Maṅgala (also known as Kuja, Aṅgāraka, and Bhūmi-putra — son of the Earth) is the kāraka of vitality, courage, physical strength, and the warrior’s capacity to act decisively in the face of resistance or danger. Parāśara describes him as having a youthful, red-complexioned body of moderate height, fierce and energetic disposition, and pitta-dominant constitution that burns bright and intense. As a natural malefic (pāpa graha), Mars operates through assertion, directness, and the willingness to create or accept conflict in pursuit of a goal. Unlike Saturn’s cold, contracting malefic quality, Mars’s maleficence is hot, expansive, and immediately visible.
The kārakatva of Maṅgala encompasses: younger brothers, courage (śaurya), vitality (tejas), blood and the circulatory system, the right ear, the muscular system, bone marrow, weapons, surgery, fire, lands (particularly agricultural land and real estate), copper, red coral, forests, enemies, and disputes. In a natal chart, Mars’s house position indicates where the native applies their will with the most direct and potentially aggressive force. Mars in the first house produces a highly energetic, competitive, sometimes combative personality; in the seventh, it can challenge partnerships through excessive assertion; in the tenth, it often produces success through competitive, physically demanding, or technically demanding work.
The distinction between Mars in Meṣa and Mars in Vṛścika captures the two faces of its rulership: Meṣa-Mars is outward, direct, and immediate in its aggression; Vṛścika-Mars is inward, strategic, and capable of sustained, hidden pressure. The moolatrikona in Meṣa (0°–12°) represents Mars at its most authentic expression. Exaltation in Makara at 28° is significant: in the sign of Saturn’s most practical, structured expression, Mars’s energy is disciplined and directed toward long-term, concrete achievement — the warrior who learns strategy and patience. Debilitation in Karka at 28° places Mars in the most emotionally sensitive, family-oriented, and indirect of signs, where its natural directness becomes anxious, overly protective, or channeled into domestic conflict.
Maṅgala’s role in timing is significant through the Daśā system: the Maṅgala Mahādaśā spans 7 years in the Viṃśottarī Daśā sequence and typically produces a period of intense activity, competitive engagement, physical exertion, and often significant change through the area of life governed by Mars’s house and sign position. The classical texts note that Mars periods are particularly significant for surgeries, land transactions, property acquisitions, legal disputes, athletic endeavors, and military service — all the domains where the Martian cutting and shaping force is most directly applicable.
Mythologically, Maṅgala is identified as the son of Bhūmi Devī (Earth goddess), born when Lord Viṣṇu in his Varāha (boar) avatāra rescued the Earth from the cosmic waters. This origin myth is significant: Mars’s connection to earth (as its offspring) explains its association with land, agriculture, and real estate in classical Jyotiṣa. As Bhūmi-putra, Mars carries a certain elemental quality — raw, foundational, connected to the most basic material realities of physical existence. The Skanda Purāṇa describes Maṅgala as a red-complexioned deity carrying spear and mace, residing in Meṣa and Vṛścika.
In Praśna Jyotiṣa, the condition of Maṅgala is critical for questions involving disputes, competitions, surgery, property matters, younger brothers, and physical health challenges. A strong Mars indicates the querent has the energy, courage, and decisiveness to address the matter effectively; an afflicted Mars suggests impulsive errors, physical vulnerability, or the presence of genuine adversaries whose resistance must be carefully assessed. Mars’s conjunction with or opposition to the Moon in a Praśna chart is particularly notable — it can indicate emotional volatility, conflict in domestic settings, or a charged situation requiring careful de-escalation.