Planetary Friends and Enemies in Vedic Astrology

Lesson notes

• Sun: friends Moon, Mars and Jupiter. Enemies Venus and Saturn. Mercury is neutral.
• Moon: friends Sun and Mercury. The Moon has no enemies at all - everyone else is neutral to it.
• Mars: friends Sun, Moon and Jupiter. Enemy Mercury. Jupiter: friends Sun, Moon and Mars. Enemies Mercury and Venus.
• Mercury: friends Sun and Venus. Enemy Moon. Venus: friends Mercury and Saturn. Enemies Sun and Moon. Saturn: friends Mercury and Venus. Enemies Sun, Moon and Mars.
• Notice the two teams: the Sun, Moon, Mars and Jupiter on one side; Mercury, Venus and Saturn on the other. Jupiter is the teacher of the gods (devas) and Venus is the teacher of the asuras.

Practice questions and answers

Which graha is a friend of the Sun?

Answer: Jupiter. The Sun's friends are the Moon, Mars and Jupiter.

True or false: The Moon has no enemies.

Answer: True. The Moon is friendly or neutral to everyone.

Which graha is an enemy of Mars?

Answer: Mercury. Mars sees Mercury as an enemy.

Who are Saturn's friends?

Answer: Mercury and Venus. Saturn, Mercury and Venus stick together.

Which graha is the teacher of the asuras?

Answer: Venus. Venus (Shukracharya) teaches the asuras.

True or false: Jupiter and Venus are friends.

Answer: False. They lead rival teams - Venus is one of Jupiter's enemies.

Why planetary friendship matters

A planet sitting in a sign is a guest in the sign lord's house. If the host is a friend, the guest relaxes and performs well. If the host is an enemy, the guest is uncomfortable and holds back. That is the whole idea behind planetary friendship, and it is one of the main ways astrologers judge how strong a planet is (Lesson 16).

The natural friendship table

Read each row as "how this planet feels about the others". This is the version given by Parashara and used by most Vedic astrologers.

Friendship can be one-sided

Friendship is not always mutual:

• Mercury considers the Moon an enemy, but the Moon considers Mercury a friend. (In myth Mercury is the Moon's son, born of an affair, and resents the circumstances of his birth.)
• Mars considers Mercury an enemy, but Mercury is neutral to Mars.
• Jupiter considers Mercury and Venus enemies, but Mercury and Venus are neutral to Jupiter.
• The Sun is neutral to Mercury, while Mercury considers the Sun a friend.

So when you judge a planet in someone's sign, always read the row of the guest planet: how does the guest feel about the host?

The two teams

The friendships fall into two broad camps:

Jupiter is the guru of the devas (gods) and Venus the guru of the asuras (demons), which is why they distrust each other. Rahu and Ketu are usually grouped with Saturn's team: Rahu acts like Saturn and Ketu like Mars.

This team picture is a handy shortcut: a planet in a sign ruled by its own team is usually comfortable; a planet in the other team's sign is usually not.

Rahu and Ketu's relationships

Classical texts are less clear about Rahu and Ketu. The common working rule is:

• Rahu is friendly with Mercury, Venus and Saturn, and hostile to the Sun, Moon and Mars.
• Ketu is friendly with Mars and Jupiter in some views, and hostile to the Sun and Moon.

Because they eclipse the Sun and Moon, both nodes are always considered enemies of the luminaries. That is why Sun-Rahu or Moon-Rahu conjunctions (forming grahan or eclipse yogas) are treated with care.

Temporary friendship (tatkalika maitri)

Parashara adds a second layer based on where planets sit relative to each other in a specific chart. Any planet in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th or 12th sign from another becomes its temporary friend. Planets in the same sign, or in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th from each other, are temporary enemies.

Compound friendship (panchadha maitri)

Combining natural and temporary relationships gives five levels:

Advanced strength calculations, such as Shadbala, use these five levels. For everyday reading, the natural table is enough.

How friendship affects conjunctions

Planets sitting together blend more smoothly when they are friends:

• Sun and Jupiter together: king and teacher, mutual friends; respect, ethics and good guidance.
• Moon and Mercury together: the Moon likes Mercury, but Mercury dislikes the Moon; a quick, clever but sometimes anxious mind.
• Venus and Saturn together: mutual friends; loyal, mature love and artistic discipline.
• Sun and Saturn together: mutual enemies (father and son in myth); tension with father or authority, ego versus duty.
• Mars and Saturn together: Saturn sees Mars as an enemy; frustration and conflict unless well placed, but great endurance in tough work.

Worked example

Mars in Leo: Leo is ruled by the Sun. Look at Mars's row: the Sun is a friend. So Mars is in a friend's sign, and it acts confidently: leadership, courage and pride in action.

Venus in Leo: again the Sun's sign, but Venus's row shows the Sun as an enemy. Venus is uncomfortable: love may come with ego clashes or a need for admiration.

Same sign, two planets, opposite comfort levels. This is exactly the skill this lesson builds.

Each planet in friendly and enemy signs

Use this as a quick reference, but remember that exaltation and debilitation override friendship: Mars in Cancer is in a friend's (the Moon's) sign but still debilitated, and Venus in Virgo is in a friend's sign but debilitated.

Friendship in compatibility (Graha Maitri)

Planetary friendship is also used in kundali matching. One of the eight Ashtakoot factors, Graha Maitri (worth 5 of the 36 points), compares the lords of the two partners' Moon signs. If the lords are friends, the couple is expected to share outlook and understanding; if they are enemies, the score is low and other factors must compensate. Try it with the free kundali matching calculator.

Practice: rate every planet in your chart

For each planet in your chart:

1. Find the sign it sits in and that sign's lord.
2. Look up the planet's row in the friendship table.
3. Write down: own sign, exalted, friend, neutral, enemy or debilitated.

You now have a quick strength rating for all nine planets, the exact skill Lesson 16 builds on.

Key takeaways

• Each planet has natural friends, neutrals and enemies; read the guest planet's row.
• Friendship can be one-sided, such as Mercury disliking the Moon while the Moon likes Mercury.
• Two teams: Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter versus Mercury, Venus, Saturn.
• Temporary friendship from chart positions combines with natural friendship into five levels.

Common beginner mistakes

• Assuming friendship is mutual. Always read the guest planet's row.
• Forgetting the Moon has no enemies. The Moon is never in an "enemy's sign".
• Ignoring friendship in conjunctions. Friendly planets combine smoothly; enemies create tension.
• Mixing up natural and temporary friendship. Learn the natural table first.

Frequently asked questions

Which planets are friends in Vedic astrology?

The Sun, Moon, Mars and Jupiter form one friendly group, and Mercury, Venus and Saturn form another. The full table above gives each planet's friends, neutrals and enemies.

Is Saturn an enemy of the Sun?

Yes. The Sun considers Saturn an enemy and Saturn considers the Sun an enemy. In myth Saturn is the Sun's son, and the relationship is famously strained.

Why are Jupiter and Venus enemies?

Jupiter is the guru of the devas and Venus the guru of the asuras. They represent different values: spiritual wisdom versus worldly enjoyment and skill.

Does the Moon have any enemies?

No. The Moon treats the Sun and Mercury as friends and all other planets as neutral. Mercury, however, considers the Moon an enemy.

What is temporary friendship in astrology?

A relationship based on chart positions: planets in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th or 12th sign from each other become temporary friends. Combined with natural friendship, it gives five levels from great friend to great enemy.

How do I know if a planet is in a friendly sign?

Find the lord of the sign the planet occupies, then check the planet's own row in the friendship table. If the lord is listed as its friend, the planet is in a friendly sign. Exaltation and debilitation take priority over friendship.

Are Saturn and Jupiter friends?

They are neutral to each other. Jupiter treats Saturn as neutral and Saturn treats Jupiter as neutral, so a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction blends wisdom with discipline without major friction.

Why do Sun and Saturn not get along?

In myth Saturn is the son of the Sun and his wife Chhaya, and was rejected by his father; the two remain enemies. In charts, Sun-Saturn combinations often show tension between authority and duty, or a strained relationship with the father.

Is Mercury friendly with Venus?

Yes, mutually. Mercury and Venus are friends, which is why Mercury-Venus conjunctions often give artistic intelligence, graceful speech and talent for design, writing or business in creative fields.

Do friendships change with house lordship?

Natural friendship is fixed for every chart, but functional nature (whether a planet is good or bad for your Lagna) changes with the houses it rules. Read both together: friendship for comfort, lordship for results.