AstrologgerRahu Mantra
Rahu is the north lunar node — like Ketu, a shadow graha with no physical body, held in Jyotish to govern worldly ambition, obsession, foreign lands and sudden, unconventional gain. Mantras addressed to him are chanted during Rahu Mahadasha and Antardasha, where Kaal Sarp Dosha is suspected, and by anyone working through a stretch marked by confusion or an unusual reversal of fortune. As with the other graha mantras here, there is no single one — the family below serves different occasions.
The 4 Rahu Mantras
"Rahu Mantra" is not a single verse. These are the forms in traditional use, each with its own purpose and count.
| Form | Opening | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Rahu Beej Mantra | ॐ भ्रां भ्रीं भ्रौं सः राहवे नमः | 108 daily |
| Rahu Moola Mantra | ॐ रां राहवे नमः | 108 daily |
| Rahu Gayatri Mantra | ॐ नागध्वजाय विद्महे पद्महस्ताय धीमहि। | 108 |
| Navagraha Stotra (Rahu verse) | अर्धकायं महावीर्यं चन्द्रादित्यविमर्दनम्। | — |
Rahu Beej Mantra
ॐ भ्रां भ्रीं भ्रौं सः राहवे नमः
Om Bhrāṁ Bhrīṁ Bhrauṁ Saḥ Rāhave Namaḥ
The seed form. Bhrāṁ, bhrīṁ and bhrauṁ carry no dictionary sense of their own — tantric sound-seeds tuned to the graha — and the mantra closes as a plain salutation to Rahu by name.
Count: 108 daily
Rahu Moola Mantra
ॐ रां राहवे नमः
Om Rāṁ Rāhave Namaḥ
"Rāṁ" is Rahu's own seed syllable; the rest is a bare salutation by name. This is the one usually given to someone beginning the practice.
Count: 108 daily
Rahu Gayatri Mantra
ॐ नागध्वजाय विद्महे पद्महस्ताय धीमहि। तन्नो राहुः प्रचोदयात्॥
Om Nāgadhvajāya Vidmahe Padmahastāya Dhīmahi, Tanno Rāhuḥ Prachodayāt.
Built on the Gayatri metre. It names him Nagadhvaja, "the serpent-bannered one", holding a lotus in hand, then asks that Rahu direct the intellect.
Count: 108
Navagraha Stotra (Rahu verse)
अर्धकायं महावीर्यं चन्द्रादित्यविमर्दनम्। सिंहिकागर्भसंभूतं तं राहुं प्रणमाम्यहम्॥
Ardhakāyaṁ Mahāvīryaṁ Chandrādityavimardanam, Siṁhikāgarbhasambhūtaṁ Taṁ Rāhuṁ Praṇamāmyaham.
Rahu's verse from the nine-verse Navagraha Stotra attributed to the sage Vyasa. It describes him as half-bodied, of great power, the one who seizes Sun and Moon alike — the traditional account of an eclipse — born of Simhika's womb, before bowing to him.
When and how to chant
Day: No single fixed weekday — Saturday is the one most often cited, which is why this site's own navagraha data otherwise leaves Rahu without one
- Morning or dusk is the time usually kept; where a specific day is observed, Saturday is the one most commonly cited.
- Face south-west while chanting, the same direction kept for Ketu. A mala of hessonite-strung beads or rudraksha is traditional; count in rounds of 108.
- Mustard oil, a black blanket or coconut, and offerings to the needy are commonly associated with Rahu.
- Smoky grey or black is his colour; hessonite (gomed) is the gemstone tradition associates with him.
What tradition holds
These mantras are traditionally taken up during Rahu Mahadasha and Antardasha, where Kaal Sarp Dosha is suspected, and for matters of ambition, foreign travel or settlement, and the sudden, unconventional turns tradition associates with Rahu. A well-placed Rahu is held to give rapid rise and mastery of unconventional fields; an afflicted one, confusion, obsession or deception. These are the reasons tradition gives for keeping these mantras; they are not claims about outcomes.
Is Rahu actually placed against you?
A mantra is chosen for a placement, not for a planet in the abstract. Whether Rahu forms Kaal Sarp Dosha in your chart, is running your Mahadasha, or neither, depends on your birth date, time and place — which is a calculation, not a guess.
Watch and chant along
Related mantras
Frequently asked questions
Which is the mantra of Rahu?
There is no single one. The shortest is the moola mantra, Om Rāṁ Rāhave Namaḥ. The beej mantra, Om Bhrāṁ Bhrīṁ Bhrauṁ Saḥ Rāhave Namaḥ, is the more widely chanted seed form. The gayatri and the Navagraha Stotra verse are set out above, each with Devanagari, transliteration and sense.
How can Rahu be pleased?
Through the mantras above, chanted facing south-west on a hessonite or rudraksha mala, and through the donations tradition associates with him — mustard oil, a black blanket or coconut, and offerings to the needy.
When should the Rahu beej mantra be chanted?
Morning or dusk, facing south-west, counting one full round of 108 beads. Saturday is the day most often cited, though not consistently fixed across sources.
What is the 72000 Rahu mantra jaap?
This refers to a formal count of japa some traditions prescribe for a dedicated Rahu sadhana, done over a set number of days — distinct from the simple daily round of 108 kept as an ongoing practice.