2nd lord and 3rd lord share the difficult house (dusthana) — this pulls family resources and personal effort into the theater of conflict. Saturn finds strength in a friendly sign, but Ketu sits in its debilitation (neecha). It is a meeting of cold discipline and spiritual void in the house of enemies (Ripu Bhava). The mind faces the weight of ancestral debt in the pursuit of daily service.
The Conjunction
For Sagittarius (Dhanu) ascendant, Saturn (Shani) serves as the lord of the second house (Dhana Bhava) of wealth and the third house (Sahaja Bhava) of courage. Saturn is placed in Taurus (Vrishabha), a friendly sign (mitra rashi) ruled by Venus. Ketu occupies this same space in its debilitated (neecha) state. As the sixth house is both a difficult house (dusthana) and a growth house (upachaya), the malefic nature of both planets intensifies initial struggles while providing long-term resilience. Saturn represents structure, while Ketu signifies detachment and past-life karma. Their conjunction, known as Ketu-Shani yoga, forces the native to resolve debts through disciplined service. Saturn provides the endurance to handle litigation, while Ketu suggests the eventual closure of these conflicts. The dispositor Venus determines the final material outcome of this heavy karmic alignment.
The Experience
Living with Ketu and Saturn in the sixth house creates a psyche wired for endurance through erasure. The native feels an innate pressure to work without recognition, treating daily labor as a form of asceticism. This is not the ambition of a climber but the duty of a debt-payer. Phaladeepika suggests that malefic influence in the sixth house can eventually destroy enemies, yet the presence of debilitated Ketu implies that the greatest enemy is often a lingering ghost from a forgotten past. The struggle is between the rigid structures of Saturnian duty and the chaotic, dissolving urge of Ketu. True mastery arrives when the native stops fighting the workload and begins to see service as a tool for liberation rather than a sentence of suffering.
The nakshatra placement shifts the specific flavor of this exhaustion. In Krittika (Krittika), the conjunction burns through obstacles with a sharp, purifying intensity that leaves no room for hesitation or sentimentality. Within Rohini (Rohini), the weight of material security and comfort oscillates with a profound psychic need to walk away from all physical possessions. In Mrigashira (Mrigashira), the native endlessly searches for the root cause of their conflicts, often finding only more complex questions in their pursuit of truth. This configuration represents The Patient Scytheman—one who harvests the consequences of old actions with mechanical precision and total detachment. Life becomes a series of high-stakes negotiations where the self is the currency. The native does not panic; they simply endure the pressure. Success is measured by how little of the ego remains after the arduous work is done. Every scar on the spirit is a map of a battle where the only way to avoid defeat was to surrender the desire for victory, transforming every obstacle into a silent step toward spiritual autonomy.
Practical Effects
This conjunction creates specific health vulnerabilities related to the throat, neck, and digestive tract. As the second lord Saturn occupies the sixth house of disease (Roga Bhava), nutritional deficiencies or chronic dental issues may arise from rigid habits or restricted diets. Ketu’s presence introduces undiagnosable or "phantom" ailments that frequently defy standard medical procedures. Both planets aspect the twelfth house (Vyaya Bhava), indicating potential hospitalization or the need for long-term chronic management. Saturn additionally aspects the third house (Sahaja Bhava) and the eighth house (Mrityu Bhava), pointing to potential issues involving the bones, hearing, or chronic inflammatory conditions. The karmic nature of Ketu-Shani yoga suggests that physical symptoms often mirror repressed emotional burdens or ancestral history. Maintain a strict, repetitive dietary regimen and grounding physical practices to heal.