Shatabhishaशतभिषा

Shatabhisha is the twenty-fourth nakshatra and lies entirely inside Aquarius. The name means a hundred physicians or a hundred remedies, and the symbol is an empty circle, which readers take as the vastness of space or a circle of healing. Its stars are scattered and faint, a loose group often matched with the area around Lambda Aquarii.

The deity is Varuna, the lord of the cosmic waters and of rta, the moral order of the universe. In the Rigveda he watches over truth and binds those who break their word with his noose, yet the hymns also ask him for mercy. The planetary lord is Rahu and the gana is Rakshasa. A tradition connecting this nakshatra to herbs and cures arises directly from the number in its name, although such associations are symbolic and carry no medical meaning.

In the muhurat system Shatabhisha is another chara or movable nakshatra, grouped with Punarvasu, Swati, Shravana and Dhanishta. Texts traditionally mention it for journeys and for work that begins a new circuit. It also lies within panchaka, the closing five nakshatras that some communities treat with care. The syllables commonly listed for naming are Go, Sa, Si and Su, but regional lists differ, so a family priest should confirm.