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Nakshatra Calculator
Find your birth nakshatra (janma nakshatra) — the lunar mansion your Moon was in at the moment you were born. Plus your pada, ruling planet, deity, gana, nadi, and yoni.
Lahiri ayanamsa · Swiss-grade ephemeris · Classical Parashari rules
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Accurate time and place give you an accurate reading
What is a nakshatra?
A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions in Vedic astrology — each a 13°20' segment of the zodiac that the Moon passes through every ~24 hours. Your janma nakshatra (birth nakshatra) is whichever one the Moon was in at the moment you were born.
Vedic astrology gives nakshatras more weight than the zodiac signs (rashis) for personality and predictive work. Your nakshatra anchors your Vimshottari dasha sequence, your gana and nadi for marriage compatibility, and the deeper layer of how your emotional life actually feels day to day. Read more in What your Vedic moon sign actually says about you.
The four padas
Each nakshatra is divided into 4 equal padas of 3°20' each. The pada adds a finer layer — each one is associated with a different navamsa sign and gives the same nakshatra a slightly different flavour. Two people born in the same nakshatra but different padas can feel quite distinct from each other.
The pada determines your navamsa sign — used heavily in marriage astrology — and is what allows two Saturn natives in (say) Anuradha to differ in temperament.
Why nakshatras matter more than sun signs
Sun signs are slow — the Sun spends a month in each. Nakshatras are fast — the Moon spends ~24 hours in each. That precision is the whole point. Two people born hours apart can share a sun sign but have completely different nakshatras, and the nakshatra is closer to who they actually are.
For Vedic compatibility matching, nakshatra is the primary variable — the basis of the 36-point Ashtakoot system. For more on how nakshatra matching works, see Nakshatra compatibility for marriage.
Reading your gana, nadi, and yoni
Gana (Deva / Manushya / Rakshasa) is your temperament category — divine, human, or fierce. Not a moral judgement; just a description of energy. Nadi (Vata / Pitta / Kapha) is your dosha-aligned constitutional type, used in marriage matching to avoid same-nadi pairings. Yoni is your animal pairing — used for sexual compatibility analysis.
Browse all 27 nakshatra pages for the full personality reads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a nakshatra?
A nakshatra is one of the 27 lunar mansions in Vedic astrology — each a 13°20' segment of the zodiac the Moon passes through every month. Your birth nakshatra (janma nakshatra) is whichever mansion the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. Vedic astrology treats it as more revealing of personality than the sun sign.
How is my nakshatra calculated?
From your date, time, and place of birth, we compute the exact sidereal longitude of the Moon and identify which of the 27 nakshatras it falls into. Each spans 13°20', so the math is exact — but it depends entirely on accurate birth time, since the Moon moves through one nakshatra in roughly 24 hours.
What is a pada?
Each nakshatra is divided into 4 equal padas of 3°20' each. The pada adds finer detail — each one is ruled by a different navamsa sign and gives the nakshatra a slightly different flavour. Two people in the same nakshatra but different padas can feel quite different from each other.
Why does birth time matter so much for nakshatra?
The Moon moves about 13° per day — roughly one full nakshatra. So an error of a few hours in your recorded birth time can shift you into a different nakshatra entirely, changing both your starting dasha lord and your nakshatra personality read. Use the most precise time you have.
What is janma nakshatra?
"Janma" means birth. Janma nakshatra is the same thing as your birth nakshatra — the lunar mansion your Moon occupied at the moment you were born. It is the foundation of nearly all Vedic predictive work, including the Vimshottari dasha system.
What is the difference between rashi and nakshatra?
Rashi is your Vedic moon sign — the zodiac sign (one of 12) your Moon was in. Nakshatra is the finer 27-fold division of the same sky. Each sign contains 2¼ nakshatras. So Rashi gives you the broad emotional weather; nakshatra gives the specific shape of it.
How does gana affect compatibility?
Gana classifies each nakshatra as Deva (divine), Manushya (human), or Rakshasa (demonic — in temperament, not morality). In Vedic marriage matching, same-gana pairings flow easily; Deva-Manushya is neutral; Deva-Rakshasa is the hardest. Yuktai's calculator shows your gana so you can read your own compatibility patterns.
Why does Yuktai use Lahiri ayanamsa?
Lahiri (also called Chitrapaksha) is the standard sidereal offset used by virtually all Vedic astrologers in India and by India's national almanac. Using it ensures your nakshatra matches what a traditional Indian astrologer would tell you. Different ayanamsas can shift the result by ~24°, enough to change your nakshatra.
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