What Is Mulank? Your Birth Number, Ruling Planets & How to Calculate It

Mulank (मूलांक, also written moolank) is your birth number in Vedic numerology — a single digit from 1 to 9 derived from the day of the month you were born, each governed by one of the nine Vedic planets (navagraha). Born on the 14th? Your Mulank is 5 (1+4), ruled by Mercury (Budha). Born on the 9th? Your Mulank is 9, ruled by Mars (Mangal). This root number shapes your core personality, instincts, and the kind of energy you naturally carry through life.

The word mool (मूल) means root or foundation in Sanskrit. Your Mulank is exactly that — the numerological bedrock beneath everything else. Unlike your Bhagyank (destiny number), which maps the arc of your entire life path, your Mulank reveals who you are at your core: your temperament, natural strengths, communication style, and how you instinctively approach every situation.

How Do You Calculate Your Mulank?

Calculation is straightforward: take the day of the month you were born and reduce it to a single digit by adding its digits together. Only the day is used — month and year play no role in Mulank.

1. Write down the day of the month you were born (day only — not month or year).
2. If it is already a single digit (1–9), that is your Mulank.
3. If it is a two-digit number (10–31), add the two digits together to get a single digit.
4. If the result is still two digits — only possible from 29 (2+9=11), reduce once more (1+1=2).
5. The final single digit is your Mulank.

One important note: Mulank works with birth dates 1 through 31, and always reduces to 1–9. There are no master numbers (11, 22, 33) in Vedic numerology — that is a concept from Western systems. Every number reduces fully.

All 9 Mulanks and Their Ruling Planets

Every Mulank maps to one of the nine Vedic grahas. The planetary ruler is the most important layer of your number — it explains why Mulank 1 and Mulank 9 can both feel confident and driven, yet in entirely different ways: the Sun lights up from within and commands; Mars drives forward through action and fire. Vedic numerology assigns both shadow planets — Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node) — as rulers of Mulank 4 and 7 respectively, which accounts for the particular intensity associated with those numbers.

What Does Your Mulank Reveal About Your Personality?

The ruling planet of your Mulank colours your natural disposition in ways that are often unmistakable once you know what to look for. Mulank 1 (Surya) individuals carry a natural command that draws people to them — they often struggle to take direction because the Sun does not orbit anything else. Mulank 2 (Chandra) people are emotionally perceptive and deeply relational, sometimes absorbing others' moods as their own. Mulank 5 (Budha) is the communicator — quick-thinking, adaptable, and easily bored by routine. Mulank 8 (Shani), perhaps the most misunderstood, carries Saturn's qualities of patience, hard work, and karmic precision: Mulank 8 people often build slowly but build to last.

Rahu (Mulank 4) and Ketu (Mulank 7) deserve special attention. The shadow planets are not malefic — they are intensifiers. Mulank 4 individuals are often unconventional trailblazers who resist the standard path; the restlessness that can frustrate others is the same energy that drives them to original thinking. Mulank 7 individuals carry a deep inner world and a spiritual antenna that picks up what others miss. In both cases, the energy asks to be channelled consciously, not suppressed.

What Is the Difference Between Mulank and Bhagyank?

Mulank and Bhagyank are the two foundational numbers in a Vedic numerology reading. They come from different parts of your birth date and answer different questions.

Think of Mulank as the who and Bhagyank as the why. Your Mulank tells you the kind of person you are; your Bhagyank tells you what you came here to accomplish. When they are harmonious — for example, Mulank 3 (Jupiter) and Bhagyank 9 (Mars), both expansive and purpose-driven — life tends to flow with less internal conflict. When they pull in different directions, that tension itself often becomes the engine of growth.

Which Mulank Numbers Are Most Compatible?

Traditional Vedic numerology uses the relationships between ruling planets as a compatibility guide. Planets that are friends in the graha maitri system tend to produce harmonious Mulank combinations. Mulank 1 (Sun) and Mulank 9 (Mars) are a natural pair — the Sun and Mars are planetary allies, sharing fire-aligned energy. Mulank 2 (Moon) and Mulank 6 (Venus) share a gentle mutual affinity — both receptive, relational, and oriented toward beauty and harmony. Mulank 3 (Jupiter) and Mulank 1 (Sun) form another friendly pairing rooted in wisdom and purpose.

Rahu (4) and Ketu (7) share the same lunar nodal axis — they are complementary in direction, which can create either unusual creative synergy or persistent push-pull in a relationship. Mulank 8 (Saturn) is at ease with its own slow, structured energy and tends toward compatibility with Mulank 4 (Rahu) — both are builders, both are patient. Compatibility by Mulank is one lens; your full Kundli gives a far more complete reading.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mulank

Is Mulank the same as the Life Path Number in Western numerology?

No. The Western Life Path Number is calculated from your full date of birth — day, month, and year added together and reduced. Mulank uses only the day. They will frequently differ for the same person. Western numerology also does not assign ruling planets in the Vedic sense.

Do master numbers (11, 22) apply to Mulank?

No — master numbers are a Western numerology concept. In Vedic numerology, all numbers reduce fully to a single digit. A person born on the 29th has Mulank 2 (2+9=11, then 1+1=2), ruled by the Moon. There is no retained "11" or "22" in this system.

How does Mulank connect to my Vedic birth chart?

Your Mulank's ruling planet and your natal placement of that same planet in your Kundli often reinforce each other. A Mulank 8 individual (Shani) with Saturn strongly placed in their birth chart may feel Saturn's qualities — patience, endurance, delayed but solid rewards — very intensely. Conversely, a weakly placed Saturn in a Mulank 8 chart is a reason to actively strengthen that planet through seva, fasting, and other traditional remedies.

What is Mulank 4 (Rahu) — is it unlucky?

Not at all — Rahu is often mischaracterised as malefic, but in Vedic numerology Mulank 4 carries Rahu's qualities of innovation, originality, and the capacity to think beyond conventional limits. Mulank 4 individuals frequently succeed in fields that did not exist when they were born. The challenges associated with Rahu (restlessness, unconventional paths) are also its gifts when channelled deliberately.

Your Mulank is the most immediate number in your numerological profile — derived entirely from the day you arrived in the world, unchanged for life. Understanding which planet governs it is the first step toward understanding why you tend toward the choices, relationships, and challenges you do — and what remedies and practices can bring that planetary energy into balance.