The five Mahapurusha Yogas share a rule: an eligible planet occupies its own or exaltation sign in an angular position. For the worked examples here, “angular” means houses 1, 4, 7 or 10 from the ascendant in whole-sign houses. State that reference point, because some textual treatments also consider the Moon.
The five names and eligible signs
- Ruchaka — Planet: Mars; Own signs: Aries, Scorpio; Exaltation sign: Capricorn
- Bhadra — Planet: Mercury; Own signs: Gemini, Virgo; Exaltation sign: Virgo
- Hamsa — Planet: Jupiter; Own signs: Sagittarius, Pisces; Exaltation sign: Cancer
- Malavya — Planet: Venus; Own signs: Taurus, Libra; Exaltation sign: Pisces
- Sasa — Planet: Saturn; Own signs: Capricorn, Aquarius; Exaltation sign: Libra
The Sun, Moon and lunar nodes do not form these five named combinations. Mercury’s Virgo appears in both columns; this does not create two separate Bhadra Yogas.
A positive and negative example
Take Aries rising with Mars in Capricorn. Capricorn is tenth from Aries, and Mars is in its exaltation sign, so both conditions of the Lagna-based Ruchaka rule are met. Change the ascendant to Taurus while leaving Mars in Capricorn: Capricorn is now ninth, so that same placement fails the angular condition from the ascendant.
Conversely, Mars in Cancer in the fourth house of an Aries chart is angular but not in its own or exaltation sign. The house condition alone is insufficient. These examples teach rule checking; they are not claims about a real person’s achievement.
Reference points can change the answer
Phaladeepika chapter 6, verse 4 also discusses reckoning these combinations from the Moon. If using that extension, report it separately rather than describing every non-angular Lagna placement as universally disqualified. “Ruchaka from the Moon under this convention” is more precise than an unexplained yes/no badge.
What the traditional praise means
These Yogas are associated with highly favorable descriptions in classical literature. That language belongs to a historical interpretive tradition; it does not establish intelligence, physical constitution, moral character, marital happiness or leadership ability. Do not use a chart to judge whether someone deserves a job or relationship.
Traditional readers may further consider planetary condition and other connections. Write those qualifications explicitly. A configuration can satisfy its basic definition while a particular school judges its expression differently; changing that judgment is not the same as changing the arithmetic.
A worksheet and source
For each candidate, record planet, sign, counting origin, house number and the two required tests. Include one example that fails only the sign test and another that fails only the house test. This prevents favorable dignity from being mistaken for a complete combination.
Reference: Phaladeepika, chapter 6, verses 1–4. The examples and worksheet are our own. For related distinctions read Yoga formation versus outcome and Raja Yoga.