Saturn Transit in Uttara Ashadha

Uttara Ashadha belongs to the Sun, Saturn's enemy. Its deity is the Vishvadevas, the assembled gods, and its symbols are an elephant's tusk and the planks of a bed. The first pada lies in Sagittarius and the other three in Capricorn, Saturn's own sign. The Sun's lordship is the only discomfort, and Saturn's own sign more than answers it.

This is the later victory, the lasting one. Leadership, righteousness, endurance, public duty and achievement that outlives the person are the themes, and in its own sign under a fixed nakshatra Saturn builds for permanence. A position of authority is earned by long service. A public work is completed, and a reputation for reliability is set.

Muhurta Chintamani places Uttara Ashadha among the dhruva nakshatras, fit for foundations, coronations and anything meant to endure. Saturn spends about a year here in all, usually in two or three visits split by the retrograde, and the knees, the bones and the father's health need care.

• Sagittarius pada: Sade Sati for Capricorn, Sagittarius and Scorpio Moons; Kantaka for Virgo; Ashtama for Taurus.
• Capricorn padas: Sade Sati for Aquarius, Capricorn and Sagittarius Moons; Kantaka for Libra; Ashtama for Gemini.
• Phaladeepika's third, sixth and eleventh: Libra, Cancer and Aquarius Moons and lagnas first, then Scorpio, Leo and Pisces.

The transit tests what a person will endure for something larger than themselves. In the nakshatra of all the gods together, the question is whether one's duty is to the group or to one's own name, and service to the group brings the lasting victory the name promises.

Serve the public without a plaque. Give sesame or iron on Saturday, recite Om Sham Shanaishcharaya Namah, and offer water to the rising Sun to reconcile the nakshatra lord. Help an old worker keep their post, and honour the Vishvadevas with a share of every meal set aside before eating.