The 7th House
Kalatra bhava
What the 7th house rules and what Parashara says of it, how to read it in your own kundli with a worked example, each graha in it, and where its lord sits.
What Parashara says
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, chapters 11 and 18BPHS reads the 7th house for the spouse, travel and trade; it also lists loss of sight and death among its matters. BPHS 11.8
When it is strong: If the lord of the 7th is in its own sign or exalted, BPHS gives full happiness in marriage. A strong 7th lord joined or aspected by a benefic makes one wealthy, respected, happy and fortunate; an exalted 7th lord, with a strong lagna lord and a benefic in the 7th, gives a virtuous spouse through whom the family grows. BPHS 18.1, 18.4–5, 18.14–15
When it is afflicted: With the lord of the 7th in the 6th, 8th or 12th (and not in its own sign or exaltation), BPHS says the spouse will be sickly. A 7th house or lord joined by a malefic, more so when weak, brings trouble to the spouse; a weak 7th lord in the 6th, 8th or 12th, or a debilitated 7th lord, is where the text warns of the spouse's early death. BPHS 18.2, 18.16–17
These are the text’s readings under its conditions, as the old texts write them for a man; they apply to anyone. A real kundli is read as a whole.
How to read your 7th house
the checks the Janam Kundli report makes- Find its lord. Your lagna decides which rashi falls in your 7th house, and so which graha rules it. The table further down gives it for every lagna.
- See where the lord sits from your lagna. In a kendra (the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th) or the 5th or 9th, it helps; in the 6th, 8th or 12th it is hidden, and the house’s matters come more slowly. In its own rashi, exaltation or moolatrikona (a stretch of a rashi where a graha works most like itself, ranked just below exaltation) it is strong; debilitated, weak.
- Count from the 7th house itself. The lord in the 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th or 11th from it supports it; the 6th, 8th or 12th from it is a difficult place. For the 7th, those are your 12th, 2nd and 6th houses.
- Look at the grahas in it. Guru (Jupiter) or Shukra (Venus) in it helps. Shani (Saturn), Mangal (Mars), Rahu or Ketu in it weighs against it, unless that graha is the house’s own lord: a lord in its own house guards it.
- See which grahas look at it. Any graha in your 1st house casts its drishti (a graha’s glance: the houses it looks at feel its influence) on the 7th. Mangal (Mars) also looks at it from your 4th and 12th, Guru (Jupiter) from your 3rd and 11th, and Shani (Saturn) from your 5th and 10th. Our reports give Rahu and Ketu Guru’s 5th and 9th drishti, so they look at it from the 3rd and 11th too. Guru’s or Shukra’s drishti helps; a malefic’s weighs against it, unless it is the house’s own lord. A malefic sitting in the house and a malefic’s drishti on it count as one weight between them, not two.
- Count its ashtakavarga points. Out of 56, a house with 28 or more carries its matters well; one under 25 asks for effort.
- Read its karaka (the graha that naturally signifies a house’s matters, whatever the lagna) beside it. Shukra (Venus) is the natural significator of the 7th’s matters, whatever your lagna.
Each help counts one point for the house and each weight one against. Two or more on balance for it reads strong; any balance against it, weak; anything between, mixed.
An example: the 7th house in a real kundli
From the Janam Kundli report
7th · Aries Strong
Its lord Mars sits in the house itself, in Aries, in its moolatrikona — the house is held by its own lord.
In it: Mars.
for it: lord well placed from your lagna · lord strong in its sign · 37 points, 28 or more
Read together: a house that gives its matters readily.
This is the chart on our home page. The Janam Kundli report reads all twelve of your houses this way, with the dasha periods that bring each one forward.
Each graha in the 7th house
by Lal Kitab, each with its own page| Graha | Lal Kitab | What it gives here |
|---|---|---|
| Surya (Sun) | Hard | The Sun in the 7th house can delay marriage or cause disagreements with the spouse. Dealings with the government can bring trouble. |
| Chandra (Moon) | Good | The Moon in the 7th house gives a beautiful and supportive spouse. Business partnerships are favourable. |
| Mangal (Mars) | Hard | Mars in the 7th house delays marriage or causes marital disharmony. The spouse may be aggressive. Mangal Dosha applies. |
| Budh (Mercury) | Good | Mercury in the 7th house (pakka ghar, the house Lal Kitab gives a graha as its own, where it is steadiest) gives an intelligent spouse, business success, and sharp trading skills. It is a very strong position. |
| Guru (Jupiter) | Good | Jupiter in the 7th house gives a wise and supportive spouse. Marriage may come late but is prosperous. |
| Shukra (Venus) | Good | Venus in the 7th house (pakka ghar, shared with Mercury) gives a beautiful and loving spouse, business partnerships, and luxury. |
| Shani (Saturn) | Good | Saturn in the 7th house is exalted in Lal Kitab and works with Venus's strength. It brings steady income, property, support from superiors and success with machinery or iron. It stays good through faithfulness, avoiding alcohol and helping others; the text favours marrying before 22. |
| Rahu | Hard | Rahu in the 7th house can bring an unconventional marriage or a spouse from a different culture, and asks for care against deception in marriage. |
| Ketu | Hard | Ketu in the 7th house causes mysterious problems in marriage; the spouse may be spiritual or detached. |
Who rules your 7th house
it depends on the lagna| Lagna | 7th house rashi | Its lord |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh (Aries) | Tula (Libra) | Shukra (Venus) |
| Vrishabh (Taurus) | Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Mangal (Mars) |
| Mithun (Gemini) | Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Kark (Cancer) | Makar (Capricorn) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Singh (Leo) | Kumbh (Aquarius) | Shani (Saturn) |
| Kanya (Virgo) | Meen (Pisces) | Guru (Jupiter) |
| Tula (Libra) | Mesh (Aries) | Mangal (Mars) |
| Vrishchik (Scorpio) | Vrishabh (Taurus) | Shukra (Venus) |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Mithun (Gemini) | Budh (Mercury) |
| Makar (Capricorn) | Kark (Cancer) | Chandra (Moon) |
| Kumbh (Aquarius) | Singh (Leo) | Surya (Sun) |
| Meen (Pisces) | Kanya (Virgo) | Budh (Mercury) |
Where your 7th lord sits
what Parashara says of each placement (BPHS chapter 24)| Lord in | What it gives |
|---|---|
| 1st house | With the lord of the 7th in the 1st, BPHS describes a skilful person but warns of a leaning towards others' spouses, a wicked streak, a lack of courage and vata (wind) disorders. BPHS 24.73 |
| 2nd house | With the lord of the 7th in the 2nd, the text speaks of more than one marriage, wealth through the spouse, and a habit of putting things off. BPHS 24.74 |
| 3rd house | With the lord of the 7th in the 3rd, BPHS warns of loss concerning children, saying a son is kept only with great difficulty; it also allows for the birth of a daughter. BPHS 24.75 |
| 4th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 4th, the text says the spouse will not be under the native's sway; it gives love of truth, intelligence and religious feeling, and warns of dental ailments. BPHS 24.76 |
| 5th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 5th, BPHS gives honour, all the principal virtues, constant cheer and wealth of every kind. BPHS 24.77 |
| 6th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 6th, BPHS warns of a sickly spouse and friction with them, a quick temper and a lack of happiness. BPHS 24.78 |
| 7th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 7th itself, the text gives happiness through the spouse, courage, skill and intelligence, with only vata (wind) disorders to trouble one. BPHS 24.79 |
| 8th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 8th, BPHS warns of little happiness in marriage, and of a spouse troubled by illness, difficult in disposition and not in accord with the native. BPHS 24.80 |
| 9th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 9th, the text speaks of relations with many women, yet goodwill towards one's own spouse, and of many undertakings. BPHS 24.81 |
| 10th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 10th, BPHS speaks of a spouse who does not defer to the native, and gives religious feeling, wealth and children. BPHS 24.82 |
| 11th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 11th, the text gives wealth through the spouse and daughters, with less happiness from sons. BPHS 24.83 |
| 12th house | With the lord of the 7th in the 12th, BPHS warns of want and miserliness, and speaks of a livelihood tied to cloth and a spouse who spends freely. BPHS 24.84 |
Common questions
5 questionsWhat does the 7th house rule in astrology?
Marriage, spouse, partnerships and business deals. It is called the Kalatra bhava, and is a kendra and a maraka house.
Which grahas are good in the 7th house?
By Lal Kitab: Chandra, Budh, Guru, Shukra and Shani.
Who is the karaka of the 7th house?
Shukra (Venus), as Parashara names it (BPHS 32.34).
What if my 7th house is empty?
An empty house is not a weak one. With no graha in it, the 7th is read through its lord, the grahas that look at it, its ashtakavarga points and its karaka.
Which grahas aspect the 7th house?
Any graha in the 1st; Mangal (Mars) also from the 4th and 12th, Guru (Jupiter) from the 3rd and 11th, and Shani (Saturn) from the 5th and 10th.
A graha reads the same for everybody. Your chart does not.
Where each graha sits in your kundli, which bhavas it rules for your lagna and which dasha is running decide what it does for you. Make your free kundli to see all nine.
Create free kundli
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