Nakshatra
Hasta nakshatra: Savitṛ, the Moon and the hand
Hasta is the thirteenth nakshatra and lies inside sidereal Virgo, from 10°00' to 23°20'. Its deity is Savitṛ, the Vedic sun god who sets things in motion, and its Vimshottari lord is the Moon. The symbol is a hand, which is also what the name means. Classical muhurta counts Hasta as laghu, or light.
Draft · specialist source review requested
The name is a hand and the symbol is a hand, so most readings of Hasta are about what hands do: make, fix, give, take, count, heal. It is about as practical as a nakshatra gets.
| Fact | Hasta |
|---|---|
| Number | 13 of 27 |
| IAST spelling | Hasta |
| Deity | Savitṛ |
| Vimshottari lord | Moon |
| Symbol (commonly given) | Hand |
| Sidereal span | 10°00'-23°20' Virgo |
| Rashi | Kanya (Virgo), all four padas |
| Muhurta class | Laghu (light) |
Savitṛ, the impeller
Savitṛ is Hasta's deity in the Bṛhat Saṃhitā sequence.[32] He is the sun as the force that gets the day going, the god addressed in the Gāyatrī mantra, and Vedic poets describe him with golden hands raised to wake everything up. A god of motion with golden hands, on a nakshatra called "hand," is a tidy fit.
Hands-on questions
Hasta is traditionally linked with skill, dexterity and a certain cleverness. As questions:
- What can you do with your hands that you are quietly proud of?
- Where are you managing things that you could hand over?
- Is your cleverness making work easier for others or just faster for you?
What nakshatra today?
Today's nakshatra is wherever the Moon is in the sidereal zodiac today. The Moon stays roughly a day in each one, and the changeover time depends on your location, so check a local panchang or the nakshatra calculator for your city. A Western ephemeris gives the tropical Moon, about 24 degrees ahead of the sidereal one; the glossary entry on sidereal explains why you cannot read a nakshatra straight from it.
| Pada | Sidereal span | Navamsa sign |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10°00'-13°20' Virgo | Aries |
| 2 | 13°20'-16°40' Virgo | Taurus |
| 3 | 16°40'-20°00' Virgo | Gemini |
| 4 | 20°00'-23°20' Virgo | Cancer |
Muhurta uses
Bṛhat Saṃhitā lists Hasta, Aśvinī and Puṣya as laghu (light) and gives them trade, pleasure, learning, ornaments, arts, crafts, medicine and vehicles or travel.[32] For a nakshatra called "hand," crafts and trade are the obvious fit: starting a making project, a small sale, a first lesson. The text mentions medicine as a historical category. This site does not time medical care, and the clinic's schedule or any real deadline takes priority.
The mantra text is on the Hasta mantra page. Uttara Phalguni sits before Hasta and Chitra after.
Source review
Savitṛ as deity (verses 4-5) and the laghu list (verse 9) are from Bṛhat Saṃhitā chapter 97, Sanskrit edition (98 in the English translation).[32] The star identification, the English glosses, the symbol and the prompts are editorial.
Common questions
Who is the lord of Hasta nakshatra?
The Moon, under the Vimshottari dasha scheme. Rohini and Shravana have the same lord.
What is the rashi of Hasta nakshatra?
Kanya, or sidereal Virgo. All four padas of Hasta are in Virgo.
Why is the symbol of Hasta a hand?
Hasta means "hand" in Sanskrit, and the five main stars of Corvus, the group usually identified with it, are often pictured as fingers and a palm.
Keep going
Updated 2026-10-12. Traditional interpretations are not predictions.
Sources: [32] https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/brihat-samhita-sanskrit/d/doc1218130.html
Vedic lens
What does the Vedic lens add?
Hasta is lunar mansion 13 in the standard 27-part sidereal sequence. Its span is 13 degrees and 20 arcminutes, divided into four padas of 3 degrees and 20 arcminutes. A Moon placement should be calculated in a named ayanamsa before applying a natal interpretation.
In Vimshottari, its starting lord is Moon. The fraction of the mansion still ahead of the Moon determines the remaining balance of that first major period. This does not mean everyone with a Hasta Moon begins life with a complete Moon period.
Natal meaning and electional timing answer different questions. A birth placement is not a recommendation to schedule every important activity under the same mansion. Check the current tithi, local time, and the practical deadline separately. Our editorial prompt is to compare one familiar response with a concrete alternative before making a decision; that is a reflection exercise, not a translated classical prediction.
Explore the yoga patterns, major and subperiods, and house-lord connections behind this reading.
How we calculate
Is astrology a guarantee of what will happen?
No. These calculations locate celestial bodies; astrology is a reflection and timing tradition, not evidence of guaranteed health, financial or relationship outcomes.
How are these results calculated?
Positions come from Astronomy Engine, an open-source astronomy library, and are checked against Swiss Ephemeris in our methodology tests. Western readings use the tropical zodiac; Vedic readings subtract the Lahiri ayanamsa. Terms are defined in the glossary.
Next: compare your birth chart, see today's sky, or make a private vision board.