Vedic Sun Signs
The Sun represents the soul and the soul takes birth in a human form usually for a purpose ascertained by the law of karma. The apparent motion of the Sun creates the zodiac and the 12 signs. Each sign has an Aditya governing it and there are totally 12 in number. They are the sons of Sage Kashyapa and the divine mother Aditi. The 12 Adityas are the giver of resources and skills that are necessary to achieve our purpose of our soul.
For judgement of results, the sign in which the Sun is placed shows the basic inner impulse coming from the Aditya of the sign. The qualities of the Aditya governing the house (in the natural zodiac order) in which Sun is placed, is manifested to the world outside.
How to read your Sign?
For example Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany has Sun in the Cancer in the 9th house. She is of the type 4-9 (read Cancer- Sagittarius). Her basic impulse is coming from Cancer – Varuna Aditya who has a strong sense of morality and service, however can be very punishing if you are not in agreement with her values. The 9th house placement of Sun will manifest the attribute of Anshuman Aditya of fairness and equity for all. This has to be further interpreted taking into account conjunctions and aspects to the Sun as well as the characteristics of the house.
Steve jobs, Entrepreneur had an 11-7 (Aquarius/ Libra) personality. This means he had Sun in Aquarius and placed in the 7th house. Sun in Aquarius will make him uniquely creative and skilled and the placement in the 7th house will manifest, making him wealthy and focus on business and wealth creation.
Sun in Aries (Mesha) Apr 13th – May 13th
Aries has the energy of Dhatr Aditya. This person is very creative, an idealist who wants to change the existing order of the world. A well supported un-afflicted Sun here makes a good leader. However, if the Sun is afflicted by malefics, the person can cause much damage. Generally a person with Sun in Aries, believes in doing good work, earning merit and has the eternal knowledge and is blessed by Savitur, the ancient solar deity. His mantra is Om and he believes in being his word.
People with Sun in Aries – Lord Rama, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, Queen Elizabeth II, Adolf Hitler, Charlie Chaplin
People with Sun in the 1st house – Abraham Lincoln, Swami Vivekananda, Mao Tse-tung, Alfred Nobel, Gianni Versace, Agatha Christie
Sun in Taurus (Vrishabha) May 14th – Jun 14th
Taurus carries the energy of the Aryaman Aditya. Aryaman is a noble-man and he gives the lineage. He is the chief of ancestors and blesses you with marriage, children and inheritance. People with Sun in Taurus value family and uphold tradition, and are distinguished in nature.
People with Sun in Taurus – Queen Victoria, Lord Mountbatten, Pope Jean Paul II, John F Kennedy, Donald Trump, Bjorn Borg, Mark Zuckerberg, Bob Dylan
People with Sun in 2nd house – Bill Clinton, Emperor Akbar, Frank Sinatra
Sun in Gemini (Mithuna) Jun 15th – Jul 15th
Gemini carries the energy of Mitra Aditya who is a friend and he is the compassionate one. He alleviates the suffering of all. It is said that he helped Sambha, the son of Krishna overcome leprosy. Mitra is the giver of knowledge, he revealed to Narada Muni that the all-mighty Sun is indeed the Spirit (Purusha) who is the in-dweller of all creatures. People with Sun in Gemini will be very compassionate and will value friendship and agreements. They tend to work in groups and with key alliances. They are very liberal and have an inclusive view of the world. They believe in “Vasudeva Kutumbakam” meaning, the world is one family. They are very intelligent or will show appreciation for intellectual work. They make great heads of organisations and help bringing people and ideas together.
People with Sun in Gemini – King George V, George W Bush, Dalai Lama IVX, Paul McCartney, Giorgio Armani, Julian Assange, Ted Snowdon, Princess Diana, Prince William
People with Sun in 3rd house – Lord Krishna, Karl Marx, Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle
Sun in Cancer (Karka) July 16th – Aug 16th
The sign Cancer carries the blessings of Varuna Aditya. The abode of Varuna is the Ocean and is responsible for all life in the world. Varuna is amongst the oldest Gods, and is upholder or enforcer of natural order (Ṛta) of the universe. Varuna is derived from the root word vṛ in Sanskrit which means to bind or cover and he binds with the laws of the world. He is pictured as riding a mythical animal “Makara” and holding a noose in his hand. A Makara is a complex animal made up of a mouth of a crocodile, trunk of an elephant, eyes of a monkey, ears of a cow, body of a pig, legs of a lion and plumes of peacock. Varuna punishes and drags souls soaked in maya back into the world. He grants boons (vara also derived from the root word vṛ ) and is the giver of wishes to all who desire them from him. As the guardian of the western direction, his residence is in the west of Mount Meru in a city called Sukhapuri, the city of happiness.
Varuna also known as Aruna is also the Sun God’s charioteer, he constantly moves the Sun around the Zodiac so that work may be done. People with Sun in Sidereal Cancer usually have a fantastic work ethic and work tirelessly towards their goal. They often hold positions of authority and can be very punishing to others as they fight to uphold their chosen values.
People with Sun in Cancer – Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Pierre Curie, Benito Mussolini, Yves St Laurent, Madonna, JK Rowling, Roger Federer
People with Sun in 4th house – Thomas Jefferson, Prince Charles
Sun in Leo (Simha) Aug 17th – Sep 16th
Sun in Leo carries the energy of the Indra Aditya. Indra is the King of the Heavens and his celestial city is called Amravati, the abode of immortals. He is pictured riding a white elephant Airavata and carrying his weapon the thunderbolt, called Vajra. Indra worships the rising Sun and therefore rules the eastern direction. He protects and vanquishes demonic forces. The word Indra means the one who has controlled his sense organs, yet many a times Indra has failed to control himself as in the famous story of his seduction of Sage Gautama’s wife Ahalya. He can be very jealous and manipulative and will use all his powers to retain his power and distract the worthy opponents with his army of heavenly nymphs, the apsaras.
People with Sun in Leo or Sun in the fifth house enjoy pomp and show. They are learned and can inspire others. They are very good teachers. If the Sun is well positioned, they may be able to show restraint. They are usually comfortable holding power and in vanquishing their enemies, however their insecurity can lead them to indulge in political games and manipulation. The quote “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, great men are almost always bad men”is worth thinking about in this context.
People with Sun in Leo – Napoleon Bonaparte, Bill Clinton, Rajiv Gandhi, Thaksin Shinawatra, Mother Teresa
People with Sun in the 5th – Franklin Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth II, Indira Gandhi, Hilary Clinton, Sonia Gandhi, Nicholas Sarkozy, Ariel Sharon, Bill Gates
Sun in Virgo (Kanya) Sept 17th – Oct 17th
Sun in sidereal Virgo is blessed by the Vivasvān Aditya. Vivasvān means the one who is brilliant, he is effulgent from the root word वस् (vas). He is the controller of fire element or Agni tattva, and is responsible for digestion of food and knowledge. The Sun resides in all beings invisibly, the meaning of Vivasvān is also derived from residing in everyone from the same root word वस् (vas). From the Puranic lores, he is the husband of Saṁjña, who ran away because of his effulgence. Her father Vishvakarma, the celestial architect had to cut some of the Sun’s rays so that his wife could tolerate his effulgence. The root word वस् (vas) also means to cut and or change form. Later in the story, he reconciled with Saṁjña and she gave birth to the Ashwini twins, the divine physicians. He is a perfect KarmaYogi as Krishna says in the verse 4.1 of Bhagavat Gita that the concept of Karma yoga is not new and that he had previously taught it firstly to Vivasvān who then taught it to his son Manu. This means that Vivasvān is also the spiritual parent and teacher of all.
People with Sun in Virgo will be blessed by Vivasvān Aditya. They will get all their resources for sustaining in the world from him. People with Sun in the 6th house will manifest his qualities of purity and perfection in their work. They will be devoted to service and interested in spiritual upliftment.
People with Sun in Virgo – Margaret Thatcher, Mahatma Gandhi, Theresa May, Vladimir Putin, Narendar Modi, Aleister Crowley, John Lennon, David Cameron
People with Sun in the 6th – Michael Gorbachov, Yves St. Laurent, Victor Hugo
Sun in Libra (Tula) Oct 18th – Nov 16th
Libra has the energy of Pusan Aditya. He is the giver of cattle wealth and prosperity. He is the nourisher. People with Sun in Libra are usually seekers of wealth successful in business and agriculture. They are usually caught up in materialism. They have a good sense of direction, and travel extensively. They like to challenge authority as Sun is debilitated in this sign.
The name is derived the from the root word Pūṣ (पूष्) meaning to nourish, increase or thrive. Pūṣaṇa is the in-dweller of the food and is responsible for nourishment and rejuvenation of all creatures at all times. Libra is a sign associated with prosperity as Pūṣaṇa is the keeper of the flocks and herds and bringer of prosperity. The ruler of Libra is Venus and it is the ruler of the day Friday. In Shiva Maha Purana it is said that the weekday Friday ruled by Venus was created for puṣṭi, which means nourishment, comforts and luxuries.
Pūṣaṇa Aditya is also the ruler of fruitful journeys and also conducts the safe passage way of souls to the other world by lighting up the path. The natural 7th house is Libra and it is a maraka house, that which brings death or is associated with going away. The sign Libra is associated with autumn when one reaps the reward hard work with a good harvest at the same time preparing for the harsh winter months coming ahead. Leaves fall on the earth dying but nourishing the earth for its future use.
In Shiva Mahapurana the story goes that Pūṣaṇa lost his teeth to Caṇḍā one of the gaṇās of Shiva under the command of Vīrabhadrā who was a warrior created by Shiva to avenge the insult that he had to undergo at his father- in-law Daksha’s yajña where Sati (wife of Shiva) immolated herself. Pūṣaṇa apparently laughed “showing his teeth” at the plight of Shiva who was spitefully not invited nor allowed to partake the offerings of the yajña, therefore had his teeth knocked out by Caṇḍā. Sometimes the sign Libra can be associated with excess, enjoyment, naughtiness or insensitivity and the individuals can lose their way in the trappings of life until they get a “knock” in their life. That is why Sun is debilitated in this sign showing the unwillingness of the Soul to evolve. Sage Parāśara also describes the sign Libra as ghāti (घाति) meaning violent, a bird catcher or a net.
People with Sun in Libra are blessed by the Pūṣaṇa Aditya with resources and are seekers of wealth usually successful in business and agriculture. People with Sun in the 7th house will manifest the qualities of Pūṣaṇa of wealth creation, they are great businessmen or statesmen known for their resourcefulness and initiative. They have a good sense of direction and travel extensively. They can challenge authority as Sun is debilitated in this sign. At times they can be caught up in materialism and enjoyment symbolised by the season of
harvest.
People with Sun in Libra – Bill Gates, Prince Charles, Hilary Clinton
People with Sun in the 7th House – Alfred Nobel, Adolf Hitler, John Lennon, Bhagwan Rajneesh, Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Bob Dylan
Sun in Scorpio (Vrichika) Nov 17th – Dec 14th
When Sun is in Scorpio we are blessed by the Parjanya Aditya. Parjanya rides clouds and is responsible for rains and purifies it. The word Parjanya is from the root word “pṛc” (पृच्) which means to satiate, fill or nourish. The process of cloud, rain and purification is beautifully explained in Book 2, Chapter 9 Verses 8-25 of the Vishnu Purana. Here is the gist of it – “The water that is absorbed from the world by the scorching rays of the Sun nourishes the Moon who holds the water, and the wind breaks them down, then the watery stores descend, bland, and freed from every impurity by the sweetening process of time. That rain which falls whilst the sun is shining and without a cloud in the sky in the even asterisms only, is the heavenly waters of Ganga, shed by the solar rays.”
With the rains the world is nourished and the food is grown and is enjoyed by us. Krishna explains the importance of rain in the life sustenance cycle in this verse in Chapter 3, Verse 14 of Bhagavat Gita “From food, comes forth beings; from Parjanya – the Aditya of rain, food is produced; The Rain comes from our offerings and sacrifices and these offerings are made possible by doing our prescribed duties”. As the sign Scorpio is the natural 8th house of transformation, Parjanya is also the giver of enlightenment by causing spiritual transformation. He is the giver of knowledge of occult and has the power to revive us.
People with Sun in Scorpio will be blessed by Parjanya Aditya and will get the resources from him for sustenance in the world. People with Sun in the 8th house will manifest his qualities. They will be the natural “rain-makers” of today and take on huge challenges and show excellence in research work. They may have knowledge of occult activities and be healers. They are ideally change management agents able to shift their lives and help others as well.
Sun in Scorpio: Emperor Akbar, Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, Nelson Mandela, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Woody Allen, Pope Jean Paul II, Gianni Versace, Bhagwan Rajneesh, Baruch Spinoza
Sun in the 8th house – Ludwig Van Beethoven, Lord Byron, Baruch Spinoza, Princess Diana, Pope John Paul II
Sun in Sagittarius (Dhanu) Dec 15th – Jan 13th
Sagittarius has the energy of Anshuman Aditya. Anshuman removes darkness and suppresses his enemies. People born with Sun in Sagittarius are quite learned and have deep respect of religion and spiritual matters. They usually excel in their chosen subject and have a liberal view of the world and will fight for justice and unity. Fairness is a quality they try to uphold.
When Sun is in Sagittarius we are blessed by the Aṁśumān aditya. The word aṁśumāt means radiant or luminous from the root word aṁśu which means a ray, a thread or a minute particle. He is the remover of darkness as he is radiant and shines forth with fifteen hundred rays. Another interpretation from Sambha Purana gives the meaning of aṁśu as pervading and love, as he pervades the entire universe with love. He likes to please all creatures. Sagittarius is the natural ninth house of dharma and virtue, therefore he is the protector of universe, respects God and the Sages. He is known for fairness, justice and sharing. He is the controller of the air element – “vayu tattva” and strengthens the pranas or life force. He bestows us with siddhis or excellence.
People with Sun in Sagittarius will be blessed by Aṁśumān aditya and will get the resources from him for sustenance in the world. People with Sun in the 9th house will manifest his qualities. They will be quite learned and have deep respect of religion and spiritual matters. They usually excel in their chosen subject and have a liberal view of the world and will want justice and unity to prevail. Fairness is a quality, they try to uphold.
People with Sun in Sagittarius – Ludwig Van Beethoven, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharishi, Swami Vivekananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mao Tse-tung, Christian Lagarde, Steven Spielberg, Louis Pasteur, Simon De
People with Sun in the 9thhouse – Mother Teresa,Angela Merkel, Christian Lagarde, Nelson Mandela, Julian Assange
Sun in Capricorn (Makara) Jan 14th – Feb 11th
Sun in Capricorn is blessed by Bhaga Aditya. Bhaga means a patron of good fortune, happiness, welfare and prosperity. Bhaga also means dignified or majestic or possessing excellence and it is from this the word bhagavān – the adorable or divine one is derived. The word bhagavān is also one who has the all the auspicious six attributes or the shad gunas – jñāna (knowledge), shakti (energy), balā (strength), aishvarya (sovereignty or wealth), vīrya (vigour), and tejas (radiance or splendour). Bhaga aditya can bestows us with all or one of these kinds of wealth depending on our nature. The word Bhaga is also said to be derived from the root bhaj (भज्) which means devoted. Therefore he is a great karma yogi. However he can be unbending in nature and it was said in Shiva Maha Purana that he was blinded by Nandi, the mount and guard of Shiva for partaking the fruits of the yajña arranged by Daksha who was the father-in-law of Shiva, where Sati (wife of Shiva) immolated herself.
People with Sun in Capricorn will be blessed by Bhaga aditya and will get the resources from him for sustenance in the world. People with Sun in the 10th house will manifest his qualities. They are industrious and unyielding in their goals. They are interested in a good life and comforts that are rightfully earned. As Sun in the 10th house has directional strength, they are also blessed by the digpala devata Indra- the King of Heavens. They excel in their professions and rise to the top levels naturally. However, they can be accused of having tunnel vision. They can be ruthless about their goals and overly concerned about their getting their share. An afflicted Sun in the 10th especially when conjunct with nodes also gives rise to the problems of the weakness of Indra illustrated earlier explaining Indra Aditya– of certain kind of temptation which can lead to a grand fall.
People with Sun in Capricorn –Franklin D Roosevelt, Nicholas Sarkozy, Paul Newman, Lord Byron
People with Sun in the 10th house – Benito Mussolini, Donald Trump, Albert Einstein
Sun in Aquarius (Khumbha) Feb 12th – Mar 13th
Aquarius carries the energy of Tvashtra Aditya who is the celestial architect who is supposed to have created the world and the Maya (illusion) surrounding it. Tvaṣṭṛ literally means the maker of carriages or a carpenter. He is skilled with tools and the maker of divine implements for both devas (divine) and asuras (demonic forces), hence a diplomat. He is known for making the weapon of Indra, the King of Heavens called the Vajra or thunderbolt. Another meaning of Tvaṣṭā from the Sambha Purana is from the root word tuṣ (तुष्) meaning pleasing. He is happy and content, he goes about creating all the people. The Purana goes on to further say that he is the in
dweller in all plants in forests and also of all medicinal herbs. He is the guardian of Soma and the sign Aquarius is known as “kumbha” which is a pot. In the vedic version of the story of defeat of Vritra the demon, Indra had drunk a large volume of Soma at Tvaṣṭā’s house to empower himself before facing Vritra. All the drugs and medicines are manufactured in Aquarius. In another version of this story Vritra was indeed created by Tvaṣṭā to avenge the death of his sun Trisiras . Tvaṣṭā thus is an innovator, a creator and is highly skilled. He is a karma yogi or considers work as worship.
People with Sun in Aquarius will be blessed by Tvaṣṭṛ aditya and will get the resources from him for sustenance in the world. People with Sun in the 11th house will manifest his qualities. They are endowed with creative intelligence and they are capable of mesmerising the world by their work or inventions. They are usually very diplomatic and will engage with all sides. They will have an interest in weapons and warfare. They will be skilled with their hands.
People with Sun in Aquarius – Steve Jobs, Alan Greenspan, Michael Gorbachov, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, George Harrison, Ariel Sharon, Michael Jordan
People with Sun in the 11th house – Gregory Peck, Michael Jordan, Napoleon Bonaparte
Sun in Pisces (Mina) Mar 13th – April 12th
Pisces has the energy of Vishnu Aditya. Viṣṇu is from the root word viṣ (विष्) means to pervade and he is all pervasive. He is the personification of the light and of the sun. He is the foremost amongst the adityas as Krishna declared in chapter 11 of Bhagavat Gita “of the all the Adityas I am Viṣṇu”. He helps us in our path to enlightenment as Pisces is the natural 12th house of renunciation and the moolatrikona of Ketu the significator of liberation.
The sign Pisces is symbolised by the two fishes swimming around, one going up and one going around. The fish going up represents liberation and the one going down indicates the path of materialism or samsara. Both paths are equally possible. Pisces has the energy of the spring season – the world waking from slumber and the days lengthening with the spring equinox. It indicates the choices – we can awaken from the illusion of the world or get equally entangled with the illusions of the world.
Viṣṇu Aditya is also the destroyer of the asuras (demonic forces). The root word viṣ also means to subdue and one is reminded of the story of mighty asura king Mahabali who ruled the entire universe and the gods had lost their power. One day Viṣṇu disguised as a Vamana, the dwarf Brahmin visited the court of Bali and begged of him as much land as he could step over in three paces. The king granted the ridiculously modest request. Assuming a gigantic form, Vamana with one step covered the whole earth, and with the second step the space between the between earth and heaven. As there was nowhere left to go, the demon king realising that Vamana was none other than the Viṣṇu, lowered his head and suggested Vamana place his foot on it for the promised third step. Vamana placed his third step on Bali’s head and thereby restoring the balance between devas and the asuras – divine and demonic forces.
In this form Vishnu is also known as Trivikrama as one who has conquered the world in three steps. One can worship Trivikrama to get rid of tyrants and bullies. This story also teaches us that there is always underlying covert action in Pisces or the 12th house and a lot of politicians have their Sun in the 12th house. The energy of subduing is also present in the spring season, which is essentially a mating season as the Sun in Pisces is the harbinger of this season.
People with Sun in Pisces will be blessed by Viṣṇu aditya and will get the resources from him for sustenance in the world. People with Sun in the 12th house will manifest his qualities. A person with Sun in Pisces is usually very intelligent and creative. They are great achievers and to reach a common good, a person with Sun in Pisces can take a huge risks disproportionate with the resources. There is always a secret agenda.
People with Sun in Pisces – John Sebastian Bach, Albert Einstein, Gregory Peck
People with Sun in 12th– Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mahatma Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, George W Bush, Tony Blair, Madonna
| House No | Sign | Aditya | Qualities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aries | Dhatr | Leader, creative ability,knowledge, changes order |
| 2 | Taurus | Aryaman | Nobleman, lineage, ancestors, marriage |
| 3 | Gemini | Mitra | Friend, enforcer of contracts, mental suffering |
| 4 | Cancer | Varuna | Controller of seas, wise, punishment, tireless worker |
| 5 | Leo | Indra | King, protects, vanquishes enemies, controller of senses, teacher |
| 6 | Virgo | Vivasvan | Bright, effulgent, service, work ethic, spiritual upliftment |
| 7 | Libra | Pusan | Giver of cattle wealth, business, journeys, questions, trap |
| 8 | Scorpio | Parjanya | Transforms, purifies, secret skills, Knowledge |
| 9 | Sagittarius | Anshuman | Dispeller of darkness, equity, excellence, protects intellectuals |
| 10 | Capricorn | Bhaga | Prosperous, inheritance, karma yogi, unbending nature, industrious |
| 11 | Aquarius | Tvashtra | Creative intelligence, skilful, diplomat, innovator |
| 12 | Pisces | Vishnu | Protector of the universe, gambler, deception, moksha |
The purpose of the soul is strengthened by associations with the ascendant or the ascendant lord. In the final analysis, one has to look at the Sun’s honour and dignity (afflictions and yoga) and also the asterism the Sun is placed in.