What Is a Dosha?
In Vedic tradition, a dosha is a planetary configuration believed to be associated with challenges in a particular area of life. It is not a flaw or a curse, it is a pattern the chart is read as carrying, and one that tradition meets with awareness and remedial practice rather than alarm. About 40 to 50% of people are said to have at least one dosha.
This calculator computes the five doshas Vedic tradition most often associates with marriage, career, health and finances, Mangal (Manglik), Kaal Sarp, Sade Sati, Pitra and Shani. Naming five keeps the tool honest: it reads exactly what it can compute, and says so.
Classical Jyotish, it should be said plainly, names dozens of doshas, Rahu Dosha, Ketu Dosha, Shrapit Dosha, Angarak Dosha, Kemadruma Dosha, Grahan Dosha and more. This tool does not score those as separate features; several are read within the five above (the Rahu-Ketu affliction, for instance, is exactly Kaal Sarp Dosha). They are defined in the glossary as terms, so the vocabulary is here even where the standalone calculation is not.
How Dosha Severity Is Scored
A dosha is not a plain yes or no, and this calculator does not treat it as one. Each flagged dosha is read as Mild, Moderate or Severe from four things: the afflicting planet's house, its dignity (exalted, own-sign, neutral or debilitated), the aspects on it, and the sign it sits in. Two charts with the 'same' dosha can therefore carry very different weight, one Mild and cancellable, the other Severe and worth a real conversation.
That is also why the multi-reference check matters for Mangal: a Mars that is Manglik from the Lagna but clear from the Moon and Venus reads Mild, while a Mars afflicting all three reads far heavier. Severity, plus the cancellation rules, is what turns a scary online flag into something you can actually understand.
To be plain about provenance: the placements, the dosha flags and the drishti (aspect) data all come from the ephemeris. The Mild / Moderate / Severe grade is Wishastro's own reading of those classical factors, not a band the ephemeris returns.
Mangal Dosha: Mars in the Wrong House
Mangal Dosha, better known as being Manglik (and as Kuja Dosha in the South, or Bhom Dosha), is the best-known affliction in Vedic astrology, and the one this mangal dosha calculator is built around. It forms when Mars sits in houses 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 or 12, and in Vedic tradition it is associated with marital challenges. It is not a verdict: many happily married people are Manglik.
Where most calculators check Mars from the Lagna alone, this tool reads Mars from three reference points, the Lagna, the Moon and Venus. Checking all three is what catches partial-Manglik cases and grades the severity, rather than returning a blunt yes or no. Mangal is a permanent, natal dosha, so it shows the same whenever you check mangal dosha in kundli.
Crucially, Mangal Dosha has well-known cancellation (bhanga) conditions, and when both partners are Manglik tradition reads the effect as mutually offset. Traditional mangal dosha remedies (a Mars-strengthening practice, Hanuman worship, or the symbolic Kumbh Vivah) are belief-based practices believed to support the planet, with no guaranteed outcome. Always read the cancellation rules before worrying.
On the page, your Mangalik (Mangalik dosh) result is graded Mild, Moderate or Severe, not a blunt yes or no, and it shows exactly which reference point it forms from. A Mars in the 7th, the house of marriage, is weighed differently from a Mars in the 2nd; a debilitated Mars is read as weaker than an exalted one. That nuance, plus the cancellation check, is what separates a real mangal dosha in kundli reading from a scary online yes-or-no, and it is why the same dosha can carry very different weight in two charts.
Kaal Sarp Dosh: The Serpent's Grip, the Rahu-Ketu Axis
Kaal Sarp Dosh (also spelt Kalsarpa Dosha, or Kaal Sarp Yog) forms when all seven planets fall to one side of the Rahu-Ketu axis, the two lunar nodes. Because the whole configuration IS the Rahu-Ketu affliction, this section is the honest home for anyone searching a standalone rahu dosha, ketu dosha or grahan dosha: what you are looking for is read here as Kaal Sarp.
The calculator names which of the 12 classical types forms, Anant, Kulik, Vasuki, Shankhpal, Padam, Mahapadam, Takshak, Karkotak, Shankhachur, Ghatak, Vishdhar or Sheshnag, each defined by which houses Rahu and Ketu occupy. Tradition associates the configuration with a life of intense highs and lows.
It is also the most-debated dosha in Jyotish, some classical astrologers question how prominently it appears in the oldest texts, which is exactly why a full reading weighs the whole chart, not this one configuration. A partial (Anshik) Kaal Sarp, where one planet sits just outside the axis, is read as much milder, and there are recognised remedial traditions (Kaal Sarp Dosh Nivaran) framed as belief-based practice, not treatment.
Sade Sati: Saturn's 7.5-Year Test
Sade Sati (Shani Sade Sati) is Saturn's roughly 7.5-year transit across the 12th, 1st and 2nd signs from your natal Moon, in three phases (Charans) of about 2.5 years each: the Rising phase, the Peak phase and the Setting phase. It is read from your birth Moon sign (rashi), not your Sun sign, which is why an accurate read needs your exact birth details.
The Peak phase is traditionally regarded as the most demanding, as Saturn transits over the natal Moon, a period Vedic tradition associates with emotional, mental and domestic strain. This is a traditional interpretation, not a prediction or a mental-health assessment, for emotional or mental-health concerns, consult a qualified professional.
This calculator gives your rashi-specific Sade Sati phase and dates from your birth Moon sign. Commonly asked-about rashis include Kumbh (Aquarius), Dhanu (Sagittarius), Mithun (Gemini) and Vrishabha (Taurus); your own timeline is computed from your exact Moon sign. Dedicated per-rashi Sade Sati pages are a separate build, this tool gives you your personal window.
Because Sade Sati is read from the Moon sign, the rashi you were born under sets which three signs count: the 12th, 1st and 2nd from it. The table below maps all twelve rashis, Mesha through Meen, to their Sade Sati transit signs so you can see the pattern, but your own phase and dates come from your exact birth Moon, not a generic rashi lookup. Note too the shorter 'Dhaiya' or Small Panoti, Saturn's 2.5-year transit of the 4th and 8th from the Moon, which is often confused with full Sade Sati.
Pitra Dosha: Ancestral Karmic Debt
Pitra Dosh (Pitru Dosh) is traditionally read as an ancestral karmic debt, most often linked in the chart to a Sun-Rahu (Grahan Yoga) affliction of the 9th house, the house of father, fortune and forefathers. This dosha calculator flags that 9th-house signature and reads its strength.
In Vedic tradition Pitra Dosha is associated with recurring family themes, strain in father-child relationships, obstacles despite effort, delays in marriage or children, or financial difficulty said to run across generations. These are traditional interpretive associations, not predictions about any individual; a dosha cannot forecast a specific life event.
Traditional Pitra Dosh Nivaran practices, Shraddha, Pind Daan and Tarpan on Amavasya, charity, and Peepal worship, are belief-based practices believed to support family harmony, with no guaranteed outcome. They are not a medical, fertility or financial treatment.
Shani Dosha: Saturn's Burden
Shani Dosh is a natal Saturn affliction, read from Saturn's dignity (debilitation in Aries, combustion, difficult aspects) and its house. It is distinct from Sade Sati: Sade Sati is a temporary transit that passes, while a natal Shani Dosh is a permanent feature of the birth chart. Keeping the two apart is a genuine differentiator, they are often confused.
In classical Jyotish, a debilitated Saturn (in Aries / Mesha) in the 7th house is traditionally associated with delays or challenges in marriage; in the 6th, 8th or 12th it is read differently again. Saturn is a slow, demanding teacher in tradition, its lessons are read as earned rather than given.
Because Saturn responds, in tradition, to discipline and service, the classical Shani remedies, Saturday practice, sesame-and-iron charity, service to elders and workers, are framed as belief-based practices believed to support the planet, with no guaranteed outcome, never a substitute for professional advice.
Cancellation Conditions: When Doshas Don't Apply
Many people panic after finding a dosha online. They shouldn't, not before checking whether it is cancelled. Classical Jyotish is full of bhanga (cancellation) rules, and a huge share of flagged doshas are wholly or partly offset once the rest of the chart is weighed.
For Mangal Dosha: when both partners are Manglik the effect is traditionally read as mutual and cancelled; a Jupiter or benefic aspect on Mars, Mars in its own or exalted sign, or Mars for certain ascendants, all soften it. A partial Kaal Sarp, with one planet just outside the Rahu-Ketu axis, is read as far milder than a full one. Sade Sati and other transit doshas are, by nature, temporary, they pass on their own.
The takeaway: a dosha is a flag to read, not a sentence. Always check the cancellation conditions, and the severity, before worrying, and weigh any serious question with a qualified astrologer who has the whole chart in front of them.
How this calculator works
This tool provides traditional Vedic guidance, not professional medical, financial, or marital advice. Consult a qualified astrologer for a full reading.