Hindu Predictive Astrology Part 5: Astrological Terminology

Hindu Predictive Astrology — Complete Modern Guide

In Part 4, we mapped the 27 nakshatras and sign classifications. Now we learn the complete vocabulary of Vedic astrology: which planet owns which sign, where each planet reaches peak strength or weakness, and how planets relate to one another. This chapter is the dictionary you'll reference throughout the rest of the series.

Part 5 of 31 • Foundations • Covers: Book Chapter VI — Astrological Terminology

This is the most reference-dense article in the series. Bookmark it — you will come back to these tables again and again.

Chapter VI of Raman's text is where the raw materials of prediction are laid out: which planets rule which signs, exactly where each planet reaches its maximum and minimum power, and the intricate web of friendships and enmities between planets that modifies every prediction you'll ever make.

Sign Lordship: Which Planet Rules Which Sign

The allocation of sign rulership is not arbitrary. The Sun rules Leo. The Moon — the nearest planet to the Earth — rules Cancer, the sign nearest to Leo. From there, the remaining planets are assigned symmetrically outward in order of their distance from Earth:

Planet	Sign(s) Ruled	Logic
☉ Sun	♌ Leo	Centre of the system
☽ Moon	♋ Cancer	Nearest to Earth → nearest sign to Leo
☿ Mercury	♊ Gemini & ♍ Virgo	Next nearest → flanking Cancer/Leo
♀ Venus	♉ Taurus & ♎ Libra	Next out → flanking Mercury's signs
♂ Mars	♈ Aries & ♏ Scorpio	Next out → flanking Venus's signs
♃ Jupiter	♓ Pisces & ♐ Sagittarius	Next out → flanking Mars's signs
♄ Saturn	♒ Aquarius & ♑ Capricorn	Farthest → outermost signs

Rahu and Ketu: Raman notes that Rahu is associated with Aquarius and Ketu with Scorpio in certain texts, though these shadow planets do not have formal lordship in the Parasari system the way the seven visible planets do.

Planetary Dignities: Exaltation, Debilitation & Moolatrikona

Every planet has specific zodiacal positions where it is at its strongest (exaltation), weakest (debilitation), and in an intermediate zone of comfort (Moolatrikona). These dignities profoundly affect how a planet delivers its results.

Planet	Exaltation (Deep)	Moolatrikona	Own Sign(s)	Debilitation (Deep)
☉ Sun	Aries 10°	Leo 0°–20°	Leo	Libra 10°
☽ Moon	Taurus 3°	Taurus 4°–20°	Cancer	Scorpio 3°
♂ Mars	Capricorn 28°	Aries 0°–12°	Aries, Scorpio	Cancer 28°
☿ Mercury	Virgo 15°	Virgo 16°–20°	Gemini, Virgo	Pisces 15°
♃ Jupiter	Cancer 5°	Sagittarius 0°–10°	Sagittarius, Pisces	Capricorn 5°
♀ Venus	Pisces 27°	Libra 0°–15°	Taurus, Libra	Virgo 27°
♄ Saturn	Libra 20°	Aquarius 0°–20°	Capricorn, Aquarius	Aries 20°
☊ Rahu	Taurus 20°	—	—	Scorpio 20°
☋ Ketu	Scorpio 20°	—	—	Taurus 20°

The 180° Rule

The debilitation point is always exactly 180° (the 7th sign) from the exaltation point, at the same degree. Sun exalted at Aries 10° → debilitated at Libra 10°. Mars exalted at Capricorn 28° → debilitated at Cancer 28°. This is a universal rule with no exceptions.

Hierarchy of dignity (strongest → weakest): Exaltation > Moolatrikona > Own Sign > Friend's Sign > Neutral Sign > Enemy's Sign > Debilitation. A planet's dignity is one of the first things to assess in any chart analysis.

Natural Benefics and Malefics

Planets are benefic or malefic according to their inherent nature. They tend to do good or evil regardless of chart-specific lordships (functional benefics/malefics are covered in Part 16).

Natural Benefics (Shubha)

Jupiter — the great benefic
Venus — benefic
Full Moon — from the 8th day of the bright half onward
Well-associated Mercury — when conjoined with or aspected by benefics

Natural Malefics (Papa)

Saturn — the great malefic
Mars — malefic
Sun — mild malefic (separative)
New Moon — weak from the 8th day of the dark half
Badly associated Mercury
Rahu & Ketu — shadow malefics

Mercury and Moon are chameleons: Mercury takes the nature of whichever planet it associates with. The Moon is benefic when bright (waxing, especially after the 8th tithi) and malefic when dark (waning). This dual nature makes them the two most context-dependent planets in the system.

Planetary Attributes: The Master Table

Raman provides a comprehensive set of attributes for each planet. This table consolidates sex, colour, nature (Guna), element, signification, and status into a single reference:

Planet	Sex	Colour	Guna	Element	Signifies	Status
☉ Sun	Male	Copper	Satvika	Fire	Atma (ego/soul)	King
☽ Moon	Female	White	Satvika	Water	Manas (mind)	King
♂ Mars	Male	Blood red	Tamasa	Fire	Martial power	Commander-in-chief
☿ Mercury	Neutral	Green	Rajasa	Earth	Speech & eloquence	Heir-apparent (Yuvaraja)
♃ Jupiter	Male	Bright yellow	Satvika	Ether	Wisdom	Prime Minister
♀ Venus	Female	Variegated	Rajasa	Water	Sensual pleasures	Prime Minister
♄ Saturn	Neutral	Black	Tamasa	Air	Sorrows & miseries	Servant
☊ Rahu	Female	—	—	—	Illusion, obsession	—
☋ Ketu	Neutral	—	—	—	Moksha, detachment	—

The Three Gunas:

Satvika (Sun, Moon, Jupiter) — Philosophical, pure, philanthropic disposition
Rajasa (Venus, Mercury) — Imperious, active, passionate disposition
Tamasa (Mars, Saturn) — Dull, inertial, destructive nature

Planetary Relationships: Permanent (Naisargika)

By friendship and enmity among planets, we understand that the rays of one planet will be intensified or counteracted by those of another declared to be its friend or enemy respectively. The permanent (natural) relationships are fixed and do not change from chart to chart:

Planet	Friends	Neutrals	Enemies
☉ Sun	Moon, Mars, Jupiter	Mercury	Saturn, Venus
☽ Moon	Sun, Mercury	Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn	None
♂ Mars	Sun, Moon, Jupiter	Venus, Saturn	Mercury
☿ Mercury	Sun, Venus	Mars, Jupiter, Saturn	Moon
♃ Jupiter	Sun, Moon, Mars	Saturn	Mercury, Venus
♀ Venus	Mercury, Saturn	Mars, Jupiter	Sun, Moon
♄ Saturn	Mercury, Venus	Jupiter	Sun, Moon, Mars

Relationships are NOT always reciprocal! The Moon considers the Sun a friend, but the Sun considers the Moon a friend too — that's reciprocal. However, Mercury considers the Moon an enemy, while the Moon considers Mercury a friend. Always check the relationship from the planet's own perspective.

Temporary Relationships (Tatkalika)

Besides permanent friendship, planets become temporary friends or enemies based on their actual sign positions in a specific chart:

Temporary Friends

Planets in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, and 12th signs from any planet become its temporary friends.

Temporary Enemies

Planets in the 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th signs from any planet become its temporary enemies.

Easy memory aid: Temporary friends occupy the adjacent signs (2nd, 3rd, 4th = nearby) and the signs behind the planet (10th, 11th, 12th). Temporary enemies are in the distant signs (5th through 9th) and the same sign (1st). Think of it as: nearby = friend, far away = enemy.

Compound Relationships: The Six-Fold Result

In judging a horoscope, both permanent and temporary relationships must be combined. The compound result follows these six rules:

Permanent	+	Temporary	=	Compound Result	Sanskrit
Friend	+	Friend	=	Best Friend	Adhi Mitra
Friend	+	Enemy	=	Neutral	Sama
Enemy	+	Enemy	=	Bitter Enemy	Adhi Satru
Enemy	+	Friend	=	Neutral	Sama
Neutral	+	Friend	=	Friend	Mitra
Neutral	+	Enemy	=	Enemy	Satru

Worked Example (from Raman's illustration)

Chart: Male born 8-8-1912, 7:43 PM IST, Lat 13°N, Long 77°34'E. Jupiter is in Sagittarius. The Moon is in Taurus (the 6th sign from Sagittarius, counted inclusively).

Temporary relationship: Moon is in the 6th sign from Jupiter → Temporary Enemy
Permanent relationship: From the table above, Moon is Jupiter's Permanent Friend
Compound result: Permanent Friend + Temporary Enemy = Neutral (Sama)

Planetary Castes and Directions

Planetary Castes (Varna)

Brahmin	Venus, Jupiter
Kshatriya	Sun, Mars
Vaisya	Moon
Sudra	Mercury
Antyaja	Saturn

Raman notes: one should not confuse this with the social caste system. According to Lord Krishna, varna is based on guna (quality) and karma (action).

Planetary Directions (Dik)

East	Sun
South-East	Venus
South	Mars
South-West	Rahu
West	Saturn
North-West	Moon
North	Mercury
North-East	Jupiter

Used in horary astrology to determine directions for travel, lost objects, and property decisions.

Special Planetary States

Planets undergo various states during their zodiacal journey that significantly modify their power:

State	Sanskrit	Condition	Effect
Retrogression	Vakra	Planet appears to move backward due to invisible forces (Mandochcha, Seeghrochcha, Patha)	Gains Chestabala (motional strength). Considered powerful.
Acceleration	Athichara	Planet moves from one sign to another faster than its usual speed	Unstable energy. Part of the Bhita avastha (covered in Part 6).
Stagnation	Stambhana	Planet resides in the same sign for longer than its usual period	Extended influence in that sign, can indicate stuckness or deep impact.
Combustion	Astangata	Planet in intimate conjunction with the Sun	Utterly powerless. The Sun's blazing light overwhelms the planet's rays completely.
With Moon	Samagama	Planet conjoined with the Moon	Acquires lunar qualities. Relevant in muhurtha and horary astrology.
Ascending	Arohana	Moving from debilitation toward exaltation	Planet's strength is increasing. Results improve progressively.
Descending	Avarohana	Moving from exaltation toward debilitation	Planet's strength is decreasing. Results deteriorate progressively.

Combustion (Astangata) is one of the most debilitating conditions a planet can suffer. A combust planet loses its ability to deliver results during its Dasa/Bhukti. The closer the planet is to the Sun's exact degree, the more severe the combustion. Only the Moon has some resistance to combustion in certain texts, but even the Moon is weakened when very close to the Sun (New Moon).

Source: Hindu Predictive Astrology by B.V. Raman, Chapter VI — Astrological Terminology (pages 18–23).

Key Takeaways

Sign lordships follow a symmetric distance-based pattern outward from Sun (Leo) and Moon (Cancer)
Mercury → Venus → Mars → Jupiter → Saturn, each ruling two signs flanking the luminaries.
Every planet has a precise exaltation degree, and debilitation is always exactly 180° opposite
Dignity hierarchy: Exaltation > Moolatrikona > Own Sign > Friend's > Neutral > Enemy's > Debilitation.
Mercury and Moon are context-dependent — their benefic/malefic nature changes based on associations and phase
Moon: benefic when waxing (bright 8th day onward), malefic when waning. Mercury: takes the nature of its companions.
Planetary relationships have THREE layers: permanent + temporary = compound
Six possible outcomes: Adhi Mitra, Mitra, Sama, Satru, Adhi Satru. Always calculate the compound result for chart analysis.
Combustion (Astangata) renders a planet utterly powerless
Intimate conjunction with the Sun destroys a planet's ability to deliver results.
Arohana (ascending toward exaltation) strengthens; Avarohana (descending toward debilitation) weakens
The direction of a planet's movement matters, not just its current position.

In Part 6, we'll build on this vocabulary to study the 10 Avasthas (planetary states of existence) and the Shadbalas (six sources of planetary strength) — the numerical system that tells you exactly how strong or weak each planet is in a given chart.

Based on

Hindu Predictive Astrology

by B.V. Raman | First published 1938 | UBS Publishers' Distributors Ltd.