Graha Strength & Dignity

Exaltation & Debilitation

Seven grahas, seven best signs — and the seven exactly opposite.

The exaltation table

Each of the seven sign-owning grahas has one exaltation sign:

| Graha | Exalted in |
|---|---|
| Sun | Aries |
| Moon | Taurus |
| Mars | Capricorn |
| Mercury | Virgo |
| Jupiter | Cancer |
| Venus | Pisces |
| Saturn | Libra |

Rahu and Ketu are omitted — traditions disagree about their exaltation, and this app doesn't assign them one.

Debilitation is always the opposite sign

You do not need a second table. Debilitation is always exactly 7 signs away — the sign opposite the exaltation.

| Graha | Exalted | Debilitated |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Aries | Libra |
| Moon | Taurus | Scorpio |
| Mars | Capricorn | Cancer |
| Mercury | Virgo | Pisces |
| Jupiter | Cancer | Capricorn |
| Venus | Pisces | Virgo |
| Saturn | Libra | Aries |

Learn seven facts, get fourteen.

Two pairs that swap

Two neat symmetries worth noticing, because they make four facts stick at once:

Mars and Jupiter swap: Mars is exalted in Capricorn where Jupiter is debilitated; Jupiter is exalted in Cancer where Mars is debilitated.

Mercury and Venus swap: Mercury is exalted in Virgo where Venus is debilitated; Venus is exalted in Pisces where Mercury is debilitated.

And the Sun and Saturn — natural enemies — are exalted in each other's debilitation sign too: Sun exalted in Aries where Saturn falls, Saturn exalted in Libra where the Sun falls.

Mercury's special case

Mercury is exalted in Virgo — a sign it also owns. It is the only graha whose exaltation sign is one of its own.

When both apply, this app ranks exaltation above own-sign, so Mercury in Virgo reads as exalted. That's a deliberate convention, applied identically in the reading app and here, so one chart never reads two ways.

Debilitation is a handicap, not a doom

A debilitated graha is working against the grain — its natural way of operating doesn't fit the sign it's standing in. It has to work harder for less immediate return.

It is not broken, absent, or cursed. Debilitation can even be cancelled under certain conditions — a pattern called Neecha Bhanga, which you'll meet in the Yogas chapter.

And as always: a handicap on one factor among many is not an outcome.

Remember it

Exaltation is one sign; debilitation is directly across the wheel. Mars↔Jupiter swap, Mercury↔Venus swap, Sun↔Saturn swap. That's six of the seven — only the Moon (Taurus up, Scorpio down) stands alone.

Terms introduced here

Exaltation (uccha)

The one sign where each graha expresses itself most fully. Seven grahas, seven exaltation signs.

Debilitation (neecha)

The sign opposite exaltation, where a graha is least at home — a handicap, not a verdict.