Yogas are the signature combinations of a chart — the reasons one person rises in status, another builds wealth, a third has a sharp mind. Spotting them by hand means checking dozens of rules. Vedic → Yogas & Karakas does it for you and shows how each yoga is formed.
Yogas & Karakas — every yoga with its strength, meaning and formation.
Opening the dialog
Open a profile, then choose Vedic → Yogas & Karakas. The birth chart is always read in the sidereal zodiac with your saved ayanamsa, even if the dashboard is showing a tropical wheel. You can also open it from any row of the Yogas at a Glance dashboard card.
Yogas in this chart
The caption counts the beneficial yogas found, e.g. YOGAS IN THIS CHART · 7. Each yoga is a card with four parts:
- Name — e.g. Raja Yoga.
- Strength pill — Strong (green), Medium (amber) or Weak (grey).
- Meaning — one line, e.g. Kendra and trikona lords linked — rise in status and authority.
- How it is formed — the exact placement that creates it, e.g. Jupiter (lord of 4) + Venus (lord of 9) · mutual aspect.
Cards are sorted strongest first, with adverse yogas at the end.
How strength is judged
A yoga is only as good as the planets that form it. AstroWatch scores each forming planet by its dignity — exalted, mūlatrikoṇa or own sign +2, a friend's sign +1, neutral 0, an enemy's sign −1, debilitated −2, and a further −1 if combust — and averages them: Strong at 1.5 or more, Medium from 0, Weak below 0. The footer reminds you: Strength summarises the dignity of the forming planets.
The yogas AstroWatch detects
Houses are whole signs from the Lagna (or from the Moon or Sun where the yoga is defined that way). Only the seven grahas take part; Rāhu and Ketu never form a yoga here. Aspects are whole-sign Vedic aspects — every planet aspects the 7th, Mars also the 4th and 8th, Jupiter the 5th and 9th, Saturn the 3rd and 10th.
Pañca Mahāpuruṣa — the five great persons
A planet in its own or exaltation sign and in a kendra (1, 4, 7, 10) from the Lagna.
| Yoga | Planet | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ruchaka | Mars | Courage, leadership, physical vigour |
| Bhadra | Mercury | Intellect, speech, business skill |
| Hamsa | Jupiter | Wisdom, virtue, respect |
| Malavya | Venus | Comfort, beauty, happy relationships |
| Sasa | Saturn | Authority, discipline, endurance |
Moon- and Sun-based yogas
| Yoga | Formed when | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Gajakesari | Jupiter in a kendra from the Moon | Reputation, intelligence, lasting prosperity |
| Sunapha | Planets in the 2nd from the Moon (none in the 12th) | Self-earned wealth and good standing |
| Anapha | Planets in the 12th from the Moon (none in the 2nd) | Good health, pleasant personality |
| Durudhara | Planets on both sides of the Moon | Comforts, resources, generosity |
| Adhi | Two or more of Mercury, Jupiter, Venus in the 6th–8th from the Moon | Position, success over rivals |
| Vesi | Planets in the 2nd from the Sun | Balanced, truthful, steady effort |
| Vosi | Planets in the 12th from the Sun | Skill, learning, charity |
| Ubhayachari | Planets on both sides of the Sun | Capable, well-supported, respected |
For Sunapha, Anapha, Durudhara, Vesi, Vosi and Ubhayachari, the planets counted are Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.
Conjunctions
- Budhaditya — Sun with Mercury: sharp intellect and communication.
- Chandra-Mangala — Moon with Mars: drive to earn; enterprise.
Lordship yogas
| Yoga | Formed when | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yogakaraka | One planet rules both a kendra (4/7/10) and a trikona (5/9) | The chart's most helpful planet |
| Raja Yoga | A kendra lord is associated with a trikona lord | Rise in status and authority |
| Dhana Yoga | The 2nd or 11th lord is associated with the lord of 1, 2, 5, 9 or 11 | Gains and accumulation of wealth |
| Harsha | 6th lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th (Viparita Raja) | Victory over enemies, good health |
| Sarala | 8th lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th (Viparita Raja) | Resilience, long life, fearlessness |
| Vimala | 12th lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th (Viparita Raja) | Frugality, independence, good conduct |
| Parivartana | Two planets in each other's signs | The two houses support each other |
"Associated" means the two lords are together in a sign, aspect each other, or exchange signs — the formation line says which. Each pair of lords is listed once, so a strong chart can show several Raja Yoga cards.
Other yogas
- Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga — a debilitated planet whose weakness is cancelled because the lord of its debilitation sign, the lord of its exaltation sign, or a planet exalted in that sign sits in a kendra from the Lagna or Moon: rise after early difficulty. Always graded Medium.
- Amala — a benefic (Mercury, Jupiter or Venus) in the 10th from the Lagna or Moon: good name and ethical conduct.
Kemadruma — the adverse yoga
Kemadruma forms when the Moon has no planet beside it — none in the 2nd or 12th from it and none with it. Its card shows an Adverse pill and a red name: periods of struggle or loneliness. But it is cancelled (Kemadruma bhanga) when any planet sits in a kendra from the Lagna or the Moon, which happens often; the pill then turns green and reads Cancelled.
Kemadruma, cancelled by a planet in a kendra.
Jaimini chara karakas
The second section ranks the planets by their degree within their sign — highest first — and gives each its Jaimini role:
| Karaka | Signifies |
|---|---|
| Atmakaraka (AK) | The soul — life's central purpose |
| Amatyakaraka (AmK) | Career, advisers and profession |
| Bhratrikaraka (BK) | Siblings, courage and initiative |
| Matrikaraka (MK) | Mother, home and education |
| Pitrikaraka (PiK) | Father and elders — 8-karaka scheme only |
| Putrakaraka (PK) | Children, creativity and disciples |
| Gnatikaraka (GK) | Rivals, disputes and health challenges |
| Darakaraka (DK) | Spouse and partnerships |
By default the seven-karaka scheme ranks Sun to Saturn. Switch on 8 karakas (with Rahu) in the header to add Rāhu — counted as 30° minus its degree, because it moves backwards — and the Pitrikaraka. The whole section updates instantly.
Karakamsa, Arudha Lagna and Upapada
Three cards close the dialog:
- Karakamsa — the navamsa sign of the Atmakaraka: the soul's inclination. It changes if the 8-karaka switch changes the Atmakaraka.
- Arudha Lagna (AL) — how the person is seen by the world, e.g. Scorpio · 8th from Lagna.
- Upapada (UL) — the arudha of the 12th house: marriage and the spouse.
Arudhas are counted the classical way — as far from the lord as the lord is from the house — and moved to the 10th from there when they would fall in the house itself or the 7th from it.
Jaimini karakas with the 8-karaka scheme switched on.
Yogas at a Glance card
On the Vedic dashboard you can put the highlights in the bottom-right corner: Settings → Customize Dashboard → Vedic Suite Display → RIGHT · BOTTOM → Yogas at a Glance.
- A gold ĀK chip names the Ātmakāraka with its degree.
- Up to four rows: the strongest beneficial yogas plus up to two adverse ones, each with its class (Pañca Mahāpuruṣa, lords of 9th + 10th…) and badges. A cancelled yoga is struck through.
- +3 more yogas tells you how many are in the full dialog; click any row or Yogas & Karakas → to open it.
- Yogas are a natal feature, so on the Transit tab the card keeps showing the birth chart and adds a NATAL FEATURE tag.
Yogas at a Glance on the Vedic dashboard.