Shukra Vakri 2026 (Venus Retrograde): Dates, Asta Period and Effects for All 12 Rashis
Venus turns retrograde on Saturday, 3 October 2026 at 14° Libra, its own sign, and turns direct on Saturday, 14 November at 28° Virgo, the sign where it is debilitated. For six weeks the planet of relationships, comfort and money moves backwards through the zodiac, and for part of that time it is also combust: too close to the Sun to be seen.
Shukra Vakri 2026: the dates
- Venus turns retrograde: Saturday, 3 October, at Libra 14°15′ (Swati nakshatra)
- Venus combust (Shukra asta): Monday, 19 October to Thursday, 29 October
- Venus re-enters Virgo, still retrograde: Friday, 6 November
- Venus turns direct: Saturday, 14 November, at Virgo 28°37′ (Chitra nakshatra)
- Venus returns to Libra: Sunday, 22 November
All positions are sidereal (Lahiri), the zodiac Vedic astrology uses, and every date is computed by our own ephemeris. Western astrology places the same retrograde in Scorpio and Libra: the stations fall on the same days, only the sign names differ. You can check where Venus stands on any day on our planetary positions page or in the planetary transit calendar.
What a retrograde Venus means in Vedic astrology
A planet is vakri (retrograde) when, seen from the Earth, it appears to move backwards. Venus does this roughly every 19 months, when it passes between the Earth and the Sun. Jyotish does not treat a vakri planet as weak. It gains cheshta bala, strength of motion, and its matters are revisited rather than pushed forward. For Venus those matters are marriage and partnership, pleasure and comfort, art, vehicles and luxury, and the spouse in a man’s chart.
This retrograde has two halves. It begins in Libra, Venus’s own sign and its moolatrikona (0–15° Libra), where the planet is at ease; that half reviews what is already on firm ground. It ends in Virgo, where Venus is debilitated, and it turns direct at 28°37′ Virgo, less than two degrees from its deepest debilitation at 27° Virgo. That half tests what is fragile.
Shukra asta: Venus combust inside the retrograde
Around the middle of the retrograde, Venus also passes close to the Sun. By the orb rule our ephemeris uses (a fixed distance from the Sun, tighter for a retrograde Venus), it is combust from Monday, 19 October to Thursday, 29 October. Some panchangs time Shukra tara asta by when the planet actually disappears from view, which depends on your latitude; for India they give roughly 12–13 October to 28–29 October (Drik Panchang; Palash Thhakur). The two methods agree on when Venus reappears.
In muhurat practice, weddings are not fixed while Venus or Jupiter is combust. This year the asta falls inside Chaturmas, when North Indian weddings are paused anyway. By Devuthani Ekadashi on Friday, 20 November, when the wedding season reopens, Venus is visible again and moving direct, so it does not hold that season back.
Who feels Shukra Vakri 2026 the most
- People with the Moon or the lagna in Taurus or Libra, the two signs Venus rules.
- Anyone running a Venus mahadasha or antardasha: the transit then touches the period that is actively giving results.
- Aries and Scorpio lagnas, for whom Venus rules the 7th house of marriage.
- Anyone with natal Venus, or other natal planets, between 28° Virgo and 14° Libra, the stretch of sky the retrograde crosses twice.
Rashi-wise effects of Shukra Vakri 2026
The readings below count houses from your Moon sign, the classical method for transits (gochar). By the classical table, Venus gives good results in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th houses from the Moon, and difficult ones in the 6th, 7th and 10th. Each sign has two phases: Venus in Libra until 5 November, then in Virgo. Retrograde, Venus brings back unfinished matters of the house it occupies rather than opening new ones. We do not compute vedha (obstruction by other planets), so read these as a general direction, not a verdict on your chart.
Mesh (Aries): Venus in your 7th, then your 6th
Libra phase: unfavourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: unfavourable. Venus crosses your 7th house of partnership, so old questions in a marriage or a business partnership come back to the table. Listen before you answer. From 6 November it moves into your 6th, where the review shifts to health routines and friction with colleagues. Neither half is the time to sign a partnership deal in a hurry.
Vrishabh (Taurus): Venus in your 6th, then your 5th
Libra phase: unfavourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Your sign’s own ruler goes backwards through your 6th house of routine, debts and disputes. Pending loans, a nagging health habit or a colleague you have avoided all ask for attention. From 6 November Venus moves into your 5th, and romance, creativity and matters of children begin to ease.
Mithun (Gemini): Venus in your 5th, then your 4th
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus retrogrades through your 5th house of romance and creativity, which often brings back an old flame or an unfinished creative project. Give it a second look rather than a fresh start. From 6 November it moves into your 4th, turning attention to home, comfort and vehicles; buy once Venus is direct after 14 November.
Kark (Cancer): Venus in your 4th, then your 3rd
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus in your 4th house brings home, family comfort and your mother into focus. It suits repairs and rearranging more than a new purchase. From 6 November it moves into your 3rd, where short journeys, siblings and the way you speak up are the areas that get revisited.
Simha (Leo): Venus in your 3rd, then your 2nd
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus in your 3rd house is a favourable transit for courage, siblings and short travel, and retrograde it often reconnects you with people you had lost touch with. From 6 November it moves into your 2nd house of family money and speech; review savings and family commitments rather than start new ones.
Kanya (Virgo): Venus in your 2nd, then your 1st
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus in your 2nd house favours family and accumulated wealth, so this is a good time to tidy money matters and settle what was left open. From 6 November debilitated Venus retrogrades through your own sign. Relationships and self-image can feel tender until it turns direct on 14 November; be gentle with yourself and with others.
Tula (Libra): Venus in your 1st, then your 12th
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus rules your sign and retrogrades in it. Personal relationships, appearance and what gives you comfort all come up for review. That is not bad news, but it asks you to decide what you actually want. From 6 November it moves into your 12th, where spending, rest and foreign connections are the themes.
Vrishchik (Scorpio): Venus in your 12th, then your 11th
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus in your 12th house is one of its better transits: rest, private pleasures and foreign links. Retrograde, it asks you to watch spending that feels like comfort. From 6 November it moves into your 11th house of gains and friendships, and old contacts can bring useful openings.
Dhanu (Sagittarius): Venus in your 11th, then your 10th
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: unfavourable. Venus in your 11th house supports gains and friendships, and during the retrograde income that was delayed often comes through. From 6 November it moves into your 10th, a harder transit for Venus: expect friction or rethinking at work, especially where colleagues or clients are concerned.
Makar (Capricorn): Venus in your 10th, then your 9th
Libra phase: unfavourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus in your 10th house is one of its difficult transits. Workplace relationships, image and career plans need patience while it moves backwards. From 6 November it moves into your 9th house of fortune, elders and long journeys, and the mood improves; travel plans made after 14 November sit better.
Kumbh (Aquarius): Venus in your 9th, then your 8th
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: favourable. Venus in your 9th house favours fortune, teachers and dharma, and the retrograde can bring a mentor or a pilgrimage back into your life. From 6 November it moves into your 8th, which is unusually kind for Venus: joint finances, insurance or an inheritance matter may resolve.
Meen (Pisces): Venus in your 8th, then your 7th
Libra phase: favourable · Virgo phase from 6 November: unfavourable. Venus in your 8th house is a favourable transit for hidden gains and shared resources, and retrograde it can settle an old financial matter. From 6 November it moves into your 7th house of partnership, where it is not favourable; relationship questions surface, and patience serves better than confrontation.
Three checks that tell you if it is actually yours
A Moon-sign reading is general. Your own chart decides how much of this you will feel. Three checks settle it:
- Where Venus sits in your birth chart. Its house and sign show which part of life it carries for you. Get your free kundli.
- Whether you are running a Venus period. A Venus mahadasha or antardasha makes this transit personal. The dasha calculator shows your periods down to the day.
- Venus’s ashtakavarga bindus in Libra and Virgo. A transit through a sign where Venus has more than four bindus tends to be gentle; fewer than four makes it harder. Your birth chart shows the ashtakavarga.
What to do in these six weeks
Use the retrograde for review, not for new commitments. Repair a relationship rather than begin one in haste. Revisit a design, a budget or a creative draft. If a large purchase of jewellery, a vehicle or luxury goods can wait, tradition prefers after 14 November, once Venus is direct. None of this is a reason for fear: many people feel only a quieter, more reflective six weeks.
The traditional Shukra remedies are simple: keep Fridays for worship of Lakshmi or Shukra, chant the Shukra beej mantra, give white things such as rice, curd or white cloth in charity, and treat women in your life with respect. They are ways of steadying the mind. They are not promises. Saturn is also retrograde this season; see Shani Vakri 2026 for how the two combine.
Shukra Vakri 2026: FAQs
When does Venus go retrograde in 2026?
Venus turns retrograde on Saturday, 3 October 2026 at 14° Libra and turns direct on Saturday, 14 November at 28° Virgo. It re-enters Virgo, still retrograde, on Friday, 6 November and returns to Libra on Sunday, 22 November.
When is Shukra asta in 2026?
By the orb rule, Venus is combust from Monday, 19 October to Thursday, 29 October. Panchangs that time tara asta by visibility give roughly 12–13 October to 28–29 October for India; both agree on the end.
Is Venus retrograde bad for marriage?
Not in itself. It is a time to review relationships rather than start them in a rush. Muhurat practice avoids fixing weddings while Venus is combust, but this year that window falls in Chaturmas, when weddings are paused anyway.
Does Shukra Vakri affect the wedding season after Devuthani Ekadashi?
No. By Devuthani Ekadashi on Friday, 20 November, Venus is visible again and moving direct, so the season that opens then is not held back by Venus.
Which rashis feel Venus retrograde the most?
Taurus and Libra, which Venus rules, feel it most directly. In the gochar table the Libra phase is difficult for Aries, Taurus and Capricorn, and the Virgo phase for Aries, Sagittarius and Pisces. Your own chart, and especially a running Venus dasha, decides how strongly it shows.
If you want to know what this retrograde means for your chart specifically, start with your free kundli, read the full picture in the ₹49 kundli report, or talk to an astrologer about your Venus and your running dasha.
