Interpretation of Houses and Planets

This article lays out the “standards” for interpreting a horoscope: what each house (bhāva) and each planet (graha) signifies—both generally and, where relevant, in medical astrology. Used well, these lists help a beginner translate chart placements into real-life topics and health indications.

How to use these significations

The twelve houses collectively cover “all those aspects of life with which a man may be concerned.” Planets, too, have their own spheres. Read them together.
Not all items are exclusive: the same matter can be seen from different “vantage points” (e.g., a topic can belong to a house and also be indicated by its planetary kāraka).
Body halves. In adults: the right half is under the father/male planets; the left half under the mother/female planets. In children: left half is under the paternal grandfather; right half under the maternal grandfather.

Significations of the Twelve Houses (Bhāvas)

1st House (Lagna)

Constitution, general appearance and health, head/brain, complexion, longevity, honours, birth in general, personality, paternal relatives, long travels, east, right side of body.
In medical astrology: Body in general; head, brain, face; constitution, stamina.

2nd House

Wealth, food, vision, speech, family, domestic comforts, knowledge/education, sacred texts, teacher, song/poetry, fame/reputation, ornaments, face/neck, moveable property.
In medical astrology: Face, teeth, tongue, oral cavity, nose, nails, speech; right eye.

3rd House

Courage, valour, fitness, hobbies/talent, education, siblings, parents’ longevity, tolerance, capability, food quality, selfishness, sports, fights, refuge, trading, dreams, sorrows, mind’s stability, neighbourhood, near relations/friends, army, inheritance, ornaments, cleverness, short journeys.
In medical astrology: Right ear; neck, throat, shoulders, bones, upper limbs; mental instability; growth; longevity.

4th House

Mother; kin; lands/houses; agriculture, gardens/orchards; buildings; parliament; ruler’s favours; medicine; education; geography/land knowledge; hidden treasures; comforts/discomforts; courage/faith; victory/defeat; perfumes/clothes/milk; digging; farm produce; vehicles; cattle/horses/elephants.
In medical astrology: Chest, lungs, heart, breasts; potent medicine.

5th House

Progeny; father; mental ability; learning/knowledge/scholarship; character; conception; prosperity; gains via wife; fascination; sharp wisdom, discrimination, analysis; capability; devotion to gods; means of earning; official seal; memory (good/bad); speculation; humiliation; authorship; Śruti (Vedas), Smṛti; mantras; past-life karma.
In medical astrology: Heart; upper abdomen; liver; gall bladder; mind/mental illness; pregnancy-related issues.

6th House

Enemies/opposition; mental agitation; injuries/accidents; disease; wounds from war; loans/debts/losses; disappointments/obstacles; poisons/slanders/humiliation/cruelty; prohibited acts; theft/quarrels/imprisonment; maternal uncles/aunts; step-mother; pets/cattle/quadrupeds; food flavours; servants/subordinates; nuisances.
In medical astrology: Intestines; umbilical region; phlegmatic illness; tuberculosis; eye disease; poisoning; accidents; operations.

7th House

Spouse/sex partner; marriage/adultery/passion; spouse’s nature; sexual union; secret affairs; journey/deviation from path; business partnership; overt enemies/quarrels/theft; loss of memory; recovery of lost wealth; progress/status; grandfather; brother’s son; death.
In medical astrology: Lower urinary tract; anal canal; semen/seminal vesicles; urethra/prostate; sexual act.

8th House

Longevity/death; obstacles/disgrace/defeat; discontinuity/suddenness/unexpectedness; misery; loss of memory; sin/killing/capital punishment; nature/place of death; wickedness; father’s indebtedness; deviation from norms; frightful places/difficult routes/crevices; fault-finding/humiliation; wife’s wealth; sudden gains; hidden talents; spiritual pursuits/attainments; inheritance; elder sister’s son.
In medical astrology: External genitalia; incurable/chronic disease; loss of limb; longevity; cause of death; severe mental anguish.

9th House

Virtue/pilgrimage/worship; religious inclination/learning; present-birth karma; splendour/association with the virtuous/auspiciousness; guru/father; austerity/penance/charity/kindness; wisdom/knowledge; initiation/mental quietude; fame/fortune; progeny; temples/Vedic rituals; long journeys/sea travel.
In medical astrology: Hips; thighs; nourishment.

10th House

Profession/function/livelihood; government service; honour/status/wealth/political power; fame/progress; nature of work/professional inclination; treating physician; hidden treasure/prescribed course; teaching ability/self-control/dominance/sacrifice/proficiency; father’s wealth/well-being; foreign travel/financial status/place of residence; performance of sacred/religious deeds.
In medical astrology: Knee joint/knee cap.

11th House

Gains/income/acquisition; fulfilment of desires; nature of earning/arrival; rewards/recognition/favours; status/proficiency/learning; ancestral property; fondness for precious stones; lost wealth; pious pursuits/profits/returns; elder brother/paternal uncle; mother’s longevity; material enjoyments.
In medical astrology: Legs; left ear; left upper limb; recovery from disease.

12th House

Expenditure/loss; bed-pleasures/bedroom; mental anguish/loss of sleep; disease; wickedness/penury; loss/disease of a limb; loss of authority; imprisonment/confinement (including in enemy’s house); loss of spouse; departure from world/emancipation/renunciation; distant/foreign travel; emigration; losses in travel; paternal property; spiritual/secret learning; fear from hidden enemies.
In medical astrology: Sleep disorders; mental imbalance; hospitalisation; feet; left eye; death.

Significations of the Planets (Grahas)

Planets, like houses, are rich with meanings. Below are their spheres, followed by medical indications.

The Sun (Sūrya)

General: Physical strength; dominance/leadership; courage/valour; bitter taste; land; enlightenment/soul; father & his comforts; kings/royal favours; high status; straightforward conduct; mental purity; kingdom; travel; summer/heat/fire; thorns/grass/forests/mountains; east; half-year; river banks; face; anger/hostility yet good nature; administration/physician/competence; gold/copper/pearls/ruby/ornaments/timber; quadrupeds; short stature/thick yarn; victory; devotion to Śiva; Kṣatriyas; red cloth/saffron; lotus; cow with calf; world of mortals.
Medical: Sound health; old age; stomach/bile; heart; right eye; bones; fever/inflammation; head disease/headache/baldness; biliary disease; falls/epilepsy; injuries from quadrupeds.

The Moon (Candra)

General: Mother; maternal comforts; beauty/facial lustre/grace; fame; happiness; vehicles; mind/intelligence/sense of humour; women’s inclinations; mental agility/nature; contentment/laziness/sleep; liquids—water/milk/curd/honey/saline foods; tasty fruits; fish/aquatic animals; snakes/reptiles; flowers/perfumes/blossoms/fine clothes; white colour/crystals/silver/bronze/pearls; royal insignia; wells/tanks/lakes/waters; pilgrimage/pleasures/splendour/shyness/modesty/mildness/kindness/love; royal favour; wheat/white rice/sugarcane/salt; Brāhmaṇas; north-west; rainy season (Varṣā); a muhūrta (≈48 min); middle age; world of the Manes.
Medical: Mental illness; epilepsy; ulcers/acidity; phlegmatic disorders; pleurisy/tuberculosis/blood disorders; breasts; left eye; malarial fevers/rigors; sleep disorders; menstrual problems; shoulder disease; fear from watery creatures.

Mars (Maṅgala/Kuja)

General: Courage/valour/aggressiveness/anger; physical strength; pride/arrogance; combat/administration; capacity to punish; battle/army; speaking harshly; hard labour/workers; victory; king’s attendants; crushing enemies; glory with injuries; metals—gold/silver/copper/iron; coral/gems; stone/ashes/charcoal/sand/salt; fire/furnace/blacksmith; weapons & their polish; command of elephants/horses/cattle; rushed movements/haste/impatience; blood/skin/teeth; cutting/tearing/breaking; tanner/shoemaker/hunter/butcher; gardener; battle tales; violent temper; sampling tastes; summer heat; gemstones; drunkenness; fame/self-respect; mountains; thorns; fearlessness; south; servant status; obstinacy; company of women; fire & its control; youthful men; bathing/dressing; cooking/feasts; mixed passions; angry replies; annihilating foes; black flowers; commander/oppressor; thieves; sexual boasting; brute force; uncivilised people; satisfaction/court pleasures; ringing in ears; right ear; vehemence; rural/rugged life; scenes of conflict & bravado.
Medical: Bile & marrow; haemoglobin; muscles; women’s menses; accidents/injuries/burns; surgical operations; biliary disease/blood disorders; cuts/wounds/dysuria; head injuries; physical fitness & vitality.

Mercury (Budha)

General: Education/learning/scholarship/grammar; mathematics/astrology/astronomy; writing/script; philosophy; oratory/speech/wit; expression with layered meanings; intelligence/humility/fear/discrimination; editorship/printing/ministership; trade/commerce/treasury; pilgrimage/temples; (bad) dreams; sculpture; religious rites/devotion/quietude; fickleness; friends; black-magic; self-control; birds/horses; scriptures/Vedānta; renunciation; mantras/yantras/tantric pursuits; dancing; mixed-hue substances; eunuchs; Śūdras; seasons; autumn (Śarad); skin moisture; north; green; prince/youth/child; maternal uncle/grandfather; younger co-borns; physician; temple towers; dust; balance; gems; sidelong (crosswise) looks.
Medical: Skin & skin diseases; navel; sexual organs; neck/throat/nose/lungs; mental aberrations/nervous breakdown; speech disorders/vertigo; impotence.

Jupiter (Guru/Bṛhaspati)

General: Successors/children/grandchildren/disciples; wealth/treasure; classical/philosophical/judicial learning; Sanskrit; higher education; astrology/astronomy/grammar/śāstras/logic; religious study & dharma; status; grandfather/elders/teachers; Brāhmaṇas; pilgrimage; sharp intellect/wisdom/proficiency/eloquence/fame; understanding/insight; self-respect/indignation; author of books/long poems; mantras; lecturing/delighting audiences; helpful nature; law/judgeship; devotion/beneficence; penance/self-control; royal throne; health/valour/progress; reading minds; scriptures/decorations; yellow cloth/topaz/colour; gems/gold/honey/turmeric/salt; cows/buffaloes/elephants; chariot/mansion; elder brother/friends; north-east; early winter (Hemanta); pious spending/charity; trader; body fat.
Medical: Liver/gall bladder; obesity/diabetes; pancreas/spleen; digestive organs; knee; anaemias; ear trouble; laziness; chronic disease.

Venus (Śukra)

General: Wife/women/marriage; conjugal bliss; sexual adventures/romance (incl. in water); over-indulgence/perversions/adultery; beauty/youth/fame; flowers/fragrances; tenderness; perfumes/clothes/beauty articles; pride in ancient culture; servants/fortune/kingdom/royal favours; radiance/ornaments/talents/wealth; scriptural knowledge; diamonds/pearls/cotton; comforts/fame/fine arts—music/dance/singing/poetry/drama; vehicles/elephants/horses/cattle; playing flute/violin; voluptuous gait/well-proportioned limbs; spring (Vasanta); south-east; middle age; agriculture; family members; bedroom; white flowers; ghee/curd; gold/silver/land; good fortune/food; Vaiśyas.
Medical: Venereal & eye diseases; urinary system; intestines; diabetes/typhoid/appendicitis; exhaustion.

Saturn (Śani)

General: Longevity; suffering/misery/ill-health/obstruction/sorrow/distress/death; humiliation/servility/stupidity/covetousness/allegations/punishment/incarceration; outcaste/maid/slavery/separation; falsehood/illiteracy/exhaustion/exertion/indignation; ugliness/dirty dress/shabby looks; eunuch/illegitimacy/sins/cruelty; law/judiciary skill; renunciation/detachment/philosophy; downwards direction; Śūdras; west; late winter (Śiśira); livelihood; old age/infamy/firmness/indebtedness/penury/income; wicked associations/benefit from inferiors; hunter/wanderer; horses/elephants/goats/buffaloes/asses/dogs; oil/wood/black metals (iron/lead); black grains; precious stones/ashes; agriculture; sexual indulgence/happiness from woman; long-lasting; servant class/multitudes/labourers.
Medical: Chronic/incurable disease; legs/feet/tendons/skin; ugly hair; lameness/mutilation/amputation; depression/insanity/idiocy; exhaustion/fatigue.

Rāhu

General: Sudden happenings/disinclination/faulty logic/harsh speech; irreligion; adultery; falsehood/sin/wickedness; royal status/insignia; benefits from outcastes; foreign travel/residence; long travel/pilgrimage; a muhūrta; air/space/breath; old age/hesitation; poison/snakes/reptiles; south-west; rough terrain/mountains; maternal grandfather; gambling; blue cloth/dark flowers/emerald; dense forests; sudden disaster; technical education.
Medical: Bones; chronic/incurable disease; insanity/hiccups/phobias; leprosy; weeping wounds; poisoning/snake bite; malignant tumours.

Ketu

General: Self-knowledge/renunciation; mantras/tantras/secret learning; detachment; holy baths/pilgrimage/penance/hunger/vow of silence; Vedānta; disease/physician; flag; hunters; fortune/suffering/luxuries; paternal grandfather; vultures/dogs/deer/cocks; pain/injury/surgery; horned animals/thorns/stones; trouble from enemies.
Medical: Chronic disease; tuberculosis/viral diseases/eruptive fevers/epidemics; worms; non-healing wounds; mental instability; diagnostically confusing diseases.

Planets as Significators (Kārakas) for Houses

Each house has one or more kārakas—planets that naturally signify that house’s matters. Use them as additional indicators alongside the house and its lord:

Lagna → Sun
2nd → Jupiter
3rd → Mars
4th → Moon, Mercury
5th → Jupiter
6th → Mars, Saturn
7th → Venus
8th → Saturn
9th → Sun, Jupiter
10th → Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn
11th → Jupiter
12th → Saturn

Predictive use of significators — a quick scheme

When judging a house’s matters, always examine its kāraka as well. Additionally, apply these parallel checks from planet-centric charts:

Judge from the Sun what you judge from the 9th/10th/11th from lagna (father, status, gains).
Judge from the Moon what you judge from the 1st/2nd/4th/9th/10th from lagna.
Judge from Mars what you judge from the 3rd from lagna.
Judge from Mercury what you judge from the 6th (disease/enemies/maternal uncle).
Judge from Jupiter what you judge from the 5th.
Judge from Venus what you judge from the 7th.
Judge from Saturn what you judge from the 8th.
Judge from Rāhu what you judge from the 11th.

Beginner tips

Think in layers: house topic → house lord → natural kāraka → relevant dasha periods; this is how static promise becomes an event.
Medical hints from houses and planets are indications, not diagnoses; interpretation must be careful and contextual.

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