பஞ்ச மஹாபுருஷ யோகா: ஐந்து பெரும் நபர் சேர்க்கைகள் — ருசக, பத்ர, ஹம்ச, மாலவ்ய, சச

Classical Definition of Pancha Mahapurusha Yoga From BPHS and Phaladeepika

Pancha Mahapurusha Yoga — the 'five great person combinations' — comprises five distinct yogas, each formed when one of five planets (Mangal, Budha, Guru, Shukra, or Shani) occupies a kendra (1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th house) in its own sign (swagraha) or exalted sign (uccha). The five are: Ruchaka (Mangal), Bhadra (Budha), Hamsa (Guru), Malavya (Shukra), and Shasha (Shani). Surya and Chandra are excluded because they are luminaries (luminaires), not true grahas in the Pancha Mahapurusha classification. BPHS Chapter 75 is the primary canonical source, devoting individual slokas to each yoga. Phaladeepika Chapter 6, verses 1–10, provides complementary descriptions. Saravali Chapter 36 further elaborates on the physical and character qualities attributed to each yoga. The foundational principle is that a planet at peak dignity (uccha or swagraha) in an angular house from the lagna becomes a dominant architectural force in the native's personality and life-path, producing a 'mahapurusha' — a great or exceptional human being with markedly above-ordinary abilities in the domain that planet signifies. The yoga must be evaluated relative to lagna, not Moon sign, for primary determination, though Moon-sign and Navamsha analysis refine the assessment.