ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ: ಚಂದ್ರನ ಮನೆ | Nakshatra: the moon’s lodging

The band of sky the moon travels through is divided into twenty-seven equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes each. Each is a nakshatra, and the moon occupies each one for roughly a day before moving to the next. The old word for them is chandra’s houses, the lodgings the moon rests in as it goes round.

The twenty-seven, in order from the fixed starting point:

1. Ashwini The first nakshatra, in Mesha. Its sign is a horse’s head. Held quick and healing: good for journeys, medicine and starting things.
2. Bharani In Mesha, ruled by Yama. Its sign is the womb. A fierce star: kept for hard, decisive work, not for beginnings.
3. Krittika The Pleiades, from the end of Mesha into Vrishabha. Its sign is a flame. A sharp star: good for cutting, cooking and firm decisions.
4. Rohini The red star Aldebaran, in Vrishabha, the Moon’s favourite. A fixed, gentle star: good for weddings, building and planting.
5. Mrigashira The deer’s head, in Vrishabha and Mithuna. A soft, searching star: good for travel, learning and new friendships.
6. Ardra Betelgeuse, in Mithuna. Its sign is a teardrop. A sharp star of storms: kept for hard tasks, not for celebrations.
7. Punarvasu Castor and Pollux, in Mithuna and Karkataka. Its name means the return of light. A moving star: good for journeys and fresh starts.
8. Pushya In Karkataka, the most auspicious of all. Its sign is a cow’s udder. Good for nearly everything except a wedding.
9. Ashlesha The coiled serpent, in Karkataka. A sharp star: avoided for beginnings, used for cunning or harsh work.
10. Magha Regulus, in Simha. The star of the ancestors and of kings. Good for rites for the forefathers and for honours.
11. Purva Phalguni In Simha, ruled by Bhaga. A star of rest and pleasure: good for weddings, music and enjoyment.
12. Uttara Phalguni From Simha into Kanya. A fixed star: good for weddings, contracts and anything meant to last.
13. Hasta The hand, in Kanya. A light, skilful star: good for crafts, trade, learning and travel.
14. Chitra Spica, the bright jewel, in Kanya and Tula. A soft star of beauty: good for building, design and clothes.
15. Swati Arcturus, in Tula. Its sign is a shoot bending in the wind. A moving star: good for trade, travel and learning.
16. Vishakha In Tula and Vrishchika. Its sign is a decorated gateway. A mixed star: fine for steady work, avoided for beginnings.
17. Anuradha In Vrishchika, ruled by Mitra, the friend. A soft star of friendship: good for journeys, meetings and weddings.
18. Jyeshtha Antares, the eldest, in Vrishchika. A sharp star: avoided for auspicious work, used for stern or protective tasks.
19. Mula The root, at the centre of the galaxy, in Dhanu. A sharp star: avoided for beginnings, except in the parts almanacs allow.
20. Purva Ashadha In Dhanu, the earlier victory star. Its sign is a fan. A fierce star: good for bold work, contests and water.
21. Uttara Ashadha From Dhanu into Makara, the later victory star. A fixed star: good for weddings, contracts and lasting work.
22. Shravana Altair, in Makara. Its sign is the ear. A moving star of listening: good for learning, travel and worship.
23. Dhanishtha The drum, in Makara and Kumbha. A moving star of wealth and music. Panchaka begins in its second half.
24. Shatabhisha The hundred healers, in Kumbha. A moving star: good for medicine and healing. In panchaka.
25. Purva Bhadrapada In Kumbha and Meena, the front legs of the funeral cot. A fierce star: kept for hard work. In panchaka.
26. Uttara Bhadrapada In Meena, the back legs of the cot. A fixed star: good for weddings and lasting work. In panchaka.
27. Revati The last nakshatra, in Meena. Its sign is a fish. A soft star: good for journeys, weddings and ending things well. Panchaka ends with it.

Each is associated with a group of actual stars. Rohini is Aldebaran, Chitra is Spica, Jyeshtha is Antares, Krittika is the Pleiades. The divisions are equal, though, so the boundaries no longer sit exactly on the stars they are named for.

Padas

Each nakshatra is quartered into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. Twenty-seven times four gives 108, and those 108 quarters map neatly onto the twelve zodiac signs at nine padas each. The pada of your birth nakshatra determines the first syllable traditionally used in naming a child, which is why so many South Indian names begin with a syllable that is not the parents’ free choice.

Janma nakshatra

In much of South India the nakshatra the moon occupied at birth matters more than the sun sign. It is the janma nakshatra, and its return each month, roughly every 27.3 days, is observed by some families with a simple offering or a temple visit. Its return in the right month is the traditional birthday, kept before the Gregorian one.

It also governs practical matters: the nakshatra is consulted for travel, for beginning study, for a first haircut, and it carries weight in horoscope matching, where the nadi and gana attributed to each nakshatra are weighed.

How it is computed

Divide the moon’s sidereal longitude by 13 degrees 20 minutes. The whole number is the nakshatra, counting from Ashwini at zero. Sidereal means measured from a fixed point among the stars rather than from the moving equinox, which is why an ayanamsa has to be subtracted from the longitude an astronomer would quote. A nakshatra lasts about a day, but like the tithi its length varies with the moon’s speed, between roughly 20 and 27 hours.