Significations of the Lagna Bhava:

Uttarakalamrta: body (deha), limbs (vaya), happiness (sukha), lack of

happiness (asukha), old age (jarste), wisdom (jna), place of birth
(janmasthale), fame (kirtih), dream (svapna), strength (valyat), kingship
(nrpa), (naykhya), longevity (y), peace (nti), age (vayah), hair (ke),
appearance (krti), pride (abhimna), life-force (jva), (naparadytnka),
honour (mna), skin (tvaca), knowledge of sleep (nidr jna), loss of wealth
(dhanpahran), insulting nature (tiraskra svabhv), freedom from diseases
(rujah), renunciation, relinquishment (vairgya), nature (prakti), ability to
work (kryakaranam), lifeforce (jva), energy and initiative (kriy), labour
(dyamo), loss of decency (maryd, pravinanam), complexion (varna), ill
fame (apavda)
1.

Body (deha): Moon: The body parts is distributed into various

Bhavas and Drekkana, hence the strength and weaknesses can be judged
from the Grahas influencing the body parts through the various Bhavas and
Drekkanas. However the follwoing things need to be noted from the Lagna
and Chandra Lagna, (1) Body structure (2) Whether or body is well
proportioned or not, (3) Overall health condition, (4) Whether the various
parts of the body are working in harmony.(6) Diseases which are not
concentrated on any specific body part but affecting the entire body need to
be seen from the Lagna i.e., Blood pressure, body ache, allergies affecting
the entire body etc. Lagna on the other hand rules the crown and head
region.

2.

Limbs (vaya): Mars: The strength of the Limbs (hands and legs)
needs to be known from the Lagna and the Mars.

3.

Happiness (sukha): Jupiter: A native attains happiness when Lagna,

Lagnesha and Guru are all well placed in the horoscope. Aspect or
conjunction of Guru with the Lagna or Lagnesha is a great shield from all
kinds of miseries and misfortunes.

4.

Sorrow (asukha): Saturn: Sorrow is the flip side of Happiness. Native

is sorrowful if the Lagna is associated with Tamas Grahas. However, the
native can come out of it at a later stage (usually after 16 years of age) if the
Lagnesha is placed in a Saumya rasi (those owned by Saumya grahas),
conjoined or aspected by Saumya Grahas. Also, the quantum of sorrow is
dependent on Saturn (as opposed to Jupiter ruling happiness). It is
understood that Saturn must be weaker than Jupiter for the quantum of
sorrow to be lesser than happiness.

5.

Old age (jarste): Saturn: Saturn represents the old age as it is the
oldest Graha among all. From the Lagna perspective, how the old age going
to be, happy or sad, looked after by others or not etc. need to be seen from
the Lagna.

6.

Wisdom (jna): Jupiter: All forms of knowledge is encapsulated in

the soul, while Lagna is the seat of the Soul. Among all knowledge, the
heights among them is the knowledge of the true self, the soul which is
indestructible and which exists eternally! Self-realization or the knowledge of
self comes from the Lagna.

7.

Place of birth (janmasthale): Moon: Birth conditions are ruled by

the Lagna as that represents the starting point in life. Birth is also ruled by
the Moon who is Karaka for human birth. Ill placed Lagna cause the native to
leave his birthplace and settle somewhere else. Also, everything that defines

one's identify such as birth place, birth lineage, own culture, birth religion,
gender etc. all fall under the Lagna Bhava. A thing like gender also uses the
Lagna principle but at a very subtle level such as Janma Vighatika Graha.
8.

Fame (kirtih): Moon, Jupiter: How much someone's identity be

known by others is to be seen from the Lagna. Also the cause of fame needs
to be seen from the Lagna Bhava. The two important karakas for fame are
Moon and Jupiter. Both the Karaka Grahas should be strongly placed for the
Fame to be of highest kind. Moon should have strong Paksha Bala as it is
more important than its stana Bala. Also, Moon and Jupiter should have good
mutual sambandha and preferably connected with the Lagna or Lagna lord
for high fame.

9.

Dream (svapna): Venus: Dream has two connotation (1) What dream
do you have in life that you want to pursue and (2) what is the nature of the
dreams that you see when you are asleep i.e. SuSvapna or DuhSvapna.

10.

Strength (valyat): Mars: Strength is the domain of Mars as he is

the commander of god's army. He is also the Lagna lord of the Naisargika
Kundali. Strength is seen from the strength of the Lagna lord as well as Mars
in a horoscope.
11.

Kingship (nrpa): Sun: Sun is the King among the Graha cabinets and

Moon is the queen. Hence they are known as the royal planets. There are 2
thrones in the horoscope where the king seats, the Lagna indicate the throne
of the Mortal plane, the 10th house indicating the throne of Sky (Akasha)
plane. Thus the raja-yoga can either be granted by the Lagna or the 10th
house. The Lagna based Rajayoga is usually given from the Lineage (i.e.,
birth in a king's home) or through Knowledge. The 10th based Rajayoga is
usually related to the appointment to a position of authority. For rajayoga,
the 5th house is also important as it governs the ability to influence. The lord

of 5th in the Naisargika Kundali is the Sun, who gets exalted in the Lagna.
Thus, 1st, 5th and 10th are intimately connected with the Rajayoga.
12.

Yet to decipher (naykhya): ???

13.

Longevity (y): Saturn: There is no doubt that Saturn is the

Ayushkaraka. There are 3 important houses of longevity, the Lagna, the 8th
and the 10th house. If these houses are under benefic influences and their
lords are well placed in good signs and bhavas, the native is long lived. In
addition, Saturn being the karaka for longevity, should not be adversely
placed and become the cause of weakness of the 3 bhavas or their lords. If
that happens, Saturn becomes the primary Killer (Maraka).
14.

Peace (nti): Jupiter: Peace of mind is governed by the Lagna

Bhava no doubt. Krura grahas in the Lagna give an anxious mind,

irrespective of their sign placement. Similarly Jupiter being the Karaka,
malefic influences on it can also cause anxiety and lack of peace. Other
important
15.

houses in this matter are 5th house which rules psychology and the

4th house ruling comfort. The ultimate peace which comes after shedding all
the attachment is indicated by the 12th house, which can be achieved
through Meditation and Samadhi.
16.

Age (vayah): Saturn: Since Lagna rules the body, the aging of the

body is also ruled by Lagna. What can be judged from the lagna is that what
happens to the body when the native ages. It is often said that the influence
of Mercury or Mars on the Lagna keeps the body young and the person does
not show much the signs of aging. Mercury, because it rules the young age
when the body is highly flexible and Mars, because it is of the nature of Lord
Subramaya who is also known as Kumara, one who is always young (teen).

Upon study of the lagna bhava, we can determine why Indian film artists
such as Devanand and Rekha didn't show aging.
17.

Hair (ke): Saturn: Hair is signified by Saturn. Strong influence of

the Sun or Mars who are Agni Grahas, on the Lagna can show hair fall due to
high pitta on the head. On the other hand influence of Vayu grahas on the
Lagna can give good growth of hair, provided they are strong. Strong
influences of Saturn on the Lagna also gives more body hairs as Lagna also
rules over the entire body, in addition to the head.
18.

Appearance (krti): Moon: The structure of the body, whether well

proportioned or not need to be seen from the Lagna Bhava. Benefic

influences on the Lagna, especially that of Jupiter gives a well proportioned
physique which is pleasing to the eyes.
19.

Pride (abhimna): Sun: The level of self-identification is seen from

the Lagna, as Lagna is what defines the self. The Karaka here is Sun. When
Sun is well placed, the person has high conception of self, which is more of a
guardian and a leader. When Sun is weak, the person is arrogant, snobbish
and conceited. Similarly, strength of the Lagnesha makes the person
dignified, while weakness can give a snobbish mind.
20.

Life-force (jva): Jupiter: The success in life is not only dependent on

the opportunities given to someone, but more than that, how much energy
one has and to what extent one uses his own effort and energy to pursue
own dream, and forces the opportunities to manifest. The persistence of
effort and the attitude of never-say-die comes from the strength of the
Lagnesha as well as Jupiter. If both of them are strong, the native becomes
extremely energetic, resilient and persistent. They have a keen ability to
jump back after every failure. The ideal situation is when the Lagnesha and
the Karaka Jupiter are both strong and also associate with each other in Good

Bhavas. If they are placed in bad bhavas but in good signs, they will face
many challenges, but will bound back. However, if they are placed in good
bhavas, the challenges will be minimal.
21.

Yet to decipher (naparadytnka): ???

22.

Honor (mna): Sun: Honor and respect are various facets of the

same thing. In my view, while the respect comes from ordinary people, the
honor comes from those who are more influential, respectable and
knowledgeable. In classics, at various places we find combinations for being
honored by the king. Here the King should mean, not only government, but
also, those who are having higher authority. Lagna is the seat of Honor (as
the honor is given in recognition to one's identity or achievements). For
instance, Jataka Parijata 11.14. When the Lagna falls in a Saumya sign,
the person is long-lived (chirayu), honored by the king (nrpapjitah) and
happy (sukh). On the other hand, when Lagna is aspected by the Lagnesha,
the native is wealthy (dhan), endowed with sharp intellect (kugrabuddhih)
and cause fame to his lineage (kulakrtimvarddhanah).
23.

Skin (tvaca): Mercury: Body constituents such as Skin, Blood, etc.

don't belong to any specific part but pervades throughout the body. Hence,
the Bhava connected to the skin is the Lagna, which represents the entire
body, in addition to the head region specifically. Affliction of the Lagna and/
or the Lagna lord as well as Mercury with the fiery Grahas Sun and Mars can
cause severe skin problems. The location of the problem can be judged from
the Bhava, Rasi and Drekkana involved.
24.

Knowledge of sleep (nidr jna): Venus: Sleep is a 4th house

activity as it rules the midnight, mother and comfort. The two grahas which
attain Dikbala in the 4th house are the Moon and Venus, hence it can be
called as Jala Kendra. Jala stands for comfort and nourishment, hence I have

assigned Venus to be the Karaka for sleep and dreams. Venus especially
rules dream state as it has to do with sight. We know that eyes are governed
by Venus. What kind of dreams we encounter can be known from the Lagna.
The nature of dreams changes with time depending on the Grahas
influencing the Lagna. In a horoscope the Lagna is aspected by Saturn and
Rahu, two Vayu grahas and the native keeps dreaming (recurring frequently)
that he is weightless and flying in the air. In a dream related Prasna, the
nature of dream can be judged from the Grahas influencing the Lagna and
also the influence on Venus. For instance, in another horoscope, Venus is
placed in a Dusthana and afflicted by Papakartari yoga, the native has many
nightmeres. The nature of the dream can be judged from the Graha-BhavaRasi significations of the Lagna and Venus.
25.

Loss of wealth due to cheating (dhanpahran): Saturn: Why

should lagna signify loss of wealth? It does, especially when the Lagna is
placed with Papa Grahas or is afflicted by Papakaratari by none other than
Saturn and Rahu. The affliction of Lagna by Saturn and Rahu (or Gulika as
well) indicate cheating or vandalizing of the wealth by cheats and
dacoits. BV Raman in How to judge horoscope states that "If the Lagna or
its lord is hemmed in between two malefics, especially Saturn and Rahu, the
native will encounter thieves and suffer on their account. Rahu in 2nd and
Saturn in the 12th are more harmful." But this does not answer Why? This is
because Lagna is the 12th house from the 2nd house of treasury of savings.
What causes the savings to be lost can be seen from the Lagna.
26.

Insulting nature (tiraskra svabhv): Mars: Since the nature if

governed by Lagna, both the good and bad nature should be seen from here.
There is negative self or a potential (papa-purusha) in everyone which gets
expressed in some and is dormant in others. The natural sign of this is

Scorpio which is governed by Mars and Ketu and is represented by a Well

(unfathomable emotions and depth). One should note that the natural lagna
and the 8th is governed by the same Mars representing the self and the
alter-self. It is said that Mars and Ketu when conjoin they form Pisacha yoga
(combination of losing one's head and get into some unlawful activities)
through anger or conceit. To understand all aspects of one's nature, one
should judge both the Lagna, Jupiter (benevolent side of self) and Mars
(malevolent side of self). Lagna, Jupiter and Mars should not be afflicted or
weak in a horoscope to have a benevolent nature. One need to be watchful
of the Lagnesha and Jupiter is afflicted in Scorpio. At the same time if Moon is
weak and afflicted, the native will have strong criminal tendencies.
27.

Freedom from diseases (rujah): Moon, Jupiter: There is no doubt

that physical health is ruled by the Lagna (Mental is ruled by the 5th house)
as the Lagna represents the body. While the Karaka for the body is Moon, the
karaka for life-force and positive energy is Jupiter (Jiva). Weakness to the
Lagna and / or the Moon makes the body weak and sets the stage for
diseases. The diseases however, need to be diagnosed from the Lagna lord's
placement (if weak and afflicted), 6th and 8th house. If the Lagna (and Moon)
is strong, then the body will not be impacted even if there are adverse yogas
pertaining to 6th and 8th house. Jupiter being the Jiva karaka, gives
protection from various health troubles (arista) and cause arista bhangas. A
strong Jupiter in the Lagna can avert many dangers in the horoscope,
according to classics such as Brihat Parashari Hora Shastra and Saravali.
There must be some association of Jupiter with the Lagna or the Lagnesha
for having strong life force, more so, when the Lagnesha is placed in a Chara
Rasi (movable sign).

28.

Renunciation, relinquishment (vairgya): Saturn: Relinquishment

(freedom) is ruled by the 12th house (moksha) as that is where all the ties
with the world is severed and ego (identification with the self- Lagna) is lost.
The reason why Lagna is associated with this is, Lagna stands for ego or the
thought that I am someone "great", I belong to such and such "dynasty",
"culture", "religion". When the identification is strong, one can't detach oneself from the strong self-identification and it can block renunciation to that
extent. The Karaka for renunciation is Saturn, hence if Saturn has a strong
influence on the Lagna or the Lagnesha, the native has a strong sense of
renunciation. This can happen by placement of Saturn in Lagna or with the
Lagnesha, aspect of Saturn on the Lagna or the Lagnesha, placement of the
Lagna or Lagnesha in Saturn's signs or placement of the Lagnesha in
Saturn's Bhava (Bhavas that are governed by Saturn i.e., Dusthanas 6-8-12).
The more the influence of Saturn on the Lagna and the Lagnesha, the
stronger will be the sense of detachment. Saturn represents a Sanyasi (monk
who has renunciated everything) and a follower of lifestyle full of hardship.
Even though one does not become a monk, one can still live like a monk in
normal household.
29.

Nature (prakrti): Moon: While Svabhava represents the behavior i.e.,

actions towards the outside world, Prakriti means the inherent nature which
defines the self. The Prakriti hardly changes, while the Svabhava depends on
the external stimulus and how the Prakriti is reacting to that. These they are
inherent personality traits which defines the self. The strength of the Lagna
and the Subhapati (Moon sign lord) defines the nature (personality). One
should judge the sign and bhava placement of the Lagna lord (also Moon
sign lord) and also the conjunctions and aspects on them. In my experience I
found that while the Grahas in the Lagna (and Chandra Lagna) determines

the experiences one would go through, the personality is defined by the

influences on the Lagnesha and the Subhapati. The navamsa sign of the
Lagna lord and Moon should also be seen to determine the traits which are
deep within, at a much deeper conscious level.
30.

Ability to work (kryakaranam): Sun: We often look at the 10th

house for Karma, professions etc. However, the ability to work hard or not
need to be seen from the Lagna. If the Lagna lord is weak, the native always
trying to find escape route and does not want to face any challenges. On the
other hand, if the Lagna lord is strong, the person can put in long hours of
work without getting tired. While Saturn gives the ability to labour, Sun gives
the best way to optimize one's resources and prioritize the work. The way
native works, for instance, in short spurts or in a long-duration gruelling
manner etc. need to be seen from the influences on the "Lagnesha" in the
Rasi and Navamsa. Weakness of the Lagnesha and negative Saturn indicate
that the native gets tired very fast and is not capable of putting long hours of
work. Influences of various Grahas on the Lagnesha can be studied. For
instance, if Mercury is influencing the Lagnesha, the person will make many
friends at work, will be good in managing time and communicating with
people, will use humor to get his work done etc.
31.

Life-force (jva): Jupiter: Jupiter is the biggest protection to all evils

in this world. Guru represents spiritual master, who is known to remove

Darkness from our lives (Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya). Thus, Guru removes all
Tamas (death energies) from our life, to give us protection and energy to
pursue things for which we are born. If Jupiter protects the Lagna by
placement or aspect, the person comes out of danger and mishaps quickly
and are saved from any major calamities in life. Jupiter's influence on the
Lagnesha by conjunction or aspect gives tremendous energy to persist

through all odds and face life's challenges with broadheart and patience. If
Jupiter happens to be the lagna lord, then it should be placed in good sign
and avastha.
32.

Ability to Act (kriy): Sun: Ability to Act or level of initiative and

energy is seen from the Lagnesha's placement. There are three high level
shaktis in the world, Iccha Shakti (the power of desire), Gnana Shakti (the
power of knowledge) and Kriya Shakti (the power to act). The three trines
rules the three Shaktis, (1) Lagna governs the Kriya Shakti, (2) 5th house
(psyche) rules the Iccha shakti (determination), (3) 9th house (Guru) rules
the Gnana shakti (knowledge). The Karaka for Kriya Shakti is Sun, who is the
source of all energy. Sun gets exalted in the Lagna Bhava indicating that the
root energy for actions emanate from the Lagna. Strong Lagnesha indicate a
strong drive to fulfil the goal of one's existence, fulfil one's mission. Judging
energy level: Depending on the predominance of Movable sign on the
lagna and the lagna lord in the Rasi and Navamsa the natives like
activities that involve movement, physical activities and high energy.
Placement of lagna and lagnesha in the middle of the sign gives more
intensity of the sign. Similar things to be read from Fixed and Dual signs.
Mahatma Gandhi led the freedom struggle in India. He was born in a
movable sign with the lord also placed in a movable sign. This shows that he
was highly mobile throughout his life. However, in Navamsa both the lagna
and the lagna lord Mars are in fixed sign. His endeavour was to bring
stability. In Mother Teresa's horoscope, Lagna and the Lagna lord both
are in dual sign showing a great balance in energy level. She was able to put
forth great energy in her activities and at the same time was able to sit back
and think about her action. This gives good planning abilities. In the
navamsa both lagna and the lagna lord are in movable sign indicating that

he objective was to start a movement for protection of the downtrodden and

untouchables.
33.

Labour (dyamo): Saturn: The ability to sustain hard labour need to

be seen from the Lagna. Saturn is the Karaka for Labour, who must be placed
in strength for positive attitude towards labour. Strong Lagna lord in a
Saturn's sign, conjoined or aspected by Saturn can give persevering attitude
and ability to sustain hard work for long time.
34.

Loss of decency (maryd pravinana): Saturn: Fall of grace,

humiliation and infamy, all need to judged from the Lagna as it is the house
of fame and what one is known for. Weak lagna lord and malefics aspecting
or co-joining Lagna lord can cause bad name. The kaka for fall of grace is
Saturn, the Karaka of the Dusthanas and is strongly opposed to Jupiter and
Moon who gived good name. The fall of grace happens only when the Lagna
lord is weak, else, it will try to fight back, to regain what is lost.
35.

Complexion (varna): Moon: The complexion is one that defines one's

physical attribute of the body, hence need to be seen from the Lagna.
However, instead of seeing it from the Rasi Lagna, the best position to see
this is from the Chandra Navamsa or the Navamsa Chandra Lagna. Classics
say that the complexion need to be seen from the dispositor of Chandra
Navamsa. Jataka Parijata 11.15: The physical features, appearance and
the nature of a person is to be judged from the lord of the navamsa lagna or
the strongest planet in the lagna in the rasi chart. Ones complexion to be
judged from the lord of Moons Navamsa. The overall auspiciousness
and inauspiciousness of a nativity is to be judged from the
Lagna.JatakaParijata 11.37 (b): When the lagnesha is placed with the 6th
lord, the native has darker complexion. Saravali 9.45-46 The physical
appearance will correspond to the Navma Lagna, or the strongest of

planets. It may also correspond to the Lord of the Navma occupied by the
Moon. If many are strong, appearance and complexion will be mixed. Race,
caste and country of birth should be considered, while estimating features
and character of a person.
36.
Ill fame (apavda): Saturn: Refer to point# 33.
Graha significations pertaining to Lagna Bhava:
1.

Sun: Kingship (npa), Pride (abhimna), Honor (mna), Ability to work

(kryakaranam), Ability to Act (kriy)

2.

Moon: Body (deha), Place of birth (janmasthale), Appearance (krti),

Freedom from diseases (rujah), Nature (prakrti), Complexion (varna)

3.

Mars: Limbs (vaya), Strength (valyat), Insulting nature (tiraskra

svabhv)

4.

Mercury: Skin (tvaca), Ability to work (kryakaranam)

5.

Jupiter: Happiness (sukha), Wisdom (jna), Fame (kirtih), Peace

(nti), Life-force (jva), Freedom from diseases (ruja), Life-force (jva)

6.

Venus: Dream (svapna), Knowledge of sleep (nidr jna)

7.

Saturn: Sorrow (asukha), Old age (jarste), Longevity (y), Age

(vayah), Hair (ke), Loss of wealth due to cheating (dhanpahran),
Renunciation, relinquishment (vairgya), Labour (dyamo), Loss of decency
(maryd pravinana), Ill fame (apavda)