Reading techniques

KP horary yes or no: casting from a number between 1 and 249 and judging the sub-lord

K. S. Krishnamurti's horary method answers a single question from a number the client picks, with no birth chart needed. Here is the method from his own Horary Astrology reader, step by step, and how to give the answer honestly.

Updated 2026-11-05

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Short answer

To answer a KP horary yes or no question, ask the client for a number between 1 and 249 ¹. The sign, star and sub that number stands for become the ascendant, and the cusps are cast for the latitude where you judge ¹. Planets are taken for the moment you cast the chart ¹. Then find the sub-lord of the cusp that rules the matter: Krishnamurti says the star lord shows which matter is meant, while the sub decides success or failure ¹. In Kismo's application reading, practices read from the moment of the question get that moment on the client's card.

Book: Horary Astrology, the sixth of K. S. Krishnamurti's KP Readers, 323 pages ^1,3
Publisher: Krishman and Co., Chennai ²
Client's number: Any number from 1 to 249 ¹
Why 249: 27 stars x 9 subs = 243, and subs split by a sign boundary add 6 more ¹
Deciding factor: The sub-lord of the cusp for the matter asked ¹
Latitude used: The place where the astrologer judges, not where the client is ¹
Ayanamsa: Krishnamurti ayanamsa only ¹

The method

What is KP horary, and where does the 1 to 249 method come from?

KP horary is K. S. Krishnamurti's way of answering one question from a chart cast for a number the client gives. He set it out in Horary Astrology, the sixth of his six KP Readers ^1,2.

Krishnamurti was born on 1 November 1908 at Thiruvaiyaru in Tanjore district and died in March 1972 ². His son K. Subramaniam set up Krishman and Co. in Chennai to keep publishing the Readers ². Vedic Books lists the horary reader at 323 pages and describes it as instant prediction without a birth chart ³.

In the book Krishnamurti answers a student who asks whether the number method is numerology. He says it is not, and calls it pure astrology ¹. The reader also carries translations from traditional Hindu horary works and extracts from a Western horary text ¹.

249

Why are there 249 numbers and not 243?

There are 249 numbers because some star subdivisions are cut in two by a sign boundary. Each of the 27 stars spans 13 degrees 20 minutes and is split into nine subs, in proportion to each planet's Vimshottari years, which makes 243 ¹.

Counting the sign lord, star lord and sub lord together gives 249 distinct combinations, Krishnamurti explains, because certain subs fall in two adjacent signs ¹. The first sub of each star belongs to the star's own lord: Ashwini's first sub is Ketu's, Rohini's is the Moon's ¹.

Casting

How do you cast a KP horary chart from the client's number?

A KP horary chart is cast by turning the client's number into an ascendant degree, then building the cusps and planets around it. Krishnamurti's own example uses number 74 ¹.

Ask for any number from 1 to 249 ¹.
Look the number up in the KP table. Number 74 is Cancer sign, Pushya star (Saturn's) and Jupiter sub, which begins at 14 degrees 53 minutes 20 seconds Cancer; that point becomes the ascendant ¹.
Use the latitude of the place where you judge the question, even if the client writes from elsewhere ¹.
Take the other cusps from a table of houses and correct them with the Krishnamurti ayanamsa ¹.
Place the planets for the moment you cast the chart for judgment ¹.
Mark the star lord and sub-lord of every cusp and every planet.

If you use KP software for these steps, check that it is set to the Krishnamurti ayanamsa and to your own place.

The sub-lord

Which cusp and sub-lord decide a yes or no?

The sub-lord of the cusp that rules the matter decides the yes or no. The reader puts it this way: significators show the chance of success, but whether the matter is promised comes from the sub-lord of the relevant cusps ¹.

Question in the reader	Houses Krishnamurti judges
Marriage	2, 7 and 11; the 7th cusp sub-lord first ¹
Arrival of something awaited	4 and 11 ¹
Will a journey happen	3 ¹
Will a phone call get through	3, 9 and 11 ¹

Krishnamurti puts the sub above the star and the star above the sign ¹. The sign shows a planet's strength, the star which matter it refers to, and the sub whether that matter succeeds ¹.

Modifiers

How do retrograde planets and ruling planets change the answer?

A retrograde planet in the chain can turn a yes into a not now. Take the marriage example: the 7th cusp sub-lord is direct but sits in the star of a retrograde planet. Then the person cannot marry the one in view, which does not mean they will never marry ¹.

Krishnamurti treats Rahu and Ketu as never retrograde ¹. Ruling planets confirm the answer and its timing ¹. They are the lords of the ascendant's star and sign, of the Moon's star and sign, and of the weekday at the moment of judgment ¹. He rejects a ruling planet that sits in the star of a retrograde planet ¹.

Judging order

In what order should you judge a KP horary question?

Get one clear question, then the number. One chart answers one question.
Cast the chart for your place and the moment you judge.
Choose the houses the question belongs to.
Find the sub-lord of the main cusp and the star it sits in.
Check whether that sub-lord signifies the supporting houses or the opposing ones.
Check retrograde links in the chain.
Confirm with the ruling planets, then give the answer and a time frame.

If you are new to the system, start with learning KP astrology, and compare it with traditional prashna.

In the chat

How do you give a KP yes or no to a client in chat?

A KP answer is easiest to accept when you give it in one line, then the reason in plain words, then what the client can do. Say not now instead of never when the chart points to delay.

Client (example)
Will I marry the man I am seeing? Here is my number: 74.
Astrologer (example)
The chart for your number does not support marriage with him at present. The planet that decides it is held back.
Client (example)
So I will never marry?
Astrologer (example)
No, this chart answers only this question, about this person, now. It says nothing about marriage in general.

This exchange is a made-up example, not a real client.

Never use horary for a death, an illness, a pregnancy's outcome, an unborn child's gender, a court case or a money decision. Those questions go to a doctor, lawyer or financial adviser.

On Kismo

How do horary questions reach you on Kismo?

On Kismo, you list your practices when you apply. In the application reading, the client's card gives each practice what it needs, and for a practice read from the moment of the question, that is the moment.

Practices, languages and years of experience cannot be changed after you submit, so list every practice you read.
The application reading is one chat of about 10 minutes, typed by you, and there is one try.
In live sessions clients are billed per started minute, so ask for the number early.
You may not share a phone number or social handle, so a follow-up horary question comes back through the app.

Questions

What do astrologers ask about this?

Is the KP number method numerology?

No, according to Krishnamurti. In Horary Astrology he answers this exact question and calls the method pure astrology ¹. The number only fixes the ascendant's sign, star and sub; the judgment uses cusps, planets and sub-lords.

Which ayanamsa does KP horary use?

The Krishnamurti ayanamsa. In the horary reader Krishnamurti tells students to follow his ayanamsa alone, and his worked example adds 23 degrees 20 minutes for the date he judged ¹. Check your software's setting before casting.

The client lives abroad. Whose latitude do I use?

Yours. Krishnamurti says to take the latitude of the place where the astrologer judges the question, even if the consultant writes from anywhere in the world ¹. Planets go in for the moment you cast the chart.

Do I need the client's birth details for KP horary?

No. The number and the moment of judgment are enough, which is why Vedic Books describes the horary reader as instant prediction without a birth chart ³. Many clients do not know their birth time, so horary suits them, and on Kismo, where every started minute is billed, it lets you begin at once.

Does a KP no mean the event will never happen?

Not always. Krishnamurti's own example says a retrograde link means a person cannot marry the one in view, and that this does not mean they will never marry ¹. Tell the client exactly what the chart answered.

Can I offer KP horary readings on Kismo?

You read in the practices you list when you apply, and Kismo does not let you change them after you submit. For a practice read from the moment of the question, the application reading's client card gives you that moment.

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.