Guides / Vedic astrology
The 27 Nakshatras
Nakshatras are the 27 lunar mansions of Vedic astrology. The Moon spends about a day in each, and that placement starts the dasha clock.
Lunar mansions along the ecliptic
The ecliptic is divided into 27 Nakshatras of 13°20′ each. Long before the twelve-sign zodiac became the common language of astrology, Indian astronomy tracked the Moon against these lunar mansions.
A birth chart shows the Moon’s Nakshatra and Pada. A daily Panchang shows the Nakshatra in force at sunrise for a given place, and when it ends.
Why the Moon’s Nakshatra matters
Vimshottari dasha begins from the Nakshatra occupied by the Moon at birth. Two people with the same Moon sign can have different dasha clocks if their Moons fall in different Nakshatras, or even in different Padas of the same Nakshatra.
Each Nakshatra also has a traditional ruling planet, a deity, and a set of symbolic associations. Those are interpretive tools. The calculation itself is the Moon’s longitude mapped onto the 27-fold division.
The twenty-seven names
Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashira, Ardra, Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshtha, Moola, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Dhanishtha, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada, and Revati.
When a chart or panchang names one of these, that is the mansion currently occupied by the Moon (or, for Lagna Nakshatra, the mansion on the eastern horizon).
Common questions
- What is a Pada?
- Each Nakshatra is divided into four Padas of 3°20′. The Pada further locates the Moon or Lagna inside the Nakshatra and is used in several traditional techniques, including Navamsa connections.