Introduction
The Moon has a very large place in Vedic astrology. In North India the first letter of a name, the rashifal, kundli matching and the start of the dasha are all read from the Moon.
The Moon is the fastest graha: it crosses a sign in about two and a quarter days and a nakshatra in about a day. Its distance from the Sun makes the tithi, which is why the panchang rests on the Moon. The Moon does not go retrograde.
What it signifies
Tradition holds that the Moon signifies:
- the mind, feelings and peace of mind
- the mother and those who give a mother's care
- home, belonging and nurture
- imagination, sensitivity and connecting with people
For work, tradition associates the Moon with fields that involve care, service, dealing with the public or creativity.
These are tendencies, not settled facts. The Moon's house, sign, companions, its paksha (waxing or waning) and the dasha together make the picture.
Exalted, debilitated, own sign: in plain words
The Moon's own sign is Karka. Exaltation is at Vrishabha 3° and debilitation at Vrishchika 3°, the same degree in the opposite sign. In Vrishabha, 3° is the exaltation point and 3° to 30° is moolatrikona (the ePandit engine uses this; some texts begin it at 4°); Karka is the own sign.
The Moon's natural friends are Mercury and the Sun; its neutrals are Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Venus; the old classification lists no enemy. These are old labels; in shadbala they only decide how many points of positional strength a planet earns in a sign. Raman's method also adds the temporary relationship from the birth chart.
Exalted, debilitated, own sign and moolatrikona are names for a position, not a verdict on anyone's life. Debilitation by itself decides nothing; houses, aspects, dasha, the navamsa and the whole chart speak together.
Shadbala and this planet, in plain words
Shadbala is the sum of six kinds of strength: positional, directional, temporal, motional, natural and aspectual. ePandit computes it by B. V. Raman's method in Graha and Bhava Balas. The unit is the virupa; 60 virupas make 1 rupa.
Raman gives each planet a traditional required minimum. For the Moon it is 360 virupas (6 rupas). We show you one simple ratio:
Ratio = the Moon's total shadbala ÷ 360
- Above 1 means only that the Moon has more than the traditional minimum to work with in its themes.
- Below 1 says nothing bad. It means other factors lead in that chart: another planet, the running dasha, or a house.
The Moon's naisargika (natural) bala is 51.43 virupas, the same in every chart. Directional strength is full when the Moon sits in the 4th house (north). In the Moon's paksha bala its light is counted double, so this part rises near the full Moon and falls near the new Moon. As with the Sun, no motional (cheshta) strength enters the Moon's total.
Other software may show small differences; we follow Raman's method. Shadbala is a measure built on arithmetic; it does not decide any result on its own.
Mahadasha
In Vimshottari, the Moon's mahadasha lasts 10 years. Tradition holds that home, family, the mother, feelings and bonds with people come forward; tradition also links it with changes of home or place.
The real colour depends on where the Moon sits in your chart, which house it rules and which antardasha is running. Every mahadasha holds nine antardashas.
Faith
Tradition links Monday with the Moon. If you wish, you can chant the Moon's name-mantra 11 or 108 times in the morning, with a calm mind:
ॐ सोमाय नमः (Om Somāya Namaḥ) (planet name-mantra: tradition)
On a Monday, you may give a little rice or milk to someone in need. (folk belief, optional)
This is a matter of faith, not a condition. No costly remedy is needed.