Nakshatra
One of the 27 lunar mansions the moon passes through; a person's birth star.
The zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13°20' each, from Ashwini to Revati, and a person's nakshatra is the one the moon occupied at their birth. Each has a ruling planet, a deity, a symbol, a gana and a set of naming syllables, and four of the eight kootas are computed from it.
Nakshatra is what most of the horoscope match actually runs on — Tara, Yoni, Gana and Nadi all read it — which is why the birth star, more than the sun sign, is the thing a family asks about.
Related terms
Questions people ask
What does Nakshatra mean?
One of the 27 lunar mansions the moon passes through; a person's birth star.
Why does Nakshatra come up in matchmaking?
Nakshatra is what most of the horoscope match actually runs on — Tara, Yoni, Gana and Nadi all read it — which is why the birth star, more than the sun sign, is the thing a family asks about.
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