Draft. This lesson is being reviewed and may change before publication.
Lesson 9 of 20 · Grahas and bhavas
Graha strength: exaltation, debilitation, own sign and retrograde
How a planet's sign changes its reading: exaltation, debilitation, own and friendly signs, retrograde and combustion, with the table. Lesson 9.
Written by Khushal ThakkarReviewed by Review pendingUpdated October 29, 2026
A graha's sign decides how comfortably it acts, and the tradition grades that comfort: exalted, in its own sign, in a friend's sign, in a neutral sign, in an enemy's sign, debilitated. Retrograde motion and nearness to the Sun modify the grade. The Kundli generator shows every planet's sign and marks retrogrades; this lesson gives the table that turns those facts into a reading.
Exaltation and debilitation
| Graha | Exalted in | Debilitated in | Own signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Mesha (10°) | Tula (10°) | Simha |
| Moon | Vrishabha (3°) | Vrishchika (3°) | Karka |
| Mars | Makara (28°) | Karka (28°) | Mesha, Vrishchika |
| Mercury | Kanya (15°) | Meena (15°) | Mithuna, Kanya |
| Jupiter | Karka (5°) | Makara (5°) | Dhanu, Meena |
| Venus | Meena (27°) | Kanya (27°) | Vrishabha, Tula |
| Saturn | Tula (20°) | Mesha (20°) | Makara, Kumbha |
| Rahu | Vrishabha (by most schools) | Vrishchika | none |
| Ketu | Vrishchika (by most schools) | Vrishabha | none |
The degree in brackets is the point of deepest exaltation, and most readers treat the whole sign as exalted. Two exceptions come from Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra: for the Moon and Mercury the later degrees of the exaltation sign count as moolatrikona instead (the Moon from 4° of Vrishabha, Mercury from 16° of Kanya). Debilitation is always the sign opposite exaltation.
The other grades
Between exaltation and debilitation a planet is read by the sign lord's friendship with it (lesson 4): a planet in a friend's sign is comfortable, in an enemy's sign uneasy. The scale, from strongest to weakest, runs exalted, own sign, great friend, friend, neutral, enemy, great enemy, debilitated.
Retrograde
All planets except the Sun and Moon appear to reverse direction for weeks or months each year as the Earth overtakes them. A retrograde planet at birth is read as strong, since it is nearest the Earth then, but with its energy turned inward, delayed or unconventional. Rahu and Ketu are always retrograde and are not marked.
Combustion
A planet within a few degrees of the Sun is "combust", overpowered by the Sun's light and read as weakened in what it signifies. Mercury and Venus, which never stray far from the Sun, are combust often. This site shows the degrees so the condition can be seen; marking it automatically is planned for a later update after review.
Worked example
In the chart for 14 August 1990, 12:00, Mumbai: the Moon at 5°34′ Vrishabha is exalted; Jupiter at 5°24′ Karka is exalted and almost exactly at its deepest point; Mars at 26°56′ Mesha is in its own sign; Saturn in Dhanu is retrograde, strong but inward; the Sun in Karka is in a friend's sign. An astrologer would call this a chart with unusual dignity in the Moon, Jupiter and Mars.
Calculate yours
Try the calculator this lesson explains.