Uttara Phalguni Nakshatra
उत्तर फाल्गुनी
What is Uttara Phalguni nakshatra?
Uttara Phalguni (उत्तर फाल्गुनी) is the 12th of the 27 nakshatras, spanning 26°40′ Leo–10°00′ Virgo. Its Vimshottari lord is Sun, its presiding deity is Aryaman, and its symbol is the back legs of a bed. A Moon in Uttara Phalguni at birth means the Vimshottari dasha sequence begins with Sun.
The character of Uttara Phalguni
Where Purva Phalguni enjoys, Uttara Phalguni commits. Its deity presides over contracts and patronage, giving it a classical character of reliability, friendship and kept promises.
Associated with partnership, philanthropy, contracts and organised, dependable work.
Like every nakshatra, Uttara Phalguni spans exactly 13°20′ and divides into four padas of 3°20′. The pada the Moon occupies refines the reading considerably — it determines the Navamsa sign, which is why a birth time accurate to within a few hours matters for anything built on the pada rather than on the nakshatra alone.
Naming syllables of Uttara Phalguni
Each of Uttara Phalguni's four padas carries its own naming syllable: pada 1 (Leo) — टे (Te); pada 2 (Virgo) — टो (To); pada 3 (Virgo) — पा (Paa); pada 4 (Virgo) — पी (Pee).
In the naming tradition a child born with the Moon in Uttara Phalguni is given a name beginning with the syllable of the Moon's pada, so knowing the nakshatra narrows the choice to Te, To, Paa, Pee and the pada, which changes every 3°20′, picks one. The syllables are from Drik Panchang's nakshatra-pada swar table, spelled as in our Baby Name report.
How this nakshatra is used in a reading
The Moon's nakshatra is the single most consequential placement in a Vedic chart, because it fixes the Vimshottari dasha sequence for the whole of life. A Moon in Uttara Phalguni means the Sun mahadasha is the one running at birth, with however much of its 6 years remained at that moment, and every subsequent period follows in fixed order from there.
Nakshatras are also used for compatibility — the gana (Manushya), yoni (Cow (male)) and nadi (Adi) listed above are three of the eight kootas in Ashtakoot guna milan. Nadi carries the highest weight of the eight at 8 points, which is why nadi dosha is checked so carefully in matching.
Common questions
- Which planet rules Uttara Phalguni nakshatra?
- Sun is the Vimshottari dasha lord of Uttara Phalguni. This is distinct from the lord of the sign it falls in — a nakshatra can span two signs, and its dasha lord is fixed by its position in the 27-nakshatra cycle, not by the sign.
- What is a nakshatra pada?
- Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′. The pada determines which sign the Moon occupies in the Navamsa (D9) chart, which is why it matters for marriage readings and for naming. Uttara Phalguni's four padas cover 26°40′ Leo–10°00′ Virgo.
