Kaal sarp dosh

Padma kaal sarp dosh: talk to an astrologer about Rahu in the 5th house of children

Padma kaal sarp dosh puts Rahu in the 5th house of children, learning and mantra, and Ketu in the 11th house of gains.

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Updated 2026-11-03

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We have been trying for a baby for two years. An astrologer said padma kaal sarp dosh is the reason. I feel terrible. Is this really in my chart?

I'm sorry this has been so hard. Please keep following your doctor first. Share your birth details and I will check whether padma kaal sarp holds by degree, and how your 5th house and its lord look.

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Example of a consultation about kaal sarp dosh on Kismo

Short answer

Padma kaal sarp dosh (पद्म काल सर्प दोष) is the label for Rahu in the 5th house, Ketu in the 11th, and all planets between them. Questions about children, studies and love bring most people to it. Several rules used by astrologers soften or cancel it, and it is among the rarest types by degree. On Kismo, verified Vedic astrologers check those rules by chat or call, online from anywhere.

Key facts

What are the key facts about kaal sarp dosh?

	Answer
The placement	Rahu in the 5th house, Ketu in the 11th, every planet on one side of the axis
Houses involved	5th: knowledge, intellect, mantra, children ¹; 11th: gains, income, increase ²
How common	1.2% of charts by sign, 0.5% by degree (calculated)
Other name in one handbook	Adrishya golardh (hidden hemisphere) kaal sarp ⁵
What softens it	A planet outside the axis by degree, benefic aspect on the 5th, a strong 5th lord
Session on Kismo	From ₹15 a minute, 5 free minutes in the first session, online from anywhere in India and abroad

What gets checked

What does an astrologer check for padma kaal sarp dosh?

The 5th house. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra 11.6 assigns it mantras, knowledge, intellect and children ¹.
Benefic help on the 5th. Verse 11.14 says a house is judged by benefic planets joining or aspecting it and by its lord ³.
Saturn or the Moon with Rahu. Saturn shares the 5th with Rahu in 16.7% of padma charts and the Moon in 15.9% ⁶.
The 11th house holding Ketu. Parashara's verse 11.12 reads the 11th for gains and income ²; Jupiter sits there with Ketu in 15.0% of padma charts ⁶.
Whether the pattern survives exact degrees. Only 43.9% of sign-counted padma charts do ⁶.

Padma kaal sarp dosh with Pisces ascendant: Rahu in the 5th house, Ketu in the 11th, all planets in houses 5 to 11 (North Indian chart) North Indian chart: houses run anticlockwise from the top diamond (the 1st house); small numbers are signs.

Your situation

What changes the answer when padma kaal sarp comes up about children or study?

What the question really is. Delay in having a child is a medical question first and is covered on delay in having a child; exams are on competitive exams.
The 5th lord and Jupiter. Astrologers read children from the 5th lord and from Jupiter, its natural significator, not from the node alone.
Rahu alone or with company. Rahu is alone in the 5th in only 46.3% of padma charts, the lowest of the twelve types ⁶.
Both partners' charts. For questions about children, many astrologers read the spouse's 5th house too.

By the numbers

How rare is padma kaal sarp dosh?

Padma kaal sarp dosh appeared in about 1 chart in 81 by sign and about 1 in 185 by exact degree. By degree it is one of the three rarest types.

Padma fact	Value
Charts with Rahu in the 5th	8.6%
Of those, all planets inside by sign	14.3%
Of those, all planets inside by exact degree	6.3%
Of those, exactly one planet outside by degree (partial)	27.0%
Padma charts with Ketu alone in the 11th	53.7%

Calculated from public astronomical data with the open-source astronomia library ⁶: 20,000 random Delhi charts, 1960 to 2005, Lahiri ayanamsa, mean Rahu, whole-sign houses. A Rahu-in-5th chart is nearly twice as likely to be partial as full.

What the texts say

What do the classical texts say about Rahu in the 5th and Ketu in the 11th?

Phaladeepika reads the two nodes very differently here. Sloka 8.26 is hard on Rahu in the 5th, speaking of trouble with children and stomach complaints, while sloka 8.33 gives Ketu in the 11th wealth, good qualities and the things one needs ⁴.

Neither sloka refers to the other planets, so neither is a kaal sarp rule. Dr. Balarama Pandey's 2007 handbook calls this placement the adrishya golardh, or hidden-hemisphere, kaal sarp ⁵.

Padma is one of the eight worshipped nagas and is named in the Mahabharata's Adi Parva ⁷. The use of naga names for chart types, including padma, comes from modern handbooks, as the main kaal sarp dosh page explains.

Text	Placement	Reading
Phaladeepika 8.26 ⁴	Rahu in the 5th	Hard on children and the stomach
Phaladeepika 8.33 ⁴	Ketu in the 11th	Gains, good qualities, needs met
BPHS 11.6 ¹	5th house	Mantra, knowledge, intellect, children
BPHS 11.14 ³	Any house	Judged by benefic aspect and its lord
Pandey 2007 ⁵	Rahu 5th, Ketu 11th	Adrishya golardh kaal sarp

What softens it

Which rules do astrologers use to soften or cancel padma kaal sarp?

Astrologers soften or cancel padma kaal sarp with rules of their own, because no classical text defines the yoga. These are the ones met most often, each attributed.

Rule	Who uses it	Effect
One planet outside the axis	Most modern astrologers	Called partial instead of full
A planet outside by exact degree	Degree-based astrologers	Removes 56.1% of sign-counted padma charts ⁶
A planet sharing Rahu's or Ketu's nakshatra	Pandey's nakshatra method ⁵	Results said to be milder
Benefic aspect on the 5th, strong 5th lord	Parashara's general house rule ³	The 5th house judged as supported
Planets running from Ketu to Rahu	Some astrologers	Not counted as kaal sarp; 46.7% of padma charts ⁶

Myths and facts

What do people get wrong about this?

Belief: Padma kaal sarp dosh means you cannot have children.

No classical text says this about padma; children are read from the 5th house, its lord and benefic aspects ¹³, and fertility is a medical question for a doctor.

Belief: Every chart with Rahu in the 5th house has padma kaal sarp.

Only 14.3% of Rahu-in-5th charts have all planets on one side by sign, and 6.3% by degree ⁶.

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How we verify astrologers · How these pages are written

Astrologers for this

Which astrologers can I talk to about kaal sarp dosh?

Mariyammal k
Vedic Astrology, Prashna Astrology · 4 yrs
Tamil
★ 5.0 · 5,999 orders · ₹25/min
Shri nath guru ji
Vedic Astrology, Prashna Astrology · 8 yrs
Hindi
★ 4.9 · 5,992 orders · ₹20/min
Rishabh Pharswan
Vedic Astrology, Life Coach · 5 yrs
English, Hindi
★ 4.5 · 5,991 orders · ₹25/min
Chhaya yadav
Vedic Astrology · 3 yrs
Hindi
★ 4.5 · 5,989 orders · ₹25/min
Shubham Bhandari
Vedic Astrology · 2 yrs
English, Hindi, Punjabi
★ 4.5 · 5,989 orders · ₹30/min

Talk to Mariyammal Get it on Google Play

How it works

How does a consultation on Kismo work?

Log in on kismo.app or get the app from Google Play.
Pick an astrologer who speaks your language and works with your question.
Share your date, time and place of birth.
Ask by chat or call. The first session carries 5 free minutes, then each minute is billed from your wallet.

Questions worth asking in the session

Does my padma pattern hold by exact degree?
How strong are my 5th lord and Jupiter?
Which planet sits with Rahu in my 5th house?
What does my spouse's 5th house show?
Which rule, if any, softens the pattern in my chart?

Before you book

What should I know before booking a session about kaal sarp dosh?

Question	Answer
What does a session cost?	Each astrologer sets one rate for chat and call, from ₹15 a minute. A 10-minute session at ₹15 a minute costs ₹150 (October 2026).
Is the first session free?	5 free minutes on the first session, no card.
Chat or call?	Both. You choose when you start the session.
Do I need an exact birth time?	It helps. Without one an astrologer can still read your Moon sign and planets by sign, or work out the time with you.
Is my chat private?	Your chat is not shown to other clients. How Kismo handles your data is set out in its privacy policy at kismo.app/privacy.
What if I am not happy?	There is no refund for a reading you did not like. Misconduct, pressure or a request for money outside Kismo is handled by a person.
Where does it work?	Online, from anywhere in India and abroad. People use Kismo from 80+ countries.

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FAQ

Questions people ask

Can padma kaal sarp dosh delay having a baby?

No classical text links padma kaal sarp to delay in having a baby; the label itself is modern. Some astrologers read the 5th house for children, along with its lord and Jupiter. If you are trying for a child, follow your doctor's advice first, and treat any chart reading as support, not a diagnosis.

Does padma kaal sarp yog affect studies and exams?

Some astrologers connect padma with studies because Parashara gives knowledge and intellect to the 5th house. Results depend on the 5th lord, Mercury, Jupiter and the dasha, and on how much and how well you study. Treat any reading as a nudge to plan, not as a forecast of marks.

What are the positive effects of padma kaal sarp yog?

Phaladeepika is kind to Ketu in the 11th house, reading it as gains, good qualities and getting what one needs. Some astrologers describe padma as good for research or mantra practice. Any such reading depends on the full chart, and nobody can promise benefits from the type name.

I feel guilty and hopeless after hearing about padma dosh. Who can I talk to?

You are not to blame for a chart pattern, and padma kaal sarp is a modern label that many charts lose on a closer check. Talk to your partner, family or a friend. If the low mood stays, see a doctor or call Tele-MANAS on 14416, the free government helpline ⁸.

Can a Kismo astrologer check both my and my husband's charts for padma kaal sarp?

Yes, a Kismo astrologer can read both charts in one session by chat or call. Kismo is an app where you talk to verified Vedic astrologers by chat or call, in 16 languages. You pay the astrologer's per-minute rate, from ₹15, and only the minutes you use are charged.

Is it a red flag if I'm told a padma dosh puja is needed for a child?

Yes, being told a puja is needed before you can have a child is a red flag. Nobody can promise that a ritual brings a pregnancy. Keep following medical advice, ask for a second opinion before paying, and report pressure; on Kismo, misconduct is handled by a person.