Who is Rahu
Rahu, also known as Svarbhānu in the Rigveda (5.40.5-9), is a shadowy celestial entity classified among the Navagraha (nine planets) in Hindu astrology. The Rigveda describes Svarbhānu as an asura who strikes the sun with darkness, causing an eclipse, a myth that later evolves into the Puranic narrative of Rahu. According to the Mahabharata (Adi Parva, ch. 19) and the Bhagavata Purana (8.9.25-28), during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthana), the asura Svarbhānu disguised himself as a deva to drink the nectar of immortality.
Surya and Chandra detected the deception and alerted Vishnu, who severed Svarbhānu's head with his discus. However, the nectar had already reached the throat, making the head immortal. The head became Rahu (the ascending lunar node), and the tail became Ketu (the descending node). Rahu, enraged by Surya and Chandra's betrayal, eternally pursues them, causing solar and lunar eclipses when he swallows them.
The Skanda Purana (Kashi Khanda) elaborates on Rahu's role in eclipses, describing how the shadow planet temporarily obscures the luminaries. In iconography, Rahu is depicted as a dark, severed head riding a chariot drawn by eight black horses, often holding a sword or shield. He symbolizes obsession, illusion, and worldly desires, and is considered a malefic graha in Jyotisha Shastra, influencing sudden events, karmic debts, and material pursuits. Regional worship includes offerings during eclipses and propitiation through mantras like the Rahu Gayatri.
In Hindu cosmology, Rahu represents the north lunar node, a mathematical point where the moon's orbit intersects the ecliptic, embodying the principle of shadow and the unseen forces that shape destiny.
Roots of the name
The name Rāhu is derived from the Sanskrit root 'rah' meaning 'to abandon' or 'to separate,' reflecting his severed state. In the Rigveda (5.40.5-9), he is called Svarbhānu, 'the splendor of the sun,' later reinterpreted as an asura who eclipses the sun.
The term 'Rāhu' appears in the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa (3.1.1) as a demon causing eclipses. Regional variants include 'Rahu' in Hindi and 'Rāhu' in Tamil.
The name is also linked to 'rahas' (mystery), alluding to his hidden nature as a shadow planet.
Names by which the divine is addressed
What they hold
Form, mudras, weapons & vahana
Depicted as a severed head on a chariot. Dark complexion, holding weapons. Often shown swallowing the sun or moon.
Sacred utterances
Vedic remediation guidance
- Rahu mahadasha challenges
- Foreign-land issues
- Sudden upheavals
- Anxiety
Rahu, the severed head of Svarbhānu who drank the nectar of immortality, is worshipped for remediation because his headless form symbolizes the mind severed from spiritual light, perpetually chasing illusion and karmic debts. Worship of Rahu is most recommended when Rahu is afflicted in the 8th or 12th house, during Rahu mahadasha or antardasha, when Saturn is weak or retrograde in a dusthana, or during Sade Sati periods affecting the natal Moon. The concrete remedial pattern involves reciting the Rahu Beeja Mantra (ॐ भ्रां भ्रीं भ्रौं सः राहवे नमः) 18,000 times over 40 consecutive Saturdays, beginning on a Saturday in Ardra, Swati, or Shatabhisha nakshatra. Japa is performed facing southwest, wearing smoke-colored garments, with offerings of black sesame seeds, blue lotus, or coconut. Complementary observances include fasting until sunset, donating black blankets or iron to the needy, and avoiding travel during eclipses.