismo?
The biggest change for a Lal Kitab reader on Kismo is remedies: they are offered only through the app's own Remedies section, at prices the app sets. You may not sell items, ask a client for money outside the app, or share a phone number, UPI ID or social handle.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Applying | You list Lal Kitab among your practices in a browser; practices cannot be changed after you submit |
| The reading | About 10 minutes in chat with a client whose card shows the birth details and chart; you draw the teva from it |
| The decision | A person reads the reading in full and emails you within 2 days |
| Reading for clients | No predictions of death, nothing on a pregnancy's outcome, and no medical, legal or financial advice |
Kismo does not teach Lal Kitab, so come with the teva and the 35-year cycle already learned. A reading that explains the chart clearly, with no fear in it, is what the reviewer is looking for.
What do astrologers ask about this?
Who wrote Lal Kitab?
Lal Kitab is credited to Pt. Rup Chand Joshi of village Pharwala, Jalandhar district, Punjab. It was written in Urdu and published as five volumes: 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1952 1.
Do I need to know Urdu to learn Lal Kitab?
No. Hindi transliterations and Hindi explanations exist 2,3,4. You should still learn the book's Urdu terms, such as teva, khana, pakka ghar and farmaan, because Hindi editions keep them.
Is Lal Kitab part of Vedic astrology?
Lal Kitab uses the same planets and houses but works differently: the ascendant's house is always counted as house 1, the fixed house of Aries, so signs drop out of the reading 2. It is not one of the papers in IGNOU's MA (Jyotish) 7.
Can I suggest Lal Kitab remedies to clients on Kismo?
Only through the app's own Remedies section, at prices Kismo sets. You may not sell items, take payment outside the app, or frighten a client into a remedy; explain the reading first and keep any suggestion optional.
Is there a recognised Lal Kitab certificate?
Neither IGNOU's MA (Jyotish) nor the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences lists a Lal Kitab course 6,7. Judge any teacher by the tevas they can explain in front of you, not by the certificate they offer.
Can I apply to Kismo as a Lal Kitab reader without a certificate?
Yes. Kismo asks for no certificate, resume or interview. You list your practices, write a short bio and do one chat reading, which a person reads in full before deciding within 2 days.
Read for clients on Kismo
Set your own per-minute rate for chat and calls, from Rs 20 to Rs 1,000. Apply in your browser with your Aadhaar or PAN and one reading.
Free to apply in your browser. A person reads your application and decides within 2 days.
Where should you go from here?
Where do these facts come from?
- Lal Kitab 1941 (Pt. Rup Chand Joshi), item description, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Lal Kitab 1952, grammar portion, pages 1 to 234 of 1,173: Hindi transliteration of the original Urdu edition, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Arun Samhita Lal Kitab by Dr Arun Anadi Krishna Das, Hare Krishna Trust, Chandigarh, 1999, catalogue record, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Sampurna Lal Kitab aur Hastarekha Gyan by Umesh Puri Gyaneshwar, Randhir Prakashan, Haridwar, 2010, catalogue record, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Asli Pracheen Lal Kitab by Girdhari Lal Sharma and Manohar Lal Sharma Vashisht, Lakshmi Prakashan, Delhi, catalogue record, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Academics: Admission (course list and fees), Indian Council of Astrological Sciences. Accessed .
- MAJY: Master of Arts (Jyotish), programme page, Indira Gandhi National Open University. Accessed .
- Phaladeepika by Mantreswara, chapter 26: transits of planets (tr. V. Subrahmanya Sastri), Wisdom Library. Accessed .