lagna nakshatra
The Ascendant in Vishakha Nakshatra
Libra / Scorpio rising · nakshatra lord Jupiter · 63 minutes at Delhi
A lagna in Vishakha, the 16th nakshatra, means one of two ascendants: Libra if the rising degree is in padas 1, 2 and 3 or Scorpio if the rising degree is in pada 4. The pada therefore decides the lagna lord, Venus for Libra or Mars for Scorpio, before anything else in the chart is read. Vishakha itself is ruled by Jupiter. Venus counts Jupiter neutral, while Jupiter counts Venus an enemy. Mars and Jupiter count each other a friend.
By sign, Jupiter, Vishakha’s lord, is in an enemy's sign in Libra and in a friend's sign in Scorpio, the two signs a lagna here can be. In the navamsa each pada sets, that pada’s lagna lord is in a neutral sign in pada 1 (Aries), in its own sign in pada 2 (Taurus), in a friend's sign in pada 3 (Gemini) and debilitated in pada 4 (Cancer).
How Long Vishakha Takes to Rise
The ascendant crosses Vishakha’s 13°20′ in 63 minutes at Delhi, 61 minutes at Kolkata, 59 minutes at Mumbai and 58 minutes at Chennai. At Delhi that makes Vishakha the 26th-fastest of the 27. The difference between the four cities is about 5 minutes, the 12th-smallest of any nakshatra, and Vishakha’s arc lies 39° from the December solstice point, which is what that figure tracks (the comparison table shows how). These are durations, not clock times. When Vishakha actually rises depends on the date and the longitude, and a birth time a few minutes out moves the ascendant through a pada.
| Pada | Ascendant | Navamsa lagna | Delhi | Kolkata | Mumbai | Chennai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vishakha 1 | Libra | Aries | 15.6 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 14.3 |
| Vishakha 2 | Libra | Taurus | 15.7 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 14.4 |
| Vishakha 3 | Libra | Gemini | 15.7 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 14.5 |
| Vishakha 4 | Scorpio | Cancer | 15.7 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 14.5 |
Minutes of rising time per pada. The navamsa column is the D-9 ascendant each pada gives: Aries (ruled by Mars) for pada 1, Taurus (ruled by Venus) for pada 2, Gemini (ruled by Mercury) for pada 3 and Cancer (ruled by Moon) for pada 4.
Related
Vishakha as a birth (Moon) nakshatra is on the Vishakha page; the Libra and Scorpio ascendants house by house on Libra ascendant and Scorpio ascendant. The rising times of all 27 are compared on the ascendant-by-nakshatra table. For lagna and Moon sign, see rashi and lagna and the 27 nakshatras guide. In Hindi: विशाखा नक्षत्र में लग्न.