The 27 nakshatras explained: names, ruling planets, deities, symbols, and meaning
A working reference to all twenty-seven nakshatras in order, from Ashwini to Revati. For each one you get its ruling planet, presiding deity, symbol, gana, and a one-line nature, plus how a nakshatra is used in the birth chart, the Vimshottari dasha, muhurta, and matching.
ସମୀକ୍ଷା କରିଛନ୍ତି Vidhata Editorial Desk · ଅଦ୍ୟତନ ହୋଇଛି
In this article
Ask an old-school astrologer in a Bengaluru or Chennai consulting room for your janma nakshatra and watch what happens. Before touching the planets, before the rashi, the eyes go to the Moon and ask one thing: which of the twenty-seven star-groups was it sitting in the moment you were born. That single answer decides the first letter of a traditional name, the running order of your Vimshottari dasha, the star you match against a prospective partner, and half of what gets checked before a wedding date is fixed. The nakshatra is the oldest layer of this whole system, older in the texts than the twelve rashis most people know by heart.
This piece is a plain reference. First, what a nakshatra is and how the sky gets cut into twenty-seven pieces. Then all twenty-seven in order, each with its ruling planet, its presiding deity, its symbol, its gana, and a one-line nature. Then the four practical uses. Keep it open next to your free kundali and it should answer most of what you need.
What a nakshatra actually is
A nakshatra is a lunar mansion, a fixed segment of the zodiac tied to a recognisable group of stars. The Moon travels the full circle of the sky in about 27.3 days, so on any given night it sits roughly in one of these star-groups. The ancients watched the Moon move from Ashwini near the head of Aries, night after night, through Bharani, Krittika, Rohini, and on around, and they marked each resting place. That is why the older Sanskrit word for the Moon-god, Chandra, is bound up so tightly with the nakshatras. The Surya Siddhanta and the early jyotisha texts treat these twenty-seven divisions as the primary grid of the sky.
So when we say your janma nakshatra, we mean the nakshatra the Moon occupied at your birth. Not the Sun. In Vedic astrology the Moon carries the mind, the emotions, the running temperament, and its nakshatra is read as the seed of personality far more than the Sun sign that Western columns use. This is the single biggest thing that surprises people coming from the newspaper-horoscope world.
The 27-fold division of the zodiac
The zodiac is a circle of 360 degrees. Divide it into twenty-seven equal parts and each nakshatra spans exactly 13 degrees and 20 minutes of arc, written 13°20'. Ashwini runs from 0° to 13°20' of Aries. Bharani picks up at 13°20' and runs to 26°40'. Krittika starts at 26°40' of Aries and spills over into Taurus, and so the chain continues all the way to Revati, which closes the circle at 30° of Pisces.
Because 27 does not divide neatly into 12, the nakshatra boundaries and the rashi boundaries do not line up. Most rashis contain two and a quarter nakshatras. This overlap is not a flaw, it is the point: the nakshatra reads the sky at a finer grain than the rashi does. There is an older, less common scheme of twenty-eight nakshatras that inserts Abhijit between Uttara Ashadha and Shravana, used mainly in some muhurta calculations, but the standard working system is the twenty-seven, and that is what almost every chart uses.
Padas: the four quarters of each nakshatra
Each nakshatra is split into four padas, or quarters. Since a nakshatra is 13°20' wide, each pada is exactly 3°20'. Four padas across twenty-seven nakshatras give 108 padas in the full zodiac, and 108 divided by 12 is 9, so each rashi holds exactly nine padas. That is not a coincidence, it is the arithmetic that ties the nakshatra grid to the rashi grid and gives us the sacred count of 108.
The padas matter for two reasons. First, they fix the navamsa, the ninth-division chart that classical astrologers weigh almost as heavily as the birth chart itself. Second, in South Indian practice the pada decides the first syllable of a child's name, which is why traditional names so often signal the birth star to anyone who knows the code.
Gana: deva, manushya, rakshasa
Every nakshatra is sorted into one of three ganas, or temperaments. Deva gana is the divine, gentle, generous type. Manushya gana is the human, mixed, worldly type. Rakshasa gana is the sharp, forceful, self-driven type, and the word does not mean evil so much as intense and hard to sway. The gana is one of the first things checked in kundali matching, where the classical texts prefer that bride and groom share a compatible gana, and a deva-rakshasa pairing draws the most scrutiny.
The 27 nakshatras in order
Here is the full list, Ashwini through Revati. Each entry keeps the same shape: the ruling planet is also the nakshatra's Vimshottari dasha lord, then the presiding deity, the symbol, the gana, and a one-line nature.
1. Ashwini · Ruling planet: Ketu · Deity: the Ashwini Kumaras, the twin healers · Symbol: a horse's head · Gana: Deva · Nature: swift, pioneering, quick to heal and quick to start.
2. Bharani · Ruling planet: Venus · Deity: Yama, lord of restraint and death · Symbol: the yoni, the female organ of creation · Gana: Manushya · Nature: bearing and burdened, holding the tension between birth and limits.
3. Krittika · Ruling planet: the Sun · Deity: Agni, the fire · Symbol: a razor or a flame · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: sharp, cutting, purifying, a fire that burns away chaff.
4. Rohini · Ruling planet: the Moon · Deity: Brahma, the creator (as Prajapati) · Symbol: a cart or chariot · Gana: Manushya · Nature: fertile, growing, sensuous, the favourite of the Moon.
5. Mrigashira · Ruling planet: Mars · Deity: Soma, the Moon-nectar · Symbol: a deer's head · Gana: Deva · Nature: searching, gentle, restless, always following a scent.
6. Ardra · Ruling planet: Rahu · Deity: Rudra, the storm form of Shiva · Symbol: a teardrop or a human head · Gana: Manushya · Nature: stormy, transformative, the tension before renewal.
7. Punarvasu · Ruling planet: Jupiter · Deity: Aditi, mother of the gods · Symbol: a quiver of arrows · Gana: Deva · Nature: returning light, renewal, safe homecoming after loss.
8. Pushya · Ruling planet: Saturn · Deity: Brihaspati, teacher of the gods · Symbol: a cow's udder or a lotus · Gana: Deva · Nature: nourishing, steady, the most auspicious nakshatra for most beginnings.
9. Ashlesha · Ruling planet: Mercury · Deity: the Nagas, the serpents · Symbol: a coiled serpent · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: penetrating, hypnotic, clever, coiled around a hidden intelligence.
10. Magha · Ruling planet: Ketu · Deity: the Pitris, the ancestors · Symbol: a throne or palanquin · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: regal, ancestral, carrying the authority of those who came before.
11. Purva Phalguni · Ruling planet: Venus · Deity: Bhaga, god of good fortune · Symbol: the front legs of a bed · Gana: Manushya · Nature: pleasure, rest, generosity, the enjoyment of what has been earned.
12. Uttara Phalguni · Ruling planet: the Sun · Deity: Aryaman, god of contracts and patronage · Symbol: the back legs of a bed · Gana: Manushya · Nature: steady partnership, kindness, the giving of one's word.
13. Hasta · Ruling planet: the Moon · Deity: Savitr, the Sun as the giver of life · Symbol: an open hand or palm · Gana: Deva · Nature: skilful, dexterous, able to grasp and to craft with the hands.
14. Chitra · Ruling planet: Mars · Deity: Tvashtar, the celestial architect (Vishvakarma) · Symbol: a bright jewel or pearl · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: brilliant, designing, a maker of beautiful and striking things.
15. Swati · Ruling planet: Rahu · Deity: Vayu, the wind · Symbol: a young shoot swaying, or coral · Gana: Deva · Nature: independent, flexible, self-directed, bending like a reed without breaking.
16. Vishakha · Ruling planet: Jupiter · Deity: Indra and Agni together · Symbol: a triumphal archway · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: goal-driven, determined, single-minded toward a fixed aim.
17. Anuradha · Ruling planet: Saturn · Deity: Mitra, god of friendship · Symbol: a lotus or a staff · Gana: Deva · Nature: devoted, cooperative, able to build lasting bonds across distance.
18. Jyeshtha · Ruling planet: Mercury · Deity: Indra, king of the gods · Symbol: an earring or an umbrella · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: senior, protective, carrying seniority and its heavy responsibility.
19. Mula · Ruling planet: Ketu · Deity: Nirriti, goddess of dissolution · Symbol: a tied bunch of roots · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: getting to the root, unbinding, tearing down to reach the truth.
20. Purva Ashadha · Ruling planet: Venus · Deity: Apas, the cosmic waters · Symbol: a fan or a winnowing basket · Gana: Manushya · Nature: invigorating, ambitious, the early water that will not be defeated.
21. Uttara Ashadha · Ruling planet: the Sun · Deity: the Vishvadevas, the universal gods · Symbol: an elephant's tusk · Gana: Manushya · Nature: lasting victory, integrity, the win that holds because it was won cleanly.
22. Shravana · Ruling planet: the Moon · Deity: Vishnu, the preserver · Symbol: an ear, or three footprints · Gana: Deva · Nature: listening, learning, the wisdom that comes from hearing well.
23. Dhanishta · Ruling planet: Mars · Deity: the eight Vasus, gods of abundance · Symbol: a drum or flute · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: rhythmic, prosperous, musical, wealthy in tempo and in means.
24. Shatabhisha · Ruling planet: Rahu · Deity: Varuna, lord of cosmic waters and law · Symbol: an empty circle, or a hundred healers · Gana: Rakshasa · Nature: healing, secretive, the physician who works alone behind a veil.
25. Purva Bhadrapada · Ruling planet: Jupiter · Deity: Aja Ekapada, the one-footed goat · Symbol: the front legs of a funeral cot, or a two-faced man · Gana: Manushya · Nature: intense, penetrating, capable of great austerity and sudden fire.
26. Uttara Bhadrapada · Ruling planet: Saturn · Deity: Ahir Budhnya, the serpent of the deep · Symbol: the back legs of a funeral cot, or twins · Gana: Manushya · Nature: deep, calm, wise, the still water that runs very far down.
27. Revati · Ruling planet: Mercury · Deity: Pushan, the shepherd god who guides journeys · Symbol: a fish, or a drum · Gana: Deva · Nature: nourishing, protective, the safe finish that sees every traveller home.
A pattern worth noticing: the ruling planets run in a fixed nine-fold cycle, Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and then repeat. Three full turns of that cycle cover all twenty-seven. This is not decoration. It is the exact spine of the Vimshottari dasha, which is why the ruling planet and the dasha lord are the same thing.
How nakshatras are actually used
Four uses cover most of what a practising astrologer does with them.
Janma nakshatra and temperament. The nakshatra of the Moon at birth is read as the base layer of character, ahead of the Sun sign. An Ashlesha Moon and a Pushya Moon are neighbours in the sky yet read as opposite temperaments, one coiled and clever, the other steady and nourishing. This is also the star used in daily and monthly prediction, since the transiting Moon returning to your janma nakshatra marks a personal high point each month.
Vimshottari dasha. This is the most important use and the reason the star matters so much. The birth nakshatra decides which planetary period, or [Vimshottari dasha](/dasha-calculator), you are born into and the running order of every period after. The nine lords each own a fixed span of years: Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17, adding to the full 120-year human life the classical texts assume. A person born in Rohini starts life in a Moon period; a person born in Mula starts in a Ketu period. Get the janma nakshatra wrong and the entire timeline of a life is wrong, which is why astrologers check it first and check it twice.
Muhurta. Choosing an auspicious time leans heavily on the nakshatra of the day, which you can read off any panchang. Some stars are held to be soft and gentle and good for weddings and moving into a home, some are sharp and fixed and better suited to laying a foundation or settling a dispute, and a few are treated as difficult for new starts. Pushya, for one, is prized for almost every beginning except marriage, a quirk the muhurta texts note without full agreement.
Matching. In North Indian Ashtakoota matching, several of the eight koots are computed straight from the two birth nakshatras, including the gana koot we described above, the nadi koot that flags a health and progeny concern, and the tara koot that reads the two stars against each other for mutual well-being. The nakshatra, not the rashi, does most of the real work in a compatibility report.
None of this asks you to believe anything on faith. It asks you to fix one fact accurately, the janma nakshatra, and to read the rest from there. That is the discipline the old texts hand down, and it starts with knowing which of the twenty-seven stars held the Moon when you drew your first breath.
ସ୍ରୋତ
- Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS), chapters on the nakshatras and on the Vimshottari dasha
- Surya Siddhanta, on the 27-fold division of the ecliptic and the motion of the Moon
- Muhurta Chintamani of Daivajna Ram, on nakshatra selection for auspicious timing
- Saravali of Kalyana Varma, on nakshatra natures, deities, and temperament
Frequently asked
Common questions
How many nakshatras are there?+
There are 27 nakshatras in the standard Vedic system, each spanning 13 degrees and 20 minutes of the zodiac, from Ashwini through Revati. An older 28-nakshatra scheme adds Abhijit, but it is used mainly in some muhurta calculations, not in everyday chart work.
What is my nakshatra and how do I find it?+
Your nakshatra, called the janma nakshatra, is the star-group the Moon occupied at the exact moment of your birth. You need your date, time, and place of birth to work it out. A free kundali will calculate it for you along with the pada and your Vimshottari dasha.
What is the difference between a nakshatra and a rashi?+
A rashi is one of the 12 zodiac signs, each 30 degrees wide. A nakshatra is one of the 27 lunar mansions, each 13 degrees 20 minutes wide, so the sky is cut into finer pieces. Most rashis contain two and a quarter nakshatras, and Vedic astrology reads the nakshatra of the Moon as a deeper layer of temperament than the rashi.
Which nakshatra is the best?+
No single nakshatra is best in an absolute sense, since each has strengths and challenges. Pushya is widely regarded as the most auspicious for beginnings, and Rohini, Uttara Phalguni, and Anuradha are also considered gentle and favourable. What matters most is how the nakshatra sits with the rest of your chart, not the star alone.
What is the ruling planet of a nakshatra?+
Each nakshatra has a ruling planet that is also its Vimshottari dasha lord. The nine lords run in a fixed cycle, Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, repeated three times across the 27 nakshatras. This cycle is the backbone of the dasha timeline.
What is a nakshatra pada?+
Each nakshatra is divided into four padas, or quarters, of 3 degrees 20 minutes each. The four padas across all 27 nakshatras give 108 padas in the zodiac, nine to each rashi. The pada fixes the navamsa chart and, in South Indian custom, the first syllable of a traditional name.
What is gana in nakshatras?+
Gana is the temperament class of a nakshatra: deva (divine and gentle), manushya (human and mixed), or rakshasa (sharp and self-driven). It is one of the eight koots checked in kundali matching, where a shared or compatible gana is preferred between partners.