JYOTISH GLOSSARY
Ascendant: Lagna; degree of zodiac rising in the eastern horizon; beginning of first house
Astakavarga: Eight points in the horoscope used to show the strengths in transits
Asterisms: star groups; make contact points for the fixed zodiac, the sidereal zodiac
Ayanamsa: the difference in degrees in comparison to the Aries point when it was considered to be zero degrees in the tropical moving zodiac system; there are different ayanamsas because no real record of agreement has been established; jyotish astrology systems such as Lahiri, Krishnamurti, etc. around around 23 degrees different than today's Aries point; about 2000 years ago the Aries point in the tropical moving zodiac was zero degrees
Bala: strength; power
Benefic: positive planets and points
Bhava: house
Bhukti: the most major sub-period within each Dasa
Chandra: the moon
Combust: when a planet conjucts the sun; planets combust are weakened
Conjunct: two or more planets are the same or very close the same in longitude
Dasa: planetary periods used in the Vimshottari system of progressing the moon's position in the Nakshatras
Dharma: one's story in life
Dusthana: unfortunate houses, 6th, 8th and 12th
Fixed: unflexible mode of sign; fortuitive (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
Graha: planet
Guru: spiritual teacher
House: divisions in the chart representing different areas of life
Jupiter: Guru planet; planet of wisdom
Jyotish: Vedic astrology; science of light
Kala: time to be considered
Karma: in our soul's journey through time in creation for every action there is a reaction; reap what we sow
Kendra: angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th and 10th)
Ketu: dragon's tale: south node of the moon
Lagna: Rising sign; beginning of first house
Lord: as in lord of a house; the planet that rules the sign of that house is the lord of that house
Lunar mansions: star groups
Malefic: Negative or challenged planets and points
Mars: planet of aggression
Maya: illusion
Mercury: planet of communications; of mind
Moksha: path to enlightenment
Moon: planet of sensivity and nurturing
Moveable: responsive mode sign: cardinal; (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
Muhurta: vedic astrology of timing events
Muteabale: flexible mode sign: dual (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius Pisces)
Nakshatra: Lunar mansions; 27 in the zodiac
Natal : birth
Navamsa: chart of marriage partners
Northern Indian chart style:
Rahu: dragon's head; the north node of the moon
Raja-yoga: Royal yoga
Rasi: signs
Retrograde: when planets appear to be going backwards from the perspective of the earth; a retrograde planet shows internalized or deepened energy
Saturn: planet of time and responsibility
Shad Bala: shows strengths of planets in the horoscope
Sidereal Zodiac: bases it's location in relationship to fixed stars, which do not seem to mover for millions of years; fixed zodiac
Southern Indian chart style: 
Sun: planet in astrology; represents the individual
Transits: the planets movement creating cycles
Trikona: trine (120 degree apart) houses; 1st, 5th, 9th
Tropical Zodiac: moving zodiac; the earth through time moves similar to a top so it is not exactly in the sample place at the same beginning pont with each revolution around the sun yearly. the beginning point, known as the Aries zero degree oint actually moves about one degree every 72 years
Vargottama: fortunate placement of planets when in the same sign (rasi)in the Rasi chart as in the Navamsa chart
Vedic: Knowledge coming from enlightened beings put into various books; teachings of the Hindu religion
Venus: planet of love and beauty; can provide illusion
Vimshottari: System of progressing the moon's position in the Nakshatras
Yoga: Union with God