Pushya Nakshatra

The nourisher: the 8th of the 27 nakshatras, from 3°20′ Cancer to 16°40′ Cancer.

Degrees

3°20′ Cancer to 16°40′ Cancer (sidereal)

Ruling planet

Saturn (its dasha comes first if your Moon is here)

Symbol

A cow's udder, also shown as a flower or circle

Deity

Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods

Gana

Deva

Animal

Male goat

The nature of Pushya

Pushya is nourishment made reliable. Its symbol, the cow's udder, points to the steady, everyday kind of care that actually keeps people going: the packed lunch, the paid bill, the call every Sunday. People with Pushya prominent tend to be protective, responsible and deeply invested in family, community or tradition. Saturn's rulership gives discipline, patience and a willingness to do the boring work, while Brihaspati, the presiding deity, adds wisdom and an instinct to guide. Pushya natives tend to be good at building structures that last, from family rituals to small businesses to volunteer groups. The tension here is between caring and controlling. Pushya people can become rigid, moralistic or so focused on others that they forget their own needs, and they may hold onto a duty long after it stops serving anyone.

Strengths

• Shows up consistently for the people who rely on it
• Builds families, routines and institutions that last
• Gives grounded, practical advice
• Patient enough to master a discipline

Challenges

• Can become rigid or preachy about the right way
• Neglects its own needs while caring for others
• Slow to adapt to new norms

Pushya in love and relationships

Pushya is a devoted, stable partner who takes commitment seriously. You show love by providing: making a home, remembering appointments, looking after your partner's family as if it were your own. Romance may look understated, but it is dependable. You need a partner who values loyalty and shares your sense of responsibility. Problems arise if you start parenting your partner or if your care starts to feel like control. Pushya can also hide its own emotional needs, so a partner who notices when you are tired and looks after you in return is precious.

Pushya at work

Pushya excels in roles that nurture and sustain. Teaching, counseling, nursing, social work, community leadership, childcare and food service are traditional fits. Saturn's discipline also suits public administration, accounting, compliance and any field where steady rule-following matters. Pushya natives make excellent managers who protect their teams and keep things running smoothly. They are less comfortable with chaotic startups or roles that reward flashy self-promotion. Over time, they often become the trusted senior figure everyone quietly goes to for guidance.

Moon in Pushya

A Pushya Moon sits in Cancer, the Moon's own sign, which makes emotional life rich and protective. You need to feel useful and needed, and you settle when your home is in order and the people you love are fed and safe. You may worry more than you let on. Saturn rules Pushya, so your Vimshottari dasha sequence opens with a Saturn period of up to nineteen years, followed by Mercury and then Ketu. Childhood under Saturn often brings early responsibility or a serious, structured upbringing, and many Pushya Moon people describe themselves as having been old souls as kids.

Pushya rising

Pushya rising gives a calm, composed presence and a face people trust. The Moon rules the Cancer ascendant, so emotions are close to the surface, but Saturn as nakshatra lord keeps them contained. You may seem older or more serious than your age in youth, then grow lighter and more relaxed with time. People often see you as dependable and protective, and you frequently end up in caretaking or advisory roles whether or not you planned to.

The four padas of Pushya

Not sure which nakshatra or pada you have? The nakshatra calculator finds it from your birth date, time and place.

Questions people ask

Before Pushya: Punarvasu. After: Ashlesha. All 27 nakshatras.