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In short: Vesi, Vasi and Ubhayachari are the solar yogas, formed by planets beside the Sun. A planet in the 2nd from the Sun forms Vesi, a planet in the 12th forms Vasi, and planets on both sides form Ubhayachari. They shape character and fortune according to the planets involved.
The rule
Counting signs from the Sun, and excluding the Moon (and, for most authors, Rahu and Ketu):
- Vesi: one or more planets in the 2nd sign from the Sun.
- Vasi: one or more planets in the 12th sign from the Sun.
- Ubhayachari: planets in both the 2nd and the 12th.
What it means
The planets beside the Sun colour the self and its fortune. Benefics give truthfulness, contentment and good fortune; malefics give harder, more effortful results. Ubhayachari, with planets on both sides, is classically a picture of eloquence, dignity and wealth — like a king — when the flanking planets are benefics.
| Planet beside the Sun | Classical theme (our summary) |
|---|---|
| Mercury | intelligence, eloquence, skill — the most common case |
| Venus | charm, comforts, good fortune |
| Mars | courage, drive, sometimes conflict |
| Jupiter | wisdom, dignity, generosity |
| Saturn | perseverance, effort, sometimes hardship |
Which planet is beside the Sun
Because Mercury is always within about 28° of the Sun, it is often in the sign before or after; Venus, within about 47°, often is too. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn form these yogas only when they happen to be near the Sun's sign. A Vesi or Vasi yoga with Jupiter is therefore rarer and more notable than one with Mercury.
What weakens or cancels it
Malefics on both sides of the Sun form papa kartari, hemming by malefics, which many astrologers read as pressure on the self; benefics on both sides form shubha kartari, protection.
Background
The solar yogas mirror the lunar ones. Where Sunapha and Anapha are read for the mind, Vesi and Vasi are read for the self and its standing. They are also a reminder that a planet very close to the Sun is combust, so its sign position beside the Sun is read together with its distance from it.
When it gives results
A yoga gives its results mainly in the dashas of the planets that form it. Here that means the mahadashas and antardashas of Sun (Vimshottari mahadasha lengths: Sun 6 years). Within those periods, transits of Jupiter and Saturn over the planets or houses involved often mark the moments when the yoga becomes visible.
Checking it in a chart
To judge this yoga in a real chart, Sunyra checks, in order: that the formation rule is met exactly (by sign, using whole-sign houses); the dignity of Sun by sign and in the navamsa; combustion, retrogression and planetary war; aspects from natural benefics and malefics; the houses the planets rule for the ascendant; Shadbala strength; and the running and coming dashas. A yoga that passes these checks is described with confidence; one that does not is described as weak or partial.
How to read it honestly
Like every yoga, this one describes a potential. Whether and when it shows depends on the strength of the planets involved, the houses they rule, aspects from benefics and malefics, the divisional charts, and the dashas of the planets that form it. Classical texts list hundreds of yogas, and most charts contain several; no single yoga decides a life.
Related yogas
These yogas are often read alongside this one:
- Amala Yoga — Amala ('spotless') yoga forms when a natural benefic — Jupiter, Venus, Mercury or a bright Moon — occupies the 10th house from the ascendant or from the Moon.
- Parvata Yoga — Parvata ('mountain') yoga is traditionally linked with prosperity, generosity and fame.
- Chamara Yoga — Chamara yoga — named for the royal fly-whisk — is traditionally linked with honour, learning and eloquence.
- Vasumati Yoga — Vasumati yoga — 'possessing wealth' — forms when natural benefics occupy the upachaya (growth) houses, the 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th, counted from the ascendant or the Moon.
- Saraswati Yoga — Saraswati yoga, named after the goddess of learning and the arts, forms when the three benefics — Jupiter, Venus and Mercury — occupy angles, trines or the 2nd house, with Jupiter well dignified.
FAQ
Why are these yogas so common? Mercury and Venus always stay close to the Sun, so one of them is often in the neighbouring sign.
Does the Moon count for Vesi or Vasi? No. The solar yogas exclude the Moon.
What is the difference between Vesi and Vasi? Vesi is a planet in the 2nd from the Sun; Vasi a planet in the 12th; Ubhayachari both.
Sources
- Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, ch. 38 (Santhanam)
- Phaladeepika of Mantreswara, ch. 6 (yogas)
Written by Sunyra Editorial. Astrology is a tradition of interpretation; read this as guidance, not a forecast. Disclaimer.
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