Vedic Astrology · Glossary
Bhava
भाव
A house in the Vedic birth chart — there are 12 bhavas, each governing a specific domain of life.
Bhava (Sanskrit: 'state' or 'being') is the Vedic astrology term for a house in the birth chart. The 12 bhavas divide the birth chart into 12 equal (or unequal, depending on the house system) segments, each associated with a specific domain of life. The bhava system is the primary organisational framework for chart interpretation: 1st bhava (self, body, personality), 2nd (family, wealth, speech), 3rd (siblings, effort, courage, short journeys), 4th (mother, home, land, happiness), 5th (children, creativity, education, past-life merit), 6th (enemies, disease, debt, competition, service), 7th (marriage, partnership, business allies), 8th (longevity, inheritance, transformation, occult), 9th (father, teacher, dharma, foreign travel, philosophy), 10th (career, status, authority, public life), 11th (gains, income, elder siblings, networks, fulfillment of desires), 12th (loss, isolation, foreign countries, spiritual liberation, the unconscious). In Vedic astrology, the most commonly used house system is the Whole Sign system, where each zodiac sign occupies one complete house.
Examples
- ◆Venus in the 7th bhava (house of marriage) indicates a beautiful or artistically inclined spouse
- ◆Saturn in the 10th bhava (career house) gives disciplined career growth with a slow but steady rise to authority
- ◆Jupiter in the 5th bhava (children and creativity) gives blessings in children and intelligence
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bhava in astrology?
Bhava is the Sanskrit word for 'house' in Vedic astrology. A birth chart has 12 bhavas, each governing a specific life domain: 1st (self), 2nd (wealth/speech), 3rd (siblings/effort), 4th (mother/home), 5th (children/creativity), 6th (enemies/disease), 7th (marriage), 8th (transformation/longevity), 9th (dharma/father), 10th (career), 11th (gains), 12th (liberation/loss).
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