nakshatra

nakshatra, term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology (jyotisha). The Sanskrit word nakshatra refers to both individual stars as well as constellations of stars. Since approximately 1000 bce the Hindu calendar system has divided the year into 12 lunar months, each with 27 (or in some sources 28) nakshatras, or constellations, on the ecliptic in which the Moon rises daily in the course of one lunation (the period from new moon to new moon). The nakshatras are consulted to determine the timing of Vedic and other Hindu rituals, and the nakshatra at the time of one’s birth is believed to impact multiple aspects of one’s life.

Origin and mythology

The nakshatras are listed and detailed in the Atharva Veda (19.7.1), the last of the four Vedas, which mentions 28 lunar mansions. The Chinese calendar system also enumerates 28 lunar mansions called hsiu. Other Vedic era texts, such as the Taittiriya Samhita (4.4.10.1–3) and the Shatapatha Brahmana (10.5.4.5), list 27 nakshatras. The Vedic year was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, equaling 360 days, and the discrepancy with the nakshatra system was resolved by the intercalation of a leap month every 60 months.

The count of 27 nakshatras, which is the current preferred enumeration, is derived from the number of days that the Moon takes to complete one orbit of Earth. The Moon travels in an arc covering 13º 20’ per day and thus takes 27.27 days to go around Earth; this number is rounded down to 27 to arrive at the number of nakshatras, each of which measure an arc of 13° 20′ of the ecliptic circle. One of the original 28 nakshatras, Abhijit, was discarded from most later lists. The nakshatras are in turn divided into four quarters called padas (“feet”), which are thought to provide more astrological specificity. This division of the astrological system yields 27 times 4, or 108 divisions, within a month, and 108 is considered a sacred number in Hinduism.

According to a Hindu myth recounted in the epic Mahabharata (Shalya Parvan, section 35) the nakshatras are the daughters of Daksha, one of the sons of the god Brahma. All the daughters are married to Chandra, the Moon, but he favors only one of them, Rohini. When the other daughters complain to their father about the Moon’s favoritism, Daksha curses the Moon to wane and become emaciated. The Moon’s dimmed status causes the herbs to dry up, however, which afflicts the animals, who began to waste away. The gods then ask Daksha to withdraw the curse. Since Daksha is unable to fully withdraw the curse, he modifies it to make the Moon wax and wane each month, thus explaining the Moon’s phases. One condition Daksha stipulates for modifying his curse is that the Moon should promise to spend time equally among his 27 nakshatra wives, thus providing a narrative basis for the systematic cycling of the Moon through the 27 lunar mansions.

Astrological significance

In Hindu astrological reckoning, a person’s nakshatra is determined based on the specific date, time, and location of their birth. The nakshatras do not precisely track solar days, so careful calculations are required to determine one’s important astrological sign. This system is unlike the zodiac sign, which is based on the position of the Sun in one of the 12 astrological sign constellations. The Hindu calendar, since encountering Mesopotamian and Greek systems, also includes a translated version of the 12 zodiac signs (called rashis), which are also considered astrologically meaningful in conjunction with the nakshatra system. A person’s nakshatra is said to be determinative of many aspects of their lives, including personality, relationships, health, and career.

Certain nakshatras are thought to be more or less compatible for marriage, thus matching nakshatras often plays a role in Hindu marriage arrangements. For archana offerings—a specific form of puja in Hindu temples—the officiating priest (pujari) performing the ritual on a devotee’s behalf asks the devotee for their name, gotra (lineage), and nakshatra, which are then included in the priest’s recitations during the ritual. For devoted Hindus, knowing one’s nakshatra is thus essential information and a part of one’s identity. Internet sites that can calculate one’s nakshatra are readily available.

List of nakshatras

As the Hindu astrological system developed, it became increasingly layered with meanings, associations, and symbols. Each of the 27 nakshatras is associated with a symbol, a ruling deity from Hindu mythology (many of them ancient Vedic deities), and a lord who governs that nakshatra. The governing lord is one of the navagrahas, the nine celestial bodies in Hindu astrology. The cycle of 27 nakshatras begins with Ashvini and ends with Revati.

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