Learn/Planets & Signs/The 27 nakshatras of Vedic astrology
Planets & Signs · 7 min read

The 27 nakshatras of Vedic astrology — the full list

A nakshatra is a lunar mansion — one of 27 equal segments of 13°20′ that the Moon travels through in a sidereal month. Your birth nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied when you were born: a finer layer of character than your rashi, and the engine that drives your dasha timing.

Updated Jul 2026
Count
27 mansions of 13°20′
Yours
Where the Moon sat at birth
Each divides
Into 4 padas of 3°20′
Drives
Vimshottari dashas

01What a nakshatra is

The Moon travels roughly 13°20′ per day, and each such segment of the zodiac is a nakshatra — 27 mansions covering the full 360°. Every nakshatra has a ruling planet, a presiding deity and a symbol that hint at its themes. Your rashi names the sign; your nakshatra names the flavour within it.

The rashi is the country; the nakshatra is the town you were actually born in.
27 Nakshatras COLOUR = DASHA LORD KETU VENUS SUN MOON MARS RAHU JUPITER SATURN MERCURY ♈︎ Mesha Ashwini Bharani Krittika ¼ ♉︎ Vrishabha Krittika ¾ Rohini Mrigashira ½ ♊︎ Mithuna Mrigashira ½ Ardra Punarvasu ¾ ♋︎ Karka Punarvasu ¼ Pushya Ashlesha ♌︎ Simha Magha P. Phalguni U. Phalguni ¼ ♍︎ Kanya U. Phalguni ¾ Hasta Chitra ½ ♎︎ Tula Chitra ½ Swati Vishakha ¾ ♏︎ Vrischika Vishakha ¼ Anuradha Jyeshtha ♐︎ Dhanu Mula P. Ashadha U. Ashadha ¼ ♑︎ Makara U. Ashadha ¾ Shravana Dhanishta ½ ♒︎ Kumbha Dhanishta ½ Shatabhisha P. Bhadra ¾ ♓︎ Meena P. Bhadra ¼ U. Bhadrapada Revati
All 27 mansions, seated in the rashi they occupy — two and a quarter to every sign, coloured by their dasha lord.

02Padas — the four quarters

Each nakshatra splits into four padas of 3°20′ apiece. Your pada narrows the reading further and maps onto a sign in the navamsha (D9) chart used for marriage and dharma. Because padas are small, an accurate birth time matters to land in the right one.

03All 27 by ruler — Ketu to the Moon

First cycle (1–9)Second cycle (10–18)Third cycle (19–27)
KetuAshwini — Ashwini Kumaras · horse's headMagha — Pitris · throneMula — Nirriti · bunch of roots
VenusBharani — Yama · yoniPurva Phalguni — Bhaga · front of a bedPurva Ashadha — Apas · fan, winnow
SunKrittika — Agni · razor, flameUttara Phalguni — Aryaman · back of a bedUttara Ashadha — Vishwadevas · elephant tusk
MoonRohini — Brahma · ox cartHasta — Savitar · handShravana — Vishnu · three footprints

04All 27 by ruler — Mars to Mercury

First cycle (1–9)Second cycle (10–18)Third cycle (19–27)
MarsMrigashira — Soma · deer's headChitra — Vishwakarma · bright jewelDhanishta — Vasus · drum
RahuArdra — Rudra · teardropSwati — Vayu · sprout, coralShatabhisha — Varuna · empty circle
JupiterPunarvasu — Aditi · bow and quiverVishakha — Indra-Agni · triumphal archPurva Bhadrapada — Aja Ekapada · sword
SaturnPushya — Brihaspati · cow's udderAnuradha — Mitra · lotusUttara Bhadrapada — Ahir Budhnya · back of a cot
MercuryAshlesha — Nagas · coiled serpentJyeshtha — Indra · earring, umbrellaRevati — Pushan · fish, drum
The rulers repeat in a fixed order, three times across the 27 — and that cycle is the Vimshottari dasha order.

05The dasha connection

The Vimshottari dasha — the backbone of Vedic timing — begins from the ruling planet of your birth nakshatra, then cycles through all nine grahas over 120 years. This is why two people with the same moon sign can live on very different clocks: their nakshatras, and therefore their dashas, differ. The sign is shared; the timing is yours.

Frequently asked

What is a nakshatra?+
A lunar mansion — one of 27 equal 13°20′ segments the Moon travels through in a sidereal month. Your birth nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied at birth, refining your rashi and setting your dasha clock.
What is a pada?+
Each nakshatra divides into four quarters called padas, each 3°20′ wide. Your pada refines the nakshatra further and maps to a sign in the navamsha (D9) chart — which is why birth-time accuracy matters.
Which nakshatra rules my dasha?+
Your birth nakshatra's ruling planet sets your first Vimshottari mahadasha, which then cycles through all nine planets over 120 years — the engine of Vedic timing.
Are there 27 nakshatras or 28?+
Both counts exist. Standard birth-chart and Vimshottari work uses 27 equal mansions; the 28th, Abhijit, is an intercalary star reserved mainly for muhurta (electional) work, not natal charts.

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