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Graha
Ketu (South Node)
Ketu is the south lunar node — the serpent's tail, the counterpoint to Rahu. It signifies detachment, past mastery, spirituality and letting go: the place where a soul has already been, and is asked to release rather than grasp.
| Signifies | Detachment, moksha, past-life skill, intuition, loss, the unseen |
|---|---|
| Rules | Co-lord of Scorpio (no sign of its own) |
| Exalted | Scorpio (Sagittarius in some schools) |
| Debilitated | Taurus |
| Day | — |
| Gemstone | Cat's Eye (Lehsunia) |
What Ketu signifies
Ketu is the other shadow graha — the south node, where the Moon crosses back below the Sun's path. If Rahu is hunger for what lies ahead, Ketu is the residue of what is already mastered: instinctive skill that needs no effort, and a matching disinterest. It signifies spirituality and moksha, intuition and the occult, sudden loss, and the areas of life a person quietly renounces.
Ketu and the nodal axis
Ketu always sits exactly opposite Rahu, and the two are read together: Rahu's craving and Ketu's release are the two ends of the same karmic axis. Ketu shares in the axis patterns — Kaal Sarpa and, with a luminary, Grahan Dosha. Where Ketu sits, effort feels beside the point — because, the tradition says, it was already earned.
Traditional remedies
Ketu is propitiated through the Ketu mantra and Maha Mrityunjaya, worship of Ganesha, spiritual practice and service, and — on advice — cat's eye. Its remedy is acceptance: Ketu asks not for more grasping but for trust, surrender, and the turning of detachment into depth rather than avoidance.
Common questions
What does Ketu represent in Vedic astrology?
Detachment, spirituality, past-life mastery, intuition and letting go. It is the south lunar node — a shadow point directly opposite Rahu.
What is the difference between Rahu and Ketu?
Rahu is the north node — desire, ambition, grasping toward the new; Ketu is the south node — detachment, mastery already earned, and release. They sit exactly opposite and are always read together.