Vedic astrology counts the houses of the chart based on the Rashi in which the ascendant rises. The ascendant Rashi is the first house and the rest of the houses follow in serial order. There are 12 houses in a birth chart and only 9 Grahas. The interpretation of the chart is not done merely by the placement of Grahas in Rashis or houses. Each Graha also owns one or two houses. The interplay of the house lordship gives the finer details of a birth chart. One must take all these factors into account when making a thorough study of a birth chart.
Bhava Chart Vs Rashi Chart
The simplest way to determine house lordship is to check the Rashi chart for the Rashi that falls in each house. Each Rashi has a Graha or planet that is its lord. So if the first house is Simha/Leo, the 1st Lord is Sun and so on. We then check where this 1st lord is placed in the birth chart. This placement is then interpreted. There is some debate on the houses that Rahu and Ketu rule and about whether they own houses at all.
However, there is another concept in Vedic astrology called the Bhava Chalit Chart and sometimes in this chart, the planets move houses. In this case, the house placement of the Graha changes and is interpreted according to the Bhava chart. One must be very careful to note that the house lordship is determined from the basic Rashi chart and the lord placement from the Bhava chart. If this is too confusing, please stick with the Rashi chart until you get familiar with it.
Interpreting The Placement Of The 1st House Lord
The 1st house lord could be placed in any of the 12 houses. The interpretation below is a basic guide as described in the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS). A more nuanced interpretation can be made based on the planet that is the 1st lord, its interaction with the lord of the house that it is placed in, the other planets that it is placed with, the aspects that it is receiving, the Nakshatra it is placed in, relationship with the Nakshatra lord and where the lord of the Nakshatra is placed.
One must also keep in mind the context of the times in which these texts were written. In older times if a person who was either wealthy or in very good health there would be the likelihood of having more than one wife. One must judiciously use these interpretations in modern times.
First Lord In The First House (1st lord in the 1st house)
When the first lord is in the first house, it implies the strengthening of the first house. The first house is the house of the person himself/herself. This means that the person will be physically strong and will have physical comforts. The first house also indicates the person’s tendencies and disposition. So, this placement makes the person thoughtful and intelligent. However, the texts also state that the person will be of fickle mind, have two wives and will be unfaithful to his wife. One must also keep in mind that this is the best-case scenario. If the first house is subject to malefic aspects or has a malefic in it these influences may make the opposite happen and affect the health and vitality of the person.
First Lord In The Second House (1st lord in the 2nd house)
The first house of self in the Dhana Bhava means that the person will focus on the significations of that house. The second house indicates wealth, money, family and speech. It is also one of the houses of primary education. So, the person will be learned, happy and rather money minded. Since the second house is also connected with sight the person will have excellent powers of observation and even great foresight.
First Lord In The Third House (1st lord in the 3rd house)
The third house is the Parakrama/Bhratri Bhava and is associated with courage, strength, valour, communication and siblings. The placement of the 1st lord in the third house makes the person very courageous and valourous. He will also be intelligent and have two wives. This placement makes the person’s health and vitality very strong. The person will also be blessed with wealth and happiness. This placement would not be as favourable for the Gemini and Aquarius when the placement would actually cause ill health.
First Lord In The Fourth House (1st lord in the 4th house)
The fourth house is the Sahaja or Maitri Bhava. It denotes the mother and the mental peace and happiness of the person. So when the lord of the first house in 4th, there will be happiness from the mother and the father. The texts also state that there will be many brothers. The person will be rather charming and intelligent while also being sensual. Since this placement links the persons physical self (1st house) to the mind (4th house) there will be much thought and attention paid to the body and matters of the body. For Aries and Capricorn, the 1st lord in the 4th house is the sign of debilitation. So, the 1st lord and will not give good effects for these Lagnas/ascendants.
First Lord In The Fifth House (1st lord in the 5th house)
The Lagna lord in the fifth house will give the person less happiness from children. BPHS states that this position indicates the loss of the first child. The book also states that the person will be a favourite to the king. This can be interpreted as the person being a favourite of the government or their boss or something similar. The person also will be very angry and also honourable.
First Lord In The Sixth House (1st lord in the 6th house)
When the Lagna lord is in the sixth or the Shatru Bhava the person will have health issues if there is a malefic influence. If there is a benefic aspect this would make the person focussed on health aspects and be a person who is passionate about diet and exercise. This is because the sixth house is the house of diseases. The sixth house is also the house of enemies and when there is no benefic aspect to the sixth house, the person will face troubles from enemies.
First Lord In The Seventh House (1st lord in the 7th house)
When the first lord is in the Kalatra Bhava that is the house of marriage and partnership it will have two different results. The seventh house is also one of the houses of travel. It is also a Marakasthana or house of death. So when the first lord is a malefic, it will cause the loss or death of the spouse. If it is a benefic it will have either the effect of making the person either a king or a penniless wanderer. This depends on the other aspects and situation of the seventh house.
First Lord In The Eighth House (1st lord in the 8th house)
The eighth house or Ayush/Randhra Bhava is one of the unfavourable houses of the chart that signifies longevity, sudden events, loss misery, misfortune, disgrace and death. It is also the house of occult sciences. So, it can be said that the person will be addicted to unpleasant habits such as gambling, thieving and desiring other people’s wives. It will also tend to make the person sickly since the eighth house is the house of chronic diseases. The eighth house being the house of occult, the person may be greatly interested in occult sciences such as astrology. If the 1st lord is weak and afflicted in the eighth house it may also affect the longevity of the person. But if it is in its own house it may actually fortify the long life of the native. If the 1st lord is exalted in the eighth, this effect is nullified.
First Lord In The Ninth House (1st lord in the 9th house)
The ninth house being the house of Dharma and fortune, the person will be a very religious person and will also be blessed with wealth, children and be very fortunate. If this position causes the 1st lord to be debilitated in the 9th such as in the Scorpio ascendant, this will cause the opposite of all the indications. For the Leo and Aquarius ascendants, the 1st lord will be exalted in the 9th house and give excellent results.
First Lord In The Tenth House (1st lord in the 10th house)
When the 1st lord is in the 10th house or Karma Sthana will give the person fame and have wealth that is earned through one’s own hard work. The person will also get the favour of the government and happiness through the father.
First Lord In The Eleventh House (1st lord in the 11th house)
The 11th house is called the Labha Bhava or the house of gains. When the first lord goes to the house of gain the person will clearly have many gains, fame and honour. The texts state that the person would also have many wives. When the 1st lord is exalted in the 11th house the effects will be very strong. This is true for the Taurus and Cancer ascendants. But for the Pisces ascendant the 1st lord would be in debilitation in the 11th house the effects would be very bad and a reversal.
First Lord In The Twelfth House (1st lord in the 12th house)
The 12th house is the Vyaya Bhava or the house of loss. This would mean that the person would lose health or bodily pleasures. It is also the house of expenses the person would also spend a lot. BPHS also states that the person will be prone to extreme anger.
