
Open Sesame
Write-ups at a glance
New Articles - Select and click to Navigate
Rahu and ketu are shadow planets and represent other planets and do not have any specific characteristic of own. Suddenness of any event - whether good or bad - is represented by rahu while ketu causes mild problems, he is not so venomous as rahu. So, there are elusive and faint differences in the results of rahu in 5th and ketu in 5th! And any result offered by rahu and ketu are not distinctive but are assimilated in the results of other transiting planets. But then, these days TVs are making loud noise about these transits.

Brihat Jataka sets down that major planets are eight in number (mukhya saptaha) while the remaining planets (aka rahu and ketu) do not play a major role. For assessment of lifespan, Bharana and Harana systems do not consider rahu and ketu at all as they are shadow planets (chaya grahas).
The rationalists always have a thoughtless tiff, claiming the basis of astrology is wrong as these are not planets at all. Not only the high school rationalist but our ancestors too were well aware that rahu and ketu are not substantial heavenly bodies like other planets. I would not go in to purnic episodes of churning the ocean (samudra mathana), everybody knows it. It is said, rahu and ketu attack or swallow ravi and chandra, as these were the devatas who exposed the demons. Rahu Ketu are celestial points which intercept the path of sun. Some 30 years ago, Indian Scientific astrologers brought the name Dh (Dragon's Head - Rahu) and Dt (Dragon's tail - Ketu) into the boxes of horoscopes. The two points at which the orbit of the Moon cuts the orbit of the Sun are called nodes which are exactly 180 degrees apart. The point of intersection formed when the Moon's motion is from South to North, is said to be ascending node and named Rahu, and the point of intersection formed when the Moon's motion is from north to south is called the descending node or Ketu. It has been observed that the nodes have a retrograde motion and Rahu stay in a sign for about 18 months.
Shri Sharma, a very orthodox brahmin went to US (obviously, all intelligent Telugu brahmins land up in US - the distance between India and US being less than the distance between Siddipet and Hyderabad) and fell in love with Sabina Williams and enjoyed western life style for several years. No, it was not a marriage of western and eastern thoughts. Sabina was not a religiously inclined person and did not come to Mysore to conduct shraddha for the people who died in Tsunami in Japan. But then the problem started - they could not have children and the search for a solution started. Shri Sharma realized his 'mistake' (he is resigned to his fate but does not want a separation) and became a dedicated orthodox brahmin (again). He went to all the temples in India - to the great temple in Kedarnath and also the small & remote temple in Kalasipalyam, Bangalore and visited all the famous and infamous astrologers of India while his wife remained in the hotel. Shri Sharma fasted and fasted but it did not trouble Sabina, who used to come late from the parties! By the grace of God and his firmest faith in rituals, he was blessed with a son, by name, CH. PSSSVNKRK Murthy. And praise the Lord, Shri Sharma became an ardent believer in Rahu kalam, Ketu kalam as well as Tuesdays and Saturdays. True astrology is hard to crack, he did not go beyond these topics. He had to conduct upanayana for his son and they came to India as such rituals should be done in the country where Ganga, Kaveri, Krishna flows and not on the banks of Mississippi. Considering the time constraints, I decided a muhurta but could not avoid a portion of Rahu kala overlapping, despite my best efforts. Shri Sharma is very knowledgeable in astrology (that is printed on the backside of calendars). I tried to explain to him why I do not consider Rahu kala or Choghadiya while making a muhurta. Half heartedly, he went to Tirupati and consulted another world famous astrologer cum priest there for a muhurta. World famous astrologer-priest made some corrections, considering overlapping of rahu kala for a function at the start of the function is better than overlapping at the culmination of the function. Sharma was not fully convinced. "OK", said Sharma, " Then we will have upanayana next year". But what is the guarantee that he comes to the same priest? Astrologer cum priest quoted a Tamil song, "How dare rahu and ketu move over the Head of My Lord, Balaji? They go every where but not over seven hills". According to this text, Tirumala is exempt from rahu kala! The upanaya was conducted and these days Sharma goes to Tirupathi for muhurtas and comes to me only for prediction work! I did not try to explain the concept of rahu kala again to him - he did not ask for it but had said, "మంజునాథ్ గారికి predictive astrologyలో చాలా ప్రభుత్వం ఉంది కాని ముహూర్త భాగంలో అంత పరిణితి లేదు" ("Manjunath has competence in predictive astrology but does not have expertise in election astrology") to his brother.
While working out a muhurta, I do not go by Tuesdays, Saturdays, astami, rahu kala, durmuhurta, choghadiya etc., These rahu kala, durmhurta, amrita ghadiyalu are not used in North India while in South, choghadiya is not followed, they are not universally applicable and defy any logic when it comes to predictive utility. I go by what the planets, signs, aspects and conjunctions as well as status signify and examine whether the planets in muhurta promote the desired events. When you are talking about the size of the pockets and where you want them, the toiler takes important measurements to fit your big fat belly rightly inside the shirt, pocket size does not matter to his success. Likewise, I select the muhruta and then scan for such bad muhurta breakers like rahu kala that are hell bent upon damaging my reputation! (I am not world famous yet!). Rahu kala is in no way related to the transit of rahu. In this article, we are not discussing about the empirical time division named after rahu - they are merely combinations of certain time and names of the days. We talk about the effects of rahu and ketu, the points in zodiac.

There is ambiguity regarding the signs owned by rahu and ketu and signs where these planets are exalted or debilitated. For example, according to Uttara Kalamrita an ancient classic on Hindu Predictive Astrology Rahu is exalted in Vrishabha and debilitated in Vrischika and the reverse holds good for ketu. Own sign of rahu is kumbha and vrischika is owned by ketu, according to this classical text. Sanketnidhi takes Mithuna as the exaltation sign of Rahu, Kanya as his own sign while Dhanus as the exaltation sign of Ketu and Meena as its own sign. Well, my candid and well considered opinion is, the shadow planets do not show any specialty in so called own signs, exaltation signs or debilitation signs. After serious study of hundreds of charts, I have not found a single horoscope where exalted rahu in 10th has given great benefits! There is another opinion that Rahu acts like Shani and Ketu acts like Kuja (kodanda rahu and kujaved ketu). They are merely malefic planets - rahu is more malefic than ketu - and they are good in the houses 3-6-11 with traces of some bad effects! Some classics postulate that rahu can also be yogakaraka [If Rahu is in either the 4th, 5th, 10th or 11th houses, fame and affluence are guaranteed (during his dasha) - Bhavartha Ratnakara]. I am yet to come across such lofty results. These planets represent their star lords, associates (by aspect and conjunction) and lastly rasi lord. So, it is very knotty postulate to decipher their roles, as they largely depend on individual charts. The effects described here are general in nature. Rahu transits in vrishabha rasi from 23.09.2020 to 12.04.2022 while Ketu transits in vrischika rasi. The results are based on my humble practical experience as well as classical texts like Phaladeepika, Chamatkara Chintamani and Saravali.
Mesha: Rahu and ketu transit across 2nd and 8th houses. Both of these are bad transits and there are no vipareeta vedha for these transits.  Financial problems crop up quite  suddenly. Rifts with close family members, sudden violent anger and mood swings come up causing anguish.  Diseases of mouth and face are quite common. You are likely to suffer food poisoning,  problems related to eyes and dark marks on the lips and face.  You will indulge in deceitful and vulgar language and fond of telling lies to impress others. Minor setbacks in education are seen and you are careless in proper food habits.  There will be bitter misunderstandings with close relatives like mother. You are likely to suffer depression and if you are predisposed to sensitivity, this transit may cause relapse. You suffer fear of loosing something (wealth, life, limbs, job or anything), though there are no reasons for such worries. You are Interested in religious lore but given to superstition. You will borrow somebody's ideas and put your faith in that. ("దుర్భాశ్ ఛత్రిగారు పదివేలు పుస్తకాలు చదువారు. దాని సారాంశంగ నాకు పది పేజుల notebook ఇచ్చారు" - Shri Durbhash Chatri has read ten thousand books, he has given me notebook of ten pages"). There is likelihood of cuts, wound and accidents.  Insect bites and attacks by dogs, cats, jackals and other wide animals are not ruled out.  Loss of interest in life, ancestral properties and you due to gambling activities and risky businesses.

Caution is required while with animals, insects and birds.  While driving, ensure safe distance from strange looking vehicles like autos. Keep away from chance games. You should force interest in life otherwise, you will suffer pessimism in all walks of life. For every good event during this period, you have a negative comment ("Last night, it rained currency notes but it was a worst night in my life, God did not include Cash Counting Machine"). You should recite ketu gayatri mantra or beeja mantra, minimum 21 times a day. Shanti for rahu and ketu are required if you are under adverse dasha/bhukti.
Mithuna: For mithuna rasi persons rahu transits in the 12th while ketu is placed in the 6th. There will be loses, wandering in foreign lands, lack of sleep and horrible dreams. You should be careful in purchasing costly electronic goods.  You are afflicted with diseases in waist region like incessant back pain.  You are prone to cold diseases, allergy and good poisoning.  Insect bites may cause complications.  Moreover, the health problems are difficult to diagnose as you throw up varied symptoms all the time.

However, there are no serious health problems.  You are worried about loans and suffer professional frustrations.  Hidden enemies in the work place will try to corner you. These are not much but you have a tendency to get worried. There is possibility of deception and theft. It should be noted that transit of ketu in 6th is a benefic transit. You will be able to clear long outstanding loans with the help of strangers.  Fear of ill health, loans and service problems put you on guard and trains you to face tough situations.  This transit is like vaccination - mild fever but  equipped to fight. Caution is required in health matters, loans and professional areas, there are no big problems but small predicaments turn out to be confusing and worrisome. You are unable to sleep and relax due to horrible dreams.  You should recite rahu and ketu kavachas / mantras/ asttottra/ stotra etc., (any one of them) once a day during this transit. No shanti is required at all.
Vrishaha: Rahu transits over your rasi while ketu transits in 7th. You are bothered with problems related to head and eyes. Boils, acne, blackheads, blisters are quite common. There is fear from strangers and strange situations. Short tempered behavior with spouse and mild amount of unhappiness in marital life. You may fall into an undesirable company and suffer consequences due to this. Minor misunderstandings with children and some element of anti-religious feelings are possible during this transit.

You may loose some precious items due to negligence.  You are likely to be cheated in financial transactions though such losses are small. There is  constant fear of loosing you position and dignity in social life. There are minor possibilities of cuts, wounds, canine or insect bites and allergic reactions. These can be easily avoided with some caution. Be prepared to face humiliations. Some precaution is required but no mantra or shanti are required.
Kataka: For kataka rasi, rahu transits in benefic 11th while ketu is in adverse 5th. Rahu in 11th causes losses in speculations, sudden turn of events in business leading to losses due to theft, fire and natural disasters. You are likely to be greedy and for meager 0.111% gain, you will take the unreasonable risks and may loose all 100%.  There will be sudden disappointments and disheartening situations.

A beloved person may show his true colors throwing you off gear. Due to adverse ketu in 5th, you may take wrong decisions in investments.

The relationship with children causes certain amount of displeasure due to generation gap. Creative artists and journalists are not able to produce quality works. You are always confused and afraid of secret enemies and black magic. No shanti or japa is required but you should be extremely cautious in financial matters. Exercise patience with your children.
Kanya: Kanya rasi persons experience the transit of rahu in adverse 9th and ketu is benefic in 3rd house. Anti religious feelings and at the same time interest in ESP, kundalini, cults and modern sciences.  The students in advanced studies of computers, artificial languages, nuclear physics and genetics have outstanding success.  There will be some bitterness with father, elders in the family and higher officers.  You are highly critical of rituals of your own religion but interested in rituals of other culture, a paradox indeed.

You exhibit stinginess in your expenditure. Ganesh Youth Association will not be able to extract a single paisa from you! You will use foul language deliberately to hurt others. During transit of ketu in 3rd, there is always some fear and uncertainty - fear of ghosts, dristi, strangers and darkness.  This evades all your logical abilities, even if you are a rationalist.  You are afraid of any changes.  Also you are a non conformist in true sense - even if Chintamani (touch stone)  knocks you door, you are undecided whether to open or not! This is a good time to learn languages and skills, you never tried before like - Esperanto, puzzles, repairing locks, rearing honeybees or research in hair oils. You are a good fighter, you will employ various skills to beat your competitions.
Simha: Rahu transits in 10th while ketu transits in the 4th. You should be extremely careful in the office as you tend to loose your temper.  You should not loose your cool, even when provoked. Sudden problems, sudden dead lines bother you a lot.  There will be severe professional dissatisfaction during this transit. In the mean time, domestic life is also not good.  There will be misunderstandings with mother or her ill health causes great concern. You will overhear your close relatives talking against you.

Domestic articles break away one by one and there will be some expenditure due to this.  But they break down, when you need them most and the mechanic is not available or he is not able to detect the lapses. Relationship, particularly with you mother breaks down and so does your heart.  Students have lot of bewilderment and are not able to perform well.  This is not due to lack of intelligence but due to boredom and disadvantageous situations in the school.  As this transit affects both professional front as well as domestic area, you should recite beeja mantras or gayatri mantras for both rahu and ketu, minimum 21 times each every day. Under any circumstances you should not put down your papers in a knee-jerk reaction.
Tula: This is the worst transit - rahu in the 8th while ketu in 2nd house.  You are prone to cuts, wounds and accidents. There will be loss of properties and costly items due to theft, deception, negligence. There will be humiliations and horrible dreams.  Mental worries and fears for one or the other reason.  There is constant worry about financial condition, though there is no reasons to worry about.
You are haunted by your own imaginations of some impending financial crunch. There will be disappointments from family members. There will be health problems related to chest and waist regions like catching pain for some time, that attacks you unexpectedly. This is not a good time for travels and opening new branches or for risky sports.  Shanti for rahu should be done, if you are under adverse dasha or bhukti. Nevertheless, you should recite rahu beeja mantra or gayatri mantra (any one of them, minimum 21 times a day) till the end of the transit.
Vrischika: Rahu transits in the 7th while ketu over your rasi. This is adverse transit, though the effects are not as bad as in case of tula rasi. There will be marital discard and sudden loss of temper with spouse. This itself will not produce severe strains in marital life if not supported by adverse dasha or bhukti. Successes as well as failures come out of the blue and have shocking effects.  There will be adversaries working against you.
You are prone to cuts and wounds during this transit.  You have boils on the face, more gray hair and melancholic mood. Any victory comes with bruises and blemishes. There will be some generation gap with children, you do not approve their attitude and behavior, though you do not have any grim predicaments. You will become more religious during this transit. Bit of caution is required in financial transactions as you are likely to be deceived. Sudden rifts with friends, neighbors and brothers or sisters are the effects of ketu over your rasi.  You should recite rahu kavacha / mantra/ asttottra/ stotra etc., (any one of them) once a day during this transit.  Ketu is a kind of benefic and no remedial measures are require for ketu. 
Dhanus: For dhanur rasi persons rahu transits in favorable 6th while ketu is adverse in 12th. You will over your enemies and competitors quite often.  On occasions, you will consider deceitful means to achieve your goals and to settle your score but stop short at the last moment. There will be sudden health problems like skin problems, congestion and allergy. Some people become very cautious and improve health while some complain unendingly and prefer to suffer.
There will be minor losses in financial transactions due to adverse ketu in 12th.  Lack of sleep, horrible dreams, undefined fears are common. You are very generous and will spend fair amount of money on religious causes.  There will a sense of secrecy where you are not able to decide what are the secrets that should be guarded. You should recite rahu kavacha / mantra/ asttottra/ stotra etc., (any one of them) once a day during this transit.  
Makara: For makara rasi persons rahu transits in adverse 5th while ketu is benefic in 11th.  There will be misunderstandings with children and you are not at all happy with them. There will be losses and heavy expenditure due to children. The expectant couples should conduct Naga Pooja. You should keep away from any chance games and dubious investments, the temptation to make fast buck is ever more. You should be extremely careful in purchase of electronic gadgets, as they may break down.
Though you have financial stability, you are not able to invest the way you want. You are utterly dissatisfied with your bosses, guru and the well wishers. You will become unorthodox and a non conformist. Horrible dreams and fears haunt during nights. Mild amount of misunderstandings with neighbors, brothers and sisters or friends run in the background.  Nothing serious about this, you just feel lonesome and detached. This transit will result in excellent relationship with your spouse.   
Kumbha: Rahu transits in the 4th and ketu in the 10th. Problems from or due to mother, close relatives and properties. Hardly ever happy due to restlessness and sudden turn of events. Untimely meals, lack of sleep and relaxation. You may have to live away from your people, due to long distance transfer or bitter misunderstandings. There will be problems from house owners or neighbors which cause frequent shifting. Loss of gold, vehicles, properties and grains due to theft and negligence. Possibility of insect  bites and allergies are also seen. Domestic problems like misunderstandings with close family members. Students have consternations and are not able to concentrate on their studies.  Students are worried about their careers and are discouraged. However, students in electronics will fare well.

Ketu in 10th causes mild professional frustrations. There are no secret enemies but your friends put you in tight spots, even without their knowledge. Mild amount of misgiving continue in background, no matter even if you are elevated to the most of MD. Not able to take decisions easily, timid in action and passing the buck to others. You may get involved in sinful activities like instigating somebody or making anonymous complaints. Even if there is no reason to worry about, you tend to sense problems. You may fall into bad company and damage your image. There are no vedha points for this transit.  The problems hover for the entire period of transit.
You should be careful about your belongings. Avoid any friction with close relatives. You should be careful in property and financial transactions. Do not worry about professional problems and do not overreact, you tend to blow the events out of proportion. Students should not be tempted by sound, scents and colors. Anything outlandish invites you! Watch your company, you may fall into a bad company.  You should recite rahu kavacha / mantra / stotra etc., (any one of them once a day).
Meena: For meena persons, transit of rahu and ketu is across 3rd and 9th houses. Rahu in 3rd is regarded a benefic while ketu in 9th is bad, according to classics. Strained relationship with brothers, sisters and friends are possible, at times it may turnout to be severe, suddenly.  The period is not good to brothers, sisters and close friends and so there may be heavy expenditure due to them. You are given to sudden anger.  You can not count on your courage - surge of courage subsides suddenly leaving you with some sort of fear! 

Sudden short journeys and also problems thereby. There may be cuts and wounds in hands and legs. Mouth sores, black spots on the face, stammering and forgetfulness are possible. You tend to talk more and land in trouble.  Do a double reading of your mails before they leave your hand, you are likely to be misunderstood. Tools, machines, equipments and household articles breakdown frequently.  Ketu is mild malefic and by and large a benefic and in the 9th he is good. There will be religious interests though you are not comfortable with rituals. You may visit black magic people and try to change your luck using their help.  You may be cheated by such people.  You will get interest  in occult sciences like astrology, palmistry and kunalini etc.,  You may even find a Jiddu Krishnamoorthy in neighborhood.  Such interests are welcome but ensure your religiosity is not exploited by your guru and gurubhais! There may be some minor misunderstandings with your father or worries regarding his health. Students in advances studies like Ph.D suffer lack of commitment.

Guard against sudden surge of courage or timidity. Ensure that you religious fervor does not go beyond a limit which may harm you mentally and financially. Before jumping into water ensure proper depth and suitable temperature! Some precaution is required but no mantra or shanti are required.