Jyotish Guide

The Navagraha — 9 planets of Vedic astrology

Nine celestial influences, including two invisible shadow points, that Jyotish uses to read a birth chart and a day's Panchang.

Navagraha (नवग्रह) means "nine seizers" or "nine planets" — the nine celestial bodies and points central to Vedic astrology (Jyotish). Seven are the classical visible bodies known since antiquity (the Sun, Moon and five visible planets); the remaining two, Rahu and Ketu, are mathematical points marking where the Moon's orbit crosses the Sun's apparent path (the lunar nodes), not physical objects.

The nine Grahas

☉ Sun · Ruling day: Sunday

Surya

Soul, authority, father, vitality and self-confidence.

☾ Moon · Ruling day: Monday

Chandra

Mind, emotions, mother, and the basis of your Rashi (Moon sign).

♂ Mars · Ruling day: Tuesday

Mangal

Courage, energy, siblings, and drive; also linked to conflict and land.

☿ Mercury · Ruling day: Wednesday

Budh

Intellect, communication, business acumen and analytical skill.

♃ Jupiter · Ruling day: Thursday

Guru (Brihaspati)

Wisdom, wealth, teachers, marriage, and spiritual growth. Considered the greatest benefic.

♀ Venus · Ruling day: Friday

Shukra

Love, beauty, luxury, relationships and artistic talent.

♄ Saturn · Ruling day: Saturday

Shani

Discipline, delay, karma and long-term structure. Slow-moving and often feared, but considered a fair, karmic teacher.

☊ North Lunar Node · Ruling day: —

Rahu

A shadow point (not a physical body) linked to ambition, obsession, illusion and sudden, unconventional gains.

☋ South Lunar Node · Ruling day: —

Ketu

Rahu's opposite shadow point, linked to detachment, spirituality, and the past — often associated with sudden loss or renunciation.

How the Navagraha are used

In a birth chart (Kundali), each Graha's position by sign and house is read to describe personality, life events and timing (via planetary periods called Dasha). In daily practice, planetary rulership underlies the seven-day week (Vaara) in the Panchang, and Saturn's slow, roughly 29.5-year orbit is the basis for the Shani Sade Sati cycle.

A note on how we present this

The significations above reflect traditional Jyotish teaching. We present them as a description of the tradition and its vocabulary, not as verified predictive claims.