Ashwini nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
Ashwini is the first nakshatra, ruled by Ketu, traditionally linked to the Ashwini Kumaras, the twin physicians of the gods.
What it is
Its symbol is the horse's head. In the Vimshottari cycle its lord is Ketu, whose dasha is 7 years, so a birth in Ashwini begins the sequence with Ketu. Ashwini starts at 0 degrees Mesha sidereal.
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. Ashwini covers 0 to 13 degrees 20 minutes of Mesha.
Where it appears on this site
The Moon's nakshatra is shown in the panchang and the dasha tool.
Span and position
Ashwini is the first of the 27 lunar mansions. It runs from 0 degrees Mesha to 13 degrees 20 minutes of Mesha on the sidereal zodiac. Each of its four padas covers 3 degrees 20 minutes, and the first pada is the only one that begins exactly at the start of the zodiac. Because the Moon crosses the whole nakshatra in roughly a day, a birth in Ashwini is a birth in the first stretch of the sidereal year's starting sign, and the reader should check the exact degree of the Moon before using the nakshatra in a rule.
Its lord and dasha
Ketu is the lord of Ashwini, and the Ketu dasha lasts seven years in the Vimshottari table. A birth with the Moon in Ashwini therefore begins the dasha sequence with Ketu, and the balance at birth is the part of Ketu's seven years still to run. Because Ketu is the first dasha in the cycle, the timeline for an Ashwini birth starts with the shortest mahadasha of the nine, then continues through Venus, the Sun and the others in order.
Symbol and deity
Ashwini is traditionally shown as a horse's head, and the presiding deities are the Ashwini Kumaras, the twin physicians of the gods in the Vedic texts. The horse symbol is read as swiftness, and the twin deities as healing and quick aid. These are traditional attributions used in the nakshatra lists, and the site presents them as such without turning them into predictions.
Using Ashwini in a reading
A reader who meets Ashwini as the Moon's nakshatra should note its lord, its deity and its place as the first of the series. The first position is often read as a sign of beginnings and of swift movement. Because the nakshatra is so close to the start of the zodiac, a reader must also check the ayanamsa used, since a different ayanamsa can move a planet near 0 degrees Mesha into the previous nakshatra, which is Revati.
Ashwini in everyday planning
For a person who wants to use the nakshatra in everyday planning, the most practical question is which activities the tradition links to the Moon's nakshatra on a given day. Many almanacs list Ashwini as suitable for beginning journeys, starting medicine or taking up a new skill, because the nakshatra is associated with swift movement and healing. These are traditional associations and not universal rules. A careful planner checks the tithi, the weekday and Rahu Kaal alongside the nakshatra, and notes which factors the source requires.
The panchang on this site shows the Moon's nakshatra for any chosen date, together with its end time. A planner who notices that Ashwini ends later in the day can see that the nakshatra is present at the start of the morning, which may be the time the tradition asks for. The reader then decides whether the traditional association fits the plan.