Yogas in Vedic astrology · नीचभंग राज योग

Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga

A planet in its sign of debilitation (neecha) is weak. Neecha Bhanga means the cancellation of that weakness. Phaladeepika gives the conditions under which the cancellation turns into a Raja yoga.

How it forms

A planet is debilitated at birth, and the lord of the sign it occupies, or the lord of that planet's exaltation sign, is in a kendra from the Moon or the Lagna.
Source: Phaladeepika of Mantreswara, Ch. 7, v. 26
The same chapter repeats the rule in other forms: the lords of the planet's debilitation and exaltation signs, one or both, in a kendra.
Source: Phaladeepika of Mantreswara, Ch. 7, v. 29-30

Conditions that weaken or cancel it

The debilitation signs are: the Sun in Tula, the Moon in Vrishchika, Mars in Karka, Mercury in Meena, Jupiter in Makara, Venus in Kanya and Saturn in Mesha.
Other conditions used by later authors include the planet that is exalted in the debilitation sign standing in a kendra, and the debilitated planet being aspected by its sign lord. These are not in the Phaladeepika verses cited here.
The cancellation lifts the planet's weakness; how much it gives still depends on the houses that planet rules and on its dasha.

Is Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga in your chart?

The Ishvaram kundali engine marks Neecha Bhanga when a debilitated planet's sign lord, or the planet that is exalted in that sign, is in a kendra from the Lagna or from the Moon. It does not yet check Phaladeepika's second canceller, the lord of the debilitated planet's own exaltation sign: for the Sun in Tula that is Mars, while the engine checks Venus and Saturn. It also treats Rahu in Vrishchika and Ketu in Vrishabha as debilitated, which these verses do not, so it can mark the yoga for a node.

The engine looks for the canceller in a kendra from your Lagna as well as from your Moon, so the check needs your birth time.

Generate your free kundali: its Yogas section lists the yogas the engine finds in your chart, with the planets involved and a strength grade, and names the ones it checked that are not formed.

What it means

Phaladeepika states that such a person becomes a king who follows dharma (7.26), in the idiom of its time for high position.
In practice it means the debilitated planet's significations are not read at face value; they tend to come after early difficulty.

What it does not mean

A debilitated planet without a canceller is not Neecha Bhanga, however strong the rest of the chart.
It does not make the planet exalted; it removes the debilitation.
It needs no remedy of its own.

Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga questions

Which planets can form Neecha Bhanga Raja yoga?

Any of the seven planets from the Sun to Saturn when it is in its debilitation sign: the Sun in Tula, the Moon in Vrishchika, Mars in Karka, Mercury in Meena, Jupiter in Makara, Venus in Kanya or Saturn in Mesha.

Is debilitated Jupiter cancelled if Saturn is in a kendra?

Jupiter is debilitated in Makara, which Saturn rules. If Saturn is in a kendra from the Lagna or the Moon, Phaladeepika 7.26 treats the debilitation as cancelled. The lord of Jupiter's exaltation sign, Karka, is the Moon; the Moon in a kendra from the Lagna also cancels it.

Is Neecha Bhanga stronger than an exalted planet?

Phaladeepika gives it Raja yoga results, but the texts do not rank it above exaltation. Read it as a planet whose weakness is lifted, and judge its results from the houses it rules.

Sources

Phaladeepika of Mantreswara, Ch. 7, v. 26 and 29-30.

AI Kundali Analysis

Why does this pattern keep repeating in your life?

Your kundali names the house, planet, and dasha behind it. Then it gives the upay you can actually follow.