Short answer: Shatabhisha Nakshatra is the 24th birth star, spanning 6°40′ to 20°00′ of Aquarius. Rahu is its lord and Varuna, god of the waters and of moral law, is its deity. Its symbol is an empty circle. It is rakshasa gana, the name letters are Go, Sa, Si and Su, and natives start life in Rahu mahadasha.
Updated 8 November 2026
What does Shatabhisha mean?
The name is usually read as “a hundred physicians” or “a hundred healers”; another reading is “a hundred stars”, because this part of the sky holds a wide scatter of faint ones. The Tamil name, Sadayam, and the Hindi Shatabhisha both point to the same stretch. The first reading is the one I find most useful. Many Shatabhisha natives have a talent for diagnosing problems, whether in people, machines or organisations.
Varuna is an old and serious god. He holds the waters and watches over truth and order, and in the hymns he sees what people hide. The empty circle fits him: a boundary drawn around something, a closed space, a sky with nothing in it yet. In charts I see this as a person who keeps a private circle, values truth highly and is quietly hard to fool.
Shatabhisha Nakshatra details
| Field | Shatabhisha (Sadayam) |
|---|---|
| Position | 24th, 306°40′ to 320°00′ |
| Rashi | Kumbh (Aquarius) for all padas |
| Lord | Rahu |
| Deity | Varuna |
| Symbol | An empty circle |
| Gana | Rakshasa |
| Yoni | Horse, female |
| Nadi | Adi |
| Muhurat class | Chara, movable |
| Syllables | Go, Sa, Si, Su |
These agree with my table of birth stars. Shatabhisha is also the middle star of the panchak stretch, which matters for choosing dates, not for the people born in it.
Shatabhisha padas and name letters
Rahu as star lord in Saturn’s sign Aquarius is a very modern mix: unconventional, technical and future facing. The four padas tilt it in different directions.
| Pada | Aquarius degrees | Navamsa | Syllable | Leaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6°40′ to 10°00′ | Sagittarius | Go (गो) | Philosophical, outspoken, keen on travel |
| 2 | 10°00′ to 13°20′ | Capricorn | Sa (सा) | Ambitious, practical, organised |
| 3 | 13°20′ to 16°40′ | Aquarius | Si (सी) | The purest Shatabhisha: inventive, detached, unusual |
| 4 | 16°40′ to 20°00′ | Pisces | Su (सू) | Compassionate, spiritual, drawn to healing |
Shatabhisha personality, honestly described
– Self-contained. They are comfortable alone and keep a small inner circle. – Truth seekers. They dislike pretence and will often say the awkward thing. – Problem solvers. Give them something broken and they will find out why. – Unconventional. Rules have to make sense to them before they follow them. – Slow to trust, slow to forgive. Varuna remembers.
The difficulty I meet most is isolation. Shatabhisha natives can withdraw so far that loneliness sets in before they notice it. A regular group activity, even a small one, makes a real difference.
What people often get wrong about Shatabhisha
Two myths reach me again and again. The first is that a rakshasa star with Rahu as lord must be unlucky. It is not. Rakshasa only tells me the native has a strong, self-directed will, and Rahu in Saturn’s sign is often a good placement for work in technology, research and anything new. Plenty of Shatabhisha people do well exactly because they think differently from the crowd.
The second myth is that being born during panchak is a problem. Panchak is a rule for picking dates, for example when to lay a roof. It says nothing about a child who happens to arrive in those days. I would not ask any family to do a ritual for it.
What I do take seriously is the Moon’s actual condition: whether Saturn, the sign lord, is strong, whether Rahu sits with the Moon or aspects it, and what dasha is running. A Shatabhisha Moon with a well-placed Saturn tends to be calm and capable. One with Saturn under strain needs more support, and that is where a reading earns its keep.
Careers that suit Shatabhisha Nakshatra
The healer image is the obvious one, and I do see many Shatabhisha natives in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and alternative therapies. The Rahu and Aquarius side adds technology, software, electronics, space and aviation, astronomy and astrology, research, and investigation. Varuna’s link to water brings in shipping, fisheries and anything with liquids or chemicals.
These natives often work best with autonomy and a problem to solve. Big open-plan teams can drain them; small research teams suit them.
Shatabhisha in love, marriage and matching
In relationships Shatabhisha natives are loyal but reserved. They need space and can seem cool to a partner who wants a lot of closeness. Once committed they tend to be steady, and they value honesty above romance.
For ashtakoota, Shatabhisha is rakshasa gana, adi nadi and female horse yoni. Ashwini, the male horse, scores full yoni marks; Hasta and Swati, the buffalo stars, score zero. Counting from Shatabhisha, the good taras include Bharani, Rohini, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Ashlesha, Chitra and Revati, among others. Since Shatabhisha is adi nadi, a partner from Ashwini, Ardra, Hasta or Moola will show a nadi zero, which I then test against the classical exceptions on my nadi dosh page.
Rahu mahadasha from birth
Shatabhisha is one of the three Rahu stars, along with Ardra and Swati. Natives are born inside Rahu’s 18-year period. Suppose the Moon was at Aquarius 16°, which is 9°20′ into the star. About 70 per cent is used, so roughly 5 years and 5 months of Rahu remain. Then Jupiter’s 16 years and Saturn’s 19.
A short Rahu balance means Jupiter arrives in early childhood and stays through the school and college years, which often gives a stable, well-guided education. Someone born early in the star, though, carries Rahu into the teens, and that tends to show as restlessness and unusual interests. What the full Rahu period brings is on my Rahu mahadasha page. How I work out your exact balance is on my dasha analysis page.
General health tendencies
Aquarius links to the calves, ankles and circulation in traditional texts, and Rahu to conditions that are hard to pin down. In practice I mostly see Shatabhisha natives neglect themselves while caring for others. Get regular check-ups from a doctor, and do not rely on a chart for medical questions.
Remedies for Shatabhisha
– For Varuna: respect water. Fix leaks at home, do not waste it, and spend time near the sea or a lake when you can. – For Rahu: keep a fixed routine, limit late-night screens, and avoid decisions made in a hurry. – Saturn rules Aquarius, so service to elderly or poor people on Saturdays helps steady the sign lord. – Make one standing appointment a week with friends or family. For this star, connection is the remedy.
Shatabhisha Nakshatra in 2027
For an Aquarius Moon, 2027 is a turning year. Saturn’s sade sati, which has been in its final phase with Saturn in Pisces, will lift when Saturn enters Aries on 3 June 2027. Saturn does slip back into Pisces from 20 October 2027, so the relief comes in two steps rather than one. Jupiter in Leo, the 7th from Aquarius since 31 October 2026, is a good influence for marriage and business partnerships. Rahu will be in Capricorn, the 12th from Aquarius, from 5 December 2026, so foreign links and expenses will both rise. My Aquarius horoscope 2027 has the month-by-month view.
Reading your Shatabhisha chart with me
On a call I confirm your pada, calculate the Rahu balance from your birth time, and read your lagna chart and the dasha you are running for the question you bring. I keep it practical and tell you plainly what I see. You can book a session, ₹1,499 for a 45-minute session, with written notes afterwards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of Shatabhisha Nakshatra?
Shatabhisha means a hundred physicians or a hundred stars. It is linked with healing, secrecy and Varuna’s watch over truth.
Is Shatabhisha Nakshatra in panchak?
Yes, Shatabhisha lies entirely inside panchak, which runs from Dhanishta’s third pada to the end of Revati. That matters for choosing dates, not for those born in it.
What are the Shatabhisha Nakshatra name letters?
The syllables are Go, Sa, Si and Su. In Tamil and Malayalam naming, Sadayam stars use the same sounds adapted to the local script.
Which planet rules Shatabhisha Nakshatra?
Rahu rules Shatabhisha, and Saturn rules its sign Aquarius. Natives begin life in Rahu mahadasha.
Is Shatabhisha Nakshatra good for a medical career?
Many Shatabhisha natives are drawn to medicine and healing, in keeping with the hundred physicians. The 10th house and its lord still decide the actual field.