The 27 nakshatras
Ashwini nakshatra अश्विनी
Star 1 of 27, ruled by Ketu, watched over by the Ashvini Kumaras, physicians of the gods. Its symbol is a horse's head.
The essentials
Ashwini spans 0°00' Aries to 13°20' Aries. Dasha lord Ketu (7 years). Deity the Ashvini Kumaras, physicians of the gods. Gana Deva, yoni horse, nadi Adya (Vata). Naming syllables चू, चे, चो, ला. A birth Moon here makes Ashwini your janma nakshatra and opens your Vimshottari timeline in a Ketu period.
The four padas
| Pada | Span | Navāṁśa | Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pada 1 | 0°00' Aries to 3°20' Aries | Aries navāṁśa | चू |
| Pada 2 | 3°20' Aries to 6°40' Aries | Taurus navāṁśa | चे |
| Pada 3 | 6°40' Aries to 10°00' Aries | Gemini navāṁśa | चो |
| Pada 4 | 10°00' Aries to 13°20' Aries | Cancer navāṁśa | ला |
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 Ashwini
Ashwini opens the zodiac at a gallop. Its people start fast, heal fast, and are happiest at the beginning of things, the first aid, the first draft, the first mile. The lesson of the star is finishing what the burst of speed began.
Ashwini in kundli matching
A Deva gana star of the horse yoni, sharing its animal with Shatabhisha. 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 Ketu
Born under Ashwini, your Vimshottari sequence opens in a Ketu 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 Ashwini fall?
0°00' Aries to 13°20' Aries, in four padas of 3°20' each. The table above names each pada's navāṁśa.
Which dasha starts for Ashwini births?
Ketu's, up to 7 years, scaled by how far the Moon had walked through the star at birth.
What are the naming syllables?
चू, चे, चो, ला, one for each pada.