Rahu is one of two shadow planets (chaya grahas) in Vedic astrology — not a physical body but the mathematical point where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic moving northward, opposite Ketu at all times. Rahu is the karaka for obsession, foreign lands, unconventional ambition, and sudden material rise. Classical texts differ on which sign it's exalted or debilitated in, so this page doesn't assert a single answer where the tradition itself hasn't settled one.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Nature | A shadow planet (chaya graha), classically malefic and amplifying |
| Own Sign(s) | No classical own sign — a mathematical point, not a physical body |
| Vimshottari Dasha | 18 years |
Rahu's Mahadasha runs 18 years. Because it has no physical form, its effect is read as amplifying whichever house and sign it occupies, and whichever planets conjunct or aspect it — Rahu intensifies rather than originates. It's treated as a malefic influence generally, but one that's strongly associated with unconventional success: rapid gains outside a person's expected path, often at the cost of the stability a more classical placement would bring.
Life Timing Intelligence
See Rahu's Exact Placement in Your Chart
A planet only becomes personal once it's placed against your exact birth data — which sign and house it sits in, its dignity, and when its own dasha period runs in your life. Nyovah computes all of that from your exact birth time.
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