Where Dhanishta sits in the zodiac
Start the count at 23°20′ Capricorn (293.33 degrees) and Dhanishta runs to 6°40′ Aquarius (306.67 degrees). It is shared between Capricorn and Aquarius: the first 6°40′ lie in Capricorn and the remaining 6°40′ in Aquarius.
All of this is sidereal. The Lahiri ayanamsa moves the zodiac back from the Western one by about 24 degrees 13 minutes in 2026, and the circle is cut into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes. The 27 divisions are slices of the ecliptic, not the outlines of constellations. The traditional stars are a small diamond-shaped group in Delphinus, the dolphin, a compact constellation that is easy to find in the autumn sky. On the circle it follows Shravana and comes before Shatabhisha. The signs it touches are Capricorn and Aquarius.
The name Dhanishta
Dhanishta comes from dhana, a word for goods or property, with an ending that makes it a superlative. Another name for it is Shravishtha. It is the twenty-third nakshatra, split between Capricorn and Aquarius.
Deity and symbol
Its deity is the eight Vasus, a group of gods in the Vedic and later lists who are linked to elements and heavenly bodies such as fire, wind, earth and the Moon.
The symbol is a drum, often a small hand drum. Some lists show a flute. It is a picture of rhythm.
Ruling planet and the Vimshottari dasha
In the Vimshottari scheme Dhanishta is ruled by Mars. The nine lords go round in a fixed order, and Mars is given 7 years out of 120.
With the Moon in Dhanishta at birth, life starts inside Mars's dasha and only the unused part is counted. At the first degree nearly all 7 years remain, at the midpoint 3.5, and at the last degree almost none. After Mars the order runs Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun and Moon. The other nakshatras ruled by Mars are Mrigashira and Chitra. The dasha calculator shows the balance for your own chart.
The four padas of Dhanishta
Each nakshatra splits into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. A pada matches one sign of the navamsha (D9) chart, and the four take four signs in a row.
Pada 1: 23°20′ Capricorn to 26°40′ Capricorn, navamsha Leo, syllable Ga.
The second pada (26°40′ Capricorn to 30°00′ Capricorn) belongs to Virgo in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Gi.
Pada 3 starts at 0°00′ Aquarius. It falls in the navamsha sign Libra, and its naming syllable is Gu.
Pada 4: 3°20′ Aquarius to 6°40′ Aquarius, navamsha Scorpio, syllable Ge.
The first pada of Shatabhisha then starts at Sagittarius. Syllables follow the commonly printed lists, and regional lists differ slightly.
Dhanishta in the sky and in the year
In the timing texts Dhanishta sits in the Chara (movable) category. The Sun enters it on 6 February 2026 in 2026 and leaves on 19 February 2026 (Indian time). The Moon crosses a nakshatra in about a day, between roughly 21 and 27 hours depending on how fast it is moving.
Dhanishta beside its neighbours
The sign boundary cuts through Dhanishta: padas 1 to 2 and padas 3 to 4 fall in Capricorn and Aquarius. Start the cycle with Ketu and Mars takes over at year 43, handing on at year 50. Dhanishta is the third nakshatra of Mars in zodiac order.
The neighbours differ in ruler: Moon for Shravana, Rahu for Shatabhisha, and Mars for Dhanishta. As for category, Shravana and Dhanishta share the Chara group, and Shatabhisha is Chara (movable). Its neighbours carry other deities: Vishnu at Shravana, Varuna, the god of the cosmic waters at Shatabhisha.
How to find out if your Moon is in Dhanishta
To check, find where the Moon stood at your birth. Anywhere from 23°20′ Capricorn to 6°40′ Aquarius is Dhanishta. The Moon moves about half a degree an hour, so a birth within an hour or two of a boundary can land on either side if the time is slightly off. The nakshatra finder works it out from your date, time and place of birth.
Calculated with the Lahiri ayanamsa and whole sign houses; every setting is on the method page. Last checked 2026-10-04.