Shatabhisha Nakshatra: Aquarius Degrees, Four Padas, Varuna Symbolism and Dasha Math

Quick answer: where is Shatabhisha located and how do its four padas work?

• All four padas lie within Saturn-ruled sidereal Aquarius (6°40′–20°00′ Aquarius, or 18,400′–19,200′ from 0° Aries).
• Its four 3°20′ padas map in order to Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces in the Navamsa (D9) chart, making Pada 3 Vargottama Aquarius.
• Vedic nakshatra lists assign Varuna as presiding deity, an empty circle or hundred physicians/stars as emblems, and Rahu (18 years) as Vimshottari lord.

Degree span, sidereal coordinates and central placement inside Aquarius

In equal-division Jyotisha, each of the 27 nakshatras spans 13°20′ (800 arcminutes) and each of the 12 signs spans 30°00′ (1,800 arcminutes). The eleventh sign, sidereal Aquarius (Kumbha), begins at 300°00′ total longitude (18,000 arcminutes) and ends at 330°00′ (19,800 arcminutes). Its opening 6°40′ (400 arcminutes) belongs to Padas 3 and 4 of Dhanishta (300°00′–306°40′). Exactly at 6°40′ Aquarius (306°40′ total longitude, or 18,400 arcminutes), Shatabhisha opens and runs for 800 arcminutes to 20°00′ Aquarius (320°00′ total longitude, or 19,200 arcminutes).

Because Shatabhisha finishes at 20°00′ Aquarius—leaving the final 10°00′ of Aquarius (20°00′–30°00′) for Padas 1, 2 and 3 of Purva Bhadrapada—every single degree of Shatabhisha lies inside Saturn-ruled Aquarius. There is no sign boundary inside this nakshatra. Whether a planet occupies Pada 1 or Pada 4 of Shatabhisha, its Rashi (D1) sign is always Aquarius, a fixed (sthira) air sign associated with systemic thinking, public infrastructure, scholarly containment and collective norms.

When verifying a chart near 6°40′ Aquarius (306°40′) or 20°00′ Aquarius (320°00′), record the ayanamsa setting and apply the standard half-open interval convention [start, end). A Moon at 6°39′59″ Aquarius remains in Dhanishta Pada 4 under Mars’s 7-year dasha; at 6°40′00″ Aquarius it enters Shatabhisha Pada 1 under Rahu’s 18-year dasha; and at 20°00′00″ Aquarius it enters Purva Bhadrapada Pada 1 under Jupiter’s 16-year dasha.

Four padas, Sagittarius–Pisces Navamsas and Vargottama Aquarius in Pada 3

In zero-based counting, Shatabhisha has nakshatra index 23, after 23 × 4 = 92 completed padas. Because 84 padas complete seven full revolutions of the 12-sign Navamsa wheel and the next eight padas (Shravana and Dhanishta) cover Aries through Scorpio, Shatabhisha’s first pada (the 93rd pada of the zodiac) lands on Sagittarius (92 mod 12 = 8, the ninth sign). Its four 3°20′ quarters map in order to Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, completing the eighth full revolution of the Navamsa wheel at 320°00′ (96 = 8 × 12).

Notice how this Navamsa progression interacts with Saturn’s Aquarius D1 sign. Padas 1 and 4 are ruled in D9 by Jupiter (Sagittarius and Pisces, with Pisces D9 also serving as a Pushkara Navamsa), framing the nakshatra with ethical and restorative counsel. Padas 2 and 3 are ruled in D9 by Saturn (Capricorn and Aquarius), meaning Saturn governs both the Rashi and Navamsa charts across the central 6°40′ core of Shatabhisha (10°00′–16°40′ Aquarius). Most importantly, in Pada 3 (13°20′–16°40′ Aquarius, or 313°20′–316°40′), the planet occupies Aquarius in both the D1 Rashi chart and the D9 Navamsa chart—making Pada 3 Vargottama Aquarius.

Traditional naming tables assign the syllables Go, Sa, Si and Su (गो, सा, सी, सू) to the four padas.

Worked calculation: Aquarius Moon longitude and 18-year Rahu dasha balance

Because Rahu rules an 18-year Vimshottari Mahadasha, small degree differences inside Shatabhisha significantly alter the opening dasha timeline. Compare two worked calculations under the same sidereal ayanamsa. In Case A, an ephemeris places the Moon at 311°20′ total sidereal longitude. Convert degrees to arcminutes: 311 × 60 + 20 = 18,680′. Subtracting the start of Aquarius (300°00′ = 18,000′) gives the sign-local coordinate: 18,680′ − 18,000′ = 680′ = 11°20′ Aquarius (ruled by Saturn). Next, subtract Shatabhisha’s opening coordinate of 18,400′ (306°40′): 18,680′ − 18,400′ = 280′ (4°40′ elapsed inside Shatabhisha). Dividing 280′ by 200′ per pada shows 1 full pada completed and 80′ elapsed in Pada 2 (Capricorn Navamsa).

In Case B, the ephemeris lists the Moon at 315°00′ total sidereal longitude. In arcminutes, 315 × 60 + 0 = 18,900′. Subtracting 18,000′ yields 900′ = 15°00′ Aquarius. Subtracting Shatabhisha’s start (18,400′) gives 18,900′ − 18,400′ = 500′ (8°20′ elapsed inside the nakshatra). Dividing 500′ by 200′ per pada shows 2 full padas (400′) completed and 100′ (exact midpoint) elapsed in Pada 3 (Vargottama Aquarius Navamsa).

Using the standard proportion Remaining Arc ÷ 800′ × 18 years, Case A has 800′ − 280′ = 520′ remaining (65.0% of the sector), yielding (520 ÷ 800) × 18 = 11.7 years (11 years, 8 months, 12 days) of Rahu Mahadasha at birth. Case B has 800′ − 500′ = 300′ remaining (37.5% of the sector), yielding (300 ÷ 800) × 18 = 6.75 years (6 years, 9 months, 0 days) of Rahu Mahadasha before Jupiter’s 16-year Mahadasha begins.

Varuna, cosmic order (Rta), the empty circle and the hundred remedies

In the Vedic nakshatra lists of the Taittiriya Samhita (4.4.10) and Taittiriya Brahmana (1.5.1), this mansion appears as Shatabhishaj (शतभिषज्, “possessing a hundred physicians or remedies”), while astronomical and horoscopic treaties also name it Shatabhisha or Shatataraka (शततारका, “having a hundred stars,” centered near the faint star cluster around Lambda Aquarii). Its Vedic presiding deity is Varuna (वरुण)—the sovereign Aditya who guards Rta (cosmic, natural and moral law), watches over oaths and hidden accountability, regulates the celestial and oceanic waters, and is invoked in Rigveda 1.24.9 as the possessor of a hundred and a thousand medicines (shatam te rajan bhishajah sahasram).

Notice how the Vedic epithet “a hundred remedies” connects directly with Varuna’s guardianship of Rta and with Shatabhisha’s primary symbol: an empty circle or ring (shunya-mandala). A circle draws a clear boundary between inside and outside—like a quarantine perimeter, a diagnostic screen, a laboratory vessel, a horizon line or a sealed ethical contract. In traditional study language, Shatabhisha’s “healing” motif does not mean magical cures; it symbolizes diagnostic root-cause analysis, containment of disorder, hygiene, audit and restoring systemic balance when rules have been breached.

Because Shatabhisha also falls inside the Aquarius–Pisces span, a transiting Moon here lies within the five-nakshatra Muhurta Panchaka window, while also being classified as a Chara (movable/active) nakshatra in general electional tables.

Reading Shatabhisha in a birth chart: Saturn and Rahu in Aquarius

Every planet in Shatabhisha combines Saturn as the D1 sign ruler (Aquarius) with Rahu as the 18-year Vimshottari nakshatra ruler—the third of Rahu’s three nakshatras after Ardra (Gemini) and Swati (Libra), all three of which lie in air signs! In fixed air Aquarius, the Saturn–Rahu combination excels at complex systems analysis, epidemiology or public-health logistics, cybersecurity and error-detection, astronomical or statistical modeling, archival research, and working calmly with unconventional or technical problems.

When interpreting a birth chart, check the house placement and dignity of both Saturn and Rahu, as well as Jupiter’s influence—both because Jupiter rules Padas 1 and 4 in the Navamsa chart and because Jupiter’s 16-year Mahadasha immediately follows Rahu’s 18-year Mahadasha for anyone born with the Moon in Shatabhisha.

To follow the full sequence across sidereal Aquarius, compare Shatabhisha with its predecessor Dhanishta Nakshatra (23°20′ Capricorn to 6°40′ Aquarius) and its successor Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra (20°00′ Aquarius to 3°20′ Pisces). For the general math behind the 18-year Rahu balance worked out above, consult Vimshottari dasha balance calculation, and to review the Aquarius–Pisces electional window, see Panchaka-rahita Muhurta rules.

Strengths, growth edges and practical study habits

Used as a constructive study prompt, Shatabhisha’s themes of Varuna’s law (Rta) and the protective circle encourage high-integrity habits: investigating root causes instead of masking symptoms, maintaining privacy and ethical confidentiality, setting healthy personal boundaries, and auditing complex systems patiently.

Under stress or isolation, the same Saturn–Rahu containment in Aquarius can tilt toward excessive secrecy, cynicism, social withdrawal behind a rigid wall, or feeling responsible for fixing every flaw in a system alone. Balancing Padas 2–3’s Saturnian reserve with Padas 1 and 4’s Jupiterian openness and collaborative dialogue keeps Shatabhisha’s analytical depth connected to human warmth.

In a comparative study notebook, test two Shatabhisha placements side by side: one in Pada 1 or 4 (Sagittarius or Pisces D9) and one in Pada 2 or 3 (Capricorn or Vargottama Aquarius D9). Observe how Jupiter versus Saturn in the Navamsa shapes the person’s communication and problem-solving style.

Responsible meaning and verification checklist

Treat Shatabhisha’s classical association with Shatabhishaj (“a hundred physicians”) strictly as cultural and symbolic vocabulary for analysis, boundaries and restoration—never as a medical diagnosis, a promise of curing illness, or a substitute for licensed healthcare. Likewise, do not treat natal birth in Rahu’s nakshatra or inside the Aquarius Panchaka span as a source of fear or compulsory ritual remedies.

Before finalizing any Shatabhisha chart note, verify three technical checkpoints: record the sidereal ayanamsa used, confirm that the longitude lies within [306°40′, 320°00′) (6°40′–20°00′ Aquarius), and check whether birth-time uncertainty could move the Moon across a 3°20′ pada boundary (especially into or out of Vargottama Pada 3 at 13°20′–16°40′ Aquarius). Always prioritize clear communication, informed consent, sound financial planning and qualified medical, legal or financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to common reader questions using the 27-sector sidereal grid and half-open boundary convention.