Kaal sarp dosh calculator
This kaal sarp dosh calculator checks, from the date of birth, whether all seven planets lie on one side of the Rahu-Ketu axis: by degree and by sign, with the mean and the true node, in both directions. With the time and place of birth it also gives the named type counted from the Lagna. If the time is not known, it shows the answer through the day.
What kaal sarp means
Rahu and Ketu are the two lunar nodes, the points where the Moon’s path crosses the Sun’s. They are always exactly opposite each other, so the line between them divides the zodiac into two halves of 180°. In the tradition that uses the term, a chart is called kaal sarp (काल सर्प, “serpent of time”) when all seven planets, the Sun to Saturn, lie in one of those halves, held between the serpent’s head, Rahu, and its tail, Ketu.
How it is counted, and where astrologers differ
- By degree or by sign. The usual count is by degree: every planet inside the 180° from Rahu forward to Ketu (or from Ketu forward to Rahu). Some count by whole signs instead, from Rahu’s sign to Ketu’s sign, with a planet in Rahu’s or Ketu’s own sign counted as inside.
- Direction. When the planets are in the half from Rahu forward to Ketu, the pattern is called kaal sarp. When they are in the half from Ketu forward to Rahu, some call it kaal amrit, and others still call it kaal sarp. The calculator gives the direction and both names.
- Mean or true node. The mean node moves steadily; the true node swings up to about 2° either side of it. Both are in use, so the calculator checks both, with the mean node for its main answer.
- “Partial”. Some use the word when exactly one planet lies outside. It is a description, not a separate result; the calculator names that planet.
- Close to the axis. A planet within 1° of Rahu or Ketu is named, because there the answer by degree depends on exact positions, and counting by degree and by sign can differ.
The twelve named types
Those who use kaal sarp name twelve types, most of them after serpents (nagas) of Indian legend, by the house Rahu occupies counted from the Lagna (whole signs: the Lagna’s sign is the 1st house, as on the Mangal dosha calculator). Ketu is then in the house opposite. Because the Lagna changes sign about every two hours, the type needs the time and place of birth.
| Rahu in house | Ketu in house | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 7th | Anant अनंत |
| 2nd | 8th | Kulik कुलिक |
| 3rd | 9th | Vasuki वासुकि |
| 4th | 10th | Shankhpal शंखपाल |
| 5th | 11th | Padma पद्म |
| 6th | 12th | Mahapadma महापद्म |
| 7th | 1st | Takshak तक्षक |
| 8th | 2nd | Karkotak कर्कोटक |
| 9th | 3rd | Shankhachud शंखचूड़ |
| 10th | 4th | Ghatak घातक |
| 11th | 5th | Vishdhar विषधर |
| 12th | 6th | Sheshnag शेषनाग |
Worked example
For Delhi at 12:00 IST on 15 August 2004, Rahu (mean node) was at 11°44′ in Mesh and Ketu at 11°44′ in Tula. Every planet from the Sun to Saturn lay in the half running forward from Rahu to Ketu, so by the usual definition the chart has the kaal sarp pattern, and counting by sign or with the true node gives the same answer. The Lagna was Tula, and Rahu was in the 7th house from it, the house the twelve names call Takshak.
| Planet | Position | Degrees past Rahu |
|---|---|---|
| Sun सूर्य | 28°50′ Kark | 107°05′ |
| Moon चन्द्र | 19°50′ Kark | 98°05′ |
| Mars मंगल | 9°09′ Singh | 117°24′ |
| Mercury बुध | 13°36′ Singh | 121°51′ |
| Jupiter गुरु | 27°25′ Singh | 135°40′ |
| Venus शुक्र | 13°09′ Mithun | 61°24′ |
| Saturn शनि | 27°38′ Mithun | 75°53′ |
Every planet is between 0° and 180° past Rahu, so all seven are in the half from Rahu to Ketu. Venus is the first after Rahu and Jupiter the last before Ketu.
How the calculator works
- Convert the birth time to Universal Time with the UTC offset chosen.
- Compute the sidereal (Lahiri) positions of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Rahu, mean and true node, in your browser, from a published planetary theory checked against NASA/JPL Horizons to within a few thousandths of a degree. The Moon is the same as on the site’s rashi and nakshatra calculators.
- For each convention, check whether all seven lie in the half from Rahu to Ketu, or in the half from Ketu to Rahu; name any planet within 1° of the axis, and the planet outside when only one is.
- With the time and place, work out the Lagna (as on the Lagna calculator) and Rahu’s house from it, for the named type. Without a time, work through the whole day and give the answer for each part of it.
Is kaal sarp dosh bad?
Put plainly: it is a later idea, not in the classical texts, and many astrologers do not use it. It is also not rare: when the other planets are all on one side of the axis, the Moon joins them for up to about two weeks at a time, so many people born in those days have the pattern. A calculation result like this one is not a reason for worry. This page reports where the planets were and how the tradition counts them; it does not predict events, character or health, and it does not suggest anything to do about it.
Related tools
- Mangal dosha calculator: the house of Mars counted from the Lagna, the Moon and Venus.
- Sade Sati calculator: Saturn’s seven-and-a-half-year transit by Moon sign.
- Atmakaraka calculator: the chara karakas, from the planets’ degrees in their signs.
- D9 chart calculator (navamsa): the navamsa chart, with the D9 Lagna and each planet’s navamsa.
- Lagna calculator: the rising sign (ascendant), from the date, time and place of birth.
Frequently asked questions
What is kaal sarp dosh?
Kaal sarp (काल सर्प, "serpent of time") is the name some astrologers give to a birth chart in which all seven planets, from the Sun to Saturn, lie on one side of the axis between Rahu and Ketu, the two points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's. The planets are said to be held between the serpent's head (Rahu) and tail (Ketu).
Is kaal sarp dosh bad?
It is a later idea, not something the classical texts describe, and many astrologers do not use it at all. It is also not rare: when the other planets are all on one side of the axis, the Moon joins them for up to about two weeks at a time, so many people born in those days have it. A calculation result like this is not a reason for worry, and this page does not predict anything about a person from it.
Is kaal sarp yoga in the classical texts?
No. It is not among the yogas of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra or the Jaimini Sutras, the classical Parashari and Jaimini texts. It appears in later writing and became widely known only in recent times. Astrologers who follow the classical texts closely often do not use it; others do. This page explains how it is counted without taking a side.
How is kaal sarp calculated?
Take the sidereal positions of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, and of Rahu (Ketu is always exactly opposite). Kaal sarp, in its usual form, is when every one of the seven lies in the half of the zodiac running forward from Rahu to Ketu, or every one in the half running from Ketu to Rahu. The calculator above does this from the date and time of birth, by degree and by sign, with the mean and the true node.
What is the difference between kaal sarp and kaal amrit?
Both describe all seven planets on one side of the axis. When they lie in the half running forward from Rahu to Ketu, the pattern is called kaal sarp. When they lie in the half running from Ketu to Rahu, some call it kaal amrit; others still call it kaal sarp. The calculator gives the direction and both names, and does not judge between them.
What is partial kaal sarp?
Some astrologers use "partial" kaal sarp when exactly one planet lies outside the half that holds the others. It is a description some use, not a separate result: by the usual definition all seven must be on one side. The calculator names the planet outside when this happens.
Does the birth time matter for kaal sarp?
Often not, but sometimes it does. The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, so it can cross Rahu or Ketu during the day of birth and change the answer; the other planets move much more slowly. With "time not known" the calculator works through the whole day and gives the answer for each part of it. The named type (Anant, Kulik and so on) needs the exact time and the place, because it is counted from the Lagna.
By degree or by sign: which is used?
Most descriptions count by degree: each planet's position against the exact degrees of Rahu and Ketu. Some count by whole signs, from Rahu's sign to Ketu's sign, with a planet in Rahu's or Ketu's own sign counted as inside. The two differ only when a planet shares a sign with Rahu or Ketu on the far side of it, so the calculator shows both.
Mean node or true node?
Both are in use. Many Indian almanacs use the mean node, which moves steadily; others, including much modern software, use the true node, which swings up to about 2 degrees either side of it. The calculator uses the mean node for its main answer and also shows the result with the true node.
Do Uranus, Neptune and Pluto count?
No. Only the seven planets of traditional Indian astrology, the Sun to Saturn, are counted, together with Rahu and Ketu, which form the axis.
Are my birth details saved?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, and the birth details are not stored or sent anywhere. They appear in the page address only if you open or copy the share link.