What are the nine Navagrahas? Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Guru, Shukra, Shani, Rahu and Ketu. Seven are bodies in the sky, and Rahu and Ketu are the two lunar nodes.
The nine grahas today
| Graha | Stands for | Day | Dasha | Today in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surya (Sun) | the soul, the father, authority and vitality | Sunday | 6 years | Tula |
| Chandra (Moon) | the mind, the mother, emotions and peace | Monday | 10 years | Kanya |
| Mangala (Mars) | courage, energy, land and brothers | Tuesday | 7 years | Karka |
| Budha (Mercury) | speech, intellect, trade and learning | Wednesday | 17 years | Tula (retrograde) |
| Guru (Jupiter) | wisdom, children, teachers and good fortune | Thursday | 16 years | Simha |
| Shukra (Venus) | marriage, comfort, art and beauty | Friday | 20 years | Kanya (retrograde) |
| Shani (Saturn) | work, discipline, delay and justice | Saturday | 19 years | Meena (retrograde) |
| Rahu (North lunar node) | ambition, foreign lands, sudden change and illusion | Saturday | 18 years | Kumbha |
| Ketu (South lunar node) | detachment, insight and liberation | Tuesday | 7 years | Simha |
Positions are sidereal (Lahiri) and worked out by our panchang engine.
Sources
- Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, for rulership, exaltation and the Vimshottari dasha.
- Positions are sidereal (Lahiri ayanamsa), worked out by our panchang engine.
Pujas for the grahas
Most families start with the puja to all nine, unless a pandit has pointed to one graha in the chart.
Questions devotees ask us
What are the Navagrahas?
The nine influences of Vedic astrology: Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Guru, Shukra, Shani, Rahu and Ketu.
Are Rahu and Ketu planets?
No. They are the two points where the Moon’s path crosses the Sun’s. They are counted as grahas because a graha is “that which seizes”, not a planet in the modern sense.
What is Navagraha Shanti?
A puja to all nine grahas together, done when a chart shows difficulty, or before a major step such as a wedding or griha pravesh.