Nakshatra and Moon sign (rashi) calculator
Find your Moon sign (rashi), your birth nakshatra and its pada, and the planet that rules your nakshatra. Everything is worked out in the Vedic (sidereal) zodiac.
Your date and place of birth. Add the time if you know it. The Moon moves through a nakshatra in about a day, so the time can change the answer.
Cancer
Monday · SomavāraThe planet of the mind.Replays the conversation at one in the morning.What is my Moon sign, or rashi?
In Vedic astrology, your rashi is your Moon sign: the sign the Moon was in when you were born.
Classical astrology calls the Moon the mind. Indian practice has long put the Moon sign first, ahead of the Sun sign that Western horoscopes use.
Your weekly horoscope and traditions such as Sade Sati are counted from this sign. The Moon crosses a sign in about two and a quarter days, so people born a day apart often share it.
Sade Sati: the Saturn years counted from your Moon sign
Your whole Vedic birth chart, with every planet’s nakshatra
Family kundli: everyone’s Moon signs and nakshatras side by side
What is a nakshatra?
The nakshatras are the 27 lunar mansions of classical Vedic astrology. They split the zodiac into 27 equal parts of 13°20' each. That is roughly how far the Moon travels in a day.
Your birth nakshatra (janma nakshatra) is the one the Moon was in when you were born. It is a finer reading than the sign. Two people with the same Moon sign can have different nakshatras, and each nakshatra has its own name, symbol and ruling planet.
Today’s nakshatra, and the Moon’s sign right now
How we calculate your kundli: the ephemeris, the ayanamsa, the houses and the time zone
What are the pada and the ruling planet?
Each nakshatra splits into four padas, or quarters, of 3°20'. The pada pins down the Moon's position even more closely. It is traditionally used to choose the first syllable of a child's name.
Each nakshatra also has a ruling planet. The rulers repeat in an order of nine, starting from Ashwini: Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury.
That ruler does more than name the nakshatra. It decides which planetary period, or dasha, you were born into.
Is my Vedic Moon sign the same as my Western one?
For roughly four people in five, the Vedic Moon sign is one sign earlier than the Western one.
This calculator uses the sidereal zodiac (with the Lahiri setting), measured against the fixed stars. Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, tied to the seasons. The two are about 24 degrees apart.
Neither is a mistake. They are two ways of dividing the same sky, from different starting points. Nakshatras belong to the sidereal system only.
Your Sun, Moon and rising sign, counted the Vedic and the Western way
Questions people ask.
Every screen, every reason, the whole reading
One complete reading for a fictional chart. Exactly what you would receive, shown openly.
Open the sample readingIs rashi the same as Moon sign?
Yes. In Vedic astrology, rashi usually means the Moon sign, the sign the Moon was in at your birth. Strictly, rashi is the word for any of the twelve signs. But when someone asks for your rashi, they almost always mean your Moon sign.
Can I find my nakshatra without a birth time?
Usually, yes. The Moon spends about a day in each nakshatra, so on most birth dates the answer is the same all day. If the Moon changed nakshatra or sign on your birthday, the time decides it, so add it if you know it.
Why is my Vedic Moon sign different from my Western one?
Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, and Western astrology the tropical one. They are about 24 degrees apart, so for roughly four people in five the Vedic sign is one sign earlier. The Moon is in the same place in the sky. Only the sign boundaries differ.
What are the 27 nakshatras?
In order: Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashira, Ardra, Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati.
What is my nakshatra's ruling planet used for?
Mostly for timing. The ruler of your birth nakshatra decides which planet's period (mahadasha) you were born into. So it sets the whole order of your Vimshottari dashas. It is also read alongside the Moon, to add detail to what the Moon sign describes.
Which nakshatra is the best?
Each one has its own character, and classical astrology doesn't rank them. How your Moon is placed, and what else in your chart touches it, matters more than which of the 27 it sits in.
Your Moon is one planet of nine.
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