27 Nakshatras: Complete List, Meanings, Ruling Planets & Traits

By Monica Kapoor · Vedic astrologer & tarot mentor · Masters in Vedic Numerology · 15+ years of practice Published 30 October 2026 · Last updated 5 November 2026 · 18 min read

What is a nakshatra?

A nakshatra (नक्षत्र) is a lunar mansion: one of 27 equal segments of the sky that the Moon passes through on its monthly journey. The Moon takes about 27.3 days to circle the zodiac, so it spends roughly one day in each nakshatra. That is why the ancient seers divided the sky into 27 parts.

Each nakshatra is named after a star or small group of stars that sits in that part of the sky, for example the Pleiades for Krittika and Aldebaran for Rohini. The nakshatras are older than the 12-sign zodiac in Indian astronomy. They appear in the Rig Veda, the Taittiriya Samhita and the Taittiriya Brahmana, which lists their deities, and the Vedanga Jyotisha. For astronomical star identifications, see the list of nakshatras on Wikipedia.

The 27 nakshatras list in order (master table)

Tap or click any nakshatra on the wheel to see its meaning, lord, deity, gana and name letters. Tap a planet below the wheel to highlight the three nakshatras it rules.

All degrees are sidereal (nirayana, Lahiri ayanamsa), which is the standard used in Indian panchangs and kundlis. Use the search and filters to narrow both tables below.

Showing all 27 nakshatras

Gana, yoni, nadi and name letters for all 27 nakshatras

These are the details used in Kundli matching (Ashta Koota) and for choosing baby names. Most nakshatra list pages leave them out.

How to read this:

• Gana (temperament): there are 9 nakshatras in each of Deva (divine, gentle), Manushya (human, balanced) and Rakshasa (intense, fierce). “Rakshasa” doesn’t mean evil. It means strong-willed and self-protective. Same-gana couples score highest in matching.
• Yoni (instinct and physical compatibility): 14 animals, each with a male and female nakshatra. Matching yonis score best. “Enemy” pairs such as cat–rat, cow–tiger, dog–deer, horse–buffalo, lion–elephant, monkey–goat and serpent–mongoose score lowest.
• Nadi (constitution): Adi (Vata), Madhya (Pitta) and Antya (Kapha). Partners with the same nadi get Nadi Dosha, the most heavily weighted factor (8 of 36 points).

Nakshatras grouped by ruling planet

The ruling planets repeat in a fixed cycle of nine. This cycle is the basis of the Vimshottari Dasha system described in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, which decides which planetary period you’re born into.

Total: 120 years. If you were born with the Moon in, say, Rohini, your life starts in the Moon’s Mahadasha. How much of it remains depends on how far the Moon had moved through Rohini at birth. Running a difficult Rahu or Ketu period? See my guide to Rahu and Ketu in astrology. For Saturn’s three nakshatras, the traditional bead is the 7 Mukhi Rudraksha.

All 27 nakshatras explained: meaning and traits

A quick profile of each nakshatra: what it means, which rashi it falls in, and its core nature. These are tendencies. Your full chart always adds more detail.

Abhijit: the 28th nakshatra

Older Vedic texts list 28 nakshatras. The extra one is Abhijit (“the invincible”), associated with the bright star Vega. It lies within Capricorn from about 6°40′ to 10°53′20″, overlapping the end of Uttara Ashadha and the start of Shravana.

Abhijit is not used in the Vimshottari dasha system or in Kundli matching, which is why the standard list has 27. It is still used in muhurta. The daily Abhijit Muhurta, roughly 24 minutes either side of local midday, is considered auspicious for most work.

Gandmool nakshatras

Six nakshatras sit at the junction between a water sign and a fire sign. These junctions are called gandanta. Births in these nakshatras are traditionally called Gandmool (Gand Mool):

Traditionally, a Gandmool shanti puja is done for a baby born in these nakshatras, usually on the 27th day after birth, when the Moon returns to the same nakshatra. In my experience, a Gandmool birth is not a reason to fear. It is a sign of a strong, transformative chart. The traditional effects apply mainly to particular padas, and they depend on the rest of the chart.

Nakshatra vs rashi: what’s the difference?

Think of the rashi as the neighbourhood and the nakshatra as the house where your Moon lives. Two people with the same Moon sign can have very different natures if their nakshatras differ. A Cancer Moon in Punarvasu is not the same as one in Ashlesha.

Rashi and nakshatra list

How to find your nakshatra

You need your date, exact time and place of birth. The Moon changes nakshatra about once a day, so the date alone isn’t enough.

The easy way: look at your kundli. Your Janma Nakshatra is listed next to the Moon, often as “Nakshatra: Rohini, Pada 2”. Any reputable panchang or kundli software will calculate it.

The manual way (if you know your Moon’s sidereal degree):

1. Convert the Moon’s position to total degrees from 0° Aries. For example, Moon at 12° Cancer = 90° + 12° = 102°.
2. Divide by 13.333 (13°20′): 102 ÷ 13.333 = 7.65.
3. Round up to the next whole number: 8, which is Pushya.
4. For the pada, look at the remainder: 0.65 × 4 = 2.6, so round up to pada 3.

Make sure the degree is sidereal (Lahiri ayanamsa), not tropical (Western). The two differ by about 24°, which can shift you by almost two nakshatras.

If you’d like me to read your nakshatra with your full chart, I do this in every Vedic astrology reading.

How nakshatras are used in real life

Which nakshatra is best? There is no single “best” nakshatra for a birth. Each has strengths and challenges. For muhurta, Pushya is traditionally considered the most auspicious for new beginnings, and Rohini, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta and Revati are among the most favoured for marriage.

How I use nakshatras in a reading

In a consultation, the nakshatra is usually the first thing I look at, before planets and houses. This is the order I work in:

1. Janma nakshatra and pada. This tells me the person’s emotional nature and instinct, often more accurately than the Moon sign.
2. Lagna nakshatra. The nakshatra rising at birth shows how the person approaches the world. When the Moon and Lagna nakshatras pull in different directions, that tension is often what the client has come to talk about.
3. Nakshatra lord’s condition. If someone is born in Rohini, I look at where the Moon sits and how strong it is, because the lord delivers the nakshatra’s promise.
4. Current dasha. I check which planet’s period is running and which nakshatras that planet occupies. This tells me which themes are “switched on” right now.
5. Tara Bala for timing. When a client asks “when should I start?”, I count from their birth nakshatra to the day’s nakshatra. This is the simplest personal muhurta check, and few people know it exists.

From my readings

27 नक्षत्र (हिंदी में सारांश)

वैदिक ज्योतिष में कुल 27 नक्षत्र होते हैं और प्रत्येक नक्षत्र 13°20′ का होता है। क्रम से 27 नक्षत्रों के नाम हैं: अश्विनी, भरणी, कृत्तिका, रोहिणी, मृगशिरा, आर्द्रा, पुनर्वसु, पुष्य, आश्लेषा, मघा, पूर्वा फाल्गुनी, उत्तरा फाल्गुनी, हस्त, चित्रा, स्वाति, विशाखा, अनुराधा, ज्येष्ठा, मूल, पूर्वाषाढ़ा, उत्तराषाढ़ा, श्रवण, धनिष्ठा, शतभिषा, पूर्वा भाद्रपद, उत्तरा भाद्रपद और रेवती। हर नक्षत्र के चार चरण होते हैं, कुल 108 चरण। हर नक्षत्र का एक स्वामी ग्रह, देवता और प्रतीक होता है। 28वां नक्षत्र अभिजीत है, जिसे दशा और कुंडली मिलान में नहीं गिना जाता। अश्विनी, आश्लेषा, मघा, ज्येष्ठा, मूल और रेवती गंडमूल नक्षत्र हैं। आपका जन्म नक्षत्र वह है जिसमें जन्म के समय चंद्रमा था।

Conclusion

The 27 nakshatras are the finest layer of the Vedic chart. They are older than the zodiac signs and far more personal. Knowing your birth nakshatra tells you your dasha sequence, your natural temperament (gana), your instinctive needs (yoni), the letters for your name and your compatibility with others. Use the tables above as a reference, and read the individual nakshatra guides to go deeper, starting with Pushya Nakshatra.

To understand what your nakshatra means alongside your Lagna, planets and current dasha, book a Kundli reading.

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Spiritual and astrological guidance is for personal reflection. It is not a substitute for qualified medical, legal, financial or psychological advice.