graha in nakshatra
Saturn in Dhanishta Nakshatra (Shani in धनिष्ठा)
293°20′ – 306°40′ sidereal · Capricorn / Aquarius · star of Mars
Dhanishta, the 23rd of the 27 nakshatras, covers 293°20′ – 306°40′ of the sidereal zodiac, across the boundary between Capricorn and Aquarius. Dhanishta is ruled by Mars, so Saturn in Dhanishta stands in Mars’s star.
Saturn counts Mars an enemy, while Mars counts Saturn neutral. The table is not symmetric, so Saturn in Dhanishta has to be described from both sides, as it is here. The other two nakshatras Mars rules, Mrigashira and Chitra, put Saturn under the same star lord.
Saturn in Dhanishta, Pada by Pada
| Pada | Arc | Saturn by rashi | Navamsa | Saturn by navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhanishta 1 | Capricorn 23°20′ – 26°40′ | in its own sign | Leo | in an enemy's sign |
| Dhanishta 2 | Capricorn 26°40′ – 30°00′ | in its own sign | Virgo | in a friend's sign |
| Dhanishta 3 | Aquarius 0°00′ – 3°20′ | in its own sign | Libra | exalted |
| Dhanishta 4 | Aquarius 3°20′ – 6°40′ | in its own sign | Scorpio | in an enemy's sign |
By rashi, Saturn in Dhanishta is in its own sign in padas 1 and 2 (Capricorn) and in its own sign in padas 3 and 4 (Aquarius), because Dhanishta crosses from Capricorn into Aquarius. By navamsa the four padas fall in Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio. Saturn’s strongest navamsa in Dhanishta is pada 3 (Libra, exalted), and its weakest are padas 1 (Leo, in an enemy's sign) and 4 (Scorpio, in an enemy's sign).
Saturn’s moolatrikona, Aquarius 0°–20°, covers padas 3 and 4 of Dhanishta.
When Saturn Is in Dhanishta, 2026–2028
Saturn does not enter Dhanishta 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 Dhanishta is 22 nakshatras further on. So Saturn in Dhanishta is, for these years, a birth-chart placement and not a transit anyone can wait for.
Dhanishta as the Setting for Saturn
In the nakshatra tables Dhanishta’s deity is listed as Eight Vasus and its symbol as drum; its gana is Rakshasa, and the muhurta texts put it in the Chara class (movable). Those belong to Dhanishta whichever graha is in it, and they are read on the Dhanishta page. What changes with Saturn is everything above: the dignities in Capricorn and Aquarius, the relation to Mars, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Saturn in Dhanishta; 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 Capricorn and Saturn in Aquarius; 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 Dhanishta
Is Saturn in Dhanishta in your chart?
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