Rahu in Shatabhisha Nakshatra (Rahu in शतभिषा)

Shatabhisha, the 24th of the 27 nakshatras, covers 306°40′ – 320°00′ of the sidereal zodiac, wholly inside Aquarius. Shatabhisha is ruled by Rahu itself — one of the three nakshatras Rahu rules, with Ardra and Swati — so Rahu in Shatabhisha stands in its own star, and there is no second graha’s view to read at the level of the nakshatra.

Rahu in Shatabhisha, Pada by Pada

By rashi, Rahu is in a sign it co-lords 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. Rahu’s strongest navamsa in Shatabhisha 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).

Shatabhisha pada 3 is vargottama — Aquarius in rashi and in navamsa — so Rahu there is in a sign it co-lords on both counts. Of the 108 padas only twelve are vargottama, one for each sign.

The classical table of deepest exaltation and debilitation degrees covers the seven grahas and gives Rahu none, so for Rahu in Shatabhisha 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 Shatabhisha, 2026–2028

• Rahu is already in Shatabhisha when the table opens on 1 January 2026, and leaves on 2 August 2026.

That is the one spell Rahu spends in Shatabhisha between 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2029. Over the same span Rahu stands in 5 of the 27 nakshatras. The dates are days only; for Rahu in Shatabhisha a minute would be more precise than the ayanamsa behind it.

Inside Shatabhisha: what the tables locate there for Rahu

• 13 February 2026: Rahu meets Mercury at 15° Aquarius, in Shatabhisha pada 3.
• 18 February 2026: Rahu meets Venus at 15° Aquarius, in Shatabhisha pada 3.
• 27 February 2026: Rahu meets the Sun at 14° Aquarius, in Shatabhisha pada 3.
• 13 March 2026: Rahu meets Mars at 14° Aquarius, in Shatabhisha pada 3.

Shatabhisha as the Setting for Rahu

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 Rahu is everything above: the dignities in Aquarius, its own lordship of Shatabhisha, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Rahu 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 Rahu in Aquarius; 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 Shatabhisha