Influence of Nakshatras and Planets on the Human Body
The Navgrahas of Astrology
There are nine planets in astrology which are the deciding celestial body in determining how a person’s life would turn out to be. These planets are not the nine planets of the solar system, and hence to differentiate them they are called as the navgrahas, where nav means nine. So navgrahas literally means nine planets.
Astrology considers the sun and the moon as planets. At the same time, distant planets such as Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are not included. Earth itself is also not included as a planet because it is considered to be the focal point of the universe in astrology. Important additions to the list of the navgrahas are Rahu and Ketu, which represent the head and the tail of a banished demon into space, respectively. Hence, the navgrahas are the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.
These nine planets determine various aspects of the person’s body. Astrology has deeply studied the correlation of the navgrahas with different spiritual and physical aspects of the person’s body. The following chart will help to understand which the parts of the body represented by the navgrahas are.
| Planet in Astrology | Western Name | Body Part Represented |
| Surya | Sun | Soul |
| Chandra | Moon | Mind |
| Mangala | Mars | Vitality |
| Buddha | Mercury | Nerves |
| Guru or Brihaspati | Jupiter | Heart |
| Shukra | Venus | Sex organs |
| Shani | Saturn | Feet |
| Rahu | North Lunar Node | Bones |
| Ketu | South Lunar Node | Secret parts |
The Navgrahas in the Kundali
Kundali is the birth horoscope chart that represents the positions of the nakshatras and the planets in them at the time of the birth of the person. The nakshatras are fixed in the sky, but the planets are moving. So depending on which planet lies in which nakshatra when the person is born, it would exert a positive (benefic) or negative (malefic) effect on the life of the person.
Planets are inherently benefic or malefic. The Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu are always malefic. They will have negative effects if they are present in the nakshatra of the person at the time of birth. The Moon and Mercury could be either malefic or benefic depending on circumstances. If these planets are combust or present in a weak position, then their negative effects are more prominent. Jupiter and Venus are the only planets that are always benefic.
But the situation is not as simple as it seems. Planets have their inter-relations; they also have constructive and destructive alliances. Hence, what the overall effects of the navgrahas in the final count will be will only be revealed by a careful study of the kundali.
Diseases are caused when the planets are malefic. According to Jyotish Shastra, planets that are weak, combust, debilitated, retrograde, in inimical houses or malefic are responsible for causing the diseases in a human being.
Typical Diseases of the Navgrahas
Studies over millennia have shown that the nine planets do exert unique influences on the human system. Let us see what the typical diseases that are caused by each of the navgrahas are.
| Planet | Position | Diseases Caused |
| Sun | Weak, debilitated, in inimical house or unaspected by benefics. | Bone fractures, eye problems, respiratory diseases, indigestion problems, etc. |
| Moon | Weak | Mental depression, blood diseases, colds, cough, venereal diseases, nasal inflammation, etc. |
| Mars | Weak | Marrow diseases, fevers, smallpox, swelling, boils, jaundice, blood diseases, menstrual problems, etc. |
| Mercury | Weak, combust, retrograde, in inimical house, debilitated. | Skin problems such as itching, eczema, etc., nervous system problems, speech disorders, inability to concentrate on work. |
| Jupiter | Weak, aspected with malefics, unaspected with benefics, debilitated, combust. | Obesity, diabetes. |
| Venus | Sun or Saturn is in two or twelve houses from the ascendant or the moon. | Diseases of semen, sore throat, venereal diseases, eye diseases, etc. |
| Saturn | Weak, aspected with malefics, unaspected with benefics, debilitated, combust. | Muscular pain, colds, melancholy, epilepsy, fistula, deafness, problems with the limbs, paralysis, rheumatic troubles, gastric troubles, mental problems such as dejection and sorrow, etc. |
| Rahu | Sudden unexpected attacks depending on the place where it is positioned. | Epilepsy, pox, worms, thoughts of suicide, leprosy, pains, etc. It also causes infestation of the body with spirits and ghosts. |
| Ketu | Hidden. | Mysterious pains in the body, diseases that resemble effects of curses of the previous birth. |
Some aspects of the diseases caused by the various planets must be noted quite carefully.
1. The sun represents the human soul. For this reason, it is not only the master of the solar system, but also the master of the human body. If the position of the sun is strong in the kundali of the person, then his/her body composition also would be strong.
2. The moon is a cooling planet. If its balance is proper, then the person would not find much mental problems in his/her life. On the contrary, if the moon is weak, then the person’s mind would also not function effectively.
3. Mars is a hot planet. Among the navgrahas, its status is closes to that of the sun.
4. Mercury is responsible also for natural diseases, which may not be directly related to the body. These include natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, etc. and also problems with business, family life, and such others.
5. Jupiter causes the lowest amount of diseases of any graha. Its strength in the kundali is an essential element for a person’s wellbeing.
6. Venus is also a great benefic planet. It does not cause many diseases. People with Venus in their kundali are quite lovable.
7. Saturn is the biggest cause of diseases in the human body. Most human diseases are caused due to the prevalence of Shani or Saturn in the kundali.
8. Rahu is known as a cheating planet. This is because it can attack suddenly even if it was not in the chart before.
9. Similarly, Ketu is called as a hidden planet. It is very difficult to predict the presence of Ketu before the affliction actually strikes