What is a nakshatra (lunar mansion)?
A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions, each spanning 13 degrees 20 minutes of the sidereal zodiac.
What it is
The 27 nakshatras run from Ashwini to Revati. Each has a lord from the Vimshottari sequence, a deity, a symbol and a set of qualities described in the classical texts. The Moon's nakshatra at birth sets the start of the dasha.
How it is worked out or read
The nakshatra index is the integer part of the sidereal Moon longitude divided by 13 degrees 20 minutes, plus one. Each nakshatra has four padas (quarters) of 3 degrees 20 minutes each.
Where it appears on this site
The Moon's nakshatra is shown in the panchang and the dasha tool. The learn section has a page for each nakshatra.
Using the nakshatra in a reading
The nakshatra of the Moon is one of the most used references in Jyotish. It sets the starting lord of the Vimshottari dasha, it is shown in the panchang for the day, and it is one of the factors in the classical muhurat rules. A reader who wants to understand a nakshatra should look at its lord, its deity, its symbol and its place in the sequence of 27. The lord tells you the dasha order, the deity and symbol give the traditional character, and the place in the sequence shows its neighbours, which matter in several rules.
Common errors
The most common error is confusing the nakshatra with the rashi. A nakshatra covers 13 degrees 20 minutes, and a rashi covers 30 degrees, so a sign contains about two and a quarter nakshatras. Another error is ignoring the padas. Each nakshatra has four quarters, and the pada affects the navamsha and the naming rules. A third error is using a nakshatra from a printed almanac without checking its end time, since the Moon passes out of a nakshatra within about a day, and a birth near the boundary can fall in the neighbouring nakshatra.
The nakshatra and the birth time
Because the Moon moves about a nakshatra a day, the nakshatra at birth depends strongly on the birth time. A birth early in the morning and a birth late in the evening can fall in different nakshatras on the same date. For this reason a reader should give the time as precisely as possible when the nakshatra matters, for example for the dasha or for matching. The panchang and the dasha tool both use the time you enter, so the same date with two times can give two different starting dashas.
Nakshatras in the everyday calendar
Nakshatras appear in the everyday calendar as the Moon's daily position among the stars. A reader who follows the panchang over a few weeks will notice the sequence of nakshatras passing, which gives a concrete sense of the Moon's monthly journey.
Nakshatras and the Moon's company
The Moon moves through the nakshatras as a traveller passes through a series of stations, meeting a new company of stars each day. A reader may picture the nakshatra as the company the Moon keeps at a given time, which gives its meaning a concrete image.