Nakshatra 9 of 27 · Cancer (Karka) · Lord Mercury

Ashlesha

The coiled serpent of hidden wisdom and influence.

At a glance

Ruling planet

Mercury (Budha)

Deity

The Nagas

Symbol

A coiled serpent

Gana

Rakshasa

Ashlesha is the ninth nakshatra, spanning 16°40' to 30°00' of Cancer. It is ruled by Mercury, presided over by the Nagas (the serpent deities), and symbolised by a coiled snake.

Personality

Ashlesha personality

Ashlesha is the embrace of the serpent, penetrating, hypnotic and shrewd. People with a strong Ashlesha Moon are intuitive and perceptive, able to read others and influence them with subtle skill. Mercury gives sharp intelligence and persuasion, while the Naga energy adds depth, mystery and a capacity for both healing and entanglement.

Strengths

  • ·Penetrating insight into people
  • ·Persuasive and influential
  • ·Intuitive and perceptive
  • ·Resourceful and self-protective

Challenges

  • ·Can be manipulative or secretive
  • ·Possessive and clinging in love
  • ·Holds grudges quietly
  • ·Prone to entanglement and overthinking

Career

Ashlesha career and work

Ashlesha suits psychology and counselling, medicine and pharmacology, research, politics and negotiation, and any field that rewards reading people and working with hidden currents. The serpent's wisdom can heal or bind.

Professions often linked to Ashlesha: Pharmacy and chemistry, surgery, psychology, photography, and investigation.

Love

Ashlesha in love and relationships

In love Ashlesha is intense, magnetic and emotionally deep, with a strong need to merge. They can be possessive and watchful, and at their best they offer profound loyalty and insight into a partner's inner world.

The data

Ashlesha nakshatra facts

Position

9 of 27

Sidereal span

16°40' to 30°00' Cancer

Rashi (sign)

Cancer (Karka)

Ruling planet (dasha lord)

Mercury (Budha)

Deity

The Nagas (serpent deities)

Symbol

A coiled serpent

Gana

Rakshasa

Yoni (compatibility)

Cat (male)

Naming syllables

Dee, Doo, De, Do

Pada navamsa signs

Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces

Associated star

The head of Hydra (Delta, Epsilon, Eta Hydrae)

The four padas

The four padas of Ashlesha

Every nakshatra splits into four padas (quarters) of 3°20′. Each pada maps to a navamsa sign, which adds a finer layer of meaning to a Moon or planet sitting here. Ashlesha’s four padas land in these navamsa signs, in order:

Pada 1

Sagittarius navamsa

Syllable: Dee

Pada 2

Capricorn navamsa

Syllable: Doo

Pada 3

Aquarius navamsa

Syllable: De

Pada 4

Pisces navamsa

Syllable: Do

In the Hindu naming tradition (namakaran), a child born under Ashlesha is often given a name starting with one of these syllables (Dee, Doo, De, Do), picked by the pada the Moon falls in.

Which pada your Moon lands in comes down to its exact degree, and that needs your real birth time. A full reading pins down your Moon nakshatra and pada from your birth details.

Remedy

Ashlesha remedy and deity

Its deities are the Nagas, the serpents; Naga worship, as on Naga Panchami, is traditionally used to clear hidden obstacles.

These are traditional devotional practices, not guaranteed outcomes.

Find yours

What is your Moon nakshatra?

Your birth, or janma, nakshatra is the one your Moon was in when you were born. It’s one of the most personal points in a Vedic chart, shaping your mind, your instincts and your dasha timeline. Destivio works out your exact Moon nakshatra and pada from your birth date, time and place, then reads it back to you in plain language.

Find your Moon nakshatra, free

FAQ

Ashlesha nakshatra FAQ

What planet rules Ashlesha nakshatra?

Mercury (Budha) is the dasha lord of Ashlesha, giving it sharp intelligence, persuasion and a gift for reading and influencing people.

Why is Ashlesha symbolised by a serpent?

Its deities are the Nagas, the serpent powers. The coiled snake reflects hidden wisdom, hypnotic influence, kundalini energy, and the ability to both heal and entangle.

Which rashi is Ashlesha in?

Ashlesha lies entirely in sidereal Cancer (Karka), from 16°40' to the end of the sign at 30°00'.