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Lesson 13 of 20 · Reading a kundli
Conjunctions, aspects and yogas
How planets combine: conjunction, the special aspects of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and classical yogas such as Gajakesari, Raja and Dhana yogas. Lesson 13.
Written by Khushal ThakkarReviewed by Review pendingUpdated October 29, 2026
Planets in a chart act together: by sharing a sign (conjunction), by aspecting each other across the chart (drishti), and by forming the named combinations the texts call yogas. Learning the handful of yogas that occur often, and the aspect rules that make them, turns a table of placements into relationships.
Conjunction
Planets in the same sign share a house and blend. Sun and Mercury together (Budhaditya yoga) is read as a sharp, articulate intellect; Moon and Saturn together as a serious or anxious mind; Venus and Mars together as passion. The closer the degrees, the stronger the blend.
Aspects (drishti)
Jyotish aspects are by sign, not degree, and every planet aspects the 7th sign from itself. Three planets have extra aspects:
| Planet | Aspects the sign(s) |
|---|---|
| Every planet | 7th from itself |
| Mars | 4th, 7th, 8th |
| Jupiter | 5th, 7th, 9th |
| Saturn | 3rd, 7th, 10th |
Rahu and Ketu are given the 5th, 7th and 9th by many schools. A benefic's aspect is read as protection, a malefic's as pressure, on the house and planets aspected.
A few classical yogas
- Gajakesari. Jupiter in a kendra (1st, 4th, 7th or 10th) from the Moon. Read as wisdom, reputation and support.
- Budhaditya. Sun and Mercury in the same sign. Read as intellect and eloquence.
- Chandra-Mangala. Moon and Mars together. Read as drive and earning capacity, with a temper.
- Raja yoga. A lord of a kendra and a lord of a trikona together or exchanging signs. Read as rise and authority.
- Dhana yoga. The lords of the 2nd, 5th, 9th or 11th connected to each other or to the lagna lord. Read as wealth.
- Neecha bhanga. A debilitated planet whose debility is cancelled, for example when the lord of its sign is in a kendra from the lagna or Moon. Read as strength through early difficulty.
- Kemadruma. No planet in the signs on either side of the Moon. Read as a mind that works alone; cancelled by many conditions.
Worked example
In the reference chart (14 August 1990, 12:00, Mumbai): the Sun and Jupiter are in Karka, the 10th house, which is a kendra from the lagna, and Jupiter is in the 3rd sign from the Moon, not a kendra, so there is no Gajakesari. Venus, lord of the lagna (a kendra) and of the 8th, sits with the Sun, lord of the 11th, and with Jupiter, lord of the 3rd and 6th, in the 10th: a strong career house but not a textbook Raja yoga. Mars aspects the lagna from the 7th, read as energy in the person's manner. Mercury in Simha, the 11th, is aspected by Saturn from Dhanu (Saturn's 3rd aspect), a sobering influence on gains and speech.
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