graha in nakshatra
Mars in Shatabhisha Nakshatra (Mangal in शतभिषा)
306°40′ – 320°00′ sidereal · Aquarius · star of Rahu
Shatabhisha, the 24th of the 27 nakshatras, covers 306°40′ – 320°00′ of the sidereal zodiac, wholly inside Aquarius. Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu, so Mars in Shatabhisha stands in Rahu’s star.
Rahu’s row in the friendship lists counts Mars an enemy; Mars’s own row names no node, so Mars’s view of the lord of Shatabhisha has no entry, and this page does not supply one. The other two nakshatras Rahu rules, Ardra and Swati, put Mars under the same star lord.
Mars in Shatabhisha, Pada by Pada
| Pada | Arc | Mars by rashi | Navamsa | Mars by navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shatabhisha 1 | Aquarius 6°40′ – 10°00′ | in a neutral sign | Sagittarius | in a friend's sign |
| Shatabhisha 2 | Aquarius 10°00′ – 13°20′ | in a neutral sign | Capricorn | exalted |
| Shatabhisha 3 | Aquarius 13°20′ – 16°40′ | in a neutral sign | Aquarius (vargottama) | in a neutral sign |
| Shatabhisha 4 | Aquarius 16°40′ – 20°00′ | in a neutral sign | Pisces | in a friend's sign |
By rashi, Mars is in a neutral sign in all four padas of Shatabhisha, because the whole nakshatra lies in Aquarius. By navamsa the four padas fall in Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Mars’s strongest navamsa in Shatabhisha is pada 2 (Capricorn, exalted), and its weakest is pada 3 (Aquarius, in a neutral sign).
Shatabhisha pada 3 is vargottama — Aquarius in rashi and in navamsa — so Mars there is in a neutral sign on both counts. Of the 108 padas only twelve are vargottama, one for each sign.
Neither Mars’s deepest exaltation (Capricorn) nor its deepest debilitation (Cancer) degree falls inside Shatabhisha, and Mars’s moolatrikona lies outside it as well, so in Shatabhisha the rashi and navamsa verdicts above are the whole of Mars’s dignity.
When Mars Is in Shatabhisha, 2026–2028
- 3 March 2026: Mars enters Shatabhisha, and leaves on 20 March 2026 — 17 days.
- 12 February 2028: Mars enters Shatabhisha, and leaves on 28 February 2028 — 16 days.
Those are the two spells Mars spends in Shatabhisha between 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2029, 33 days in all. Over the same span Mars stands in every one of the 27 nakshatras. The dates are days only; for Mars in Shatabhisha a minute would be more precise than the ayanamsa behind it.
Inside Shatabhisha: what the tables locate there for Mars
Of the 49 complete spells Mars has in the table, in any nakshatra, the shortest is 16 days and the longest 47, and a spell in Shatabhisha is level with the shortest.
- 13 March 2026: Mars meets Rahu at 14° Aquarius, in Shatabhisha pada 3.
- 15 March 2026: Mars meets Mercury at 15° Aquarius, in Shatabhisha pada 3.
Shatabhisha as the Setting for Mars
In the nakshatra tables Shatabhisha’s deity is listed as Varuna and its symbol as empty circle; its gana is Rakshasa, and the muhurta texts put it in the Chara class (movable). Those belong to Shatabhisha whichever graha is in it, and they are read on the Shatabhisha page. What changes with Mars is everything above: the dignities in Aquarius, the relation to Rahu, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Mars in Shatabhisha; the house it occupies and the dasha running decide what the placement does in a chart.
Related Placements
The sign-level reading is on Mars in Aquarius; Mars in all 27 nakshatras is on the Mars nakshatra table. For the nakshatras themselves, see the 27 nakshatras guide and astrology for beginners.
The Other Grahas in Shatabhisha
Is Mars in Shatabhisha in your chart?
A free kundli shows the nakshatra and pada of every graha. A pandit reads them with the houses and the dasha.
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