Dhanus, the Bow, spans 240° to 270° of the sidereal zodiac and is the second fire sign ruled by Guru (Jupiter), completing the triad of fire rāśis with a mutable, philosophical quality quite distinct from Meṣa’s cardinal fire or Siṃha’s fixed solar authority. It is a male (puruṣa) sign of the kṣatriya varṇa, rising from the back (pṛṣṭhodaya), agni (fire) tattva, dual (dvisvabhāva) quality. The archer symbolism is precise: Dhanus seeks far horizons, aims at distant targets (philosophical, geographical, spiritual), and possesses the Jupiterian enthusiasm to draw the bow repeatedly regardless of whether previous arrows found their mark.
Guru (Jupiter) rules Dhanus and in this sign expresses its expansive, philosophical, and dharma-oriented dimensions most fully. Where Mīna (Pisces) is Jupiter’s moist, compassionate, dissolving expression, Dhanus is Jupiter’s fiery, enthusiastic, seeking expression — the teacher who inspires through vision rather than through structure, the traveler who discovers truth through direct encounter rather than through contemplation. The classical texts consistently associate Dhanus with religion, philosophy, higher learning, foreign travel, and the nine (dharma) house significations.
The nakṣatras spanning Dhanus are Mūla (240°–253°20’), Pūrvāṣāḍhā (253°20’–266°40’), and the first pāda of Uttarāṣāḍhā (266°40’–270°). Mūla — presided over by Nirṛtti (the goddess of dissolution) and ruled by Ketu — occupies the opening degrees with a quality of fundamental investigation: the root-seeking impulse that goes to the very origin of things, willing to uproot what others leave safely buried. Pūrvāṣāḍhā’s Venusian energy in the middle degrees brings enthusiasm, optimism, and an aesthetic appreciation for life’s journey.
Dhanus occupies the ninth house position in the natural zodiac — the highest of the trikona (trinal) houses, associated with fortune (bhāgya), dharma (right conduct), spiritual guidance, the father, and the guru. Planets in Dhanus tend to express in grand, generous, sometimes grandiose terms; they seek significance, meaning, and the widest possible context for their activities. The dual quality means that Dhanus planets can see both the forest and the trees — but may sometimes shift between the two without fully grounding either perspective.
In Praśna Jyotiṣa, Dhanus lagna is favorable for questions about long journeys, foreign matters, higher education, spiritual guidance, legal proceedings (ninth house also governs dharma and justice), and questions of belief or faith. The strength and placement of Guru in such a chart determines whether the querent’s dharmic impulse will find effective support. Muhūrta elections with Dhanus involvement are favorable for religious ceremonies, educational initiations, long journeys, and court proceedings — matters where fortune (bhāgya) plays a decisive role.