Jyeshtha nakshatra
Updated
Jyeshtha is the 18th of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of Vedic astrology. Its name is traditionally read as “the eldest”; its symbol is an earring or protective talisman, and its presiding deity is Indra, king of the gods.
- Number
- 18 of 27
- Ruling planet
- Mercury
- Deity
- Indra, king of the gods
- Symbol
- An earring or protective talisman
- Zodiac span
- 16°40′–30° Scorpio
- Gana
- Rakshasa
- Yoni
- Deer
- Nadi
- Vata
- Pada navamsas
- Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
Character and symbolism
Jyeshtha is the eldest — the seniority and burden of the one others depend on. Its classical themes are protectiveness, authority and hard-won self-reliance.
As with everything in a chart, these are classical descriptions of a temperament, not a verdict on any person — a nakshatra is one layer of a reading, always weighed with the rest of the chart.
Where Jyeshtha sits in the zodiac
Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ of the sidereal zodiac, divided into four padas (quarters) of 3°20′. Jyeshtha occupies 16°40′–30° Scorpio, entirely within Scorpio. Its four padas take the navamsa signs Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces — the sub-chart positions used in the D9 (Navamsa) divisional chart.
Ruling planet and your starting dasha
Jyeshtha is ruled by Mercury, which carries a 17-year period in the Vimshottari dasha cycle. If your Moon sits in Jyeshtha, Mercury’s mahadasha is the period your life begins in, and the themes classical texts associate with Mercury colour how this nakshatra expresses itself.
Jyeshtha in marriage matching
Three of this nakshatra’s classifications feed the 36-point Guna Milan used in Kundali matching. Jyeshtha belongs to the rakshasa temperament group — read as intense, independent and strong-willed (a classification, not a judgement), which the Gana koota (6 points) compares between partners. Its yoni is the Deer, one of fourteen animal archetypes whose pairings the Yoni koota (4 points) scores for instinctive compatibility. And its nadi is Vata (air) — the Nadi koota (8 points) awards full marks only when the two nadis differ.
None of these classifications is good or bad on its own — they only ever describe a pairing, and even then they are a starting point beside the full charts.
Frequently asked
Which planet rules Jyeshtha nakshatra?
Jyeshtha is ruled by Mercury. In the Vimshottari dasha system, a person born with the Moon in Jyeshtha begins life in a Mercury mahadasha of up to 17 years — how much of it remains depends on how far the Moon had moved through the nakshatra at birth.
Which rashi (sign) does Jyeshtha fall in?
Jyeshtha lies entirely within Scorpio, spanning 16°40′–30° Scorpio of the sidereal zodiac.
What are Jyeshtha's gana, yoni and nadi?
Jyeshtha is classified as Rakshasa gana, Deer yoni and Vata nadi. These three classifications are inputs to Guna Milan marriage matching — gana compares temperament groups, yoni instinctive compatibility and nadi constitution.
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