Each of the seven planets has one sign where it is strongest. That is its exaltation (uchcha). The sign opposite, the 7th from it, is its debilitation (neecha). Inside the exaltation sign, one degree is the very peak. The same degree in the opposite sign is the deepest fall. For example: Sun: exalted in Mesha (Aries), peak at 10°; debilitated in Tula (Libra), lowest at 10°. Rahu and Ketu are given no exaltation here.
☕ A planet's home ground and its away ground
'Uchcha' means high. 'Neecha' means low. The books give each planet one sign where its nature is at its fullest. That is the exaltation sign. Parashara lists them in planet order (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 3, vv. 49–50, pp. 38–39).
Debilitation is easy to find. Count 7 signs from the exaltation sign, counting it as 1. The 7th sign is the debilitation sign. So a planet is exalted and debilitated in two opposite signs.
The books go further than the sign. One degree in the exaltation sign is the peak. The same degree of the opposite sign is the lowest point. Between them, the strength rises and falls by how near the planet is to that degree (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 3, v. 50, p. 38).
The same seven signs and degrees appear in Brihat Jataka, ch. I, v. 13, and in Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. I, v. 29, pp. 16–17. These books belong to one line of tradition. So their agreement is shared teaching, not three separate proofs.
At a glance
- Sun: exalted in Mesha (Aries), peak at 10°; debilitated in Tula (Libra), lowest at 10°
- Moon: exalted in Vrishabha (Taurus), peak at 3°; debilitated in Vrischika (Scorpio), lowest at 3°
- Mars: exalted in Makara (Capricorn), peak at 28°; debilitated in Kataka (Cancer), lowest at 28°
- Mercury: exalted in Kanya (Virgo), peak at 15°; debilitated in Meena (Pisces), lowest at 15°
- Jupiter: exalted in Kataka (Cancer), peak at 5°; debilitated in Makara (Capricorn), lowest at 5°
- Venus: exalted in Meena (Pisces), peak at 27°; debilitated in Kanya (Virgo), lowest at 27°
- Saturn: exalted in Tula (Libra), peak at 20°; debilitated in Mesha (Aries), lowest at 20°
- Rahu and Ketu: none given. The books differ on them, so no value is printed here.
- Venus is exalted in Meena (Pisces), not in Tula (Libra). Tula is its own sign.
- Debilitation is always the 7th sign from exaltation, at the same degree.
- One sign can hold one planet's exaltation and another's debilitation. Kataka is Jupiter's exaltation and Mars's debilitation.
- Mercury is exalted in Kanya, which is also a sign it owns.
- Exaltation describes a planet's dignity. It is not a forecast for anyone.
Frequently asked questions
What does an exalted planet mean?
It means the planet stands in the one sign the books name as its best. It is a measure of the planet's dignity. How a chart is read also depends on houses, aspects and much more.
Why is debilitation always the opposite sign?
Because the books define it that way. The deepest fall is the point exactly opposite the deepest exaltation, 180° away. So it lands on the same degree of the 7th sign.
Is the whole exaltation sign equally strong?
No. Strength is graded by nearness to the deepest degree. Parashara also gives part of some signs to other dignities. For the Moon, only the first 3° of Vrishabha is exaltation. The rest is its moolatrikona.
What about Rahu and Ketu?
Parashara's verse gives them no exaltation and says views differ. Even one modern book uses two different signs for Rahu in different chapters (Sanjay Rath, Crux of Vedic Astrology, p. 153; Sanjay Rath, Crux of Vedic Astrology, p. 397). So this page, and the Nava app, give the nodes no exaltation or debilitation.
Deep dive: the deepest degree
Turning a degree into a position. How nearness is measured.
🎯 Finding the peak on the circle
Number the signs from Mesha = 0 to Meena = 11. A point's place on the circle is sign × 30 + degree.
- Sun: exalted at Mesha (Aries) 10°, that is 10°. Deepest fall at Tula (Libra) 10°, that is 190°.
- Saturn: exalted at Tula (Libra) 20°, that is 200°. Deepest fall at Mesha (Aries) 20°, that is 20°.
The two points are always 180° apart. Parashara turns nearness into a number from 0 to 60. Measure the arc from the deepest-fall point, take the shorter way round, and divide by 3 (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 27, v. 1, pp. 263–265). At the peak the arc is 180°, giving 60. At the fall it is 0.
📚 Where to read next
This page builds on the nine grahas and the twelve rashis. Some exaltation signs share degrees with a planet's moolatrikona. Moolatrikona degree bands explains where one ends and the other begins. Neecha bhanga explains when the books treat a debilitation as cancelled.