Sanskrit: “elephant and lion”
Jupiter placed in a kendra from the Moon — the same sign as the Moon, or the 4th, 7th or 10th from it.
Only the angular relationship between Jupiter and the Moon matters — the Lagna is not involved in the basic formulation. Since there are four qualifying positions out of twelve, the base rate is one in three before any other condition is applied. Any source presenting Gajakesari as rare or special is either using a stricter variant or overselling.
Intelligence, respect, generosity and a reputation that endures; one of the most frequently cited yogas in popular astrology.
The variable that actually differentiates instances is Jupiter’s condition. Jupiter exalted in Cancer conjunct the Moon is a genuinely strong reading; Jupiter debilitated in Capricorn seven signs from the Moon satisfies the same rule and means very little. Check dignity, combustion and aspect before attaching any weight to the yoga at all.
Jupiter combust, debilitated, or closely afflicted by Rahu, Saturn or Mars is widely held to hollow out the yoga. A Moon that is dark — within a few degrees of the Sun — weakens the other half of the pairing, which is the condition most often overlooked.
Jupiter and Moon dashas and antardashas. Jupiter mahadasha runs sixteen years and the Moon’s ten, so most carriers get a meaningful window at some point.
A stricter school requires Jupiter to be in a kendra from both the Moon and the Lagna, and some add that Jupiter must be unafflicted and dignified. Applied together those conditions reduce the yoga from roughly a third of charts to a small fraction, which is a good illustration of how much the rule set chosen determines the result.
Jupiter is in a kendra from the Moon in roughly a third of all charts, so this is close to unremarkable on its own. It means considerably more when Jupiter is also dignified and unafflicted.
Our free kundli checks for Gajakesari Yoga deterministically from your birth chart and will tell you plainly whether it is present — and will never claim it when it isn't.
Create your free kundliA note on how to hold any of this: a yoga is one feature of a chart among many, and no combination decides a life on its own. Classical texts frequently disagree on exact conditions, and a yoga’s effects are traditionally read as arriving during the dasha periods of the planets involved rather than continuously. Be particularly wary of any reading that names a difficult yoga and then offers to sell you the cure.
Chandra-Mangala Yoga · Sunapha Yoga · Anapha Yoga · Durudhara Yoga · Adhi Yoga