What is a yogakaraka planet?

A yogakaraka is a planet that rules both a kendra house (4th, 7th or 10th) and a trikona house (5th or 9th) for a given Lagna. Classical tradition reads it as an especially supportive planet for that chart, because it links the houses of stability with the houses of fortune.

Which planet is yogakaraka for my Lagna?

Saturn for Taurus and Libra Lagna, Mars for Cancer and Leo Lagna, and Venus for Capricorn and Aquarius Lagna. The other six Lagnas (Aries, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Pisces) have no single planet ruling both a kendra and a trikona.

Why is Saturn the yogakaraka for Taurus and Libra Lagna?

Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius. For Taurus Lagna those are the 9th and 10th houses, a trikona and a kendra. For Libra Lagna they are the 4th and 5th houses, a kendra and a trikona. Either way Saturn owns one of each, which is the definition of a yogakaraka.

Does a yogakaraka always give good results?

Not automatically. Yogakaraka status is a favourable starting point, but the planet’s dignity, house, aspects and the Dasha running at the time still decide the outcome. A weak or afflicted yogakaraka delivers less of its promise than a well-placed one.

How do I find my yogakaraka?

Find your Lagna, count the signs from it to identify your kendra houses (4th, 7th, 10th) and trikona houses (5th, 9th), and note each sign’s ruling planet. A planet that rules one kendra sign and one trikona sign is your yogakaraka. A Lagna calculator gives the starting point.

Yoga / configuration

Yogakaraka

Yogakaraka is a planet that rules both a kendra (angular house: 4th, 7th or 10th) and a trikona (trine house: 5th or 9th) for a given Lagna. Because kendras and trikonas are the most supportive houses in a chart, classical tradition reads a yogakaraka as an especially favourable planet for that Lagna. Only six of the twelve Lagnas have one.

Yogakaraka is also spelled Yoga Karaka or Yogakarak, and in Devanagari is written योगकारक. It is not a Yoga (a named planetary combination) and not simply the Lagna lord: it is the planet that owns both a kendra and a trikona, and it depends on the Lagna.

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A glossary defines the term for everyone. Your chart shows whether it applies to you, and how strongly — in your Nakshatra, your Lagna and the Dasha running right now.

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What is a yogakaraka?

A yogakaraka is a graha that rules two houses at once: one kendra (4th, 7th or 10th) and one trikona (5th or 9th). Kendras are the pillars of a chart and trikonas its houses of fortune and merit, so a planet that lords both links the two in one body. Traditional reading treats such a planet as especially supportive for that Lagna, in the same spirit as the kendra-trikona link behind the classical Raja Yogas. It is a starting advantage, not a guarantee: the planet's sign, house and aspects still decide how it performs.

Which planet is the yogakaraka for each Lagna?

Sign rulership fixes the answer. Saturn is the yogakaraka for Taurus Lagna (it rules Capricorn, the 9th, and Aquarius, the 10th) and for Libra Lagna (Capricorn is the 4th, Aquarius the 5th). Mars is the yogakaraka for Cancer Lagna (Scorpio 5th, Aries 10th) and for Leo Lagna (Scorpio 4th, Aries 9th). Venus is the yogakaraka for Capricorn Lagna (Taurus 5th, Libra 10th) and for Aquarius Lagna (Taurus 4th, Libra 9th). The other six Lagnas, Aries, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Pisces, have no yogakaraka.

How do you find your yogakaraka?

First find your Lagna with the Lagna calculator. Then count the twelve signs from it to see which sign is your 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th house, and note the planet that rules each. If one planet appears as the ruler of both a kendra sign and a trikona sign, it is your yogakaraka. Because the count is done in whole signs from the Lagna, you can check the six cases above directly from your rising sign.

How is a yogakaraka read?

A yogakaraka is read as a friend to the chart, and its Mahadasha is traditionally expected to be a constructive stretch when the planet is also well placed in dignity, house and aspects. If it is weak or afflicted, that promise is reduced, and the other planets and the current Dasha still shape the result. Articles such as Saturn Mahadasha and Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga show how planets in this position are read in practice.

Yogakaraka at a glance

A yogakaraka rules one kendra house (4th, 7th or 10th) and one trikona house (5th or 9th) for a given Lagna.
Only six Lagnas have a yogakaraka: Saturn for Taurus and Libra, Mars for Cancer and Leo, and Venus for Capricorn and Aquarius.
For Taurus Lagna Saturn rules the 9th and 10th houses; for Libra Lagna it rules the 4th and 5th.
For Cancer Lagna Mars rules the 5th and 10th houses; for Leo Lagna it rules the 4th and 9th.
For Capricorn Lagna Venus rules the 5th and 10th houses; for Aquarius Lagna it rules the 4th and 9th.
Being yogakaraka is a supportive starting position; the planet's actual result still depends on its sign, house, aspects and Dasha timing.

Frequently asked questions

What is a yogakaraka planet?: A yogakaraka is a planet that rules both a kendra house (4th, 7th or 10th) and a trikona house (5th or 9th) for a given Lagna. Classical tradition reads it as an especially supportive planet for that chart, because it links the houses of stability with the houses of fortune.
Which planet is yogakaraka for my Lagna?: Saturn for Taurus and Libra Lagna, Mars for Cancer and Leo Lagna, and Venus for Capricorn and Aquarius Lagna. The other six Lagnas (Aries, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Pisces) have no single planet ruling both a kendra and a trikona.
Why is Saturn the yogakaraka for Taurus and Libra Lagna?: Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius. For Taurus Lagna those are the 9th and 10th houses, a trikona and a kendra. For Libra Lagna they are the 4th and 5th houses, a kendra and a trikona. Either way Saturn owns one of each, which is the definition of a yogakaraka.
Does a yogakaraka always give good results?: Not automatically. Yogakaraka status is a favourable starting point, but the planet’s dignity, house, aspects and the Dasha running at the time still decide the outcome. A weak or afflicted yogakaraka delivers less of its promise than a well-placed one.
How do I find my yogakaraka?: Find your Lagna, count the signs from it to identify your kendra houses (4th, 7th, 10th) and trikona houses (5th, 9th), and note each sign’s ruling planet. A planet that rules one kendra sign and one trikona sign is your yogakaraka. A Lagna calculator gives the starting point.

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Related terms

Yoga
Yoga is a specific planetary configuration with a named effect in Vedic astrology — for example Gaja Kesari Yoga (Jupiter and the Moon in angles) or Budhaditya Yoga (Mercury with the Sun) — and has nothing to do with the exercise practice. The classics list hundreds; in practice 20-30 are widely consulted.
Lagna
Lagna is the ascendant in Vedic astrology — the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the exact time and place of birth. It becomes the 1st house of the chart and sets the order of all twelve houses.
Graha
Graha is Sanskrit for 'planet', but the nine Grahas of Vedic astrology include the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu, which are mathematical points rather than celestial bodies. The nine are the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.