The Sixth House in Vedic Astrology
The Sixth House in Vedic Astrology for Health & Enemies (Roga Bhava / Shatru Bhava / Ripu Bhava) is the house of health, enemies, debts, daily work, service, discipline, and overcoming obstacles — the arena where you face challenges and grow through effort.
What is the Sixth House?
The **Sixth House** is one of the three **Dushtana** (malefic) houses and an **Upachaya** (growth) house. Known as **Roga Bhava** (house of diseases), **Shatru Bhava** (house of enemies), and **Ripu Bhava** (house of conflicts), it reveals how you:
- Handle **health**, immunity, diseases, diet, and daily routine
- Face **enemies**, competitors, conflicts, and litigation
- Manage **debts**, loans, financial obligations, and service
- Perform **daily work**, service, discipline, and overcoming obstacles
- Develop **courage**, resilience, and ability to fight challenges
Ruled by **Mercury** and associated with **Virgo**, the Sixth House is where karma manifests as challenges — but also where disciplined effort turns obstacles into growth.
Core Significance of the Sixth House
The Sixth House is commonly referred to as the House of Health. Implicit in maintaining good health is the ability to cope in the face of adversity, and this theme rings truest in the Sixth House. As human beings, we naturally have shortcomings. What will we do with them? How will we react in the face of a personal crisis? Crises, illnesses and reversals of fortune are all part of our Earthly trek. How we confront these situations and deal with the lessons they invariably teach us helps to define the person we become.Our fears may hold us back, but if we can meet them head-on and come out stronger on the other side, we may learn the valuable lesson of service or what our life’s work should be. Work and service are central to the Sixth House. The focus here is on employment (employers and employees), training, those who serve us (along with those we serve) and those who depend on us. Keeping ourselves strong throughout these efforts is also important here, which is why this house further focuses on health (good and bad),diet, fitness and hygiene.
Health & Disease
Physical health, immunity, diseases, diet, hygiene, daily routine, medical treatments.
Enemies & Conflicts
Competitors, litigation, disputes, open enemies, workplace rivalry, obstacles.
Debt & Service
Loans, financial burdens, daily work, employees, service to others, discipline.
Effort & Growth
Hard work, resilience, overcoming adversity, self-improvement, karmic lessons.
The Sixth House is the House of Work and Health, and is also ruled by Mercury. The difference? It corresponds with the zodiac sign Virgo instead of Gemini. Maintaining good health is essential to your ability to work—and so these themes go hand-in-hand in this house. In order to reach your highest human potential, this house asks: What are my shortcomings? How can I improve? How will I react in the face of adversity? Unfortunately, emergencies, illnesses and bad luck are all part of life, and this house seeks to explore ways you can overcome them and reach your full potential. This is a house where we can explore out shortcomings, and course correct. What bad habits do you want to get rid of? Duty, responsibility and personal growth are major themes of the Sixth House, and it naturally extends to include work and service. Employment (employees, bosses, coworkers, clients, etc.) people you serve/people, and who serve you are the focus. This also extends to any type of caregiving situation—the people who depend on you. Planets in this house remind you to stay healthy (physically, mentally and emotionally) enough to do the work you need to do for yourself and others.The Sixth House defines health as it relates to the routine of your daily life. The themes of this house remind us to eat right, exercise, balance work and leisure. There’s also a very strong element of doing things for others here. But make sure you have enough time for yourself. There is definitely a workaholic energy to this house. Energy or planets in a birth chart here can cause us to strive for an unrealistic sense of accomplishment. It’s important to remember that to be truly healthy, we must juggle all those parts of our life. That is truly what will lead to total fulfillment without being overly critical of yourself or of others.
Effects of Planets in the Sixth House
Planets here strongly influence health, enemies, work, and discipline:
Sun
Strong immunity, success over enemies, leadership in service, disciplined routine.
Moon
Emotional health issues, fluctuating immunity, caring service, sensitive to criticism.
Mars
Great fighting spirit, victory over enemies, strong physique, surgical/medical field.
Mercury
Intelligent handling of conflicts, analytical work, success in service/healing professions.
Jupiter
Protection from diseases/enemies, ethical service, wisdom in daily work, good health.
Venus
Pleasant workplace, artistic service, health through beauty/diet, luxury-related work.
Saturn
Chronic health issues, disciplined work, victory over enemies through patience, hard labor.
Your Arena of Growth Through Struggle
The Sixth House is where life tests you — health challenges, enemies, debts, daily duties — but also where disciplined effort, service, and resilience turn obstacles into strength and victory.
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In Vedic astrology, the 6th house is called the house of ‘Roga-Ripu-Runa’, which means disease, debt, and enemies. The house is closely related to karmic structure. The positive or negative impressions (called ‘karma’), created based on one’s past actions, are going to manifest in different forms in the present life. The positive impressions will promote growth and the negative impressions could be experienced in the form of diseases, enemies, debts, and sufferings. How you react or confront the challenges, depends on the strength of the sixth house. You either challenge the fears and come out as the winner or succumb to the pressure. When the 6th house is well placed, one can overcome the challenges and difficulties easily.
Prarabdha Karma is represented by the 6th house. Prarabhdha karma is karma, which has to be experienced in this life. Some karmas get matured and manifest in the present life. It is like fruit when it is ripe, it will detach itself and fall. Similarly, prarabdha karma is like ripened fruit, which has to be experienced. It cannot be altered in any way. The present life including the body is the result of the prarabdha karma.
Role of the 6th House in Astrology
6th house in astrology is termed as malefic house along with 8th house and 12th house. However, the 6th house is quite different from the 8th and 12th houses, because if you learn to deal with it properly you can make it a very beneficial house. If you discipline your life and learn the lessons from the situations life throws at you, you can make 6th house work for you. Or if you have a ‘never give up’ attitude and do not surrender to the big blows of life, it means you have worked with the 6th house. That is the reason Vedic astrology terms this house as one of the ‘upachaya houses’, or the house of growth.
6th house in Astrology Represents Debt
Sometimes life creates situations, where one has to take loans in order to survive. Personal and family commitments will drive us into the trap of debt. This is only one part of a debt called ‘financial debt. We have to take the term ‘debt’ from a broader perspective. According to Hinduism, there are various debts one has to repay in the present life. These are - debt towards God, parents, ancestors, teachers, society, and nature. Again based on the karmic structure, planets play a key role in fulfilling these debts through us. This is where the Prarabdha karma plays an important role.
Enemies are seen from the 6th House
In Vedic Astrology, the 6th house is called ‘shatru bhava’, which means the house of enemies. Like, debt, the term enemy is also used in a broader sense. It is not only about someone who is harming you or hostile towards you to be called an enemy, but it can also be about competitors at work or business. Every day we encounter many challenges and obstacles from others. On the work front, co-workers or bosses, or subordinates may become hostile. Sometimes even family members become inimical. Even our negative attitude can create problems in life.
When the 6th house is positively placed, the external environment will become pleasant. You will have a knack for dealing with people. Ultimately, it is in our hands to make one a friend or foe. However, an afflicted 6th house may create unwanted enemies.
6th house deals with Disease
Even though the whole chart represents health, the 6th house has to be specifically looked for diseases. 6th house represents health in terms of immunity level. It shows the ability of the individual to fight external threats. How strong our body defends from the external dangers will depend on the strength of the 6th house. Again, the 6th house lord represents the carrier of the disease in the body. When it is afflicted, it can create problems in the region it is associated with.
It shows the challenges and limitations of a person in terms of health and well-being. Therefore, one’s diet habits are represented by this house. A negative sixth house can result in undisciplined eating habits and a messy lifestyle.
According to Ayurveda, the balance of vata, pitta, and kapha, determines the health of a person. When negative planets are associated with the sixth house, they can affect vata, pitta, and kapha components and thereby create health problems. Mercury, Saturn, and Rahu are predominant with Vata components. The Moon, Jupiter and Venus are dominant with Kapha elements. Mars, Sun, and Ketu are predominant with the pitta component.
Sometimes even negative emotions can create problems in life. Negative emotions like anger, hatred, jealousy and stress can create many diseases to the body and mind. These emotions make you dislike yourself and reduce your self-esteem. The hidden negative emotions negatively affect the body and lead to health problems. It upsets the body’s hormonal balance, damages the brain cells and depletes the immune system and eventually leads to disease.
The 6th house is all about discipline
Health largely depends on how one is disciplined in life. Regular exercise, yoga, and other physical activities along with proper food intake can create a healthy body and mind. Or your work itself may involve physical activity. However, when the 6th house is afflicted, you will have problems in maintaining a disciplined life. Undisciplined lifestyle can impact physical health, and undisciplined financial decisions can impact financial health. Similarly, undisciplined actions may create enemies as well.
The sixth house is about service.
The 6th house represents the work culture within us. It is the daily routine or schedule and the ability to take responsibilities. The passion or interest in doing something for the self and others can be seen here.
On a spiritual side, service refers to the actions performed to reduce the karmic backlog. Service may be towards God, society, underprivileged people or any other forms.
How to overcome 6th house difficulties
After all, life is a struggle for everyone with varying proportions. Everyone will face challenges and obstacles from others. It depends on whether one challenges the obstacles or falls victim to those.
The key to overcoming the problems of the 6th house is acceptance and patience. Discipline is the key to overcoming the challenges. Discipline in eating habits and activities would give bodily health Similarly, discipline in taking financial decisions can result in financial health. If you are facing problems because of the sixth house parameters, then the attitude of selfless service will definitely bring a lot of relief.
Planets in the 6th house
Each planet will have its own effect on the sixth house. The problem comes when the conflict of energy happens. When planets with opposing energies come together, it will affect the native. For example, enemy planets like Sun-Saturn, Mercury-Mars etc can create many problems. It is said that malefic planets have a slight advantage in this house. When Saturn is placed positively, it gives patience and discipline.. If it is afflicted can make the person lazy and unorganized. Afflicted Saturn may give prolonged illness. Positive Mars can give courage and fighting spirit while afflicted Mars can make short-tempered.
Profession Related to the 6th house
The professions related to the sixth house are doctor, health worker, police officer, healers, auditors, psychiatrist
Body parts associated with 6th house
Body parts represented by this house are the stomach, liver, kidney, nervous system. When the sixth house or its lord gets afflicted by conjunction/aspect, it will create disturbance in the areas represented by this house. The possible diseases caused by the 6th house are digestive problems, issues related to spinal cord (as slip disc), stomach, large intestine, liver, kidney, endocrine glands, digestive problems, constipation, acidity, stomach ulcer, colic infections, jaundice.
The 6th House in Mundane Astrology
The 6th house in mundane astrology represents public health, disease in general, hygiene, armed forces, debt situation of the country, enemy countries, civil services, medical services, warships, labor unions, industries.