Bhava

Bhava is a term used in Indian astrology (Vedic or Jyotisha) to denote a house or division of the birth chart. The chart is divided into twelve bhavas, beginning with the ascendant (lagna) as the first house, and proceeding counterclockwise around the circle. Each bhava represents a distinct life area or aspect of existence and has its own characteristic significations.

The first bhava corresponds to the self, physical appearance, and overall vitality; the second to wealth, possessions, and values; the third to communication, siblings, and short journeys; the fourth to home, mother, and domestic comfort; the fifth to intelligence, education, progeny, and creativity; the sixth to health, work, and enemies; the seventh to marriage, partnerships, and open enemies; the eighth to longevity, transformation, and occult matters; the ninth to fortune, philosophy, religion, and higher learning; the tenth to career, authority, and public life; the eleventh to gains, friendships, and social networks; and the twelfth to loss, isolation, and spiritual liberation.

Each bhava has a natural significance, but the practical effect depends on the planetary rulers (grahas) placed in or aspecting the bhava, the strength and condition of those planets, and the timing indicated by dashas and transits. The placement of the ascendant sign determines the exact cusps of all 12 bhavas, coloring their flavor through sign rulership and planetary rulership.

Etymologically, bhava also means existence or state in Sanskrit, a broader sense that underlines its use as a descriptive category for different domains of life in astrology.