How to find your nakshatra by date of birth
Your janma nakshatra (birth star) is the lunar mansion the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. The zodiac is divided into 27 equal nakshatras of 13°20′ each, so finding yours takes three steps: compute the Moon's exact sidereal longitude for your birth date, time and place; divide by 13°20′ to get the nakshatra; and read the quarter within it for your pada.
This calculator uses the same engine as our full kundli — planetary positions to the arc-minute with the Lahiri ayanamsa (the standard used by Indian panchangs). That matters because the Moon moves about 13° per day: date-only tables that ignore your birth time are wrong for roughly one birth in three.
A worked example
Suppose the Moon's sidereal longitude at your birth works out to 143°20′. Dividing by 13°20′ gives 10.75 — the Moon has completed ten nakshatras and is three-quarters through the eleventh, so the janma nakshatra is Purva Phalguni (the 11th), pada 4. The pada also fixes your traditional name-starting syllable (akshara) from the avakahada chakra.
All 27 nakshatras and their lords
Each nakshatra is ruled by one of nine planets in the fixed Vimshottari order — the same lordship that seeds your dasha timeline. Click through to any nakshatra for its deity, gana, pada-by-pada traits and baby-name syllables.
| # | Nakshatra | Lord |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashwini | Ketu |
| 2 | Bharani | Venus |
| 3 | Krittika | Sun |
| 4 | Rohini | Moon |
| 5 | Mrigashira | Mars |
| 6 | Ardra | Rahu |
| 7 | Punarvasu | Jupiter |
| 8 | Pushya | Saturn |
| 9 | Ashlesha | Mercury |
| 10 | Magha | Ketu |
| 11 | Purva Phalguni | Venus |
| 12 | Uttara Phalguni | Sun |
| 13 | Hasta | Moon |
| 14 | Chitra | Mars |
| 15 | Swati | Rahu |
| 16 | Vishakha | Jupiter |
| 17 | Anuradha | Saturn |
| 18 | Jyeshtha | Mercury |
| 19 | Mula | Ketu |
| 20 | Purva Ashadha | Venus |
| 21 | Uttara Ashadha | Sun |
| 22 | Shravana | Moon |
| 23 | Dhanishta | Mars |
| 24 | Shatabhisha | Rahu |
| 25 | Purva Bhadrapada | Jupiter |
| 26 | Uttara Bhadrapada | Saturn |
| 27 | Revati | Mercury |
Frequently asked questions
What is my nakshatra by date of birth?
Enter your birth date, time and place above — the calculator returns your janma nakshatra, pada, ruling lord and name syllable from the Moon's exact sidereal position. Date alone is not always enough, because the Moon changes nakshatra roughly every 24 hours.
How do I find my nakshatra without birth time?
Use 12:00 noon as a working guess, then check whether the Moon changed nakshatra that day. If it did, the result is ambiguous and only a remembered event time (or a family record) can settle it. About two days in three, the noon value is already correct.
What is the difference between nakshatra and rashi?
Both come from the Moon's position: the rashi is the 30° sign the Moon occupies (12 divisions), while the nakshatra is the finer 13°20′ lunar mansion (27 divisions). Every nakshatra spans parts of one or two rashis.
What is a nakshatra pada?
Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′. The pada maps your Moon to one navamsa (D9) sign and fixes the traditional name-starting syllable — which is why baby-name lists are organised by nakshatra and pada.
Which nakshatra is best?
None is 'bad'. Each of the 27 carries its own strengths — classical texts assign every nakshatra a deity, motivation and gift. Doshas attributed to certain nakshatras have specific, narrow conditions and well-known remedies; a full kundli reads them in context.