Nakshatra Pada, the star's four quarters

What is a pada?

A pada is one quarter of a nakshatra. Each star-mansion spans 13 degrees 20 minutes of the sidereal zodiac and is divided into four equal parts, padas, of 3 degrees 20 minutes each. With 27 nakshatras, that gives 108 padas in total (27 x 4), covering the full zodiac from 0 degrees to 360 degrees.

While the nakshatra tells you which star-mansion the Moon occupies, the pada tells you where within that mansion the Moon stands. It is the difference between knowing that you live in a particular neighbourhood and knowing which block in that neighbourhood you live on.

The navamsa connection, the D-9 chart

The 108 padas correspond exactly to the 108 navamsas in the D-9 chart (navamsa chart). Each navamsa covers 3 degrees 20 minutes, exactly the same as a pada. This is no coincidence: the navamsa division is padas projected onto the 12 rashis.

How it works

• 12 rashis x 9 navamsas per rashi = 108 navamsas = 108 padas.
• The navamsa cycle begins at the first pada of a fire sign's starting point: Mesha (Aries), Simma (Leo), Dhanus (Sagittarius), and repeats 3 times across the 12 rashis.
• Your birth pada therefore points to one navamsa sign, used in the D-9 chart.

Naming syllables, the most practical use of pada

The most immediate everyday use of pada is namakaranam, the Tamil naming ceremony. Each pada has a designated starting syllable (aksharam), and the child's name should begin with the syllable that corresponds to the birth nakshatra and pada.

There are 108 starting syllables in total, one per pada. The full table appears below in the 108 padas reference.

How to determine your pada

To determine your pada, you need the Moon's sidereal (nirayana) longitude at the moment of birth. The calculation is straightforward:

1. Divide the Moon's longitude by 13 degrees 20 minutes (= 13.3333 degrees). The integer result (0-26) is the nakshatra number (0 = Ashwini, 1 = Bharani, and so on).
2. Take the remainder. Divide it by 3 degrees 20 minutes (= 3.3333 degrees). The integer result (0-3) + 1 is the pada (1-4).

Pada and the rashi boundary

The nakshatra system (27 segments) and the rashi system (12 segments) share the same 360-degree zodiac but divide it differently. The result is that some nakshatras straddle two rashis. The pada determines which rashi you belong to.

Krittikai as an example

Krittikai (nakshatra 3) spans from 26 degrees 40 minutes to 40 degrees. Mesha (Aries) ends at 30 degrees and Rishabha (Taurus) begins at 30 degrees. Therefore: pada 1 (26 degrees 40 minutes to 30 degrees) falls in Mesha, while padas 2-4 (30 degrees to 40 degrees) fall in Rishabha. Two people with the same nakshatra Krittikai can therefore have different rashis, it all depends on the pada.

The 108 padas, complete reference table

The table below lists all 108 padas with nakshatra, pada number, navamsa rashi, and naming syllable. Use it to find your starting syllable for namakaranam or your navamsa rashi for horoscope matching.