House lord (Bhavesh)
A house lord (bhavesh) is the planet that rules the sign in a house of your chart. Where that lord sits, and in what condition, shows how the matters of that house unfold in your life.
Also known as: bhavadhipati, lord of a house, house ruler
With the whole-sign houses of the Rashi chart, each house holds one sign, and that sign’s ruler is the house lord. If Libra falls in your 7th house, Venus is your 7th lord; if Leo is your ascendant, the Sun is your Lagna lord (lagnesh). Most planets hold two of the twelve lordships, since five of the seven rule two signs each.
Astrologers follow a lord to see where a house’s energy flows. The 10th lord in the 11th links career with gains; the 9th lord in the 4th brings fortune home. Parashara devotes a whole chapter to the results of each house lord in each of the twelve houses.
A lord’s strength depends on its dignity, house, aspects and whether it is combust or retrograde. A strong lord protects its house even when the house itself is empty, so an empty house is not a weak one: its lord carries the story.