Your Nakshatra is the 13°20′ slice of sky the Moon occupied when you were born — a finer division than your Rashi, and the one Vedic astrology actually counts your dasha from. There are 27 of them, each with four padas, a ruling planet, a deity and a traditional name syllable. Enter your birth details and this reads yours from the real sky.
Your nakshatra is decided by where the Moon sat to the degree, not by your birth month. The Moon crosses one nakshatra in roughly a day, so the date alone is not enough.
Each nakshatra splits into four padas of 3°20′. Your pada decides your Navamsa placement and your traditional name syllable, and two people in the same nakshatra but different padas read differently.
The nakshatra lord starts your Vimshottari dasha, and gana, nadi and yoni are what Kundli matching actually scores. Everything downstream begins here.
Enter your date, time and place above. The Moon moves through one nakshatra in about a day, so the date on its own can land you in either of two — the birth time is what makes it certain. This computes the Moon's exact sidereal longitude with the Swiss Ephemeris and Lahiri ayanamsa.
Each of the 27 nakshatras is divided into four quarters of 3°20′ called padas. Your pada fixes your Navamsa (D9) sign and gives the syllable traditionally used to start a child's name. It is also why two people of the same nakshatra can read quite differently.
The nakshatra is the finer reading. Your Rashi is one of twelve 30° signs; your nakshatra is one of twenty-seven 13°20′ segments, and it is the nakshatra — not the Rashi — that decides which Vimshottari dasha you were born into.
Yes — that is the traditional namakshar system. Each pada carries a syllable, and a name beginning with it is considered harmonious with the child's Moon. This page shows the syllable for your own pada and all four for your nakshatra.
ShukrAI computes from your real birth chart with the Swiss Ephemeris and Lahiri ayanamsa. It is for reflection and self-understanding, is never a prediction of doom, and is not a substitute for professional advice.