The 27 Nakshatras
Vedic astrology divides the zodiac into 27 nakshatras, and it is the one the Moon sat in at your birth — not your sun sign — that most readings actually start from. All 0 are below, each with its ruling planet and symbol.
Find your nakshatra free →Nakshatra guides are being prepared.
What a nakshatra actually is
The Vedic zodiac is divided two ways at once. Twelve rashis of 30 degrees each is the division most people know. The other is finer: 27 nakshatras of 13°20' each, and it is the one that does most of the work in Indian astrology. Your janma nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied when you were born.
Each nakshatra carries a symbol, a presiding deity and a ruling planet, and each divides again into four padas of 3°20'. Those padas matter more than they look — they fix the syllable a child is traditionally named with, and they determine which navamsa sign the Moon falls into.
Why nakshatras carry so much weight
Two reasons, both structural rather than decorative. First, the Vimshottari dasha — the system almost all Indian prediction runs on — begins from your birth nakshatra's ruling planet, and how far the Moon had travelled into it decides where in the 120-year cycle your life starts. Second, kundli matching draws four of its eight kootas from the two nakshatras, and Nadi alone carries 8 of the 36 points.
A rashi holds two and a quarter nakshatras, so a nakshatra can straddle a sign boundary. That is normal, not an error — the two grids were never designed to align.
Gana, yoni and nadi
Each nakshatra is classified three further ways, and all three feed compatibility. Gana sorts them into Deva, Manushya and Rakshasa temperaments. Yoni assigns an animal, read for physical and instinctive compatibility. Nadi splits them into Adi, Madhya and Antya, and a shared nadi is the most heavily weighted objection in traditional matching — though classical texts also give explicit exceptions that cancel it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my nakshatra?
From the Moon's exact position at your birth. The nakshatra calculator computes it from your date, time and place, and returns the pada and ruling planet alongside it.
Is nakshatra more important than rashi?
For prediction and matching, generally yes. The rashi is the broader division; the nakshatra is finer and is what dasha and four of the eight matching kootas are built from. Both are read together.
What is a pada?
A quarter of a nakshatra, 3°20' wide. There are 108 padas in the zodiac. The pada fixes the traditional naming syllable and the Moon's navamsa placement, so it needs an accurate birth time — a pada lasts only about six hours.
Do I need my birth time for the nakshatra?
Usually not for the nakshatra itself, since the Moon takes about a day to cross one. For the pada, yes.
What is Abhijit nakshatra?
A 28th nakshatra used in some muhurat traditions, occupying a slice between Uttara Ashadha and Shravana. It is not part of the standard 27-fold scheme used for birth charts and dasha.
Astrological readings here describe what the tradition holds, not demonstrated fact. Nothing on this page is medical, financial or legal advice.