What an arudha is
In Jaimini astrology the rising sign (lagna) describes what you are, and the Arudha lagna describes what the world sees. The word arudha means “mounted” or “risen”, and the idea is that the image of a thing is a projection of it. A person may feel quiet and private while the world sees someone confident, or the other way round. The Arudha lagna, also called the pada lagna, is the sign where that outer image sits.
Every house has an arudha. The arudha of the 2nd house describes the visible image of one’s wealth and family, the arudha of the 7th the image of partnerships, and so on. The twelve together are called the padas. The arudha of the 12th house has its own name, the Upapada lagna, and Jaimini teachers use it as the main sign for the marriage partner and the marital bond.
How the calculator works it out
The method is the same for each house, and the calculator shows the working for the Arudha lagna and the Upapada in full.
- Take the house and its lord. The lord is the planet that rules the sign on that house.
- Count the signs from the house to the sign where the lord stands, counting the house itself as 1.
- Count the same number of signs again from the lord. The sign you reach is the arudha of that house.
- Apply the exceptions below.
For example, if the 1st house is Aries and its lord Mars stands in Cancer, the count from Aries to Cancer is 4. Counting 4 from Cancer reaches Libra. Libra is the 7th from Aries, so the exception applies and the 10th from Libra, Cancer, becomes the Arudha lagna.
The exceptions for the 1st and 7th
Two cases are treated separately in the standard teaching, and the calculator states when one is used.
- If the second count lands on the house itself, which happens when the lord stands in that house or in the 7th from it, the arudha is the 10th sign from the house.
- If the second count lands on the 7th sign from the house, which happens when the lord stands 4th or 10th from the house, the arudha is the 10th sign counted from that 7th sign.
Scorpio and Aquarius have two lords in the Parashari tradition. This calculator takes Mars for Scorpio and Saturn for Aquarius, and when the alternative of Ketu or Rahu gives a different sign for the Arudha lagna or the Upapada, it shows that too, because teachers differ on which to use.
How to read the result
Look at the house the Arudha lagna falls in, counted from your rising sign, and at the planets standing in that sign. Teachers read the planets there as colouring the image the world holds: Jupiter as a reputation for knowledge or kindness, Saturn as seriousness or reserve, and so on. The lord of the Arudha sign and its condition are read in the same way. These are tendencies for reflection and not verdicts, and schools differ on how much weight each point carries.
For the Upapada lagna, teachers look at the sign, its lord, the planets in it and the 2nd sign from it. Every one of these points is a theme for reflection. Marriage depends on two people, on choices and on far more of the chart than one sign, so no single Upapada reading should be taken as a promise or a warning.
What you need
The Arudha lagna depends on the rising sign, so the time of birth must be as exact as you know it. A few minutes can change the rising sign in some charts, and then every pada changes with it. The positions are sidereal with the Lahiri ayanamsa and the mean node, as on the other chart tools here, and the houses are whole signs. The Jaimini tradition uses whole sign houses.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the difference between the Arudha lagna and the lagna?
The lagna is the rising sign at birth and describes the self as it is. The Arudha lagna is a second sign, found by counting from the lagna lord, and describes the image others form. They are often different signs.
↳ What is the Upapada lagna used for?
Jaimini astrology uses it as the sign of the marriage partner and of the bond itself. It is the arudha of the 12th house, found by the same method as every other pada.
↳ Why does the Arudha lagna never fall in the lagna or the 7th?
Because of the two exceptions. If the count lands on the house itself or on the 7th from it, the 10th sign is taken instead, so the Arudha lagna always differs from the rising sign and from the 7th sign.
↳ Which lord is used for Scorpio and Aquarius?
This tool takes Mars and Saturn. Some teachers take the stronger of Mars and Ketu, or of Saturn and Rahu. When the choice changes your result, the page shows both signs.
↳ Can I find the Arudha lagna without my birth time?
Not reliably. The method begins from the rising sign, which needs a birth time. Without it a different rising sign could give a different Arudha lagna, so the tool asks for the time.