People often ask "what is my sign?" and get three different answers. In Vedic astrology all three exist and mean different things.
Lagna (ascendant)
The lagna is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment and place of your birth. It changes about every two hours, so it needs an accurate birth time. The lagna describes your body, personality and how you meet the world, and it decides which sign falls in each of the 12 houses of your chart.
Rashi (Moon sign)
Your rashi is the sign the Moon was in when you were born. The Moon changes sign every two to two and a half days. In India the rashi is the sign used for daily horoscopes, Sade Sati and naming. It describes your mind and emotions.
Sun sign
The sun sign is the sign the Sun was in at birth. It is the sign used in Western astrology and most magazine horoscopes.
Why your Indian and Western signs differ
Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, tied to the fixed stars. Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, tied to the seasons. Because of the slow wobble of the Earth's axis, the two zodiacs have drifted apart by about 24 degrees today (the difference is called the ayanamsa). So a person born on 20 April is Taurus in Western astrology but usually Mesha (Aries) by the Sun's sidereal position.
Which one should you follow?
- For Indian daily horoscopes and Sade Sati: your rashi (Moon sign).
- For your personality and life areas: your lagna.
- For Western horoscopes: your sun sign.
Rekha's Kundli shows all three, and its daily horoscope uses your rashi.
A worked example
Take someone born on 15 May 1990 at 8:30 am in Ahmedabad:
| What | Sign | How it is found |
|---|---|---|
| Lagna | Mithuna (Gemini) | Sign rising in the east at 8:30 am in Ahmedabad |
| Rashi | Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Where the Moon was that morning |
| Western sun sign | Taurus | Tropical Sun on 15 May |
| Sidereal Sun | Vrishabha (Taurus), just entered | Sun's sidereal position |
So this person reads "Dhanu" for Indian daily horoscopes, "Taurus" for Western ones, and their personality is described mainly through a Gemini lagna. None of these is wrong; they answer different questions.
What if you do not know your birth time?
Without a time you can still find your rashi in most cases, because the Moon stays in one sign for about two days. Your lagna and houses, however, cannot be known reliably. Astrologers sometimes use the time of sunrise as a fallback, but readings based on it should be taken lightly.