#24 of 27 · Varuna

Shatabhisha
6°40′ Aquarius – 20°00′ Aquarius

The 24th nakshatra, ruled by Rahu, 4 padas in Aquarius. Four padas of 3°20′, each with its navamsa sign.

Rahu-ruled18y mahadashaRakshasa
01

Where Shatabhisha is

#24 of 27

Shatabhisha runs from 6°40′ Aquarius – 20°00′ Aquarius — 13°20′ of the ecliptic, measured sidereally from 0° Aries with the Lahiri ayanamsa. It is 4 padas in Aquarius. It follows Dhanishta and is followed by Purva Bhadrapada.

On the two rings that divide the sky
Aries♈︎Taurus♉︎Gemini♊︎Cancer♋︎Leo♌︎Virgo♍︎Libra♎︎Scorpio♏︎Sagittarius♐︎Capricorn♑︎Aquarius♒︎Pisces♓︎Ashwini · KetuBharani · VenusKrittika · SunRohini · MoonMrigashira · MarsArdra · RahuPunarvasu · JupiterPushya · SaturnAshlesha · MercuryMagha · KetuPurva Phalguni · VenusUttara Phalguni · SunHasta · MoonChitra · MarsSwati · RahuVishakha · JupiterAnuradha · SaturnJyeshtha · MercuryMula · KetuPurva Ashadha · VenusUttara Ashadha · SunShravana · MoonDhanishta · MarsShatabhisha · RahuPurva Bhadrapada · JupiterUttara Bhadrapada · SaturnRevati · Mercury6°40′ AquariusShatabhisha
The arc
Arc6°40′ Aquarius – 20°00′ Aquarius
Rashi4 padas in Aquarius
Ruled byRahu
Mahadasha length18 years
DeityVaruna
02

The four padas

3°20′ each

Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′, and each pada maps to a navamsa sign — the D9 chart is built from exactly this. The pada is usually the first thing an imprecise birth time puts in doubt — the Moon crosses one in about six hours, so how much slack you have depends on how near a boundary the Moon actually was.

PadaFromToRashiNavamsa
16°40′ Aquarius10°00′ AquariusAquariusSagittarius
210°00′ Aquarius13°20′ AquariusAquariusCapricorn
313°20′ Aquarius16°40′ AquariusAquariusAquarius
416°40′ Aquarius20°00′ AquariusAquariusPisces
03

The dasha you are born into

Rahu, and how much of it is left

Vimshottari dasha starts from the nakshatra the Moon was in. Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu, so anyone born with the Moon here begins life inside a 18-year Rahu mahadasha — but almost nobody gets the whole of it. The part remaining is the part of the nakshatra the Moon had not yet crossed, so a Moon at the very start gets 18 years and a Moon near the end gets months.

Moon inFromRahu mahadasha remainingOf the arc still ahead
Pada 16°40′ Aquarius18.0 – 13.5 years75–100%
Pada 210°00′ Aquarius13.5 – 9.0 years50–75%
Pada 313°20′ Aquarius9.0 – 4.5 years25–50%
Pada 416°40′ Aquarius4.5 – 0.0 years0–25%

The exact figure needs the Moon’s degree, not just the pada — find yours, and the dasha pages carry the 120-year sequence that follows it.

04

How it is classified

traditional, and what each is used for

These are classifications from the tradition rather than anything computed from the arc. They are given because kundli matching actually uses them, and each line says which part.

ClassificationThis nakshatraWhat it is used for
GanaRakshasatemperament class — Deva, Manushya or Rakshasa. Worth six of the thirty-six Ashtakoot points in kundli matching.
YoniHorse (female)an animal, used for the four-point Yoni koota in matching. The pairing rules are about the animals, not the people.
NadiAadiAadi, Madhya or Antya. Eight points — the largest single koota — and two charts sharing one is the Nadi dosha.

Nothing on this page says what a person born in Shatabhisha is like. The arc and the padas above are arithmetic; a temperament is a reading, and it depends on the rest of the chart rather than on the Moon alone.

All 27

in order round the ecliptic
The four pips mark Shatabhisha’s padas. The ecliptic divides into 27 nakshatras and into 12 rashis, and 27 does not go into 12 — which is why nine of them straddle a boundary, and this one is 4 padas in Aquarius.

Common questions

4 questions
What degrees is Shatabhisha?

6°40′ Aquarius to 20°00′ Aquarius — 13°20′ of the sidereal ecliptic, Lahiri ayanamsa. It is 4 padas in Aquarius.

Which planet rules Shatabhisha?

Rahu. That is what makes it the start of Rahu’s mahadasha: anyone born with the Moon here begins life in a 18-year Rahu period, with the part already elapsed depending on how far through the nakshatra the Moon was.

What are the padas of Shatabhisha?

Four, of 3°20′ each: pada 1 6°40′ Aquarius in Aquarius, navamsa Sagittarius; pada 2 10°00′ Aquarius in Aquarius, navamsa Capricorn; pada 3 13°20′ Aquarius in Aquarius, navamsa Aquarius; pada 4 16°40′ Aquarius in Aquarius, navamsa Pisces.

What is the gana, yoni and nadi of Shatabhisha?

Gana Rakshasa, yoni Horse (female), nadi Aadi. These are the classifications kundli matching uses — six points for gana, four for yoni and eight for nadi out of thirty-six.

Your nakshatra is where the Moon was, to the minute.

It needs a birth time, because the Moon crosses a nakshatra in about a day. The free kundli gives you the nakshatra, the pada and the dasha that follows from it.