nakshatra · 1 min read
What Is Your Birth Nakshatra?
How the Moon's lunar mansion at birth shapes your Vimshottari dasha sequence — and why nakshatra matters more than Sun sign in Jyotisha.
By Antara ·
Western astrology starts with your Sun sign. Vedic astrology starts with your Moon nakshatra — the lunar mansion the Moon occupied at your birth.
Why the Moon?
The Moon moves fastest through the zodiac and changes nakshatra roughly every day. Your birth nakshatra is precise to the hour — it sets the starting point of your Vimshottari dasha sequence.
Twenty-seven mansions
Each nakshatra spans 13°20' of the sidereal zodiac. There are 27 nakshatras, each with four padas (quarters). Your pada refines personality nuance within the mansion.
What to read next
- Nakshatra glossary — plain definition
- Nakshatra guides — all 27 mansions
- Sky today — see today's Panchanga nakshatra
When you are ready for a reading tied to your actual dasha period, begin with your chart.
See this in your chart
Begin your reading