Ashlesha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
Ashlesha is the ninth nakshatra, ruled by Mercury, and its traditional name means 'the embracing'.
What it is
Its symbol is a serpent, and its deity is the Nagas, the serpent beings. Its lord Mercury has a dasha of 17 years. Ashlesha starts at 106 degrees 40 minutes, in Karka, and ends at 120 degrees, the start of Simha.
How it is worked out or read
Each nakshatra spans 13 degrees 20 minutes of the sidereal zodiac and has four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes each. Ashlesha is the last nakshatra of Karka.
Where it appears on this site
Ashlesha is linked to the Kaal Sarpa idea by name only; the site's Kaal Sarpa check uses the Rahu–Ketu axis, see the chart checks.
Span and position
Ashlesha is the ninth nakshatra and lies entirely within Karka, from 106 degrees 40 minutes to 120 degrees, the last nakshatra of that sign. Its four padas each cover 3 degrees 20 minutes. Because it ends at the start of Simha, a planet just beyond 120 degrees has passed into the next sign, so the boundary matters for the sign as well as the nakshatra.
Its lord and dasha
Mercury is the lord of Ashlesha, and the Mercury dasha lasts seventeen years. A birth with the Moon in Ashlesha begins the sequence with Mercury, and the balance is the part still to run. Because Mercury is read as neutral and takes colour from company, the early timeline of such a birth is also read with attention to the grahas that share its signs and houses.
Symbol and deity
Ashlesha is shown as a serpent, and its presiding deity is the Nagas, the serpent beings of the classical texts. The name means embracing or clinging, which is the basis of the snake symbol. The link to serpents has led some readers to connect Ashlesha with Kaal Sarpa, but the chart rule used on this site is the Rahu–Ketu axis rule, not a nakshatra rule.
Using Ashlesha in a reading
A reader who meets Ashlesha as the Moon's nakshatra should note Mercury as the lord and the serpent symbol. Its closeness to the Simha boundary means the sign must be checked. The nakshatra's traits are read with the Moon's sign and house, and the site's chart checks handle the Kaal Sarpa question separately, so that the nakshatra name is not mistaken for the rule.
Ashlesha and the clinging theme
Ashlesha's name, which means embracing or clinging, gives it a theme of attachment and close bonds. In the classical view the nakshatra is read as intense in its relationships, capable of deep loyalty and also of difficulty in letting go. The serpent symbol adds a sense of hidden power and of strategic patience, and the Nagas as its deities connect it to the older layer of serpent worship in Indian tradition.
A reader who finds Ashlesha in the Moon should consider how its lord Mercury is placed, since Mercury takes its colour from the planets it is with. A Mercury with benevolent company is read as clever and warm in its bonds, while a Mercury with harsher company is read as more guarded. The sign boundary at 120 degrees means the Moon's exact degree decides whether the clinging theme is expressed through Karka or through the first pada of Simha's neighbouring sign. The reader should check both.