Uttara Ashadha
- Type
- Nakshatras
- Section
- Nakshatras
- Number
- 21
- Literal meaning
- "the later invincible one"
- Degrees
- 266°40′–280°00′ (zodiac, 13°20′ step)
- Ruling planet (Vimshottari)
- Sun
- Symbol
- elephant tusk, planks varies by school
Uttara Ashadha is nakshatra of endurance and victory.
Uttara Ashadha (uttarāṣāḍhā) is the twenty-first nakshatra, "the later invincible one". It is lunar mansion No. 21, ruled by the Sun. Uttara Ashadha is about the solid, final victory that comes through patience and principle.
Place in the system
Uttara Ashadha occupies 266°40′–280°00′ and crosses from the end of Sagittarius into the beginning of Capricorn, dividing into four padas of 3°20′ each: one pada stays in Sagittarius, three lie in Capricorn — hence its businesslike rather than impetuous note. In the Vimshottari system it is ruled by the Sun, and together with Krittika and Uttara Phalguni it forms the trio of "Sun" nakshatras.
The passage into disciplined Capricorn gives this nakshatra its solidity: where Purva Ashadha takes things by drive, "the later invincible one" prevails by endurance and fidelity to principle.
Practical meaning
By tradition its symbol is an elephant tusk and planks: an image of firm support and completion. The Brihat Samhita (XV.19) assigns to this mansion elephant drivers, wrestlers, devotees, warriors, pleasure seekers, and people of valour; also elephants, horses, and immovable objects. This is a recurring theme of the mansion, not a portrait of any one person: classical lists describe tendencies, not fate.
This is a nakshatra of the final victory: it does not hurry, but arrives at a solid, unarguable result. Solar rulership lends it dignity and directness, and its strength lies in carrying a difficult matter through to the point where nothing more needs adding.
In daily practice
When the Moon moves through Uttara Ashadha, the day is good for matters that need thoroughness and principle: for decisive but considered steps, for what is meant to last. This is a time for solid victories rather than quick ones.
How favorable such a day is for you personally is refined by Tara Bala, counted from your birth nakshatra. A day under Uttara Ashadha is a fitting moment to lay down a dependable, final result: not the fastest, but one to which nothing more will need adding.