The 27 Nakshatras

Besides the twelve signs, Vedic astrology divides the zodiac into 27 nakshatras, or lunar mansions, of 13°20' each. The Moon passes through roughly one nakshatra a day, so the nakshatra is a finer measure than the sign.

Your birth star

The nakshatra the Moon occupied at your birth is your janma nakshatra or birth star. It is used for:

• starting the Vimshottari dasha — each nakshatra has a ruling planet, and the dasha begins with the period of that planet;
• naming — each nakshatra has syllables traditionally used for the first letter of a name;
• matching — the guna milan system compares the birth stars of the two people;
• muhurta — the day's nakshatra helps choose good times for events.

Padas

Each nakshatra has four quarters called padas of 3°20'. The pada links the nakshatra to a sign in the Navamsa chart, so two people with the same birth star but different padas can differ quite a lot.

The nakshatra lords

The nine planets rule the nakshatras in a repeating order: Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury. So Ashwini, Magha and Mula are Ketu's; Bharani, Purva Phalguni and Purva Ashadha are Venus's; and so on round the zodiac.

Nakshatras of planets other than the Moon

Every planet sits in some nakshatra, and its nakshatra lord colours its results. In the KP system this idea is taken further: the "star lord" and the "sub lord" of a planet decide what it will actually deliver. See KP astrology basics.

The 27 nakshatras in order

Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashira, Ardra, Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada and Revati. A 28th, Abhijit, is used in some muhurta calculations.

Nature of the nakshatras

For muhurta, nakshatras are grouped by nature:

• Fixed (dhruva) — Rohini and the three Uttaras: good for foundations, house-warming and long-term work.
• Movable (chara) — Swati, Punarvasu, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha: good for travel and vehicles.
• Gentle (mridu) — Mrigashira, Chitra, Anuradha, Revati: good for marriage, arts and friendship.
• Swift (kshipra) — Ashwini, Pushya, Hasta: good for trade, medicine and quick tasks.
• Sharp (tikshna) and fierce (ugra) — such as Ardra, Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Bharani and Magha: used for decisive or demanding work and avoided for gentle events.

Gana, yoni and nadi

Each nakshatra also has a gana (divine, human or fierce temperament), a yoni (an animal symbol for instinctive nature) and a nadi (one of three constitutional types). These are used in kundli matching.

A worked example

A person born with the Moon in Pushya (ruled by Saturn) begins life in the Saturn dasha. The part of Saturn's 19 years still left depends on how far the Moon had travelled through Pushya. If the Moon had covered a quarter of the nakshatra, about three-quarters of the Saturn period — roughly 14 years — would remain at birth, followed by Mercury's 17 years.

Gandanta

The junctions where a water sign ends and a fire sign begins — the end of Ashlesha, Jyeshtha and Revati and the start of Magha, Mula and Ashwini — are called gandanta. A Moon or ascendant there is traditionally given extra care in reading; it is not a reason for fear.

Frequently asked questions

Is my nakshatra the same as my rashi? No. The rashi is the sign (30°); the nakshatra is a smaller part (13°20') within it.

Why do two people with the same rashi feel different? Their nakshatras and padas differ, as do their ascendants.