Grahaṇa-dośaग्रहण दोष(Grahan Dosh)
Classical dosha from Sūrya or Chandra affliction by Rāhu/Ketu; the eclipse-register as a natal configuration.
Grahaṇa-dośa
Grahaṇa-dośa (ग्रहण दोष, also written Grahan Dosh or Grahaṇa-yoga) names the classical configuration of a luminary — Sūrya or Chandra — conjoined with Rāhu or Ketu in the natal chart. The name grahaṇa means "eclipse" (literally "seizing"), referring to the mythological narrative in which the node-serpent eclipses the luminary by holding it in its grip. Classical terminology applies both yoga (the combination) and dośa (the register of difficulty the combination produces). The configuration is read as affliction of the luminary's classical significations — Sūrya's authority-of-self register when Sūrya is involved, Chandra's feeling-mind register when Chandra is involved.
Classical grounding
Parāśara in Brihat Parāśara Horā Śāstra treats the luminary- node conjunction as a specific affliction pattern in the adhyāyas concerned with planetary relationships and their effects. Phaladeepikā and later classical texts elaborate the Grahaṇa- yoga / Grahaṇa-dośa treatment, with the Sūrya-Rāhu, Sūrya-Ketu, Chandra-Rāhu, and Chandra-Ketu configurations each carrying distinct classical readings. The four variations are read for different registers of affliction: solar conjunctions affect authority, willpower, and paternal-register patterns; lunar conjunctions affect feeling-register, maternal-connection, and psychological stability. The Vedic mythological anchor — the Samudra-manthana narrative where Svarbhānu is decapitated by Viṣṇu after drinking amṛta — provides the classical iconography for the configuration.
Chart-configuration detection
The classical Grahaṇa-dośa configuration requires close conjunction (classically within 10-15° in most readings, tighter in stricter treatments) of a luminary with Rāhu or Ketu in the same rāśi. The four classical variants are: (1) Sūrya-Rāhu, classically the most commonly cited and associated with authority- register affliction; (2) Sūrya-Ketu, associated with paternal- detachment register; (3) Chandra-Rāhu, classically called Grahaṇa-yoga proper and associated with emotional-volatility register; (4) Chandra-Ketu, associated with sleep-difficulty and withdrawal register. Each variant reads differently, and the bhāva in which the conjunction occurs further modulates the reading.
Classical manifestation pattern
The Grahaṇa pattern inclines the afflicted luminary's classical significations toward specific instabilities — the Sūrya register toward authority-confusion or paternal-register disruption, the Chandra register toward feeling-mind volatility or maternal- connection disruption. Classical reading consistently frames this as tendency, not determinism: the afflicted luminary's dispositor, the relevant bhāva-lord, and benefic aspects all modulate. A strong Bṛhaspati or Śukra aspect on the conjoined pair classically moderates the reading. The daśā timing of the conjoined graha determines when the pattern most actively manifests, distinguishing trait-register effects from event-register effects.
Parihāra (mitigation) rules
Classical Grahaṇa-bhaṅga rules include: (1) strong benefic (Bṛhaspati or Śukra) aspect on the conjunction classically moderates the reading significantly; (2) the afflicted luminary in own sign or exaltation retains considerable strength despite the conjunction; (3) the node's dispositor's strength and placement matter — a well-placed dispositor redirects the reading; (4) exact-degree conjunction carries different classical weight from same-sign-but-loose conjunction. Classical remedial observances linked to luminaries and nodes include Sūrya-oriented observances for solar Grahaṇa-dośa (Āditya Hṛdayam, Sūrya temple visits) and Chandra-oriented observances for lunar Grahaṇa-dośa (Candra-stotra, Śiva worship as overlord of Chandra). Named in the tradition, not prescribed.