Nakshatra Calculator: Birth Star, Pada & Name Letters

Nakshatras: the older zodiac

Long before the twelve rashis came into Indian astronomy, our ancestors tracked the Moon against the stars. It takes the Moon about 27⅓ days to go round the sky, so they divided its path into 27 nakshatras, roughly one for each night. You’ll find them in the Vedas, named with their presiding deities: Ashwini for the Ashwini Kumaras, Rohini for Prajapati, Pushya for Brihaspati.

Your janma nakshatra is the one the Moon was in when you were born. In daily family life it probably matters more than your rashi: it decides the first letter of your name, in many South Indian families, the day your birthday is celebrated (when your nakshatra returns in your birth month), and it’s the starting point for kundli milan and for your dasha periods.

Padas, and why they matter

Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ and is split into four padas of 3°20′. That gives 108 padas in all, the same 108 as the beads on a japa mala, and nine padas make one rashi.

The pada does two practical jobs. First, each pada has a traditional sound, and a child’s name usually starts with the sound of their pada. Second, eight nakshatras (Krittika, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalguni, Chitra, Vishakha, Dhanishta and Purva Bhadrapada) straddle two rashis, so for people born under them the pada decides the rashi too.

Gana, yoni and nadi

These three come up the moment a marriage is discussed, because they are part of the 36-point guna milan:

Gana sorts the nakshatras into three temperaments: Deva (gentle), Manushya (human, practical) and Rakshasa (intense, independent). “Rakshasa” sounds alarming but it isn’t a judgement on anyone’s character.
Yoni gives each nakshatra an animal, used to judge physical compatibility.
Nadi is one of three: Aadi, Madhya or Antya. It carries the most points in matching, 8 of 36.

Vimshottari dasha, simply

Vimshottari means “one hundred and twenty”. The system gives each of nine planets a period of years (Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17) which add up to 120. Each nakshatra belongs to one of these planets, and your life begins in the period of your birth nakshatra’s lord.

How much of that first period you get depends on how far the Moon had travelled through the nakshatra. If it was just entering, you get almost the whole period; if it was nearly out, only a sliver. The table in your result shows the balance at birth and the dates of each mahadasha after it.

All 27 nakshatras

#	Nakshatra	Rashi	Lord	Gana	Nadi
1	Ashwini अश्विनी	Mesha	Ketu	Deva	Aadi
2	Bharani भरणी	Mesha	Venus	Manushya	Madhya
3	Krittika कृत्तिका	Mesha / Vrishabha	Sun	Rakshasa	Antya
4	Rohini रोहिणी	Vrishabha	Moon	Manushya	Antya
5	Mrigashira मृगशिरा	Vrishabha / Mithuna	Mars	Deva	Madhya
6	Ardra आर्द्रा	Mithuna	Rahu	Manushya	Aadi
7	Punarvasu पुनर्वसु	Mithuna / Karka	Jupiter	Deva	Aadi
8	Pushya पुष्य	Karka	Saturn	Deva	Madhya
9	Ashlesha आश्लेषा	Karka	Mercury	Rakshasa	Antya
10	Magha मघा	Simha	Ketu	Rakshasa	Antya
11	Purva Phalguni पूर्वा फाल्गुनी	Simha	Venus	Manushya	Madhya
12	Uttara Phalguni उत्तरा फाल्गुनी	Simha / Kanya	Sun	Manushya	Aadi
13	Hasta हस्त	Kanya	Moon	Deva	Aadi
14	Chitra चित्रा	Kanya / Tula	Mars	Rakshasa	Madhya
15	Swati स्वाति	Tula	Rahu	Deva	Antya
16	Vishakha विशाखा	Tula / Vrishchika	Jupiter	Rakshasa	Antya
17	Anuradha अनुराधा	Vrishchika	Saturn	Deva	Madhya
18	Jyeshtha ज्येष्ठा	Vrishchika	Mercury	Rakshasa	Aadi
19	Mula मूल	Dhanu	Ketu	Rakshasa	Aadi
20	Purva Ashadha पूर्वाषाढ़ा	Dhanu	Venus	Manushya	Madhya
21	Uttara Ashadha उत्तराषाढ़ा	Dhanu / Makara	Sun	Manushya	Antya
22	Shravana श्रवण	Makara	Moon	Deva	Antya
23	Dhanishta धनिष्ठा	Makara / Kumbha	Mars	Rakshasa	Madhya
24	Shatabhisha शतभिषा	Kumbha	Rahu	Rakshasa	Aadi
25	Purva Bhadrapada पूर्वा भाद्रपद	Kumbha / Meena	Jupiter	Manushya	Aadi
26	Uttara Bhadrapada उत्तरा भाद्रपद	Meena	Saturn	Manushya	Madhya
27	Revati रेवती	Meena	Mercury	Deva	Antya

Frequently asked questions

How do I find my nakshatra by date of birth?

Enter your date, time and place of birth. The calculator finds the Moon’s sidereal position at that moment; the 27 nakshatras divide the zodiac into equal parts of 13°20′, so the Moon’s degree tells us the nakshatra and the quarter (pada) within it.

Do I need the exact birth time for the nakshatra?

It helps. The Moon spends about a day in each nakshatra, so on many dates the nakshatra changes at some hour. The calculator checks the whole birth day and tells you if and when it changed, so you know whether the time matters for you.

What is nakshatra pada?

Each nakshatra is split into four quarters of 3°20′, called padas. The pada decides the starting sound for a name, and for eight nakshatras that straddle two rashis, it also decides which rashi you belong to.

What are the name letters for my nakshatra?

Each of the four padas has a traditional syllable. For Rohini, for example, they are O, Va, Vi and Vu. Your own pada’s syllable is highlighted in your result, and many families use it for the naamkaran.

What is Vimshottari dasha?

It is the 120-year cycle of planetary periods used across North and South India. Where it starts depends on your birth nakshatra, and how much of the first period is left depends on how far the Moon had travelled through it. The calculator lists your mahadashas with dates.

Your Vimshottari mahadashas