Nakshatra 16 of 27 · Ruled by Jupiter
Vishakha Nakshatra
The Forked
Single-pointed ambition: the patience to wait and the will to win.
Zodiac range
20°00′ Libra – 3°20′ Scorpio
Symbol
Triumphal arch
Deity
Indra-Agni
Lord
Jupiter
Gana
Rakshasa
Yoni
Tiger (male)
Nadi
Antya
Vishakha personality and character
Vishakha occupies 20°00′ Libra – 3°20′ Scorpio of the sidereal zodiac, and everyone born with the Moon in this span carries it as their janma nakshatra, their birth star. Its symbol, the triumphal arch, and its presiding deity, Indra-Agni, set the mythic tone: single-pointed ambition: the patience to wait and the will to win. The ruling planet Jupiter adds its own signature, since a Vishakha native begins life in a Jupiter dasha and returns to Jupiter's lessons at every major turning point.
Temperamentally, Vishakha belongs to the Rakshasa gana: the fierce temperament: intense, perceptive, strong-willed, and unafraid of the shadow side of life. Its constitutional current is Antya (Kapha), the nadi of endurance and stability, and its instinctive animal is the male tiger, the figure Vedic tradition uses to describe how this star bonds, plays, and protects. Read together, the attributes sketch a coherent nature long before a full chart is drawn, which is exactly how classical astrologers used the birth star for quick assessment.
The four padas of Vishakha
Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′, and each pada takes the flavour of one navamsa sign: for Vishakha, pada 1 falls in Aries navamsa, pada 2 in Taurus, pada 3 in Gemini, and pada 4 in Cancer. Two people can share a birth star and still differ noticeably because their padas point the same energy through different signs. Your exact pada is shown when you cast your chart with the free Vedic birth chart calculator.
Vishakha in love and marriage matching
In kundli matching, Vishakha contributes three of the eight kootas directly: its Rakshasa gana (6 points), its Tiger yoni (4 points), and its Antya nadi (8 points, the heaviest of all). The Tara koota is also counted from the birth star. No nakshatra scores well or badly on its own; everything depends on the pairing, which is why the same Vishakha native can score 30 with one partner and 14 with another. Run any two birth details through the calculator for the full 36-point table, and see the western view of the same question in our zodiac compatibility guide.
When the Moon transits Vishakha
Once a month the Moon spends about a day in Vishakha, and that day carries the star's flavour for everyone: a monthly visit from Indra-Agni. Panchang followers time activities to these transits, and the daily panchang page shows the current nakshatra in real time. For the wider lunar rhythm behind it, our guides to the moon phases and the 2026 full moon calendar complete the picture.
Vishakha FAQs
- What is Vishakha nakshatra?
- Vishakha is the 16th of the 27 nakshatras, spanning 20°00′ Libra – 3°20′ Scorpio of the sidereal zodiac. Its name means the forked, its symbol is the triumphal arch, its presiding deity is Indra-Agni, and its planetary lord is Jupiter.
- Which planet rules Vishakha?
- Jupiter rules Vishakha. In the Vimshottari dasha system, anyone born with the Moon in Vishakha begins life in a Jupiter planetary period, which colours their early years with Jupiter’s themes.
- What gana is Vishakha?
- Vishakha belongs to the Rakshasa gana, the fierce temperament: intense, perceptive, strong-willed, and unafraid of the shadow side of life. Gana carries 6 of the 36 points in traditional kundli matching.
- What is the yoni of Vishakha?
- The yoni of Vishakha is the male Tiger, used in the Yoni koota of marriage matching, worth 4 points. Yoni compatibility compares the instinctive natures of the two birth stars.
- Is Vishakha good for marriage matching?
- Vishakha contributes its Rakshasa gana, Tiger yoni, and Antya nadi to the eight-koota Guna Milan. No nakshatra is good or bad in isolation; the score depends entirely on the partner’s star. Run any pairing through the free kundli matching calculator to see the full 36-point breakdown.