Nakshatras · 24 of 27
Shatabhisha nakshatra
The 24th lunar mansion, 6°40′ Aquarius to 20°00′ Aquarius, ruled by Rahu.
- Span
- 6°40′ Aquarius to 20°00′ Aquarius
- Ruling planet
- Rahu (Vimshottari dasha of 18 years)
- Deity
- Varuna
- Symbol
- An empty circle
- Nature
- Chara (movable)
- Gana
- Rakshasa (fierce)
- Yoni (animal)
- Horse
- Nadi
- Adi (Vata)
The meaning of Shatabhisha
Shatabhisha (शतभिषा) is the 24th of the 27 nakshatras. Its presiding deity is Varuna, the god of the cosmic waters and of moral law, and its symbol is an empty circle. In Jyotish the deity of a nakshatra is the key to its nature: what the deity does, the nakshatra does.
It is ruled by Rahu, so a person whose Moon is in Shatabhisha begins life in the Rahu dasha. The other two nakshatras ruled by Rahu are Ardra and Swati; together they share something of Rahu’s character.
Good for: Chara work
In the muhurta texts Shatabhisha is a chara (movable) nakshatra, favoured for travel, buying vehicles, gardening and new journeys. When the Moon passes through Shatabhisha (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 | Aquarius | Sagittarius | Go |
| 2 | Aquarius | Capricorn | Sa |
| 3 | Aquarius | Aquarius | Si |
| 4 | Aquarius | Pisces | Su |
In marriage matching
In guna milan, Shatabhisha is of Rakshasa gana, horse yoni and Adi nadi. Two partners with the same nadi lose all eight points of nadi koota. Match two charts.
Find your birth nakshatra · Aquarius (Kumbha) · 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.