Guru peyarchi is Jupiter (Guru) moving from one sign into the next. Jupiter takes about twelve years to go round all twelve signs. So it changes sign about once a year. Its place is counted from your Moon sign. Jupiter in house 2, 5, 7, 9 or 11 is the supportive place. The other seven houses give less support.
☕ About one year in each sign
Jupiter is the largest planet. In Indian astrology it is the great helper among the grahas. Guru means teacher. Jupiter goes round the signs in a little less than twelve years. It stays about one year in each sign. Its move into a new sign is Guru peyarchi. Many Tamil families watch for it each year.
Jupiter's place is counted from your Moon sign, which is house 1. Houses 2, 5, 7, 9 and 11 are the supportive places. In the other seven houses, Jupiter gives less support. The app calls these 'challenging'. It means growth needs more planned effort that year. It does not mean harm is coming.
Five of the twelve houses are supportive. So about five years in every twelve have a supportive Guru peyarchi. Everyone gets one every few years.
Guru peyarchi is only one part of the picture. Astrologers read it with your birth chart and your dasha. So two people of the same rasi can have different years.
Jupiter's house from your rasi
- Supportive: Jupiter in house 2 from your rasi
- Supportive: house 5
- Supportive: house 7
- Supportive: house 9
- Supportive: house 11
- The other seven houses are not a bad year. Jupiter simply gives less help.
- Guru peyarchi is counted from your Moon sign, not the Western Sun sign.
- Panchangams work out Jupiter's place in different ways, so their dates can differ.
- Jupiter can go back into the last sign for a few months. Nava shows this too.
Frequently asked questions
How often does Guru peyarchi happen?
About once a year. Jupiter goes round all the signs in about 11.9 years. So it stays about one year in each sign. In some years it changes sign more than once. For example, it can go back into the last sign for a few months, and then move on again.
Which houses are good for Guru peyarchi?
Houses 2, 5, 7, 9 and 11, counted from your Moon sign. In these houses Jupiter has a point (bindu) in its own ashtakavarga, counted from the Moon. Panchangam transit tables follow this list. The other seven houses give less support.
What is Ashtama Guru?
It is Jupiter in house 8 from your Moon sign. It is one of the seven less supportive places. Like every Jupiter move, it lasts about one year.
Why do different panchangams give different dates?
Panchangams work out planet positions in different ways, so dates can differ. The article on vakya and drik panchangams explains this.
Deep dive: where the five houses come from
The ashtakavarga behind the table. The dates for your rasi.
🔢 A yes-or-no table
In the ashtakavarga system, each planet marks the houses where its move helps. Jupiter's marks, counted from the Moon, are in five houses:
A house has a mark or it does not. So there are only two answers: supportive, or less supportive. A 1932 note on the book Jataka Parijata says panchangam tables use this list. Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra gives the same five houses from the Moon. The name Guru peyarchi comes from common use, not from these books.
📅 The dates for your rasi
See Guru peyarchi dates for Jupiter's sign changes. It also shows Jupiter's house from every rasi. When Jupiter goes back into the last sign, that is listed on its own line. For Saturn, read Sade Sati and Ashtama Shani. To learn why panchangams can give different dates, read Vakya vs Drik.