The 27 Nakshatras
Written & reviewed by Ravi Prajapati Luhaniwal · Founder, Kundli.me · Vedic astrologer with 5 years of practice
The 27 nakshatras are equal 13°20′ segments of the zodiac — the lunar mansions the Moon travels through. Your birth nakshatra, set by the Moon's position at birth, shapes temperament, drives the Vimshottari dasha timeline through its ruling planet, and refines compatibility far beyond the 12 rashis alone.
What the nakshatras are
Where the 12 rashis divide the zodiac into twelve 30° signs, the nakshatras divide the same circle into 27 equal parts of 13°20′ each. They are the older layer of the Vedic sky-map — the "lunar mansions" that trace the Moon's roughly 27-day journey around the zodiac, one nakshatra for about each day.
Your birth nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. It is one of the most personal points in the whole chart: it colours temperament and instinct, it sets the starting point and sequence of your Vimshottari dasha through its ruling planet, and it is central to marriage matching. To find yours you only need an accurate birth time — generate a free janam kundli and it will show your Moon's nakshatra and pada.
Each nakshatra has four layers
Every nakshatra carries a fixed set of associations that give it its character: a ruling planet (its dasha lord), a presiding deity that sets its deepest theme, a symbol and an animal (yoni), and four padas (quarters of 3°20′) that further refine a person. The ruling planets follow the Vimshottari order — Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury — repeating three times across the 27.
The 27 nakshatras by rashi
Below are all 27 nakshatras in zodiac order, grouped under the sign they begin in. Published guides are linked; the rest are on the way.
Aries (Mesha)
- Ashwini (अश्विनी) — ruled by Ketu, deity Ashwini Kumaras
- Bharani (भरणी) — ruled by Venus, deity Yama
- Krittika (कृत्तिका) — ruled by Sun, deity Agni
Taurus (Vrishabha)
- Rohini (रोहिणी) — ruled by Moon, deity Brahma (Prajapati)
- Mrigashira (मृगशिरा) — ruled by Mars, deity Soma (Chandra)
Gemini (Mithuna)
- Ardra (आर्द्रा) — ruled by Rahu, deity Rudra
- Punarvasu (पुनर्वसु) — ruled by Jupiter, deity Aditi
Cancer (Karka)
- Pushya (पुष्य) — ruled by Saturn, deity Brihaspati
- Ashlesha (आश्लेषा) — ruled by Mercury, deity The Nagas (serpents)
Leo (Simha)
- Magha (मघा) — ruled by Ketu, deity The Pitris (ancestors)
- Purva Phalguni (पूर्व फाल्गुनी) — ruled by Venus, deity Bhaga
- Uttara Phalguni (उत्तर फाल्गुनी) — ruled by Sun, deity Aryaman
Virgo (Kanya)
- Hasta (हस्त) — ruled by Moon, deity Savitar (Surya)
- Chitra (चित्रा) — ruled by Mars, deity Tvashtar (Vishwakarma)
Libra (Tula)
- Swati (स्वाति) — ruled by Rahu, deity Vayu
- Vishakha (विशाखा) — ruled by Jupiter, deity Indra-Agni
Scorpio (Vrishchika)
- Anuradha (अनुराधा) — ruled by Saturn, deity Mitra
- Jyeshtha (ज्येष्ठा) — ruled by Mercury, deity Indra
Sagittarius (Dhanu)
- Mula (मूल) — ruled by Ketu, deity Nirriti
- Purva Ashadha (पूर्वाषाढ़ा) — ruled by Venus, deity Apas (the waters)
- Uttara Ashadha (उत्तराषाढ़ा) — ruled by Sun, deity The Vishvedevas
Capricorn (Makara)
- Shravana (श्रवण) — ruled by Moon, deity Vishnu
- Dhanishta (धनिष्ठा) — ruled by Mars, deity The Vasus
Aquarius (Kumbha)
- Shatabhisha (शतभिषा) — ruled by Rahu, deity Varuna
- Purva Bhadrapada (पूर्व भाद्रपद) — ruled by Jupiter, deity Aja Ekapada
Pisces (Meena)
- Uttara Bhadrapada (उत्तर भाद्रपद) — ruled by Saturn, deity Ahir Budhnya
- Revati (रेवती) — ruled by Mercury, deity Pushan
How to use these guides
Start with your own Moon's nakshatra, then read the nakshatras of the people close to you — a partner's or child's nakshatra often explains a great deal. For marriage, the nakshatras of both charts feed the Kundli Milan (Gun Milan) matching. And because the nakshatra's ruling planet drives your dasha periods, pairing your nakshatra guide with the Vimshottari dasha gives you both who you are and when it plays out.
About the author
Ravi Prajapati Luhaniwal· Founder, Kundli.me
Ravi Prajapati Luhaniwal is the founder of Kundli.me and a Vedic astrologer with 5 years of practice. He oversees the classical accuracy of every reading and article on the site.
More about us →Frequently asked questions
What is a nakshatra?
A nakshatra is one of 27 equal divisions of the zodiac, each 13°20′ wide, together covering the full 360°. Often called lunar mansions, they map the Moon's path across the sky. In Vedic astrology your birth nakshatra — the one the Moon occupies at your birth — is a core layer of the chart, shaping temperament, the Vimshottari dasha sequence and compatibility.
How do I find my nakshatra?
Your nakshatra is set by the exact position of the Moon at your birth, so you need an accurate date, time and place of birth. Generate a free janam kundli on Kundli.me and it will show your Moon's nakshatra and pada. Because the Moon moves quickly, even a small error in birth time can shift the nakshatra, so use as precise a time as you can.
Why are there 27 nakshatras?
The Moon takes about 27.3 days to circle the zodiac, so the sky was divided into 27 segments — one for roughly each day of the Moon's journey. Each nakshatra is 13°20′, and four such nakshatras make up one 30° rashi (with one straddling the boundary), so the 27 nakshatras and the 12 rashis describe the same zodiac at different resolutions.
Which is more important, my rashi or my nakshatra?
They work together. The rashi (Moon sign) gives the broad emotional nature; the nakshatra refines it into a much more specific temperament and also drives the Vimshottari dasha timeline through its ruling planet. Serious chart reading uses both — plus the ascendant and the planets — rather than treating any single factor as the whole answer.