Mars (Mangal · मंगल)

Dignity and Friendships

Nature

Malefic — the commander of the grahas, useful and dangerous in the same measure

Own sign(s)

Aries and Scorpio

Exalted in

Capricorn, deepest at 28°

Debilitated in

Cancer

Moolatrikona

Aries 0°–12°

Friends

Sun, Moon, Jupiter

Enemies

Mercury

Neutral

Venus, Saturn

This is the natural (naisargika) friendship table, which never changes. Temporary friendship based on the two planets’ positions in a specific chart is calculated separately and can override it.

Mars in Each of the 12 Rashis

The dignity above is the summary; each rashi changes what Mars can actually do in it. These twelve pages carry the verdict with its degree, the two-way relationship with the sign lord, the signs Mars aspects from there, the nine nakshatra padas it crosses, and — computed from the ephemeris — the dates it occupies that sign.

Technical Profile

Aspects (drishti)

The 4th, 7th and 8th houses — Mars alone aspects the 4th and 8th

Directional strength

10th house, shared with the Sun

Combustion

Within 17° of the Sun — the widest orb of any graha

Vimshottari dasha

7 years

Nakshatras ruled

Mrigashira, Chitra, Dhanishta

Body

Muscle, bone marrow, red blood cells, the gall bladder and the forehead

Karaka for

Younger siblings, land and property, weapons, surgery, engineering, the armed forces

Weekday

Tuesday

When Mars Is Strong

A strong Mars gives the capacity to act before you feel ready, which is why it appears in the charts of surgeons, soldiers, engineers, athletes and entrepreneurs alike. It gives physical strength, quick reflexes, tolerance for pain and an unusual willingness to take the decision no one else wants to take. Property comes and is held. Younger siblings do well. When Mars is exalted in Capricorn the same energy becomes disciplined rather than explosive, which is the single most useful placement for sustained hard work in the whole chart.

When Mars Is Weak or Afflicted

There are two failure modes and they look nothing alike. An afflicted Mars gives the aggressive version: a temper that costs the native jobs and relationships, accidents, cuts and burns, litigation, property disputes and blood or inflammation disorders. A weak or debilitated Mars gives the opposite — the native cannot start, cannot confront, and cannot hold a boundary, so others take what is theirs. Mangal dosha (Mars in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th) is a marriage-specific affliction and its severity depends entirely on the sign and the aspects on it.

The 7-Year Mangal Mahadasha

The seven-year Mangal mahadasha is short, hot and decisive. Property is bought or sold, careers change direction, and long-avoided confrontations happen. Well-placed, it is a period of visible achievement through direct effort. Afflicted, it is the classic window for accidents, surgery, litigation and a rupture with a sibling or a business partner. It is not a period for passive waiting either way.

Best and Worst Houses for Mars

House placement is only half of it — the sign, the house lord’s condition and the aspects on Mars decide the outcome. The dignity shown above is under Kaal Purush, the natural zodiac laid on the bhavas; in a real chart the sign depends on the ascendant, which each of those pages works out for all twelve. See the 12 houses for what each one governs.

Remedies for Mars

• Recite the Hanuman Chalisa on Tuesdays — the most widely prescribed Mars remedy in India, and Hanuman is specifically the graha's controller.
• Chant Om Mangalaya Namah; the classical japa count for Mars is 10,000.
• Donate red masoor dal, copper, red cloth or jaggery on a Tuesday, and feed monkeys or dogs.
• Give the energy a legitimate outlet — physical training, martial arts, hard labour. An unexpressed Mars turns inward as inflammation and outward as temper, and no ritual substitutes for using it.

Mantra

Om Mangalaya Namah

Deity

Hanuman, and Kartikeya

Gemstone

Red Coral (Moonga)

The gemstone is the last remedy to reach for, not the first — it strengthens Mars unconditionally, which is the wrong outcome if Mars rules a difficult house from your ascendant. Confirm against the chart. See gemstones by rashi.

Frequently Asked Questions