Nakshatra 24 of 27

Shatabhisha (शतभिषा)

Aquarius 6°40′ – 20°00′

Lord Rahu · Varuna · Rakshasa gana · Horse yoni · Adi nadi

Shatabhisha at a Glance

Number: 24 of 27
Sidereal span: Aquarius 6°40′ – 20°00′
Rashi: Aquarius
Ruling planet (lord): Rahu — 18-year Vimshottari dasha
Presiding deity: Varuna
Symbol: Empty circle
Gana: Rakshasa
Yoni: Horse (female)
Nadi: Adi (Vata)
Muhurta class: Chara (movable)
Keywords: Healing, mystical, secretive

Degrees are sidereal, using the Lahiri ayanamsa as the Indian ephemeris does. A Western chart uses tropical longitudes and will place the same Moon roughly 24° earlier in the zodiac.

Character of Shatabhisha Natives

An empty circle, presided over by Varuna, ruled by Rahu. The name means "a hundred healers" or "a hundred medicines", and Shatabhisha is the most genuinely medical of the twenty-seven — it heals what other approaches cannot reach. These natives are private, independent, drawn to the mystical and the technical in equal measure, and comfortable with solitude in a way that puzzles others.

The Four Padas and Their Naming Letters

Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′, and each pada falls in a different navamsa sign — which is why two people born in Shatabhisha on the same day can read quite differently. The pada also fixes the traditional first syllable for a child’s name.

Pada	Navamsa sign	Name syllable
Pada 1	Sagittarius	Go
Pada 2	Capricorn	Sa
Pada 3	Aquarius	Si
Pada 4	Pisces	Su

27 nakshatras × 4 padas = 108 = 12 signs × 9 navamsas, so the padas run through the navamsa signs in one unbroken cycle. Syllables vary a little between regional traditions; a family pandit’s list takes precedence over any table. Each pada above links to its own page: the exact 3°20′ arc, the rashi it falls in, where Rahu stands in that navamsa, and how much Rahu mahadasha a birth there starts with.

Find names for this nakshatra Find your pada

Career and Work

Medicine and alternative healing, research and astronomy, technology, astrology and the occult, engineering, and any work done substantially alone.

The nakshatra sets the flavour; the 10th house and its lord decide the actual profession. Where Rahu sits and how strong it is matters more than the list above — see Rahu in Vedic astrology.

What to Watch For

A movable nakshatra with Rahu's rulership. The privacy hardens into isolation if left unattended, and Shatabhisha will withhold difficulty from the people closest to it. Melancholy and a tendency toward escapism are the classical warnings.

Shatabhisha in Kundli Milan

Nakshatra matching scores 36 guna across eight kootas. Three of them are read straight off the birth nakshatra, and these are Shatabhisha’s values:

Nadi Koota — 8 guna

Shatabhisha is Adi (Vata). A match with another Adi nadi nakshatra scores 0 of 8, which is the single largest deduction available — 8 of the other 26 nakshatras share this nadi. Same-nadi is traditionally excused when both partners share the same birth nakshatra but sit in different padas, or when the Moon signs are the same and the nakshatras differ.

Yoni Koota — 4 guna

Shatabhisha carries the horse (female) yoni. Its classical opposite is the buffalo, held by Hasta and Swati —those pairings score 0. The same animal in the same gender scores the full 4.

Gana Koota — 6 guna

Shatabhisha is Rakshasa gana — the temperament class, nine nakshatras to each of the three. Rakshasa with Rakshasa scores the full 6. Rakshasa with Manushya scores 3 when the woman is Rakshasa and 0 when the man is; Rakshasa with Deva scores 0 when the woman is Rakshasa and 1 when the man is. Two Rakshasa charts matched together is a stronger result than a Rakshasa matched to a Deva.

18 of 36 is the conventional pass mark. Guna Milan is a filter, not a verdict — Mangal dosha, the 7th house and both Venus positions still have to be read, and a high score does not override a badly afflicted 7th.

Run a full 36-guna match Compatibility by sign

Muhurta: What Shatabhisha Is Used For

Shatabhisha is classed as Chara (movable) — one of 5 nakshatras in that class, alongside Punarvasu, Swati, Shravana and Dhanishta. Movable nakshatras suit motion: travel, relocation, buying vehicles, changing jobs, and anything involving trade across distances. They are also used for gardening and for acquiring anything with wheels. They are avoided for construction and for marriage, because what begins under them tends not to stay put.

A real muhurta needs the tithi, vara, yoga and karana too, not the nakshatra alone — the day’s panchang carries all five, and choghadiya narrows it to the hour.

Remedies and Practice

Worship Varuna, the presiding deity of Shatabhisha, particularly on the day the Moon transits this nakshatra — which happens roughly once every 27 days and is listed in the daily panchang.
Strengthen Rahu, the nakshatra lord, through its beej mantra and weekday observance. This matters most while the Rahu mahadasha or antardasha is running.
Feed or donate on the Rahu weekday. Charity attributed to the lord is the remedy the classics prefer over gemstones, because it carries no risk of strengthening the wrong graha.
Recite the nakshatra’s 108 names or the Nakshatra Suktam during the Moon’s transit through Shatabhisha if you want a practice tied to the nakshatra rather than the planet.

If a stone is being considered: the lord here is Rahu, whose stone is Hessonite (Gomed). Selection by janma nakshatra is the more precise of the two routes, so this differs from the rashi recommendation for Aquarius (Blue Sapphire (Neelam)).

More precise is still not automatic. Remedies are prescribed for a specific affliction, not for a nakshatra as such: nothing above needs doing unless Rahu is genuinely weak or badly placed in your chart, and no stone should be worn on nakshatra grounds alone. See dosha remedies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ruling planet of Shatabhisha nakshatra?

Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu and presided over by Varuna. Because Rahu is the lord, anyone born with the Moon in Shatabhisha begins life in a Rahu mahadasha, which runs 18 years in the Vimshottari system — the balance remaining at birth depends on how far into the nakshatra the Moon had travelled. Rahu also rules Ardra and Swati, so those three nakshatras share the same dasha sequence.

What degrees does Shatabhisha nakshatra cover?

Shatabhisha occupies Aquarius 6°40′ – 20°00′ and sits entirely within Aquarius. These are sidereal (Nirayana) degrees using the Lahiri ayanamsa. A tropical or Western chart will place your Moon roughly 24 degrees further on, which is why Western sources give a different nakshatra.

What are the name letters for a baby born in Shatabhisha nakshatra?

The traditional first syllables are Go for pada 1, Sa for pada 2, Si for pada 3, Su for pada 4. Which one applies depends on the pada the Moon occupied at birth, not on the nakshatra alone — each pada is 3°20′ wide. The four padas of Shatabhisha fall in the navamsa signs Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.

Which nakshatras are incompatible with Shatabhisha for marriage?

On Yoni Koota, Shatabhisha carries the horse yoni, whose classical opposite is the buffalo — held by Hasta and Swati. Those pairings score 0 of 4. On Nadi Koota, worth 8 of the 36 guna and the heaviest single test, a match with any other Adi nadi nakshatra scores zero. Neither is a veto on its own: 18 of 36 is the usual pass mark, and several kootas have recognised exceptions.

Is Shatabhisha nakshatra good or bad?

No nakshatra is good or bad in itself. Shatabhisha is classed as Chara for muhurta, which decides what kinds of activity it suits rather than the quality of a person born under it. What matters far more is the condition of Rahu in the chart — its sign, house, dignity and aspects — since Rahu is what actually delivers the nakshatra's promise.

What kind of work suits Shatabhisha natives?

Medicine and alternative healing, research and astronomy, technology, astrology and the occult, engineering, and any work done substantially alone. This follows from Rahu's natural significations combined with Varuna's domain. The chart decides whether it happens: the 10th house, its lord, and the dasha running through your twenties and thirties matter more than the birth nakshatra for career questions.

Is Shatabhisha Your Birth Nakshatra?

Your nakshatra is set by the Moon’s exact longitude at birth, so it needs the time and place, not just the date. A free kundli gives you the nakshatra, the pada, and the Vimshottari balance you started life with.

Generate a free kundli Talk to an astrologer

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