Jyotish Term
Yoga (Planetary Combination) — योग
Short answer. A yoga (in the planetary-combination sense) is a specific configuration of two or more grahas in a chart that produces a defined outcome. Classical Jyotish identifies hundreds of yogas; the most well-known include Gaja Kesari Yoga, Raja Yoga, Dhana Yoga, and Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga.
The word yoga literally means 'union' or 'combination'. In Jyotish, a yoga is a recognised pattern — a planet in a specific house with another planet in another specific house, or a lord-of-house configuration — that classical texts associate with a defined life outcome. Raja Yogas confer status, authority, or recognition; Dhana Yogas confer wealth; Pancha Mahapurusha Yogas confer specific kinds of mastery (Hamsa, Bhadra, Ruchaka, Malavya, Shasha — each linked to a specific planet in its own or exalted sign in a kendra). Negative yogas (like Daridra Yoga) describe configurations that classical texts associate with financial difficulty. The presence of a yoga is necessary but not sufficient: whether the yoga 'fires' in a person's life depends on whether the dasha period of the involved planets activates during a window when transits also support it. A chart can contain a powerful Raja Yoga that never manifests if the relevant dasha falls in childhood or after death.
Related terms
- Graha — Graha is the Vedic term for a planet — literally meaning 'one who seizes' or 'one who grabs'. Vedic astrology recognises nine grahas: the seven classical planets plus the two lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu.
- Mahadasha — A mahadasha is a major planetary period in the Vimshottari Dasha system, ranging from 6 to 20 years in length depending on the planet. The current mahadasha lord is the dominant influence over a major chapter of life.
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