The 27 Nakshatras — Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology

A nakshatra (Sanskrit nakṣatra) is a lunar mansion: one of the 27 segments into which Indian astronomy divides the band of sky through which the Moon travels. The Moon takes about 27.3 days to complete one sidereal circuit of the zodiac, so it spends roughly one day in each nakshatra. Long before the twelve signs (rashis) entered Indian astronomy, the Vedic texts tracked time, rituals and seasons by the Moon's position among these star groups, and they remain the foundation of the panchanga, of muhurta (electional timing) and of horoscopy today.

Size and structure: 13°20′ each, four padas of 3°20′

Dividing the 360° circle by 27 gives each nakshatra an equal span of 13°20′. The series begins at 0° sidereal Aries with Ashwini and ends at 360° with Revati. Each nakshatra is split into four quarters called padas of 3°20′ each, giving 108 padas in all. Because 108 is also the number of navamsas (ninths of a sign), every pada corresponds to one navamsa sign, which is why the navamsa chart (D9) can be read directly from nakshatra padas. Nine padas make one rashi of 30°, so the boundaries of the signs and nakshatras coincide every 2¼ nakshatras: Aries holds Ashwini, Bharani and the first pada of Krittika, Taurus holds the rest of Krittika, Rohini and half of Mrigashira, and so on.

Each pada also has a traditional sound or syllable, and the Moon's pada at birth is widely used to choose the first letter of a child's name. In older Vedic lists, which begin with Krittika (the Pleiades), each nakshatra is identified with a junction star (yogatara); the modern sidereal zodiac is anchored to one of them, Spica (Chitra), placed at 180° in the Lahiri ayanamsa used by most Indian panchangas.

Ruling planets and the Vimshottari dasha

Every nakshatra has a planetary lord. The nine lords repeat in a fixed order three times around the zodiac: Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury. This sequence drives the Vimshottari dasha, the 120-year system of planetary periods described in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. The nakshatra holding the Moon at birth fixes which planet's period (mahadasha) a life begins with, and how much of it remains, in proportion to the distance the Moon still has to travel in that nakshatra.

Gana, nadi and yoni in marriage matching

In the Ashtakoota (eight-factor) compatibility system used across North and South India, several of the factors are properties of the bride's and groom's birth nakshatras. Gana classifies each nakshatra by temperament as Deva (divine), Manushya (human) or Rakshasa (demonic), nine nakshatras in each group; matching ganas earn up to 6 of the 36 points. Nadi groups the nakshatras as Aadi, Madhya or Antya, corresponding to the three doshas of Ayurveda; it carries the highest weight of 8 points, and the same nadi for both partners (nadi dosha) is traditionally considered a serious mismatch unless cancelled. Yoni pairs each nakshatra with an animal to judge physical compatibility. In South Indian Dasha Porutham, factors such as Rajju and Vedha are likewise derived from the nakshatras.

In muhurta, nakshatras are grouped by nature: fixed (dhruva) stars for lasting undertakings such as house construction, movable (chara) stars for travel, swift (kshipra) stars for trade and medicine, soft (mridu) stars for arts and celebrations, and fierce (ugra) or sharp (tikshna) stars for forceful actions. Each nakshatra page below describes these traditional uses.

The personality traits and muhurta recommendations on these pages are traditional beliefs drawn from classical Jyotisha texts such as the Brihat Samhita, Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and Muhurta Chintamani. They are presented for cultural and educational interest, not as scientific claims.