The tenth house in Kundli

The tenth house, or Karma bhava, concerns work, conduct, authority and public responsibilities. It describes activity through which a person takes a role in the wider world, extending beyond a job title or salary.

Work and the use of abilities

A work question may involve skill, duty, recognition or authority. The tenth brings these questions into the reading, while the planet involved supplies a more specific theme: Mercury's learning and communication differ from Mars's effort and decisive action.

A connection with the fifth lord can link learning with work. A connection with the ninth lord can link work with teachers or guiding principles. These are relationships among house topics, not instructions to choose a particular career.

House, sign and lord

For Cancer lagna, Aries is the tenth whole-sign house and Mars rules it. The sign number 1 printed there identifies Aries; it does not turn that compartment into the first house. The chart-layout guide explains this notation.

The tenth is both a kendra and an upachaya. These groupings describe angular placement and development respectively.

D10 and other references

Dashamsa, or D10, is a separate division used alongside D1 for work-related reading. Its tenth house must be counted from its own lagna. A rule counted tenth from the Moon uses yet another reference and can point to a different sign.

Planets in the tenth house

These guides explain each placement and the conditions that qualify its interpretation.

See the chart and its tables on the Kundli page.