Nakshatra Calculator
नक्षत्र कैलकुलेटर
What is my birth nakshatra and pada?
Your nakshatra is one of the 27 lunar constellations the Moon occupied at your birth, further divided into 4 padas (quarters). It's a finer-grained reading than the rashi alone, and is the basis for Vimshottari dasha timing and traditional baby-naming syllables.
What the nakshatra and pada actually tell you
Where the rashi divides the zodiac into 12 broad slices, the 27 nakshatras divide it much finer — about 13°20′ each — and each nakshatra has a ruling planet (its Vimshottari lord) that starts your very first mahadasha. The pada, one of four ~3°20′ slices within a nakshatra, is precise enough that even a birth time recorded to the nearest half hour can shift it, which is why an exact birth time matters more here than for the rashi alone.
Common questions
- What's the difference between rashi and nakshatra?
- Rashi is 1 of 12 broad zodiac signs; nakshatra is 1 of 27 finer lunar constellations within those signs — nakshatra gives a more precise read of the Moon's position.
- Why does my nakshatra pada matter?
- The pada (quarter) is traditionally used for suggesting the first syllable of a name, and is precise enough to depend on an accurate birth time.
- What is a nakshatra lord?
- Each nakshatra is ruled by one of nine planets in a fixed sequence — that lord's mahadasha is the very first one your Vimshottari dasha timeline runs from birth.