graha in nakshatra
Saturn in Ardra Nakshatra (Shani in आर्द्रा)
66°40′ – 80°00′ sidereal · Gemini · star of Rahu
Ardra, the 6th of the 27 nakshatras, covers 66°40′ – 80°00′ of the sidereal zodiac, wholly inside Gemini. Ardra is ruled by Rahu, so Saturn in Ardra stands in Rahu’s star.
Rahu’s row in the friendship lists counts Saturn a friend; Saturn’s own row names no node, so Saturn’s view of the lord of Ardra has no entry, and this page does not supply one. The other two nakshatras Rahu rules, Swati and Shatabhisha, put Saturn under the same star lord.
Saturn in Ardra, Pada by Pada
| Pada | Arc | Saturn by rashi | Navamsa | Saturn by navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardra 1 | Gemini 6°40′ – 10°00′ | in a friend's sign | Sagittarius | in a neutral sign |
| Ardra 2 | Gemini 10°00′ – 13°20′ | in a friend's sign | Capricorn | in its own sign |
| Ardra 3 | Gemini 13°20′ – 16°40′ | in a friend's sign | Aquarius | in its own sign |
| Ardra 4 | Gemini 16°40′ – 20°00′ | in a friend's sign | Pisces | in a neutral sign |
By rashi, Saturn is in a friend's sign in all four padas of Ardra, because the whole nakshatra lies in Gemini. By navamsa the four padas fall in Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Saturn’s strongest navamsas in Ardra are padas 2 (Capricorn, in its own sign) and 3 (Aquarius, in its own sign), and its weakest are padas 1 (Sagittarius, in a neutral sign) and 4 (Pisces, in a neutral sign).
Neither Saturn’s deepest exaltation (Libra) nor its deepest debilitation (Aries) degree falls inside Ardra, and Saturn’s moolatrikona lies outside it as well, so in Ardra the rashi and navamsa verdicts above are the whole of Saturn’s dignity.
When Saturn Is in Ardra, 2026–2028
Saturn does not enter Ardra at any point between 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2029. It stands in Purva Bhadrapada when the table opens and in Ashwini when it closes, having visited 5 of the 27 nakshatras, and from Ashwini Ardra is 5 nakshatras further on. So Saturn in Ardra is, for these years, a birth-chart placement and not a transit anyone can wait for.
Ardra as the Setting for Saturn
In the nakshatra tables Ardra’s deity is listed as Rudra and its symbol as teardrop; its gana is Manushya, and the muhurta texts put it in the Tikshna class (sharp). Those belong to Ardra whichever graha is in it, and they are read on the Ardra page. What changes with Saturn is everything above: the dignities in Gemini, the relation to Rahu, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Saturn in Ardra; the house it occupies and the dasha running decide what the placement does in a chart.
Related Placements
The sign-level reading is on Saturn in Gemini; Saturn in all 27 nakshatras is on the Saturn nakshatra table. For the nakshatras themselves, see the 27 nakshatras guide and astrology for beginners.
The Other Grahas in Ardra
Is Saturn in Ardra 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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