Hasta is the thirteenth nakshatra, spanning 10° to 23°20′ of sidereal Virgo, and it is ruled by the Moon with Savitr, the Sun as the life-giving, awakening power, as its deity. Its name simply means "hand", and it is the nakshatra of skill, dexterity and practical intelligence: the ability to take an idea and make it real with one's own hands.
Its five main stars are those of the constellation Corvus, often likened to the five fingers of an open palm.
Where Hasta sits
Hasta lies wholly within Virgo, the sign of Mercury, between Uttara Phalguni and Chitra. It holds the most important point in Virgo: Mercury reaches its deepest exaltation at 15° Virgo, and its moolatrikona range of 15° to 20° also lies inside Hasta. No other nakshatra is so closely tied to Mercury's strength.
So Hasta combines three influences: Virgo's precision and service, Mercury's intelligence and trade, and the Moon's sensitivity and responsiveness. The mind is quick and the hands follow.
Lord and deity: the Moon and Savitr
The Moon rules the mind, emotions, nourishment and the public. As nakshatra lord in Mercury's sign it gives an adaptable, observant mind that picks up skills by watching and copying. It also brings the Moon's changeability: moods and circumstances can rise and fall like its phases.
Savitr is the Sun in his role as the one who stirs creatures to action at dawn. The famous Gayatri mantra is addressed to Savitr, asking him to inspire the intellect. In the Vedic hymns he is described with golden hands, raised to bless and to set the world moving. That image sits at the heart of Hasta: intelligence that turns into action, and hands that work in the service of something bright.
Symbol, gana, yoni and nadi
The symbol is an open hand, sometimes a closed fist. The open hand gives, heals, blesses and crafts; the fist holds and grasps. Both are part of Hasta's range, and palmistry, crafts, healing arts and trade have all been linked with it.
Hasta is of Deva gana, a gentle and principled temperament. Its yoni is the buffalo, female, and its nadi is Adi (vata).
In gun milan, the female buffalo's partner is the male buffalo of Swati, the nakshatra after Chitra. The buffalo's enemy yoni is the horse (Ashwini and Shatabhisha). Deva gana pairs well with Deva and Manushya. Same nadi scores zero unless an exception applies. These scores are one layer; matching is done on both full charts.
Muhurta nature: swift (kshipra)
Hasta is one of the swift or light (kshipra, laghu) nakshatras in Muhurta Chintamani, with Ashwini and Pushya. It suits beginnings that should go smoothly and quickly: trade and sales, learning a craft or an art, starting medicine or treatment, travel, and making or buying ornaments. Hasta is also counted among the nakshatras used for marriage in many traditions. The muhurat tool weighs it with tithi and weekday.
Temperament
A Moon in Hasta tends to give clever hands and a clever tongue. These people are practical, resourceful, good at detail and usually skilled at more than one thing. They are often helpful, humorous and quick to see a solution. Crafts, writing, healing, design, commerce, counselling and anything that needs manual or mental dexterity suit the Hasta temperament.
The growth areas are restlessness and worry. The Moon in Mercury's sign can make the mind busy, anxious or overly critical, and cleverness can occasionally become a way of controlling outcomes. Hasta natives often do best with a craft to absorb them, regular rest, and the reminder that not everything can or should be managed by hand.
The four padas
Hasta's padas start a fresh navamsa run from Aries to Cancer.
Pada 1: Virgo 10° to 13°20′, Aries navamsa
Mars's navamsa gives drive and initiative. The Hasta skill here is energetic and competitive, eager to start projects and get results. Naming syllable: Pu.
Pada 2: Virgo 13°20′ to 16°40′, Taurus navamsa
Venus's earthy navamsa adds patience, taste and a feel for materials and money. This pada contains Mercury's exaltation point at 15° and is often linked with fine craftsmanship and commerce. Naming syllable: Sha.
Pada 3: Virgo 16°40′ to 20°, Gemini navamsa
Mercury's own navamsa within Mercury's sign makes this the most intellectual and communicative pada: writing, speech, trade and analysis. It lies in Mercury's moolatrikona range. Naming syllable: Na.
Pada 4: Virgo 20° to 23°20′, Cancer navamsa
The Moon's own navamsa within the Moon's own nakshatra brings warmth, empathy and a caring use of skill, often in healing, cooking or nurturing work. Naming syllable: Tha.
Naming syllables
The north Indian syllables for Hasta are Pu, Sha (ष), Na (ण) and Tha (ठ) by pada. Some of these letters rarely begin names, so families often use a close variant. See naam akshar.
Moon, lagna and planets in Hasta
A Hasta Moon begins the Vimshottari dasha with the Moon's own 10-year period, the balance depending on the Moon's degree. Mars, Rahu and Jupiter follow.
With the lagna in Hasta, Virgo rising and Mercury as lagna lord give a neat, alert and capable manner. Mercury placed in Hasta is at its strongest by sign; the Moon here rules its own nakshatra. Other planets absorb Hasta's practical, skilful tone. As with every factor, this is only part of the picture; the whole kundli is read together.
To see your own Moon nakshatra, open the free kundli tool. The next page, Chitra, moves from the skilled hand to the finished jewel.