Shatabhisha nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
Shatabhisha is the twenty-fourth nakshatra, ruled by Rahu, and its traditional name means 'hundred physicians'.
What it is
Its symbol is an empty circle, and its deity is Varuna, the god of the waters and the cosmic order. Its lord Rahu has a dasha of 18 years. Shatabhisha starts at 306 degrees 40 minutes, in Kumbha.
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. Shatabhisha covers 306 degrees 40 minutes to 320 degrees, all in Kumbha.
Where it appears on this site
Shatabhisha is shown in the panchang.
Shatabhisha and healing
Shatabhisha means the hundred physicians, and its symbol, an empty circle, is read as the open space in which healing and insight can arrive. Its deity is Varuna, the lord of the waters and of the cosmic order, and the classical texts link the nakshatra with the hidden, the mysterious and the healing arts. The name and the empty circle together suggest a nakshatra of remedies that work from within, and of knowledge that is not immediately visible.
Its lord is Rahu, which amplifies its themes of the unusual, the investigative and the unconventional. Shatabhisha lies entirely within Kumbha, from 306 degrees 40 minutes to 320 degrees, so the sign's qualities of detachment and social concern colour the nakshatra's reading. A reader who sees Shatabhisha in the Moon looks at Rahu's sign and house, and at the sign of the Moon, to see how the healing and investigative themes are expressed.
Shatabhisha in a chart
A chart with the Moon in Shatabhisha is read in terms of the mind's interest in hidden causes and in healing. The Moon's strength and its aspects show how the mind meets the mystery of such matters. A reader may note whether Rahu's placement suggests unusual paths, or whether the Moon's care and concern show a practical healing orientation.
The Rahu dasha of eighteen years begins the timeline for such a birth, so the early years are read through Rahu's themes of the unusual and the unexpected. A reader can compare the dasha's early period with the nakshatra's healing theme and see whether the two agree in the chart.
Timing and remedies
Traditional calendars sometimes mention Shatabhisha in connection with medicine, with the beginning of healing and with research into hidden things. A planner who uses this association should check the nakshatra's end time and combine it with the weekday and the tithi. Remedies and medical care should be sought from qualified professionals, and the nakshatra's association with healing is a traditional reading, not a medical claim.
Shatabhisha and the hundred healers
The name Shatabhisha, the hundred physicians, suggests a nakshatra of many remedies and of the collective art of healing. A reader may describe its theme as the breadth of knowledge that comes from many sources, rather than from a single authority.