Telugu jyotisha divides the zodiac into twelve equal parts, the 12 rashis from Mesha to Meena. Each rashi has a ruling planet and an element: fire, earth, air or water. When a Telugu person says "my rashi", they usually mean the Chandra rashi, the sign the Moon was in at birth.
What is a rashi?
Dividing 360 degrees by 12 gives 30 degrees per rashi. The 27 nakshatras have 108 padas, so each rashi holds nine padas, or two and a quarter nakshatras. If you know your janma nakshatra and pada, you know your rashi.
Indian jyotisha uses the nirayana (sidereal) zodiac, measured against the fixed background of the stars.
The 12 rashis with lords, elements and nakshatras
| No. | Rashi | Symbol | Lord | Element | Nakshatra padas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesha | Ram | Mars (Kuja) | Fire | Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika 1 |
| 2 | Vrishabha | Bull | Venus (Shukra) | Earth | Krittika 2–4, Rohini, Mrigashira 1–2 |
| 3 | Mithuna | Pair | Mercury (Budha) | Air | Mrigashira 3–4, Ardra, Punarvasu 1–3 |
| 4 | Karkataka | Crab | Moon (Chandra) | Water | Punarvasu 4, Pushyami, Ashlesha |
| 5 | Simha | Lion | Sun (Surya) | Fire | Magha, Pubba, Uttara 1 |
| 6 | Kanya | Maiden | Mercury (Budha) | Earth | Uttara 2–4, Hasta, Chitta 1–2 |
| 7 | Tula | Scales | Venus (Shukra) | Air | Chitta 3–4, Swati, Vishakha 1–3 |
| 8 | Vrischika | Scorpion | Mars (Kuja) | Water | Vishakha 4, Anuradha, Jyeshtha |
| 9 | Dhanus | Bow | Jupiter (Guru) | Fire | Moola, Purvashadha, Uttarashadha 1 |
| 10 | Makara | Makara (sea creature) | Saturn (Shani) | Earth | Uttarashadha 2–4, Shravanam, Dhanishta 1–2 |
| 11 | Kumbha | Pot | Saturn (Shani) | Air | Dhanishta 3–4, Shatabhisham, Purvabhadra 1–3 |
| 12 | Meena | Fish | Jupiter (Guru) | Water | Purvabhadra 4, Uttarabhadra, Revati |
The Sun and Moon rule one rashi each, while Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn rule two each. Rahu and Ketu are traditionally not given rashis of their own.
What are the four elements?
- Fire (Agni) – Mesha, Simha, Dhanus
- Earth (Bhumi) – Vrishabha, Kanya, Makara
- Air (Vayu) – Mithuna, Tula, Kumbha
- Water (Jala) – Karkataka, Vrischika, Meena
Starting from Mesha, the order fire, earth, air, water repeats three times. Rashis are also classed as chara (movable), sthira (fixed) and dvisvabhava (dual): Mesha is chara, Vrishabha sthira, Mithuna dual, and so on in sequence.
Is a Telugu rashi the same as a Western sun sign?
No. The "Aries, Taurus…" sun signs in magazines and our rashis are two different systems.
- Which body: Western sun signs use the position of the Sun at birth; in Telugu usage "my rashi" means the Moon's sign.
- Which zodiac: Western astrology uses the tropical (sayana) zodiac; ours is sidereal (nirayana). The gap between them, the ayanamsha, is currently about 24 degrees.
- Result: Because of both differences, a person's English sun sign and Telugu Chandra rashi often differ, and readings for one do not apply to the other.
In our panchangam, the day the Sun enters a new sidereal rashi is a sankranti; its entry into Makara is Makara Sankranti.
Lagna, Chandra rashi and Surya rashi: what is the difference?
- Chandra rashi (janma rashi): the Moon's sign at birth, used in sankalpam, gochara (transit) readings and matching.
- Lagna: the rashi rising on the eastern horizon at birth; it is the first house of the chart and changes roughly every two hours.
- Surya rashi: the Sun's sidereal sign at birth, tied to the solar month.
Where is the janma rashi used?
- Temple archanas and puja sankalpams mention rashi along with nakshatra.
- Ugadi panchanga shravanam reads out aadayam–vyayam for each rashi.
- Muhurtham selection checks chandrabalam.
- Marriage matching considers factors such as friendship between rashi lords.
This article is a basic introduction and makes no predictions. For personal matters, consult an experienced pandit.
How to find your rashi
- Your jatakam lists "janma rashi" and "lagnam" separately.
- If you know your nakshatra and pada, use the table above.
- For nakshatras split between two rashis, such as Krittika or Mrigashira, the pada decides.
Key points
- 12 rashis of 30 degrees each, nine nakshatra padas per rashi.
- Each has a lord and one of four elements.
- "My rashi" in Telugu means Moon sign, not the English sun sign.
- Indian jyotisha is sidereal; Western astrology is tropical.
- Lagna and Chandra rashi are different things.