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 exalted houses (Uchacha)
| Exaltation
|
| 1 |
Ravi |
- |
Mesha |
| 2 |
Chandra |
- |
Vrishabha |
| 3 |
Kuja |
- |
Makara |
| 4 |
Budha |
- |
Kanya
|
| 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 |
- |
Kanya |
| 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 |
| Planets
and gem stones |
  |
Each planet has a gem stone associated with
it. The nine stones corresponding to the nine
planets are called the Navaratna group of stones.
| Planet |
Gem Stone |
| Ravi |
Ruby |
|
| Chandra |
Pearl |
 |
| Kuja |
Coral |
 |
| Budha |
Emerald |
 |
| Guru |
Pushyaraga
(Yellow Sapphire) |
 |
|
Shukra |
Diamond |
 |
| Saturn |
Blue
Sapphire |
 |
| Rahu |
Gomed |
 |
| Ketu |
Cat's
eye |
 |
| 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 |
|
Planet and their elements |
| Mercury
stands for Earthly element |
 |
| Sun
Stands for Fiery element |
 |
| Saturn
stands for Airy element |
 |
| Jupiter
stands for Ethereal element |
 |
|
Venus & Moon stands
for Watery element |
 |
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 |
Sun |
Moon
|
Mars
|
Mercury |
| Color |
Copper |
White |
Red |
Green |
| Nature |
Sathwa
|
Sathwa
|
Thamas |
Rajas |
| Sex |
Male |
Female |
Male
|
Eunuch(Female) |
| Caste |
Kshtriya |
Vysya
|
Kshtriya
|
Sudra
|
| Element |
Fire |
Water |
Fire |
Earth |
| Diety |
Agni |
Varuna |
Subramanya
|
Vishnu |
| Garment |
Thick |
New
|
HalfBurnt
|
Wet |
| Metal/material |
Copper |
Gems |
Gold |
Brass |
| Parts |
Bones |
Blood |
Marrow |
Skin |
| Grains |
Wheat |
Paddy |
Lentil |
GreenGram |
| Seasons |
Summer |
Winter |
Summer |
Autumn |
| Taste |
Pungent |
Salt
|
Acidity |
Mixed |
| Residence |
Place
of worship |
Springs |
Fire |
Play-ground |
| Temperament |
Bilious |
Phlegmatic |
Bilious |
Mixed |
| 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 |
|
