The Nine Grahas

An introduction to the nine planetary influences in Vedic astrology

In Jyotish, the Sanskrit word graha is often translated as “planet,” but this translation obscures more than it reveals. Graha comes from the root grah, meaning “to seize” or “to grasp.” The grahas are forces that seize us, influences that shape our experience of life.

There are nine grahas in the classical system. Each represents an archetypal energy that manifests in predictable patterns across human experience.

The Luminaries

Surya (Sun)

The Sun represents the atma, the individual soul. It is the center around which everything else orbits. In a chart, Surya shows our core identity, our vitality, and our relationship to authority - both as one who holds it and one who relates to it.

Surya is a krura (harsh) graha. Its light is direct, uncompromising. It illuminates but also burns away what cannot withstand scrutiny.

Chandra (Moon)

The Moon represents manas, the mind in its receptive aspect. Where Surya is the observer, Chandra is the field of experience. It shows our emotional nature, our conditioned responses, what we need to feel safe and nourished.

Chandra is saumya (gentle) and changes more rapidly than any other graha - a new sign every two and a half days. This reflects the fluctuating nature of mind itself.

The Inner Planets

Budha (Mercury)

Mercury governs buddhi in its discriminative function - the capacity to analyze, categorize, and communicate. It shows how we think, speak, and process information.

Budha is unique among the grahas: it takes on the nature of whatever it associates with. With benefics, it becomes benefic; with malefics, malefic. This reflects the neutral nature of intellect itself. For a deeper exploration of Mercury’s nature and how to work with this planet, see Mercury (Budha): The Messenger Between Worlds.

Shukra (Venus)

Venus represents our capacity for relationship, beauty, and pleasure. It governs what we value, how we attract, and our experience of love in its many forms.

Shukra is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. It is considered the most benefic of all grahas - the great teacher of the asuras who knows the secret of immortality. For a deeper exploration of Venus’s nature and how to work with this planet, see Venus (Shukra): The Teacher of Desire.

Mangala (Mars)

Mars is the principle of directed energy - will, courage, aggression, and the capacity to act. It shows where and how we assert ourselves, fight for what we want, and defend what we value.

Mangala is krura, potentially destructive but also necessary. Without Mars, nothing gets done. The question is always how this energy is directed. For a deeper exploration of Mars’s nature and how to work with this planet, see Mars (Mangala): The Force That Acts.

The Great Teachers

Guru (Jupiter)

Jupiter is the great benefic, representing wisdom, expansion, grace, and good fortune. It shows our access to meaning, our capacity for faith, and the area of life where blessings naturally flow.

Guru literally means “heavy” - the one whose presence has weight, whose words carry authority. In the chart, Jupiter shows where we have the potential to become teachers ourselves. For a deeper exploration of Jupiter’s nature and how to work with this planet, see Jupiter (Guru): The Great Benefic.

Shani (Saturn)

Saturn is the great malefic, representing time, limitation, discipline, and the consequences of past action. It shows where we must work, where we face obstacles, and where we are forced to mature.

Shani moves slowly - about two and a half years in each sign. Its lessons take time to learn. What Saturn gives comes through effort and endurance. For a deeper exploration of Saturn’s nature and how to work with this planet, see Saturn (Shani): The Great Teacher.

The Shadowy Ones

Rahu (North Node)

Rahu is not a physical body but a mathematical point - the north node of the Moon’s orbit, where eclipses occur. It represents insatiable desire, worldly ambition, and the pull toward new experience.

Rahu is where we are hungry, where we grasp for what we don’t have. It amplifies whatever it touches, often to the point of obsession. Yet Rahu also represents our evolutionary direction - what the soul is reaching toward in this life. For a deeper exploration of Rahu’s nature and how to work with this shadow planet, see Rahu: The North Node of Desire.

Ketu (South Node)

Ketu is Rahu’s opposite - the south node, representing what we have already mastered, our inheritance from past lives. Where Rahu grasps, Ketu releases. It is the principle of liberation, detachment, and spiritual insight.

Ketu shows natural talent that requires no effort - and often little interest. It represents what we are moving away from, completing, letting go. For a deeper exploration of Ketu’s nature and how to work with this shadow planet, see Ketu: The South Node of Liberation.

Working with the Grahas

Understanding the grahas is foundational to Jyotish. They are not distant planets but living forces that operate within us and around us. Learning to recognize their influence is the first step toward working with them skillfully.

Each graha has its upayas - remedial measures that can strengthen beneficial influences or soften harsh ones. But the deepest remedy is always awareness itself: seeing clearly what forces are at play, and responding with wisdom rather than reaction.

Understand Your Grahas

To understand which grahas are strong in your chart, which present challenges, and what remedial measures might serve you, explore written consultations for personalized Jyotish analysis.

Quick reference: The Grahas Quick Reference provides all nine planetary influences at a glance - their natures, significations, and remedial measures.