A yoga in astrology is a specific combination of planets, houses or signs that gives a recognisable result: wealth, fame, learning, or a particular challenge. Classical texts describe hundreds of them. This guide covers the common yogas you'll actually hear about, gives the exact rule for each, and shows you how to check them in your own kundli, using a real chart that happens to have three.
Get the chart to check. The free Kundli calculator lists every planet's sign, house and dignity, which is all you need to test the rules below. No sign-up.
Two kinds of "yoga" in a kundli
Your kundli result shows a line called Yoga next to Tithi and Nakshatra, with a name like "Siddhi", "Sadhya" or "Indra". That is not a planetary yoga. It's the panchang yoga (nitya yoga): one of 27 yogas worked out from the combined longitude of the Sun and Moon. It describes the quality of the day you were born.
The yogas in this article are planetary yogas (graha yogas): combinations of planets in your chart. They aren't printed by most calculators, NavAstro's included; you find them by checking the rules against your chart, as below.
The common yogas and their rules
Gaja Kesari Yoga
Rule: Jupiter in a kendra (1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house) counted from the Moon. Meaning: "elephant–lion": intelligence, good reputation, and the ability to overcome opposition. It's common, since about a third of charts have it, so its strength depends on Jupiter's and the Moon's dignity.
Budhaditya Yoga
Rule: the Sun and Mercury in the same sign. Meaning: sharp intellect and communication. Very common, because Mercury is never more than about 28° from the Sun. It works best when Mercury isn't deeply combust.
The five Pancha Mahapurusha Yogas
Rule: one of the five "true" planets in its own sign or exaltation sign, placed in a kendra from the Lagna.
| Yoga | Planet | Gives |
|---|---|---|
| Ruchaka | Mars | Courage, leadership, physical strength |
| Bhadra | Mercury | Intelligence, eloquence, business skill |
| Hamsa | Jupiter | Wisdom, virtue, respect |
| Malavya | Venus | Beauty, comfort, artistic talent, a pleasant married life |
| Shasha | Saturn | Discipline, endurance, authority over people |
Raj Yoga
Rule: a connection between a kendra lord and a trikona lord (5th or 9th) by conjunction, mutual aspect or exchange of signs. A single planet ruling both, a yogakaraka, is a Raj yoga by itself. Meaning: rise in status and authority, active in the dashas of the planets involved. See The 12 Houses and Their Lords for the lords of your Lagna.
Dhana Yoga
Rule: connections between the lords of the 2nd and 11th (wealth and gains) and the trikona lords (1, 5, 9). Meaning: earning and keeping money.
Viparita Raj Yoga
Rule: the lord of the 6th, 8th or 12th placed in another of those houses. Meaning: difficulties cancel each other, and success comes after, or because of, a crisis.
Neecha Bhanga Raj Yoga
Rule: a debilitated planet whose debilitation is "cancelled", for example when the lord of the sign it's debilitated in sits in a kendra from the Lagna or the Moon. Meaning: a weakness that turns into strength, often after early struggle.
Chandra–Mangala Yoga
Rule: the Moon and Mars together, or in mutual aspect. Meaning: drive to earn, business sense, determination.
Kemadruma Yoga
Rule: no planets in the 2nd and 12th houses from the Moon (the Sun, Rahu and Ketu don't count). Meaning: emotional loneliness or unsteady support. It is cancelled by several conditions, for example a planet in a kendra from the Lagna or the Moon, so it's far less common in practice than it first appears.
A worked example: a chart with three yogas
Here is a real chart from NavAstro's calculator, for an example birth (not a real person): 15 September 2026, 10:25 am, Pune.
| Planet | Sign | House | Dignity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | Libra | 1st | |
| Venus | Libra | 1st | Own sign |
| Saturn | Pisces | 6th | Retrograde |
| Mars | Gemini | 9th | |
| Jupiter | Cancer | 10th | Exalted |
| Sun | Leo | 11th | Own sign |
| Ketu | Leo | 11th | |
| Mercury | Virgo | 12th | Exalted |
| Rahu | Aquarius | 5th |
Lagna: Libra. Panchang yoga: Indra (that's the "Yoga" line in the calculator, not one of the yogas below).
Checking the rules:
- Malavya yoga ✔ Venus is in its own sign, Libra, in the 1st house, a kendra.
- Hamsa yoga ✔ Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, in the 10th house, a kendra.
- Gaja Kesari yoga ✔ The Moon is in Libra; Jupiter in Cancer is the 10th sign from it, a kendra from the Moon.
- Bhadra yoga ✘ Mercury is exalted, but in the 12th house, not a kendra.
- Kemadruma ✘ Mercury sits in Virgo, the 12th from the Moon, so the Moon isn't isolated.
- Raj yoga: the 10th lord (the Moon) sits with the Lagna lord (Venus) in the 1st house, a kendra–trikona link.
A chart like this is unusually rich in classical yogas. Even so, each one gives its results mainly in the dasha of the planets that form it.
How to judge whether a yoga will work
- Strength of the planets: an exalted or own-sign planet delivers more than a weak one.
- Combustion and affliction: a yoga planet that is combust or hemmed in by malefics gives less.
- The D9: planets that hold up in the Navamsa give lasting results.
- The dasha: most yogas act fully only in the Mahadasha or Antardasha of the planets involved.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check yogas in my kundli? Make your chart in a free kundli calculator, note each planet's sign, house and dignity, then test the rules above one by one.
What is the "Yoga" shown in my kundli calculator? That's the panchang (nitya) yoga, one of 27, based on the Sun and Moon's combined longitude. It's different from planetary yogas like Gaja Kesari.
Is Gaja Kesari yoga rare? No. Jupiter is in a kendra from the Moon in roughly a third of charts. Its effect depends on Jupiter's and the Moon's strength.
Is Kaal Sarp a classical yoga? It isn't described in the major classical texts like Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. It became popular later, and astrologers disagree about it.
Related reading: How to Read a Kundali · The 12 Houses and Their Lords · Shukra Graha in Vedic Astrology · Check your chart in the free Kundli calculator
This article is for general information about Vedic astrology. It is not professional advice.