Kundli is the name of the birth chart in Vedic astrology. Kundali is another common spelling, and Janam Kundli means birth chart. If you came across these names in an Indian tool, you are looking at the same starting point as Vedik: the date, time and city where you were born.
From this data, the chart answers different questions, and the first step is knowing which part answers what.
The three layers of a Kundli
Where the planets were. The position of each planet at your birth, with sign and degree. This is the calculation part.
How the sky is divided. The distribution of these positions into houses and other divisions of the zodiac. This is where two tools may use different conventions.
What it means. The reading the method makes of the whole, including the periods of your life.
A tool can calculate the positions precisely and explain poorly what they mean. That is why it is worth looking at the three layers separately.
The first terms, translated
| What it is | How it appears in the report |
|---|---|
| Ascendant, the sign rising on the horizon when you were born | Lagna |
| Moon sign, the sign the Moon was in | Chandra Rashi |
| Lunar star, one of the 27 segments of the sky the Moon travels through | Nakshatra |
| Period ruled by a planet | Dasha |
| Sub-period within the larger period | Antardasha or Bhukti |
You do not need to memorize these names. You only need to know whether you are looking at a birth position, a division of the sky or a period with a start and an end. The guide to sub-periods explains the difference between the last two.
For those born in Brazil
Use the city where you were born, even if you live somewhere else today. Enter the time shown on your birth certificate, without converting it to India's time. The tool needs to handle the time zone and any daylight saving time in effect back then, and the guide to time zones and daylight saving time shows why this matters.
If you do not know your birth time, avoid entering noon just to move on. See where to look for your birth time.
From the report to the question
Once you find the period you are in, choose a matter. "How is my life going?" mixes too many things at once. "What does this period show for my work?" gives you an answer you can use.
Vedik calculates your chart with its own engine, reads the periods with the KP method and explains everything in plain language. You start with your cycles and then go deeper into the theme that matters now. The last word is always yours.
Create your account and see your chart. To understand the basics, read the guide to the Vedic birth chart.
