Have you noticed that everybody knows their Ascendant, also known as Lagna in Vedic Astrology? You will hear people say I am born as “so and so” Lagna with reference to any of the twelve sun signs, and the story begins. But, have you asked yourself what is Lagna?! Here are the 10 things you should know about the Lagna & Why.
“Without knowing Why there is no pleasure in learning.” Pt. Sanjay Rath
1. What is Lagna?
Lagna, also referred to as Ascendant, is your entry point into this life. This is the reason why we say that the Lagna is your birth, or in Sanskrit, it is your Janma (mn. birth). It consists of two elements and those are (1) time and (2) space. So Lagna is a faculty of these two, and it is specific to you based on the exact time of your birth (date and hour), and place of your birth (geographical location). Hence, the importance of birth time rectification as the very first step into chart analysis.
Janma Lagna is also your ground zero, but the two important Lagna that have come before the Janma Lagna are called (1) Nisheka Lagna, or the moment of coitus of parents, and (2) Adhana Lagna, or the moment of conception.
Lagna, or more accurately Janma Lagna, is one of many Lagnas in one’s horoscope or one of many points of self in one’s chart. For example, we have Karaka Lagna that is the Lagna of ones Atmakaraka or soul, Arudha Lagna, Vishesha Lagna’s (Bhava, Hora, and Ghatika Lagna),Varnada Lagna, etc.
2. Meaning of the word Lagna
Sanskrit word Lagna has multiple meanings, and each of them adds to the richness of the Lagna concept. To demonstrate, Lagna comes from the root word ‘lag’ implying to adhere or stick to an object, person or concept. Lagna is the act of adhering or attaching oneself.
- In the birth chart, the Lagna implies attaching oneself to one’s karmas.
- At conception, this implies the seed attaching itself to the womb.
- In muhurta, this implies attaching oneself to a task.
- At demise, this indicates adhering to or attaching oneself to the fruit of one’s actions in life, and the resultant afterlife.
Lagna also means an auspicious moment in time. Here word Lagna indicates an auspicious event of one’s birth.
3. Lagna as the First house of Zodiac
Lagna also refers to the beginning and as such the 1st astrological house. Some of the important names for the 1st house: Lagna (coming together, adhering, auspicious, etc.), Murti (form, image, figure), Anga (limb), Tanu (the body, physical body in general), Udaya (rising, coming forth, appearance, and as such it indicates one’s fame and reputation), Vapu (body, form), Kalpa (mn. head, with regard to the body part it represents the head, as well as one’s intelligence) and Adya (beginning).
4. Lagna represents the Self
Just as Lagna represents the self in this material existence (D1 chart), this is also the case in all other divisional charts, Prashna chart, etc. Lagna will always indicate the self, the person in question!!
- The way we are and the way we think in life, and our physical circumstances in life in general, is Lagna in the Rashi chart (D1),
- In marriage, and the way we are in our private (Lagna in D9),
- In the matters of parenting (Lagna in the D7),
- Work and profession (Lagna in the D10),
- With parents (Lagna in D12), etc.
5. Lagna as the seat of one’s Intelligence
One aspect of Lagna that is also self is one’s Dhi or Intelligence. In fact, this Dhi has a specific name, this Dhi coming from Lagna is called Buddhi (Bud+Dhi), and is one of the four types of Dhi, namely Buddhi (Lagna), Shuddhi (4th house), Vriddhi (7th house), and Siddhi (10th house).
Buddhi in Sanskrit means understanding, learning, etc. In a way, it shows how your brain/intelligence is configured.
Tip: Check the sign in the Lagna for the way we naturally are. In case you have planets on the Lagna they take priority as they do Grahana (eclipse) and force their own agenda. A thorough study of all Twelve Lagnas has been done by Visti in his Learning the Lagna Workshop.
6. Application of one’s intelligence is Paka Lagna
To know how we apply our intelligence we need to check the Lagna lord. You can have a powerful brain (Lagna), but what did you do with it? Have you used it to make the right decisions or not comes from the Paka Lagna or the placement of the Lagna Lord.
Our Paka Lagna and circumstances of Paka Lagna also show how we react, are we making our decisions in haste (reacting) or after thinking it through, did we have all the necessary information when making a decision, if we were forced by the circumstances at the time, all that and much more is seen from the Lagna Lard.
Your Lagna lords placement also decides your public image as it determines your Arudha Lagna (AL).
7. Lagna Lord is responsible for protecting the Lagna
The Lagna lord is responsible for protecting the Lagna. Wherever placed, it indicates the means and ways to do so. As not all placements are good, some means are not good. In these lines, Lagna lords placement in the Kendra or Kona houses is considered beneficial for the self. However, it may not be so for the house it occupies, unless it is the 1st house itself.
In the Shadowy houses or the 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 12th house, Lagna lord is not considered auspicious as it can bring poor decisions for oneself as in darkness one will lack all the necessary pieces of information when making decisions.
- Of these, 2nd house is easiest to remedy through clean eating habits, as this is the requirement of any Vishnu house – purity!
- On the other hand, Lagna lord placed in the 6th or 8th house strengthens the saturnine influences in one’s life, such as delays, poor health, suffering, debts, etc.
- When Lagna lord is placed in the 12th house, personal choices can lead to one’s own undoing. One is also very impulsive.
8. Effects of Planets in Lagna
If you have a graha/planet in Lagna, that planet will cause grahana on your brain/head. Word graha comes from the word grahana which means to eclipse, or to size, or in everyday language, a planet on Lagna “will sit on your head” and direct your head in a way and in a direction that is natural to that graha.
For this purpose, I have prepared an E-book that covers the results of all planets in the Lagna, based on the teachings of Sage Bhrigu. Get your Free E-book here.
Grahas on Lagna leave a mark on your appearance. So we say that a strong Sun on Lagna gives a receding hairline (due to the strong Agni/fire element). It will give a dignified stature, whilst Mars on Lagna can leave a scar, mark or acne, all depending on the strength and avasta of the planet in question.
If you have two or more planets in Lagna, remember to check the Yoga that they are forming! It’s as if two or more people are living together in the same house, in this case, the first house or Lagna, and depending on their mutual relationship and nature, they will give their results.
Note: Yoga is the secret-sauce of Jyotish. If you focus on the planets individually, without paying attention to the yoga or the story that they are creating, it is the same as not seeing the forest from the trees.
9. Karaka for the Lagna is the Sun
Naisargika (or natural) karaka for the Lagna is the Sun. And if Karaka (karaka means significator) for the Lagna is the Sun then that also means that the Karaka for You is the Sun. You are the Lagna! This is the reason why the Sun represents the Self, the Soul, and the reason why we can analyze horoscope from the Sun.
In the context of the 1st house, Sun represents one’s health as well.
Here are some important steps that you should check with regards to this:
- If the Sun is well placed from the Lagna you will have access to good health resources such as food, therapists, doctors, etc.
- Whether you take advantage of these resources or not depends on the Sun’s link to the Lagna or Lagnesha.
- If the Sun aspects your Lagna then you will always keep good health. If instead only it aspects or joins your Lagnesha then you will keep good health on a need basis. If neither, then you may not take advantage of proper health services.
10. Problems and Remedies to the Lagna
Afflictions to the Lagna, and by extension Lagna lord as well, will negatively affect one’s judgment or vivek (discrimination), can bring health/longevity issues and blemishes to one’s reputation.
Some of the most important afflictions specific to Lagna are (1) Lagna Gandhanta (that can give financial instability, affect one’s parents or even be life-threatening in case of a deep gandhanta), and (2) Lagna or its lord in sandhi (where creation of the body itself can be under affliction).
When talking about the afflictions to the Lagna Lord one should pay attention to the following:
(1) Lagna Lord in the Marana Karaka sthana will fail to protect the Lagna;
(2) Lagna Lord in 0 digbala will fail to give the right knowledge to protect the native;
(3) Lagna Lord under a curse or combusted will fail to protect the Lagna on the account of one’s bad judgment, wrong decisions, etc.
Remedies
Jyotish does have a system of remedies for each of them, sometimes choosing to address/remedy the issue at hand, and sometimes to strengthen the blessings and protection that is there in the horoscope. As a general remedy for any type of an affliction, we worship the Lord of the house (if unafflicted and well placed), or the Karaka of the house (if unafflicted and well placed) in that order.
And this, my friend, is only the tip of the iceberg. The topic of Lagna became a 12 Week Lagna series that was covered with my #jyotishtribe, my family of jyotishas in our weekly Newsletter. If you wish to become a part of our next Jyotish series starting shortly, feel free to subscribe below.
You can read the whole series dedicated to the topic of Lagna in my new Jyotish book Letters To My Jyotish Friends.
– om tat sat –
