Yoga versus a simple planetary combination
A yoga is a named combination with a classical rule, and a combination is any placement of grahas or houses that the reader notices. Not every combination is a yoga, and not every yoga has the same weight.
What it is
A named yoga has a definition in the texts. A combination without a name is a matter of reading, and different astrologers may weigh it differently. The distinction matters when reading a chart with several combinations.
How it is worked out or read
The site reports only the checked yogas, which are named and defined. Other combinations are left to the reader, and the site does not name them.
Where it appears on this site
The checked yogas are in the birth chart. See what is a yoga in the chart for the definition.
Words in translation
English books on Jyotish often translate yoga as combination, and use the two words interchangeably. This is convenient but can blur a useful distinction. Any two planets in the same sign form a combination in the plain sense; a yoga, strictly, is a combination that the classical texts have named and to which they assign a specific result. Every yoga is a combination, but not every combination is a yoga.
Kinds of planetary relationship
The texts describe several ways in which two planets can be connected, called sambandha. They can be conjunct in the same sign. They can aspect each other mutually. One can aspect the other without return. Or they can occupy each other's signs, an exchange called parivartana. Many yogas are defined in terms of these relationships, for example Raja yogas formed when a kendra lord and a trikona lord are connected in any of these ways.
Why naming matters
A named yoga carries a tradition of interpretation, cancellation rules and examples. When a reader says a chart has Gajakesari yoga, they invoke that tradition: the definition, the results the texts give, and the conditions that strengthen or weaken it. A plain combination, such as Jupiter and Saturn in the same sign, has no single named reading and must be interpreted from the general principles of the two planets, their houses and their dignity.
Reading both
In practice, a careful reader uses both levels. Named yogas are useful landmarks, but they cover only some of what is in a chart. The remaining combinations, read through the natures of the planets, the houses they rule and occupy, and their relationships, often say just as much. A chart reading that lists only named yogas misses most of the chart.
On this site
The yoga check on the birth chart page tests nine named yogas, each with its stated rule. The planet table and house list on the same page show every combination, so a reader can study the unnamed relationships as well, using the articles on aspects, friendships and house lords.
A simple test
Ask whether a classical text names the pattern and states its result. If so, it is a yoga; if not, it is a combination to be read from first principles.