Signs · 4 of 12
Cancer (Karka) in Vedic astrology
The 4th sign: water, movable, ruled by Moon.
- Sanskrit
- Karka कर्क
- Ruled by
- Moon
- Element
- Water
- Quality
- Movable (chara)
- Gender
- Female (even sign)
- Direction
- North
- Body (Kalapurusha)
- Chest and heart
- Rising
- Rises hind-first (prishthodaya)
- Nakshatras
- Punarvasu (pada 4), Pushya, Ashlesha
Cancer in Jyotish
Cancer is the 4th sign of the zodiac, 30° from 90° to 120° of the sidereal zodiac. It is a water sign, movable (chara), and ruled by Moon. In the body of the Kalapurusha, the cosmic person whose body is the zodiac, it is the chest and heart.
Jupiter is exalted here (most strongly at 5°); Mars is debilitated here (most deeply at 28°).
A movable sign starts things and moves on; a water sign is emotional and receptive. As your lagna or Moon sign, Cancer colours the whole chart with these qualities and with the nature of Moon.
Cancer as your Moon sign or lagna
Read your Cancer horoscope, or check whether Cancer is your Moon sign or your ascendant. Chapter 2 of our course, the 12 signs, explains how the signs work together.
Sources: Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and Phaladeepika for the signs, planets and houses; Muhurta Chintamani for the nakshatra classes and the guna milan attributes. Wording is our own.