Swati nakshatra
Swati is the 15th nakshatra, spanning 6°40′–20°00′ of sidereal Libra. Ruled by Rahu with Vayu, the wind god, as its deity, its symbol is a young shoot swaying in the breeze: a star of independence and trade.
Also known as: Svati, Swathi, Chothi, Arcturus, Swati star
Swati means ‘the independent one’. Its star is Arcturus, the brightest star in the northern half of the sky. Its symbol is a young plant shoot bending in the wind, sometimes coral, and its deity is Vayu, the wind, so the nakshatra is linked with flexibility, movement and self-reliance.
Swati is one of the movable (chara) nakshatras, favoured for travel, trade, buying a vehicle and learning, and it is also on the classical list of wedding stars. Ruled by Rahu, it begins life in Rahu’s 18-year dasha.
Its padas give the name syllables Ru, Re, Ro and Ta. An old Indian image holds that a raindrop falling under Swati becomes a pearl inside an oyster: a picture of the right moment turning something ordinary into something precious.