The Definition:

Ascendant or Lagna is the sign that rises on the eastern horizon when you were born.

The Basics:

There are 12 signs. Imagine a giant wheel in the sky. This wheel is invisible except that the wheel is made up of groups of stars lined up on the imaginary and invisible wheel. Half the wheel is up in the sky or above the horizons (east and west) the remaining half is below  the earth. Visualize this by closing your eyes and imagining a star studded wheel.

There are 24 hours in a day. There are 12 signs on the zodiac. So every sign takes about 2 hours to rise.

You cannot see the wheel but you can see the SUN everyday. So catch the Sun and you will know where the ascendant is.

Question: What is common between the Sun and the Lagna?

Answer: Both rise and set.

Question: What is not common between the Sun and Lagna?

Answer: Sun is visible but Lagna is not.

Question: What rises on the eastern horizon at sunrise time?

Answer: Of course the Sun. Got it! If I know which sign the Sun occupies during a particular month of birth I will know which sign rises on the eastern horizon. Right?

That is it. Once you know which sign the Sun occupies at the time it rises, you can find the Lagna at any given time using the rough method that we are trying to teach you in this knol.

Where is the Sun?

The Sun enters Aries 0 degree Mid April and stays there until Mid May. The SUN stays in the Rasi (sign) for about 1 month. SUN moves every month. Since there are 12 months in a year, SUN moves in all the 12 signs every year and comes back to the same spot after 365.25 days.

Suppose you were born November 20 of any year, and since this period comes between Mid November to Mid December, from the above table, on row 8 you will see that the Sun will be in Scorpio. The sanskrit term for Scorpio is Vrischika. Scorpio is the 8th sign. Sun will be in Scorpio between Mid November to Mid December.

Q. For a person born on Jan 30 of any year where is the Sun?

A. The Sun will be in Capricorn or Makara Rasi.

Q. Suppose if such a person is born at 7 am just 30 minutes after Sunrise which sign is the Ascendant?

A. Of course Makara (Capricorn) because Sun and Lagna will rise together. Because Lagna is that sign which rises on the Eastern Horizon.

In the following 12 horoscope charts we placed Sun in the same Rasi. Sun occupies Makara (Capricorn). This will be true if the person is born Mid Jan to Mid Feb of every year.

Note that during the 24 hours cycle, SUN stays in the same sign. Only the Lagna moves swiftly forward. Every 2 hours the Lagna (Ascendant) changes.

Since the Sun rises at Sunrise time, finding the Lagna at Sunrise time is easy. If you know where Sun is that is the Ascendant as well. Since Sun is in Capricorn (Makara), if the person was born between sunrise to the next 2 hours his or her Ascendant (Lagna) will also be Makara. We know that the Ascendant is that sign which rises on the eastern horizon.

Now that you have learned the rough method, I will teach you a better method than the  rough method because the rough method does not work all the time. In 10% cases this rough method will give you the error of plus or minus one sign from the actual Lagna.

Then why is this method being taught? If someone give you a horoscope with a wrong Lagna you can easily find out by using the rough method.

In degrees and minutes of the arc, Sun can only be anywhere from 00:00:00 to 359:59:59

Let us say the Sun is in 281:18:00

Since 30 degrees make a  sign, we know that the Sun has crossed 9 signs.

9 x 30 = 270

The 10th sign is Capricorn. So Sun is in Capricorn 11 Degrees and 18 minutes which is represented as 281:18:00

Suppose the person is born at 7:25 am. Let us find the Ascendant degree using the better method.

To continue we need to know what time the Sunrises on that day.

This person was born on Jan 25, 1962 at Thalaserry, Kerala.

So the Sunrises at: 6: 56 am

Time elapsed from Sunrise to Time of Birth is:

Time of Birth :   7:25 am
Sunrise        :   6:56 am
——————————————
:      29 minutes
—————————————–

Every day there are 1440 minutes
Every day 360 degrees has to rise.
So every degree takes 4 minutes

In 29 minutes how many degrees will rise?  29/ divided by 4  = 7 degrees.

We know that the Sun was on Capricorn 11 degrees.
Add                                                       7 degrees
———————
18 degrees
———————

The Astrology software I am referring to also gives the degree as 18 degrees. So this method is great.

The problem with this method is that it assumes all signs rise in equal 2 hour junction whereas in reality it is not. The reason is though each sign is 30 degrees, the length of each sign varies. We have short and long signs. That means each sign will not actually rise in the next 2 hours. Some signs rise in less than 2 hours and some sign rise over 2 hours.

So the last thing is…. use a computer to calculate the Lagna or Ascendant.

But in case you do not have a computer with you at the time the question comes up, you can use the first method – the rough method. Since it works mostly than not use it when you have no other choice.

End of this knol.