
Kundli reading is an insightful component of Vedic astrology. Through it, individuals come to know about personality, life events, strengths, and weaknesses, and the future possibilities thereof. Whether you are new to Vedic astrology or want to decode your own birth chart, learning how to read kundli will give insight and direction.
This step-by-step, in-depth guide will break down everything in simple language so that even beginners can understand the basic principles of astrology interpretation.
A Kundli, also called birth chart or horoscope, is an intricate astrological diagram drawn using the exact date, time, and place of birth. It maps the position of planets at the exact moment someone is born. The art of understanding this chart is what we call learning how to read kundli.
In Vedic astrology, kundli acts as the blueprint of one's life. It unravels one's natural strengths, challenges, opportunities, and probable events in life relating to career, marriage, finance, health, and much more.
Before understanding how to read kundli, it's important to know why it matters:
✔ Self-awareness
Kundli reading helps in understanding your personality, emotions, behavior, and decision-making patterns.
✔ Life guidance
It offers insight into career, relationships, marriage, business, and finance.
✔ Identifying problems
A kundli highlights the possible struggles and planetary doshas so one can prepare or find remedies.
✔ Timing of events
Understanding the planetary dasha and transits helps identify when major life changes will approximately occur.
That is why thousands of people seek to learn how to read a kundli in order to obtain clarity and direction.
To understand how to read kundli, first you need to know its main elements.
Ascendant (Lagna)
The sign rises at the moment of birth. Sets the foundation for the chart.
12 Houses
Each house governs different areas of life.
9 Planets
Planets signify the energies that influence events and personality.
12 Zodiac Signs
Signs show how planets express their qualities.
Degrees & Aspects
Planetary degrees decide strength, while aspects indicate influence.
Dasha(s)
Planetary time periods that control phases of life.
It is essential to have accurate knowledge of these components to learn reading kundli.
Here is a structured, easy-to-follow method on how to read kundli:
The ascendant is the beginning of your kundli.
It determines:
Physical appearance
Personality
Core nature
Approach to life
The house containing the ascendant sign becomes the 1st House. Every other house follows in an anti-clockwise manner.
Each house represents a different aspect of life. While understanding how to read kundli, it becomes necessary to know the meaning of houses.
1st House – Self, personality, physical body
2nd House – Wealth, speech, family
3rd House - Courage, siblings, communication
4th House - Home, mother, emotions
5th House - Children, creativity, education
6th House : Health, debts, enemies
7th House - Marriage, partnerships
8th House – Longevity, secrets, transformations
9th House - Luck, religion, higher learning
10th House - Career, reputation, profession
11th House - Income, gains, social circle
12th House - Losses, expenses, spirituality
In fact, all steps of reading the kundli depend upon understanding these houses.
Next, check the house placement of planets. The house placement of planets indicates which life area is receiving energy.
Example:
Mars in the 10th house → powerful career ambitions
Venus in the 7th house → happy marriage
Saturn in 4th house → disciplined home life but with emotional restrictions
This is one of the most important steps in how to read kundli.
Degrees of planets say how powerful a planet is.
0°–3° = weak
10°–20° = strong
28°+ = extreme intensity
Strong planets give positive results, and weak planets struggle.
Each planet aspects certain houses.
For example:
Mars aspects houses 4th, 7th, 8th
Jupiter aspects houses 5th, 7th, 9th
Saturn aspects houses 3rd, 7th, 10th
Aspects show how different life domains influence one another.
The signs of the zodiac determine the way a planet behaves.
Example:
Moon in Cancer = emotional, sensitive
Moon in Capricorn = practical, disciplined
Sun in Leo = strong leadership
Sun in Libra = diplomatic, artistic
This is important while learning how to read kundli correctly.
Planetary nature affects teamwork:
Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter= natural benefics
Saturn, Rahu, Ketu = natural malefics
A chart of friendship is important for decoding ease or tension amongst planets.
Dashas determine the timing of events.
Major planetary dashas include:
Sun – 6 years
Moon - 10 years
Mars-7 years
Rahu – 18 years
Jupiter – 16 years
Saturn – 19 years
Mercury - 17 years
Ketu - 7 years
Venus – 20 years
Dashas control marriage, job change, childbirth, travel, finance etc.
A deep explanation for users wanting comprehensive clarity in reading kundli:
Houses Based on Trikona (Trines)
1st, 5th, 9th → Strong foundational houses
Houses Based on Kendras (Quadrants)
1st, 4th, 7th, 10th → Life pillars
Houses Based on Trik Bhava (Difficult houses)
6th, 8th, 12th → Challenges
Understanding these categories is important in learning how to read the kundli.
The Vedic Kundli Guru presents an intuitive and solid tool for free online kundli generation, developed in keeping with classical Vedic astrology. Instantly, a quick and accurate Janam Kundli will be generated containing your Lagna chart, Sun chart, Moon chart, and planetary dashas, together with current planetary transits, i.e., today's Gochar.
1. Sun – Soul, energy, power
2. Moon – Mind, emotions
3. Mars – Courage, aggressiveness
4. Mercury – Communication, Intelligence
5. Jupiter – Wisdom, fortune
6. Venus – Love, beauty, luxury
7. Saturn – Karma, discipline, struggle
8. Rahu – Desire, illusion, sudden gains
9. Ketu – Spirituality, detachment
Every planet influences the results of your houses and signs.
How to Do a Tarot Reading at Home
There are 12 zodiac signs:
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.
While learning to read kundli, note the following:
Fire signs → action
Earth signs → practicality
Air signs → communication
Water signs → emotion
The planets act differently according to the sign.
▪ North Indian Style
House-fixed, signs move.
▪ South Indian Style
Sign-fixed, houses move.
▪ East Indian Style
Similar, but localised patterns:
While doing research on how to read kundli, choose the style you're comfortable with.
Famous Positive Yogas
Gaj Kesari Yoga
Raj Yoga
Dhan Yoga
Budh-Aditya Yoga
Common Doshas
Mangal Dosha
Kaal Sarp Dosha
Pitra Dosha
Guru Chandal Dosha
While learning to fully read the kundli, identification of yogas/doshas is quite important.
You can also check these for free:
Baby Names/Baby Names Girl/Baby Names Boy
Start with the ascendant and houses.
Check for benefic vs. malefic planet positions
Compare dasha with transits
Consider more than one variable when analyzing data.
Use an accurate birth time:
Over-interpretation of one planet
Ignoring aspects
Not considering degrees
Over-reliance on doshas without detailed analysis
Forgetting dasha timelines
Also, when learning how to read a kundli, avoiding these mistakes would ensure better accuracy.
Kundli reading is a powerful skill that brings clarity, direction, and insight into one's self. And with continuous practice, attention to detail, and proper guidance, everyone is able to read those planetary combinations that come up in their birth chart. This ancient system continues to help an individual uncover potential opportunities, life challenges, and personal strengths.
Your understanding of kundli will be life-changing, and learning to read kundli will teach you to conduct your life with more awareness and confidence.
First, identify the Lagna or the Ascendant, then understand the 12 houses, note the position of the planets, followed by zodiac signs, aspects, degrees, yogas, and lastly, the study of dasha periods.
No, Kundli reading is insightful, but dependent upon exact birth details and the astrologer's interpretation; it cannot be 100% accurate.
Yes, you can read your kundli yourself, provided you understand the basics about houses, planets, signs, and dashas. As a beginner, one can learn with practice.
Gaj Kesari Yoga is one of the most potent Rajyogs when Jupiter and Moon are in strong positions.
The 36 gunas are the points used in Kundli Milan to check compatibility between partners on eight factors, which are called Ashta Koota.
Kundli can indicate the probability of events and life patterns, but predictions are never an absolute assurance.
A perfect score of 36/36 indicates overall good compatibility, but marriage success depends on personality, way of life, and planetary doshas rather than gunas alone.