Vedic Astrology Glossary
The South Node of the Moon
Ketu is the south node of the Moon in Vedic astrology - a shadow planet signifying past-life mastery, spiritual liberation, detachment, and unconscious gifts carried forward from previous incarnations. Where Ketu sits, the soul already knows; it has been there before.
Ketu is the counterpart to Rahu, always sitting exactly opposite in the chart. If Rahu is hunger, Ketu is satiation - or more precisely, the exhaustion that comes from having fulfilled a desire across many lifetimes. The soul has mastered Ketu's domain; now it feels indifferent to it, sometimes rejecting it entirely.
Ketu's core significations:
How Ketu functions in practice: Ketu's house and sign show where the native has past-life expertise but feels no worldly drive to prove it. A person with Ketu in the 10th house may be naturally gifted at leadership but finds career ambition hollow. Ketu in the 2nd may be materially competent but drawn to simple living.
Ketu also brings sudden, unexpected events - especially separations. It rules over cutting away: relationships that end without closure, jobs lost abruptly, health conditions that arrive and depart mysteriously. These events are considered karmic completions rather than random misfortunes.
Ketu Mahadasha: In Vimshottari dasha, Ketu rules 7 years - the shortest of the major periods. The Ketu dasha tends to bring spiritual deepening, loss of ego-driven ambitions, potential health challenges, and a withdrawal from social structures. Many people undergo significant introspective or spiritual experiences during Ketu mahadasha.
Ketu and liberation: Of the nine grahas, Ketu is the one most associated with moksha - final liberation from the cycle of rebirth. A strong Ketu in a chart that also shows renunciation indicators (Saturn in the 12th, Jupiter aspecting Ketu, etc.) suggests a life oriented toward spiritual depth rather than worldly accumulation.
Stellr shows your Ketu placement alongside Rahu, so you can see the full karmic axis operating in your chart - where you are arriving from and where you are being pulled toward.
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6 terms
The North Node of the Moon
Rahu is the north node of the Moon in Vedic astrology - a shadow planet without physical form that represents unfulfilled desires, karmic hunger, and the soul's evolutionary direction in this lifetime. Where Rahu sits in your chart, obsession and ambition intensify.
Planetary Period System
A dasha is a planetary period in Vedic astrology that governs a specific phase of your life. Each planet rules a slice of the 120-year Vimshottari cycle. During its dasha, that planet's themes, strengths, and karmic patterns become the dominant story.
Lunar Mansion
A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions that divide the zodiac into equal 13°20′ segments. The moon's placement in a nakshatra at birth reveals personality nuances, emotional rhythms, and karmic themes that the broader rashi (zodiac sign) cannot capture.
Planetary Combination
In Jyotish astrology, a yoga is a specific planetary combination in the birth chart that produces a defined effect - ranging from great wealth and fame to spiritual liberation. Hundreds of yogas are catalogued in classical texts, each with precise conditions for formation and predictable results.
Major Planetary Period
A mahadasha is the major planetary period in the Vimshottari dasha system, lasting anywhere from 6 to 20 years depending on the ruling planet. It represents the dominant karmic theme of that life phase, with the ruling planet's nature colouring all major events and opportunities.
Planetary Transits
Gochara refers to the current positions of planets as they move through the zodiac, and how those transits interact with your natal birth chart. In Vedic astrology, transits are measured from the natal Moon sign rather than the rising sign, which produces more psychologically precise predictions.
Ketu, the south node of the Moon, represents past-life mastery, spiritual gifts, and unconscious competence. It shows where the soul has already accumulated deep experience across previous lifetimes - and therefore approaches with indifference or detachment in this life. Ketu also brings sudden separations and is the primary indicator of spiritual liberation in a birth chart.
Ketu is considered a spiritual benefic and a worldly malefic. It brings liberation, psychic sensitivity, and detachment from ego - qualities prized in spiritual development. However, in worldly domains, Ketu causes losses, separations, and dissolution of structures wherever it sits. Its effects depend on context: in a moksha house (4th, 8th, 12th) it often produces spiritual depth; in a career house it may undermine ambition.
Ketu mahadasha lasts 7 years and typically brings a period of spiritual deepening, withdrawal from ego-driven ambitions, unexpected losses or separations, and increased intuition. Some people experience health challenges or social isolation. Others go through profound internal transformation. The quality of the Ketu mahadasha depends on Ketu's natal strength, its nakshatra (Ashwini, Magha, or Mula), and the planets it associates with.
Birth Chart Report
Related Tools
Calculate your free Vedic birth chart (kundali) from your birth details. Get your ascendant, moon sign, nakshatra, planetary positions, and house placements using Swiss Ephemeris DE431.
Discover the Mahadasha and Antardasha ruling your life right now — the Vedic timing system that explains why life feels the way it does. Free to use.
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