The Navagraha are the nine planetary forces used in Jyotish. Seven are physical bodies — the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Two are shadow planets — Rahu and Ketu, the north and south lunar nodes.
- Surya (Sun): soul, authority, vitality and the father.
- Chandra (Moon): mind, emotions, mother and comfort.
- Mangal (Mars): courage, drive, action and conflict.
- Budha (Mercury): speech, logic, business and skills.
- Guru (Jupiter): wisdom, teaching, wealth and children.
- Shukra (Venus): love, art, luxury and harmony.
- Shani (Saturn): discipline, delay, duty and long lessons.
- Rahu: obsession, foreign influences and sudden growth.
- Ketu: detachment, intuition, past karma and spirituality.
Each planet rules specific signs and houses. Their strength (shadbala), dignity and relationship with other planets modify their results. Understanding the Navagraha is the first step in reading any chart.