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Sun sign meaning in Vedic astrology: the sidereal sun sign

Also called: surya rashi, Vedic sun sign

Definition

Sun sign means the sign the Sun occupies at the moment of birth. In Vedic astrology it is measured in the sidereal zodiac.

The Sun moves roughly one degree a day, so it spends about a month in each sign.

The Sun carries weight in Jyotish: BPHS calls it the soul, and houses counted from the Sun (Ravi lagna) show matters from the soul's point of view. Still, Light on Life notes that while Western astrology gives pre-eminence to the Sun sign, Jyotish awards that position to the ascendant.

Because the Vedic sun sign is measured in the sidereal zodiac, it is often one sign earlier than the Western one.

Lessons that use this term

Sources for this entry
  1. Hart de Fouw & Robert Svoboda, Light on Life, ch. 6
  2. B.V. Raman, Hindu Predictive Astrology
  3. P.V.R. Narasimha Rao, Vedic Astrology: An Integrated Approach
  4. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (R. Santhanam translation)
  5. AstroCentral, Sidereal and Tropical: Why the Systems Differ (26 Jun 2026)
  6. Skybond ascendant calculator and FAQ

Drafted with AI from verified sources, fact-checked and edited by Skybond before publishing. Read more.