The 27 nakshatras
Ashlesha nakshatra आश्लेषा
Star 9 of 27, ruled by Mercury, watched over by the Nagas, keepers of hidden wisdom. Its symbol is a coiled serpent.
The essentials
Ashlesha spans 16°40' Cancer to 0°00' Leo. Dasha lord Mercury (17 years). Deity the Nagas, keepers of hidden wisdom. Gana Rakshasa, yoni cat, nadi Antya (Kapha). Naming syllables डी, डू, डे, डो. A birth Moon here makes Ashlesha your janma nakshatra and opens your Vimshottari timeline in a Mercury period.
The four padas
| Pada | Span | Navāṁśa | Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pada 1 | 16°40' Cancer to 20°00' Cancer | Sagittarius navāṁśa | डी |
| Pada 2 | 20°00' Cancer to 23°20' Cancer | Capricorn navāṁśa | डू |
| Pada 3 | 23°20' Cancer to 26°40' Cancer | Aquarius navāṁśa | डे |
| Pada 4 | 26°40' Cancer to 0°00' Leo | Pisces navāṁśa | डो |
Each pada colours the star through its navāṁśa sign, which is why two people of the same nakshatra can wear it differently. The syllable of the birth pada is the one tradition offers at a naming ceremony.
The character of Ashlesha
Ashlesha holds the serpent's knowledge. Its people read undercurrents, negotiate, persuade, and heal what hides beneath the skin of things. The coil that can squeeze can also embrace, and choosing which is the star's whole curriculum.
Ashlesha in kundli matching
A Rakshasa gana star of the cat yoni, sharing its animal with Punarvasu. In Ashtakoota matching, the gana enters the six point Gana test, the yoni its four point test of instinctive accord, and the nadi the heaviest test of all at eight points, where two identical nadis score nothing. None of these verdicts stands alone, and the full milan arithmetic weighs all eight kutas before anything is concluded.
Your dasha begins with Mercury
Born under Ashlesha, your Vimshottari sequence opens in a Mercury mahadasha, and the balance left at birth depends on the Moon's exact degree within the star. The dasha guide explains the whole 120 year wheel. A computed chart names your current period to the day.
Common questions
Where does Ashlesha fall?
16°40' Cancer to 0°00' Leo, in four padas of 3°20' each. The table above names each pada's navāṁśa.
Which dasha starts for Ashlesha births?
Mercury's, up to 17 years, scaled by how far the Moon had walked through the star at birth.
What are the naming syllables?
डी, डू, डे, डो, one for each pada.