About Magha
Royal and ancestral; honour, tradition and leadership.
Magha is the 10th of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of the sidereal zodiac. Each nakshatra spans 13°20' of the ecliptic; Magha begins at 0°00' Leo and ends at 13°20' Leo. The Moon spends about a day in each nakshatra, so your birth nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. It is calculated with the sidereal (Lahiri) zodiac, which is why it can differ from Western astrology.
Magha at a glance
| Ruling planet | Ketu |
|---|---|
| Presiding deity | The Pitris (ancestors) |
| Symbol | Royal throne |
| Gana (temperament) | Rakshasa |
| Yoni (animal) | Rat |
| Nadi | Antya |
| Zodiac sign(s) | Leo |
| Vimshottari dasha lord | Ketu (7 years) |
The four padas of Magha
Each nakshatra is divided into four padas of 3°20'. Every pada falls in one navamsa (D9) sign, which is used in marriage and fortune analysis.
| Pada | From – to | Rashi | Navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0°00' – 3°20' Leo | Leo | Aries |
| 2 | 3°20' – 6°40' Leo | Leo | Taurus |
| 3 | 6°40' – 10°00' Leo | Leo | Gemini |
| 4 | 10°00' – 13°20' Leo | Leo | Cancer |
What the symbols mean
Deity. The Pitris (ancestors). In Jyotish the presiding deity shows the nature of the energy a nakshatra carries and the type of worship traditionally offered for it.
Symbol. Royal throne. The symbol is a memory image that captures the nakshatra's quality.
Gana, yoni and nadi. Magha belongs to the Rakshasa gana, the rat yoni and the Antya nadi. These three are among the eight factors (ashta koota) used in Kundli matching for marriage; for the full score use our Kundli matching tool.
Magha and the Vimshottari dasha
The lord of Magha is Ketu. A person born in this nakshatra starts life in a Ketu mahadasha (a 7-year period in the 120-year cycle), part of which has already passed at birth, depending on where the Moon stood inside the nakshatra. The order of dasha lords then continues with Venus, Sun and Moon. Calculate your dasha periods free.
Remedies and worship
Traditional guidance links each nakshatra to its deity and ruling planet: prayer to The Pitris, and a puja or mantra for Ketu, are common choices. This is a devotional tradition, not a guarantee of any result. A pandit looks at the whole chart, not the nakshatra alone, before suggesting anything. You can book an online puja or generate your free Kundli first.