The Navagraha
The seven physical grahas are the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. The other two, Rahu and Ketu, are the north and south nodes of the Moon — mathematical points where the Moon's path crosses the ecliptic, which cause eclipses.
Astronomically the Sun is a star and the Moon a satellite, but both are treated as grahas because of their powerful influence on life on Earth. The outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are not used in traditional Vedic astrology.
Planets at a Glance
| Planet | Rules | Exalted | Debilitated | Day | Gemstone | Dasha |
|---|
| Sun (Surya) | Leo | Aries (10°) | Libra (10°) | Sunday | Ruby (Manik) | 6 yrs |
| Moon (Chandra) | Cancer | Taurus (3°) | Scorpio (3°) | Monday | Pearl (Moti) | 10 yrs |
| Mars (Mangal) | Aries, Scorpio | Capricorn (28°) | Cancer (28°) | Tuesday | Red Coral (Moonga) | 7 yrs |
| Mercury (Budh) | Gemini, Virgo | Virgo (15°) | Pisces (15°) | Wednesday | Emerald (Panna) | 17 yrs |
| Jupiter (Guru) | Sagittarius, Pisces | Cancer (5°) | Capricorn (5°) | Thursday | Yellow Sapphire (Pukhraj) | 16 yrs |
| Venus (Shukra) | Taurus, Libra | Pisces (27°) | Virgo (27°) | Friday | Diamond (Heera) / Opal | 20 yrs |
| Saturn (Shani) | Capricorn, Aquarius | Libra (20°) | Aries (20°) | Saturday | Blue Sapphire (Neelam) | 19 yrs |
| Rahu | None classically | Taurus / Gemini (varies by text) | Scorpio / Sagittarius (varies by text) | Saturday | Hessonite (Gomed) | 18 yrs |
| Ketu | None classically | Scorpio / Sagittarius (varies by text) | Taurus / Gemini (varies by text) | Tuesday | Cat's Eye (Lehsunia) | 7 yrs |
Planetary Friendships
Each planet has natural friends, neutrals and enemies. A planet placed in a friend's sign or joined with friendly planets generally gives better results.
| Planet | Friends | Neutral | Enemies |
|---|
| Sun (Surya) | Moon, Mars, Jupiter | Mercury | Venus, Saturn |
| Moon (Chandra) | Sun, Mercury | Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn | None |
| Mars (Mangal) | Sun, Moon, Jupiter | Venus, Saturn | Mercury |
| Mercury (Budh) | Sun, Venus | Mars, Jupiter, Saturn | Moon |
| Jupiter (Guru) | Sun, Moon, Mars | Saturn | Mercury, Venus |
| Venus (Shukra) | Mercury, Saturn | Mars, Jupiter | Sun, Moon |
| Saturn (Shani) | Mercury, Venus | Jupiter | Sun, Moon, Mars |
| Rahu | Mercury, Venus, Saturn | Jupiter | Sun, Moon, Mars |
| Ketu | Mars, Venus, Saturn | Mercury, Jupiter | Sun, Moon |
Broadly, the planets form two camps: the Sun, Moon, Mars and Jupiter on one side, and Mercury, Venus and Saturn on the other, with Rahu and Ketu generally behaving like Saturn and Mars respectively.
Put it all togetherYour free Vedic horoscope shows your Ascendant, Moon sign, planets, houses, yogas and dashas.
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