There's sometimes a misconception among people about the impact of Rahu and Ketu in the Vedic Astrology.

Some people think that Rahu and Ketu are malefic planets that only cause more harm than good.

In fact, thanks to the modern Astrologers only concerned about their own monetary gains, people have come to fear the Rahu Dashas and Ketu Dashas and are always looking for remedies when they suffer from them.

But, that's not always true.

In Vedic Astrology, every planet, under certain placements can show malefic effects and that isn't confined to just Rahu and Ketu.

Mars, weak Moon, Saturn, and sometimes even the Sun are considered Malefic planets, if the placements/conjunctions/Aspects allow them to be.

So, it's not just about Rahu and Ketu, every planet has certain characteristics, a certain energy, and a specific way about them.

You can't generalise a planet's impact, 

Just as you shouldn't analyse an isolated planet or a house in the chart, 

But only do it as a whole in relation to the chart. 

Doing so is a recipe for disaster, as it leads to misinformation.

So, if you want to know more about the characteristics of Rahu and Ketu in Vedic Astrology, you must learn more about the ancient stories mentioned in the Vedic Scriptures (as you should for any planet, if you are interested in learning Vedic Astrology).

Everyone knows the story of Samudra-Manthan.

I will just summarise the important points so that you will understand the back story of Rahu and Ketu.

The Story Of Samudra Manthan - How It Relates To Rahu, Ketu, And Pitra Dosha

As you must already know, in ancient times, Devas and Asuras disputed amongst themselves as to who should be the ruler of the Universe!

Since the dispute was going on for a long time, someone had to come up with a solution to settle the dispute once and for all.

Consequently, Lord Vishnu came up with the idea of Samudra-Manthan.

Basically, Samudra Manthan, or the Churning of the Ocean, was performed to obtain Amrit, the divine nectar of immortality.

But, since the Ocean is vast and deep, a lot of things, including Goddess Lakshmi, the Moon, and even Poison came out of the Samudra-Manthan before they finally reached to Amrit or the nectar of immortality.

Once they did reach the nectar of immortality, Devas knew that if Asuras consumed the Amrit, it would be impossible to defeat them, which was true.

Thus, the Devas urged Lord Vishnu for guidance who came up with a unique trick.

Lord Vishnu disguised himself as Mohini, the female avatar, to distract the Asuras while she played her tricks.

Mohini made the Devas and Asuras stand in separate lines and began distributing the Nectar to Devas first.

However, Swarbhanu, a clever Asura, saw through this trick. So, he disguised himself as a Deva and jumped into the Devas line.

Sun and Moon, the two Devas alerted Mohini or Lord Vishnu about this, but it was too late by then, and Swarbahnu already had a few drops of the nectar, thus turning immortal.

This made Lord Vishnu very angry, and he used his Sudarshana Chakra to cut off Swarbahnu's head from his body.

But since Swarbhanu was already immortal, he couldn't die, so the head became Rahu, and the body became Ketu.

Later Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe, gave them a place in the heavens as Shadow Planets.

Now, Rahu symbolises an obsessive & materialistic planet that wants all the worldly desires that are on offer, and then some more! Since Rahu doesn't have a heart and just a head, it also behaves like that.

Ketu, detached from the head, doesn't care for worldly desires at all, since it has no mind, only a heart, and thus it's the planet of detachment, spirituality, and growth.

When Rahu and Ketu conjunct with the Sun or Moon, they cause Surya Grahan and Chandra Grahan respectively.

Since you already know the story, you know Rahu and Ketu see those two planets as their mortal enemies and that's why the Sun (Sun = Soul, the very essence of you), and Moon (Moon = Mind, emotions) are afflicted (and so is the part of you represented by these 2 planets) when they come under Rahu and Ketu's influence.

This is also known as Pitra Dosha or Ancestral Curse in the chart and needs remedy.

But Rahu and Ketu aren't always malefic.

Under the right circumstances, Rahu also gives great results, especially in Kalyuga.

For example, the 11th house is known as the profit house, and since it is Kalyuga, a strong ambition to get richer, own materialistic things, build connections, etc. is seen positively which works perfectly with Rahu'e energy.

Rahu also governs technology, innovation, and unconventional paths, and thus a strong Rahu makes the person good at these things where Rahu's disruptive yet transformative energy can shine well.

Similarly Ketu, in the 9th or the 12th house, under the right circumstances, could give you spiritual growth and detach you from materialism, thus reminding you of your soul’s ultimate purpose.

While Rahu binds, Ketu liberates. Together, they balance your karmic journey.

Vedic Astrology or Jyotishi is about different energies coming together and impacting you in multiple ways. They act as a guide, providing you with much needed lessons for personal growth.

What you do with that is up to you, as you carry forward the Karma from previous life to this one, and so on.

None of the planets is plain good or bad, but a lot depends on their placements, degrees, conjunctions, Dashas, etc, amongst other things which determine how they will impact an individual at a particular time.

As Sage Parasar very clearly mentions in Hora Sastra,

"There is no human being born on Earth who remains without the influence of Navagrahas."

Thank You for reading.

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