Ashlesha is nakshatra 9 of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of Vedic astrology. Its symbol is a coiled serpent, and its theme is insight and holding close.
Positions in the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri ayanamsa.
The four padas
Each nakshatra has four quarters of 3°20′. Each pada falls in a sign of the navamsa, the ninth-part chart.
Pada 1
16°40′ Cancer to 20°00′ Cancer
Navamsa Sagittarius
Pada 2
20°00′ Cancer to 23°20′ Cancer
Navamsa Capricorn
Pada 3
23°20′ Cancer to 26°40′ Cancer
Navamsa Aquarius
Pada 4
26°40′ Cancer to 30°00′ Cancer
Navamsa Pisces
Ashlesha and your dashas
If the Moon was in Ashlesha when you were born, your Vimshottari dashas start with a Mercury period, which lasts 17 years in full. You start partway through it, by how far the Moon had travelled through Ashlesha.
Is Ashlesha your birth star?
Your birth star is the nakshatra the Moon was in when you were born. The Moon moves into a new one about once a day, so it takes your birth date, time and place.