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जन्म-कुण्डली-प्रश्नोत्तरम्
Answers to the top 10 questions about kundali (Vedic birth charts), accuracy, and how to read them. Each answer cites BPHS, Sūrya-Siddhānta, or NASA/JPL Horizons.
A kundali (कुण्डली), also called janam kundli or birth chart, is a diagram of the sky at the exact moment and place of your birth. It shows the positions of the nine grahas (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu) in the 12 zodiac houses. It's the foundation of Vedic astrology — pure structural information, no predictions or fortune-telling.
Source: BPHS · Sūrya-Siddhānta
Accuracy depends on (1) computational precision — a benchmarked method instead of a black box — and (2) input accuracy: birth time should be correct to within ~1 minute for lagna accuracy. Bharat Ephemeris currently measures Sūrya at 7.77″ p95 and Candra at 30.30″ p95 against JPL Horizons. Uncertain birth time means uncertain lagna-house positions, but the overall structure remains valid.
Source: JPL Horizons benchmark · Sūrya-Siddhānta + Kerala
A kundali (birth chart) is the static sky-map at birth — planetary positions and houses. A horoscope is an interpretation or prediction derived from the kundali, often for a specific period. Kundali = data; horoscope = narrative. Bharat Ephemeris provides the kundali; interpretation requires a trained astrologer.
Source: BPHS · Vedic tradition
Yes, if the engine is transparent: method, documented time systems (UTC↔IST), ayanāṃśa choice, and published benchmark error bars. Bharat Ephemeris exposes its substrate and JPL Horizons accuracy receipts. Transparency = trustworthiness.
Source: Bharat Ephemeris documentation
Three pieces: (1) birth date (day, month, year), (2) birth time (hour:minute, accurate to within 1 minute — check hospital records), (3) birth place (city/country or lat/lon). Missing birth time means no lagna; missing place means ambiguous timezone conversions. All three are required for a complete chart.
Source: BPHS · standard practice
Convert birth date/time to Julian Day Number → compute graha longitudes in the Bharat substrate → apply ayanāṃśa → place each graha into zodiac sign (rāśi) and lunar mansion (nakṣatra) → calculate lagna from local sidereal time → arrange all positions into 12 houses. JPL Horizons is the benchmark reference, not the runtime source.
Source: Sūrya-Siddhānta · BPHS calculation
The 12 houses (bhāva) represent life domains: (1) self, (2) wealth, (3) communication, (4) home/mother, (5) children, (6) health, (7) partnership, (8) death/transformation, (9) wisdom, (10) career, (11) gains, (12) spirituality. Each house is shaped by occupying grahas and sign-ruler. House analysis is key to kundali interpretation.
Source: BPHS §1.6 · Jaimini Sutras
A kundali alone does not predict; it shows your birth configuration. Future trends emerge from daśā periods (Vimśottarī) — time cycles that activate different grahas. Daśā says which graha is active during a life period, not what happens. Future prediction requires daśā analysis + transit + classical predictive techniques + astrologer judgment.
Source: BPHS daśā theory · Jaimini sutras
Kundali computation is mathematical: ephemeris equations, geometric projection, and time systems. Bharat Ephemeris benchmarks positions against JPL Horizons, but interpretation remains Jyotiṣa/traditional guidance — not medical, legal, financial, or scientific certainty. Computation and reading are kept separate.
Source: JPL benchmark · BPHS · Sūrya-Siddhānta
Best free tools show: (1) method transparency, (2) accuracy claims with a published baseline, (3) Hindi/Sanskrit support, and (4) clear calculation-vs-interpretation boundaries. Bharat Ephemeris emphasizes sovereign computation, Lahiri ayanāṃśa, Vimśottarī daśā, and JPL-benchmarked p95 error bars.
Source: Comparative accuracy · Bharat Ephemeris
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