Jyotish Term
Rashi — राशि
Short answer. Rashi is the Vedic term for a zodiac sign — one of twelve 30° divisions of the sidereal zodiac. Each rashi has a ruling planet, an element, and a quality that shapes how planets in that sign behave.
The twelve rashis are Mesha (Aries), Vrishabha (Taurus), Mithuna (Gemini), Karka (Cancer), Simha (Leo), Kanya (Virgo), Tula (Libra), Vrishchika (Scorpio), Dhanu (Sagittarius), Makara (Capricorn), Kumbha (Aquarius), and Meena (Pisces). Each rashi has a ruling graha — Mars rules Mesha and Vrishchika, Venus rules Vrishabha and Tula, and so on. In Vedic astrology, the rashi used is the sidereal one (corrected for the precession of the equinoxes via the Lahiri Ayanamsa), which is typically one sign behind the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology. The most commonly referenced rashi in conversational Vedic astrology is the chandra rashi — the rashi occupied by the Moon at birth — because it governs emotional disposition and is the basis of the Vimshottari Dasha calculation.
Related terms
- Nakshatra — A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions — sub-divisions of the zodiac, each 13°20' wide, used in Vedic astrology to read finer-grained character, compatibility, and timing. The Moon occupies one nakshatra at any moment.
- Lagna — Lagna, also called the Ascendant, is the sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It defines the first house of the chart and is the foundation of how all other planets are read.
- Ayanamsa — Ayanamsa is the angular difference between the sidereal zodiac (used in Vedic astrology) and the tropical zodiac (used in Western astrology). It is currently about 24° and grows roughly 50 arc-seconds per year due to precession of the equinoxes.
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