When a pandit begins a sankalpa, he often asks for your gotra, nakshatra and rashi. These come from your birth details and are used in pujas, naming, horoscope matching and choosing muhurats.
Janma nakshatra
The sky is divided into 27 nakshatras. Your janma nakshatra is the one the Moon was in at your birth. Each nakshatra has four padas (quarters) of 3°20′, and each pada has a traditional syllable used for naming — for example Rohini: O, Va, Vi, Vu.
Rashi — your moon sign
Your rashi is the zodiac sign the Moon was in at birth, in the sidereal zodiac of Indian astrology. It is the sign used for daily rashifal. It often differs from your Western (Sun) sign, because Indian astrology accounts for the precession of the equinoxes (the ayanamsa, about 24° today).
Lagna — the ascendant
The lagna is the sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It changes about every two hours, so it needs an accurate birth time and place.
How to find yours
- Nakshatra calculator — nakshatra, pada and name letters
- Rashi calculator — your moon sign
- Lagna calculator — your ascendant
- Tithi at Birth calculator — for your Hindu birthday
You need the date, time and place of birth. If the birth time is uncertain, the nakshatra and rashi are usually still reliable unless the Moon was changing signs that day.
Using them in pujas
Save the nakshatras and gotra of your family members in your Rutviju profile — they are then filled in automatically when you book a puja for the family.