Budh Vakri 2026–28
Mercury retrograde dates
Every date Budh turns vakri (retrograde) and direct to the end of 2028, the rashi it moves in, and the tradition’s upay for the period.
Budh has been vakri in Tula (Libra) since 24 Oct 2026 and turns direct (margi) on 13 Nov 2026.
| Turns vakri | Turns direct (margi) | Rashi | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Oct 2026 | 13 Nov 2026 | Tula (Libra) | 20 days |
| 9 Feb 2027 | 3 Mar 2027 | Kumbh (Aquarius) back into Makar (Capricorn) | 22 days |
| 10 Jun 2027 | 5 Jul 2027 | Mithun (Gemini) | 25 days |
| 7 Oct 2027 | 28 Oct 2027 | Tula (Libra) back into Kanya (Virgo) | 21 days |
| 24 Jan 2028 | 14 Feb 2028 | Makar (Capricorn) | 21 days |
| 21 May 2028 | 14 Jun 2028 | Vrishabh (Taurus) | 24 days |
| 19 Sep 2028 | 11 Oct 2028 | Kanya (Virgo) | 22 days |
Dates are in Indian time (IST), from the ephemeris: the day the graha stops, and turns backwards or forwards again. It moves slowly for a few days either side of each date.
By your Moon rashi meanwhile
Budh’s gochar from the Moon, in each windowWhile Budh is vakri in Tula (Libra) from 24 Oct 2026: Phaladeepika counts its transit good for a Moon in Vrishabh, Kark, Kanya, Dhanu, Makar and Meen, and asks for care for a Moon in Mesh, Mithun, Singh, Tula, Vrishchik and Kumbh.
While Budh is vakri in Kumbh (Aquarius) from 9 Feb 2027: Phaladeepika counts its transit good for a Moon in Mesh, Vrishabh, Kark, Kanya, Vrishchik and Makar, and asks for care for a Moon in Mithun, Singh, Tula, Dhanu, Kumbh and Meen.
While Budh is vakri in Mithun (Gemini) from 10 Jun 2027: Phaladeepika counts its transit good for a Moon in Vrishabh, Singh, Kanya, Vrishchik, Makar and Meen, and asks for care for a Moon in Mesh, Mithun, Kark, Tula, Dhanu and Kumbh.
The dasha of a vakri graha
what Parashara says of all five togetherIn a dasha, BPHS times a graha's results by its dreshkana (each third of a rashi): the first at the start of the dasha, the second in the middle, the third towards the end. If the graha is vakri, this order is reversed. Rahu and Ketu, always vakri, always give their results in the reverse order. BPHS 47.3–4
Where a vakri Budh falls in your kundli
by your lagna: the houses it rules, and the house it moves back throughA graha gives its results through the houses it rules and the house it sits in, and a vakri graha is counted strong. So the matters a vakri Budh brings forward are those of the houses it rules for your lagna and of the house of your kundli it moves back through. The table gives both, for the next 3 rashis it turns vakri in. The later windows are read the same way.
| Lagna | Lord of your | For this lagna | Vakri in Tula, from 24 Oct 2026 | Vakri in Kumbh, from 9 Feb 2027 | Vakri in Mithun, from 10 Jun 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesh (Aries) | 3rd and 6th | Malefic | your 7th (marriage) | your 11th (income) | your 3rd (younger siblings) |
| Vrishabh (Taurus) | 2nd and 5th | Mildly malefic | your 6th (illness) | your 10th (career) | your 2nd (money saved) |
| Mithun (Gemini) | 1st and 4th | Lagna lord | your 5th (children) | your 9th (luck) | your 1st (self) |
| Kark (Cancer) | 3rd and 12th | Malefic | your 4th (mother) | your 8th (longevity) | your 12th (expenses) |
| Singh (Leo) | 2nd and 11th | Malefic | your 3rd (younger siblings) | your 7th (marriage) | your 11th (income) |
| Kanya (Virgo) | 1st and 10th | Benefic | your 2nd (money saved) | your 6th (illness) | your 10th (career) |
| Tula (Libra) | 9th and 12th | Benefic | your 1st (self) | your 5th (children) | your 9th (luck) |
| Vrishchik (Scorpio) | 8th and 11th | Malefic | your 12th (expenses) | your 4th (mother) | your 8th (longevity) |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | 7th and 10th | Benefic | your 11th (income) | your 3rd (younger siblings) | your 7th (marriage) |
| Makar (Capricorn) | 6th and 9th | Benefic | your 10th (career) | your 2nd (money saved) | your 6th (illness) |
| Kumbh (Aquarius) | 5th and 8th | Neutral | your 9th (luck) | your 1st (self) | your 5th (children) |
| Meen (Pisces) | 4th and 7th | Malefic · Maraka | your 8th (longevity) | your 12th (expenses) | your 4th (mother) |
The labels, from Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, chapter 34:
- Yogakaraka: the strongest graha a lagna can have: the one Parashara names as bringing yoga, or the one lord of both a kendra (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) and a trikona (1st, 5th, 9th) (34.13)
- Benefic, Malefic, Neutral: works for the lagna; brings its harder matters; neither
- Lagna lord: the lagna’s own graha, where the verse calls it neither good nor hard
- Maraka: a killer Parashara names for the lagna, watched for health and longevity; printed alone, or after another label. It is not always the lord of the 2nd or 7th: where it differs, the line under it gives the verse
- · Yoga: one of two grahas he says give yoga together for this lagna
What a vakri Budh brings, as read today
a modern reading, alongside the classical one aboveMany astrologers read a vakri Budh this way today; it is a modern reading, not the classical texts’. The mantra, daan and Lal Kitab upay are the tradition’s. Where Budh sits in your kundli decides how much the period touches you.
Common questions
4 questionsWhen is Budh vakri in 2026?
Still ahead: from 24 October 2026 to 13 November 2026, in Tula.
When is Budh vakri in 2027?
From 9 February 2027 to 3 March 2027, in Kumbh, moving back into Makar; from 10 June 2027 to 5 July 2027, in Mithun; from 7 October 2027 to 28 October 2027, in Tula, moving back into Kanya.
When is Budh vakri in 2028?
From 24 January 2028 to 14 February 2028, in Makar; from 21 May 2028 to 14 June 2028, in Vrishabh; from 19 September 2028 to 11 October 2028, in Kanya.
What does a vakri Budh mean?
A vakri graha appears to move backwards when seen from the Earth. The classical texts count a vakri Budh strong, not weak: it gains cheshta bala, the strength of motion (Phaladeepika 4.4, BPHS 27.21–23).
A graha reads the same for everybody. Your chart does not.
Where each graha sits in your kundli, which bhavas it rules for your lagna and which dasha is running decide what it does for you. Make your free kundli to see all nine.
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