The condition
Kaal sarp yoga is present when all seven classical planets fall on one side of the axis formed by Rahu and Ketu. The chart is described as hemmed in between the two nodes, and the pattern is read as a life with concentrated effort and delayed returns.
Types
There are twelve named types, one for each axis the nodes can occupy, and each is read differently depending on which houses are enclosed. A partial formation, where one planet sits outside the axis, is a much weaker version and is often not treated as the yoga at all.
Keeping it in proportion
This is among the most over-diagnosed conditions in popular astrology, and a great many charts show it in some form. Its significance depends on which houses are enclosed and how strong the enclosed planets are; the presence of the pattern by itself says relatively little.
Common questions
How serious is kaal sarp yoga?
Far less than its reputation. It appears in a large number of charts, and its significance depends on which houses are enclosed and how strong the enclosed planets are.
What is partial kaal sarp?
When one planet falls outside the Rahu–Ketu axis the formation is incomplete. It is read as a much weaker version, and many astrologers do not treat it as the yoga at all.