Vedic numerology glossary: mulank, bhagyank, naamank, graha, Lo Shu

In short

Mulank (also spelled Moolank) is the birth number (day of birth); bhagyank is the destiny number (full date); naamank is the name number.
Each number 1–9 belongs to one graha; 4 is Rahu and 7 is Ketu.
The Lo Shu square places the digits of a date on a 3 × 3 grid.
A compound number is the total before the last reduction.

The terms

Ank Jyotish, Ank Shastra

Indian numerology: the study of numbers through the grahas. In Sanskrit transliteration Anka Jyotisha; the book uses the Hindi forms, as in Mangal for Mars. Every number from 1 to 9 belongs to one graha, and that graha carries the meaning.

Bhagyank

The destiny number, from the full date of birth: day, month and year are each reduced to one digit, added, and reduced again. Try it in the numerology calculator, which shows the steps.

Compound number

A two-digit total before the final reduction. For 14 the root is 5 (1 + 4), but the compound shows the Sun (1) and Rahu (4) behind it. A single-digit total has no compound.

Graha

One of the nine forces of Vedic astrology: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. The word means “that which seizes”; it is wider than the western “planet” because it includes the two lunar nodes. See the planets.

Jyotish

Vedic astrology, “the science of light”. Numerology is a light layer beside it; a birth chart also needs the time and place of birth. See What is Jyotish.

Lo Shu

An ancient Chinese 3 × 3 magic square in which every line adds up to 15. In the Indian set of nine planetary squares it is the square of the Sun. Numerology reads a birth date by placing its digits on the square: the repeated, missing and full lines are what the book reads.

Mantra

A short sacred phrase repeated with attention. The book gives the short seed (bija) form for each graha, such as Om Gram Gurave Namah for Guru; fuller forms and the number of repetitions differ between traditions.

Moolank

The root or birth number, from the day of birth only: the 28th gives 2 + 8 = 10, then 1. It shows how a person acts and which graha colours the character.

Muhurat

An auspicious moment chosen for an action: a signing, a move, a wedding. The numerology of the book picks days by personal day; classical muhurat uses the panchang. See Muhurat.

Naamank

The name number, calculated with Chaldean letter values: each letter has a value from 1 to 8, the values are added and reduced to one digit.

Naisargika maitri

The natural friendship and enmity between the grahas, from Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, chapter 3. The book uses it to give the tone of a pair of numbers, with its own convention for Rahu and Ketu.

Nakshatra

One of the 27 lunar mansions of Vedic astrology, each 13°20′ of the zodiac. Numerology does not need it; a birth chart does. See the nakshatras.

Rahu and Ketu

The north and south nodes of the Moon, treated as shadow grahas: Rahu stands for 4 and Ketu for 7. See Rahu and Ketu.

Upaya

A remedy or practice for working with a graha: a colour, a day, a mantra, a small act of giving. By the tradition, a gemstone is chosen from the whole birth chart, not from a number alone. See Remedies (upayas).

Try the numbers

The numerology calculator gives your mulank, bhagyank, name number, personal year and Lo Shu grid from a date of birth, free and with no sign-up. How we calculate and where each rule comes from is on the method page; the books we read are on the sources page.

Questions

What is the difference between mulank and bhagyank?

Mulank comes from the day of birth only and describes how a person acts. Bhagyank comes from the whole date and describes the direction of life.

Is Ank Jyotish the same as western numerology?

They share the idea of reducing numbers to 1–9. Ank Jyotish gives every number a graha and reads it with jyotish rules; it does not use the western “soul urge” or master numbers.

Which graha is each number?

1 Surya (Sun), 2 Chandra (Moon), 3 Guru (Jupiter), 4 Rahu, 5 Budha (Mercury), 6 Shukra (Venus), 7 Ketu, 8 Shani (Saturn), 9 Mangal (Mars).

Do I need the time of birth for these numbers?

No. Mulank, bhagyank, the name number, the personal year and the Lo Shu grid use only the date (and a name); the time and place matter for a birth chart.

Vedic numerology glossary