Shatabhisha is the 24th nakshatra, spanning 306°40′ to 320° of the sidereal zodiac, or 6°40′ to 20° of Aquarius. It is ruled by Rahu, its deity is Varuna, the Vedic lord of the waters and of cosmic order, and its name is usually translated as "a hundred physicians".
It is the only nakshatra of the three Rahu-ruled ones (with Ardra and Swati) that falls in a Saturn sign, and the whole of it sits inside the 0°–20° stretch of Aquarius that is Saturn's moolatrikona. Rahu's appetite for the unusual meets Saturn's seriousness here, which is why Shatabhisha is often described as the most independent and private of the nakshatras.
Varuna and the empty circle
In the Rigveda, Varuna is one of the oldest and most solemn gods. He upholds rta, the order that keeps rivers flowing and seasons turning; he sees what people do in secret and holds them to their word. He is also the lord of the waters and the ocean. Later mythology softens him into a sea god, but the older picture — a guardian of truth who sees everything — is the one that shapes this nakshatra.
The symbol is an empty circle. A circle has no beginning and no end, and it encloses a space. Readers of this nakshatra take it in several ways: as a boundary that protects, as the wholeness a healer tries to restore, or as the emptiness that leaves room for insight. The texts do not settle on one meaning, and that open-endedness suits Shatabhisha.
The "hundred physicians" name links the nakshatra with healing traditions, herbs and the study of remedies in the old sense of the word. Classical writers use it as a sign of a researching, problem-solving mind rather than of any particular profession.
Gana, yoni and nadi
Shatabhisha is Rakshasa gana, female Horse yoni and Adi (vata) nadi.
The Rakshasa gana label speaks of self-reliance and strong will; it is not a judgement of character. In gun milan it scores very low against Manushya or Deva gana and full marks with another Rakshasa-gana nakshatra. The Horse's traditional yoni opposite is the Buffalo, and two partners of Adi nadi lose the 8 nadi points unless an exception applies. These are three factors out of eight kootas, and the kootas themselves are only the first step; the whole of both charts is read together, which a kundli matching report sets out in full.
Muhurta nature
Shatabhisha is a movable (chara) nakshatra in Muhurta Chintamani, grouped with Swati, Punarvasu, Shravana and Dhanishta. Tradition suggests it for travel, vehicles, moving house and anything that needs mobility. Because of the healer association, some almanacs also mention it for beginning a course of treatment or a health routine — a traditional timing choice, not medical advice.
Shatabhisha falls within the panchak period (the Moon in Aquarius and Pisces), a north Indian muhurta convention that some families observe for a few specific tasks. It does not make a birth under this nakshatra unfortunate in any way.
Temperament
Shatabhisha natives are often described as thoughtful, original, truthful and somewhat reserved. They tend to be comfortable alone, drawn to research, technology, science, philosophy or any field where one has to look beneath the surface. Many have a strong sense of fairness and little patience for pretence.
The growth areas come from the same qualities. A preference for solitude can become distance; a clear mind can come across as blunt; and a habit of solving every problem alone can keep others from helping. Letting a few people inside the circle is often the lesson this nakshatra works on across a lifetime.
The four padas
The padas of Shatabhisha take the navamsa signs Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Pada 1 — 6°40′ to 10° Aquarius (Sagittarius navamsa)
Jupiter's navamsa adds optimism, a philosophical bent and interest in teaching or travel. This is the most outgoing and hopeful quarter of Shatabhisha.
Pada 2 — 10° to 13°20′ Aquarius (Capricorn navamsa)
Saturn's navamsa makes this pada practical, ambitious and organised. It is often linked with long, steady work inside institutions and with building a reputation slowly.
Pada 3 — 13°20′ to 16°40′ Aquarius (Aquarius navamsa)
Here the navamsa sign is the same as the rashi, which makes a planet placed in this pada vargottama — traditionally a mark of strength and consistency. This is the most typically "Aquarian" Shatabhisha: inventive, humanitarian and independent.
Pada 4 — 16°40′ to 20° Aquarius (Pisces navamsa)
Jupiter's watery navamsa brings compassion, imagination and a spiritual or contemplative streak. The healer theme is gentlest and most intuitive here.
Naming syllables
The naam-akshar syllables are Go, Sa, Si and Su. A child with the Moon in the third pada, for example, would traditionally receive a name beginning with Si.
Moon, lagna and planets in Shatabhisha
A birth Moon here makes Rahu's the first mahadasha, and the Moon sign is Aquarius, so Saturn's transits, including sade sati, are counted from Aquarius.
With the lagna in Shatabhisha, Saturn as sign lord and Rahu as nakshatra lord both become important for reading the personality. Planets in Shatabhisha usually take on an investigative, unconventional tone; Saturn itself here is in its moolatrikona, which classical texts treat as a strong placement.
Schools differ on how much weight to give Rahu. Some modern authors treat Rahu as a co-ruler of Aquarius; BPHS gives the sign to Saturn alone. Either way, the full chart — house, aspects and running dasha — matters more than any single label.
To see where your own Moon falls, make a free kundli. The neighbouring pages are Dhanishta before and Purva Bhadrapada after, and Rahu's other nakshatras are Ardra and Swati.