Walker Geography, plate III, c. 1800
š The Foundation
The Nine Planets (Navagraha)
Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu.
10 min readLesson 2 of 25
In Vedic astrology we work with nine "planets" (Navagraha). Each rules certain qualities and life areas:
Sun (Surya)Self, vitality, authority, father, government, leadership. A strong Sun gives confidence and recognition.
Moon (Chandra)Mind, emotions, mother, public image, mental peace. The Moon sign is your emotional core in Vedic astrology.
Mars (Mangal)Energy, courage, conflict, siblings, property, action. Mars gives drive but can bring aggression if afflicted.
Mercury (Budha)Intellect, communication, commerce, education, skills. Mercury rules how you think and express.
Jupiter (Guru)Wisdom, expansion, children, teachers, fortune, spirituality. Jupiter is the great benefic - it brings growth.
Venus (Shukra)Love, beauty, luxury, arts, marriage, creativity. Venus rules pleasure and relationships.
Saturn (Shani)Discipline, delay, karma, hard work, longevity, structure. Saturn teaches through patience and perseverance.
Rahu (North Node)Ambition, desire, innovation, obsession, worldly gains, foreign things. Rahu amplifies what it touches.
Ketu (South Node)Detachment, spirituality, past lives, liberation, mysticism. Ketu dissolves attachments.
Planets gain or lose strength by sign (exaltation, debilitation, own sign), house placement, and aspects. Your current dasha (planetary period) determines which planet is most active in your life at a given time.
Key takeaway
Each planet rules specific life themes - knowing yours helps you understand where energy flows naturally.
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The 12 Signs (Rashi)