Magha is the tenth nakshatra, spanning 0°00' to 13°20' of Simha (Leo). Its lord is Ketu, its deities are the Pitris (ancestors) and its symbol is a throne or palanquin. Practitioners read it through lineage, authority and tradition, check the Ashlesha-Magha gandanta at its start, and judge any planet here with Ketu and the Sun as dispositors.
Magha at a glance
Attribute | Magha |
|---|---|
Number | 10 of 27 |
Span | 0°00' to 13°20' Simha |
Nakshatra lord | Ketu |
Sign lord | Surya |
Deities | The Pitris (ancestors) |
Symbol | Throne or royal palanquin |
Gana | Rakshasa |
Classification | Ugra (fierce) |
Vimshottari | A Moon here starts life in Ketu mahadasha (7 years in total) |
Name syllables | Ma, Mi, Mu, Me |
The themes practitioners work with
The Pitris give Magha its central theme: lineage, inheritance and what is carried from those who came before. The throne adds authority, status and ceremony. Read together, Magha is associated with respect for tradition, a sense of rank, and duties owed to family and community.
Ketu as lord adds detachment and a pull towards the past, while the Sun as sign lord adds dignity and the wish for recognition. Those two influences can sit uneasily together, and a lot of Magha interpretation comes down to how they balance in a given chart.
These are tendencies, not verdicts. A Moon or lagna in Magha is coloured by its own aspects, its dispositors and the dasha running, and two people with the Moon in Magha can live very differently.
The four padas
Simha is a fixed sign, so its navamshas start from Mesha. Each Magha pada is 3°20':
Pada | Degrees in Simha | Navamsha | Common emphasis |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 0°00' to 3°20' | Mesha | Initiative and leadership; also the gandanta zone |
2 | 3°20' to 6°40' | Vrishabha | Wealth, family assets, stability |
3 | 6°40' to 10°00' | Mithuna | Communication, learning, administration |
4 | 10°00' to 13°20' | Karka | Family, emotional ties, ancestral home |
The Ashlesha-Magha gandanta
The junction where Karka (a water sign) ends and Simha (a fire sign) begins is one of the three gandanta zones. The last part of Ashlesha and the first part of Magha pada 1 fall here. Classical and later texts give special attention to the Moon or lagna in gandanta, and practitioners note it carefully. A note is all it calls for; there is no reason to frighten a client about it, and the rest of the chart decides how it plays out.
Reading Magha in a chart: a checklist
- Which point is in Magha? The Moon (janma nakshatra), the lagna, or a planet. The Moon's nakshatra drives the Vimshottari sequence.
- Ketu's condition. As nakshatra lord, Ketu's house, sign and conjunctions colour every planet in Magha.
- The Sun's condition. As sign lord, the Sun's dignity in D1 and D9 shows how well Simha's themes are supported.
- Pada and navamsha. Read the pada's navamsha sign and its lord.
- Gandanta check for anything in the first 3°20'.
- Dashas. A Moon in Magha opens with the balance of Ketu mahadasha followed by Shukra's twenty years.
Magha in transit: Guru enters Simha on 31 October 2026
Guru (Jupiter) enters Simha around midday on 31 October 2026, according to published Vedic ephemerides, and so begins its passage through Magha. Ketu is still transiting Simha until its sign change around 5 December 2026, when Rahu moves to Makara and Ketu to Karka. For about five weeks Guru and Ketu therefore share Simha, with both in Magha.
For students this is a good live study: Guru, the karaka of teachers and tradition, passing through a nakshatra ruled by Ketu and dedicated to the ancestors. Practitioners will look at which house Simha occupies in each chart, which natal planets sit in early Simha, and the Ashtakavarga bindus Guru receives there, rather than generalise for everyone.
See it on the desk
On Bodhlok, the nakshatra and pada of every planet are listed in the D1 module, the navamsha is one click away, and the transit view shows Guru and Ketu against the natal chart.
Try it on a sample chart in the free desk at bodhlok.com.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the lord of Magha nakshatra?
Ketu is the nakshatra lord of Magha, and the Sun is the lord of its sign, Simha. Both are read when judging a planet in Magha.
What is the range of Magha nakshatra?
Magha spans 0°00' to 13°20' of sidereal Simha (Leo). Each of its four padas covers 3°20'.
Which deity rules Magha nakshatra?
The Pitris, the ancestors, are Magha's deities. This gives the nakshatra its themes of lineage, inheritance and tradition.
Is Magha a gandanta nakshatra?
The start of Magha pada 1, at the junction with Ashlesha, falls in the Karka-Simha gandanta zone. Practitioners note it but judge it with the rest of the chart.
When does Jupiter enter Magha in 2026?
Jupiter (Guru) enters sidereal Simha, and so Magha, around 31 October 2026. Ketu is also in Simha until around 5 December 2026.
See it on a sample chart
Open the desk, load a sample chart and find this in D1, the divisional charts and the dasha timeline. The free desk has everything you need to study it.