Shatabhisha nakshatra
Updated
Shatabhisha is the 24th of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of Vedic astrology. Its name is traditionally read as “a hundred healers”; its symbol is an empty circle; a hundred stars, and its presiding deity is Varuna, lord of the cosmic waters.
- Number
- 24 of 27
- Ruling planet
- Rahu
- Deity
- Varuna, lord of the cosmic waters
- Symbol
- An empty circle; a hundred stars
- Zodiac span
- 6°40′–20° Aquarius
- Gana
- Rakshasa
- Yoni
- Horse
- Nadi
- Vata
- Pada navamsas
- Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
Character and symbolism
Shatabhisha is the veiled circle of a hundred healers — secretive, scientific and drawn to what others cannot cure. Its classical themes are research, solitude and truth-telling.
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 Shatabhisha sits in the zodiac
Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ of the sidereal zodiac, divided into four padas (quarters) of 3°20′. Shatabhisha occupies 6°40′–20° Aquarius, entirely within Aquarius. 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
Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu, which carries a 18-year period in the Vimshottari dasha cycle. If your Moon sits in Shatabhisha, Rahu’s mahadasha is the period your life begins in, and the themes classical texts associate with Rahu colour how this nakshatra expresses itself.
Shatabhisha in marriage matching
Three of this nakshatra’s classifications feed the 36-point Guna Milan used in Kundali matching. Shatabhisha 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 Horse, 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 Shatabhisha nakshatra?
Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu. In the Vimshottari dasha system, a person born with the Moon in Shatabhisha begins life in a Rahu mahadasha of up to 18 years — how much of it remains depends on how far the Moon had moved through the nakshatra at birth.
Which rashi (sign) does Shatabhisha fall in?
Shatabhisha lies entirely within Aquarius, spanning 6°40′–20° Aquarius of the sidereal zodiac.
What are Shatabhisha's gana, yoni and nadi?
Shatabhisha is classified as Rakshasa gana, Horse 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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