Karma and discipline
Responsibility, patience, structure, duty and the results of past action.
Navagraha · Shani
Saturn in Vedic Astrology
Discipline, karma, hard work, delay and endurance.
Shani is the slowest of the visible grahas and the lord of karma and time. It teaches through delay, responsibility and limitation, and rewards persistence, honesty and service. Feared for Sade Sati, Saturn is also the planet of lasting achievement: what it gives late, it gives to keep.
Shani · Saturn
- Rules
- Capricorn, Aquarius
- Exalted
- Libra
- Dasha
- 19 yrs
- Day
- Saturday
- Gem
- Blue sapphire
- Nature
- Malefic
Free calculator
Find your Saturn sign
Your Saturn sign is the sidereal sign Saturn occupied at birth. Saturn spends about two and a half years in each sign.
What you'll see
- Your sidereal Saturn sign and exact degree (Lahiri)
- Its nakshatra and pada, and the house it occupies
- Dignity: exalted, own sign, debilitated, combust or retrograde
- When your Saturn Mahadasha and Antardasha run
- A reading for your exact sign and house
Where is Saturn now?
Sidereal (Lahiri), IST · updated 18 Oct 2026, 2:15 am
Now in
♓ Pisces (Meena)
16.04° · Uttara Bhadrapada pada 4 · Neutral sign · Retrograde ℞
Entered Pisces
29 Mar 2025, 9:45 pm
Next: Aries
3 Jun 2027, 5:28 am
Retrograde since 27 Jul 2026. Next station: turns direct on 11 Dec 2026, 6:00 am in Pisces.
Understand Shani
What does Saturn represent?
Work and endurance
Labour, perseverance, service, workers and long-term, slowly built success.
Time and detachment
Age, delay, solitude, loss and the maturity that comes through them.
| Personality | Discipline, patience, seriousness, frugality, endurance, humility, pessimism |
|---|---|
| People | Servants and workers, the elderly, labourers, the poor, uncles on the father's side |
| Body | Bones and joints, teeth, legs and knees, nerves, chronic illness, ageing |
| Work | Labour, manufacturing, mining, oil, agriculture, law, administration, real estate, service |
At a glance
Saturn (Shani) facts
| Sanskrit names | Shani, Shanaishchara, Manda, Sauri |
|---|---|
| Rules | Capricorn (Makara), Aquarius (Kumbha) |
| Exaltation | Libra (Tula), deepest at 20° |
| Debilitation | Aries (Mesha), deepest at 20° |
| Moolatrikona | Aquarius 0°–20° |
| Friends | Mercury, Venus |
| Neutral | Jupiter |
| Enemies | Sun, Moon, Mars |
| Aspects | 3rd, 7th, 10th houses from itself |
| Directional strength (Dig Bala) | 7th house |
| Nakshatras ruled | Pushya, Anuradha, Uttara Bhadrapada |
| Vimshottari Mahadasha | 19 years |
| Nature | Natural malefic (krura); tamasic |
| Gender | Neutral (napumsaka) |
| Element | Air (Vayu) |
| Day | Saturday (Shanivar) |
| Colour | Black, dark blue |
| Gemstone | Blue sapphire (Neelam); only after careful chart analysis. Traditional association; suitability depends on the whole chart. |
| Metal | Iron |
| Direction | West |
| Movement | About 2½ years in each sign; retrograde for about 4½ months every year |
Sign by sign
Saturn in the 12 signs
Sidereal signs. A full reading also weighs the house, aspects, conjunctions and the dasha.
Saturn in Aries (Mesha)Debilitated
Debilitated. Frustration with slow results and authority; impatience fights discipline. Neecha bhanga can turn it into hard-won strength.
Saturn in Taurus (Vrishabha)Friendly sign
Practical, steady and patient; slow wealth building through land, agriculture or finance.
Saturn in Gemini (Mithuna)Friendly sign
Serious, methodical thinker; good for research, writing and technical communication. Worry is the shadow.
Saturn in Cancer (Karka)Enemy sign
Emotional restraint and heavy family duties; security may come late. Care for the mother and home.
Saturn in Leo (Simha)Enemy sign
Conflict between ego and duty, or with the father and authority; leadership is earned through hard work.
Saturn in Virgo (Kanya)Friendly sign
Meticulous and hard-working; excellent for service, health, accounts and detailed work. Anxiety needs managing.
Saturn in Libra (Tula)Exalted
Exalted. Fair, balanced, disciplined and just; strong for law, administration and lasting partnerships.
Saturn in Scorpio (Vrishchika)Enemy sign
Deep, private, resilient and investigative; capable of transformation through hardship.
Saturn in Sagittarius (Dhanu)
Philosophical discipline; serious about belief, law and teaching. Can be dogmatic.
Saturn in Capricorn (Makara)Own sign
Own sign. Ambitious, organised and enduring; builds structures and careers that last.
Saturn in Aquarius (Kumbha)Own sign · MT
Own sign and moolatrikona. Humanitarian, scientific and organised; works for society, systems and groups.
Saturn in Pisces (Meena)
Spiritual discipline and service to others; can feel isolated or uncertain. Retreat and devotion suit.
House by house
Saturn in the 12 houses
Houses counted whole-sign from the Lagna. Needs a birth time.
- 1st houseSerious, mature and hard-working from a young age; health and confidence improve with time.
- 2nd houseSlow, steady wealth and careful speech; family responsibilities may come early.
- 3rd houseStrong placement: perseverance, courage through endurance and success after effort.
- 4th houseHeavy domestic duties or delayed happiness at home; property gained late but kept.
- 5th houseSerious intelligence; children may come late or be few. Learning is slow but deep.
- 6th houseExcellent: defeats enemies, good for service, law and health work; long-term resilience.
- 7th houseDirectional strengthDirectional strength: a mature, dutiful partner; marriage may be delayed but stable.
- 8th houseLong life with chronic issues to manage; interest in research, occult and inheritance.
- 9th housePractical faith; may differ with father or teachers. Wisdom comes through experience.
- 10th houseAmbitious, disciplined career that rises steadily; authority earned through work.
- 11th houseVery good: steady gains, influential older friends and fulfilment of long-held goals.
- 12th houseExpenses, isolation or foreign life; spiritual discipline and service bring peace.
Read the whole chart
When is Saturn strong or weak?
Strong
Exalted in Libra, in its own signs Capricorn or Aquarius, in the 3rd, 6th or 11th house, or in the 7th with directional strength.
Weak or afflicted
Debilitated in Aries, combust, with the Moon (Vish yoga) or the Sun, or afflicting the Lagna or Moon without support.
Planetary periods
Saturn Mahadasha (19 years)
Work, responsibility and karma. Nineteen years that build lasting structures through patience and sometimes through hardship.
Often brings
- Steady career growth and authority earned through work
- Property, land or long-term assets
- Discipline, maturity and stability
- Rewards for past effort
Can challenge
- Delays, obstacles and heavy responsibilities
- Joint, bone or chronic health problems
- Loneliness or pessimism
- Strain with elders or employers
Best used for
- Long-term projects and careers
- Real estate and infrastructure
- Building habits and discipline
Traditional practices
Remedies for Saturn
Shared as cultural and devotional practice, not as a substitute for medical, financial or legal advice.
Beej mantra
Om Praam Preem Praum Sah Shanaischaraya Namah
- Recite the Hanuman Chalisa or Shani Stotra on Saturdays
- Light a sesame-oil lamp under a peepal tree on Saturdays
- Serve the elderly, workers and the poor
- Keep honest dealings and steady routines
Gemstones are powerful in tradition and should only be chosen after studying the whole chart, never from one placement.
Common questions
Saturn FAQs
What is Sade Sati?
The roughly 7½ years when Saturn transits the 12th, 1st and 2nd signs from your Moon sign. It brings responsibility and tests patience, and often maturity and achievement as well.
Is Saturn always bad?
No. Saturn is a yoga karaka for Taurus and Libra Lagnas and gives excellent results in the 3rd, 6th and 11th houses. It delays rather than denies.
Should I wear a blue sapphire for Saturn?
Only after careful analysis of the whole chart. Blue sapphire is considered powerful and is not recommended from a sign or Sade Sati alone.
Which sign does Saturn rule?
Saturn (Shani) rules Capricorn (Makara) and Aquarius (Kumbha).
Where is Saturn exalted and debilitated?
Saturn is exalted in Libra (Tula), most deeply at 20°, and debilitated in Aries (Mesha). Dignity is one factor; house, aspects and the dasha also shape results.
How long is Saturn Mahadasha?
19 years in the Vimshottari system. Each of its nine Antardashas lasts in proportion to its lord's own Mahadasha years.
Which nakshatras does Saturn rule?
Pushya, Anuradha, Uttara Bhadrapada. People born with the Moon in these nakshatras begin life in Saturn Mahadasha.
Where is Saturn now?
On 18 Oct 2026 Saturn is in sidereal Pisces at 16.0°, in Uttara Bhadrapada nakshatra, moving retrograde. It moves into Aries on 3 Jun 2027.
Explore the other grahas
See Saturn in the context of your whole chart
Your free Kundli shows all nine grahas, their houses, aspects, yogas and your Dasha timeline.