Pushya means the nourisher, and the texts call it the most auspicious of the twenty-seven for almost every undertaking except marriage. Its symbol is the cow's udder — milk, plenty, care — and its deity is Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods. People with the Moon here are providers: steady, caring, religious or dutiful, the ones who feed everyone and keep the family together, and they are trusted for it.
Saturn rules the nakshatra and the Moon the sign, an unusual pairing of the cold graha with the warm one that gives Pushya its patience — the nourishment is given over years, not in a burst. The difficulty is a tendency to carry too much and to feel unthanked. A Moon here starts life in the Saturn mahadasha, nineteen years, which often means an early life of responsibility, a distant or strict parent, and a maturity that comes early.
The four padas of Pushya
Each nakshatra is divided into four padas of 3°20′. The pada says which sign the Moon is in when a nakshatra straddles two, and which navamsa (the ninth-harmonic sign) it falls in — the finer grain astrologers read for temperament and marriage.
| Pada | Span | Sign | Navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3°20′–6°40′ | Cancer | Leo |
| 2 | 6°40′–10°00′ | Cancer | Virgo |
| 3 | 10°00′–13°20′ | Cancer | Libra |
| 4 | 13°20′–16°40′ | Cancer | Scorpio |
Pushya in kundli matching
Three of the eight kootas of guna milan are read from the nakshatra alone. Yoni (Sheep): the instinctive match by the nakshatra's animal — Elephant, Cow, Buffalo and Mongoose are its friends; the Monkey is its enemy. Gana (Deva): godly — gentle, giving, at ease with others; the same or a compatible gana scores in full. Nadi (Madhya): the middle pulse, pitta; two Moons in the same nadi are the heaviest dosha, with the classical exemptions. Check a match to see all eight for two charts.
Born under Pushya
The Vimshottari dasha starts from the nakshatra of the natal Moon. A Moon in Pushya begins life in the Saturn mahadasha of 19 years, less the part already spent by the Moon's degree within the nakshatra; the further into Pushya the Moon stood, the shorter the balance at birth. The exact balance needs the degree, which your free kundli gives.