Nakshatra 1 of 27 · Aries (Mesha) · Lord Ketu
Ashwini
The fast starter who heals and pioneers.
At a glance
Ruling planet
Ketu
Deity
Ashwini Kumaras
Symbol
A horse's head
Gana
Deva
Ashwini is the first nakshatra, spanning the opening 13°20' of Aries. It is ruled by Ketu, presided over by the Ashwini Kumaras (the twin healers of the gods), and symbolised by a horse's head.
Personality
Ashwini personality
Ashwini carries the raw speed of a horse at full gallop. People with a strong Ashwini Moon are quick, spirited and pioneering, the first to act and the first to offer help. There is a natural healing instinct here, along with a youthful, sometimes impatient drive to begin before others have finished thinking.
Strengths
- ·Quick to act and quick to help
- ·Natural healing and reviving instinct
- ·Independent and pioneering
- ·Youthful energy and optimism
Challenges
- ·Impatient with slow processes
- ·Starts more than it finishes
- ·Can be impulsive or headstrong
- ·Restless when held in place
Career
Ashwini career and work
The healing and rescue themes make Ashwini suited to medicine, emergency work, therapy, sport, and anything that rewards speed and a fresh start. They do their best work launching things rather than maintaining them.
Professions often linked to Ashwini: Medicine, surgery, emergency and rescue work, sport, the military, and mechanical fields.
Love
Ashwini in love and relationships
In relationships Ashwini is warm, direct and eager, but the same restlessness that starts things quickly can struggle with the slow patience long bonds need. They value a partner who keeps pace without holding them back.
The data
Ashwini nakshatra facts
Position
1 of 27
Sidereal span
0° to 13°20' Aries
Rashi (sign)
Aries (Mesha)
Ruling planet (dasha lord)
Ketu
Deity
Ashwini Kumaras (the divine twin physicians)
Symbol
A horse's head
Gana
Deva
Yoni (compatibility)
Horse (male)
Naming syllables
Chu, Che, Cho, La
Pada navamsa signs
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer
Associated star
Beta and Gamma Arietis (Sheratan and Mesarthim)
The four padas
The four padas of Ashwini
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. Ashwini’s four padas land in these navamsa signs, in order:
Pada 1
Aries navamsa
Syllable: Chu
Pada 2
Taurus navamsa
Syllable: Che
Pada 3
Gemini navamsa
Syllable: Cho
Pada 4
Cancer navamsa
Syllable: La
In the Hindu naming tradition (namakaran), a child born under Ashwini is often given a name starting with one of these syllables (Chu, Che, Cho, La), 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
Ashwini remedy and deity
Its deities are the Ashwini Kumaras, the divine physicians, traditionally honoured for healing and vitality.
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, freeFAQ
Ashwini nakshatra FAQ
What planet rules Ashwini nakshatra?
Ketu rules Ashwini in the Vimshottari dasha system. It is the first nakshatra, so its dasha lord opens the fixed sequence of Ketu, Venus, Sun and so on.
Which rashi is Ashwini in?
Ashwini falls entirely in the sidereal sign Aries (Mesha), from 0° to 13°20'.
What is the symbol of Ashwini?
A horse's head, reflecting its themes of speed, vitality and the swift arrival of help, tied to the Ashwini Kumaras, the physicians of the gods.