Pillar article
The Sun in Vedic Astrology
The Sun's mahadasha is 6 years, the shortest of the nine, and the Sun exalts in Aries and debilitates in Libra. It is the graha of authority, the father, and the vital center of the chart.
What Surya signifies
The Sun is the king among the grahas. In a kundli it shows the father, the state, self-command, and the bone of self-respect. Sunday is its vara. Its natural friends include the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter. Venus and Saturn are its enemies, which is why a Sun-Venus or Sun-Saturn conjunction needs the house and the sign before anyone calls it a yoga of ease. The Sun aspects only the 7th from itself, like every graha's basic opposition, and it does not carry Mars's extra 4th and 8th aspects.
Exaltation, debilitation, and the house
In Aries the Sun is exalted. In Libra it is debilitated. Debilitation is a defined weakness, and it can be lifted only when a real neecha bhanga condition is present, not because the person is successful. The house still dominates the biography. An exalted Sun in the 6th is a strong Sun in the house of conflict and service. A debilitated Sun in the 10th is a weak Sun in the house of career. Do not stop at the sign. For Libra lagna the Sun owns the 11th house, so a stronger Sun in that chart is an 11th-house matter, while Venus remains the lagna lord. Venus owns the Libra lagna.
The six-year chapter
When Sun mahadasha arrives, the houses the Sun rules and the house it occupies become the plot for 6 years. The first antardasha is Sun-Sun, shorter than the opening bhuktis of Saturn or Venus, because the formula is mahadasha years times antardasha years, divided by 120. Father, government, and status questions cluster here if the Sun is connected to the 9th or the 10th. The Sun does not time marriage by itself. Marriage waits for the 7th lord or Venus, unless the Sun is that 7th lord, which happens for Aquarius lagna, where Leo is the 7th.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Sun exalted and debilitated?
Exalted in Aries, debilitated in Libra. The house it occupies still decides which part of life that strength or weakness hits.
How long is Sun mahadasha?
Six years, the shortest Vimshottari mahadasha. Ketu and Mars are 7. Venus, the longest, is 20.
For which lagna is the Sun the 7th lord?
Aquarius. The 7th sign is Leo. In that chart the Sun's condition is a direct marriage reading.
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D1, D9, D10, dashas, yogas, and transits, the same calculations referenced in this article.