Surya: The Sun as Soul and Sovereign

Surya, the Sun, is the first of the nine grahas, the moving bodies of Vedic astrology. Jyotisha counts nine rather than the modern planets: the seven classical bodies plus the two lunar nodes. Surya's presiding deity is Surya himself, its gemstone is the ruby, its element is fire, and its period in the Vimshottari dasha system is six years. In jyotisha Surya signifies the soul (atman), the father, vitality, status, and authority. It is classed as a mild malefic because its heat and brilliance overwhelm what stands too near it, a planet within a few degrees of the Sun is said to be combust and weakened.

Surya rules the sign Simha (Leo) and is exalted in Mesha (Aries). Its condition in a chart is weighed for questions of health, confidence, and the relationship with the father and with power. These are the tradition's significations rather than astronomy; the underlying body is the star at the centre of the solar system.