In Vedic astrology, for every planet, there exists a certain planetary placement in each zodiac sign in terms of degrees where the planet becomes very powerful – though not as much as exalted, but still quite strong.
That placement is referred to as Moolatrikona or Mooltrikona; if we translate this literally, it is ‘root triangle’ where ‘mool’ or ‘moola’ is ‘root’, and ‘trikona’ is ‘triangle’.
In Vedic Jyotish, a planet ‘feels happy and disciplined’ whenever it’s in its Moolatrikona or Mooltrikona.
Now, a planet’s Mooltrikona zone (in terms of degrees) may either be in its own sign or that of a friendly sign. For example, Mars’ Moolatrikona is in Aries zodiac sign and Saturn’s Moolatrikona is in Aquarius, but Moon’s Moolatrikona or Mooltrikona is in Taurus, which is the same sign it attains exaltation status in, though the zodiac sign belongs to Venus.
The table below demonstrates the Moolatrikona or Mooltrikona placement for each planet. The Mooltrikona degrees have been taken from Bala Bhada’s Hora Ratnam vol. 1 shloka 81 chapter 1 (original image given below):
Some sources say the Moolatrikona or Mooltrikona for Sun is 0 to 20 degrees Leo, but I choose to follow what is given in the ancient texts.
| Planet | Mooltrikona or Moolatrikona | Own Sign |
| Sun | 0 to 10 degrees, Leo | Rest of Leo |
| Moon | 4 to 30 degrees, Taurus | Cancer |
| Mercury | 16 – 20 degrees, Virgo | Gemini, Rest of Virgo |
| Venus | 0 to 15 degrees, Libra | Taurus, Rest of Libra |
| Mars | 0 to 12 degrees, Aries | Scorpio, Rest of Aries |
| Jupiter | 0 to 10 degrees, Sagittarius | Pisces, Rest of Sagittarius |
| Saturn | 0 to 10 degrees, Aquarius | Capricorn, Rest of Aquarius |
Alternatively, you may choose to follow the given degrees below for Mooltrikona as given in the Brihat Parashar Hora Shashtra volume 1 (original image given below):
If you wish to follow the Brihat Parashar Hora Shashtra degrees for Mooltrikona placements, the table below highlights the same:
| Planet | Mooltrikona or Moolatrikona | Own Sign |
| Sun | 0 to 20 degrees, Leo | Rest of Leo |
| Moon | 4 to 30 degrees, Taurus | Cancer |
| Mercury | 16 – 20 degrees, Virgo | Gemini, Rest of Virgo |
| Venus | 0 to 15 degrees, Libra | Taurus, Rest of Libra |
| Mars | 0 to 12 degrees, Aries | Scorpio, Rest of Aries |
| Jupiter | 0 to 10 degrees, Sagittarius | Pisces, Rest of Sagittarius |
| Saturn | 0 to 20 degrees, Aquarius | Capricorn, Rest of Aquarius |
Not much difference can be spotted between Bala Bhadra and Maharishi Parashar except in the Mooltrikona degrees of Sun and Saturn.
Exaltation vs. Mooltrikona (or Moolatrikona) – What is Better?
There exists some debate about what is considered better – whether a planet in exaltation or one that’s in its Mooltrikona (or Moolatrikona) placement. This is not easily answered, because it is not necessary that a planet in its exaltation will always give the best results – especially if it is debilitated or badly placed in its Navamsa chart (D9 or divisional-9 chart).
But first, let settle the argument about whether exaltation is better than Moolatrikona (or Mooltrikona) in terms of planetary effect. So, if no malefic influences are present, an exaltation status is still more powerful than that of a Moolatrikona (or Mooltrikona) as specified below by Brihat Jataka 2nd Ed. Shloka 11.
Clearly, exaltation enables a planet to provide its 100% strength (at its peak exaltation point) while Moolatrikona or Mooltrikona enables it to give 75% strength, but this may be more depending on whether it is Mooltrikona in its own sign (such as Saturn in Aquarius or Mars in Aries).
Now, I specified something more that merely exaltation does not guarantee good results. This is because the planet may be ill-disposed or badly placed in the Navamsa (D9) chart. This is ascertained by the D.K.2. Page 78 Verse 29 shown below.
So, this explains that exaltation may not necessarily be good, especially because a planet in its peak exaltation point (for example, 20 degrees Libra for Saturn) may end up being debilitated. In fact, the Navamsa chart (D9) holds precedence in this regard. This is further exemplified by the D.K.2. Page 78 Verse 28 shown below.
So, multiple factors are to be considered when it comes to deciding how good a planet is for the ascendant or native of the chart. However, overall, Mooltrikona is a placement wherein the planets feel comfortable and are better placed to give beneficial impacts to their natives. Based on my personal experience, planets that enter Moolatrikona or Mooltrikona in their signs give results nearly equivalent to the their exaltation points.