UNDERSTANDING RAHU:
Disclaimer: WHILE KETU IS THE PLANET THAT I LOVE AND I RESPECT SHANI THE MOST, RAHU HAPPENS TO BE MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE.
Here’s why:
SATURN IS LIKE BATMAN – THE DARK KNIGHT OF JUSTICE (he works in silence, works hard, works for a just cause, wins, and then disappears)
I respect all that but then…
RAHU…IS THIS GUY…
Hope I have your undivided attention. Let’s start the crazy ride.
First a lesson in mythology: We Indians have an edge when it comes to astrology, we have a rich mythology that helps us decode the planets. Especially Rahu and Ketu (two powerful tools missing from other forms of astrology).
Here’s a legend that can help you understand Rahu much better:
The legend has it that gods and demons joined forces for churning of the ocean in order to obtain the treasures hidden beneath, especially the nectar of immortality (Amrit). One by one the ocean started to throw up precious objects like a divine elephant, the wish fulfilling tree, etc. They kept dividing these objects, getting their choice alternatively.
However, when the biggest prize, the pot of Amrit came out, demons snatched it immediately and there was a big fight between the gods and the demons about it.
Knowing the cruel nature of the demons, Lord Vishnu did not want them to obtain the Amrit and become immortal, as that would have spelled doom for most other beings including humans. So the Dear Lord decided to intervene. He took form of the most beautiful female ever, named Mohini and went to the quarreling demos and gods.
All were overwhelmed with her beauty and forgot the fight. Mohini offered to solve the dispute regarding the distribution of Amrit and asked gods and demons to sit in two different rows. Once arranged, Mohini started the distribution. However, in reality she was tricking the demons by giving Amrit to the gods and poison to the demons.
Most of the demons were too overpowered by the lust for Mohini to notice this. But then one (the one and the only) demon named Swarbhanu who had his focus on the Amrit and realized what was going on. Being super smart, he changed his form into that of a God and sneaked into their row, managing to trick even Vishnu Himself and thereby obtaining his share of Amrit.
Two gods, Sun and Moon saw this, and beckoned to Vishnu who immediately shot his celestial weapon Sudarshan Chakra and beheaded Swarbhanu. However, by the time this happened, Swarbhanu had managed to swallow a drop of Amrit, so despite being beheaded, he managed to become an immortal. But to his disappointment, his body was cut in two parts.
THE HEAD OF SWARBHANU BECAME RAHU AND
THE HEADLESS BODY BECAME KETU
Vishnu accepted them both and gave them status of planets.
Important Point: While Rahu and Ketu emerged from the same being, by nature, these two are polar opposites.
Rahu became “ALL HEAD” the materialistic, ruthless (literally heartless) “Go Getter”, who wants what he wants at any cost. He is willing to do whatever it takes, like a Politician (by the way Rahu is the Karaka of Politics and politicians).
Ketu became a “couldn’t care less” monk who wanted nothing but liberation. (Ketu is the Karaka of Monks and liberation). We will talk about Ketu at length. But this one is for Rahu.
So Rahu emerged as “The Demon Head” or in Hindi as we say “Shaitaan Khopdi” (The Devilish Head). Using this story we can decode what Rahu stands for.
THE DARK SIDE:
There is a lot of negativity associated with Rahu, but not without a reason, because Rahu operating in its lower principle shows his negative side to people in general.
Greed: A head without a torso can eat all that he wants but would never be satiated. Hence, he is ever hungry and greedy. The greediest men in the world are driven by Rahu. The famous “Greed is Good” dialogue from the business classic Wall Street was a very Rahu type dialogue and the anti-hero of the movie Gordon Gekko was a typical Rahu + Mercury character.
Fear Inspiring: Rahu is filled with eternal hate for the Sun and the Moon (especially the Moon). Being the fearsome devourer, he tries to swallow the moon, causing the eclipse. The soft and feminine moon is scared to death by Rahu, Moon being the Karaka of mind, Rahu becomes the karaka of fear in the mind. This is why we find a Moon – Rahu relationship in almost all depressed and mentally ill people.
Risk, Gambling, and Share Market: Rahu is the primordial Great Gambler. He gambled his own life in order to get what he wanted. That’s why he owns gambling dens and stock markets (yeah stock markets are the legal biggest). This planet creates opportunity for people to lose their shirt, and would happily gobble their lives up through these instruments of greed. I always advise my clients against investing in stock market. I personally don’t have a penny invested in share market and would never invest in it.
Illusion: Rahu’s tragedy is that he got what he wanted but he was left unsatisfied for the eternity. In the end the quest for immortality culminated in eternal dissatisfaction. This is a typical experience of someone who undergoes a Rahu dasha. They keep chasing one illusion after the other with a maddening obsession. However, it almost always ends with some kind of fear and disappointment especially during the Rahu-Moon period.
Chaos: Anyone going through a Rahu period would tell what it feels like. His stormy winds are strong enough to route the stability out of life. He induces the chaos and instability. Arrival of Rahu in life is like arrival of Joker in Gotham City. We all know what happens. Fasten your seat belts.
Cheating, lies and deceit: Rahu is smokes and mirrors. He used trickery to get what he wanted and that’s how he operates in his lower principle. Cheaters, liars, con-artists, and of course politicians all are ruled by Rahu. Remember Shakuni Mama, master of gambling, cheating and politics, that’s a typical Rahu character operating out of lower principle.
Politics: Rahu is the Karaka of politics, people with a strong Rahu, especially Rahu + Sun are attracted to politics and power games. The current POTUS Donald Trump has this combination and the world knows how he beat wily politicians at their own game. And now how he is arrogantly and selfishly dominating other world leaders.
Corruption: You should have guessed this one. Politics and corruption are never far away. Rahu is not much for purity and ethics. He has a “whatever it takes” approach and tends to go to excesses to the point of corruption. Rahu, when sitting with any other planet tries to corrupt the functioning of that planet. For example, if Rahu sits with Venus one would be wildly driven by sex, Rahu with Mercury is the recipe to create an Evil Genius, Rahu with Sun would typically give selfishness and egomania. So you get the picture.
Crime:
Crime is never far from politics and corruption. Since Rahu is the lawbreaker, he is also the rulers of criminals, all those who challenge the laws, system, and the establishment. Right from petty thieves to mega criminals all are ruled by him, crime of profit as well as crime of passion would be impossible without him getting involved. For the record, Rahu also rules terrorism. He doesn’t give a damn about the laws and legal framework, here he gets in clash with Saturn, with whom he has a love and hate relationship. Rahu loves to break the laws if that helps him get what he wants. Saturn wants to protect it, this is where they collide.
Ego and Entitlement: Rahu believes that he is entitled to everything and then some more. Often Sun + Rahu or Rahu in 1st individuals have a breathtaking sense of entitlement and illusions of self importance. They would almost never admit that they are wrong at anything. We all see what Donald Trump is doing to the world. In India we have a line made famous by citizens of our capital Delhi, “Tu Jaanta hai mera baap kaun hai?” meaning “Do you know who my father is?” it is a threat to show that he is a big daddy’s son. For the record Delhi is a typical Sun + Rahu city. And Trump has a Sun + Rahu.
The Phonies: “Fake It Till You Make It” crowd has a typical Rahu mentality. Here is a Rahu secret, RAHU WANTS TO BE SUN (He is also called “the other sun”). He is a faker, he is a waanabe, and he tries extra-hard to be the King. He would use all the fakery right from showing off to names dropping, and dress to impress, in order to prove that he is the “Real Sun” which of course he is not. But hey he tries super hard and does not like to be reminded what he is not.
SO FAR…SO BAD…you might be hating Rahu from the bottom of your heart by now. But hold, without Rahu we all would be screwed. Want to know why, here is why we need this guy:
RAHU IN HIS HIGHER PRINCIPLE CAN REPRESENT THE FOLLOWING:
FOCUS: Imagine a beautiful starlet walks into the room, chances are that all eyes would be on her. Now imagine the most beautiful woman the UNIVERSE trying hard to distract you, but still you remain focused on your goal, that’s what is called FOCUS. That’s how badass Rahu is. While other demons were overwhelmed by lust for Mohini, Rahu kept his eyes on the prize and got what he wanted. In the age of the ever beeping phones, Rahu focus would decide winners from losers.
Research and Hidden Knowledge:
All things known are “under the sun” for all to see. However, a lot more is hidden, and to find that out, Rahu is your man, as he rulers hidden knowledge, and the quest for it. All researchers, inventors, scientists, and explorers who find something new or unknown, tend to have a very heavy Rahu in their charts. For the record, Einstein had Rahu in 8th house of hidden knowledge (so does yours truly 
).
THE ETERNAL UNDERDOG-BEATING THE ESTABLISHMENT:
Who in the universe thought that a simple demon would be able to outwit Vishnu Himself? Rahu did that, and did that against all odds. The greatest underdog victory of all times. Rahu, loves to shake up the system, especially big governments and corporate and bureaucracy (Kingdom of Sun). When a Sun becomes cruel, complacent, and corrupt (as it often happens), Enters our friend Rahu. He can be a freedom fighter who picks up the weapon to challenge a tyrant ruling from the capital, he can be the anonymous hacker cracking down an evil bank, he can be a small entrepreneur sitting in garage coming up with something that would wipe out the evil dominant market leader in months. So you see why I love this planet so much. When Sun goes corrupt, Rahu arrives, in all its underdog glory.
He is the Ninja:
Remember the Ninja? Ninja is the ultimate Rahu warrior. How they were born is a study in astrology. When the local warlords of Japan became tyrants (Sun gone corrupt in the land of the rising Sun), they were protected by the fiercely loyal and disciplined Samurai (Saturn + Mars). It looked as if they were going to rule for eternity, but thank God for Rahu. The Ninja arose. The legend has his common peasants took unconventional weapons and used deception and unconventional warfare beating the supposedly invincible Samurai. Similarly smart guys coming up with great hacks to beat the system and establishment, all are operating in Rahu’s higher principle.
PROGRESS: In the movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko Summed it up way better that I can : “Greed — for lack of a better word — is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms — greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge — has marked the upward surge of mankind.” This upward surge of mankind has been marked by Rahu. Right from ELECTRICITY to light bulbs (fake sun), he has been the engine driving the humanity out of caves into AC buildings. Guess we need to thank the guy.
FREEDOM: Without Rahu, we all would have been serving hereditary kings even today. Democracy brings the anti-establishment element and wild changes that Sun the King feels his throne shaking. (yes politicians are a byproduct of democracy but we would rather have politicians than have tyrants-Ask the North Koreans). All the rebellions right from Indian freedom struggle to French Revolution, to the Arab Spring are inspired by our good friend Mr. Rahu. If you go to vote, don’t forget to thank him.
INTERNET: If there is one thing that has broken the hold of the “Establishment” on the life of the people, it is the Internet. Right from a blogger who resigned from his job and lives a free life, to someone who doesn’t trust the traditional “controlled media”, to millions of small entrepreneurs who are running Internet based businesses (including yours truly) we all owe this to Rahu.
This life would have been impossible 15 years ago. Remember the days when government news would show the Prime Minister with religious reverence, when business was impossible without capital, a job was the only option, and “guys on the top (Sun)” controlled everything? Internet has come as the liberator for the common man and is the biggest headache for the establishment-the liberating powerful tool of the underdogs. Hail Rahu…!
So people, thank the Divine Rahu for all his blessings.
And here is a tip, in case you have a bad Rahu in the chart (like me), praying to Mother Divine and Keeping a Rahu Yantra (preferably sliver) would help a lot.
God Bless,
G. Vijay Kumar
Images: Google
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