A yoga is a combination of planets that produces a particular result. Raja yogas, "royal combinations", are those that give status, authority, recognition and success. They are among the most celebrated ideas in Vedic astrology, and among the most misunderstood, because nearly every chart has some.
The core principle
Parashara's rule is simple: the kendras (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th houses) are the houses of action and power (Vishnu sthanas); the trikonas (1st, 5th, 9th) are the houses of fortune and merit (Lakshmi sthanas). When the lord of a kendra and the lord of a trikona come together, effort meets fortune, and a raja yoga forms.
They can come together by:
- conjunction in the same sign;
- mutual aspect;
- exchange of signs (parivartana): each in the other's sign;
- one placed in the other's house and aspected by it.
The strongest combine the 9th and 10th lords (dharma–karma adhipati yoga): fortune joined with career.
The yogakaraka
For some ascendants a single planet rules both a kendra and a trikona. It is the yogakaraka, the best planet for that chart:
| Ascendant | Yogakaraka | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Taurus | Saturn | 9th and 10th |
| Libra | Saturn | 4th and 5th |
| Cancer | Mars | 5th and 10th |
| Leo | Mars | 4th and 9th |
| Capricorn | Venus | 5th and 10th |
| Aquarius | Venus | 4th and 9th |
When a raja yoga delivers
A raja yoga written in the chart is a promise; whether and when it delivers depends on:
- the strength of the planets involved (dignity, Navamsa, not combust);
- their houses: a raja yoga formed in the 6th, 8th or 12th is weakened, unless other factors help;
- the dasha: a raja yoga gives its results mainly in the dashas of the planets that form it;
- the rest of the chart: a strong Lagna lord helps a person rise to the opportunity.
Other famous yogas
Raja yogas sit alongside Gaja Kesari yoga, the Pancha Mahapurusha yogas, Dhana yogas for wealth and Neecha Bhanga Raja yoga, rising from adversity.
Our full reading lists the yogas in your chart and how strongly each one forms; start with your free birth chart.