Nakshatra 9 of 27
Ashlesha Nakshatra
आश्लेषा
Ashlesha is the 9th of the 27 nakshatras, spanning 16°40′ – 30°00′ in Karka (Cancer). Its lord is Mercury, its presiding deity is Nagas (the serpent deities), and its symbol is the coiled serpent. A person whose Moon sits in this arc at birth has Ashlesha as their Janma Nakshatra.
Lord (Dasha)
Mercury
Deity
Nagas
Symbol
Coiled serpent
Rashi
Karka (Cancer)
Degrees
16°40′ – 30°00′
Gana
Rakshasa
Yoni
Marjara (Cat)
Name letters
Di, Du, De, Do
Nature & Characteristics
Ashlesha, "the embrace," is the coiled serpent at the close of Karka, hypnotic, subtle and profound. Mercury's rulership joined to the Nagas gives penetrating psychological insight: these natives read motives the way others read faces. They are private, magnetic and strategic, with kundalini-grade intensity beneath a cool surface, and they form bonds that are either total or not at all.
Career, Life Path & Lessons
Ashlesha's gifts serve psychology and psychiatry, research, politics and negotiation, medicine (the serpent is the healer's emblem), astrology and the occult. Its poison and its medicine are the same skill, influence. Used to manipulate, it isolates; used to heal, it makes the great physician or counsellor. The serpent's moult is the native's path: shedding old skins of suspicion for wisdom.
Ashlesha Padas & Baby Name Letters
Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′, each mapped to a navamsa rashi and a traditional naming syllable. A child born under Ashlesha is classically named with the syllable of their pada.
| Pada | Navamsa | Name begins with |
|---|---|---|
| Pada 1 | Dhanu Navamsa | Di |
| Pada 2 | Makara Navamsa | Du |
| Pada 3 | Kumbha Navamsa | De |
| Pada 4 | Meena Navamsa | Do |
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
Which rashi is Ashlesha Nakshatra in?
Ashlesha Nakshatra spans 16°40′ – 30°00′ of the sidereal zodiac, falling in Karka (Cancer). Anyone whose Moon occupies this arc at birth has Ashlesha as their Janma Nakshatra (birth star).
Who is the lord of Ashlesha Nakshatra?
Mercury is the Vimshottari lord of Ashlesha, so a person born under it begins life in a Mercury Mahadasha. Its presiding deity is Nagas (the serpent deities), and its symbol is the coiled serpent.
What are the baby name letters for Ashlesha Nakshatra?
The traditional naming syllables (Namakarana) for Ashlesha are Di, Du, De, Do — one for each pada. A child born in pada 1 takes a name beginning with "Di", pada 2 with "Du", pada 3 with "De", and pada 4 with "Do".
What is the gana and yoni of Ashlesha Nakshatra?
Ashlesha is a Rakshasa gana nakshatra with Marjara (Cat) yoni. Gana and Yoni are two of the Ashtakoota factors matched in Kundali Milan — Gana reflects temperament compatibility, while Yoni reflects instinctive compatibility.