Vedic Astrology Glossary
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.
In Jyotish, Rahu is one of the most powerful forces in a birth chart despite having no physical body. Together with Ketu, Rahu forms the lunar node axis - the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic. Astronomically, these are mathematical points; astrologically, they carry enormous weight.
Rahu's nature is insatiable. It represents the soul's desires that were not fulfilled in past lives - the experiences it craves, the identities it wants to claim, the worlds it has not yet inhabited. Wherever Rahu falls in your chart, that house becomes a site of compulsion, ambition, and sometimes obsession. You are drawn there irresistibly, even when the results are destabilising.
Rahu's core significations:
Rahu by sign and house: Rahu in the 1st house creates an intense drive for identity reinvention. In the 7th, partnerships become consuming. In the 10th, career ambition dominates the life narrative. The sign Rahu occupies colours how these hungers express - Rahu in Aries craves independence and pioneering action; Rahu in Scorpio dives into power, transformation, and the taboo.
Rahu Mahadasha: In Vimshottari dasha, Rahu rules an 18-year period - the longest after Saturn and Jupiter. The Rahu dasha typically brings rapid material expansion, unexpected opportunities, foreign connections, and sometimes a loss of grounding. The worldly gains can be spectacular; the spiritual cost requires attention.
Rahu and eclipses: Solar and lunar eclipses occur near the Rahu-Ketu axis. Vedic astrology treats eclipse periods as amplified, volatile windows requiring care - especially for planets natally near the eclipse degree.
Stellr shows your Rahu placement with its house, sign, and nakshatra - and calculates how the Rahu mahadasha intersects with your current timeline.
Concept map
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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.
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.
Ascendant / Rising Sign
Lagna is the degree of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment of birth. It sets the first house of the chart, determines house rulerships, and acts as the chart's structural foundation - the body, self-expression, and life path.
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.
Rahu represents karmic desires, material ambition, and the soul's evolutionary hunger. It is a shadow planet (no physical body) formed by the intersection of the Moon's orbit with the ecliptic. Its house and sign placement in the birth chart show where obsession, ambition, and worldly craving will be most intense during this lifetime.
Rahu is considered a functional malefic in Vedic astrology - it causes turbulence, obsession, and boundary-crossing wherever it sits. However, Rahu also brings worldly success, recognition, and rapid rise in material domains. Its effects are not purely negative; they are intense and often karmic. Context matters: Rahu in a strong position can give extraordinary achievement.
Rahu (north node) represents unfulfilled past-life desires and the soul's evolutionary direction - toward greater worldly experience. Ketu (south node) represents past-life mastery and the soul's withdrawal from that domain - toward renunciation and spiritual depth. They always sit in opposite signs and houses, forming an axis of desire and release.
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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