Shravana nakshatra: lord, deity and symbol
Shravana is the twenty-second nakshatra, ruled by the Moon, and its traditional name means 'hearing' or 'listening'.
What it is
Its symbol is an ear or three footprints, and its deity is Vishnu. Its lord the Moon has a dasha of 10 years. Shravana starts at 280 degrees, in Makara.
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. Shravana covers 280 to 293 degrees 20 minutes, all in Makara.
Where it appears on this site
Shravana is shown in the panchang.
Shravana and listening
Shravana means hearing or listening, and its symbol is the ear or three footprints. Its deity is Vishnu, the preserver, and the classical texts associate the nakshatra with learning through attention, with the reception of teaching and with the traditions handed down by listening. The three footprints are read as steps that lead to understanding, and the nakshatra is often cited in discussions of the sacred texts that were first heard and then remembered.
Its lord is the Moon, so the nakshatra is read with the mind and the emotions. A Moon in Shravana is considered receptive, and the reader looks at the Moon's sign, Makara for the whole nakshatra, and at the house Makara occupies from the Lagna. Because Makara is ruled by Saturn, the listening theme acquires a disciplined, steady quality in the classical reading, where attention is sustained over time.
Reading Shravana in a chart
A chart with the Moon in Shravana is often read as one in which the native learns through careful attention and from experienced teachers. The Moon's strength and its aspects show how receptive the mind is. A Moon that is strong and well placed supports the theme of learning, while a weak Moon may show distraction that interferes with listening. The reader looks at the Moon's house and at the grahas that aspect it.
The nakshatra's dasha begins with the Moon's ten years, which means the early part of a Shravana timeline is shaped by the Moon's themes of care and reception. The reader can connect this with the nakshatra's emphasis on learning and see whether the first years of the dasha show that quality in the chart.
Timing and learning
Traditional calendars sometimes list Shravana among the nakshatras favourable for beginning study, for receiving instruction and for ceremonies connected with the teaching of the sacred texts. A planner who uses this association should check the nakshatra's end time and combine it with the weekday and the tithi. The association is traditional, and the nakshatra describes an orientation toward listening rather than a guaranteed result of study.
Shravana and the cycle of teaching
Shravana's association with listening links it to the older practice of learning by hearing, in which teaching is passed on and remembered. A reader may describe the nakshatra's theme as the value of attentive reception, and the chain of teachers through which knowledge reaches a student.