How AstralMandala reads a chart

A reading is made in two steps that never mix. First the chart is computed: positions, houses, strengths, periods and transits, each a checkable fact. Then the reading is spoken: a language model turns those facts into sentences, and it is only allowed to use the facts it was given.

The sky

• Ephemeris. Planetary positions come from the Swiss Ephemeris, the reference used by most serious astrology software, computed in the sidereal zodiac.
• Ayanamsa. Lahiri (Chitrapaksha), the standard in India, applied to the planets and the ascendant alike.
• Houses. Whole signs from the lagna: the rising sign is the 1st house, the next sign the 2nd, and so on. When the birth time is unknown, houses are counted from the Moon instead, and the reading says so.
• Aspects. Full-sign aspects in the classical way: every planet aspects the 7th from itself; Mars also the 4th and 8th, Jupiter the 5th and 9th, Saturn the 3rd and 10th.

Strength and timing

• Shadbala. Each planet's strength in rupas against the minimum it needs, from its position, direction, motion, time and aspects.
• Ashtakavarga. Bindus by sign and house, used to weigh houses and transits.
• Divisional charts. The navamsa (D9) and the other vargas used for particular questions — D10 for career, D7 for children, D2 for wealth, D12 for parents, and more.
• Vimshottari dasha. The 120-year cycle of planetary periods, starting from the Moon's nakshatra: mahadashas, antardashas and the dates they turn.
• Transits. Where the planets are now, over your natal chart, including Sade Sati (Saturn over your Moon) and the dates planets change sign.

A verdict from five views

A question about one part of life — career, say — is read from five perspectives: from the lagna, from the Moon, from the natural significators of that area, from the relevant divisional chart, and from the periods you are running. Every planet that touches the area is weighed by its strength and its role. The strongest view leads, and the others say whether they agree, so a reading can tell you "four of five views agree" — or that the chart is genuinely mixed.

Meanings

When a reading says what a placement means, the meaning comes from a curated table of classical significations, and it is introduced as tradition — "Traditionally, Saturn in the 9th…" — never presented as a fact about your life.

Matchmaking

Two charts are compared with the eight kootas of Ashtakoota guna milan, out of 36. We show two figures: the plain count anyone can add up, and what the match reads as once the classical rules that cancel certain weak points are applied, so you can see exactly why a score is what it is.

The words

The facts for a turn — and only those — are handed to a language model with strict instructions: say what they mean, add nothing, keep every date exactly. Each reply is then checked against the facts; a reply that adds a planet, a house, a date or a claim the chart did not carry is rejected and a plain rendering of the facts is used instead. The same facts are voiced twice: once by the friend, in everyday words, and once by the astrologer, in the chart's own vocabulary.

What a reading is not

Vedic astrology is a tradition of interpretation, not a science. A reading is for reflection. It is not a medical diagnosis, legal advice or financial advice, and on health it always says so.