The 27 Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
सत्ताईस नक्षत्र
What are the 27 nakshatras?
The nakshatras are the 27 lunar mansions that divide the zodiac a second way, alongside the twelve signs. Each is exactly 13°20′ wide and divides into four padas of 3°20′. The nakshatra the Moon occupied at birth is the single most consequential placement in a Vedic chart, because it fixes the entire Vimshottari dasha sequence for the whole of life.
Each nakshatra has a fixed Vimshottari lord, a presiding deity, a symbol, and a set of classificatory attributes — gana, yoni and nadi — that are used in Ashtakoot compatibility matching. Nadi carries the highest weight of the eight kootas at 8 points, which is why nadi dosha is checked so carefully in kundli milan.
The lords repeat in the same nine-planet order three times across the 27, which is what makes the dasha sequence deterministic once the Moon's nakshatra is known.