The 27 Nakshatras and What Your Birth Star Says
In short
The zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13 degrees 20 minutes each. The one the Moon occupied at birth is your janma nakshatra, and it determines both the syllable used for naming and the starting point of the Vimshottari dasha.
Long before the zodiac of twelve signs entered Indian astronomy, the sky was mapped by nakshatras. The system is older, finer and in many ways more distinctly Indian.
The ecliptic is divided into twenty seven equal parts of thirteen degrees and twenty minutes each. Each is a nakshatra, and each has a presiding deity, a ruling planet, a symbol and a temperament.
Whichever nakshatra the Moon occupied at the moment of birth is the janma nakshatra, the birth star. Two things follow directly from it.
The first is naming. Each nakshatra is divided into four padas, and each pada has an assigned syllable. The traditional first letter of a child's name comes from the pada the Moon occupied. This is why the naming ceremony requires a chart.
The second is timing. The Vimshottari dasha begins with the lord of the birth nakshatra, and the fraction of the nakshatra already crossed determines how much of that first period has elapsed. Get the nakshatra wrong and every date in the dasha is wrong.
The twenty seven are grouped in several ways. By gana they are divided into deva, manushya and rakshasa, a classification used in marriage matching. By nature they are movable, fixed, fierce, mixed and so on, which governs which activities suit which day.
Ashwini, ruled by Ketu, is associated with speed and healing. Rohini, ruled by the Moon, with growth and beauty. Pushya, ruled by Saturn, is called the most auspicious of all and is favoured for purchases. Mula, ruled by Ketu, is associated with getting to the root of things.
A single nakshatra does not describe a person. But it is a real and specific starting point, and it is where a careful reading begins.
Frequently asked questions
How does a nakshatra differ from a sign?+
A sign spans 30 degrees and there are twelve. A nakshatra spans 13 degrees 20 minutes and there are twenty seven. The nakshatra is the finer division.
What is a nakshatra pada?+
Each nakshatra is divided into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. The 108 padas across all nakshatras are also the basis of the Navamsa chart.
Does the nakshatra determine personality?+
It is a strong indicator of mental disposition, but a full reading combines it with the ascendant, the Moon sign and the planetary positions.
Want to understand what this chart means?
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