What Is a Nakshatra? The 27 Nakshatras, Explained
In this article
Why there are 27
Picture the sky as a big circle around the Earth. The Moon goes all the way around this circle in about 27 days. Long ago, Indian astronomers split the circle into 27 equal parts, one for each day of the Moon's trip. Each part is a nakshatra, named after a group of stars in it.
Each nakshatra is 13 degrees and 20 minutes wide. Twenty-seven of them make the full 360-degree circle.
What a pada is
Each nakshatra is split into four equal quarters called padas. So there are 108 padas in total. When your kundli says "Revati, pada 1", it means the Moon was in the first quarter of Revati.
Padas are used for small details, like choosing the first letter of a baby's name.
Why your nakshatra matters
Your birth nakshatra is used in many ways:
- Your name: each pada has a starting sound. Many families use it to pick a name.
- Your dasha: your life chapters start from the planet that rules your nakshatra.
- Your nature: each nakshatra has its own traits, on top of your rashi.
- Marriage matching: the traditional guna milan compares the two people's nakshatras.
The 27 nakshatras and their planets
Each nakshatra belongs to one of nine planets. The order repeats three times.
- Ashwini: Ketu
- Bharani: Venus
- Krittika: Sun
- Rohini: Moon
- Mrigashira: Mars
- Ardra: Rahu
- Punarvasu: Jupiter
- Pushya: Saturn
- Ashlesha: Mercury
- Magha: Ketu
- Purva Phalguni: Venus
- Uttara Phalguni: Sun
- Hasta: Moon
- Chitra: Mars
- Swati: Rahu
- Vishakha: Jupiter
- Anuradha: Saturn
- Jyeshtha: Mercury
- Mula: Ketu
- Purva Ashadha: Venus
- Uttara Ashadha: Sun
- Shravana: Moon
- Dhanishta: Mars
- Shatabhisha: Rahu
- Purva Bhadrapada: Jupiter
- Uttara Bhadrapada: Saturn
- Revati: Mercury
Nakshatra and rashi: what's the difference?
There are 12 rashis and 27 nakshatras on the same circle. So each rashi holds two and a quarter nakshatras. Your rashi is the bigger box. Your nakshatra is a smaller, more exact spot inside it.
How to find your nakshatra
Make your kundli on Trunaksh. Your nakshatra and its pada show at the top, right next to your rashi and lagna.