A planet's moolatrikona is a part of one sign, ranked just below exaltation. All the books agree on the seven signs. They do not agree on how many degrees of the sign count. Parashara gives each planet its own band. Jataka Parijata gives the first 20° to four planets at once. The Brihat Jataka verse gives no degrees at all. Nava uses Parashara's bands.
☕ One sign, shared between two dignities
Each planet's moolatrikona is part of one sign. For the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn it is a sign the planet owns. Part of it is moolatrikona; the rest is plain own sign. For the Moon it lies in Vrishabha, its exaltation sign. For Mercury it lies in Kanya, which is both its own sign and its exaltation sign. So Kanya is split three ways.
Parashara gives a band for each planet (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 3, vv. 51–54, pp. 39–40). For the Moon, the first 3° of Vrishabha is exaltation and 3° to 30° is moolatrikona. For Mercury in Kanya, 0° to 15° is exaltation, 15° to 20° moolatrikona, and 20° to 30° own sign.
Jataka Parijata gives a shorter rule (Jataka Parijata (tr. Subramanya Sastri), ch. I, vv. 26–28, p. 15). The first 20° of the sign is moolatrikona for the Sun, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn alike. Its Sanskrit writes the number as 'nails', meaning twenty. The Moon and Mars match Parashara. Mercury's band runs to 25°, not 20°. The translator's note on the same page quotes another text with Mercury at 15° to 20°.
The Brihat Jataka verse names the seven signs and stops there (Brihat Jataka, ch. I, v. 14). Its Sanskrit has no degree in it. One English translator's notes add bands of their own, such as Mars to 18° and Venus to 10°. Those are a commentator's figures, not the verse.
What Nava follows: Parashara's bands, the table above. Nava uses them where its horoscope grades a planet's dignity by degree. The other bands are real readings of real books. Choosing one set is a choice, and this is the one Nava made.
At a glance
- Sun: Simha (Leo) 0°–20°
- Moon: Vrishabha (Taurus) 3°–30°
- Mars: Mesha (Aries) 0°–12°
- Mercury: Kanya (Virgo) 15°–20°
- Jupiter: Dhanu (Sagittarius) 0°–10°
- Venus: Tula (Libra) 0°–15°
- Saturn: Kumbha (Aquarius) 0°–20°
- These are Parashara's bands. Outside the band, the rest of the sign is the planet's own sign, except the part before the band where the sign is also its exaltation sign: Moon 0°–3° Vrishabha (Taurus) and Mercury 0°–15° Kanya (Virgo) are exaltation.
- Sun 20° and Saturn 20°: Parashara and Jataka Parijata agree.
- Moon 3°–30° and Mars 0°–12°: Parashara and Jataka Parijata agree.
- Jupiter: Parashara 0°–10°; Jataka Parijata 0°–20°.
- Venus: Parashara 0°–15°; Jataka Parijata 0°–20°; one translator's notes on Brihat Jataka 0°–10°.
- Mercury: Parashara 15°–20°; Jataka Parijata 15°–25°.
- Brihat Jataka's verse: the same seven signs, no degrees.
Frequently asked questions
Which band is right?
The books do not settle it between them. Each set is what its own text says. Where a translator's English and the Sanskrit differ, the Sanskrit is the safer guide. That is why this page says the Brihat Jataka verse has no bands, even though a translation prints some.
Does it matter which band is used?
Only for a planet near the edge of a band. Jupiter at 15° of Dhanu is moolatrikona by Jataka Parijata and own sign by Parashara. Jupiter at 5° of Dhanu is moolatrikona by both.
Why does moolatrikona matter at all?
It ranks just below exaltation in the order of dignities. Parashara also counts a planet's natural friends from its moolatrikona sign (Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Santhanam–Kapoor ed.), ch. 3, v. 55, p. 40). That rule needs only the sign, not the degrees.
Does Nava blend the readings?
No. It uses one set, and this page sets the others beside it. What Nava follows: Parashara's bands, the table above. Nava uses them where its horoscope grades a planet's dignity by degree. The other bands are real readings of real books. Choosing one set is a choice, and this is the one Nava made.
Deep dive: reading a planet against each band
A worked example. Where to start if this is new.
🧮 Mercury at 22° of Kanya
Take Mercury at 22° of Kanya (Virgo) and read it by each book.
- Parashara: 0°–15° exaltation, 15°–20° moolatrikona, 20°–30° own sign. At 22°, Mercury is in its own sign.
- Jataka Parijata: moolatrikona runs 15°–25°. At 22°, Mercury is in moolatrikona.
- Brihat Jataka's verse: Kanya is Mercury's moolatrikona sign, with no degrees given. The verse alone cannot place 22°.
Same planet, same degree, two different grades. That is the whole of this divergence: it touches only the planets near a band's edge.
📚 Read this first
This page builds on exaltation and debilitation, which gives the exaltation degrees these bands sit next to. Natural friendship shows how the moolatrikona sign is used to build every planet's friends and enemies.