Dosh
Kaal Sarp, Mangal, Pitru, Nadi, Sade Sati and more — how each dosh is defined, what is claimed about it, when it is cancelled, and remedies rooted in worship.
Birth-Chart Doshas
Patterns in the birth chart as a whole — Kaal Sarp, Pitru and Kemdrum dosh.
Kaal Sarp Dosh: Meaning, 12 Types and Remedies
Kaal Sarp dosh is said to form when all seven planets fall on one side of the Rahu–Ketu axis in a birth chart. It is one of the most talked-about — and most feared — doshas today, yet it is not described in the classical texts. Here is how it is defined, its twelve named types, what is claimed about it, and a balanced view of remedies.
Read more →DoshPitru Dosh: The Debt to the Ancestors
Pitru dosh is the belief that unfulfilled duties to one's ancestors — rites left undone, wrongs left unresolved — show up as obstacles in the family line. Astrologers read it mainly from an afflicted Sun and 9th house. Its remedies, from shraddha and tarpan to feeding the hungry, are among the most meaningful in Hindu practice.
Read more →DoshKemdrum Dosh: The Moon Left Alone
Kemdrum (Kemadruma) is one of the few doshas found in the classical texts. It forms when no planet occupies the houses on either side of the Moon, leaving the mind's significator without support. It is also one of the most frequently cancelled — here is how it is formed, what it is said to mean, and when it does not apply.
Read more →Doshas in Marriage Matching
What kundli milan checks before a wedding — Mangal, Nadi and Bhakoot dosh.
Mangal Dosh (Manglik): How It Is Checked and When It Cancels
A person is called manglik when Mars sits in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house of the birth chart. It is the most common reason weddings are questioned in India — yet by the usual rule a large share of all people are manglik, and the dosh has many recognised cancellations. Here is the full picture.
Read more →DoshNadi Dosh: The 8-Point Test in Kundli Milan
Nadi carries the most points — 8 of 36 — in Ashtakoot gun milan. Every nakshatra belongs to one of three nadis, and when bride and groom share the same nadi the score for this koota is zero: Nadi dosh. Here is the full nakshatra table, why it is taken so seriously, and the recognised exceptions.
Read more →DoshBhakoot Dosh: The Moon-Sign Test in Kundli Milan
Bhakoot (or Rashi koota) carries 7 of the 36 gun milan points and looks at how far apart the bride's and groom's Moon signs are. Three relationships — 6/8, 9/5 and 2/12 — give zero points and are called Bhakoot dosh. Here is how to count it, what each is said to affect, and when it is cancelled.
Read more →Doshas of Planetary Conjunction
When two planets share a house — Grahan, Guru Chandal, Angarak and Shrapit dosh.
Grahan Dosh: When the Sun or Moon Meets Rahu or Ketu
Grahan dosh is the 'eclipse' combination in a birth chart — the Sun or the Moon in the same house as Rahu or Ketu, the two points that cause real eclipses. It is said to cloud whatever the luminary stands for: the self and father for the Sun, the mind and mother for the Moon.
Read more →DoshGuru Chandal Dosh: Jupiter Joined by Rahu
Guru Chandal dosh forms when Jupiter — the planet of wisdom, teachers and dharma — sits with Rahu, the planet of illusion and the unconventional. It is said to test a person's judgement and relationship with gurus and tradition, though it can also produce original, boundary-crossing thinkers.
Read more →DoshAngarak Dosh: When Mars Meets Rahu
Angarak — 'the burning coal' — is a name of Mars. Angarak dosh forms when Mars is joined by Rahu, and is associated with anger, impulsiveness, accidents and conflict. It is often confused with Mangal dosh, but the two are different combinations with different remedies.
Read more →DoshShrapit Dosh: Saturn and Rahu Together
Shrapit ('cursed') dosh is the name popularly given to Saturn and Rahu in the same house. It is read as karmic weight carried from the past — long delays, heavy responsibilities, results that come late. It is a modern label rather than a classical one, and its remedies centre on Shani and Hanuman.
Read more →Transit — Shani Sade Sati and Dhaiya
Saturn's passage over the Moon sign, which every person meets several times in life.
What a dosh is
In Jyotish, a dosha (“flaw”) is a combination in the birth chart, or a planetary transit, that is believed to create obstacles in some area of life. Some are classical — Kemdrum and the Ashtakoot tests behind Nadi and Bhakoot dosh go back to the old texts. Others, such as Kaal Sarp and Shrapit dosh, are modern labels that are widely used but debated. Each guide here says which is which.
How to read these guides
Every guide covers the same ground: how the dosh is formed, what it is traditionally said to affect, the conditions under which it is cancelled (bhanga or parihara) — which apply far more often than people are told — and remedies. The remedies we describe are worship, mantra, charity and service, linked to texts on this site such as the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and Hanuman Chalisa, and worth doing on their own merit.
A word of caution
A single combination never decides a life; the whole chart, the dasha and above all a person's own actions matter far more. Be wary of anyone who uses a dosh to frighten you into an expensive ritual, and never let a dosh alone decide a marriage.