What Is a Combust Planet?
Every planet, as it goes round the zodiac, now and then comes close to the Sun. Inside a certain distance its light is drowned in the Sun's, it can no longer be seen at dawn or dusk, and in Vedic astrology it is called combust, asta, literally "set". When it moves far enough away to be seen again, it is said to rise. A combust planet does not stop working, but it loses its independence: its results come weaker or late, or are taken over by the Sun, by authority, by the father, by the self.
The tables above give every combustion of the year you choose, the moment the planet becomes combust and the moment it rises, to the minute and in your own time zone, with the sign in which it happens; an R marks a combustion that falls while the planet is retrograde. Change the zodiac or the city in the strip and the tables update without reloading the page; change the year and that year's own page opens.
Combustion Distance for Each PlanetSurya Siddhanta | ||
|---|---|---|
| Planet | Combustion | Combust Within (Degrees of the Sun) |
| Jupiter | Guru Asta | 11 |
| Venus | Shukra Asta | 10 (8 when retrograde) |
| Saturn | Shani Asta | 15 |
| Mars | Mangal Asta | 17 |
| Mercury | Budh Asta | 14 (12 when retrograde) |
Each planet becomes combust at its own distance from the Sun. These are the distances of the Surya Siddhanta, followed by most Vedic almanacs; Mercury and Venus, which pass between the Earth and the Sun while retrograde, become combust a little closer at those times.
Guru Asta and Shukra Asta in Muhurta
Jupiter and Venus are the planets of marriage, children, wealth and every auspicious beginning. While either is combust, the muhurta texts close the season for marriages, engagements, house-warming, the sacred thread, mundan and the start of new study, and many families also leave a few days on each side of the combustion, when the planet is setting or has only just risen. That is why the dates of Guru Asta and Shukra Asta are among the first an almanac is opened for each year. Venus is combust for about two months once in its cycle and for a shorter spell when it is retrograde; Jupiter for about a month every year.
Combust Planets in the Birth Chart
A planet combust at birth gives the matters it rules a struggle to be seen: a combust Venus can delay marriage or make the person give more than they receive in love, a combust Jupiter can weaken faith in teachers or the flow of children and wealth, a combust Saturn can bring friction with the father or with authority. Mercury is the exception: it is combust in many charts and, joined with the Sun, often gives sharp intelligence. The strength of the planet, its sign and the houses it rules decide how much a natal combustion matters. When a planet that is combust in your chart becomes combust again in transit, its themes come up for attention.
How to Use the Combust Dates
Keep marriages, engagements and other ceremonies outside Guru Asta and Shukra Asta. Expect delays in what a combust planet rules while it lasts: paperwork and talks under a combust Mercury, money and comforts under a combust Venus, guidance and growth under a combust Jupiter. Use the time to finish and review rather than to begin, and plan the new start for the days after the planet rises. Each planet's sign changes are on its own page, such as the Jupiter transit dates and the Venus transit dates.
Combust Planets in My Own Chart
In my own chart Venus and Saturn are both combust, each within a few degrees of the Sun in Virgo and Libra. So Shukra Asta and Shani Asta are the two combustions I mark in the table every year. They are not times I fear, but times I expect the matters of those planets to slow down, and I plan around them.
