8-Rule Hierarchy (Priority Order)

1. Own Sign

Planet is the lord of the sign it occupies (e.g., Mars in Aries/Scorpio)

2. Exalted

Planet is in its exaltation sign (e.g., Sun in Aries, Moon in Taurus)

3. Own Star

Planet is in its own Nakshatra (star lord = planet itself)

4. Dig Bala

Only 1 planet has directional strength (8 sub-rules checked)

5. Sequence Order

Fallback: Ra > Ke > Su > Mo > Ve > Ju > Sa > Ma > Me

6. Debilitation Check

Debilitated planets are skipped in favor of non-debilitated alternatives