Graha Sthiti means the position of the grahas — the nine bodies tracked in Vedic astrology (the Sun, Moon, five visible planets, and the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu). At any moment, each graha sits at a specific sidereal longitude, which places it in one of the 12 rashis (zodiac signs) and one of the 27 nakshatras (lunar mansions), and it may currently be vakri — retrograde, moving backward relative to the stars as seen from Earth.
The Nine Grahas
| Graha | Sanskrit | Nature |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Sūrya | Soul, authority, vitality |
| Moon | Chandra | Mind, emotion; fastest-moving graha |
| Mars | Maṅgala | Energy, courage, conflict |
| Mercury | Budha | Intellect, communication |
| Jupiter | Guru | Wisdom, growth, fortune |
| Venus | Śukra | Relationships, comfort, art |
| Saturn | Śani | Discipline, delay, structure |
| Rahu | Rāhu | North lunar node — ambition, obsession |
| Ketu | Ketu | South lunar node — detachment, release |
Rahu and Ketu are not physical bodies but the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic. Because they always move backward through the zodiac, they are, by definition, always vakri — that isn't a notable transit for them the way it is for the other seven.
Rashi (Sign) vs Bhava (House)
A graha's rashi is its zodiac sign position and is the same for every observer on Earth at a given moment — it doesn't depend on where you are standing. A personal birth chart's bhava (house) positions are different: they're counted from your own lagna (ascendant), which depends on your exact birth time and place. Showing current graha positions without a birth chart means showing rashi, not bhava — a general transit view, not a personalized one.
Two chart conventions
Vedic astrology displays these positions in one of two traditional layouts. The South Indian chart is a fixed 4×4 grid where each rashi always occupies the same cell, regardless of whose chart it is. The North Indian chart is a diamond divided into four kite-shaped houses and eight corner triangles by two diagonals and an inner diamond; in a personal chart it rotates to put the lagna at the top, but for a general rashi-fixed view (no birth details), Mesha is conventionally anchored at the top instead.
Nakshatra and Pada
Independent of rashi, each graha also falls within one of the 27 nakshatras, and each nakshatra is further divided into four padas (quarters) of 3°20′ each. Since a rashi spans 30° and a nakshatra spans 13°20′, the two grids don't align at the same boundaries — a graha's rashi and nakshatra are two independent readings of the same longitude, not one derived from the other.
What Vakri (Retrograde) Means
Vakri describes a graha that appears to move backward against the fixed stars, as seen from Earth — an apparent effect of orbital speed differences, not a real reversal of the graha's own motion. In muhurta and predictive practice a vakri graha is generally read as delaying, intensifying or turning inward the themes it governs, rather than simply being harmful. Sun and Moon are never shown as vakri; Rahu and Ketu are always vakri; Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn each turn retrograde and direct again on their own cycles, which is why a genuine vakri period for one of those five is worth noticing when it happens.
Combustion (Asta)
A graha within a certain angular distance of the Sun is combust (asta) — too close to the Sun to be clearly observed, and traditionally read as weakened. Combustion is computed separately from vakri status: a graha can be vakri without being combust, combust without being vakri, or neither.
How This Is Computed
Positions shown here are sidereal, using the Lahiri ayanāṁśa — the same reference frame used throughout this site's panchang calculations — not the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology, which shares no fixed reference point with the nakshatra system. Longitudes are computed at sunrise for the date and location shown.
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as my personal birth chart?
No. This shows each graha's current rashi (zodiac sign), which is the same for every observer on Earth. A personal birth chart's bhava (house) positions are counted from your own lagna, which depends on your exact birth time and place -- a different, personalized calculation this page does not perform.
Why are Rahu and Ketu always shown as retrograde?
Rahu and Ketu are the two points where the Moon's orbital plane crosses the ecliptic, not physical bodies, and they always move backward through the zodiac by definition. Their vakri status is structural, not a notable transit the way a genuine Mercury or Saturn retrograde period is.
What ayanamsha (zodiac reference point) is used?
Lahiri ayanamsha, the sidereal reference frame used throughout this site's panchang calculations. It differs from the tropical zodiac used in Western sun-sign astrology, which is why a graha's sidereal rashi here can differ from its tropical sign elsewhere.
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