Shatabhisha nakshatra

Shatabhisha is the 24th of the 27 nakshatras, occupying 6°40' Aquarius to 20°00' Aquarius in the sidereal zodiac. If the Moon stood in this stretch of sky at your birth, this is your Janma Nakshatra, your birth star.

What is the character of Shatabhisha?

The traditional reading is: private, analytical, a healer, drawn to mysteries and solitude.

The behavioural marker most often named: keeps a wall around itself and quietly works out what others cannot figure out.

The classical anchor for this is the shakti, the power assigned to each nakshatra in the Taittiriya Brahmana. For Shatabhisha it is healing, and the deity Varuna (cosmic waters) and symbol empty circle carry the same idea in image form.

What are the four padas of Shatabhisha?

Every nakshatra is quartered. Each quarter, a pada, is 3 degrees 20 minutes wide and maps onto a navamsa sign, which shades the reading:

Pada	Span (sidereal)	Navamsa sign
Pada 1	6°40' Aquarius – 10°00' Aquarius	Sagittarius
Pada 2	10°00' Aquarius – 13°20' Aquarius	Capricorn
Pada 3	13°20' Aquarius – 16°40' Aquarius	Aquarius
Pada 4	16°40' Aquarius – 20°00' Aquarius	Pisces

Because a pada lasts roughly six hours, you need your birth time to know which of the four is yours.

Which planet rules Shatabhisha, and why does it matter?

Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu.

Because Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu, anyone born with the Moon here begins life in the Rahu period of the Vimshottari dasha cycle, which runs 18 years. That starting point shifts the timing of every period that follows, which is why two people of the same age can be in completely different chapters.

Common questions

What is the Shatabhisha nakshatra?

Shatabhisha is nakshatra number 24 of 27, spanning 6°40' Aquarius to 20°00' Aquarius in the sidereal zodiac. Its ruling lord is Rahu, its presiding deity is Varuna (cosmic waters), and its symbol is empty circle.

What are the padas of Shatabhisha?

Each nakshatra is quartered into padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. For Shatabhisha the four padas fall in the navamsa signs Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, in that order.

Which planet rules Shatabhisha?

Rahu rules Shatabhisha. In the Vimshottari dasha system the Rahu period lasts 18 years.

Where these details come from

The span and the pada boundaries are arithmetic and exact. The lord, deity and symbol follow the classical sources and vary little between them. The character reading renders the shakti, deity and symbol in plain words; the classical texts themselves are terse here, and anything longer is later compilation.

Recorded source for this entry: BPHS; shakti of healing; deity Varuna (cosmic waters), symbol empty circle, lord Rahu