Prashna kundli: the chart of the moment a question is asked
Prashna, or horary astrology, casts a chart for the moment a question is asked instead of a birth. Here is what Prasna Marga says, how the chart is cast today and how to learn it.
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Short answer
A prashna kundli is a chart cast for the moment a question is asked, and it is read much like a birth chart. Prasna Marga, written in Kerala in 1649, says the prashna lagna is similar to the birth lagna, so events can be read from it as from a horoscope 1,2. Its first rule of casting is that no prediction is possible without the exact rising sign at the time of the question 3. That makes it useful for clients who do not know their birth time. In Kismo's application reading, a practice like this gets the moment of the question on the client card instead of a birth chart.
Key facts
- Also called
- Prasna, horary astrology: forecasts based on the time of question 4
- Main classical text
- Prasna Marga, Kerala, 1649 AD 1
- First rule
- No prediction without the exact rising sign at the time of the question 3
- Size of the text
- Part 1 alone: 16 chapters and 1,283 slokas, in Raman's count 15
- Shorter starter
- Prasna Tantra, tr. B. V. Raman, IBH Prakashana, 224 pages 11
- KP version
- Judges with the ruling planets at the moment of judgment 9
What is a prashna kundli, and how is it different from a birth chart?
A prashna kundli is cast for the time of a question, while a birth kundli is cast for the time of birth. Prasna Marga lists both among the six limbs of astrology: jataka works from the sign rising at birth, prasna from the time of question 4.
Prasna Marga treats the two charts as close relatives. Stanzas 45 to 47 of chapter 1 say the prasna chart should be read just as a horoscope is, because the prasna lagna is similar to the janma lagna 2.
B. V. Raman's note adds that the time of question deserves the same importance as the time of birth. He also flags that the two are read differently in places, which the author details in chapters 14 and 17 2.
Which classical texts teach prashna astrology?
Prasna Marga is the main classical text for prashna. Raman's introduction attributes it to a Namboodiri Brahmin of Kerala who wrote it in Kollam 825, which is 1649 AD, at Edakad near Talasseri 1.
| Text | What it is | An edition you can find |
|---|---|---|
| Prasna Marga | Kerala text on horary astrology, 32 chapters in two parts 16 | Part 1 with Devanagari text, Motilal Banarsidass, 1996, 717 pages 10 |
| Prasna Tantra | Neelakanta's text on horary astrology | Tr. B. V. Raman, IBH Prakashana, 1984, 224 pages 11 |
| KP Readers | K. S. Krishnamurti's own system | KP Reader 4 covers marriage questions 9 |
Raman says plainly that his translation is a summary, not word for word 1. Keep that in mind when you quote a stanza to anyone, and check the Sanskrit if you can.
Prashna was once a family service in Kerala. Raman's notes describe families who kept their own astrologer, the way others keep a family physician, and called him in for ashtamangala prasna 8.
How is a prashna chart cast from the moment of the question?
A prashna chart is cast like a birth chart, using the date, the minute and the place of the question. Prasna Marga's chapter 5 opens by saying no prediction is possible without the exact rising sign at that moment 3.
The old method measured the shadow of a 12-digit gnomon at the time of the query and worked the lagna out from it. Raman calls this impractical today, because standard ephemerides give the ascendant more easily and more accurately 3.
- Write down the exact time you take up the question, to the minute, and where you are.
- Cast the chart in software that has a prashna or horary mode 12,13,14.
- Check the lagna: Prasna Marga multiplies it by 81, removes multiples of 12 signs and expects the resulting nakshatra to be the questioner's birth star or one of its trines 3.
- Read the lagna and its lord as the person asking.
- Find the house the question belongs to and judge it as in a birth chart 2.
- Read the Moon, which Prasna Marga uses to time a marriage question 6.
Pick one rule for the place, such as where you sit when you read, and keep to it. Changing rules between clients makes your own records useless.
How does Prasna Marga read a marriage question?
Prasna Marga reads a marriage question from the query chart's lagna and 7th house. Chapter 17 says the querist gives the names and birth stars of both people, the bride's being more important 5. The lagna then shows the bride and the 7th the groom 5.
The same chapter says benefics in the 7th are good, and that Brihaspati and Madhava wanted a prashna before any marriage contract 5. For timing, stanza 40 uses the Moon's transits, including over the navamsa sign of the 7th lord 6.
Prasna Marga also gives rules to build a birth chart from the query when a person has no birth time at all, a method called Nashta Jataka 7. Treat it as a fallback, and say so to the client.
Why does prashna suit questions that clients ask online?
Prashna suits online questions because it needs only the moment of the question, not a birth time the client may not know. A client who types a single question is asking exactly what a prashna chart is built to answer.
Some of Prasna Marga does not travel to a chat. Raman's summary of chapters 2 to 4 lists the querent's breath, touch, direction, first syllable and posture, plus a lighted lamp and a drawn rasi chakra 15. None of these can be seen by chat, so an online reading rests on the chart itself.
KP astrologers use their own horary method with a 249-number system, which software such as LeoStar calculates 12. See KP horary yes or no answers for that method.
How do you learn prashna step by step?
Stage 1
Learn to read a birth chart first, because Prasna Marga reads the prashna chart the same way 2. Start with how to read a kundli.
Stage 2
Read Prasna Tantra in Raman's translation, a single volume of 224 pages 11.
Stage 3
Study Prasna Marga Part 1, chapters 1 and 5 first: the idea of prasna and the time of query 2,3.
Stage 4
Cast a chart for every question you are asked and log the time. Check the log later against what happened.
Stage 5
Keep your log honest. Mark the readings that went wrong as clearly as the ones that went right, because that log is how you learn which rules work for you.
What should you leave out of a prashna reading for a client?
Leave out death and longevity, even though Prasna Marga covers them. Raman's summary says chapter 10 treats death from birth and horary charts 15, and reading platforms such as Kismo forbid death predictions outright.
Leave out the rituals too. The full prasna rite needs a lighted lamp, a drawn rasi chakra, flowers and gold pieces 15, which cannot happen in a chat. Offer guidance on the question asked, and send health, legal and money matters to a doctor, lawyer or adviser.
How does a prashna reading work when you apply to Kismo?
On Kismo, the test reading for a practice read from the moment of a question shows that moment on the client card. The card also gives the client's name, age, city and question.
- Pick your practices in step 1, details. They cannot be changed after you submit.
- Add a real photo, the name clients see and a short bio in step 2.
- In step 3, photograph your Aadhaar or PAN, take a selfie holding it, then do one chat reading of about 10 minutes.
- Cast the chart for the moment shown on the card and type every answer yourself; pasted answers are sent back.
- A person reads the whole chat and decides within 2 days, by email.
There is one try at the reading, so practise casting quickly before you start. Some applicants record a case-study video instead of the chat.
What do astrologers ask about this?
Can a prashna kundli replace a birth chart?
Prasna Marga treats it as a close substitute, because the prasna lagna is similar to the birth lagna 2. Unless the text says otherwise, events in a horoscope can be read from a prasna chart. Raman notes real differences in chapters 14 and 17, so the two are not identical 2.
Which time do I use to cast a prashna chart?
Use the exact moment you take up the question. Prasna Marga says no prediction is possible without the exact rising sign at the time of the question 3. Note the minute, not just the hour, and keep a record of it.
Do I need the client's birth details for prashna?
Not to cast the chart, but they help. Prasna Marga checks the lagna against the questioner's birth star 3, and its marriage prashna asks for both people's names and birth stars 5. In Kismo's test reading, such a practice gets the moment of the question instead.
What is the difference between prashna and KP horary?
Prasna Marga is a Kerala text written in 1649 1, read from the lagna of the moment. KP horary follows K. S. Krishnamurti, judges with the ruling planets at the moment of judgment 9 and uses a 249-number system 12.
Which book should I start prashna with?
Start with Prasna Tantra in B. V. Raman's translation (IBH Prakashana, 224 pages), then move to Prasna Marga Part 1 (Motilal Banarsidass, 717 pages with the Devanagari text) 10,11. More titles are on astrology books for beginners.
Can I apply to Kismo as a prashna astrologer?
Yes. Choose your practices with care, because they cannot be changed after you submit. For a practice read from the moment of a question, the test reading's client card shows that moment, and you answer in chat in Hinglish or English. Kismo does not run training, so learn the method first.
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.
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Where should you go from here?
Where do these facts come from?
- Prasna Marga, Part 1 (tr. B. V. Raman): preface and introduction, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Part 1 (tr. B. V. Raman), chapter 1, stanzas 45 to 47 with notes, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Part 1 (tr. B. V. Raman), chapter 5 (time of query), stanzas 1 to 8 with notes, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Part 1 (tr. B. V. Raman), chapter 1, stanzas 5 and 6 with notes, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Part 2, chapter 17, stanzas 2-9, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Part 2 (tr. B. V. Raman), ch. 17 (Vivaha Prasna), stanza 40, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, part 2, chapter 30: Nashta Jataka, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Part 1 (tr. B. V. Raman), notes on ch. 1 and ch. 2, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Krishnamurti Padhdhati Reader 4: Marriage, Married Life and Children, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga (Pt. I: Chs. I to XVI), Eng. tr. with original text in Devanagari and notes, B. V. Raman (Motilal Banarsidass, 1996), Open Library. Accessed .
- Sri Neelakanta's Prasna Tantra, B. V. Raman (IBH Prakashana, 1984), Open Library. Accessed .
- LeoStar Professional (bilingual), Future Point. Accessed .
- AstroSage Kundli: AI Astrology (com.ojassoft.astrosage), Google Play listing, Google Play. Accessed .
- Jagannatha Hora: features, vedicastrologer.org (P. V. R. Narasimha Rao). Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Part 1 (tr. B. V. Raman): translator's introduction, summary of chapters 1 to 16, Internet Archive. Accessed .
- Prasna Marga, Dr. B. V. Raman (2 vols.): item description, Part I chapters I to XVI, Part II chapters XVII to XXXII, Internet Archive. Accessed .