Zodiac signs in Vedic astrology
A rashi is a zodiac sign: one of twelve equal 30° sectors. A Kundli can place different grahas in different signs. A sign in one row is not a single label for the entire person.
Sign directory
| Number | Sign | Ruler used here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aries, Mesha | Mars |
| 2 | Taurus, Vrishabha | Venus |
| 3 | Gemini, Mithuna | Mercury |
| 4 | Cancer, Karka | Moon |
| 5 | Leo, Simha | Sun |
| 6 | Virgo, Kanya | Mercury |
| 7 | Libra, Tula | Venus |
| 8 | Scorpio, Vrishchika | Mars |
| 9 | Sagittarius, Dhanu | Jupiter |
| 10 | Capricorn, Makara | Saturn |
| 11 | Aquarius, Kumbha | Saturn |
| 12 | Pisces, Meena | Jupiter |
The sign numbers run from Aries to Pisces regardless of the lagna. The house count begins at the lagna instead.
Elements and modes
| Element | Signs |
|---|---|
| Fire | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius |
| Earth | Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn |
| Air | Gemini, Libra, Aquarius |
| Water | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces |
| Mode | Signs |
|---|---|
| Movable | Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn |
| Fixed | Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius |
| Dual | Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces |
The four elements provide broad interpretive themes: Fire concerns drive and intensity, Earth practical stability, Air thought and exchange, and Water feeling and imagination. These are sign classifications, separate from the five parts of Panchang and from other elemental schemes that include space or ether.
Mode supplies another distinction. Movable signs emphasise beginning or changing, fixed signs maintaining, and dual signs adapting or considering alternatives. Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are all Fire signs but have different modes. Sharing an element therefore does not make their readings identical.
The same classifications also have specific uses in rules such as rashi drishti. An element or mode is not a diagnosis, an overall personality score or a measure of compatibility.
Reading the sign on this site
The chart uses a sidereal zodiac with a selectable ayanamsa. Exact boundaries matter when a longitude lies near the beginning or end of a sign.
A graha’s sign ruler, its house lordship and its dignity are different relationships. Use the individual sign reference for the relevant distinctions before reading a narrower placement guide.
See the chart and its tables on the Kundli page.