The (il)logic of TamBrahms’ Rahu Kalam

Let me tell you what I know about Rahu and its twin Kethu. As per myths, these two were Asuras who lined up with the goody-two shoes Devas to receive Amrut, which would make the drinkers immortal.

Rahu and Kethu each received a spoon of Amrut but they were outed immediately after they took the sip, but before it could go down the gullet. They were beheaded, but not before the Amrut took its effect on the heads. These would not roll down and die. In a quandary, the Devas approached God who banished the two heads to the far reaches of the universe. They did not evolve as stars but stayed as points. These are the points that find a place in our horoscope. Being half baked incarnates of Asuras, of course, these have ill effects on people. Presto, Rahu Kalam! (Kethu plays only second fiddle.)

Now, to some other explanation. The moon revolves around the earth in a plane that is slightly inclined (about 5⁰) to the plane in which the earth revolves around the sun. Therefore, during every orbit of the moon around the earth, the moon briefly passes through the plane of revolution of the earth around the sun. That is, if the apparent orbits of the sun and the moon are projected on the celestial sphere, there would be two circles that will intersect at two points. These are Rahu and Kethu.

On the celestial sphere these are precisely 180⁰ apart. Take any horoscope of anyone (now that you can draw up a horoscope given the place and time of birth of a person, or even a to-be-born, by a few clicks of the mouse) you would always find Rahu and Kethu occupying opposite “houses” along the periphery. This is how it will be.

The first (il)logic of Rahu Kalam of TamBrahms is the assertion that a mere point in space (on the celestial sphere) will have an effect on a particular community on the earth.

The second (il)logic is that such a faraway point will take cognizance of the time of day and the day of the week of this particular community. Add to this the fact that this community is now spread out globally. Suppose members of a family are separated by 12 hours (Chennai and San Francisco), if at one place we have Rahu doing his stuff, we will have Kethu doing it at the other! So, for all those living in California, it must be Kethu Kalam simultaneously! Einstein’s simultaneity! And, for those on the eastern board of the US, it should be at a different time. Or, you can look at in a different way. Rahu and Kethu will have their effects cancelled. It all gets too complicated.

The third (il)logic is the deepest. TamBrahms sacerdotal calendar (and Rahu Kalam figures only in this) is based on the start of a day being reckoned at sunrise. That is, Rahu Kalam must float in a day seasonally as the sun rises and sets at different times in different seasons. But, Rahu Kalam is specified by the western concept of a day starting at midnight. This is how we have Rahu Kalam between 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM on EVERY Sunday no matter the season. The whole concept of Rahu Kalam appears a hybrid.

The fourth (il)logic is the existence of another 90 minutes of inauspicious time in a day – the Yama Kandam. What is really striking is that on any day of the week the time interval between the ending of one (say, Rahu Kalam) and the beginning of the other (Yama Kandam) is at least an hour and a half; this is on Monday.

Rahu talked to the God of Death Yama and the two agreed to give some respite to the people of this community, it appears. Yama wanted much less complications. He started with the time slot 6:00-7:30 AM on Thursday and went backwards (Wednesday, Tuesday …) jumping 90 minutes each time. They worked well into the night, settled on Rahu’s schedule and created an English mnemonic for Rahu Kalam – Mother Saw Father Wearing The Turban Suddenly!

There must be many more (il)logics of this sort; I myself must be able to think up a couple more. Others can help, of course. Thanks in advance.

Raghuram Ekambaram