Rahu In Vedic Astrology

Rahu In Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology relies on nine planets in total, namely Moon, Sun, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Rahu and Ketu, with the last two being known as the hidden planets. The first seven are known as the solid real planets. While Rahu and Ketu do not have solid or physical presence they are said to have a very real influence on an individuals life. They are said to be forces of energy. In more physical terms, Rahu and Ketu represent the two points where the Moon and Earth intersect. These Karmic axes are called the north and south nodes of the Moon with Rahu being the North node.

The Mythology Behind RahuWhile there are plenty of allusions to the creation of Rahu, the most popular one foes like this - Lord Vishnu, one of the main Gods in the Hindu lexicon, churned the sea to generate sacred nectar. The plan was to give the nectar to the planetary Gods in order to grant them immortality. One demon disguised himself and got into the line of the seven planets and was given a drop of the nectar. When Lord Vishnu realized the deception, he immediately cut off the head of the demon before the nectar could pass his throat. The head became Rahu and the tail of the serpent/ dragon like demon became Ketu.

Rahu in AstrologyRahu is embodied as a demon in Vedic astrology. There are plenty of negative attributes with Rahu being manipulative, his ability to torment people and material gains without wisdom. On the other hand, Rahu is also known to be immortal and having the ability to bestow wealth and knowledge. The basic energy of Rahu is one of duality because he is considered to be the mischievous offspring of Maya which, as most of us know, stands for the illusory nature of the world.

The placement of Rahu in the astrological chart has special significance for the individual. If Rahu is in the ascending mode also known as the first house of astrology, then the individual will be in a very self- centered mode. If Rahu falls in the 10th house of astrology then the individual will be driven to be better in his career and power. Rahu can make an individual oriented towards service and even looking after the home if it comes in the 6th or the 4th house of astrology.

Thus one can see that Rahu, with its association on focus, can cause an individual to turn his attention to one specific area of life more than any others. This may be good or bad for the individual concerned. One of the things to offset the focus if it is turning to uncontrollable proportions is to have the right partner and offer propitiations for reducing the influence of Rahu.

There is also the concept of Rahu being created when Jupiter and Venus are side by side in a chart. With Jupiter being the instructor of Gods and Venus being the instructor of demons, their conjunct position is ideal for Rahu to create a bridge between them. This principle can be found in Lal Kitab, which is an astrological text.

Offsetting the Influence of Rahu According to Vedic AstrologyRahu loves ants according to mythology so a lot of followers of Vedic astrology believe that feeding ants can be one way of appeasing an irate or powerful Rahu. Black offerings are also considered to calm Rahu down so black sesame, black beans and so on are offered by people in Thailand. There is one temple with Rahu as the central deity in southern Tamil Nadu. Specific rituals can be performed here as well.