Nakshatras · 18 of 27
Jyeshtha nakshatra
The 18th lunar mansion, 16°40′ Scorpio to 30°00′ Scorpio, ruled by Mercury.
- Span
- 16°40′ Scorpio to 30°00′ Scorpio
- Ruling planet
- Mercury (Vimshottari dasha of 17 years)
- Deity
- Indra
- Symbol
- A circular amulet or umbrella
- Nature
- Tikshna (sharp)
- Gana
- Rakshasa (fierce)
- Yoni (animal)
- Deer
- Nadi
- Adi (Vata)
The meaning of Jyeshtha
Jyeshtha (ज्येष्ठा) is the 18th of the 27 nakshatras. Its presiding deity is Indra, the king of the gods, and its symbol is a circular amulet or umbrella. In Jyotish the deity of a nakshatra is the key to its nature: what the deity does, the nakshatra does.
It is ruled by Mercury, so a person whose Moon is in Jyeshtha begins life in the Mercury dasha. The other two nakshatras ruled by Mercury are Ashlesha and Revati; together they share something of Mercury’s character.
Good for: Tikshna work
In the muhurta texts Jyeshtha is a tikshna (sharp) nakshatra, favoured for severing ties, decisive action and difficult rites. When the Moon passes through Jyeshtha (about once every 27⅓ days) it is a good day for those kinds of beginnings.
The junction between Jyeshtha’s last pada and Mula’s first is gandanta, a knot where a water sign meets a fire sign; births and beginnings there are traditionally given extra care.
The four padas
Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′. Each pada falls in a navamsa sign, and each has the traditional first syllable used for naming a child born in it.
| Pada | Sign | Navamsa | Naming syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scorpio | Sagittarius | No |
| 2 | Scorpio | Capricorn | Ya |
| 3 | Scorpio | Aquarius | Yi |
| 4 | Scorpio | Pisces | Yu |
In marriage matching
In guna milan, Jyeshtha is of Rakshasa gana, deer yoni and Adi nadi. Two partners with the same nadi lose all eight points of nadi koota. Match two charts.
Find your birth nakshatra · Scorpio (Vrishchika) · Chapter 5: the 27 nakshatras
Sources: Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and Phaladeepika for the signs, planets and houses; Muhurta Chintamani for the nakshatra classes and the guna milan attributes. Wording is our own.