Bhāva

Bhāva (Sanskrit: bhāva, 'state, condition') is a term in Jyotisha denoting a fixed zodiacal division of the sky from the perspective of an observer. It corresponds to the concept of 'house' in Western astrology. A natal chart is called bhāvachakra (Sanskrit: chakra, 'wheel'.) Bhāva (Sanskrit: bhāva, 'state, condition') is a term in Jyotisha denoting a fixed zodiacal division of the sky from the perspective of an observer. It corresponds to the concept of 'house' in Western astrology. A natal chart is called bhāvachakra (Sanskrit: chakra, 'wheel'.) In almost all traditional practice, the twelve houses (bhāva) of a chart have the same boundaries as the twelve signs in the chart; in other words, each sign is a house in the chart. The beginning of each house is the 0th degrees of the sign and the end is the 30th degree of the sign. What varies from chart to chart is the enumeration of these houses, i.e., which sign is the first house, which is the second, and so forth. This is determined by the position of the Lagna (the Ascendant, or the longitudinal point of the zodiac that was rising in the East at birth.) The house in which the Lagna falls is usually the first house of the chart, and the other houses follow it, counter-clockwise, in the sequence of the zodiac. It is possible, however, for the houses to be defined relative to some other factor, such as a planet, a sign, or any other factor.