Every planet has a deepest exaltation point and, opposite it, a deepest fall. These two points split the zodiac into two halves. In the half that leads from the fall up to the exaltation, the planet is arohi, ascending. In the half that leads from the exaltation down to the fall, it is avarohi, descending. Brihat Jataka and Jataka Parijata use this when they judge a planet's period. The Nava app does not compute this. This page explains the rule only.
☕ Climbing the hill, or walking down it
Picture the zodiac as a circular track with a hilltop and a valley. The hilltop is the planet's deepest exaltation. The valley, exactly opposite, is its deepest fall. Planets mostly move forward round the track. After the valley, a planet climbs toward the hilltop. After the hilltop, it walks down toward the valley.
Brihat Jataka names the two halves (Brihat Jataka, ch. VIII, v. 6). Between the deepest exaltation and the deepest fall, the planet is avarohi. Between the deepest fall and the deepest exaltation, it is arohi. The deepest points are the ones its first chapter gives (Brihat Jataka, ch. I, v. 13).
The same stanza then sets this beside the navamsa the planet holds. It grades a planet's period by the two together, and says this is one factor among many. Jataka Parijata lists 'moving toward exaltation' among the marks it looks for in a period's lord (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. XVIII, v. 4, p. 1006). It lists it next to strength, house position and the vargas.
This is different from exaltation strength. Parashara measures only how far a planet is from its deepest fall (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 27, v. 1, pp. 263–265). Two planets the same distance away, one on each side, score the same there. Arohi and avarohi tell those two apart.
The Nava app does not compute this. This page explains the rule only.
At a glance
- Sun: arohi from Tula (Libra) 10° to Mesha (Aries) 10°; avarohi from Mesha (Aries) 10° to Tula (Libra) 10°
- Moon: arohi from Vrischika (Scorpio) 3° to Vrishabha (Taurus) 3°; avarohi from Vrishabha (Taurus) 3° to Vrischika (Scorpio) 3°
- Mars: arohi from Kataka (Cancer) 28° to Makara (Capricorn) 28°; avarohi from Makara (Capricorn) 28° to Kataka (Cancer) 28°
- Mercury: arohi from Meena (Pisces) 15° to Kanya (Virgo) 15°; avarohi from Kanya (Virgo) 15° to Meena (Pisces) 15°
- Jupiter: arohi from Makara (Capricorn) 5° to Kataka (Cancer) 5°; avarohi from Kataka (Cancer) 5° to Makara (Capricorn) 5°
- Venus: arohi from Kanya (Virgo) 27° to Meena (Pisces) 27°; avarohi from Meena (Pisces) 27° to Kanya (Virgo) 27°
- Saturn: arohi from Mesha (Aries) 20° to Tula (Libra) 20°; avarohi from Tula (Libra) 20° to Mesha (Aries) 20°
- Read each half in the forward direction of the signs.
- Arohi does not mean exalted. A planet just past its deepest fall is arohi and still near debilitation.
- Avarohi does not mean debilitated. A planet just past its peak is avarohi and still near exaltation.
- The halves are counted from the deepest degrees, not from the sign boundaries.
- The books use this as one factor in judging a period. It is not a forecast for anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Is arohi decided by sign or by degree?
By degree. The two halves start and end at the deepest exaltation and deepest fall degrees. So one sign can hold both halves. The Sun in Mesha before 10° is arohi. After 10° it is avarohi.
Do Rahu and Ketu have arohi and avarohi?
Not on this page. The rule needs a deepest exaltation point, and the books give the nodes none that they agree on.
Does the Nava app use this?
The Nava app does not compute this. This page explains the rule only.
Deep dive: working it out by hand
One subtraction decides it. What to read first.
🧮 One subtraction
Write each position on the circle as sign × 30 + degree, with Mesha = 0. Take the arc forward from the planet's deepest fall to the planet:
arc = (planet − deepest fall) mod 360
- Arc under 180°: the planet is arohi.
- Arc over 180°: the planet is avarohi.
The Sun's deepest fall is Tula 10°, that is 190°. The Sun at Makara 15° is at 285°. The arc is 95°, so it is arohi. The Sun at Vrishabha 20° is at 50°. The arc is 220°, so it is avarohi.
📚 Read this first
This page builds on exaltation and debilitation, which gives every deepest degree used here. Dasha and bhukti explains the planetary periods these books are judging.