Nakshatra Names in Vedic Astrology
All 27 Nakshatras with their English, Devanagari and scientific (star) names.
What is a Nakshatra?
Vedic astrology divides the zodiac into 27 parts, and each part is recognised by a unique name — a Nakshatra, written नक्षत्र in Devanagari.
The same 27 stars are used across Nepal and India, so every Nakshatra has a fixed English and Devanagari name along with a scientific name in modern astronomy. The table below lists all 27 Nakshatras in zodiacal order — from Ashvini to Revati — with all three names.
Names of all 27 Nakshatras — English, Devanagari and scientific names
| No | English Name | Devanagari Name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashvini / Aswini | अश्विनी | β Arietis (Sheratan) |
| 2 | Bharani | भरणी | 41 Arietis |
| 3 | Krittika / Krithika | कृत्तिका | η Tauri (Alcyone, Pleiades) |
| 4 | Rohini | रोहिणी | α Tauri (Aldebaran) |
| 5 | Mrigashira | मृगशिरा | λ Orionis (Meissa) |
| 6 | Ardra | आर्द्रा | α Orionis (Betelgeuse) |
| 7 | Punarvasu | पुनर्वसु | β Geminorum (Pollux) |
| 8 | Pushya | पुष्य | γ Cancri (Asellus Borealis) |
| 9 | Ashlesha | आश्ळेषा / आश्लेषा | ε Hydrae |
| 10 | Magha | मघा | α Leonis (Regulus) |
| 11 | Purva Phalguni | पूर्व फाल्गुनी | δ Leonis (Zosma) |
| 12 | Uttara Phalguni | उत्तर फाल्गुनी | β Leonis (Denebola) |
| 13 | Hasta | हस्त | δ Corvi (Algorab) |
| 14 | Chitra | चित्रा | α Virginis (Spica) |
| 15 | Swati | स्वाति | α Bootis (Arcturus) |
| 16 | Vishakha | विशाखा | α Librae (Zubenelgenubi) |
| 17 | Anuradha | अनुराधा | β Scorpii (Acrab) |
| 18 | Jyeshtha | ज्येष्ठा | α Scorpii (Antares) |
| 19 | Mula | मूल | λ Scorpii (Shaula) |
| 20 | Purva Ashadha | पूर्वाषाढा | δ Sagittarii (Kaus Media) |
| 21 | Uttara Ashadha | उत्तराषाढा | ζ Sagittarii (Ascella) |
| 22 | Shravana | श्रवण | α Aquilae (Altair) |
| 23 | Dhanishtha | श्रविष्ठा / धनिष्ठा | α & β Delphini (Sualocin, Rotanev) |
| 24 | Shatabhisha | शतभिषक् / शततारका | γ Aquarii (Sadalsuud) |
| 25 | Purva Bhadrapada | पूर्वभाद्रपदा / पूर्वप्रोष्ठपदा | α Pegasi (Markab) |
| 26 | Uttara Bhadrapada | उत्तरभाद्रपदा / उत्तरप्रोष्ठपदा | γ Pegasi (Algenib) |
| 27 | Revati | रेवती | ζ Piscium (Revati) |
- 1Ashvini / Aswini
- Devanagari Name
- अश्विनी
- Scientific Name
- β Arietis (Sheratan)
- 2Bharani
- Devanagari Name
- भरणी
- Scientific Name
- 41 Arietis
- 3Krittika / Krithika
- Devanagari Name
- कृत्तिका
- Scientific Name
- η Tauri (Alcyone, Pleiades)
- 4Rohini
- Devanagari Name
- रोहिणी
- Scientific Name
- α Tauri (Aldebaran)
- 5Mrigashira
- Devanagari Name
- मृगशिरा
- Scientific Name
- λ Orionis (Meissa)
- 6Ardra
- Devanagari Name
- आर्द्रा
- Scientific Name
- α Orionis (Betelgeuse)
- 7Punarvasu
- Devanagari Name
- पुनर्वसु
- Scientific Name
- β Geminorum (Pollux)
- 8Pushya
- Devanagari Name
- पुष्य
- Scientific Name
- γ Cancri (Asellus Borealis)
- 9Ashlesha
- Devanagari Name
- आश्ळेषा / आश्लेषा
- Scientific Name
- ε Hydrae
- 10Magha
- Devanagari Name
- मघा
- Scientific Name
- α Leonis (Regulus)
- 11Purva Phalguni
- Devanagari Name
- पूर्व फाल्गुनी
- Scientific Name
- δ Leonis (Zosma)
- 12Uttara Phalguni
- Devanagari Name
- उत्तर फाल्गुनी
- Scientific Name
- β Leonis (Denebola)
- 13Hasta
- Devanagari Name
- हस्त
- Scientific Name
- δ Corvi (Algorab)
- 14Chitra
- Devanagari Name
- चित्रा
- Scientific Name
- α Virginis (Spica)
- 15Swati
- Devanagari Name
- स्वाति
- Scientific Name
- α Bootis (Arcturus)
- 16Vishakha
- Devanagari Name
- विशाखा
- Scientific Name
- α Librae (Zubenelgenubi)
- 17Anuradha
- Devanagari Name
- अनुराधा
- Scientific Name
- β Scorpii (Acrab)
- 18Jyeshtha
- Devanagari Name
- ज्येष्ठा
- Scientific Name
- α Scorpii (Antares)
- 19Mula
- Devanagari Name
- मूल
- Scientific Name
- λ Scorpii (Shaula)
- 20Purva Ashadha
- Devanagari Name
- पूर्वाषाढा
- Scientific Name
- δ Sagittarii (Kaus Media)
- 21Uttara Ashadha
- Devanagari Name
- उत्तराषाढा
- Scientific Name
- ζ Sagittarii (Ascella)
- 22Shravana
- Devanagari Name
- श्रवण
- Scientific Name
- α Aquilae (Altair)
- 23Dhanishtha
- Devanagari Name
- श्रविष्ठा / धनिष्ठा
- Scientific Name
- α & β Delphini (Sualocin, Rotanev)
- 24Shatabhisha
- Devanagari Name
- शतभिषक् / शततारका
- Scientific Name
- γ Aquarii (Sadalsuud)
- 25Purva Bhadrapada
- Devanagari Name
- पूर्वभाद्रपदा / पूर्वप्रोष्ठपदा
- Scientific Name
- α Pegasi (Markab)
- 26Uttara Bhadrapada
- Devanagari Name
- उत्तरभाद्रपदा / उत्तरप्रोष्ठपदा
- Scientific Name
- γ Pegasi (Algenib)
- 27Revati
- Devanagari Name
- रेवती
- Scientific Name
- ζ Piscium (Revati)
How the 27 Nakshatras are arranged
Each Nakshatra covers 13° 20′ of the zodiac (360° ÷ 27). The first Nakshatra, Ashvini, begins at 0° Aries (Mesha) and the last, Revati, ends at 360° — so the 27 Nakshatras complete one full circle of the zodiac.
The 27 Nakshatras are counted in three groups of nine, and every Nakshatra is further divided into four quarters (padas) of 3° 20′. These 108 padas give the syllables used for naming a child according to the birth Nakshatra (Janma Nakshatra).
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Nakshatra names and the 27 Nakshatras.
Q:How many Nakshatras are there in Vedic astrology?
There are 27 Nakshatras. They divide the 360° zodiac into 27 equal parts of 13° 20′ each. A few traditional texts also mention Abhijit as a 28th Nakshatra, but the standard count used in the Panchang and in a Janma Kundali is 27.
Q:What is the difference between a Rashi and a Nakshatra?
There are 12 Rashis (zodiac signs) of 30° each, while there are 27 Nakshatras of 13° 20′ each. Every Nakshatra therefore falls inside a Rashi, and one Rashi covers two and a quarter Nakshatras.
Q:Which Nakshatra is used to name a child?
The Janma Nakshatra — the Nakshatra in which the Moon was placed at the time of birth. Its pada decides the first syllable (Naam Rashi) of the child's name, which is why the birth Nakshatra is calculated carefully in the Janma Kundali.
Q:Which stars do the 27 Nakshatras correspond to?
Each Nakshatra is identified with a star or star group in modern astronomy — its scientific name. Rohini is Aldebaran (α Tauri), Magha is Regulus (α Leonis), Chitra is Spica (α Virginis) and Jyeshtha is Antares (α Scorpii), for example. The scientific name column above gives this identification for all 27 Nakshatras.
Q:Which is the first and which is the last Nakshatra?
Ashvini is the first Nakshatra (0° to 13° 20′ of Aries) and Revati is the last (346° 40′ to 360°). The cycle then begins again with Ashvini.
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