Planets (grahas)
Upagraha in Vedic astrology
Updated
Upagraha: how the API computes it
POST /v1/upagrahas returns both groups. The first is the kaala velas, also called the Gulikadi group (UG-01). The day, from sunrise to sunset, is cut into eight equal parts. So is the night, from sunset to the next sunrise.
Each part belongs to a planet, starting with the lord of the weekday. The eighth part has no lord, and the API keeps it, as the classical text does (UG-03). Each point is the degree rising in the east at the start or the end of its planet's part.
Sources differ on which, so the API returns both. The parts come from the real sunrise and sunset at the birth place. The second group, the Dhoomadi points, needs no clock (UG-04).
Dhooma is the Sun plus 133 degrees 20 minutes. Vyatipata, Parivesha, Indrachapa and Upaketu follow from it, one after another. Each point comes back with its sign, degree and nakshatra (birth star).
Get it from the API
POST /v1/upagrahas
# John Doe, born Aug 15, 1990, 10:30 AM, New York
curl -X POST "https://apiforastrology.com/api/astrology/v1/upagrahas" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ASTROLOGY_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"year":1990,"month":8,"day":15,"hour":10,"minute":30,"second":0,"latitude":40.7128,"longitude":-74.006,"timezone":"America/New_York"}'{
"kaala_velas": {
"divided": "day",
"from": "1990-08-15T06:10:44-04:00",
"to": "1990-08-15T19:49:34-04:00",
"weekday_lord": "Mercury",
"first_part_lord": "Mercury",
"parts": [
{
"part": 1,
"lord": "Mercury",
"upagraha": "Ardhaprahara",
"starts": "1990-08-15T06:10:44-04:00",
"ends": "1990-08-15T07:53:05-04:00",
"at_start": {
"longitude": 118.6048896,
"sign": "Cancer",
"sign_number": 4,
"degree_in_sign": 28.6048896,
"degree_dms": "28 : 36 : 18",
"nakshatra": "Ashlesha",
"nakshatra_lord": "Mercury",
"pada": 4
},
"at_end": {
"longitude": 138.7572853,
"sign": "Leo",
"sign_number": 5,
"degree_in_sign": 18.7572853,
"degree_dms": "18 : 45 : 26",
"nakshatra": "Purva Phalguni",
"nakshatra_lord": "Venus",
"pada": 2
}
},
{
"part": 2,
"lord": "Jupiter",
"upagraha": "Yamakantaka",
"starts": "1990-08-15T07:53:05-04:00",
"ends": "1990-08-15T09:35:26-04:00",
"at_start": {
"longitude": 138.7572853,
"sign": "Leo",
"sign_number": 5,
"degree_in_sign": 18.7572853,
"degree_dms": "18 : 45 : 26",
"nakshatra": "Purva Phalguni",
"nakshatra_lord": "Venus",
"pada": 2
},
"at_end": {
"longitude": 159.093412,
"sign": "Virgo",
"sign_number": 6,
"degree_in_sign": 9.093412,
"degree_dms": "09 : 05 : 36",
"nakshatra": "Uttara Phalguni",
"nakshatra_lord": "Sun",
"pada": 4
}
},
{
"part": 3,
"lord": "Venus",
"upagraha": "Kodanda",
"starts": "1990-08-15T09:35:26-04:00",
"ends": "1990-08-15T11:17:47-04:00",
"at_start": {
"longitude": 159.093412,
"sign": "Virgo",
"sign_number": 6,
"degree_in_sign": 9.093412,
"degree_dms": "09 : 05 : 36",
"nakshatra": "Uttara Phalguni",
"nakshatra_lord": "Sun",
"pada": 4
},
"at_end": {
"longitude": 179.3924809,
"sign": "Virgo",
"sign_number": 6,
"degree_in_sign": 29.3924809,
"degree_dms": "29 : 23 : 33",
"nakshatra": "Chitra",
"nakshatra_lord": "Mars",
"pada": 2
}
}
],
"rule": "the day, sunrise to sunset, cut into eight equal parts. Lords run in weekday order from the weekday lord. The eighth part has no lord (BPHS). `at_start` is the ascendant as the part begins (Parashara), `at_end` as it ends (Kalidasa)"
},
"gulika": {
"name": "Gulika",
"method": "parashara",
"taken_at": "start",
"longitude": 179.3924809,
"sign": "Virgo",
"sign_number": 6,
"degree_in_sign": 29.3924809,
"degree_dms": "29 : 23 : 33",
"nakshatra": "Chitra",
"nakshatra_lord": "Mars",
"pada": 2
},
"mandi": {
"name": "Mandi",
"method": "kalidasa",
"taken_at": "end",
"longitude": 199.4944877,
"sign": "Libra",
"sign_number": 7,
"degree_in_sign": 19.4944877,
"degree_dms": "19 : 29 : 40",
"nakshatra": "Swati",
"nakshatra_lord": "Rahu",
"pada": 4
},
"dhoomadi": [
{
"name": "Dhooma",
"lord": "Mars",
"rule": "the Sun plus 133 deg 20 min",
"longitude": 252.1086743,
"sign": "Sagittarius",
"sign_number": 9,
"degree_in_sign": 12.1086743,
"degree_dms": "12 : 06 : 31",
"nakshatra": "Mool",
"nakshatra_lord": "Ketu",
"pada": 4
},
{
"name": "Vyatipata",
"lord": "Rahu",
"rule": "360 minus Dhooma",
"longitude": 107.8913257,
"sign": "Cancer",
"sign_number": 4,
"degree_in_sign": 17.8913257,
"degree_dms": "17 : 53 : 29",
"nakshatra": "Ashlesha",
"nakshatra_lord": "Mercury",
"pada": 1
},
{
"name": "Parivesha",
"lord": "Moon",
"rule": "Vyatipata plus 180",
"longitude": 287.8913257,
"sign": "Capricorn",
"sign_number": 10,
"degree_in_sign": 17.8913257,
"degree_dms": "17 : 53 : 29",
"nakshatra": "Shravan",
"nakshatra_lord": "Moon",
"pada": 3
}
],
"dhoomadi_rule": "arithmetic on the Sun's sidereal longitude at birth. Upaketu always lands 30 degrees behind the Sun",
"meta": {
"ayanamsa": "lahiri",
"ayanamsa_value": 23.7260727,
"julian_day": 2448119.10483,
"ephemeris": "JPL DE440s",
"node": "true",
"timezone": {
"source": "zone",
"offset_hours": -4,
"zone": "America/New_York",
"abbreviation": "EDT",
"dst": true,
"dst_hours": 1,
"ambiguous_resolved_by_fold": null,
"note": "read from the IANA tz database at this instant, so daylight saving and historical offset changes are included"
}
}
}Where the API returns it
| POST | /v1/upagrahas | Upagrahas: Gulika, Mandi, the kaala velas and the Dhoomadi points |
What the API reference says
Each line is quoted from the reference page of the endpoint named above it.
- POST /v1/upagrahas · Upagrahas: Gulika, Mandi, the kaala velas and the Dhoomadi pointsReturns the upagrahas, sensitive points that are not planets.
Feature page: Kundli and birth charts. Who uses it: Astrology apps. The classical rules the API follows are in the rulebook.
How we check the numbers
Every value here starts from planet positions worked out from NASA JPL planet data (DE440). We test them against NASA JPL Horizons, NASA's planet position service. On 25,571 positions from 1850 to 2149, the Sun and planets agree within 0.001 arc seconds. The Moon agrees within 0.011. On 2,000 random birth charts, the rising sign agrees with Swiss Ephemeris within 0.004 arc seconds. An arc second is 1/3,600 of a degree. A practicing astrologer reviews the rules behind these answers. See how we test.
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Your first answer
John Doe, New York
- RisingVirgoHast
- SunCancerAshlesha
- MoonTaurusMrigashira
- MarsAriesKrittika
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