Shravana Nakshatra: Meaning, Characteristics & Predictions

Shravana is the twenty-second nakshatra, spanning 10° to 23°20' Capricorn. Its name means "hearing" or "listening," and it represents the acquisition of knowledge through attentive reception rather than active pursuit. The symbols — three footprints and an ear — represent Vishnu's cosmic stride across the three worlds and the power of deep listening. The deity is Vishnu, the supreme preserver and maintainer of cosmic order. Ruled by the Moon in Saturn's sign of Capricorn, Shravana combines emotional intelligence with practical ambition. The Moon provides receptivity, memory, and intuition, while Capricorn adds structure, career focus, and the discipline to apply what is learned. These natives learn by listening and succeed by applying that learning systematically. With Artha (material purpose) motivation and Deva (divine) gana, Shravana channels its wisdom toward practical achievement and the preservation of knowledge. These natives are connectors — they link ideas, people, and traditions through their extraordinary ability to listen, understand, and transmit what they hear.

Shravana Nakshatra

Number
22 of 27
Deity
Vishnu (The Preserver)
Ruling Planet
Moon
Zodiac Range
10°-23°20' Capricorn
Motivation
Artha (Material Purpose)
Guna
Deva (Divine)
Symbol
Three Footprints / Ear
Animal Symbol
Monkey (Female)

Personality & Nature

Shravana natives are perceptive, knowledgeable, and remarkably good listeners. In a world of talkers, they are the ones who truly hear — not just words but the feelings, intentions, and unspoken messages beneath them. This makes them invaluable confidants, counselors, and advisors.

The three footprints of Vishnu represent their ability to connect different levels of reality — the material, the intellectual, and the spiritual. They see patterns and connections that others miss because they take in information from all directions simultaneously. Their knowledge base is broad because they absorb everything they hear.

The Moon-Capricorn combination creates people who are emotionally wise but practically grounded. They use their intuition to navigate career and material success rather than merely emotional landscapes. On the shadow side, they can be gossips (knowing everyone's secrets creates temptation to share them), manipulative through information control, rigid in their opinions once formed, and prone to using their listening ability to gain advantage rather than to genuinely help.

Career & Professional Life

Shravana natives excel in careers requiring listening, learning, and the systematic application of knowledge. Education and teaching are primary domains — they are the professors who truly understand their students, the trainers who adapt their methods to their audience, and the researchers who build knowledge through patient observation.

Media, journalism, and broadcasting align with the ear symbol and the transmission of knowledge. They make excellent radio hosts, podcast creators, interviewers, and documentarians. Music — particularly classical music, which requires deep listening and disciplined practice — is a strong creative outlet.

Counseling, therapy, mediation, and diplomatic service leverage their listening abilities. Corporate consulting, market research, and intelligence analysis use their ability to gather and synthesize information from diverse sources. The Vishnu connection creates affinity for preservation-oriented work: archives, libraries, museum curation, and cultural heritage organizations.

Relationships & Compatibility

Shravana natives are attentive, caring, and deeply intuitive partners. They remember what you said six months ago and notice when something is wrong before you mention it. Their listening ability makes them feel like the perfect partner — someone who truly understands and validates your experience.

The female monkey yoni creates best compatibility with Purva Ashadha (male monkey). Monkeys are intelligent, social, and communicative — this pairing combines Shravana's listening with Purva Ashadha's persuasive speaking, creating excellent communication dynamics.

Relationship challenges include emotional reserve (Capricorn restrains the Moon's expressiveness), tendency to analyze rather than feel, and difficulty being vulnerable themselves while being excellent at holding space for others' vulnerability. They may know everything about their partner while revealing little about themselves. They need partners who are patient enough to earn their trust and persistent enough to draw out their hidden emotional world.

Health & Wellbeing

Shravana governs the ears, knees, and the skeletal system in medical astrology. Ear conditions — hearing issues, tinnitus, ear infections, and balance disorders (inner ear) — are particularly significant. The Capricorn association brings vulnerability in the knees, joints, and bones.

The Moon's influence creates sensitivity to emotional stress that manifests through physical symptoms, particularly in the ears and joints. Stress may literally affect hearing acuity. Saturn's influence through Capricorn can create chronic conditions that worsen with age — arthritis, hearing loss, and skeletal degeneration.

Mental health benefits from regular creative expression, particularly music and sound-based practices. Shravana natives who suppress their emotional nature under Capricorn's practical exterior can develop anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic conditions. Sound therapy, singing, and meditation practices involving mantras (nada yoga) are particularly healing for them.

Spiritual Significance

Shravana's spiritual significance centers on the Vedic concept of Shruti — divine knowledge received through hearing. The Vedas themselves are considered Shruti, meaning they were heard by the ancient sages rather than intellectually composed. Shravana teaches that the highest wisdom comes through receptive listening rather than active seeking.

Vishnu as deity represents the preserving, maintaining aspect of divinity — the force that sustains creation between cycles of birth and destruction. Shravana natives carry this preserving energy, maintaining traditions, knowledge, and connections across time. The three footprints symbolize Vishnu's Vamana avatar who measured the three worlds in three steps — representing the ability to comprehend all levels of existence.

The spiritual path for Shravana involves developing the inner ear — the capacity to hear the subtle guidance of the divine, the voice of conscience, and the cosmic sound (Nada Brahma) that underlies all creation. Mantra meditation, kirtan (devotional chanting), and silence practices are their most effective spiritual tools.

Pada Analysis

Pada 1 (10°-13°20' Capricorn, Aries navamsa): Mars adds initiative and action to Shravana's receptive nature. Active listeners who immediately apply what they learn. Dynamic teachers and communicators who inspire action through knowledge.

Pada 2 (13°20'-16°40' Capricorn, Taurus navamsa): Venus adds aesthetic sense and material focus. Musicians, vocal artists, and those who apply listening abilities to create beauty. The most artistically productive and materially successful pada.

Pada 3 (16°40'-20° Capricorn, Gemini navamsa): Mercury doubles the communication and intellectual capacity. Writers, journalists, and media professionals who translate what they hear into powerful communication. The most verbally skilled pada.

Pada 4 (20°-23°20' Capricorn, Cancer navamsa): Double Moon creates the most emotionally receptive and intuitive pada. Counselors, therapists, and empaths who hear not just words but feelings. The most nurturing and emotionally attuned pada.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Shravana is known for the power of listening and learning through hearing. Its deity Vishnu represents preservation of cosmic order, and its Moon rulership provides exceptional intuition and emotional intelligence. Natives are outstanding listeners, learners, and communicators who absorb knowledge from their environment and apply it with Capricorn's practical discipline.

Shravana is excellent for education — both as student and teacher. The name literally means 'hearing/learning,' and natives have exceptional ability to absorb and retain information through listening. Their Moon-Capricorn combination creates disciplined learners who systematically build deep knowledge. Teaching careers are particularly favored.

Shravana's spiritual path centers on Shruti — divine knowledge received through listening. Practices involving sacred sound — mantra meditation, kirtan, nada yoga, and silence meditation — are most effective. Vishnu's connection adds devotional practices (bhakti) and service to the preservation of spiritual traditions.

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