Astrology API rulebook
Each page states one rule the API follows, what kind of rule it is, and why. Astrologers and support teams can link to any rule by its ID. There are 240 rules in 31 sections, taken from the API's own rulebook.
Chart fundamentals
The basics every other rule rests on: which planet rules each sign, where each planet is strong or weak, how houses are counted, and when a planet counts as combust or retrograde.
- CH-01classicalSign lordshipEach zodiac sign is ruled by one planet, following the classical Parashari table. Rahu and Ketu rule no sign.
- CH-02schoolExaltation signsA planet in its exaltation sign is at its strongest. The whole sign counts, except for the Moon and Mercury, which are exalted only in the first degrees of that sign.
- CH-03schoolDebilitation signsA planet in its debilitation sign, the sign opposite its exaltation, is at its weakest. The whole sign counts.
- CH-04classicalMulatrikona signsMulatrikona is a planet's favored stretch of one sign, given as a range of degrees. Past that range, the rest of the sign counts as the planet's own sign. Rahu and Ketu have no mulatrikona.
- CH-05schoolWhich dignity wins when two applyWhen a planet qualifies for more than one dignity, the API reports one, in this order: exalted, debilitated, mulatrikona, own sign, then neutral. For mulatrikona and own sign, the planet's degree decides.
- CH-06schoolHouses are whole-sign, counted from the ascendantHouses are whole-sign houses. The rising sign is house 1 in full, the next sign is house 2, and so on around the zodiac. No house cusps are calculated, so Placidus and other house systems are not used.
- CH-07schoolCombustion (astangata) orbsA planet close enough to the Sun is combust (asta), which weakens it. Each planet has its own distance in degrees, and the separation is measured along the zodiac only.
- CH-09classicalYogakarakaA yogakaraka is a single planet that rules both a kendra (house 4, 7 or 10) and a trikona (house 5 or 9) for the rising sign. It counts as especially helpful in that chart.
- CH-10schoolRetrogression, and the nodesA planet that appears to move backward is retrograde. Rahu and Ketu are always reported as retrograde, as tradition treats them, while the speed field still gives their real motion.
- CH-11classicalThe nine grahas, and nothing elseThe API uses the nine classical planets (grahas): the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are not used.
- CH-12schoolSeven dignity states, and the friendship behind themA planet's dignity is one of seven states: exalted, debilitated, mulatrikona, own sign, friend's sign, enemy's sign or neutral. The API reports the strongest one that applies.
- CH-13schoolFive house classesHouses fall into five classes: kendras, trikonas, dusthanas, upachayas and marakas. The first three describe strength; the last two are read differently.
- CH-14schoolNatural benefics and maleficsJupiter and Venus are always natural benefics, and the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu are always natural malefics. The Moon and Mercury depend on the chart: the Moon on its phase, and Mercury on the planets it sits with.
Yogas
Named planetary combinations the API looks for in a birth chart. Each yoga it finds, and each one it checked and did not find, comes back with the rule it tested.
- YG-01schoolRuchakaRuchaka yoga, one of the five pancha mahapurusha yogas: Mars in its own or exaltation sign, and in a kendra (house 1, 4, 7 or 10).
- YG-02schoolBhadraBhadra yoga, one of the five pancha mahapurusha yogas: Mercury in its own or exaltation sign, and in a kendra (house 1, 4, 7 or 10).
- YG-03schoolHamsaHamsa yoga, one of the five pancha mahapurusha yogas: Jupiter in its own or exaltation sign, and in a kendra (house 1, 4, 7 or 10).
- YG-04schoolMalavyaMalavya yoga, one of the five pancha mahapurusha yogas: Venus in its own or exaltation sign, and in a kendra (house 1, 4, 7 or 10).
- YG-05schoolSasaSasa yoga, one of the five pancha mahapurusha yogas: Saturn in its own or exaltation sign, and in a kendra (house 1, 4, 7 or 10).
- YG-06schoolHarshaHarsha yoga, a vipareeta raja yoga: the ruler of house 6 sits in house 6, 8 or 12. Tradition reads it as difficulty that turns out well.
- YG-07schoolSaralaSarala yoga, a vipareeta raja yoga: the ruler of house 8 sits in house 6, 8 or 12.
- YG-08schoolVimalaVimala yoga, a vipareeta raja yoga: the ruler of house 12 sits in house 6, 8 or 12.
- YG-09schoolBudhadityaBudhaditya yoga: the Sun and Mercury in the same sign. It is common, because Mercury always stays close to the Sun.
- YG-10schoolChandra-MangalaChandra-Mangala yoga: the Moon and Mars in the same sign. Tradition links it to earning power.
- YG-11schoolGuru-MangalaGuru-Mangala yoga: Jupiter and Mars in the same sign.
- YG-12schoolGajakesariGajakesari yoga: Jupiter in a kendra counted from the Moon, meaning 1, 4, 7 or 10 signs from it. The count starts from the Moon, not from the rising sign.
- YG-13schoolDharma-KarmadhipatiDharma-karmadhipati yoga: the rulers of house 9 and house 10 are linked, by sitting together, by aspect, or by exchanging signs.
- YG-14schoolDharma-Karmadhipati (partial)The partial form of dharma-karmadhipati yoga: one of the two rulers sits in the other's house, without a full exchange of signs.
- YG-15schoolKemadrumaKemadruma yoga: no planet other than the Sun, Rahu or Ketu stands next to the Moon or in a kendra from it. The API also reports when this is canceled.
- YG-16schoolNeecha BhangaNeecha bhanga: the weakness of a debilitated planet is canceled by certain placements, so the planet is no longer read as weak.
- YG-17schoolParivartanaParivartana yoga: two planets each sit in the sign the other rules, an exchange of signs that links them.
- YG-18schoolSunaphaSunapha yoga: a planet other than the Sun, Rahu or Ketu in the sign after the Moon.
- YG-19schoolAnaphaAnapha yoga: a planet other than the Sun, Rahu or Ketu in the sign before the Moon.
- YG-20schoolDurudharaDurudhara yoga: planets other than the Sun, Rahu or Ketu on both sides of the Moon.
- YG-21schoolVesiVesi yoga: a planet other than the Moon, Rahu or Ketu in the sign after the Sun.
- YG-22schoolVasiVasi yoga: a planet other than the Moon, Rahu or Ketu in the sign before the Sun.
- YG-23schoolUbhayachariUbhayachari yoga: planets other than the Moon, Rahu or Ketu on both sides of the Sun.
- YG-24schoolVasumathiVasumathi yoga: every benefic sits in house 3, 6, 10 or 11, counted from the rising sign or from the Moon. Tradition links it to steady wealth.
- YG-25schoolAdhiAdhi yoga: benefics in the 6th, 7th and 8th signs from the Moon.
- YG-26schoolParvataParvata yoga: benefics in the kendras, with houses 6 and 8 empty or holding only benefics.
- YG-27schoolSaraswatiSaraswati yoga: Jupiter, Venus and Mercury each sit in a kendra, a trikona or house 2, and Jupiter is in its own sign, its exaltation sign or a friend's sign.
- YG-28schoolDaridraDaridra yoga: the ruler of house 11, the house of gains, sits in house 6, 8 or 12.
- YG-29schoolAputraAputra yoga: the ruler of house 5, the house of children, sits in house 6, 8 or 12.
- YG-30schoolRajaRaj yoga: the ruler of a kendra (house 4, 7 or 10) and the ruler of a trikona (house 5 or 9) sit together, exchange signs, or aspect each other.
- YG-31schoolGrahanGrahan yoga: the Sun or the Moon shares a sign with Rahu or Ketu, the two points linked to eclipses.
- YG-32schoolPravrajyaPravrajya yoga: four or more planets in one sign. Tradition links it to a pull toward renunciation.
- YG-33schoolRajjuRajju yoga, a nabhasa yoga: all seven planets from the Sun to Saturn in movable signs.
- YG-34schoolMusalaMusala yoga, a nabhasa yoga: all seven planets in fixed signs.
- YG-35schoolNalaNala yoga, a nabhasa yoga: all seven planets in dual signs.
- YG-36schoolMalaMala yoga, a nabhasa yoga: benefics in three kendras and no malefic in any kendra.
- YG-37schoolSarpaSarpa yoga, a nabhasa yoga: malefics in three kendras and no benefic in any kendra.
- YG-38schoolGadaGada yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill two neighboring kendras and no other house.
- YG-39schoolSakataSakata yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 1 and 7 and no other house.
- YG-40schoolVihagaVihaga yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 4 and 10 and no other house.
- YG-41schoolShringatakaShringataka yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 1, 5 and 9 and no other house.
- YG-42schoolHalaHala yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill one set of three trine houses other than the rising sign's, and no other house.
- YG-43schoolVajraVajra yoga, a nabhasa yoga: benefics in houses 1 and 7, and malefics in houses 4 and 10.
- YG-44schoolYavaYava yoga, a nabhasa yoga: malefics in houses 1 and 7, and benefics in houses 4 and 10.
- YG-45schoolKamalaKamala yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill all four kendras and no other house.
- YG-46schoolVapiVapi yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill the four houses after the kendras (2, 5, 8 and 11) and no other house.
- YG-47schoolYupaYupa yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 1 to 4, at least one in each.
- YG-48schoolSharaShara yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 4 to 7, at least one in each.
- YG-49schoolShaktiShakti yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 7 to 10, at least one in each.
- YG-50schoolDandaDanda yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 10, 11, 12 and 1, at least one in each.
- YG-51schoolNaukaNauka yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 1 to 7, at least one in each.
- YG-52schoolKutaKuta yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 4 to 10, at least one in each.
- YG-53schoolChhatraChhatra yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 7 to 1, at least one in each.
- YG-54schoolChapaChapa yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill houses 10 to 4, at least one in each.
- YG-55schoolArdha ChandraArdha Chandra yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill seven houses in a row that start somewhere other than a kendra.
- YG-56schoolChakraChakra yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill the six alternate houses starting from house 1.
- YG-57schoolSamudraSamudra yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets fill the six alternate houses starting from house 2.
- YG-58schoolVallakiVallaki yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets are spread over seven different signs.
- YG-59schoolDamaDama yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets are spread over six signs.
- YG-60schoolPashaPasha yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets are spread over five signs.
- YG-61schoolKedaraKedara yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets are spread over four signs.
- YG-62schoolShulaShula yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets are spread over three signs.
- YG-63schoolYugaYuga yoga, a nabhasa yoga: the seven planets are spread over two signs.
- YG-64schoolGolaGola yoga, a nabhasa yoga: all seven planets are in one sign.
Doshas
The three doshas the API checks: manglik, kaal sarp and pitra. Each has competing definitions, so every result states the rule it used and the placements that decided it.
- DO-01schoolManglik (kuja) doshaManglik dosha: Mars in house 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 or 12. The houses are counted three separate ways, from the rising sign, from the Moon and from Venus, and each count is reported. The chart is manglik if any count finds it.
- DO-02schoolManglik cancellationsThe API checks four classical exceptions to manglik dosha and lists any it finds. It never applies them, because astrologers disagree about which exceptions count.
- DO-03schoolKaal sarp doshKaal sarp dosh: all seven planets from the Sun to Saturn sit on one side of the line from Rahu to Ketu. A planet within 1 degree of that line marks the result as partial, because schools disagree on whether that breaks the dosha.
- DO-04schoolPitra doshPitra dosh: the Sun, Rahu or Ketu afflicts the 9th house or its ruler, or the ruler of the 9th house sits in house 6, 8 or 12.
Divisional charts
The 16 divisional charts (vargas), from D1 to D60. Each splits every sign into parts and gives each part a sign; the schools differ most on where the counting starts.
- VG-01classicalThe sixteen divisions computedThe API computes 16 divisional charts. Most split each sign into equal parts and map each part to a sign; D2 and D30 use their own unequal rules.
- VG-02schoolWhere each division starts countingFor each equal-part divisional chart, this rule gives the sign the first part maps to. The other parts follow in order from there.
- VG-03schoolThe step between partsMost divisional charts move forward one sign per part. This rule names the two that do not.
- VG-04schoolWorked example: the D9 navamsaThe navamsa (D9) counts from the sign itself for a movable sign, from the 9th sign for a fixed sign, and from the 5th sign for a dual sign. This rule shows the result for the first signs as a worked example.
- VG-05schoolD2 HoraThe hora chart (D2) splits each sign into two halves of 15 degrees. Odd signs give Leo then Cancer, and even signs give Cancer then Leo, so only those two signs appear in it.
- VG-06schoolD30 TrimsamsaThe trimsamsa (D30) splits each sign into five unequal parts, each ruled by a planet's sign. The Sun, the Moon, Rahu and Ketu never rule a trimsamsa part.
Aspects (graha drishti)
Aspects (graha drishti): which houses each planet looks at from where it sits. They are counted in whole houses.
- AS-01schoolAspects are counted in whole houses, not degreesAspects are counted in whole houses, not in degrees. A planet aspects a whole house from the house it sits in, with no orb and no partial strength.
- AS-02classicalCounting is inclusive of the occupied houseThe count includes the house the planet sits in, so a planet in house 1 aspects house 7 with its 7th aspect.
- AS-03classicalWhich houses each graha aspectsEvery planet aspects the 7th house from itself. Mars also aspects the 4th and 8th, Jupiter the 5th and 9th, and Saturn the 3rd and 10th.
- AS-04classicalWorked example: the three special aspectsA worked example of the three special aspects from every house, including how the count wraps past house 12.
- AS-05schoolThe nodes aspect, and that is disputedThe API gives Rahu and Ketu aspects on the 5th, 7th and 9th houses. Schools disagree on this, so POST /v1/aspects takes nodes=false to leave them out.
- AS-06schoolThe ascendant does not aspectThe rising sign (lagna) casts no aspect. Houses, including house 1, can still receive aspects from planets.
- AS-07schoolWhat aspects are now used forAspects are used in the API's yoga checks, such as dharma-karmadhipati yoga and the cancellation of a debilitated planet's weakness.
Vimshottari dasha
Vimshottari dasha, the 120-year cycle of planetary periods: the order of the periods, which one runs first, and how much of it was already over at birth.
- DA-01classicalVimshottari sequence and period lengthsVimshottari has nine periods in a fixed order, 120 years in all: Ketu 7 years, Venus 20, the Sun 6, the Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19 and Mercury 17.
- DA-02classicalWhich lord runs firstThe ruler of the Moon's nakshatra at birth runs the first period.
- DA-03classicalThe balance at birthHow far the Moon has moved through its birth nakshatra tells how much of the first period was already over at birth.
- DA-04classicalSub-period constructionEach period splits into sub-periods in the same order, starting with the period's own planet. Each sub-period gets the parent period's length times its planet's share of the 120 years. The API goes five levels deep.
Ashtakavarga
Ashtakavarga, a point system that scores how much support each sign gives each planet, from 0 to 8 points (bindus).
- AV-01classicalEight contributors, seven tablesEight contributors, the seven planets from the Sun to Saturn and the rising sign, each give a point to certain signs counted from where the contributor sits. This is done for each of the seven planets.
- AV-02classicalThe 337-point checkIn every chart, the seven tables hold exactly 337 points between them. The API checks this on every request, which catches any error in its tables.
- AV-03schoolTrikona shodhanaTrikona shodhana, a classical reduction across each set of trine signs. The API computes it and returns it, but does not apply it (see AV-04).
- AV-04schoolEkadhipatya shodhana, and why neither reduction is appliedEkadhipatya shodhana is the second classical reduction, for pairs of signs with the same ruler. The texts differ on whether either reduction should be applied before a chart is read, so the API returns both and applies neither.
- AV-05inventionThe strength bands are the API's ownThe classical texts give point counts but no grading. The strong and weak labels in the API's readings are the API's own bands, and they are stated as such.
- AV-06inventionBindus are reported beside a transit, never folded inEvery transit comes with the points its planet's own table gives the sign it is passing through. The points are shown beside the transit result and never change it.
Transits (gochar)
Transits (gochar): where the planets are now, counted from the birth Moon, with the classical results and the vedha rule that can block them.
- TR-01schoolGochar is counted from the birth MoonTransits are counted from the birth Moon's sign, not from the rising sign, because that is how the classical result tables are keyed. The house from the rising sign is also returned, for readers who use it.
- TR-02schoolWhich houses each planet is favorable inEach planet gives a good result from certain houses counted from the birth Moon and a difficult one from all the others. There is no neutral result.
- TR-03schoolVedha: which house obstructs which transitVedha: a good transit is blocked when another transiting planet sits in the house that obstructs it. The response names the blocking planet.
- TR-04classicalTwo pairs that never obstruct each otherTwo pairs never block each other: Saturn and the Sun, and Mercury and the Moon.
- TR-05schoolThe nodes have results but no vedhaRahu and Ketu give good results from houses 3, 6, 10 and 11. The classical sources give them no vedha, so a good transit of Rahu or Ketu is never blocked.
- TR-06classicalHow a transit date is foundTransit dates are found by scanning each planet's motion, so every sign change is caught, including when a planet turns retrograde and briefly moves back into the previous sign.
- TR-07inventionVedha is not applied to a future periodA forecast over a period gives the classical result without vedha. Only a transit read for a single moment applies vedha, because the blocking planets move many times during a long period.
- TR-08gapWhat transits are not judged byThe transit result comes from the classical table and vedha only. Ashtakavarga points are shown beside it and do not change it.
Sade sati
Sade sati: Saturn's passage over the birth Moon's sign and the signs on each side of it, in three dated phases.
- SS-01classicalThe band and its three phasesSade sati runs while Saturn is in the sign before the birth Moon's sign, in the Moon's sign, or in the sign after it. It lasts about seven and a half years, in a rising, a peak and a setting phase.
- SS-02schoolThe two dhaiya are reported, and are not sade satiSaturn in the 4th or the 8th sign from the birth Moon is called dhaiya, each lasting about two and a half years. The API reports dhaiya separately, because it is not sade sati.
- SS-03classicalDates resolve every crossing, including retrograde re-entrySaturn often crosses a sign boundary three times: forward, back while retrograde, then forward again. The API dates every crossing and keeps one sade sati together, with the break inside it.
- SS-04gapWhat the date scan cannot resolveSaturn's position is checked every few days and each sign change is then pinned down. The rule notes the one rare case this cannot separate: Saturn turning around within a fraction of a degree of a sign boundary.
Kundli matching (guna milan)
Kundli matching: the 36-point guna milan (ashtakoot), the classical exceptions, the checks that carry no points, the ten southern poruthams, and the final verdict.
- KM-00inventionMatching text names the coupleThe matching text names the couple's own details, such as their nakshatras, signs and yoni animals, so each reading is about the two people and not only about the factor in general.
- KM-01classicalThe eight kootas and their weightsGuna milan gives 36 points across eight factors (kootas), worth 1 to 8 points each. All eight come from the two birth Moons alone, their signs and nakshatras.
- KM-02classicalThe scheme is asymmetricThe score is not symmetric: swapping the two people can change it. That is why the request names them bride and groom.
- KM-03schoolVarna, and vashya by whole signVarna follows the element of each Moon sign: water, fire, earth or air. It scores only when the groom's varna is equal to or higher than the bride's. Vashya is read from each Moon sign as a whole.
- KM-04schoolYoni, and the seven sworn enmitiesEach nakshatra has an animal (yoni) and a sex. The same animal with opposite sexes scores 4 points, sworn enemies score nothing, and every other pair scores 2.
- KM-05schoolGana and nadi, by nakshatraGana and nadi each split the 27 nakshatras into three groups of nine.
- KM-06classicalBhakoot, and graha maitriBhakoot scores 7 points or none: the Moon signs 2 and 12, 5 and 9, or 6 and 8 apart carry bhakoot dosha. Graha maitri scores the natural friendship between the two Moon-sign rulers, read both ways.
- KM-07schoolThe classical exceptions, and why they are appliedNadi and bhakoot are worth 15 of the 36 points and are all or nothing. Every text that gives these doshas also gives their exceptions, so the API applies the exceptions and shows the score both before and after.
- KM-08schoolRajju and vedha carry no pointsRajju and vedha are pass-or-fail checks. They are reported beside the score and never added to it.
- KM-09inventionDasha sandhi has no stated widthDasha sandhi, the seam between two main planetary periods, is traditionally avoided for weddings. The texts give no width for it, so the API takes it to be the first or last sub-period of a main period, and says so.
- KM-11schoolDashakoot: ten pass-or-fail poruthamsDashakoot is the southern way to read the same two Moons: ten poruthams, each answered yes or no. The API counts how many agree and gives no points, so there is no second 36-point score.
- KM-12schoolStree deergha has two thresholdsFor stree deergha, sources disagree on how far the groom's nakshatra should be from the bride's. The API returns both answers and counts the porutham as agreeing only when both do.
- KM-14schoolThe match conclusion is a stated rule, not a scoreThe verdict follows a stated rule, not a score. A serious finding, such as fewer than 18 points or an unrelieved nadi or bhakoot dosha, makes a match difficult. Otherwise any concern makes it workable, and a match with neither is favorable.
- KM-13classicalPapa samyam is manglik widened, and it is compared not scoredPapa samyam asks the manglik question of five difficult planets (the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu) instead of Mars alone. The API compares the two counts and does not score them.
- KM-10gapWhat matching does not look atThis rule lists everything matching looks at, and names what it leaves out, such as a comparison of the two 7th houses or the two navamsa charts, so no one assumes it was checked.
Jaimini
Jaimini astrology: the chara karakas, the arudha padas, sign aspects, argala and chara dasha.
- JM-01schoolThe seven chara karakasThe seven planets from the Sun to Saturn are ranked by their degree within their sign. The highest becomes the atmakaraka, the next the amatyakaraka, and so on. The API uses the seven-karaka scheme, which leaves out Rahu.
- JM-02classicalArudha padas, and the two exceptionsAn arudha pada is found by counting from a house to its ruler, then the same number of signs again. If that lands on the house itself or the 7th from it, the API takes the 10th sign from there instead.
- JM-03classicalRashi drishti: signs looking at signsIn Jaimini astrology, signs aspect other signs by their type (movable, fixed or dual), with no planet involved. These aspects are always mutual.
- JM-04schoolArgala: three pairs, not fourArgala is influence on a sign from planets in the 2nd, 4th and 11th signs from it. Planets in the 12th, 10th and 3rd signs can obstruct it.
- JM-05schoolEqual numbers obstructAn argala is obstructed when the obstructing sign holds at least as many planets as the sign causing it. Some sources ask for more, not an equal number, and the rule says so.
- JM-06schoolChara dasha, stated in fullChara dasha runs forward when the rising sign is odd and backward when it is even. Each sign's period is the count from the sign to its ruler, minus one, and a ruler in its own sign gives 12 years. The response shows the working for every period.
- JM-07schoolThe nodes co-rule two signs, when they occupy themKetu co-rules Scorpio and Rahu co-rules Aquarius, but only when they sit in that sign. Otherwise the usual ruler counts for chara dasha.
- JM-08gapWhat Jaimini astrology the API does not compute yetThis rule names the parts of Jaimini astrology the API does not compute yet, such as longevity and the sub-periods of chara dasha.
Shadbala
Planetary strength: shadbala, the six-part strength of each planet in virupas, and the strength of the houses.
- SB-01classicalSix sources, measured in virupasA planet's shadbala adds six kinds of strength: position, direction, time, motion, natural strength and aspects. It is measured in virupas, 60 to a rupa, and the six parts are also returned on their own.
- SB-02classicalUchcha bala falls linearly from the exaltation pointPositional strength from exaltation is 60 virupas at the exact exaltation degree and falls evenly to zero at the opposite point.
- SB-03schoolDig bala is measured from the degree, equal-houseDirectional strength is 60 virupas at the middle of a planet's best direction and zero at the opposite point, measured from the planet's degree.
- SB-04classicalSaptavargaja bala uses the five-fold friendshipOne part of positional strength scores the planet's dignity in seven divisional charts, using the five-fold friendship between planets.
- SB-05schoolCheshta bala grades eight motional statesStrength of motion is graded over eight states of motion. Retrograde is the strongest, and average speed sits in the middle.
- SB-06inventionWhat is not computed is namedAny part of the score that could not be worked out is listed in not_computed with the reason. Nothing is set to zero and then added in quietly.
- SB-07classicalA house is as strong as its lord, plus what it signifiesA house's strength (bhava bala) starts from the strength of its ruling planet and adds a fixed figure for the kind of house it is.
- SB-08schoolThe nodes cast no drishti, and a dark Moon is maleficAspect strength counts only the seven planets from the Sun to Saturn, not Rahu or Ketu. A waning Moon counts as a malefic.
- SB-09classicalAspect strength is gradedAspect strength uses Parashara's graded aspect: a glance is strongest, 60 virupas, at the opposite point and fades to nothing at 30 degrees and at 300 degrees of separation.
Birth details
Birth details: the avakhada chakra and the panchang at the moment of birth, as on the second page of a printed kundli.
- BD-01classicalThe avakhada chakraThe avakhada chakra gives one chart's varna, vashya, yoni, gana, nadi and rajju, with the birth nakshatra, its quarter, the name syllable, the Moon sign and its ruler. It uses the same tables as kundli matching, so the two always agree.
- BD-02schoolPaya and the hansa chakra are left outPaya and a few items from the hansa chakra are left out, because several rules for them are in use and they give different answers for the same chart. The response names them in not_included.
- BD-03classicalThe lunar monthThe lunar month runs from one new moon to the next and is named for the Sun's sign change that falls inside it. A month with no sign change is a leap month (adhika masa).
- BD-04classicalThe birth panchang is not the day panchangThe five parts of the panchang are read at the moment of birth, and the lunar month, season and era years for the day. Both are returned, with the parts at sunrise beside them.
Reading a dasha period
How a dasha period is read: what the main period, sub-period and sub-sub-period each mean for this chart.
- DR-01inventionThree levels of dasha readingA reading of the running periods is built from three levels, the main period, the sub-period and the sub-sub-period, from short pieces of text for each planet and each relation between two planets.
- DR-02classicalA period is qualified by where its lord standsEach period's reading depends on where its planet stands in this chart, and the response shows the evidence. A Venus period reads differently when Venus is strong than when it is weak.
- DR-03classicalThe nodes rule periods but hold no friendshipRahu and Ketu rule periods but have no friends or enemies among the planets. When one of them rules a period, the relation is reported as node instead of being guessed.
- DR-04inventionSookshma and prana are dated and not readOnly the first three levels of periods get reading text. The two deepest levels last days or hours, so they come back as dates only.
Where a chart disagrees with itself
Where a chart disagrees with itself: when two rules about the same part of life point opposite ways, the API names the disagreement instead of hiding it.
- RC-01inventionA disagreement is named, never averagedWhen two rules about one house point opposite ways, the API reports both, what each rests on, and which one leads. It never averages them into one vague answer.
- RC-02classicalHow a rule about a house ruler leansA rule about a house ruler leans on which houses that planet rules: ruling a trikona supports, ruling a dusthana strains. Other rules lean on the planet's own strength.
- RC-03inventionWhen a disagreement is reportedA disagreement needs one rule leaning good and another leaning difficult. A rule that is itself mixed sits on neither side, so a disagreement is only reported when it is real.
Karmic reading
The karmic reading: the Rahu-Ketu axis, the atmakaraka and its karakamsa, and the 5th, 9th and 12th houses, with no claims about past lives.
- KR-01inventionWhat the karmic reading refuses to claimThe karmic reading describes a person's leanings and direction: where they are already at ease, and where they are drawn to grow. It is not a report on a past life, and every response says so.
- KR-02classicalThe nodes are one axis, and Ketu's house keys itRahu and Ketu are always seven houses apart, so they are read as one axis. Ketu's end is what a person already knows well, Rahu's end is where their effort goes, and the house Ketu sits in keys the reading.
- KR-03classicalThe atmakaraka and its karakamsaThe atmakaraka is the planet at the highest degree within its sign. Its karakamsa is its sign in the navamsa (D9), counted as a house from the rising sign of the birth chart.
Theme forecasts
Forecasts on one theme, such as love, career or wealth, over a date range: the transits and the dasha periods that touch that theme, and why each one does.
- OL-01inventionA theme is declared once and read by three sectionsEach theme is read from the same houses, rulers and karakas everywhere: the life topic, the monthly topic and the forecast all agree on where career, love or wealth is read from.
- OL-02classicalTransits and periods, never ranked togetherA forecast returns two lists with dates: the transits across the theme's houses and the dasha periods whose planets touch them. Neither list is ranked against the other.
- OL-03classicalA period qualifies three ways, and says whichA dasha period joins a theme's list when its planet rules one of the theme's houses, sits in one, or signifies the theme. The response names which reasons applied.
- OL-04inventionA forecast refuses to answer without a windowA forecast needs a date range. Without one, it explains what it would show and returns no transits or periods, instead of guessing which dates you meant.
- OL-05inventionA couple forecast shares events, never chartsA couple forecast gives each person their own forecast, plus the events and periods they share on the theme. The two charts are never merged into one.
Pair reading
Two charts read against each other: each person's planets placed in the other's houses, the half of compatibility the 36 points leave out. Nothing here is scored.
- PS-01classicalThe two whole charts, not the two MoonsEach person's planets are placed in the other person's whole-sign houses, counted from that person's rising sign.
- PS-02schoolMarriage and friendship are read from different bhavasMarriage is read from houses 7, 2 and 4, and friendship from houses 11, 5 and 3, so two people can be a middling match for marriage and still great friends.
- PS-03classicalAsymmetric, and both directions are returnedHis planets in her houses are a different reading from hers in his. Both directions are returned under their own names.
- PS-04inventionNothing is scored, and the counts are never nettedNothing is scored. Benefic and malefic planets landing in the other chart's houses are counted separately, and neither count is subtracted from the other.
- PS-05inventionNo composite chartThe API does not build a composite (midpoint) chart or compare degree-based aspects between two charts. Both are Western techniques, and the response says they are left out.
Yogini dasha
Yogini dasha, a 36-year cycle of eight periods that runs beside Vimshottari.
- YD-01classicalEight yoginis, thirty-six years, and it repeatsYogini dasha has eight periods, each named for a yogini and linked to a planet: Mangala (Moon, 1 year), Pingala (Sun, 2), Dhanya (Jupiter, 3), Bhramari (Mars, 4), Bhadrika (Mercury, 5), Ulka (Saturn, 6), Siddha (Venus, 7) and Sankata (Rahu, 8). Together they make 36 years, and then the cycle repeats.
- YD-02classicalThe cycle starts from the birth nakshatraThe first yogini comes from the birth nakshatra: count it from Ashwini, add three, and take the remainder after dividing by eight. A remainder of zero means Sankata.
- YD-03inventionBoth systems read one Moon and take one balanceYogini dasha works out the balance at birth exactly as Vimshottari does, so the two systems agree on where a life begins.
- YD-04inventionTwo levels, and the third is refusedYogini dasha is returned to two levels, periods and sub-periods. A third level would last only days.
- YD-05inventionNeither system overrules the otherVimshottari and Yogini are reported side by side. Neither overrules the other, and they are never averaged.
Classical conditions
The classical conditions that decide which half of a placement's reading applies to this chart.
- RD-01classicalThe classical riders choose the half that appliesClassical texts qualify each placement: is its ruler strong, combust, retrograde, in a difficult house, with a malefic? The API checks each condition and uses the half of the reading the chart supports, showing the evidence.
- RD-02inventionNothing is weighted, and the rule is statedNothing is weighted. Conditions that only support give a favorable reading, those that only strain give a difficult one, both give mixed, and neither gives a plain reading.
- RD-03classicalThe rider list is symmetric, and house 1 countsThe conditions are balanced: every condition that can strain a placement has one that can support it. A planet in a difficult house strains, and one in an angle or a trine supports.
- RD-04schoolRetrograde is reported and never countedA retrograde planet is named but not counted either way, because the schools read retrograde in opposite directions.
The nakshatra remedy
The nakshatra remedy: a remedy keyed on the birth nakshatra, with its deity, mantra, wood and the dates to perform it.
- NR-01classicalA remedy keyed on the nakshatra, not on a grahaThe nakshatra remedy honors the deity of the birth nakshatra with its short mantra, recited 1,000 times, and a fire offering of a tenth of that, fed with the wood of the nakshatra's tree.
- NR-02inventionThe full Vedic suktam is deliberately not reproducedOnly the short namaskara mantra is given. The long Vedic hymn is left out on purpose, because a long mantra recalled slightly wrong is worse than none.
- NR-03classicalThe dates are computed, not left to the readerThe API works out the dates for the remedy: days when the Moon returns to the birth nakshatra on the weekday ruled by that nakshatra's planet. Four nakshatras are ruled by Rahu or Ketu, which rule no weekday, and the response says so.
The signature page
The signature page: the lucky day, colors, numbers and stones, worked out from the chart.
- SG-01inventionThe signature page is read from two grahas, not the lagnaThe lucky day, colors and numbers come from two planets in the chart, the ruler of the rising sign and the ruler of the Moon sign, not from the rising sign alone. So two people with the same rising sign can get different results.
- SG-02classicalA dusthana lord that rules a trine is not a maleficThe colors to go easy on belong to the rulers of houses 6, 8 and 12, except a planet that also rules a trine, and except the yogakaraka.
- SG-03classicalThree lords, three stones, one tableThree stones come from three house rulers: house 1 gives the life stone, house 5 the stone of merit and house 9 the stone of fortune. The stones come from the same table as the remedies, so the two always agree.
- SG-04schoolLucky numbers use ank jyotishThe planet-to-number table is ank jyotish, an Indian numerology convention rather than a classical astrology rule, and the reading says so.
- SG-05schoolThe strongest graha is named, with what it rests onThe signature page ranks the seven planets by their shadbala strength against the classical minimum for each, names the strongest and the weakest, and returns the whole ranking with what it rests on.
Annual forecast
The annual forecast: a year of dated sky events, then read against the chart.
- AN-01inventionA year is dated from what moves, not from the lagnaAn annual forecast is a calendar of dated events for the year, such as sign changes, retrograde periods, combustion periods and two conjunctions, read against the chart. Nothing in it is based on the rising sign alone.
- AN-02classicalWhat the calendar holdsThe calendar holds four kinds of event, for the planets that can produce each one.
- AN-03classicalStations are facts; their dates depend on the time zoneThe moment a planet turns retrograde or direct is a fact, and the API's times match an independent calendar. The date that moment falls on depends on the time zone, so the API gives it in the birth time zone.
- AN-04schoolCombustion is a convention and reports its orbWhen a planet counts as combust depends on a distance from the Sun that texts disagree on, so every combustion event in a response gives the distance it used.
- AN-05classicalAn event is read from the natal house and the MoonEach event is placed in two ways: the house of the birth chart its sign falls in, and the house counted from the birth Moon, which gives the classical result.
- AN-06inventionFive sections select from one calendarThe year's events are worked out once, and each section of the forecast picks the events that matter to its question.
Monthly forecast
Monthly forecasts: how a month is read from the planets moving through it, and why these sections need a date.
- MF-01inventionA monthly section is keyed on the gocharaThe monthly forecast sections report the transits for the month you ask about. Without a date, they say they need one and return no reading.
- MF-02classicalA theme selects transits by karaka or by houseA transit belongs to a monthly theme when its planet signifies that theme or when it crosses one of the houses the theme is read from. Both reasons are reported.
- MF-03classicalFavorable days come from the Moon's transitGood and difficult days come from the Moon's transit counted from the birth Moon. The Moon moves through all twelve houses in about 27 days, and houses 1, 3, 6, 7, 10 and 11 are the favorable ones.
- MF-04classicalPeriods report unobstructed; the instant applies vedhaPeriods in a monthly forecast give the classical result without vedha. The today list beside them applies vedha, because it is read for one moment.
Life prediction topics
Life prediction topics: which part of the chart answers each life question, such as career, love or wealth.
- LP-01classicalA life topic is read from houses, lords and karakasEach life question names the houses it is read from, the houses whose rulers matter, and the planets that signify it. The answer is built from the chart's rules for those placements.
- LP-02classicalDasha periods are classified by lordship aloneWhether a main period helps or costs is decided by which houses its planet rules: ruling a trikona helps, ruling a dusthana costs.
- LP-03inventionA life topic is built from the chartA life topic reading is assembled from this chart's own rules, not taken from a stored paragraph for the rising sign.
Remedies
Remedies: which gemstone, rudraksha, mantra and havan the chart calls for, and what decided each one.
- RM-01classicalThe life gemstone is the ascendant lord's stoneThe life gemstone comes from the ruler of the rising sign. It does not change over a lifetime.
- RM-02classicalThe period remedies are the dasha lord'sThe lucky gemstone, rudraksha, mantra and havan come from the planet whose main period is running, so they change when the period changes. They need a date to be worked out.
- RM-03inventionA qualified stone is reported, never withheldWhere tradition warns about a stone, such as blue sapphire, the warning is returned beside the suggestion. The suggestion is never hidden.
- RM-04inventionA dosha remedy appears only with the doshaRemedies for kaal sarp dosh and pitra dosh are given only when the chart has that dosha, and sade sati remedies only while sade sati is running.
- RM-05inventionRemedies are written per planetEach remedy is written once per planet, and the chart selects which planet applies.
Muhurat and times of the day
Muhurat and times of the day: horas, the choghadiya, and where they disagree with rahu kaal and the other windows.
- MU-01classicalEverything runs down the Chaldean orderHoras and the day and night choghadiyas all follow one fixed planet order: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon. Only the starting planet differs.
- MU-02classicalThe weekday order is a consequence of the hora orderTwenty-four horas move three places along that order, and three places on from any weekday's planet is the next weekday's planet. That is where the order of the weekdays comes from.
- MU-03schoolChoghadiya, and where the night sequence startsDaylight and night are each split into eight choghadiyas. The day starts with the weekday's planet, and the night starts with the planet of the fifth weekday counted from it.
- MU-04inventionWhen the choghadiya and rahu kaal disagreeRahu kaal, yamaganda and gulika kaal are eighths of the same daylight as the choghadiya, and some weeks they fall on a good choghadiya. The response lists every such overlap and does not pick one side.
- MU-05schoolA hora is not an hourA hora is a 24th of the time from one sunrise to the next, so it is close to an hour but not exactly one. Many printed calendars use a flat 60 minutes instead, so their times can differ by a few minutes.
- MU-06gapMuhurat for an activityPOST /v1/muhurta/{activity} finds good windows for four activities, such as buying a vehicle or a wedding, from rules checked against a published calendar. For one person, each window adds tara bala and chandra bala from their birth Moon.
Panchang
The panchang: the five parts of the Hindu day, the lunar month and season, and the daily windows such as rahu kaal.
- PA-01classicalTithiThe tithi, or lunar day, is each 12 degrees the Moon gains on the Sun: 30 tithis in a lunar month. Tithis 1 to 15 are the waxing half and 16 to 30 the waning half.
- PA-02classicalYogaThe panchang yoga comes from the sum of the Sun's and Moon's sidereal positions, in steps of 13 degrees 20 minutes: 27 yogas in all.
- PA-03classicalKaranaA karana is half a tithi, 6 degrees of the Moon's gain on the Sun: 60 in a lunar month. Seven karanas repeat eight times, and four fixed ones fall around the new moon.
- PA-04classicalVaraThe vara is the weekday and its ruling planet. A Vedic day runs from sunrise to sunrise.
- PA-05classicalNakshatra and padaThere are 27 nakshatras of 13 degrees 20 minutes each, and each is split into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes.
- PA-06schoolMasa (lunar month)The lunar month (masa) runs from one new moon to the next and is named for the Sun's sign change inside it. Leap months are found and named.
- PA-07classicalRitu (season)There are six seasons (ritus), each two months long.
- PA-08classicalAyanaUttarayana is the half year when the Sun moves north, and dakshinayana when it moves south, taken from the Sun's sidereal position. That is why Makar Sankranti falls in mid-January.
- PA-09schoolRahu kaal, yamaganda, gulikaRahu kaal, yamaganda and gulika kaal: daylight from sunrise to sunset is split into eight equal parts, and the weekday picks which part each one is.
- PA-10classicalAbhijit muhuratAbhijit muhurat is the 8th of the 15 daytime muhurats, the one around local noon, and is held to be good for most new starts.
Which rule leads
How the readings decide which rule leads when two rules about the same subject differ. This part is not classical: the weights are the API's own, stated openly.
- PR-01inventionThese weights are not classicalNo classical text gives rules a numeric weight. The API uses its own stated weights only to decide which of two rules about the same subject leads in a reading.
- PR-02inventionSpecificity ladderA more specific rule leads: a rule that links two houses outranks a rule about a planet in a sign.
- PR-03inventionDignity weightsA rule about a strong planet outranks the same rule about a weak one.
- PR-04inventionHouse class weightsHouses are ranked by class, first match wins: trikona, then kendra, then dusthana.
- PR-05inventionAffliction and the final scoreA combust planet lowers a rule's rank, and the rank is the plain sum of its parts.
- PR-06inventionWhat the ranking does not claimRanking says which rule leads. It never claims one rule is true and the other false.
- PR-07inventionDrishti is reported and not scoredEach rule lists the planets that aspect the houses it concerns. Aspects are shown as labels and do not change the ranking.
- PR-08schoolUpachaya is scored on placement, not lordshipA malefic sitting in house 3, 6, 10 or 11 raises a rule's rank, because malefics do well there. Ruling one of those houses does not count.
Code and database differences, settled
Places where the API's code and its content database once disagreed, and how each was settled.
- CON-01classicalThe nodes and the Retrograde tableRahu and Ketu are always retrograde, so they do not trigger the retrograde reading, which would say the same thing for every chart. The API still reports them as retrograde.
- CON-02classicalA combust MoonA Moon within 12 degrees of the Sun is combust, and it gets a combust reading like any other planet.
- CON-03classicalA graha listed as both benefic and maleficNo planet is listed as both a benefic and a malefic for the same rising sign. When a planet rules both a trikona and a dusthana, the trikona wins.
What the API does not compute
Rules an astrologer might expect and not find in the API, named here so their absence is clear.
- GAP-01gapDegree-based drishti and aspect strengthAspects are whole-house only. The API does not compute degree-based aspects or partial aspect strength outside shadbala.
- GAP-02gapDignity has no temporary or compound relationshipDignity labels use the natural friendships between planets. Temporary friendship, which depends on where two planets sit, is used in shadbala but not in the dignity labels.
- GAP-04gapExaltation labels have no degreeA planet anywhere in its exaltation sign gets the label exalted; the exact degree is not part of that label. Shadbala does measure exaltation strength by degree (SB-02).
- GAP-05gapYogas the API does not checkThe API checks 63 named yogas. The older content database describes many more that the API does not look for, so those are never returned.
- GAP-08gapTwo planets missing from the benefic and malefic listsTwo planets that rule both a trikona and a dusthana for a rising sign, Jupiter for Leo and Saturn for Virgo, are missing from the benefic and malefic lists for that sign.
- GAP-07gapConjunction means same sign, with no orbTwo planets count as together (conjunct) when they are in the same sign, however far apart in degrees. Two planets a few minutes apart across a sign boundary do not count.
Astrology API
Every answer follows a published rule
Create a free test key and compare any response with the rule behind it. Or try a request in the API reference first.
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A free test key, with 1,000 requests a month
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Try any endpoint in your browser first
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Every rule published, so you can check any answer