सर्प
Sarpa

Sanskrit noun
loaned from Sanskrit

Last edited: 2025-10-19
Primary meaning Clinging Star
Literal translation Serpent
Variants
सर्प Sarpa Snake
Edited by
Sarpa star, part of constellation

Sarpa is the ninth Nakshatra in Cancer Constellation. This Nakshatra corresponds to part of Hydra constellation. It also known as Ashlesha, Clinging Star or Nāga. It is governed by Nāga (divine Serpents)

तस्यार्धमार्कं विहितं मघादि सर्पादि शाशाङ्कमतोऽपरार्धम्। क्रमेण सूर्यः प्रददौ ग्रहेभ्यः क्षेत्राणि चान्द्राणि तथोत्क्रमेण ॥२९॥

tasyārdhamārkaṃ vihitaṃ maghādi sarpādi śāśāṅkamato'parārdham| krameṇa sūryaḥ pradadau grahebhyaḥ kṣetrāṇi cāndrāṇi tathotkrameṇa ||29||

‘The ‘solar half’ of the zodiac begins with the Maghā Nakṣatra (at 0° Leo). The ‘lunar half’ begins with the Sarpa Nakṣatra (at 29° 29′ 29″ Cancer). The Sun is assigned to the clockwise direction, and the signs going in the counter clockwise direction are those of the Moon (the lunar zodiac)’

— Yavanajātaka 1.29

Genre: astrological treatise
Provenance: India
Date: 4th-6th century CE

Pingree, David. The Yavanajātaka of Sphujidhvaja. Harvard Oriental Series, vol. 48. Cambridge: Harvard University Press 48

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Malhotra, P. (2025). सर्प (Lemma #6363). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6363/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Malhotra, P. (2025). सर्प (Lemma #6363). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6363/
MLA (9th)
Malhotra, P. (2025). सर्प (Lemma #6363). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6363/
Harvard
Malhotra, P. (2025) सर्प (Lemma #6363), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6363/ (Accessed: February 2, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac6363,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-02]},
	author = {Malhotra, Poorvaa},
	year = {2025},
	title = {सर्प ({Lemma} #6363)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6363/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6363/},
}