Nakshatra

Each nakshatra is named after a fixed star or constellation (Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika, Rohini, and so on through Revati) and is associated with a ruling planet, a deity, an animal symbol, and a specific personality and life pattern. The moon's nakshatra at your birth is treated as one of the most personal points in the entire chart — it determines your starting Vimshottari mahadasha, your traditional birth name initials, and your gun milan compatibility scoring. Each nakshatra is divided into four padas (quarters), giving 108 padas in total — the same 108 sacred number used in mantra repetition. The 27-nakshatra system is unique to Vedic astrology and has no equivalent in the Western system.