Rashi: The 12 Vedic Zodiac Signs Explained

Rashi (राशि) is the Sanskrit word for a zodiac sign — one of the twelve 30° divisions of the ecliptic through which the Sun, Moon, and planets travel. The Rashis are the backdrop of the entire chart: every planet sits in a Rashi, and the sign colours how that planet behaves. Understanding the twelve signs — their lords, elements, and qualities — is foundational to reading any Kundli.

The 12 Rashis at a glance

#	Rashi	English	Lord	Element
1	Mesha	Aries	Mars	Fire
2	Vrishabha	Taurus	Venus	Earth
3	Mithuna	Gemini	Mercury	Air
4	Karka	Cancer	Moon	Water
5	Simha	Leo	Sun	Fire
6	Kanya	Virgo	Mercury	Earth
7	Tula	Libra	Venus	Air
8	Vrishchika	Scorpio	Mars	Water
9	Dhanu	Sagittarius	Jupiter	Fire
10	Makara	Capricorn	Saturn	Earth
11	Kumbha	Aquarius	Saturn	Air
12	Meena	Pisces	Jupiter	Water

How the signs are organised

The twelve Rashis are classified in several overlapping ways, and these classifications drive much of chart interpretation:

• Element (Tattva): Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) — temperament and compatibility.
• Quality (Chara/Sthira/Dvi-svabhava): Movable/cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), Dual/mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) — how the sign initiates, sustains, or adapts.
• Sign lord (Rashi-pati): the planet ruling each sign — central to reading house lords and yogas.
• Polarity: odd signs are masculine/active, even signs feminine/receptive.

A planet’s dignity also depends on the sign: each planet is exalted in one sign, debilitated in the opposite, and at home in the sign(s) it rules — which is why the same planet reads so differently across Rashis.

Sidereal vs tropical — why your sign may “change”

This is the most common point of confusion. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, fixed to the actual constellations, while Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, tied to the spring equinox. Because of the precession of the equinoxes, the two have drifted apart by roughly 24° — a gap called the ayanamsa. The practical result: your Vedic Sun sign is often the previous sign from your Western one. Neither is “wrong”; they are two different reference frames, and Vedic astrology has always used the sidereal.

Janma Rashi — why the Moon sign rules

In popular Western astrology, “your sign” means your Sun sign. In Vedic astrology, the Moon sign — your Janma Rashi — is primary. The Moon governs the mind and emotions, the Vimshottari Dasha timeline is built from the Moon’s nakshatra, and most traditional predictions (and your nakshatra) are read from the Moon. When someone asks “what is your Rashi?”, they usually mean your Moon sign.

Three layers are worth knowing for yourself:

• Lagna Rashi — your Ascendant sign (the body, the self).
• Janma/Chandra Rashi — your Moon sign (the mind, emotions).
• Surya Rashi — your Sun sign (the soul, vitality).

Find your Rashi

Acharya Jyotish computes your Lagna, Moon, and Sun signs precisely (sidereal, with the standard ayanamsa), and reads each planet through the sign it occupies — with the classical reasoning shown.

Generate your free Kundli to find your Janma Rashi and more. New to all this? Start with What is a Kundli, then How to Read a Kundli.