Exalted Planets : Good or Bad?

Aalok Varkhandkar

Every planet in Vedic Astrology assumes great significance when it occupies its exaltation sign. For example Sun is exalted in Aries, Moon in Taurus, Mars in Capricorn, Mercury in Virgo, Jupiter in Cancer, Venus is Pisces and Saturn in Libra.

An exalted planet in a vedic chart is a very powerful planet and will always produce results to the fullest of all that it signifies. By signification is meant not only its lordship and house position but also the natural qualities of the planets.

Planets whether exalted or not, usually show their effects in their mahadasha, antardasha, or other sub periods. This article is about whether exalted planets are good or bad, so we will address that only. In the following chart we find two exalted planets, Sun in the second house and Venus in first house.

The Ascendant is Pisces and Sun here becomes the ruler of the sixth house, while Venus is the ruler of the eighth house, which is conjunct Jupiter, who being ascendant lord is in own house.

Naive astrologers here would have concluded that since Sun and Venus are exalted here, they would give best results for the houses they own. For example, exalted Sun as sixth lord should have given the native (owner of the chart) sound health, while exalted Venus as eighth lord should have kept him free of diseases.

In reality, the owner of this chart suffers from a severe asthmatic condition since childhood. Lords of sixth house and eighth house exalted have given only adverse results here. The situation is also unfortunate because the eighth lord is not only in the first house but also is conjunct the first house lord. Rahu joins this combination to make things further worse. Also Saturn, another natural malefic, as well as the twelfth lord, is aspecting the sixth house with its tenth aspect, while Mars is aspecting the sixth house with its fourth aspect.

The sixth house here is so powerful that its lord, Sun, being conjunct the fourth house lord Mercury, in the second house, has not spared even the indications of the fourth house. His mother suffers from spondylitis. The fourth house also governs education and the native has had a hard time finishing his studies. He has taken more than six years already to finish his degree course and has still had no success there.

Note that Moon, as a benefic trikona lord, is in the fourth house, but during the antardasha of Moon in the Mahadasha of Saturn, the native almost got expelled from his college. His mother during this time was hospitalized as well.

This chart is a perfect example of how exalted planets, being powerful, can give worst effects when they rule bad houses. Exalted planets are good only if they are owners of good houses and posited in good houses. A careful analysis is required to judge them and only an experienced astrologer is in a position to do that.

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