Bhava 6 of 12
6th House (Ari / Shatru Bhava)
शत्रु भाव
Enemies, diseases, debts, service, daily routine, pets, competition, legal issues.
Shatru means enemy — obstacles to be overcome
6th House at a Glance
- Sanskrit name
- शत्रु भाव
- Natural sign
- Virgo
- Natural lord
- Mercury
- Classification
- Dusthana (malefic house) · Upachaya (malefics gain here)
- Natural significator
- Mars and Saturn for conflict and disease
- Body (Kaal Purush)
- Lower abdomen, small intestine, kidneys and the waist
- Directional strength
- None — no planet gains digbala in this house
What the 6th House Governs
- Health and diseases
- Debts and loans
- Service and routine
- Enemies
Planets in the 6th House
Saturn in the 6th house
Very strong — malefic in an Upachaya house. Defeats enemies by endurance, excellent for service, law and any long grinding contest.
Mars in the 6th house
Also strong. Surgical skill, competitive success, victory in litigation; can bring accidents and inflammatory illness.
Sun in the 6th house
Government service and authority over subordinates. Can indicate conflict with the father or with superiors.
Jupiter in the 6th house
A benefic in a dusthana is weakened for its own significations — can indicate debt through generosity or liver-related complaints — while still helping defeat enemies.
Ketu in the 6th house
One of the classical indications for healing ability and for illness that resists diagnosis.
The exact effect always depends on the sign occupied, the planet’s relationship with the house lord, and the running dasha — these are the general tendencies, not verdicts.
All 9 Grahas in the 6th House
The dignity shown is under Kaal Purush — the natural zodiac laid on the bhavas, where the 6th house is Virgo. In your own chart the sign depends on your ascendant, which each page works out for all twelve.
When the 6th House Is Strong
The 6th is a dusthana, but it is also an Upachaya house, and that contradiction is the key to reading it. A strong 6th does not mean an easy life — it means the native wins fights. Competitors are defeated, litigation goes the native's way, debts are cleared, and illness is thrown off rather than settling in. It is the house of seva and of daily discipline, so doctors, soldiers, lawyers, auditors and athletes all depend on it. Note that a strong 6th with a weak Lagna gives someone who wins arguments and loses their health doing it.
When the 6th House Is Afflicted
Chronic rather than acute illness is the signature — conditions that establish themselves and stay, particularly of the intestines, kidneys and lower abdomen. Debts recur and compound, hidden opposition at work goes unnoticed until it does damage, and legal matters drag. The 6th lord in the Lagna is a classical indication of self-inflicted difficulty: the native creates their own enemies.
Remedies for the 6th House
- Feed dogs and crows, and care for stray animals — the 6th house rules pets and service to the dependent.
- Hanuman worship on Tuesdays and Saturdays for protection against enemies and litigation.
- Clear debts in order of age rather than size, and keep a fixed daily routine; the 6th responds to discipline.
Remedies are prescribed against the afflicting planet and the house lord, not the house itself — which is why they need a chart reading first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 6th house good or bad?
What is Vipreet Raja Yoga in the 6th house?
Which house shows disease in a birth chart?
Read the 6th House in Your Own Chart
Everything above is the general behaviour of the bhava. What it actually does in your life depends on its lord, its occupants and your running dasha — a verified Vedic astrologer can read all three together.
All 12 Houses
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