Graha · Rahu
Rahu
Stands for ambition, the foreign and the unfamiliar.
The graha in short
- Rules
- no rasi of its own — the nodes are points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's, not bodies, and classical Jyotisha gives them no sign to rule
- Exalted in
- Rishabam
- Debilitated in
- Viruchigam
- Its nakshatras
- Thiruvathirai, Swathi, Sadayam — the three whose Vimshottari dasha is its own
- Mahadasha
- 18 years of the 120-year cycle. Work out the periods.
- Day
- Saturday, in Rahu kalam
- Hora
- The nodes own no hora: the twenty-four planetary hours run through the seven visible grahas only.
What it is read for
The three lines the chart summary and the lessons are both built from, so nothing here says something the rest of the app does not.
- Stands for
- ambition, the foreign and the unfamiliar
- A strong Rahu supports
- boldness, worldly gain and success in unfamiliar places
- A Rahu period brings forward
- ambition, change, travel abroad and the unexpected
These are the traditional leanings of a placement, not a verdict on a person; the whole chart, and the family astrologer, decide how much any one of them shows.
Parihaaram
The traditional remedy row for Rahu, the same one the remedies and mantras pages read.
- Deity
- Naganathar (Sivan) and Rahu Bhagavan (milk abhishekam in Rahu kalam); Durga
- Colour
- Smoke-grey and dark blue
- Gem
- Hessonite (Gomedhagam)
- Mantra
- Rahu gayatri (Om Nakadhwajaya Vidmahe Padma Hastaya Dhimahi Tanno Rahuh Prachodayat); Durga Kavacham; Durga worship in Rahu kalam — the texts, with their meanings
- Fasting
- Saturday; Rahu kalam observed on Tuesdays and Fridays for Durga
- Daanam
- Black gram (ulundu), blue or black cloth, a blanket and sesame; food to the poor
Its gem, and how it is worn
- Stone
- Hessonite (Gomedhagam) · Honey to cinnamon brown
- Substitutes
- Orange zircon, Spessartite garnet, Agate (hakik)
- Finger and metal
- Middle finger of the right hand, in silver or panchaloha
- When
- Saturday. In the evening after sunset, in the Rahu hora
- Weight
- Not below 6 ratti; 6 to 9 ratti is usual
- Read for
- Strengthens Rahu: clarity where there is confusion, and steadiness in foreign work and sudden turns.
A shadow gem. It is given for a specific Rahu period and put away when that period ends, not worn for life. The whole wearing table, and whether a chart calls for a stone at all, is on the gems page. A gem is worn only on the advice of the family astrologer, after the graha's strength and role in the chart have been weighed; a gem strengthens its graha, so it is never taken up on a table like this alone.
Where it is worshipped
- Thirunageswaram Naganathaswamy Temple Thirunageswaram, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu · the Navagraha sthalam for Rahu
- Srikalahasti Temple Srikalahasti, Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh
- Samayapuram Mariamman Temple Samayapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu
- Mangadu Kamakshi Amman Temple Mangadu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam Melmaruvathur, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu
- Thiruverkadu Devi Karumariamman Temple Thiruverkadu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Punnainallur Mariamman Temple Punnainallur, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
112 temples in the gazetteer are kept for Rahu; the ones near you are on the temples page. Parihaaram is traditional practice, offered for devotion and peace of mind; it is not a guaranteed cure of any condition. Temple hours change with festivals and the season, so check before travelling.
The name
The same graha in every script this app carries.
- English Rahu
- தமிழ் ராகு
- తెలుగు రాహువు
- ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಹು
- മലയാളം രാഹു
- हिन्दी राहु
- বাংলা রাহু
- ગુજરાતી રાહુ
- मराठी राहू
- ଓଡ଼ିଆ ରାହୁ
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਰਾਹੂ
- සිංහල රාහු
The glossary's entry for Rahu lists the other names a family may have been given — Rahu is called several things across the traditions.