Combustion (Asta)

When a planet gets too close to the Sun in longitude, it becomes invisible from Earth — literally "burned" by the Sun's light. The planet's significations become OVERSHADOWED by the Sun's ego and authority. This is called Asta (combustion) in Jyotish.

Combustion weakens the planet but does not destroy it. Think of a brilliant minister who cannot speak freely because the king dominates every conversation. The minister's knowledge is intact, but expression is suppressed. Retrograde planets have SMALLER combustion distances because they are stronger — closer to Earth and thus harder to overpower.

Combustion is NOT the same as debilitation. A combust Jupiter in Cancer (exalted) is still exalted — just overshadowed. The planet retains its sign-based dignity but loses its ability to express freely. Combustion is temporary in transit — the planet moves away from the Sun within weeks.

In a natal chart, combustion is permanent but can be mitigated with remedies. Our engine marks combust planets with a flame icon in the Planets tab of your Kundali. Detection algorithm: |planet_longitude - sun_longitude| < combustion_distance.