---
type: Concept
bundle: jyotisha-kala
bundle_version: 0.12.0
id: graha
title: Graha
iast: Graha
devanagari: ग्रह
description: 'The nine “seizers” of Jyotiṣa: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and the shadow-nodes Rāhu and Ketu, a functional category defined by grip on calendar and chart; NOT astronomical planets, NOT simple deities, NOT astrological energies.'
darshana:
- Jyotiṣa
text_source: Sūrya Siddhānta 2; Bṛhat Jātaka 2
tags:
- graha
- navagraha
- celestial
- jyotisha
- ganita
not:
- term: 'astronomical planets'
  why: 'The Sun is a star, the Moon a satellite, Rāhu and Ketu mathematical points, yet all are grahas; Uranus and Neptune are planets and are not. Graha (from grah, to seize) is a functional category of the tradition, and “the nine planets” mistranslates its membership in both directions.'
  instead: 'Render graha as seizer or graha, list the nine, and keep the Sanskrit term.'
- term: 'simple deities'
  why: 'Each graha has a presiding devatā and a worship tradition, but the graha of the siddhāntas is a computational object with mean and true positions, equations, and node behavior. The devatā receives offerings; the graha receives corrections.'
- term: 'astrological energies'
  why: 'New-age idiom renders grahas as energies or vibrations. The classical texts assign them significations and compute their positions; the energy-substance talk is a modern import.'
related:
- /concepts/rahu-ketu.md
- /concepts/rashi.md
- /concepts/vara.md
- /concepts/dasha.md
timestamp: '2026-07-09'
okf_version: '0.2'
license: CC BY-SA 4.0
---

# Graha -- ग्रह

**Not:** astronomical planets, simple deities, astrological energies

## What It Actually Means

Graha means seizer, and the navagraha are nine: Sūrya, Candra, Maṅgala, Budha, Guru, Śukra, Śani, and the two nodes Rāhu and Ketu. The category is functional, what grips the calendar and the chart, which is why it happily contains a star, a satellite, five planets, and two mathematical points, and why it excludes bodies with no traditional role. In the siddhāntas each graha is a computational object with mean motion, equation of center, and stated positions; in horā each carries significations. The word does double duty across gaṇita and horā, and the membership list is fixed by tradition, not by astronomy.

## Audience Metaphor

A committee of nine seated by function, not by species: the chairman is a star, five members are planets, one is a satellite, and two are empty chairs at the exact places where eclipses happen, chairs the committee treats as full members because the calendar must.

## Citations

1. Sūrya Siddhānta 2 on computing the grahas’ true places -- see [references/surya-siddhanta.md](../references/surya-siddhanta.md)
2. Bṛhat Jātaka 2 on the grahas and their significations -- see [references/brihat-jataka.md](../references/brihat-jataka.md)
