Karka lagna
The 10th Lord for Cancer Ascendant: Mars
10th house = Aries · lord Mars · also lord of the 5th
With Cancer rising, the 10th house is Aries, the 10th sign counted from Cancer, and Aries is ruled by Mars. So for Cancer ascendant the 10th lord is Mars, which also rules the 5th through Scorpio: one graha holds the 10th and the 5th together for this ascendant. The 10th is a kendra and an upachaya, and the 5th a trikona. That pairing puts a kendra and a trikona other than the 1st in one graha’s hands for Cancer ascendant.
The lagna lord, the Moon, counts Mars neutral, while Mars counts the Moon a friend: for Cancer ascendant the 1st and 10th lords do not see each other the same way. The 10th’s matters are career and profession, public reputation, authority and achievements; with Cancer rising they sit in Aries, a movable fire sign that is the 1st of the natural zodiac.
Aries as the 10th House of Cancer Ascendant
Aries exalts the Sun, deepest at 10°, so for Cancer ascendant the Sun is exalted in the 10th; it debilitates Saturn at 20°, so Saturn is debilitated in the 10th. The house holds Ashwini (all four padas), Bharani (all four padas) and Krittika (pada 1), whose lords are Ketu, Venus and the Sun; Mars rules none of them. Opposite, across the chart, the 4th holds Libra, ruled by Venus.
Where Mars Is Strong and Weak, as Houses of Cancer Ascendant
Counted from Cancer, Mars is exalted in the 7th, debilitated in the 1st, and in its own sign in the 5th and the 10th. Exaltation and debilitation are always six signs apart, so for Cancer ascendant the 10th lord’s best and worst houses face each other across the chart.
| 10th lord in | Sign | Mars’s dignity |
|---|---|---|
| the 1st | Cancer | debilitated |
| the 2nd | Leo | in a friend's sign |
| the 3rd | Virgo | in an enemy's sign |
| the 4th | Libra | in a neutral sign |
| the 5th | Scorpio | in its own sign (its other house) |
| the 6th | Sagittarius | in a friend's sign |
| the 7th | Capricorn | exalted |
| the 8th | Aquarius | in a neutral sign |
| the 9th | Pisces | in a friend's sign |
| the 10th | Aries | in its own sign (its own house) |
| the 11th | Taurus | in a neutral sign |
| the 12th | Gemini | in an enemy's sign |
Each row links to the placement worked out for all twelve ascendants, where Cancer is one line of twelve. None of this is a forecast for anyone born with Cancer rising; where Mars actually sits, its aspects and the running dasha decide what the 10th lord does in a chart.
Mars Through the 10th and Its Exaltation House, 2026–2028
Mars transits Aries, the 10th house of Cancer ascendant, 2 times in the table: 11 May 2026 to 20 June 2026 (40 days) and 20 April 2028 to 31 May 2028 (41 days). Through Capricorn, the 7th house of Cancer ascendant and its exaltation sign, it passes 2 times: 16 January 2026 to 23 February 2026 (38 days) and 27 December 2027 to 3 February 2028 (38 days). The dates are days only. A transit is the sky, not a chart: it touches every Cancer-rising chart’s 10th house at once.
The Other Houses of Cancer Ascendant
The whole Cancer chart, house by house, is on the Cancer ascendant page; Mars in Aries on Mars in Aries. For the method, see rashi and lagna and the 12 houses guide.