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PLANETARY DIGNITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Compiled by Gauranga Das Vedic Astrologer

 Copyright SJC and Gauranga Das

6.1. Names and Ownership of the 12 R§ªis

Definitions: The Zodiac, or bh§cakra is divided into 12 sidereal signs, called r§ªis. Each
r§ªi ocuppies 30 degrees out of the 360 (30 x 12 = 360). The overlord of all the 12 signs is
the Sun, because the zodiac marks one yearly cycle of motion (sa°vatsara) for the Sun,
while he spends one solar month in each sign. The days when the Sun moves from one r§ªi
to another are called sa¯kr§nti days, and are generally not good for any auspicious
activities, because the Sun’s energies become disturbed on those days. It is like someone
moving from one house to another is not a good subject to play chess for example, as he is
too disturbed. Also, if someone is born on the sa¯kr§nti day, then certain remedial
measures should be applied, otherwise he will suffer a lot during his life.

The zodiac may also be divided into two halves, starting out from the junction point of the
signs Cancer and Leo. The only planets in the zodiac which actually own one sign, are the
luminaries, i.e. the Sun owns Leo, and the Moon owns Cancer. The rest of the signs will be
owned by one planet in pairs, i.e. starting from the Cancer-Leo pair we have Gemini and
Virgo owned by Mercury, Taurus and Libra owned by Venus, Aries and Scorpio owned by
Mars, Pisces and Sagittarius owned by Jupiter, and finally Aquarius and Capricorn owned by
Saturn.

Ther following table gives the symbolic representation of the bh§cakra and the lords of
each sign. Although in one sense we consider the Moon to be the overlord of the upper
half, i.e. from Aquarius to Cacer, and the Sun the overlord of the lower half, i.e. from Leo to
Capricorn, most of the time the odd signs (i.e. Aries, Gemini, and so on, every second) are
considered to be under the lordship of the Sun, while the even signs (the remaining six)
are considered to be under the lordship of the Moon. So each of the five planets Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn own one odd and one even sign.

Jupiter Mars Venus Mercury

Pisces Aries Taurus Gemini

Saturn/
Moon
Rahu
Cancer
Aquarius

Saturn Sun

Capricorn Leo

Jupiter Mars/ Venus Mercury

Sagittarius Libra Virgo

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Ketu

Scorpio

The above table is very descriptive because we see that the sign pairs beginning from
each side of Cancer and Leo, are owned by the same planet, and that also in the
increasing order of distance from the Sun (i.e. Mercury is the closest while Saturn is the
most distant). The shadowy planets R§hu and Ketu become co-owners of the signs
Aquarius and Scorpio respectively.

Note: Generally the above chart format will be used, which is called the South Indian style,
where the places of the signs are fixed.

6.2. Exaltation and debilitation signs

Definitions: Planets indicate animate beings, while the r§ªis indicate inanimate objects or
situations. Thus the signs are like the expansions of the qualities represented by their
lords, one in a masculine way (odd sign) and one in a feminine way (even sign). The
planet’s own sign is like its home, and it will represent features typical to that planet. Each
of the planets also has an exaltation sign, where it behaves even more strongly and
favourably than in its own house, and a debilitation sign in the 7th from the exaltation,
where it is very depressed and usually gives meager or bad results. Exaltation us called
uccha while debilitation is n¦ca. The following are the exaltation signs for the different
planets (the debilitation signs are not marked, as they are always exactly the opposite to
exaltation.

Moon R§hu
Venus Sun
R§hu (funct)

Jupiter

Mars

Ketu
Mercur
Ketu Saturn
(funct) y

Exaltation signs are like the favourite places of the planets. For example if you want to
spend your holidays, you usually go to some nice place and don’t stay at home. Or if you
go to a party, etc. you feel much better than at home. So the Sun is exalted in Aries,
because Aries is the sign of new beginnings, and is very productive. The Moon is exalted in
Taurus, because it is the second sign, representing the parental affection, and a sign
owned by Venus, hence emotional. It also gives the feeling of security. Mars is exalted in
Capricorn, the 10th sign of hard work, for which he gives a strong impetus. Mercury is the
only planet exalted in his own house, Virgo. This is because he is so witty, that he won’t
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feel himself completely satisfied in any other place. Jupiter is exalted in the 4 sign of
th

Cancer, which is the sign of the heart and that of God. So Jupiter indicating divine wisdom
is naturally good there. Venus is exalted in the 12th sign of Pisces, indicating mok¢a, or
liberation. This is because the ultimate form of liberation is bhakti, or devotion towards the
Supreme Lord, as it is coonfirmed by ¼r¦ K¥¢£a in the Bhagavad-g¦t§ (7.19)

Saturn is exalted in the 7th sign of love and relationships, because although he is eunuch,
he has very much desire for conjugal happiness. R§hu and Ketu are generally considered
to be naturally exalted in Taurus and Scorpio respectively. However we should note that
this will be correct ony for §yu¢ matters like longevity, health etc. where falling into these
signs they will increase it. But for phalita matters like fortune, success, etc., their
functional exaltation places should be considered, which are Gemini and Sagittarius
respectively. The 9th sign Sagittarius is vary favourable for dharma, or religious activities,
so as Ketu, the mok¢a-k§raka. R§hu is excited for fight and using of weapons, poisons etc.,
which come to the 3rd house of the natural zodiac, Gemini. Debilitation sign should be
similarly understood. There are certain degrees within the exaltation/debilitation signs
which constitute the points of highest exaltation or deepest debilitation. These degrees are
given in the table below the next section.

6.3. M¡latrikona Signs

Definition: The m¡latrikona place for a planet is usually a part of its own house (for the
exception of the Moon), where it behaves almost as favourably as in exaltation. It is like
the office or workplace of the planet. The following table gives the m¡latrikona signs for the
different planets (the exact degrees of the portions are listed in a table below this section.

Ketu Mars Moon

Saturn

Sun

Mercur
y
Jupiter Venus
R§hu

R§hu and Ketu again form an exception here, because they have their m¡latrikonas neither
in their own, nor in their exaltation houses. R§hu’s m¡latrikona is in the 6th house of the
natural zodiac, indicating that his official duty is to create enmity. Ketu on the other hand,
has its m¡latrikona in the 12th sign of Pisces, as his official duty is to give liberation.
Mercury’s m¡latrikona forms a part of his own/exaltation house, Virgo; and finally the
Moon’s m¡latrikona falls into her exaltation sign, Taurus.
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6.4. Overview of lordship, exaltation and m¡latrikona

The following table contains all information regarding The planets’ own houses,
exaltation/debilitation points and m¡latrikona portions. The Sanskrit names for the signs
will be explained in a subsequent lesson on the signs.

Ex/deb MT
Planet Own signs Exaltation Debilitation M¡latrikona
degr degrees

Sun Leo Aries Libra 10 Leo 0 – 20

Moon Cancer Taurus Scorpio 3 Taurus 3 – 30

Aries
Mars Capricorn Cancer 28 Aries 0 – 12
Scorpio

Gemini
Mercury Virgo Pisces 15 Virgo 15 – 20
Virgo

Pisces
Jupiter Cancer Capricorn 5 Sagittarius 0 - 10
Sagittarius

Taurus
Venus Pisces Virgo 27 Libra 0 – 15
Libra

Aquarius
Saturn Libra Aries 20 Aquarius 0 - 20
Capricorn

Taurus (nat) Scorpio (nat)

R§hu Aquarius Virgo
Gemini (func) Sagittarius (f)

Scorpio (nat) Taurus (nat)

Ketu Scorpio Pisces
Sagittarius (f) Gemini (func)

6.5. Natural Relationships of the Planets

Definition: As we have mentioned, the planets will indicate animate beings. These beings,
besides living at home, going to job and having fun, also have some relationship with each
other, which may be either friandly, inimical or neutral. These relationships are based on
the natural characteristics of the planets, and their blood-relationship also according to the
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Pur§£ic descriptions. However, more research is required in this area. Mah§r¢i Par§ªara
gives the following rule for establishing natural relationships between the planets:

i}akae<aaTa( SvaTa(− Sau%− SvaNTYaDaqDaMaaRYau" SvTau®Paa" )

Sauh*dae irPavXcaNYae SaMaaXcae>aYaLa+a<aa" )) 55 ))

triko£§t sv§t-sukha-sv§ntya-dh¦-dharm§yu¤ sva-tu¯gap§¤

suh¥do ripavaªc§nye sam§ªcobhayalak¢a£§¤

"The lords of the signs which are the 4th, 2nd, 12th, 5th, 9th and the 8th from the m¡latriko£a
sing of a planet and the lords of the exalted sign of each planet are the friend of a
particular planet. Lords of the signs other than these are his enemies. The planets which
have got the features of both (of a friend and of an enemy) are neutral to the said planet.
These should be taken as the natural relationships of the planets." (BPHS. 3.55.)

If we apply the above priciple to all the planets, then the result will emerge as follows:

Planet Friends Enemies Neutrals

Sun Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, R§hu Mercury

Ketu

Moon Sun, Mercury — (R§hu, Ketu) Mars, Jupiter, Vanus,

Saturn

Mars Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Mercury, R§hu Venus, Saturn

Ketu

Mercury Sun, Venus, R§hu Moon, Ketu Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

Jupiter Sun, Moon, Mars, Ketu Mercury, Venus, R§hu Saturn

Venus Mercury, Saturn, Moon, Sun Mars, Jupiter

R§hu, Ketu

Saturn Mercury, Venus, R§hu Sun, Moon, Mars, Ketu Jupiter

R§hu Venus, Sun, Mercury Ketu, Moon Mars, Sat, Jup, Merc
(functional exaltation) (natural exaltation)

Ketu Mars, R§hu, Jupiter Sun Sat, Ven, Merc, Jup

(functional exaltation) (natural exaltation)
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In the case of R§hu and Ketu Mercury becomes a friend if we consider that Gemini is the
sign for Rahu’s functional exaltation, whereas it remains neutral if we take Taurus as the
sign of natural exaltation. Similarly, for Ketu Jupiter is a friend if we consider to be his sign
of functional exaltation, while he becomes neutral if we take the sign of natural exaltation,
Scorpio. Therefore for phalita matters the finrst relationship should be used, whereas for
§yu¢ matters, the second is more suitable. I have added the relationships R§hu and Ketu
make for other planets based on their ownership of Aquarius and Scorpio respectively.

NATURALFRIENDSANDENEMIES

Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn R§hu Ketu

Sun F F N F E E E F

Moon F N F N N N E E

Mars F F E F N N E F

Mercury F E N N F N F E

Jupiter F F F E E N E F

Venus E E N F N F F F

Saturn E E E F N F F E

R§hu F E N F (N) N F N E

Ketu E N F N F (N) N N F

6.6. Temporary Relationships of the Planets

Definition: The previously mentioned relationships are fixed on the basis of planetary
lordship, m¡latrikona, and exaltation, so they are fixed in any chart, and are called
naisargika sambandha. However the planets also form relationships on the basis of their
position in the different houses of a certain birth chart. This is called temporary
relationship or tatk§lika sambandha. The rule for this is given by Par§ªara as follows:

dXabNDVaaYa SahJa SVaaNTYaSQaaSTae ParSParMa( )

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TaTkaLae iMa}aTaa& YaaiNTa irPaVaae_NYa}a Sa&SQaTaa" )) 56 ))

daªabandhv§ya sahaja sv§ntyasth§ste parasparam

tatk§le mitrat§° y§nti ripavo ’nyatra sa°sthit§¤

„The planets Sun etc. situated in the 10th, 4th, 11th, 3rd, 2nd or the 12th from another are
mutual friends to each other. If they are situated other than these places, they act as
enemies." (BPHS 3.56.)

In other words if we calculate the houses from one planet to another, and then from the
other to the first, we will get the following pairs of distances:

Distance of the two Temporary

planets relationship

1. house (conjunction) Enemy

2-12. house Friend

3-11. house Friend

4-10. house Friend

5-9. house Enemy

6-8. house Enemy

7. house (opposition) Enemy

Let’s analyse the temporary relationships between the planets in the chart of Rabindranath
Tagore:
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TEMPORARYFRIENDSANDENEMIES

Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn R§hu Ketu

Sun F F E F E E E F

Moon F F F E F E F F

Mars F F F F F F E E

Mercury E F F F E E E F

Jupiter F E F F F F E F

Venus E F F E F E E F

Saturn E E F E F E E F

R§hu E F E E E E E E

Ketu F F E F F F F E
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6.7. Compound Relationship of Planets

Definition: While judging the relationship between the planets, both the natural and
temporary relationship should be taken into consideration in the system called compound
or five-fold relationship, which adds up according to the following table:

FIVE–FOLD R E L A T I O N S H I PS OF PLANETS

Natural Relationship Temporary Relationship Compound Relationship

Friend Friend Good Friend (Atimitra)

Neutral Friend Friend (Mitra)

Friend Enemy Neutral (Sama)

Enemy Friend Neutral (Sama)

Neutral Enemy Enemy (Satru)

Enemy Enemy Great Enemy (Atisatru)

If we would like to add up the natural and temporary relationships in the case of our
example chart, we arrive to the following results:

COMPOUND R E L A T I O N S H I PS OF PLANETS

Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn R§hu Ketu

Sun GF GF E GF GE GE GE GF

Moon GF F GF E F E N N

Mars GF GF N GF F F GE N

Mercury N N F F N E N N

Jupiter GF N GF N N F GE GF
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Venus GE N F N F N N GF

Saturn GE GE N N F N N N

R§hu N N E N (E) E N E GE

Ketu N F N F GF (F) F F N

6.8. Effects Based on Placement

Then Par§ªara goes on to state that planets in exaltation give fully good effects, and when
in fall, fully bad effects. In between the ratio changes proportionately. This is also shown in
the following table:

BENEFIC AND MALEFIC EFFECTS

Placement Benefic Effect Malefic Effect

Exaltation 100% 0%

M¡latrikona 75% 12.5%

Own sign 50% 25%

Friendly sign 25% 50%

Neutral sign 12.5% 75%

Debilitation or Enemy’s sign 0% 100%

If we analyse our chart according to the above guidelines, we get the following results:

Panet Placement Benefic Effect Malefic Effect

Sun Exaltation sign 100% 0%

Moon Enemy’s sign 0% 100%

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Mars Neutral sign 12.5% 75%

Mercury Friendly sign 25% 50%

Jupiter Exaltation sign 100% 0%

Venus Friendly sign 25% 50%

Saturn Great enemy’s sign 0% 100%

R§hu Debilitation sign 0% 100%

Ketu Debilitation sign 0% 100%

Of course we should note here that the proportion of benefic/malefic effects caused by a
planet is in fact influenced my many other factors like their natural qualities, placement in
and lordship of houses from lagna and other points, the different sources of strength etc.
Therefore the above gradation is just one aspect of judging a planet’s effects in the chart.