Functional Benefics and Malefics for Every Ascendant

Ascertaining which planets play the role of functional benefics and malefics for every Ascendant can sometimes be a tricky task as many a time you would figure that they happen to lord 2 houses of which one is favorable and the other not so. Also we need to consider several other factors to estimate as per the rule book before laying out a crystallized version of the planets that endow the best and worst results for each of the Lagnas. However looking at the whole picture holistically in the form of a melisma will help in classifying the results in a more refined manner.

Grouping of House Lords:
The best way to start to start this exercise would be to classify the houses into 4 groups as the planets lording a particular house has a major say in the deliverance of results. Hence let's look at the broad grouping of house rulers.
Group 1 : 1,5,9 - Trikona Lords are considered to be beneficial
Group 2 : 1,4,7,10 - Kendra Lords are considered neutral and subject to certain conditions
Group 3 : 12,2,8 - Association Lords are considered to act according to conditions
Group 4 : 3,6,11 - Trishadaya Lords are considered to be malefic

From the above list of 4 groups, on a very broad perspective we can say that planets being the lords of first 2 groups are beneficial and planets lording Groups 3&4 are maleficent. Hence house owners of 1,4,5,7,9,10 are in general considered to be good and lords of 2,3,6,8,11,12 are said to be bad. Also to note is that the order of beneficence or maleficence is based on increasing order. For instance considering the Trikona Lords, 9th is more auspicious than 5th which in turn is more beneficial than the Ascendant Lord. Likewise for the Kendras 10>7>4>1 in providing results. Same way in the association lord category 12th is less malefic to 2nd who again is less harmful than 8th which is most malefic and lastly in the Trishadaya group the 3rd is a lessor malefic compared to 6th who again is less detrimental than 11th who is said to be the most malefic of them all. We have to also keep in mind that 9th and 10th are most benefic in Group 1 and 2 respectively whereas 8th and 11th are most malefic in Group 3 and 4 respectively. Also we find that the Lagna alone is repeated both in Group 1 and 2 which is on account of being both a Trikona as well as Kendra Lord. However it should be taken into account that the Lagna Lord is always generally considered to be favorable.

Planetary Relationship:
After classifying the house lords into different groups, it's salient to also understand the planetary relationship existing between the 7 planets. We need to consider the permanent friendship and we can ignore Rahu/Ketu as they don't own any of the signs independently and only considered as co-owners. This planetary friendship is also crucial in determining the role of functional benefics and malefics. Attached below is the table of permanent friendship among the planets.

Natural Benefics and Natural Malefics:
Apart from classifying the lordship of houses into different groups and knowing about the permanent nature of relationship between planets, it's also essential to know which planets are considered to be natural benefics and malefics. This is especially important to adumbrate results further such as with regards to Kendradhipathi Dosh etc. Hence let's take a list of the natural benefics and malefics.
Natural Benefics:
Venus
Jupiter
Well Associated Mercury
Waxing Moon

Natural Malefics:
Mars
Saturn
Sun
Waning Moon
Ill Associated Mercury

We find Mercury and Moon coming in both these lists and hence warrants a need to understand the same. Mercury is said to be a benefic when associated with a natural benefic and a malefic when associated with a natural malefic. Here for the purpose of natural malefic we need to consider Rahu and Ketu also. For association we need to factor a degree span of 12° which is the key for any yoga formation. If Mercury is alone and not associated with any planet also it is to be treated as a natural benefic. With regard to Moon, the classification is more simple. If it's a waxing Moon or Shukla Paksha it is to be treated as a natural benefic whereas if it is in waning state or Krishna Paksha, it's to be considered as a natural malefic. This list is important when deducing Kendradhipathi because it's said that Natural Benefics lose their potency if they happen to be owners of a kendra.

Other Points of Consideration:
1) In Many cases planets tend to own 2 houses and in such a case the Mool Trikona placement is considered paramount and has a higher say than the other house it owns. Hence for Mars - Aries is more important than Scorpio, Venus - Libra holds a higher say than Taurus, Mercury - Virgo sign plays more crucial role than Gemini, Jupiter - Sagittarius is considered fort over Pisces and for Saturn - Aquarius is given higher priority than Capricorn.
2) When 2 planets own a good lordship and an evil lordship, the good ownership can stall the ill effects of the other planet. Here good means only under Group 1 and specifically only 5th and 9th lord as they are the only kona Lords. Lagna Lord can be factored based on which house it rules also being a Kendra Lord.
3) The 8th lord ownership of Sun and Moon is not considered to be evil. This is possible only for Capricorn Ascendant where Sun is 8th lord and Sagittarius Ascendant where Moon is 8th lord. But however if the lord of 8th simultaneously owns kama trikona lordship namely 3rd, 7th and 11th then it becomes very inauspicious.
4) Maraka houses which is the 2nd and 7th also need to be considered into the equation. A planet simultaneously holding ownership to both these houses can be troublesome and it happens especially for Movable sign Ascendants. Even in cases where only 7th ownership is held and which happens to be lorded by Natural Benefic, it also additionally attracts blemish of Kendradhipathi.
5) Rahu and Ketu are not considered in the study of Functional Benefics and Malefics. They are more influenced by their placement in the horoscope along with association and despositors.

Functional Benefics and Functional Malefics:

➜ Aries Ascendant - Ruler Mars
Functional Benefics: Mars, Jupiter, Sun
Functional Malefics: Mercury, Saturn, Venus
Functional Neutrals: Moon
Mars - Ruler of 1 and 8: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) Lord whereas 8th happens to be Associated (Group 3) Lord. Being a Trikona it's auspicious and as a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. The 8th lordship being Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is both a trikona and kendra as already seen and in good dignity. Also to note is that 1st house ownership happens to be the Mooltrikona sign. Hence Mars can be considered to be a functional benefic.
Venus - Ruler of 2 and 7: Here Venus rules an Association (Group 3) and a Kendra (Group 2) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a kendra that happens to be neutral. On account of being a natural benefic lording a kendra, Venus suffers from the blemish of Kendradhipathi. Venus treats the Lagna Lord as it's neutral. However in this scenario since both 2nd and 7th happen to be Maraka house, Venus is to be considered as a functional malefic.
Mercury - Ruler of 3 and 6: Both comes under Trishadaya (Group 4) Lordship. Mercury treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral but however on account of owning 2 dire malefic houses, Mercury becomes a first rate malefic.
Moon - Ruler of 4: Here Moon comes as a Kendra (Group 2) Lord and Kendradhipathi needs to be evaluated. Moon being a Natural Malefic is better off compared to being a Natural Benefic as blemish of Kendradhipathi will be evaded. Moon happens to be friend to the Lagna Lord but however since no Trine lordship is governed, it can at best be considered a Functional Neutral
Sun - Ruler of 5: Here Sun happens to be a Trikona (Group 1) Lord and hence happens to be extremely auspicious. Sun also happens to be friend of Lagna Lord and hence Sun is considered to be a Functional Benefic
Jupiter - Ruler of 9 and 12: Jupiter rules a Trikona (Group 1) and an Associated (Group 2) house.  Since Jupiter holds auspicious trine lordship of 9th house which is also its Mooltrikona house it is very beneficial. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is trine rulership that again makes it favorable. Jupiter also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Jupiter can be considered to be a Functional Benefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 10 and 11: Here Saturn rules a Kendra (Group 2) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Being a natural malefic owning highest 10th house kendra makes it strong. However ownership of highest 11th house Trishadya makes it highly malefic. Saturn also treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy. On account of not ruling a trine and at the same time owning most malefic 11th house makes Saturn a functional malefic.

➜ Taurus Ascendant - Ruler Venus
Functional Benefics: Saturn, Mercury
Functional Malefics: Jupiter, Moon, Venus
Functional Neutrals: Sun, Mars
Venus - Ruler of 1 and 6: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) Lord. 6th happens to be a Trishadaya (Group 4). Being a Trikona it's auspicious but as a natural benefic owning a Kendra it loses strength and suffers from the blemish of Kendradhipathi. In addition it also owns a malefic Trishadaya house which also becomes the Mool Trikona house. Even though it's the owner of Ascendant, considering the factors Venus is to be considered a functional malefic.
Mercury - Ruler of 2 and 5: Here Mercury rules an Associated (Group 3) house in addition to  a Trikona (Group 1) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a trikona that happens to be beneficial. As Lord of 5th house which also happens to be Mooltrikona it is really favorable. Mercury also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Mercury can be considered to be a functional benefic.
Moon - Ruler of 3: Here Moon stakes ownership to a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Moon treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral but however on owning a malefic house, it becomes a functional malefic.
Sun - Ruler of 4: Here Sun happens to own a Kendra (Group 2) house. It should be noted that Sun being one of the luminaries can own only one house and being a natural malefic is strong in Kendra owning also the sign of it's Mooltrikona. Sun considers the Lagna Lord to be it's enemy. However being strong Kendra Lord, Sun is to considered as a functional neutral.
Mars - Ruler of 7 and 12: Here Mars rules a Kendra (Group 2) and an Association (Group 3) house. As a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. The 12th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a kendra which is neutral and in good dignity. Mars also treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. Hence Mars can be said to be a functional neutral
Jupiter - Ruler of 8 and 11: Here Jupiter rules an Association (Group 3) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. The 8th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Ownership of highest 11th house Trishadya makes it highly malefic. In addition Jupiter also treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy. Hence Jupiter is said to be a functional malefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 9 and 10: Here Saturn rules a Trikona (Group 1) and a Kendra (Group 2) house. Being owner of highest 9th house trine it is highly beneficial and being natural malefic owning highest 10th house kendra makes it very strong. This is a combination of Raja Yogakaraka. Saturn also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Saturn is to be considered a functional benefic.

➜ Gemini Ascendant - Ruler Mercury
Functional Benefics: Venus, Saturn
Functional Malefics: Mars, Jupiter, Sun
Functional Neutrals: Mercury, Moon
Mercury - Ruler of 1 and 4: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) whereas 4th happens to be Kendra (Group 2) Lord. Being Trikona Lord Mercury will be auspicious but however Mercury being ill associated will not suffer from Kendradhipathi Dosh and in fact is better than a well associated Mercury. However being the owner of Ascendant and not ruling any house under Group 3 or 4, Mercury can be said to be a functional neutral. 
Moon - Ruler of 2: Here Moon being owner of an Associated (Group 3) House, we need to see the other house it rules which isn't applicable since Moon rules only one house. Moon treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Moon can be considered to be a functional neutral. 
Sun - Ruler of 3: Here Sun is ruler of a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Though Sun treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral but on account of owning an evil house, Sun has to be considered a functional malefic.
Venus - Ruler of 5 and 12: Venus rules a Trikona (Group 1) and an Associated (Group 2) house.  Since Venus holds auspicious trine lordship of 5th house which is also its Mooltrikona sign it is very beneficial. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is trine rulership that again makes it favorable. Venus also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Venus can be considered to be a Functional Benefic.
Mars - Ruler of 6 and 11: Here Mars owns 2 evil Trishadaya (Group 4) houses. Mars also treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy and coupled with owning 2 dire malefic houses, Mars becomes a prime functional malefic
Jupiter - Ruler of 7 and 10: Here Jupiter owns 2 kendra (Group 2). But considering the fact that Jupiter treats Lagna Lord as enemy and also suffers kendradhipathi dosh for both it's ownership, Jupiter is to be considered a functional malefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 8 and 9: Here Saturn rules an Associated (Group 3) house in addition to a Trikona (Group 1) house. The 8th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a trikona that happens to be beneficial. As Lord of 9th house which also happens to be in Mooltrikona sign it is really favorable. Saturn also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Saturn can be considered to be a functional benefic.

➜ Cancer Ascendant - Ruler Moon
Functional Benefics: Mars, Moon, Jupiter
Functional Malefics: Mercury, Venus
Functional Neutrals: Sun, Saturn
Moon - Ruler of 1: Lagna Lord Moon happens to be both a Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2). Moon doesn't own any other house. Being Trikona Lord Moon will be auspicious. It would be favorable if Moon doesn't suffer blemish of Kendradhipathi Dosh being Kendra Lord. However all things considered, being the owner of Ascendant it can said to be a functional benefic.
Sun - Ruler of 2: Here Sun being owner of an Associated (Group 3) House, we need to see the other house it rules which isn't applicable since Sun rules only one house. Sun treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Sun can be considered to be a functional neutral. 
Mercury - Ruler of 3 and 12: Mercury owns a Trishadaya (Group 4) in addition to an Association (Group 3) house. Being owner of Trishadaya it becomes a malefic. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Mercury also treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy. Hence Mercury is a functional malefic.
Venus - Ruler of 4 and 11: Here Venus rules a Kendra (Group 2) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Being a Kendra Lord, Venus suffers blemish of Kendradhipathi Dosh. As a lord of Trishadaya it becomes malefic by default. In addition Venus also treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy. Hence Venus is a prime functional malefic.
Mars - Ruler of 5 and 10: Here Mars rules a Trikona (Group 1) and a Kendra (Group 2) house. Being owner of 5th house trine it is highly beneficial and being natural malefic owning highest 10th house kendra makes it very strong. This is a combination of Raja Yogakaraka. Mars also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Mars is to be considered a functional benefic.
Jupiter - Ruler of 6 and 9: Here Jupiter rules a Trishadaya (Group 4) as well as a Trikona (Group 1) house. Being owner of a Trishadaya which also happens to be the Mooltrikona sign, it happens to be malefic. However Jupiter also rules a trine conferring it to be favorable. Jupiter also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend getting exalted in its sign. We have to consider the fact that when a planet rules a trine, it is advantageous even if it also simultaneously happens to lord an evil house. Hence Jupiter is a functional benefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 7 and 8: Here Saturn rules a Kendra (Group 2) and an Association (Group 3) house. As a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. The 8th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a kendra which happens to be neutral and in good dignity. Saturn also treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy. However since no Group 4 house ownership is involved, Saturn can be said to be a functional neutral.

➜ Leo Ascendant - Ruler Sun
Functional Benefics: Mars, Sun, Jupiter
Functional Malefics: Mercury, Venus, Saturn
Functional Neutrals: Moon
Sun - Ruler of 1: Lagna Lord Sun happens to be both a Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) . Sun doesn't own any other house. Being Trikona Lord Sun will be auspicious and as a natural malefic owning kendra it becomes strong. Hence Sun can be considered to be a functional benefic
Mercury - Ruler of 2 and 11: Here Mercury rules an Association (Group 3) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Ownership of highest 11th house Trishadya makes it highly malefic. Mercury however treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. But on account of owning a Trishadaya house with no trine influence Mercury is said to be a functional malefic.
Venus - Ruler of 3 and 10: Venus rules a Trishadaya (Group 4) and a Kendra (Group 2) house. Ownership of 3rd house makes it malefic. On account of being a natural benefic lording a kendra, Venus suffers blemish of Kendradhipathi. Venus also treats the Lagna Lord as it's enemy. Hence Venus is a functional malefic.
Mars - Ruler of 4 and 9: Mars owns both a Kendra (Group 2) and Trikona (Group 1) house. As a natural malefic being kendra Lord it becomes strong and being a trikona it is highly auspicious. This is a combination of Raja Yogakaraka. Mars also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Mars is to be considered a functional benefic.
Jupiter - Ruler of 5 and 8: Jupiter rules a Trikona (Group 1) and an Associated (Group 2) house.  Since Jupiter holds auspicious trine lordship of 5th house which is also its Mooltrikona house it is very beneficial. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is trine rulership that again makes it favorable. Jupiter also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Jupiter is to be considered a Functional Benefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 6 and 7: Saturn owns a Trishadaya (Group 4) in addition to a Kendra (Group 3) house. Being owner of Trishadaya it becomes a malefic. As a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. There is no trine influence and Saturn also considers the Ascendant Lord as its enemy. Hence Saturn is to be considered a functional malefic.
Moon - Ruler of 12: Here Moon being owner of an Associated (Group 3) House, we need to see the other house it rules which isn't applicable since Moon rules only one house. Moon treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Moon can be considered to be a functional neutral.

➜ Virgo Ascendant - Ruler Mercury
Functional Benefics: Venus, Saturn, Mercury
Functional Malefics: Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Functional Neutrals: Sun
Mercury - Ruler of 1 and 10: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) whereas 10th happens to be Kendra (Group 2) Lord. Being Trikona Lord Mercury will be auspicious but however Mercury being ill associated will not suffer from Kendradhipathi Dosh and in fact is better than a well associated Mercury. However being the owner of Ascendant and not ruling any house under Group 3 or 4, Mercury can be said to be a functional benefic. 
Venus - Ruler of 2 and 9: Here Venus rules an Associated (Group 3) house in addition to a Trikona (Group 1) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a trikona that happens to be beneficial. As Lord of 9th house it happens to be favorable. Venus also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Venus is to be considered as a functional benefic.
Mars - Ruler of 3 and 8: Here Mars owns a Trishadaya (Group 4) in addition to an Associated  (Group 3) house. Being owner of Trishadaya it becomes a malefic. The 8th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Hence Mars is to be considered as a functional malefic,
Jupiter - Ruler of 4 and 7: Here Jupiter owns 2 kendra (Group 2). But considering the fact that Jupiter treats Lagna Lord as enemy and also suffers kendradhipathi dosh for both it's ownership, Jupiter is to be considered as a functional malefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 5 and 6: Here Jupiter rules a Trikona (Group 1) as well as a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Since Saturn holds auspicious trine lordship of 5th house it is beneficial. Being owner of Trishadaya that also happens to be Mooltrikona sign it becomes heavy malefic. Saturn however treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. We have to consider the fact that when a planet rules a trine, it is advantageous even if it also simultaneously happens to lord an evil house. Hence Saturn is to be considered as a functional benefic.
Moon - Ruler of 11: Here Moon is ruler of a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Though Moon treats Lagna Lord as it's friend but on account of being owner of an evil house, Moon has to be considered a functional malefic.
Sun - Ruler of 12: Here Sun being owner of an Associated (Group 3) House, we need to see the other house it rules which isn't applicable since Sun rules only one house. Sun treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. Hence Sun can be considered to be a functional neutral. 

➜ Libra Ascendant - Ruler Venus
Functional Benefics:  Saturn, Mercury
Functional Malefics: Jupiter, Sun
Functional Neutrals: Venus, Mars, Moon
Venus - Ruler of 1 and 8: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) Lord whereas 8th happens to be Associated (Group 3) Lord. Being Lagna Lord and also a Trikona it's auspicious but as a natural benefic being Kendra Lord it loses strength and suffers from the blemish of Kendradhipathi. The 8th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is both a trikona and kendra as already seen. However unlike Taurus where Venus owns a Trishadaya Lord as it's other lord here it only owns an Associated house which is not a dire malefic. Also being Ascendant Lord of it's Mooltrikona sign, Venus is to be considered a functional neutral.
Mars - Ruler of 2 and 7: Here Mars rules an Association (Group 3) and a Kendra (Group 2) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules and being a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. Mars also treats the Lagna Lord as it's neutral. However in this case since both 2nd and 7th happen to be Maraka house, Mars is to be considered as a functional malefic.
Jupiter - Ruler of 3 and 6: Both comes under Trishadaya (Group 4) Lordship. Jupiter also treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy.Hence Jupiter becomes a first rate malefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 4 and 5: Saturn owns both a Kendra (Group 2) and Trikona (Group 1) house. As a natural malefic being kendra Lord it becomes strong and being a trikona it is highly auspicious.This is a combination of Raja Yogakaraka. Saturn also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Saturn is to be considered a functional benefic.
Mercury - Ruler of 9 and 12: Mercury rules a Trikona (Group 1) and an Associated (Group 2) house. Since Mercury holds auspicious trine lordship of 9th house it is beneficial. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is trine rulership that again makes it favorable. Mercury also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Mercury is to be considered as a Functional Benefic.

Moon - Ruler of 10: Here Moon comes as a Kendra (Group 2) Lord and Kendradhipathi needs to be evaluated. Moon being a Natural Malefic is better off compared to being a Natural Benefic as blemish of Kendradhipathi will be evaded. Moon happens to be neutral to the Lagna Lord but however since no Trine lordship is governed, it can at best be considered a Functional Neutral

Sun - Ruler of 11: Here Sun is ruler of a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Also Sun treats Lagna Lord as it's enemy. Hence Sun is to be considered a functional malefic.

➜ Scorpio Ascendant - Ruler Mars
Functional Benefics:  Jupiter, Moon, Sun
Functional Malefics: Mercury, Venus, Saturn
Functional Neutrals: Mars
Mars - Ruler of 1 and 6: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) Lord. 6th happens to be a Trishadaya (Group 4). Being Lagna Lord and also a Trikona it's auspicious and as a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. In addition it also owns a malefic Trishadaya house which happens to be the more important Mool Trikona house. However being owner of Ascendant and not containing kendra blemish, Mars is to be considered as a functional neutral.
Jupiter - Ruler of 2 and 5: Here Jupiter rules an Associated (Group 3) house in addition to  a Trikona (Group 1) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a trikona that happens to be beneficial. As Lord of 5th house it is favorable. Jupiter also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Jupiter is to be considered as a functional benefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 3 and 4: Saturn rules a Trishadaya (Group 4) and a Kendra (Group 2). Ownership of 3rd house makes it malefic. As a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. There is no involvement of trines and Saturn also treats the Lagna Lord as it's enemy. Hence Saturn is to be considered as a functional malefic
Venus - Ruler of 7 and 12: Here Venus rules a Kendra (Group 2) and an Association (Group 3) house. As a natural benefic being Kendra Lord it loses strength and suffers from the blemish of Kendradhipathi. The 12th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a kendra which happens to be neutral but suffers the blemish as seen above. Venus however treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. Considering lack of trine association toppled with Venus suffering Kendradhipathi blemish, Venus is to be considered as a functional malefic.
Mercury - Ruler of 8 and 11: Here Mercury rules an Association (Group 3) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. The 8th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Ownership of highest 11th house Trishadya makes it highly malefic. There is no trinal involvement and Mercury treating Lagna lord as it's neutral doesn't come as a saving grace. Hence Mercury is to be considered as a functional malefic.
Moon - Ruler of 9: Here Moon happens to be a Trikona (Group 1) Lord and hence happens to be extremely auspicious. Moon also happens to be friend of Lagna Lord and hence Moon is considered to be a functional benefic.
Sun - Ruler of 10: Here Sun owns the highest kendra (Group 2) house. Though there is no trinal influence Moon and Sun jointly act very favorably to this Ascendant being the 9th and 10th lord respectively. Sun also considers Mars as it's good friend. Hence Sun is a functional benefic.

➜ Sagittarius Ascendant - Ruler Jupiter
Functional Benefics:  Mars, Sun
Functional Malefics: Venus, Saturn
Functional Neutrals: Jupiter, Mercury, Moon
Jupiter - Ruler of 1 and 4: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) whereas 4th happens to be Kendra (Group 2) Lord. Being Trikona Lord Jupiter will be auspicious but suffers blemish of Kendradhipathi Dosh being lord of Kendra. However being the owner of Ascendant and not ruling any evil house it is to be considered as a functional neutral.
Saturn - Ruler of 2 and 3: Here Saturn rules an Association (Group 3) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Ownership of 3rd house makes it highly malefic. Saturn however treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. But on account of owning a Trishadaya house with no trine influence Saturn is said to be a functional malefic.
Mars - Ruler of 5 and 12: Mars rules a Trikona (Group 1) and an Associated (Group 2) house.  Since Mars holds auspicious trine lordship of 5th house which is also its Mooltrikona house it is very beneficial. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is trine rulership that again makes it favorable. Mars also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Mars is to be considered as a Functional Benefic.
Venus - Ruler of 6 and 11: Both comes under Trishadaya (Group 4) Lordship. Venus treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral but however on account of owning 2 dire malefic houses, Venus becomes a first rate malefic.
Mercury - Ruler of 7 and 10: Here Mercury owns 2 kendra (Group 2) houses. Mercury being ill associated will not suffer from Kendradhipathi Dosh and in fact is better suited than a well associated Mercury.  However Mercury on account of treating Lagna Lord as its neutral and owning highest 10th kendra that also happens to be Mooltrikona sign, Mercury is considered to be functional neutral
Moon - Ruler of 8: Here Moon being owner of an Associated (Group 3) House, we need to see the other house it rules which isn't applicable since Moon rules only one house. There is also a specific rule which says that Moon owning 8th lordship does not confer it to be a malefic.Taking this into account and also considering that Moon considers Lagna lord as its friend, Moon can at best be considered to be a functional neutral.
Sun - Ruler of 9: Here Sun happens to be a Trikona (Group 1) Lord and hence happens to be extremely auspicious. Sun also happens to be friend of Lagna Lord and hence Sun is considered to be a Functional Benefic.

➜ Capricorn Ascendant - Ruler Saturn
Functional Benefics:  Venus, Mercury
Functional Malefics: Jupiter, Mars, Moon
Functional Neutrals: Saturn, Sun
Saturn - Ruler of 1 and 2: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) Lord whereas 2nd happens to be Associated (Group 3) Lord. Being Lagna Lord and also a Trikona it's auspicious and as a natural malefic being Kendra Lord also it becomes strong. The 2nd lordship being Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is both a trikona and kendra as already seen and in good dignity. Here it's the 2nd house which is the Mooltrikona and not the Lagna.  However on being owner of Ascendant, Saturn is to considered as a functional neutral.
Jupiter - Ruler of 3 and 12: Jupiter owns a Trishadaya (Group 4) in addition to an Association (Group 3) house. Being owner of Trishadaya it becomes a malefic. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Jupiter treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. But on account of owning a Trishadaya house with no trine influence Jupiter is considered as a functional malefic.
Mars - Ruler of 4 and 11: Here Mars rules a Kendra (Group 2) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house.
As a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. As a lord of Trishadaya it becomes malefic by default. In addition Mars also treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. But on account of owning a Trishadaya house with no trine influence Mars is considered as a functional malefic.
Venus - Ruler of 5 and 10: Here Venus rules a Trikona (Group 1) and a Kendra (Group 2) house. Being owner of 5th house trine it is highly beneficial and owner of highest kendra makes it very powerful but is subject to blemish of Kendradhipathi Dosh. However on owning both a trikona and kendra, it becomes a combination for a Raja Yogakaraka.  Venus also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Venus is to be considered as a functional benefic.
Mercury - Ruler of 6 and 9: Here Mercury rules a Trishadaya (Group 4) as well as a Trikona (Group 1) house. Being owner of a Trishadaya, it happens to be malefic. However Mercury also rules a trine which is also it's Mooltrikon sign conferring it to be very favorable. Mercury treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. We have to consider the fact that when a planet rules a trine, it is advantageous even if it also simultaneously happens to lord an evil house. Hence Mercury is considered as a functional benefic.
Moon - Ruler of 7: Here Moon becomes a Kendra (Group 2) Lord and Kendradhipathi needs to be evaluated. Moon being a Natural Malefic is better off compared to being a Natural Benefic as blemish of Kendradhipathi will be evaded. Moon happens to be neutral to Lagna Lord but becomes a Maraka on account of being owner of 7th house for a Movable sign. Hence Moon is a functional malefic
Sun - Ruler of 8: Here Sun being owner of an Associated (Group 3) House, we need to see the other house it rules which isn't applicable since Sun rules only one house. There is also a specific rule which says that Sun owning 8th lordship does not confer it to be a malefic. Taking this into account and even though Sun considers Lagna lord as its enemy, Sun needs to be considered as a functional neutral.

➜ Aquarius Ascendant - Ruler Saturn
Functional Benefics:  Venus, Mercury, Saturn
Functional Malefics: Jupiter, Mars, Moon
Functional Neutrals: Sun
Saturn - Ruler of 1 and 12: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) Lord whereas 12th happens to be Associated (Group 3) Lord. Being Lagna Lord and also a Trikona it's auspicious and as a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. The Lagna sign also happens to be the Mooltrikona house. The 12th lordship being Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is both a trikona and kendra as already seen and in good dignity. Hence Saturn should be considered to be a functional benefic.
Jupiter - Ruler of 2 and 11: Here Jupiter rules an Association (Group 3) and a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Ownership of highest 11th house Trishadya makes it highly malefic. Jupiter treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. But on account of owning a Trishadaya house with no trine influence Jupiter is said to be a functional malefic.
Mars - Ruler of 3 and 10:  Mars rules a Trishadaya (Group 4) and a Kendra (Group 2) house. Ownership of 3rd house makes it malefic. As a natural malefic being Kendra Lord ruling highest 10th house, it becomes strong. Also Mars treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. But however on account of owning a Trishadaya house with no trine influence Mars is considered to be a functional malefic.
Venus - Ruler of 4 and 9: Venus owns both a kendra (Group 2) and trikona (Group 1) house. On account of owning a natural benefic lording a kendra, Venus suffers from the blemish of Kendradhipathi. It also rules an auspicious trikona house. However on owning both a kendra and trikona it becomes a combination for a Raja Yogakaraka. Venus also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Venus is to be considered as a functional benefic.
Mercury - Ruler of 5 and 8: Mercury rules a Trikona (Group 1) and an Associated (Group 3) house. Since Mercury holds auspicious trine lordship of 5th house it is beneficial. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is trine rulership that again makes it favorable.  Mercury treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. Since trine house is owned and other house owned is not a dire malefic, it can safely be assumed that Mercury can be considered to be a functional benefic.
Moon - Ruler of 6: Here Moon is ruler of a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Moon treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral but on account of being owner of an evil house, Moon has to be considered a functional malefic.
Sun - Ruler of 7: Here Sun becomes a Kendra (Group 2) Lord. As a natural malefic being Kendra Lord it becomes strong. Sun however considers Saturn to be its enemy. There is no trinal influence but by his mere presence of being a kendra lord with no maleficence, Sun becomes a functional neutral.

➜ Pisces Ascendant - Ruler Jupiter
Functional Benefics:  Mars, Moon, Jupiter
Functional Malefics: Venus, Saturn, Mercury, Sun
Functional Neutrals: 
Jupiter - Ruler of 1 and 10: Here 1 comes under both Trikona (Group 1) and Kendra (Group 2) whereas 10th happens to be Kendra (Group 2) Lord. Being Trikona Lord Jupiter will be auspicious but suffers blemish of Kendradhipathi Dosh being lord of Kendra. However being the owner of Ascendant also ruling highest kendra house and not ruling any evil house it can be said to be a functional benefic.
Mars - Ruler of 2 and 9: Here Mars rules an Associated (Group 3) house in addition to a Trikona (Group 1) house. The 2nd lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a trikona that happens to be beneficial. As Lord of 9th house it happens to be favorable. Mars also treats Lagna Lord as it's friend. Hence Mars is to be considered as a functional benefic.
Venus - Ruler of 3 and 8: Here Venus owns a Trishadaya (Group 4) in addition to an Associated  (Group 3) house. Being owner of Trishadaya it becomes a malefic. The 8th lord being an Associated Lord, we need to see the other house it rules which is a Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Hence Venus is to be considered as a functional malefic
Mercury - Ruler of 4 and 7: Here Mercury owns 2 kendra (Group 2) houses. Mercury could suffer Kendradhipathi dosh based on its association. Mercury treats Jupiter as its neutral but at the same time is also it's killer owning the 7th house. Also not having any trinal influence, Mercury is to be considered as a functional malefic
Moon - Ruler of 5: Here Moon happens to be a Trikona (Group 1) Lord and hence happens to be extremely auspicious. Moon also happens to be friend of Lagna Lord and hence Moon is considered to be a Functional Benefic
Sun - Ruler of 6: Here Sun is ruler of a Trishadaya (Group 4) house. Sun treats Lagna Lord as it's friend but on account of being owner of an evil house, Sun has to be considered a functional malefic.
Saturn - Ruler of 11 and 12: Saturn owns a Trishadaya (Group 4) in addition to an Association (Group 3) house. Being owner of Trishadaya it becomes a malefic. Being an associated lord, we need to check other ownership which is Trishadaya which makes it significantly harmful. Saturn treats Lagna Lord as it's neutral. But on account of owning a Trishadaya house with no trine influence Saturn is said to be a functional malefic.

Observation and Notes to Keep in Mind:

➤ Trikona Lordship Specialty

A Trikona Lordship (1,5,9) is always beneficial but it applies unanimously only to 5,9 ownership. Lagna (1st Lord) also happens to be a Kendra and hence it needs to be evaluated from that angle also.

➤ Special Demarcation to 10th
A) Dual Signs:
The 10th house in many cases happens to be a Yoga conferring house. Considering the Dual Ascendants for Virgo and Pisces the Lagna Lords Mercury and Jupiter happen to be Functional Benefics whereas for Gemini and Sagittarius the Lagna Lords Mercury and Jupiter only happen to be Functional Neutrals. Lagna ownership is common for all these Ascendants and each of these ascendants is susceptible to the blemish of Kendradhipathi Dosh but however Virgo & Pisces holding 10th ownership is given superior weight over Gemini & Sagittarius controlling 4th ownership.
B) Sun for Scorpio:
For Scorpio Ascendant, Sun only rules the 10th house and there is no trinal influence. But despite that it is given the status of functional benefic as it's expected to combined with the Moon who is the 9th lord conferring a Rajayoga.

➤ Impact of Kendradhipathi
A) 2nd & 7th Lords - Aries & Libra Ascendants:
For Aries, Venus rules the 2nd and 7th house whereas for Libra, Mars rules the 2nd and 7th houses. For Aries, Venus is considered as a functional malefic whereas for Libra Mars is a functional neutral. This is because for Aries, Venus being 7th Lord is exposed to the blemish of Kendradhipathi which also happens to be in it's Mooltrikona sign. This makes Venus a functional malefic for Aries. However for Libra, Mars being 7th Lord does not have the impact of Kendradhipathi. In fact, the Kendra house of Aries being also the Mooltrikona sign of Mars, it's ownership only enhances the house. Hence Mars is classified as a Functional Neutral for Libra.

B) 7th & 12th Lords - Taurus & Scorpio Ascendants:
For Taurus, Mars rules the 7th and 12th house whereas for Scorpio, Venus rules the 7th and 12th house. For Taurus Mars is  considered as a a functional neutral whereas for Scorpio Venus is a functional malefic. This is because in Taurus Ascendant, Mars rules the 7th house of Scorpio and does not have the impact of Kendradhipathi. This makes Mars a functional neutral. However for Scorpio Ascendant, Venus being the 7th Lord of Taurus is exposed to the blemish of Kendradhipathi and hence Venus is classified as a Functional Malefic for Scorpio.

➤ 6th supersedes 8th in malefic ownership - Mars & Venus Ascendants
A) Aries & Scorpio:
For the Mars ruled Ascendants namely Aries and Scorpio, apart from owning Lagna they rule the 8th and 6th respectively. For Aries, Mars is a functional benefic whereas for Scorpio Mars is only a functional neutral. This is mainly due to Aries being the Lagna Lord also happens to be the Mooltrikona sign and also when considering 8th placement being Associated Lord it will look at other house in question which is the 1st that happens to be in good dignity. For Scorpio, the Mooltrikona house becomes evil 6th house owner and increases maleficence.

B) Taurus & Libra:
Extending the principles for the Venus Ascendants namely Taurus and Libra, apart from owning Lagna they also rule the 6th and 8th respectively. For Taurus, Venus is actually a functional malefic whereas for Libra Venus is a functional neutral. This is mainly due to Libra being the Lagna Lord also happens to be the Mooltrikona sign and also when considering 8th placement being Associated Lord it will look at other house in question which is the 1st which is a Trikona and Kendra. Here however unlike Mars for Aries, Venus suffers the blemish of Kendradhipathi and hence relegated to just being a functional neutral. For Taurus however, the Mooltrikona house becomes evil 6th house owner and increases maleficence.. Also as Lagna, since it suffers the blemish of Kendradhipathi, Venus ends up becoming a functional malefic for Taurus Ascendant.

➤ 2nd supersedes 12th in malefic ownership - Saturn Ascendants
A) Capricorn & Aquarius
For the Ascendants Capricorn and Aquarius, Saturn happens to be Lagna Lord and in addition for Capricorn it also happens to be 2nd lord whereas for Aquarius it is also 12th lord. For Aquarius, Saturn is however considered to be a functional benefic whereas for Capricorn it is a functional malefic. In both cases the other Lord happens to be an Associated Lord and so it must ring a bell regarding the nomenclature of differentiation. The reason is for Aquarius, Lagna lord happens to be in it's Mooltrikona sign and the other lordship is largely dependent on Lagna Lord which is stationed favorably. For Capricorn however the Lagna Lord is not a Mooltrikona sign. Also being a movable sign the 2nd house is susceptible to being a Maraka. Hence this is the reason Saturn is more beneficial to Aquarius as compared to Capricorn.

➤ Sun & Moon as Kendras:
- Aries Ascendant - Moon is Kendra (4th lord) and it's a functional neutral
- Taurus Ascendant - Sun is Kendra (4th lord) and it's a functional neutral
- Cancer Ascendant - Moon is Kendra (1st lord) and is a functional benefic (Benefic as Lagna Lord but subject to Kendradhipathi)
- Leo Ascendant - Sun is Kendra (1st lord) and is a functional benefic
- Libra Ascendant - Moon is Kendra (10th Lord) and it's a functional neutral
- Scorpio Ascendant - Sun is Kendra (10th Lord) and is a functional benefic (Combines with Moon being 9th lord proving to be auspicious)
- Capricorn Ascendant - Moon is Kendra (7th Lord) and is functional malefic (Impact of Kendradhipathi combined with being a Maraka Lord for this Ascendant)
- Aquarius Ascendant - Sun is Kendra (7th Lord) and it's a functional neutral

Summary Table of Functional Benefics, Functional Malefics and Functional Neutrals:

Ascertaining Influence in Planetary Conjunctions!

While delineating a horoscope, one of the hardest spots to crack happens to be planetary conjunctions. It becomes tighter when the going gets tougher with planets being closely aligned with one another and it's quite an onerous task to see who influences whom more and which planet has a far reaching impact when they are all congregated nearby each other. When it's a single planet sitting in a sign, results are always easier to decipher whereas when 2 of them combine it gets murkier and in situations where you have 3 or more planets close by the intricacies really start sizing up.

There is also a notion of conjunctions to be taking place only when planets are placed within the same zodiac sign. This is not entirely true as planets are ever revolving and we cannot really attribute it to the zodiac sign or house concept which is fixed in nature. For instance if Planet A is at 2° and Planet B is at 26° in the same sign say Capricorn, we tend to brand it as a conjunction whereas let's say there is a Planet C placed in the previous sign of Sagittarius at 29° we don't really always take Planet A & C to be conjunct despite them being just 3 degrees apart. To explain this with a simple illustration, we can consider a horoscope to be equivalent of a large building consisting of 12 storeys or compartments. These compartments are fixed in nature like the zodiac signs in the sky whereas these compartments will consist of a number of objects which get moved from one part of the building to another part. These objects correspond to the Planets which are always movable in nature from one place to another. Hence we cannot really categorize conjunctions only when planets fall in the same sign and in essence the distance between the planets matter a lot irrespective of the zodiac sign in which they are placed.

Now coming to the real deal, so how do we then evaluate planetary conjunctions? One factor to always keep in the back of the mind is the planetary table of friendship to know which of the planets maintain a friendly, inimical or neutral relationship with their respective counterparts. Secondly the difference in the degrees also matter a lot. Like in the above example of 2 planets sitting in the same sign but being well over 20 degrees from each other certainly doesn't suggest a conjunction since they happen to be too far and don't necessarily warrant an influence over one another. Additionally also it would be prudent to see the direction in which the planets are moving whether in forward mode or undergoing a retrogression movement. Let's now look at some key characteristics at play to understand planetary influence in conjunctions.

Strength of Planets:
This is absolutely essential to consider for evaluating planetary influence. The strongest to weakest planets of the Navagrahas are given as under:
Ketu -> Rahu -> Sun -> Moon -> Venus -> Jupiter -> Mercury -> Mars -> Saturn

This is backed by a verse from 'Hora Sara' that states "The strength of Mars is double of Saturn's. Mercury is four times stronger than Mars. Jupiter is eight times stronger than Mercury. Venus has eight times more strength than that of Jupiter. The Moon is sixteen times stronger than Venus, the Sun twice of the Moon and Rahu's strength is twice of the Sun's and hence Rahu is the strongest of the planets". This is also corroborated in Uttara Kalamrita which assigns points to the planets for Indu Lagna Calculation as such; Sun - 30, Moon - 16, Venus - 12, Jupiter - 10, Mercury - 8, Mars - 6 and Saturn - 1. The Indu Lagna calculations doesn't include Rahu & Ketu whereas in the verse above it's clearly stated that Rahu is more powerful than Sun. It clearly makes sense because as per mythology and also astronomy, it's mentioned that Rahu & Ketu are capable of swallowing both the Sun & Moon and it's only due to the phenomenon of the Nodes that eclipses even get formed. Between Rahu and Ketu however they are one and the same with the head portion denoting Rahu and body portion depicting Ketu. In astrological parlance however Ketu is said to be the strongest of them because it is said to be associated with a 5 faced snake and hence more powerful than Rahu but however this information as to which of the nodes is stronger isn't really relevant as they are always 180° apart and the major essence to take away is that the Nodes happen to be the strongest among the Navagrahas. Also to be kept in mind is that this is only planetary strength and there is no mention of degrees which have an important bearing with respect to planetary influence.

Asthanga and Samagama - Solar and Lunar Combustion:
When planets are within a particular distance of the Sun, they are said to lose their power and said to be in a combust or Ashtanga state. The planets are said to be obscured by the Sun and their rays don't fully land on the earth. It has been clearly defined also in texts about the degrees in which they are said to be combust. Solar Combustion takes place only when the planets Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn are involved. Since Moon is always closer to the Earth, combustion doesn't apply and likewise Nodes are only shadow points and do not possess rays of any kind. Listed below are the degrees in which planets gets combust when they are close to Sun:
Mars 17°
Mercury 14°, 12° when retrograde
Jupiter 11°
Venus 10°, 8° when retrograde
Saturn 15°

Similar to Ashtanga, when the planets get closer to the Moon it is said to cause a phenomenon called 'Samagama' or Lunar Combustion. Since the Moon is always closer to earth, when any planet comes close to the Moon, it automatically means these planets in essence are also very close to the Earth. There is however no defined degrees of Lunar Combustion when planets get close to the Moon but however it re-iterates the theory that Moon is stronger than all the other planets when in a state of conjunction. Similar to Ashtanga, Samagama does not include Sun, Rahu & Ketu.

Planetary War or Graha Yuddha:
When 5 planets barring the luminaries and nodes viz Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn come within 1º distance from each other it is said to cause 'Planetary War' or 'Graha Yudha'. This concept doesn't utilizes the Sun, Moon, Rahu & Ketu and this only occurs when the 5 planets get extremely close ie within a degree distance of each other. Here again, it is stated that Venus never loses in a planetary war when associated with the other 4 planets again harping on the strength order of planets that Venus happens to be the strongest planet after the Nodes and the Luminaries. The victor in Planetary War sans Venus who always wins is decided based on the Latitude of the planets with the planet having more Northern Latitude said to come out on top and be the winner.

Yoga Formation within 12°:
This is a very important principle. It is stated in Uttara Kalamritam that when any 2 planets cause a yoga whether good or bad, it should be seen only when they are within 12° from each other. 12° can also be interpreted as One Tithi and this number is extremely pivotal in ascertaining results. It has also been stated that for effects to fructify, it is quite essential that planet slower in motion is ahead of the planet which is faster in motion. The slowest to fastest motion of the planets are as below:
Saturn -> Rahu/Ketu -> Jupiter -> Mars -> Sun -> Venus -> Mercury -> Moon

Thus we can witness during conjunction of planets which are within 12°, the faster planet should be behind and the slower planet should be ahead for it to be effective. This is also termed as an 'lthasala Yoga' and said to be benefic in general when a faster planet with less longitude is behind a slower planet with higher longitude. On the other hand there is also something called 'Easarapha Yoga' which in general is said to be inauspicious when a faster planet with greater longitude is ahead of a slower planet with lesser longitude.

Through this concept, it can be clearly understood that Mercury + Sun conjunction known as Buddha Aditya Yoga where Mercury the faster motion planet being in lesser degree than Sun the slower motion planet is more effective as compared to the other way round where Mercury is higher in degree than Sun. One exception to this rule however is when ascertaining Sun and Moon. If the Moon being the faster planet is behind the Sun within 12 degrees, it happens to be cudgeled by the Sun which is known as Ammavasya Tithi and also said to be a natural malefic as it's in Krishna Paksha or waning state. On the other hand when it is ahead of Sun but within 12 degrees, it is said to form Pratipada Tithi and attains waxing status of Shukla Paksha which also indicates natural benefic state of Moon. Though in both cases Moon happens to be in a dark state because of being close to the Sun, the latter is more auspicious as it enjoys the status of a natural benefic. One more point worth pondering is whether the planets are approaching each other or going away. For instance in a Venus + Jupiter conjunction where both are in forward motion with Venus the faster planet approaching Jupiter the slower planet could cause an auspicious yoga but just twisting the ratio and let's say Jupiter happens to be retrograde in which case both planets face each other to form a collision, it could indicate a far greater impact, be it good or bad.

Nadi Planetary Rule:
This is a specific Nadi rule with respect to Planetary influence when 2 or more planets are conjunct. It is said that the planet lower in degree is the one who is going to be influenced by the planet ahead in degree. This is based on a simple reasoning that the planets are always moving and the planet which is behind in degree is the one who will touch the forward planet and gather most of the significations of the higher degree planet and not the other way around. However if the planet ahead in degree happens to be in a retrograde state then both planets tend to influence each other a lot. A good way of understanding is through an example and let's say Venus in normal motion is behind Rahu which always travels backwards. In this case the influence is potent as both are coming towards each other. However reversing the equation and let's say Rahu is behind in degree than Venus, here the influence is relatively marginal as Rahu travels in a different direction as compared to Venus which goes in another direction with their paths not crossing one another.

Deeptamsa or Planetary Orbs of Influence:
This works on the theory of the span of degrees in which one planet has an orbital influence over the other. There is list of degrees given for each of the planets and they influence to this extent irrespective of whether a planet is behind or ahead of it. The planetary orbs are as follows:
Sun - 7°30'
Moon - 6°
Mars - 4°
Mercury - 3°30’
Jupiter - 4°30'
Venus - 3°30’
Saturn - 4°30'
Rahu - 6°
Ketu - 6°

This is semi arc degree of influence. For eg. if let's say Sun is placed in 16° in a sign. Since Sun's Deeptamsa range is 7°30', we would have to both add and subtract from the degree in which Sun is placed. Hence Sun's influence will be on any planet which is between 8°30' to 23°30' which in essence is +/- 7°30' from degree of the Sun.

Hence, these are the different theories at play when ascertaining Planetary conjunctions. It looks like there is much more than what meets the eyes with so many staggering combinations coming into the fray. But looking at things from a logical perspective will help in establishing the impact and influence which Planets instill on one another.

Summary:
- For conjunctions to take place Planets should be within 12° of each other irrespective of sign
- If conjunction test is met, then strength of planets should be ascertained from the order of Ketu -> Rahu -> Sun -> Moon -> Venus -> Jupiter -> Mercury -> Mars -> Saturn with nodes being strongest and Saturn being the weakest
- Always ascertain the degree of distance between the planets in conjunction and also check the relationship among planets in conjunction whether they are Friend/Enemy/Neutral
- In general planets in lower degree have a higher influence on planets ahead of it. This is however subject to planetary average motion speed and also factoring in effects of Retrograde planets
- Check the orbital influence which a planet has on another. Sometimes both could be influencing each other whereas in some cases one will have influence on the other and not the other way around which again will give clues as to which planet is the primary driver and which plays second fiddle

Ascertainment of Planetary Friendship!

The Navagrahas are the foundation to the study of Vedic Astrology and the inter-relationship among them forms a major role with regard to analyzing results. Each planet maintains some sort of association with another planet that falls within the bracket of Friendship, Enmity or Neutrality and paves the way to fine tune results in a more efficient manner.

Let's look at the connection between planets by defining rules behind each others relationship. These are bifurcated into two categories based on natural nature and temporary nature and clubbing both of these is essential in deriving at a final end result.

Natural Relationship:
It is said that from the Mooltrikona sign of a planet, the owner of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th happens to be it's friend which means the rest viz 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th are it's enemies. The 1st is not taken into account as it happens to be the planet in question. There is one exception whereby if a planet rules an enemy sign but if that happens to be the exaltation sign of the Mooltrikona planet, then even if it falls in an enemy sign it will still be considered as a friend only. These rules however isn't as easy as it seems as in most of the cases a planet is known to own 2 of the signs whereby one could be a friend and the other enemy in which case it tends to become neutral. Let's look at it from the lens of each planet to understand how the Natural relationship tends to work.

Sun: (Mooltrikona sign - Leo)
Friends - Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Enemies - Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu
Neutral - Mercury
1) Moon - It rules the 12th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
2) Mars - It rules the 4th sign of Scorpio and 9th sign of Aries both which happen to be friends
3) Mercury - It rules the 2nd sign of Virgo and 11th sign of Gemini of which 2nd becomes friend and 11th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
4) Jupiter - It rules the 5th sign of Sagittarius and 8th sign of Pisces both which happen to be friends
5) Venus - It rules the 3rd sign of Libra and 10th sign of Taurus both which happen to be enemies
6) Saturn - It rules the 6th sign of Capricorn and 7th sign of Aquarius both which happen to be enemies
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be an enemy
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an enemy

Moon: (Mooltrikona sign - Taurus)
Friends - Sun, Mercury
Enemies - Rahu, Ketu
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn
1) Sun - It rules the 4th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
2) Mars - It rules the 7th sign of Scorpio and 12th sign of Aries of which 7th becomes enemy and 12th becomes friend which when combined becomes neutral
3) Mercury - It rules the 2nd sign of Gemini and 5th sign of Virgo both which happen to be friends
4) Jupiter - It rules the 8th sign of Sagittarius and 11th sign of Pisces of which 8th is friend and 11th is enemy which when combined becomes neutral
5) Venus - It rules the 1st sign of Taurus and 6th sign of Libra of which 1st is own sign of Venus which becomes friend and 6th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
6) Saturn - It rules the 9th sign of Capricorn and 10th sign of Aquarius of which 9th becomes friend and 10th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be an enemy
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an enemy

Mars: (Mooltrikona sign - Aries)
Friends - Sun, Moon, Jupiter
Enemies - Mercury, Rahu, Ketu,
Neutral - Venus, Saturn
1) Sun - It rules the 5th sign of Leo and hence is a friend
2) Moon - It rules the 4th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
3) Mercury - It rules the 3rd sign of Gemini and 6th sign of Virgo both which happens to be enemies
4) Jupiter - It rules the 9th sign of Sagittarius and 12th sign of Pisces both which happen to be friends
5) Venus - It rules the 2nd sign of Taurus and 7th sign of Libra of which 2nd becomes friend and 7th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
6) Saturn - It rules the 10th sign of Capricorn and 11th sign of Aquarius both which happens to be enemies. However since the 10th sign happens to be exaltation sign of Mars it becomes friend. Thus combining the results it becomes neutral.
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be an enemy
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an enemy

Mercury: (Mooltrikona sign - Virgo)
Friends - Sun, Venus
Enemies - Moon
Neutral -  Mars, Jupiter, Rahu, Ketu
1) Sun - It rules the 12th sign of Leo and hence is a friend
2) Moon - It rules the 11th sign of Cancer and hence is an enemy
3) Mars - It rules the 3rd sign of Scorpio and 8th sign of Aries of which 3rd becomes enemy and 8th becomes friend which when combined becomes neutral
4) Jupiter - It rules the 4th sign of Sagittarius and 7th sign of Pisces of which 4th becomes friend and 7th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
5) Venus - It rules the 2nd sign of Libra and 9th sign of Taurus both which happen to be friends
6) Saturn - It rules the 5th sign of Capricorn and 6th sign of Aquarius of which 5th becomes friend and 6th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be neutral
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an neutral

Jupiter: (Mooltrikona sign - Sagittarius)
Friends - Sun, Moon, Mars
Enemies - Mercury, Venus
Neutral - Saturn, Rahu, Ketu  
1) Sun - It rules the 9th sign of Leo and hence is a friend
2) Moon - It rules the 8th sign of Cancer and hence is a friend
3) Mars - It rules the 5th sign of Aries and 12th sign of Scorpio both which happen to be friends
4) Mercury - It rules the 7th sign of Gemini and 10th sign of Virgo both which happens to be enemies
5) Venus - It rules the 6th sign of Taurus and 11th sign of Libra both which happens to be enemies
6) Saturn - It rules the 2nd sign of Capricorn and 3rd sign of Aquarius of which 2nd becomes friend and 3rd becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be neutral
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an neutral

Venus: (Mooltrikona sign - Libra)
Friends - Mercury, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon,
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter   
1) Sun - It rules the 11th sign of Leo and hence is an enemy
2) Moon - It rules the 10th sign of Cancer and hence is an enemy
3) Mars - It rules the 2nd sign of Scorpio and 7th sign of Aries of which 2nd becomes friend and 7th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
4) Mercury - It rules the 9th sign of Gemini and 12th sign of Virgo both which happen to be friends
5) Jupiter - It rules the 3rd sign of Sagittarius and 6th sign of Pisces both which happens to be enemies. However since the 6th sign happens to be exaltation sign of Venus it becomes friend. Thus combining the results it becomes neutral
6) Saturn - It rules the 4th sign of Capricorn and 5th sign of Aquarius both which happens to be friends
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be friend
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an friend

Saturn: (Mooltrikona sign - Aquarius)
Friends - Mercury, Venus, Rahu, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Jupiter 
1) Sun - It rules the 7th sign of Leo and hence is an enemy
2) Moon - It rules the 6th sign of Cancer and hence is an enemy
3) Mars - It rules the 3rd sign of Aries and 10th sign of Scorpio both which happen to be enemies
4) Mercury - It rules the 5th sign of Gemini and 8th sign of Virgo both which happen to be friends
5) Jupiter - It rules the 2nd sign of Pisces and 11th sign of Sagittarius of which 2nd becomes friend and 11th becomes enemy which when combined becomes neutral
6) Venus - It rules the 4th sign of Taurus and 9th sign of Libra both which happen to be friends
7) Rahu - There is no designated sign owned by Rahu. In general Rahu is considered to be friend
8) Ketu - There is no designated sign owned by Ketu. In general Ketu is considered to be an friend

Rahu:
Friends - Venus, Saturn
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Mercury, Jupiter 
1) Sun - Considered to be enemy
2) Moon - Considered to be enemy
3) Mars - Considered to be enemy
4) Mercury - Considered to be neutral
5) Jupiter - Considered to be neutral
6) Venus - Considered to be friend
7) Saturn - Considered to be friend
8) Ketu - Not applicable (Can be considered to be friend)

Ketu:
Friends - Venus, Saturn
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Mercury, Jupiter 
1) Sun - Considered to be enemy
2) Moon - Considered to be enemy
3) Mars - Considered to be enemy
4) Mercury - Considered to be neutral
5) Jupiter - Considered to be neutral
6) Venus - Considered to be friend
7) Saturn - Considered to be friend
8) Rahu - Not applicable (Can be considered to be friend)

Note:
With respect to Rahu and Ketu, plenty of interpretations exist. There is a general belief that Rahu and Ketu are the agents of Saturn and Mars respectively. Also Rahu is considered to be part of the Asura Guru department comprising of Venus, Mercury and Saturn with Ketu forming part of the Deva Guru group consisting of Jupiter, Sun, Moon and Mars. Apart from all this, there are issues with respect to the signs owned by Rahu, Ketu. In general, there is no specific designated sign owned by Rahu or Ketu. There are mentions of Rahu owning Aquarius along with Saturn and Ketu co-owning Scorpio with Mars. But here again the primary responsibility continues to lie with Saturn and Mars respectively. The list above pertaining to Rahu, Ketu happens to be just one of the notions with respect to it's relationships with other planets but when it comes to these shadow planets, these measures need to be factored judiciously. Also important to note is that Moon's Mooltrikona sign falls in Taurus though it only owns the sign of Cancer but judgement of it's relationship with other planets is to be performed only from Taurus as it holds the office of responsibility.

Observation:
- There are 6 cases of Perfect Friendship and only 2 cases of Bitter Enmity among the 7 planets sans taking into account impact of Rahu and Ketu. Majority of the cases happen to be Neutral.

Perfect Friendship:
Sun - Moon
Sun - Mars
Sun - Jupiter
Mars - Jupiter
Mercury - Venus
Venus - Saturn

Bitter Enmity:
Sun-Venus
Sun-Saturn

Temporary Relationship:
This is purely based on the placement in one's chart and has nothing to do with inherent relationship prevailing between the planets. As per this rule, one can think of 7 kinds of axis relationships to exist between planets viz 1/1, 2/12, 3/12, 4/10, 5/9, 6/8, 7/7. It says that when planets are in 2/12, 3/11 or 4/10 from each other, then they happen to be temporary friends. Thus in essence when planets are in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th from each other it is considered to be favorable. There is no question of neutrality coming into place unlike how it's been assessed for natural nature of planets. One thing to note however is that even when two planets are best of friends as per permanent nature but when they are conjunct together in a sign temporarily they are not friends and the overall relationship ends up becoming neutral.

Overall Relationship:
Combining the impact of Permanent nature and temporary nature, we get the following categories based on which the final result is evaluated
Natural Friend + Temporary Friend = Best Friend
Natural Neutral + Temporary Friend = Friend
Natural Enemy + Temporary Friend = Neutral
Natural Friend + Temporary Enemy = Neutral
Natural Neutral + Temporary Enemy = Enemy
Natural Enemy + Temporary Enemy =  Worst Enemy

Summary:
Natural Friendship - From Mooltrikona sign of Planet, the rules of the signs lording 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th are friends. The rulers of 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th, 11th are enemies. Exception is if enemy sign happens to be the exaltation sign of the planet then in that case it'll be friend. In case from one angle it's a friend and from another angle it's an enemy, then it becomes neutral

Temporary Friendship - When planets in a horoscope are 2nd, 12th, 3rd, 11th, 4th, 10th from each other they tend to be temporary friends. When planets are in 1st, 7th, 5th, 9th, 6th, 8th from each other they are temporary enemies.

Overall Friendship - This works on the combination of Natural Friendship and Temporary Friendship. Friends in both cases result in extreme friendship and likewise enemies in both cases result in extreme enmity. A combination of friend in one rule and enemy in another rule will result in being neutral. Similarly Neutral combined with friend will remain a friend and likewise neutral tagged along with enemy will remain an enemy.

Lal Kitab Methodology of Friendship:
Apart from this rule based ascertainment of friendship seen within the realms of Vedic Astrology, the Red Book has it's own surmise of which planets get along and which don't. A few of it goes in similar vein as what is seen in Vedic but there are minor differences as well. It doesn't however lay out any rules splitting up between natural and temporary nature and lists them out directly. Let us see how relationship among planets is ascertained in the framework of Lal Kitab.

Sun:
Friends - Moon, Mars, Jupiter
Enemies - Venus, Saturn, Rahu
Neutral - Mercury, Ketu

Moon:
Friends - Sun, Mercury
Enemies - Ketu
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu

Mars:
Friends - Sun, Moon, Jupiter
Enemies - Mercury, Ketu
Neutral - Venus, Saturn, Rahu

Mercury:
Friends - Sun, Venus, Rahu
Enemies - Moon
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Ketu

Jupiter:
Friends - Sun, Moon, Mars
Enemies - Mercury, Venus
Neutral - Saturn, Rahu, Ketu  

Venus:
Friends - Mercury, Saturn, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Rahu
Neutral - Mars, Jupiter 

Saturn: 
Friends - Mercury, Venus, Rahu
Enemies - Sun, Moon, Mars
Neutral - Jupiter, Ketu

Rahu:
Friends - Mercury, Saturn, Ketu
Enemies - Sun, Mars, Venus
Neutral - Moon, Jupiter

Ketu:
Friends - Venus, Rahu
Enemies - Moon, Mars
Neutral - Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn

Lal Kitab places extra emphasis on the Kala Purusha chart where Aries is always ascertained as the Lagna. It also works on some of the natural significations of the planets based on which relationships are drawn upon. Also in Red Book, Rahu and Ketu are both said to be direct agents of Saturn and here in also with regard to shadow planets relationships tend to be on a diverse tangent. However looking at it from a broad overview, a majority of planetary relationships appear somewhat similar to how it is defined in Vedic Astrology but still there are some inherent differences also witnessed that need to be noted keenly.