In plain words
- You come across as direct and full of energy, someone who goes first.
- People see you as bold and quick to act. You say what you think and you like to lead rather than wait.
- You choose quickly, often by gut feel. You are drawn to work where you can start things and win.
- In a meeting, you speak up first and push for a decision.
- You get impatient and short with people. It helps to take a quick walk or exercise before you answer.
- Why: Aries is ruled by Mars (energy, courage, action). It is a fire sign, so you are warm and driven, and the first sign, so you tend to begin things.
- Wait ten minutes before replying when you are angry.
- Aries rising does not mean you are aggressive. It describes drive, and kind people use it well.
Aries is the ascendant, or lagna, when the sign Mesha is rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. That depends on the clock, not the calendar, so it needs a birth time (see when the birth time is unknown) and a place; the Lagna calculator takes both. This app counts whole-sign houses, so with Aries rising Aries is the 1st house, Taurus the 2nd, and so on to Pisces as the 12th. Mesha belongs to Mars, which makes Mars the lagna lord.
The sign itself, with its nakshatras and what each graha does in it, is on the Aries rashi page, whose rising section also sets out the Ch. 34 verdict house by house. This page adds how BPHS groups the twelve houses, how the verse's rules read against this lagna's lordships, the grahas' strong and weak houses, what Mars does as lagna lord, and one chart worked through. It sets out rules, not a portrait of Aries-rising people.
The twelve houses from Aries and the lords that rule them
Each house takes the lord of its sign. Rahu and Ketu own no sign in this engine, so seven grahas share twelve houses: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn rule two each, the Sun and Moon one each. BPHS Ch. 7 Sl. 33-36 sorts the houses into angles (kendras), trines, succedents (panapharas), cadents (apoklimas), dusthanas and upachayas; the Lagna counts as both angle and trine (Ch. 34 Sl. 2-7).
| House, sign | Lord | Group | BPHS Ch. 11 lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st, Aries | Mars | angle, trine | physique, appearance, intellect, innate nature (Sl. 2) |
| 2nd, Taurus | Venus | succedent | wealth, food, family, metals, precious stones (Sl. 3) |
| 3rd, Gemini | Mercury | cadent, upachaya | valour, servants, brothers and sisters, journeys (Sl. 4) |
| 4th, Cancer | Moon | angle | conveyances, relatives, mother, treasure, lands and buildings (Sl. 5) |
| 5th, Leo | Sun | succedent, trine | learning, sons, authority (Sl. 6) |
| 6th, Virgo | Mercury | cadent, dusthana, upachaya | enemies, maternal uncle (Sl. 7) |
| 7th, Libra | Venus | angle | wife (the text's word), travel, trade (Sl. 8) |
| 8th, Scorpio | Mars | succedent, dusthana | battle, enemies, forts (Sl. 9) |
| 9th, Sagittarius | Jupiter | cadent, trine | fortune, religion, shrines (Sl. 10) |
| 10th, Capricorn | Saturn | angle, upachaya | profession, honour, living abroad (Sl. 11) |
| 11th, Aquarius | Saturn | succedent, upachaya | income, prosperity (Sl. 12) |
| 12th, Pisces | Jupiter | cadent, dusthana | expenses (Sl. 13) |
Three features organise what follows. Mars is lagna lord and also 8th lord, a dusthana; Ch. 34 Sl. 2-7 says an 8th lord who also owns a trine bestows auspicious effects, and the Lagna is a trine. Mercury and Saturn between them own all three houses whose lords Sl. 2-7 says give evil effects (the 3rd, 6th and 11th). And apart from the lagna lord, no graha owns both an angle and a trine.
The engine's yoga tests draw on these lists: Raj yoga for the Aries ascendant and Dhana yoga for the Aries ascendant take them lord by lord. The same facts colour each period; the Mahadasha pages for this ascendant are Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.
What the texts say: BPHS Ch. 34 for Mesh Lagn
BPHS Ch. 34 is the chapter on yoga karakas. Its Sl. 19-22 is the verdict for Mesh Lagn, laid out house by house on the Aries rashi page; the rules behind it are Sl. 2-14, and Sl. 8-10 names the natural benefics and malefics. Read against the lordships above, they give this.
| Graha (rules) | Natural nature, Sl. 8-10 | What Sl. 2-7, 13 and 14 point to | Sl. 19-22 for Mesh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars (1st, 8th) | malefic | Lagna lord, "specially auspicious"; an 8th lord that also owns a trine gives auspicious effects | helpful to the auspicious grahas |
| Sun (5th) | malefic | Trine lord, so auspicious results | auspicious |
| Jupiter (9th, 12th) | benefic | Trine lord; a 12th lord's effects depend on association | auspicious, unless "at the disposal of a malefic" |
| Saturn (10th, 11th) | malefic | Owns the 11th, which gives evil effects; no trine goes with its angle, so Sl. 14 does not lift it | malefic |
| Mercury (3rd, 6th) | neutral | Owns two houses that give evil effects | malefic |
| Venus (2nd, 7th) | benefic | A benefic owning an angle gives no benefic effects; Sl. 8-10 ranks Venus highest for showing it | malefic |
| Moon (4th) | mediocre benefic | The same angle rule; Sl. 8-10 ranks the Moon lowest for showing it | not classed |
The engine's table holds these lists but not the verse's two provisos (Mars helping the auspicious grahas; Jupiter turning inauspicious under a malefic), and its yoga tests make no exception for the Saturn and Jupiter pair that the verse withholds; the Aries rashi page sets out three sources on that pair. Where the engine and the verse differ, this page reports both.
Is there a yogakaraka for Aries rising?
No. Sl. 13 makes a graha that owns an angle and a trine a Yog Karak. Counting the 4th, 7th and 10th against the 5th and 9th, no graha of this lagna owns one of each; the lagna lord is always both, and Sl. 2-7 treats it separately as specially auspicious. Sl. 19-22 names none, the engine agrees, and the Kundali's full reading prints "No planet plays this specific role for Aries Lagna."
The Bhrigu Sutras translator's comments on Aries rising
The comments printed after the sutras are the translator's, not Bhrigu's. At least ten name Aries as the ascendant; the table gives five, and those on Saturn (pp. 100, 102, 106, 107) are on the Aries rashi page.
| Graha for Aries rising | Placement | What the comment says | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 5th lord | 1st house, Aries | Very favourable: the Sun is exalted and rules the 5th, a trine | p. 17 |
| Moon, 4th lord | 1st house, Aries | The translator agrees with the sutra's favourable reading for Aries and Cancer ascendants | p. 32 |
| Mars, 1st and 8th lord | 2nd house | A note lists Aries among six ascendants for which Mars gives auspicious results | p. 48 |
| Jupiter, 9th and 12th lord | 4th house, Cancer | Exalted, as lord of the 9th; better results in exaltation | p. 77 |
| Venus, 2nd and 7th lord | 2nd house, Taurus | Own sign, as lord of the 7th and 2nd: "very powerful Dhana yogas" | p. 88 |
The verse classes a graha; the comments judge a placement. Where they pull apart, as for Venus here and Saturn on the rashi page, the sources disagree, this page does not choose, and the engine follows BPHS. Saravali Ch. 3 Sl. 37-38 files Aries among the four signs of short ascension, those that take least time to rise.
Exalted and debilitated signs, counted as houses from Aries
BPHS Ch. 3 Sl. 49-50 gives the exaltation signs of the Sun to Saturn as Aries, Taurus, Capricorn, Virgo, Cancer, Pisces and Libra, each with debilitation in the seventh sign from it. For the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn these are the four angles, which the Aries rashi page covers. The other three land elsewhere.
| Graha | Exalted in | Debilitated in |
|---|---|---|
| Moon | Taurus, the 2nd | Scorpio, the 8th |
| Mercury | Virgo, the 6th | Pisces, the 12th |
| Venus | Pisces, the 12th | Virgo, the 6th |
Mercury and Venus swap two dusthanas, the 6th and 12th; the Moon is exalted in the 2nd and weak in the 8th. Mars owns Aries and Scorpio, the 1st and 8th, and is Moolatrikona for the first 12 degrees of Aries (Ch. 3 Sl. 51-54). The app's "Friendly sign" and "Enemy sign" labels depend on the chart and cannot be tabulated by house. See exaltation and debilitation.
Mars as lagna lord: BPHS Ch. 12 and Ch. 24
BPHS ties bodily comfort to the lagna lord: Ch. 12 Sl. 1-2 says it lessens when the lagna lord is joined to a malefic or sits in the 6th, 8th or 12th, and holds in an angle or trine. There "malefic" is the natural class of Ch. 34 Sl. 8-10 (the Sun, Saturn, Mars, a weak Moon), not the Sl. 19-22 list, so for Mars it means company such as the Sun or Saturn. Ch. 24 Sl. 1-12 reads the lagna lord in each house: in the 3rd it likens valour to a lion's and adds wealth and honour (Sl. 3); in the 9th it names fortune, skill and wealth (Sl. 9); in the 10th, where Mars is exalted, royal honour, fame and self-earned wealth (Sl. 10). In the 6th the verse turns the result on malefic company and a benefic's aspect (Sl. 6), and in the 12th on whether a benefic aspects or joins it (Sl. 12).
House and dignity are separate facts, so a lagna lord can be strong in one and weak in the other. Mars in each house has a page, from Mars in the 1st house to Mars in the 12th house; the Shad Bala calculator shows its strength in a given chart.
Which lordship yogas the engine can test for Aries rising
| Engine test | Lords for Aries rising | It lists the yoga when |
|---|---|---|
| Dharma-Karmadhipati Yoga | 9th Jupiter, 10th Saturn | they share one house that is an angle or trine |
| Raja Yoga | 5th Sun, 9th Jupiter | they share one house |
| Raj Yoga (Kendra-Kona) | angle lords Mars, Moon, Venus, Saturn; trine lords Mars, Sun, Jupiter | an angle lord and a trine lord are together or in mutual aspect; 11 pairs can form |
| Harsha, Sarala, Vimala | 6th Mercury, 8th Mars, 12th Jupiter | that lord sits in the 6th, 8th or 12th |
The Kendra-Kona test follows BPHS Ch. 41 Sl. 28 (any relationship). Ch. 34 Sl. 11-12 counts lords joined together only in an angle or trine, and Sl. 15 sets the yoga aside for a lord who also owns a dusthana, here Mars (8th) and Jupiter (12th); both are narrower than the engine. Kendra-Kona Raj Yoga gives the general rule.
Worked example: Aries rising at 26.47 degrees, New Delhi, 2 April 1985
This is not a real person's chart. It is a birth moment, 08:10 IST on 2 April 1985 in New Delhi, that the helper found by a deterministic search because it rises in Aries; re-enter it in the Birth Chart calculator. The engine puts the ascendant at 26.47 degrees. Each nakshatra takes 13 degrees 20 minutes (four padas of 3 degrees 20): Ashwini fills the first 13.33 degrees and Bharani the next 13.33, so 26.47 falls in Bharani, pada 4 (23.33 to 26.67). That is 0.20 of a degree short of Krittika, so a small error in the birth time can change the nakshatra; the next sign is 3.53 degrees away.
| Graha | Rules (from Aries) | Sits in | House | Engine dignity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 5th | Pisces 18.66 | 12th | Friendly sign |
| Moon | 4th | Leo 1.7 | 5th | Neutral |
| Mars | 1st, 8th | Aries 19.26 | 1st | Own sign |
| Mercury | 3rd, 6th | Pisces 21.28 | 12th | Debilitated, retrograde, combust |
| Jupiter | 9th, 12th | Capricorn 17.51 | 10th | Debilitated |
| Venus | 2nd, 7th | Pisces 21.58 | 12th | Exalted, retrograde, combust |
| Saturn | 10th, 11th | Scorpio 3.93 | 8th | Enemy sign, retrograde |
| Rahu | none | Aries 26.68 | 1st | Neutral, retrograde |
| Ketu | none | Libra 26.68 | 7th | Neutral, retrograde |
- The lagna lord. Mars is in the 1st, in Aries, labelled Own sign because it is past the 12 degrees of Moolatrikona (19.26 against 12); Ch. 12 Sl. 1-2 counts an angle in the lagna lord's favour, and the engine lists Ruchaka Yoga. Rahu shares the house, 7.42 degrees on (26.68 minus 19.26); Ch. 34 Sl. 16 says the nodes give the effects of the lord they sit with or the house they occupy.
- Pisces, the 12th. The Sun (5th lord), Mercury (3rd and 6th) and Venus (2nd and 7th) share it, Mercury 2.62 degrees from the Sun (21.28 minus 18.66) and Venus 2.92 (21.58 minus 18.66); the engine marks both combust. Pisces exalts Venus and weakens Mercury. Mercury, the 6th lord, in the 12th gives Harsha Yoga: one dusthana lord in another.
- Venus with the Sun. Venus owns the 7th, an angle, and the Sun the 5th, a trine, so the engine lists Raj Yoga (Kendra-Kona), by Ch. 41 Sl. 28. Ch. 34 Sl. 11-12 requires an angle or trine for lords joined together, and the 12th is neither, so that sloka would not count this pair; Sl. 15 does not bar it, as neither lord owns the 6th, 8th or 12th. See Raj yoga for the Aries ascendant.
- The others. Jupiter (9th, 12th) is debilitated in Capricorn, the 10th; Saturn (10th, 11th) is in Scorpio, the 8th. The Saturn and Jupiter pair sits in two houses, so no Dharma-Karmadhipati row appears, and the 5th and 9th lords (Sun, Jupiter) are apart, so no Raja Yoga row either. None of the translator's comments in the table above matches a placement in this chart.
The yoga list also carries Vesi Yoga, Pasa Yoga and Argala Raj Yoga; those come from placement patterns, not lordship. The Kundali's yogakaraka line reads "No planet plays this specific role for Aries Lagna". The dosha list shows Kendradhipathya Dosha (Mild: Venus owns the 7th but not the 1st) and Mangal Dosha (Mild: Mars in the 1st); they have their own pages. Nothing here is a verdict on a person. Carry three questions to your own chart: where Mars is and who shares its house, where Saturn and Jupiter fall, and where the Moon, Mercury and Venus sit.
- Who is the lagna lord for an Aries ascendant?
- Mars, because Mesha is Mars's sign, so Mars is the first graha to check under BPHS Ch. 12 and Ch. 24.
- Mars rules the 8th house for Aries rising. Does that make it a malefic?
- Not by Ch. 34. Sl. 2-7 says an 8th lord that also owns a trine gives auspicious effects, and calls the Lagna, which Mars also owns, both angle and trine; Sl. 19-22 calls Mars helpful to the auspicious grahas. The Bhrigu Sutras translator's note on Mars in the 2nd (p. 48) lists Aries among the ascendants for which Mars gives auspicious results.
- My birth time is only approximate. Is my ascendant still Aries?
- It may not be. Compute the chart at both ends of your time range with the Lagna calculator and see whether the sign changes; if it does, read when the birth time is unknown.
- Where are the Moon, Mercury and Venus strong or weak in an Aries-rising chart?
- Counted from Aries: the Moon is exalted in the 2nd and debilitated in the 8th, Mercury exalted in the 6th and debilitated in the 12th, Venus the reverse of Mercury (BPHS Ch. 3 Sl. 49-50).
- How many Kendra-Kona pairs can an Aries ascendant form?
- Eleven. The engine pairs each angle lord (Mars, Moon, Venus, Saturn) with each trine lord (Mars, Sun, Jupiter), never a graha with itself, and lists the yoga when a pair is together or in mutual aspect. Ch. 34 Sl. 11-12 and Sl. 15 would count fewer.
Lagna (Ascendant)
The rising sign and degree, and the twelve whole-sign houses counted from it.
What it needs
Date, time and place
That is more than this article asks for - it only ever takes a date, and sometimes a time, and never a name or a birth place. So this one runs on its own page, which asks for exactly what it needs and stores none of it.
Run it on its own page