The 27 Nakshatras: Full List with Names, Deities, Ruling Planets, Rashi Spans and Meaning

Quick answer: In Vedic astrology the zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras (lunar mansions) of 13 degrees 20 minutes each, starting from Ashwini at 0 degrees Mesha (sidereal Aries) and ending with Revati at 30 degrees Meena (Pisces). Each nakshatra has a ruling planet, assigned in the repeating order Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, a presiding deity from the Vedic pantheon, a symbol and four padas (quarters). Your janma nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied when you were born. The full table is below.

What is a nakshatra?

The word nakshatra is usually explained as "that which does not decay" or simply "star". In Jyotisha, the traditional Hindu system of astronomy and astrology, the nakshatras are 27 segments of the Moon's path, each named after a star or star group that lies in it. The Moon moves through roughly one nakshatra a day, which is why the nakshatra of the day is one of the five limbs of the panchang.

Nakshatras are far older than the twelve rashis (signs) in Indian tradition. The Vedic texts already list them with their deities, and the Taittiriya Samhita and the Vedanga Jyotisha use them to time rituals. The twelve-sign zodiac was layered on top later, which is why the nakshatra boundaries do not always match sign boundaries: nine of the 27 straddle two signs.

The arithmetic is simple. The zodiac has 360 degrees; 360 divided by 27 is 13.333 degrees, or 13 degrees 20 minutes. Each sign of 30 degrees therefore holds exactly two and a quarter nakshatras, and every set of three signs (90 degrees) holds nine complete nakshatras.

The 27 nakshatras: full table

Spans are sidereal (as used in Vedic astrology, commonly with the Lahiri ayanamsa). Ruling planets follow the Vimshottari dasha order. Deities are as traditionally given in the Vedic nakshatra lists; symbols vary a little between texts, so common alternatives are shown.

Notice the pattern in the ruling planets: the nine-planet sequence starts with Ketu at Ashwini, again at Magha (number 10) and again at Mula (number 19). This is the same sequence and the same lords used to calculate the Vimshottari dasha periods, which is why your birth nakshatra decides which planetary period you were born into.

Nakshatras by rashi (quick lookup)

If you already know your Moon sign (rashi), your nakshatra must be one of the following. The figure in brackets is the number of padas of that nakshatra that fall in the sign.

HinduTone's monthly Moon-sign horoscopes are organised by rashi, for example Mesha Rashi October 2026, Simha Rashi October 2026 and Meena Rashi October 2026.

The four padas

Each nakshatra is split into four padas (feet or quarters) of 3 degrees 20 minutes. Across the zodiac that gives 27 times 4 = 108 padas, one reason the number 108 is so often linked with the heavens in Hindu tradition. Each pada corresponds to one sign of the navamsa (D9) chart: the first pada of Ashwini maps to Mesha navamsa, the second to Vrishabha, and so on around the zodiac nine times.

Padas matter most in two places: in naming, because each pada carries a traditional starting syllable, and in matching charts, where the exact pada can change the result of some checks.

Abhijit: the 28th nakshatra

Early Vedic lists count 28 nakshatras, including Abhijit (associated with the bright star Vega and with Brahma as its deity). In the later equal-division system Abhijit has no 13-degree segment of its own. In many accounts it is placed in the narrow band from the last quarter of Uttara Ashadha into the beginning of Shravana, roughly 276 degrees 40 minutes to 280 degrees 53 minutes of the sidereal zodiac.

Abhijit is still used in muhurta (electional) rules and in some charts such as the Sarvatobhadra chakra, but it is not used for birth nakshatras or dasha calculations. It should not be confused with Abhijit muhurta, the auspicious midday period of about 48 minutes around local noon, which is a time window rather than a star.

How your janma nakshatra is found

Your birth star is simply the nakshatra holding the Moon at your birth. Astrologers find it in three steps:

1. Find the Moon's sidereal longitude. Software calculates the Moon's position for your date, time and place, then subtracts the ayanamsa (about 24 degrees in recent decades with Lahiri, the standard used by the Indian government's calendar and most panchangs). Some astrologers use other ayanamsas such as Raman or Krishnamurti, which can shift a borderline Moon into the neighbouring nakshatra.
2. Divide by 13 degrees 20 minutes. The whole number tells you how many nakshatras the Moon has already passed.
3. Find the pada. Divide the remainder by 3 degrees 20 minutes to get the quarter.

Worked example (hypothetical): suppose the Moon is at 15 degrees 00 minutes of sidereal Simha. Simha begins at 120 degrees, so the Moon's longitude is 135 degrees. 135 divided by 13.333 is 10.125, so ten nakshatras are complete and the Moon is in the eleventh, Purva Phalguni (133 degrees 20 minutes to 146 degrees 40 minutes). It is 1 degree 40 minutes into that nakshatra, which is less than 3 degrees 20 minutes, so it is in pada 1. The nakshatra lord is Venus, so this person's Vimshottari dasha would begin in the Venus period.

Because the Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, the nakshatra can change within a few hours. An uncertain birth time near a boundary can give a different star, so it is worth checking the time carefully on the birth certificate.

Nakshatras and baby names

In many families the first letter of a baby's name is chosen from the syllable of the child's nakshatra pada, a custom followed at the naming ceremony (namakarana). The four syllables for Ashwini, for example, are traditionally given as Chu, Che, Cho and La, so a child born in Ashwini pada 4 might be given a name starting with La. Lists differ slightly between Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and other regional traditions.

Many NRI families combine this with a name that is easy to pronounce abroad. For syllable tables and practical tips, see how to choose a Hindu baby name by nakshatra, rashi and numerology, or browse names by Moon sign such as Makara rashi baby names.

Gana, yoni and marriage matching

Each nakshatra also carries classifications used in compatibility checks. The gana (temperament) column in the table divides the stars into three groups of nine: Deva (divine), Manushya (human) and Rakshasa (fierce or independent). Despite the name, Rakshasa gana does not mean a bad person; it describes a more forceful temperament in traditional terms.

The yoni assigns each nakshatra an animal (Ashwini the horse, Bharani the elephant, Rohini the serpent, and so on) to describe instinctive compatibility. Gana, yoni and the nakshatra itself all feed into Ashtakoota guna milan in North India and the ten poruthams in South India. These scores are one input that families consider, not a final verdict on a relationship.

Nakshatras in daily devotion

Temples in South India often perform archana in the devotee's name, star and gotra, which is why many people know their nakshatra even if they know little else about their chart. Birthdays are also celebrated by janma nakshatra (for example, Thiruvathirai or Ardra for Shiva and Rohini for Krishna), and many families keep the nakshatra birthday alongside the calendar one. A simple practice on your birth star is to visit a temple, chant a prayer such as the Navagraha stotram and give in charity. None of this requires a paid ritual.

Frequently asked questions

What is my nakshatra?

Your janma nakshatra (birth star) is the nakshatra the Moon occupied at the moment of your birth, measured in the sidereal zodiac. To find it you need your date, exact time and place of birth. Any reliable panchang or Vedic astrology software will show it; most Indian calculators use the Lahiri ayanamsa by default.

Why are there 27 nakshatras and not 28?

The Moon takes about 27.3 days to circle the zodiac against the stars, so dividing the circle into 27 equal parts gives roughly one nakshatra per day. Older Vedic lists also include Abhijit as a 28th star, and it is still used in some muhurta (timing) rules, but the standard system for birth charts and dashas uses 27 equal divisions of 13 degrees 20 minutes.

Which planet rules each nakshatra?

The lords follow the Vimshottari sequence Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, repeated three times. So Ashwini, Magha and Mula are ruled by Ketu; Bharani, Purva Phalguni and Purva Ashadha by Venus; and so on, ending with Ashlesha, Jyeshtha and Revati under Mercury.

What is a nakshatra pada?

Each nakshatra is divided into four quarters (padas) of 3 degrees 20 minutes. The 27 nakshatras therefore contain 108 padas, and each pada corresponds to one navamsa (D9) sign. Padas are also linked to the traditional starting syllables used when choosing a baby's name.

Are some nakshatras bad?

No nakshatra is simply good or bad. Traditional texts classify nakshatras for different activities, and a few (such as the gandanta junctions between water and fire signs, or Mula and Ashlesha at birth) are customarily given extra prayers by some families. These are devotional customs, not verdicts on a person's life.

Is the nakshatra the same in Western astrology?

Western astrology does not use nakshatras. They belong to the sidereal Jyotisha tradition. Because Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, your Moon sign in a Vedic chart is often one sign earlier than your Western (tropical) Moon sign.

Editor's note (9 October 2026)

This guide was written in October 2026 to explain the nakshatras as they are described in the Jyotisha tradition. Spans, ruling planets and gana assignments are the standard Parashari values; deities follow the traditional Vedic lists; symbols are given with common alternatives because texts differ. Nakshatra positions depend on the ayanamsa used, and Lahiri is the common standard. Astrology is presented here as a traditional knowledge system, not as a source of guaranteed predictions; for personal questions, consult a qualified family astrologer.

Related guides

• What is a tithi? The 30 tithis explained
• What is a panchang? The five limbs explained
• Vimshottari dasha explained: mahadasha periods
• Kundli matching: Ashtakoota guna milan and the 36 gunas
• Lagna (ascendant) and the 12 houses explained
• Navagraha stotram: lyrics, meaning and benefits