The Study of Jyotisha · Chapter 10 of 54 · Part Two · The building blocks

#Dignity and friendship

#A planet in a place

A graha is like a person in a house. In its own home it is comfortable and can act freely. As an honoured guest in a palace it can do even more. In a friend's house it is welcome; in an enemy's house it is uneasy; and in a place where it is weakest it can hardly act at all. This idea — how well placed a planet is by sign — is called its dignity. It is one of the first things an astrologer looks at, because the same planet in the same house gives very different results depending on its dignity.

Varahamihira defines the basic dignities in two verses of his first chapter (Brihat Jataka I.13–14) and the friendships between planets in four verses of his second (Brihat Jataka II.15–18). He then gives a simple rule for how dignity changes a planet's results (Brihat Jataka XX.11). This chapter covers all three, adds the degree ranges of the later Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, and works through the example chart.

#The ladder of dignity

From best to worst, a graha may be:

1. Exalted (uccha) — in its sign of exaltation;
2. in its moolatrikona ("root triangle") sign;
3. in its own sign (svakshetra);
4. in a friend's sign (and, with the compound friendship explained below, a great friend's sign);
5. in a neutral's sign;
6. in an enemy's sign (or a great enemy's);
7. Debilitated (nicha) — in its sign of fall.

Learn this ladder well. Almost every judgement of a planet starts by placing it on it.

#Exaltation and debilitation

#The exaltation signs

Each of the seven grahas has one sign where it is at its very best: its exaltation. Within that sign there is one degree of deepest exaltation. Varahamihira gives both in a single verse (Brihat Jataka I.13):

The rule for debilitation is simple: a planet is debilitated in the sign opposite its exaltation, and most deeply at the same degree (Brihat Jataka I.13). Varahamihira adds that a planet in its exaltation sign is exceedingly powerful, and one in its debilitation sign exceedingly weak.

Two small points:

• Ordinal degrees. The Sanskrit says "the 10th degree", "the 3rd", "the 28th" and so on — ordinal numbers, which strictly mean the arc from 9° to 10°, from 2° to 3°, and so on (Chapter 2). Most modern astrologers simply take 10°, 3°, 28°. The difference is under a degree.
• Printing errors. The table printed in the 1905 English translation of the Brihat Jataka gives the Moon as 8° and Mars as 29°. Its own verse says "3rd" and "28th"; the table is a printing slip. Always prefer the verse to a table made from it.

#How to remember them

There are patterns that help:

• The Sun is exalted in Aries, where the Sun's strength returns in spring, and debilitated in Libra, where it weakens toward winter.
• Saturn is the Sun's opposite: exalted in Libra, debilitated in Aries.
• The Moon is exalted in Taurus, the next sign after the Sun's exaltation.
• Jupiter and Mars are opposite each other: Jupiter exalted in Cancer, debilitated in Capricorn; Mars exalted in Capricorn, debilitated in Cancer.
• Venus and Mercury are opposite each other: Venus exalted in Pisces, debilitated in Virgo; Mercury exalted in Virgo, debilitated in Pisces.

#What about Rahu and Ketu?

The Brihat Jataka gives Rahu and Ketu no exaltation, debilitation or own sign (Brihat Jataka II.3 names them only as the nodes). Later astrologers proposed several conventions — the most common puts Rahu's exaltation in Taurus and Ketu's in Scorpio, and another puts them in Gemini and Sagittarius — but the tradition never agreed. This course does not give the nodes dignities unless it says which convention it is using.

#Moolatrikona

Each planet also has a moolatrikona sign, a place of special strength between exaltation and its own sign. Varahamihira names the signs (Brihat Jataka I.14):

Notice that the moolatrikona sign is always one of the planet's own signs — except for the Moon, whose moolatrikona is Taurus, its exaltation sign. For Mercury, the moolatrikona (Virgo) is both its own sign and its exaltation sign.

The Brihat Jataka gives only the signs, not degree ranges. The later Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra divides the signs by degree (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra 3.51–54, in the common numbering):

Most modern Indian astrologers and programs use these ranges. When you meet "moolatrikona" with a degree attached, it comes from this later text.

#Own signs

You learned the sign lords in Chapter 7 (Brihat Jataka I.6). A planet in a sign it rules is in its own sign (svakshetra, svagriha). The Sun owns Leo; the Moon owns Cancer; Mars owns Aries and Scorpio; Mercury owns Gemini and Virgo; Jupiter owns Sagittarius and Pisces; Venus owns Taurus and Libra; Saturn owns Capricorn and Aquarius.

A planet in its own sign is at home: it acts according to its own nature, protects the matters of the house it is in, and gives steady results.

#Friendship between planets

When a planet is in a sign it does not own, its comfort depends on its relationship with the sign's lord. A guest in a friend's house is at ease; in an enemy's house it is not. So Jyotisha needs to know which planets are friends.

#Natural friendship: Satya's rule

Varahamihira first reports one older opinion about the planets' friendships, introduced with "according to some" (Brihat Jataka II.15, first half). Then he gives the rule of Satyacharya, which he adopts:

A planet's friends are the lords of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th signs counted from its moolatrikona sign, together with the lord of its exaltation sign. The lords of the other signs are its enemies. A planet that falls in both lists is neutral. (Brihat Jataka II.15, with Aiyar's note.)

This is a rule you can work out yourself. Aiyar shows how, for the Sun (note to Brihat Jataka II.17):

1. The Sun's moolatrikona is Leo.
2. Count from Leo: the 2nd is Virgo, the 4th Scorpio, the 5th Sagittarius, the 8th Pisces, the 9th Aries, the 12th Cancer. Their lords: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Jupiter, Mars, the Moon. Add the lord of the Sun's exaltation sign, Aries: Mars. So the "friend" list is Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Moon.
3. The other signs are Leo itself, Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius, Taurus and Gemini. Leaving out the Sun itself, their lords are Venus, Saturn, Saturn, Venus, Mercury. So the "enemy" list is Venus, Saturn, Mercury.
4. Mercury is in both lists, so Mercury is neutral. The Moon, Mars and Jupiter are friends. Venus and Saturn are enemies.

Varahamihira then states the full results (Brihat Jataka II.16–17):

Points to notice:

• The Moon has no enemies. (Aiyar's note to II.16.)
• Friendship is not always mutual. Mercury counts the Moon an enemy, but the Moon counts Mercury a friend. Jupiter counts Mercury an enemy, but Mercury counts Jupiter neutral. So when you judge a planet in another's sign, always ask how the planet regards the sign's lord, not the other way round.
• Two camps appear. The Sun, Moon, Mars and Jupiter are broadly friendly to each other; Mercury, Venus and Saturn form a second group. Many astrologers find this a useful shortcut.

The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra gives the same rule and the same table (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra 3.55, in the common numbering). For Rahu and Ketu, the Phaladeepika (chapter 2) says their friends are Mercury, Venus and Saturn, Mars is neutral, and the others are enemies. There is no classical statement of how the seven regard the nodes.

#Temporary friendship

Friendship also depends on where the two planets happen to be in a particular chart. Varahamihira's rule (Brihat Jataka II.18):

Planets in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th or 12th sign from a planet are its temporary friends in that chart; planets in any other sign from it are its temporary enemies.

Notice the pattern: the signs immediately on either side of a planet (2nd and 12th), the next ones (3rd and 11th) and the squares (4th and 10th) are friends; the same sign (1st), the trines (5th and 9th), the 6th and 8th, and the opposite sign (7th) are not. Planets close to each other in the zodiac, or at right angles, work together in a given chart.

Varahamihira also reports that, according to some, planets in a planet's exaltation sign are its temporary friends too (Brihat Jataka II.18).

#The five-fold compound friendship

Combine the natural and the temporary relationship to get the compound (panchadha, "five-fold") relationship (Brihat Jataka II.18 with Aiyar's note; Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra 3.57–58):

The compound relationship is what most astrologers mean when they say a planet is in a "friend's sign" or a "great enemy's sign" in a particular chart.

#How dignity changes results

Varahamihira gives a clear rule for how much of its good promise a planet can deliver (Brihat Jataka XX.11):

The later Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra gives almost the same scale and adds a share of one-eighth for a neutral's sign (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra 3.59–60).

Read this rule with care. It is about a planet's good results. A debilitated planet does not stop acting — it acts with difficulty, or its significations come with struggle. And the rule is only one factor: a debilitated planet can be helped in many ways (Chapter 21 covers the classical rules of "cancellation of debilitation", neecha bhanga), and a strongly placed planet can be spoiled by other factors. Dignity is the first question, not the last.

#The example chart

Here are the dignities in the example chart of Chapter 6 (Libra lagna, 15 August 1990). Work through each line yourself before reading the answer.

Five of the seven grahas are well placed: the Moon, Mars and Jupiter by their own dignity, and the Sun and Mercury by compound friendship. Jupiter is the jewel: exalted within a degree of its peak, in the 10th house. Saturn, in an enemy's sign, is the least comfortable. Notice that the Moon's case shows the difference between the two texts: by Varahamihira, any Moon in Taurus is exalted; by the later degree ranges, a Moon past 3° Taurus is in moolatrikona. Either way it is very strong.

#Summary

• Dignity, best to worst: exalted, moolatrikona, own, friend's, neutral's, enemy's, debilitated.
• Exaltation: Sun Aries 10°, Moon Taurus 3°, Mars Capricorn 28°, Mercury Virgo 15°, Jupiter Cancer 5°, Venus Pisces 27°, Saturn Libra 20°; debilitation is the opposite sign, same degree (Brihat Jataka I.13).
• Moolatrikona signs: Sun Leo, Moon Taurus, Mars Aries, Mercury Virgo, Jupiter Sagittarius, Venus Libra, Saturn Aquarius (Brihat Jataka I.14); degree ranges come from the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (3.51–54).
• Rahu and Ketu have no dignities in the Brihat Jataka; later conventions differ.
• Natural friendship follows Satya's rule: lords of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th from the moolatrikona, plus the exaltation lord (Brihat Jataka II.15–17).
• Temporary friends are in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th and 12th from each other (Brihat Jataka II.18). Natural plus temporary gives the five-fold compound relationship.
• Good results scale with dignity: all, ¾, ½, ¼, less, none (Brihat Jataka XX.11).

#Exercises

1. Without looking, give the exaltation sign and degree of each of the seven grahas.
2. Use Satya's rule to work out Saturn's friends, neutrals and enemies from its moolatrikona sign, Aquarius. Check your answer against the table.
3. Mars is in Virgo and Mercury is in Gemini. What is Mars's compound relationship to Mercury in this chart?
4. Venus is at 10° Libra. What is its dignity by the later degree ranges? At 20° Libra?
5. The Moon is at 1° Taurus. What is its dignity?
6. Why might two astrologers describe the same Moon at 18° Taurus as "exalted" and as "moolatrikona"? Are they disagreeing?

Answers: 2. From Aquarius: 2nd Pisces (Jupiter), 4th Taurus (Venus), 5th Gemini (Mercury), 8th Virgo (Mercury), 9th Libra (Venus), 12th Capricorn (Saturn itself), plus the exaltation lord of Libra (Venus) → friend list Jupiter, Venus, Mercury. The others: Aries (Mars), Cancer (Moon), Leo (Sun), Scorpio (Mars), Sagittarius (Jupiter) → enemy list Mars, Moon, Sun, Jupiter. Jupiter is in both: neutral. Friends Mercury and Venus; enemies Sun, Moon, Mars. 3. Mars regards Mercury as a natural enemy. Gemini is the 10th sign from Virgo → temporary friend. Enemy + friend = neutral. 4. Moolatrikona at 10°; own sign at 20°. 5. Exalted (Taurus 0°–3°). 6. One follows Varahamihira (the whole of Taurus is the Moon's exaltation), the other the later degree ranges; both agree the Moon is very strong.