Nakshatra
Swati nakshatra: Vāyu, Rahu and the swaying shoot
Swati (Svātī) is the fifteenth nakshatra and lies inside sidereal Libra, from 6°40' to 20°00'. Vāyu, the wind god, is its deity, and Rahu is its Vimshottari lord. Its symbol is commonly given as a young shoot swaying in the wind, or sometimes coral. Later muhurta tradition usually classes it as cara, or movable.
Draft · specialist source review requested
A shoot in the wind bends a long way and does not snap. That is the image most people use for Swati, and it covers both halves of the usual reading: independence and flexibility.
How to find birth nakshatra?
Get your Moon's sidereal position at the moment of birth, which needs date, time and place, and see which 13°20' segment it falls in. Swati, for example, is the stretch from 6°40' to 20°00' of sidereal Libra. The nakshatra calculator does the arithmetic and gives the pada too. Nakshatras are sidereal, so a Western chart's Moon cannot be used as is; the sidereal entry explains the conversion.
| Fact | Swati |
|---|---|
| Number | 15 of 27 |
| IAST spelling | Svātī |
| Deity | Vāyu |
| Vimshottari lord | Rahu |
| Symbol (commonly given) | Young shoot swaying in the wind, or coral |
| Sidereal span | 6°40'-20°00' Libra |
| Rashi | Tula (Libra), all four padas |
| Muhurta class | Usually given as cara (movable); see below |
Vāyu, the wind
The Bṛhat Saṃhitā gives Vāyu as Svātī's deity.[32] Vāyu is wind and breath, the god who moves first and fastest in the Vedic hymns and who carries scent, sound and life through the body. The star traditionally linked with Svātī is Arcturus, which sits on its own in a fairly empty patch of sky. Some readers make a lot of that solitude, and I think it earns its place.
Questions for Swati
Independence, adaptability, commerce and restlessness are the associations that come up most. As prompts:
- Where do you bend to keep the peace, and where have you bent too far?
- What would you do differently if nobody were watching or waiting?
- Which of your plans depend on conditions you do not control?
Padas and navamsa
| Pada | Sidereal span | Navamsa sign |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6°40'-10°00' Libra | Sagittarius |
| 2 | 10°00'-13°20' Libra | Capricorn |
| 3 | 13°20'-16°40' Libra | Aquarius |
| 4 | 16°40'-20°00' Libra | Pisces |
Muhurta uses
Svātī's class is not given in the Bṛhat Saṃhitā verses this site has checked. Later manuals usually put it with Punarvasu, Śravaṇa, Dhaniṣṭhā and Śatabhiṣaj as cara (movable) and use it for travel, vehicles and anything involving movement or change of place. That is common later practice awaiting a source check. Practical deadlines come first.
The mantra text is on the Swati mantra page. Before Swati is Chitra, and after it Vishakha.
Source review
Vāyu as deity rests on Bṛhat Saṃhitā chapter 97, verses 4-5, in the Sanskrit edition (98 in the English translation).[32] The cara class, the star identification, the symbol and the prompts are not from that text.
Common questions
Who is the lord of Swati nakshatra?
Rahu, in the Vimshottari dasha scheme. Ardra and Shatabhisha share that lord.
What is the rashi of Swati nakshatra?
Tula, or sidereal Libra. All four padas fall in Libra.
What is the symbol of Swati nakshatra?
Most modern lists give a young plant shoot bending in the wind; some give coral. The symbols are not fixed by the classical text cited here.
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?
Swati is lunar mansion 15 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 Rahu. 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 Swati Moon begins life with a complete Rahu 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.