Rahu in Ashlesha Nakshatra (Rahu in आश्लेषा)

Ashlesha, the 9th of the 27 nakshatras, covers 106°40′ – 120°00′ of the sidereal zodiac, wholly inside Cancer. Ashlesha is ruled by Mercury, so Rahu in Ashlesha stands in Mercury’s star.

Rahu’s row in the friendship lists counts Mercury a friend; Mercury’s row names no node, so the star lord of Ashlesha has no entry for Rahu, and this page does not supply one. The other two nakshatras Mercury rules, Jyeshtha and Revati, put Rahu under the same star lord.

Rahu in Ashlesha, Pada by Pada

By rashi, Rahu is in an enemy's sign in all four padas of Ashlesha, because the whole nakshatra lies in Cancer. By navamsa the four padas fall in Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Rahu’s strongest navamsa in Ashlesha is pada 3 (Aquarius, in a sign it co-lords), and its weakest are padas 1 (Sagittarius, in a neutral sign) and 4 (Pisces, in a neutral sign).

Ashlesha pada 4 (Cancer 26°40′ – 30°00′) is gandanta: one of the six padas on the junction of a water sign and the fire sign after it, and Rahu placed in that quarter of Ashlesha sits on the junction itself.

The classical table of deepest exaltation and debilitation degrees covers the seven grahas and gives Rahu none, so for Rahu in Ashlesha no degree of special dignity can be located; the sign-level verdicts above carry the hedge the planet pages use for Rahu.

When Rahu Is in Ashlesha, 2026–2028

Rahu does not enter Ashlesha at any point between 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2029. It stands in Shatabhisha when the table opens and in Purva Ashadha when it closes, having visited 5 of the 27 nakshatras, and from Purva Ashadha Ashlesha is 11 nakshatras further, counted backwards, the way the nodes move. So Rahu in Ashlesha is, for these years, a birth-chart placement and not a transit anyone can wait for.

Ashlesha as the Setting for Rahu

In the nakshatra tables Ashlesha’s deity is listed as Sarpas (Nagas) and its symbol as coiled snake; its gana is Rakshasa, and the muhurta texts put it in the Tikshna class (sharp). Those belong to Ashlesha whichever graha is in it, and they are read on the Ashlesha page. What changes with Rahu is everything above: the dignities in Cancer, the relation to Mercury, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Rahu in Ashlesha; the house it occupies and the dasha running decide what the placement does in a chart.

Related Placements

The sign-level reading is on Rahu in Cancer; Rahu in all 27 nakshatras is on the Rahu nakshatra table. For the nakshatras themselves, see the 27 nakshatras guide and astrology for beginners.

The Other Grahas in Ashlesha