Moon Sign & Nakshatra
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Moon sign and nakshatra — what the rashi is, why the nakshatra decides your dasha, and the twenty-seven in order.
0The rashi, and what it is not
Your rashi in jyotish is the sign the Moon occupied at birth, not the Sun. The sign named in a newspaper horoscope is the Sun sign, which is a western convention, and it is why a daily prediction read from it so often does not fit. The Moon is the mind — the rashi describes how you take things in rather than what you do.
Why the nakshatra matters more
A sign is thirty degrees; a nakshatra is 13°20', so there are 27 of them across the zodiac and two or three inside every sign. The nakshatra the Moon sat in decides which dasha you were born into and therefore the timing of everything in the report — two people with the same Moon sign but different nakshatras run completely different periods. It also decides the first syllable traditionally used for a name, and the gana, yoni and nadi that kundli milan is scored on.
The 27 nakshatras, in order
Each spans 13°20', starting from 0° Aries.
- 1. Ashwini
- Aries — from 0.00°
- 2. Bharani
- Aries — from 13.33°
- 3. Krittika
- Aries — from 26.67°
- 4. Rohini
- Taurus — from 40.00°
- 5. Mrigashira
- Taurus — from 53.33°
- 6. Ardra
- Gemini — from 66.67°
- 7. Punarvasu
- Gemini — from 80.00°
- 8. Pushya
- Cancer — from 93.33°
- 9. Ashlesha
- Cancer — from 106.67°
- 10. Magha
- Cancer — from 120.00°
- 11. Purva Phalguni
- Leo — from 133.33°
- 12. Uttara Phalguni
- Leo — from 146.67°
- 13. Hasta
- Virgo — from 160.00°
- 14. Chitra
- Virgo — from 173.33°
- 15. Swati
- Libra — from 186.67°
- 16. Vishakha
- Libra — from 200.00°
- 17. Anuradha
- Scorpio — from 213.33°
- 18. Jyeshtha
- Scorpio — from 226.67°
- 19. Mula
- Scorpio — from 240.00°
- 20. Purva Ashadha
- Sagittarius — from 253.33°
- 21. Uttara Ashadha
- Sagittarius — from 266.67°
- 22. Shravana
- Capricorn — from 280.00°
- 23. Dhanishta
- Capricorn — from 293.33°
- 24. Shatabhisha
- Aquarius — from 306.67°
- 25. Purva Bhadrapada
- Aquarius — from 320.00°
- 26. Uttara Bhadrapada
- Pisces — from 333.33°
- 27. Revati
- Pisces — from 346.67°
If you want to act on this
A remedy in jyotish is an act, not a purchase — a fast, a mantra, a donation on the right weekday. Where a formal ritual is called for, these are the three that apply: a puja performed on your behalf, a chadhawa offered at the temple, or an abhimantrit article energised with the mantra of the planet involved.
Not sure what this means for your own chart?
Ask the astrologer — it reads your chart, not a general rule, and answers in plain words.
Common questions
- Is my rashi the Sun sign or the Moon sign?
- Your rashi in jyotish is the sign the Moon occupied at birth, not the Sun. The sign named in a newspaper horoscope is the Sun sign, which is a western convention, and it is why a daily prediction read from it so often does not fit. The Moon is the mind — the rashi describes how you take things in rather than what you do.
- How many nakshatras are there?
- 27, each of 13°20', starting from 0° Aries.