In Hindu Astrology there are nine planets
or Grahas. These include Rahu and Ketu,
which are astronomical points formed where
the moons orbit intersects the apparent
path of the Sun around the earth.
Each planet is considered to be having masculine,
feminine or neutral characteristics
Planets and their equivalents in English
|
Graha |
English Name |
Sex |
|
Ravi |
Sun |
Masculine |
|
Chandra |
Moon |
Feminine |
|
Kuja |
Mars |
Masculine |
|
Budha |
Mercury |
Neutral |
|
Guru |
Jupiter |
Masculine |
|
Shukra |
Venus |
Feminine |
|
Sani |
Saturn |
Neutral |
|
Rahu |
Dragon
Head |
Feminine |
|
Ketu |
Dragon
Tail |
Neutral |
Rahu and Ketu
The Moons apparent path intersects the ecliptic
obliquely at two points called the nodes.
The point where the Moon crosses the ecliptic
from south to north is called the ascending
node or Rahu, where it crosses the ecliptic
from north to south is called descending
node or Ketu. These two points are 180 degrees
apart and their movement is constantly
retrograde, meaning, against the normal
direction of movement of planets. Rahu and
Ketu are given special status and considered
as planets in Indian astrology. Rahu and
Ketu take approximately eighteen years and
ten days to complete one round of the zodiac
The Zodiac is a band 18
degrees wide and placed obliquely to the
equator. This band can be imagined running
around the earth in an east-west direction.
Groups of stars can be located along this
imaginary belt. This belt is divided into
twelve equal parts called Rasi. It is
also divided into 27 parts and each part
named after a star or group of stars located
in the division
When a zodiac is divided into twelve equal
parts, each such part has an extension of
30 degrees of arc. Such a division is called
a sign or Rasi.
There are 12 houses of Rasi's
| No.
|
Indian System |
Western System |
| 1 |
Mesha |
Aries |
| 2 |
Vrishabha |
Taurus |
| 3 |
Mithuna |
Gemini |
| 4 |
Karkata |
Cancer |
| 5 |
Simha |
Leo |
| 6 |
Kanya |
Virgo |
| 7 |
Tula |
Libra |
| 8 |
Vrischika |
Scorpio
|
| 9 |
Dhanu |
Sagittarius |
| 10 |
Makara |
Capricon |
| 11 |
Kumbha |
Aquarius |
| 12 |
Meena |
Pises |
Each Rasi has a planet assigned to it as
Lord of the House.
| No.
|
Lords of 12 Houses |
|
1 |
Mesha |
Mangal or Kuja (Mars) |
|
2 |
Vrishabha |
Shukra (Venus) |
|
3 |
Mithuna |
Budha (Mercury) |
|
4 |
Karkata |
Chandra (Moon) |
|
5 |
Simha |
Surya (The Sun) |
|
6 |
Kanya |
Budha (Mercury) |
|
7 |
Tula |
Shukra(Venus) |
|
8 |
Vrischika |
Kuja(Mars) |
|
9 |
Dhanu |
Guru(Jupiter) |
| 10 |
Makara |
Sani(Saturn) |
| 11 |
Kumbha |
Sani(Saturn) |
| 12 |
Meena |
Guru
(Jupiter) |
Each planet has a point in the zodiac where
it attains maximum strength. The houses
where they have the maximum strength are
called the houses of exaltation.
Planets
and their exaltation houses (Uchacha)
| Exaltation
|
| 1 |
Ravi |
- |
Mesha |
| 2 |
Chandra |
- |
Vrishabha |
| 3 |
Kuja |
- |
Makara |
| 4 |
Budha |
- |
Kanya
5 |
| 5 |
Simha |
- |
Karkata |
| 6 |
Shukra |
- |
Meena |
| 7 |
Sani |
- |
Tula |
Each planet has a point in the zodiac where
it has the minimum strength. The houses
where the planets have the minimum strength
are called the houses of debilitation.
| Debilitated
houses of Planets |
| 1 |
Ravi |
- |
Tula |
| 2 |
Chandra |
- |
Vrischika |
| 3 |
Kuja |
- |
Karkata |
| 4 |
Budha |
- |
Meena |
| 5 |
Simha |
- |
Makara |
| 6 |
Shukra |
- |
Shukra |
| 7 |
Sani |
- |
Mesha |
Each planet considers another planet as
friend, enemy or equal. Some relationships
are not mutual, for example, while one planet
considers another as a friend, the second
planet in turn may not see the first one
as a friend. Mercury and Moon are examples.
| Planets
|
Friends |
Equals |
Enemies |
| Sun |
Moon
Mars Jupiter |
Mercury |
Venus
Sani
Rahu |
| Moon |
Sun
Mercury |
Mars
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn |
Rahu |
| Mars |
Sun
Moon
Jupiter |
Venus
Saturn |
Mercury
Rahu |
| Mercury |
Sun
Venus
Rahu |
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn |
Moon
|
| Jupiter |
Sun
Moon
Mars |
Saturn
Rahu |
Mercury
Venus |
| Venus |
Mercury
Saturn
Rahu |
Jupiter
Mars |
Sun
Moon |
| Saturn |
Mercury
Venus
Rahu |
Jupiter |
Sun
Moon
Mars |
| Rahu |
Mercury
Venus
Saturn |
Jupiter |
Sun
Moon
Mars |
| Ketu |
Mercury
Venus
Saturn
Rahu |
Jupiter |
Sun
Moon
Mars |
| Planet |
Gem Stone |
| Ravi |
Red |
| Chandra |
White |
| Kuja |
Red |
| Budha |
Green |
| Guru |
Yellow |
|
Shukra |
White |
| Saturn |
Blue
|
| Rahu |
Smoke |
| Ketu |
Smoke |
| Periods
of stay of each planet in each sign |
|
Planet |
Period of Stay |
| Sun |
30
days |
| Moon |
2
1/4 days |
| Mars |
45
days |
| Mercury |
30
days |
| Jupiter |
1
year |
| Venus |
30
days |
| Saturn |
2
years and 6 months |
| Rahu |
1
year and 6 months |
| Ketu |
1
year and 6 months |
Movable
(Chara) |
Fixed
(Sthira) |
Common
(Dwiswabhava) |
| Mesha |
Vrishabha |
Mithuna |
| Karkata |
Simha |
Kanya |
| Tula |
Vrischika |
Dhanu |
| Makara |
Kumbha |
Meena |
Natural benefics: Jupiter, Mercury, Venus
and Waxing Moon Natural malefics:Saturni,
Mars, Rahu, Ketu and Sun.
Planets are associated with color, metal,
elements, grains, seasons etc. Also they
are believed to belong to certain caste
and sex. These characteristics and associations
are given in a table below.
| Character |
Jupiter |
Venus
|
Saturn
|
| Color |
Mixed
Gold&Silver |
White/Yellow |
Blue/Black |
| Nature |
Sathwa |
Rajas |
Thamas
|
| Sex |
Male |
Female |
Eunuch
(Female) |
| Caste |
Brahman |
Brahman |
Chandala |
| Element |
Ether |
Water |
Air
|
| Diety |
Indra |
Indrani |
Brahma |
| Garment |
Shabby |
Strong |
Rag |
| Metal/material |
Silver |
Diamond(Pearl) |
Iron(Lead) |
| Parts |
Flesh&Brain
|
Semen |
Muscles |
| Grains |
BengalGram
|
Beans |
Sesamin |
| Seasons |
Snow
|
Spring |
All
Seasons |
| Taste |
Sweet&Cool |
Sour |
Bitter
& Astringent |
| Residence |
Store-house |
Bed-Chamber |
Dustbin |
| Temperament |
Phlegmatic |
Windy
&Phlegmatic |
Windy |
|