graha in nakshatra
Saturn in Ashlesha Nakshatra (Shani in आश्लेषा)
106°40′ – 120°00′ sidereal · Cancer · star of Mercury
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 Saturn in Ashlesha stands in Mercury’s star.
Saturn counts Mercury a friend, while Mercury counts Saturn neutral. The table is not symmetric, so Saturn in Ashlesha has to be described from both sides, as it is here. The other two nakshatras Mercury rules, Jyeshtha and Revati, put Saturn under the same star lord.
Saturn in Ashlesha, Pada by Pada
| Pada | Arc | Saturn by rashi | Navamsa | Saturn by navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashlesha 1 | Cancer 16°40′ – 20°00′ | in an enemy's sign | Sagittarius | in a neutral sign |
| Ashlesha 2 | Cancer 20°00′ – 23°20′ | in an enemy's sign | Capricorn | in its own sign |
| Ashlesha 3 | Cancer 23°20′ – 26°40′ | in an enemy's sign | Aquarius | in its own sign |
| Ashlesha 4 | Cancer 26°40′ – 30°00′ | in an enemy's sign | Pisces (gandanta) | in a neutral sign |
By rashi, Saturn 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. Saturn’s strongest navamsas in Ashlesha 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).
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 Saturn placed in that quarter of Ashlesha sits on the junction itself.
Neither Saturn’s deepest exaltation (Libra) nor its deepest debilitation (Aries) degree falls inside Ashlesha, and Saturn’s moolatrikona lies outside it as well, so in Ashlesha the rashi and navamsa verdicts above are the whole of Saturn’s dignity.
When Saturn Is in Ashlesha, 2026–2028
Saturn does not enter Ashlesha 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 Ashlesha is 8 nakshatras further on. So Saturn in Ashlesha is, for these years, a birth-chart placement and not a transit anyone can wait for.
Ashlesha as the Setting for Saturn
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 Saturn is everything above: the dignities in Cancer, the relation to Mercury, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Saturn 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 Saturn in Cancer; 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 Ashlesha
Is Saturn in Ashlesha in your chart?
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