Nakshatra 13 of 27

Hastaహస్త

Skill of hand — craft, dexterity and things well made.

Ruling planet

Moon

Deity

Savitr, the vivifying Sun

Symbol

An open hand, a closed fist

Gana

Deva (divine)

Nature

Kshipra — light and swift

Sidereal span

Kanya 10° 00′ – 23° 20′

About Hasta

Hasta is the hand, and the whole nakshatra is about what hands can do: craft, healing touch, sleight of hand, handwriting, the making of objects. Its deity is Savitr, the aspect of the Sun that impels and vivifies, and the combination gives Hasta a bright, dexterous, ingenious quality. It is light and swift in the muhurta scheme, and it is one of the classical placements for artisans, healers and anyone whose work is done with the fingers.

What it traditionally favours

Craft and handiwork, learning a skill, trade and commerce, healing by touch, and short tasks that should be completed the same day.

The four padas

Every nakshatra is divided into four quarters called padas, each three degrees twenty minutes wide. The pada refines the reading: two people born under the same nakshatra but in different padas are held to differ meaningfully, because each pada falls in a different navamsa and so carries a different sub-influence.

The pada also decides the first syllable of a child's name. Where the moon stood at birth gives the nakshatra; which quarter of it gives the syllable. The four syllables below are in pada order — a child born in the first pada takes the first, and so on. This is the naming convention used at namakaranam across most of southern India.

1. 1Pu10° 00′ →
2. 2Sha13° 20′ →
3. 3Na16° 40′ →
4. 4Tha20° 00′ →