Nakshatras · 8 of 27
Pushya nakshatra
The 8th lunar mansion, 3°20′ Cancer to 16°40′ Cancer, ruled by Saturn.
- Span
- 3°20′ Cancer to 16°40′ Cancer
- Ruling planet
- Saturn (Vimshottari dasha of 19 years)
- Deity
- Brihaspati
- Symbol
- A cow’s udder or a flower
- Nature
- Kshipra (swift)
- Gana
- Deva (godly)
- Yoni (animal)
- Sheep
- Nadi
- Madhya (Pitta)
The meaning of Pushya
Pushya (पुष्य) is the 8th of the 27 nakshatras. Its presiding deity is Brihaspati, the teacher and priest of the gods, and its symbol is a cow’s udder or a flower. In Jyotish the deity of a nakshatra is the key to its nature: what the deity does, the nakshatra does.
It is ruled by Saturn, so a person whose Moon is in Pushya begins life in the Saturn dasha. The other two nakshatras ruled by Saturn are Anuradha and Uttara Bhadrapada; together they share something of Saturn’s character.
Good for: Kshipra work
In the muhurta texts Pushya is a kshipra (swift) nakshatra, favoured for trade, learning, medicine, travel and enjoyment. When the Moon passes through Pushya (about once every 27⅓ days) it is a good day for those kinds of beginnings.
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 | Cancer | Leo | Hu |
| 2 | Cancer | Virgo | He |
| 3 | Cancer | Libra | Ho |
| 4 | Cancer | Scorpio | Da |
In marriage matching
In guna milan, Pushya is of Deva gana, sheep yoni and Madhya nadi. Two partners with the same nadi lose all eight points of nadi koota. Match two charts.
Find your birth nakshatra · Cancer (Karka) · 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.