Module 2 of 5 · Mūlādhyayana

राशि-चक्रम्

Rāśi-cakra

The 12 Rāśis and Their Lords

~75 min · 1 prerequisite(s)

The 12-fold zodiac — each rāśi's lord, element (tattva), mobility, gender, and the exaltation/debilitation degrees of the grahas.

Viṣaya-sūcī · Topics
  • 12 rāśis · Devanāgarī + IAST + English + symbol
  • Sign-lord matrix (Sūrya rules Leo, Candra rules Cancer, …)
  • Tattva — agni, pṛthvī, vāyu, jala (fire, earth, air, water)
  • Cara (movable) · sthira (fixed) · dvi-svabhāva (dual)
  • Exaltation degrees (uccha) — Sūrya 10° Aries, Candra 3° Taurus, …
  • Debilitation (nīca) — exactly opposite the uccha degree

1. Saṃkṣepa

साराशं · विषय-विस्तारःSāra-aṃśa · Viṣaya-vistāraSummary — the topic unfolded

While the 27-nakṣatra division is sidereal-stellar, the 12-rāśi division is ecliptic-solar — it slices the 360° ecliptic into twelve 30° segments. Each rāśi has a single graha-lord (with Rāhu and Ketu excluded from sign-lordship in the classical scheme). The lordship pattern is symmetric: the two luminaries (Sun and Moon) rule one sign each, while each of the other five grahas rules a contiguous pair.

BPHS Chapter 4 (Rāśi-svarūpa) gives the form and element of each sign. The four elements (tattvas) cluster: Aries-Leo-Sagittarius are agni-tattva (fire); Taurus-Virgo-Capricorn are pṛthvī (earth); Gemini-Libra-Aquarius are vāyu (air); Cancer-Scorpio-Pisces are jala (water). The mobility tri-division — cara, sthira, dvi-svabhāva — captures how strongly the sign's quality manifests.

Exaltation degrees are critical because they let you measure a graha's strength positionally. A graha in its uccha-rāśi at the exact uccha-degree has maximum sthāna-bala; the same graha 180° away is nīca and weakest. Phaladīpikā Ch. 2 lists all nine grahas' exaltation degrees.

2. Śāstra-Pramāṇa

शास्त्र-प्रमाण · ग्रन्थ-निर्देशाःŚāstra-pramāṇa · Grantha-nirdeśāḥClassical anchors — textual references
BPHSCh. 4

Rāśi-svarūpa-adhyāya — form, element, lord of each of the 12 rāśis.

BPHSCh. 5

Rāśi-śīla-adhyāya — mūla-trikoṇa, own-sign, exaltation/debilitation.

PhaladīpikāCh. 2

Rāśi-prabhāva-adhyāya — exaltation degrees + natural significations.

All anchor references map to chapter structures in our annotated library at /library. We point to topics — the Jyotiṣī interprets, the substrate computes; we do not predict from these texts on your behalf.

3. Abhyāsa

अभ्यासः · प्रयोग-मार्गःAbhyāsa · Prayoga-mārgaPraxis — the path of application

Engine surfaces (substrate compute)

/chart/varga

Exercises

  1. Computation

    Cast your birth chart at /chart and list each graha by rāśi. Mark which (if any) is in its own sign, exalted, or debilitated.

  2. Reflection

    Why does Pārāśara give two signs each to five grahas and only one each to Sūrya and Candra? Reflect on the day–night dimension of the Sun/Moon vs. the planetary motion of the others.

4. Agrima

अग्रिमम् · पथः निरन्तरःAgrima · Pathaḥ nirantaraNext — the continuing path
← Previous · Module 1
नक्षत्र-परिचयः
Nakṣatra-paricaya

The 27 lunar mansions — their names, four pādas each, presiding devatā, and the Vedic source of each mantra.

Next · Module 3 →
ग्रह-स्वभावः
Graha-svabhāva

The 9 grahas — their natural kāraka-roles, gender, tattva, mitra-śatru (friendship-enmity), and behavioural significations from BPHS Ch. 2–7.

ॐ सरस्वत्यै नमः · ॐ हयग्रीवाय नमः
KAAL Truth #5 · structured study · sources cited · the Jyotiṣī interprets