Nakshatra and pada

Today you’ll learnExplain the 27 nakshatras and the four padas in each one, and locate a worked example that does not sit on a boundary.

Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ and has four padas of 3°20′. Ashwini ends at 13°20′ Aries; 18° Aries lies 4°40′ into Bharani. That is Bharani pada 2, from 16°40′ up to, but not including, 20° Aries. Here the minutes measure angles, not clock time.

27 equal divisions

In the jyotisha tradition, a nakshatra is one of 27 equal divisions of the zodiac's 360° circle. Since 360° ÷ 27 = 13°20′ (read as thirteen degrees, twenty minutes), each nakshatra is 13°20′ wide. Counting starts at 0° Aries, so Ashwini runs from 0° to less than 13°20′ Aries.

These minutes measure angle, not clock time. One degree of arc contains 60 minutes of arc, so 13°20′ means thirteen and one-third degrees, not 13.2°. The 20′ marks a position on the circle, not a length of time.

Ashwini: 0° to less than 13°20′ Aries
Bharani: 13°20′ to less than 26°40′ Aries

Four padas in each nakshatra

Each nakshatra divides into four equal quarters called padas. Since 13°20′ ÷ 4 = 3°20′, each pada is 3°20′ wide. Twenty-seven nakshatras with four padas each make 108 quarters, the same count the 1905 Brihat Jataka translator records.

To find a pada, first measure how far the point lies inside its nakshatra, then count 3°20′ steps. Less than 3°20′ in is pada 1. From 3°20′ to less than 6°40′ is pada 2. From 6°40′ to less than 10° is pada 3. From 10° to less than 13°20′ is pada 4.

Signs and nakshatras overlap

A sign, or rashi, is 30° wide, so sign boundaries and nakshatra boundaries do not always line up. The first two nakshatras cover 26°40′ of Aries. The third starts in the last 3°20′ of Aries and continues into Taurus. A nakshatra need not end where a sign ends.

Padas do fit evenly into signs. Since 30° ÷ 3°20′ = 9, every sign holds exactly nine padas. Sign-and-degree and nakshatra-and-pada are two labels for the same point, so it helps to write down both.

Worked example

Fictional worked example: 8° Aries

This point is invented and does not come from anyone's chart. It shows the method on a value well away from any boundary.

8° is less than 13°20′, so the point lies in Ashwini.
Ashwini starts at 0° Aries, so the point is 8° into Ashwini.
8° is past 6°40′ but less than 10°, so the point is in the third 3°20′ step: Ashwini pada 3.

Your turn

Try it yourself

Use the strip: Ashwini runs from 0° to less than 13°20′ Aries, and Bharani from 13°20′ to less than 26°40′ Aries. Place 18° Aries on the strip. Which nakshatra and pada is it?

Show the answer

Ashwini ends at 13°20′, so 18° Aries is in Bharani. It is 18° − 13°20′ = 4°40′ into Bharani. That is past 3°20′ but less than 6°40′, so it is Bharani pada 2, which spans 16°40′ to less than 20° Aries.

One quick check

A point lies 4°40′ into a nakshatra. Which pada is it in?

See the explanation

Pada 1 covers only the first 3°20′. Pada 2 runs from 3°20′ to less than 6°40′, and 4°40′ falls inside that range. Pada 4 does not begin until 10°.

Take these three ideas with you

One nakshatra is 13°20′ of arc, and 27 of them make 360°.
One pada is 3°20′. There are four in each nakshatra and nine in each sign.
18° Aries is Bharani pada 2.