Ask a numerologist about yourself and the first thing they will want is your date of birth. From it come two numbers: your mulank, or root number, and your bhagyank, or destiny number. Both are single digits from 1 to 9, both are easy to work out by hand, and neither ever changes.
Mulank: the day you were born
Your mulank comes from the day of the month you were born, and nothing else. If you were born between the 1st and the 9th, that day is your mulank. If you were born later in the month, add the two digits together, and keep adding until one digit is left. Here is the full list:
- Mulank 1: born on the 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th
- Mulank 2: born on the 2nd, 11th, 20th or 29th
- Mulank 3: born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st or 30th
- Mulank 4: born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd or 31st
- Mulank 5: born on the 5th, 14th or 23rd
- Mulank 6: born on the 6th, 15th or 24th
- Mulank 7: born on the 7th, 16th or 25th
- Mulank 8: born on the 8th, 17th or 26th
- Mulank 9: born on the 9th, 18th or 27th
The mulank is also called the psychic number. It describes how you are from day to day: your instincts, your temperament and the way you come across to people.
Bhagyank: the whole date
Your bhagyank comes from your full date of birth: the day, the month and the year. Write the date out in digits, add all the digits together, and keep reducing until one digit is left.
A worked example
Take a birthday of 19 October 1984, written 19-10-1984:
- Mulank: 1 + 9 = 10, and 1 + 0 = 1. The mulank is 1.
- Bhagyank: 1 + 9 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 9 + 8 + 4 = 33, and 3 + 3 = 6. The bhagyank is 6.
Some people reduce the day, the month and the year separately first: 19 gives 1, 10 gives 1 and 1984 gives 4, and 1 + 1 + 4 = 6. You reach the same single digit either way. Some Western systems keep 11, 22 and 33 whole as “master numbers”, but the Indian mulank and bhagyank, like our calculator, always reduce to one digit.
The bhagyank is also called the destiny number. Where the mulank describes how you are, the bhagyank describes where life leads you: the direction your life tends to take, and the lessons it keeps bringing back.
The nine numbers and their planets
In Indian numerology each number is ruled by one of the nine grahas, and takes on its character:
- 1, the Sun: leadership, independence and the drive to start things.
- 2, the Moon: sensitivity, intuition and a gift for bringing people together.
- 3, Jupiter: wisdom, optimism and a natural teacher or guide.
- 4, Rahu: hard work, original thinking and a life with unexpected turns.
- 5, Mercury: quick wit, communication and a love of variety and travel.
- 6, Venus: beauty, harmony, family and a feel for comfort and the arts.
- 7, Ketu: depth, research and a spiritual, inward-looking nature.
- 8, Saturn: patience, discipline and results that grow over time.
- 9, Mars: courage, energy and the will to protect and to win.
Each planet also has a traditional weekday: Sunday for the Sun, Monday for the Moon, Tuesday for Mars, Wednesday for Mercury, Thursday for Jupiter, Friday for Venus and Saturday for Saturn. Rahu and Ketu have no weekday of their own.
The numbers 4 and 8 have a hard reputation, because tradition links Rahu and Saturn with effort and delay. But every number has its strengths and its lessons, and a “difficult” number doesn’t mean a difficult life.
Reading the two together
The mulank and bhagyank are read side by side. When they are the same number, or their planets are friends, tradition says your nature and your path pull in the same direction. When their planets are at odds, such as the Sun (1) and Saturn (8), you may feel a pull between who you are and what life asks of you, and the bhagyank’s lessons take more conscious work.
Your name number
Numerologists add a third number: your name number. It adds up the letters of your name using the Chaldean values most Indian numerologists use, in which every letter from A to Z counts as a number from 1 to 8. Rohan, for example, adds up to 20, which reduces to 2. Unlike the other two numbers, the name number changes with the spelling: Rohaan adds up to 21, which reduces to 3. That is why numerologists sometimes suggest adding or dropping a letter.
If you are thinking of changing how you spell your name, remember that numerology is traditional guidance, not legal or financial advice. Think about your documents too: changing the name on a passport, a bank account or a certificate has its own legal process, so take proper advice before you start.
Work out your own numbers
Our free numerology calculator works out your mulank, bhagyank and name number in seconds, with the planet behind each. It runs in your browser, so your name and date of birth aren’t sent to us.
For advice on a name spelling, a business name, a mobile number or a date for a new beginning, you can book a numerology consultation with the founders.