Here is something you might not have seen before in your Jyotish studies: a visual depiction of the qualities (gunas) of the nakshatras.

The material is all taken from Hart de Fouw's excellent work: Light on Life, An Introduction to the Astrology of India (particularly pages 206-214).

As one bright student told me the other day, the nakshatras are kind of like the periodic table of Jyotish. Full of story and lore, truth and the telling, myth and math, nakshatras neatly introduce us to the more Tantric webs of meaning of Nature and of the Universe.

They are parts of the 360 degree zodiac, each of the 27 nakshatras being 13 degrees and 20 minutes. The 28th that is sometimes used is abhijit, but "only occasionally, in electional astrology" and its depiction would "ruin the symmetrical distribution" as well as mess up the divine geometry inherent within. (See Light on Life.)

Numbers are a quick and easy way to label the other standard nakshatras:

  1. Aśvinī
  2. Bharaṇī
  3. Kṛttikā
  4. Rohiṇī
  5. Mṛgaśīrṣa
  6. Ārdrā
  7. Punarvasu
  8. Puṣya
  9. Āśleṣā
  10. Maghā
  11. Pūrva Phalgunī
  12. Uttara Phalgunī
  13. Hasta
  14. Citrā
  15. Svātī
  16. Viśākhā
  17. Anurādhā
  18. Jyeṣṭhā
  19. Mūla
  20. Pūrvāṣāḍhā
  21. Uttarāṣāḍhā
  22. Śravaṇa
  23. Dhaniṣṭhā
  24. Śatabhiṣā
  25. Pūrva Bhādrapadā
  26. Uttara Bhādrapadā
  27. Revatī

Abhijit is acknowledged on the wheel as a thin dashed sliver between Uttara Ashadha (21) and Shravana (22), where it actually sits.

It is my belief and motivation that, by looking at these visual diagrams, new insights will come to the student, particularly for those, like me, who are pitta and visually oriented. Here is the wheel: one wheel, twelve layers. Choose a layer, hover a star, click it to see all twelve of its qualities at once. As always, contact me with any questions, comments, or observations, and I will include them here.

The Nakshatra Guṇa Wheel

27 stars · 12 layers · after Light on Life

Hover a star for its value · click it for the full card · click a legend entry to pin its members
The Nakshatra Guṇa WheelThe twenty-seven nakshatras arranged around the zodiac, coloured by the chosen classification, with twelve inner rings showing all classifications at once.

Tattva

    The twelve inner rings, from the outside in: Gaṇḍānta · Activity · Caste · Cycle · Direction · Gender · Doṣa · Nature · Guṇa · Yoni · Gaṇa · Tattva. The lit ring is the layer on display; click any ring to switch to it. Aśvinī begins at the top and the stars run clockwise; the outer numbers count them, the inner ring of glyphs marks the twelve rāśis.

    A key to the twelve layers

    Gaṇḍānta the three knots
    Where a water sign ends and a fire sign begins, a rāśi boundary and a nakshatra boundary coincide: Karkaṭa→Siṃha (Āśleṣā→Maghā), Vṛścika→Dhanus (Jyeṣṭhā→Mūla) and Mīna→Meṣa (Revatī→Aśvinī). Light on Life calls this a double sandhi and finds grahas placed there weak and trouble-prone unless strengthened by remedies. The classical zone is the last pada of the water-side star and the first pada of the fire-side star, most intense within 48′ (two ghaṭikās) of the seam.Last pada of the water-side star — Āśleṣā · Jyeṣṭhā · Revatī — the sign ends in water
    First pada of the fire-side star — Maghā · Mūla · Aśvinī — the sign begins in fire
    Activity how the star pursues its aims
    How a star goes after what it wants. Active stars pursue knowledge eagerly and dynamically; passive stars are receptive — when the student is ready, the teacher appears; balanced stars hold both in proportion.Active (9): Kṛttikā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Citrā, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā
    Passive (9): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Hasta, Svātī, Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Balanced (9): Bharaṇī, Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā, Revatī
    Caste varṇa — the star's social temperament
    The star's natural propensities. Brāhmaṇa stars incline to learning, ritual and counsel; Kṣatriya to governance and protection; Vaiśya to trade; Śūdra to service and labour. Three classes stand outside the four: the servant or farmer, the butcher, and the mleccha — the outsider to the whole scheme. Kṛttikā and the three Pūrvās are Brāhmaṇa; Puṣya and the three Uttarās are Kṣatriya.Brāhmaṇa (4): Kṛttikā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Kṣatriya (4): Puṣya, Uttara Phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Vaiśya (3): Aśvinī, Punarvasu, Hasta
    Śūdra (4): Rohiṇī, Maghā, Anurādhā, Revatī
    Servant / farmer (4): Mṛgaśīrṣa, Citrā, Jyeṣṭhā, Dhaniṣṭhā
    Butcher (4): Ārdrā, Svātī, Mūla, Śatabhiṣā
    Mleccha (4): Bharaṇī, Āśleṣā, Viśākhā, Śravaṇa
    Cycle creation · maintenance · dissolution
    Every third star carries one of the three cosmic functions — sṛṣṭi (creation), sthiti (maintenance), laya or saṃhāra (dissolution). The visionary who starts things lives in creation stars, the administrator who keeps them running in maintenance stars, the strategist who dismantles what has outlived itself in dissolution stars. The pattern is exact: each group holds the three stars of three Vimśottarī lords.Creation (sṛṣṭi) (9): Aśvinī, Rohiṇī, Punarvasu, Maghā, Hasta, Viśākhā, Mūla, Śravaṇa, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Maintenance (sthiti) (9): Bharaṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Puṣya, Pūrva Phalgunī, Citrā, Anurādhā, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Dhaniṣṭhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Dissolution (laya) (9): Kṛttikā, Ārdrā, Āśleṣā, Uttara Phalgunī, Svātī, Jyeṣṭhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śatabhiṣā, Revatī
    Direction which way the star faces
    Upward-facing (ūrdhva-mukha) stars suit whatever rises — building storeys, planting trees, coronations, flight; downward-facing (adho-mukha) stars suit whatever goes below the surface — wells, foundations, mining, deep research; level-facing (tiryak-mukha) stars suit movement across the ground — journeys, roads, trading in animals. The three Uttarās look up, the three Pūrvās look down.Upward-facing (9): Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Puṣya, Uttara Phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Downward-facing (9): Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Viśākhā, Mūla, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Level-facing (9): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Punarvasu, Hasta, Citrā, Svātī, Anurādhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Revatī
    Gender male · female · neuter
    Male, female and neuter stars. In Light on Life the chief use is judging the sex of children from the stars occupied by the relevant indicators, resolved by planetary strength when they disagree. Only three stars are neuter: Mṛgaśīrṣa, Mūla and Śatabhiṣā.Male (8): Aśvinī, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Hasta, Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Female (16): Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Citrā, Svātī, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Dhaniṣṭhā, Revatī
    Neuter (3): Mṛgaśīrṣa, Mūla, Śatabhiṣā
    Doṣa vāta · pitta · kapha
    The star's constitution — the same triad that marriage-matching calls nāḍī (ādi, madhya, antya). It zig-zags around the wheel: vāta, pitta, kapha, kapha, pitta, vāta…Vāta (9): Aśvinī, Ārdrā, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Śatabhiṣā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Pitta (9): Bharaṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Puṣya, Pūrva Phalgunī, Citrā, Anurādhā, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Dhaniṣṭhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Kapha (9): Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Svātī, Viśākhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa, Revatī
    Nature the muhūrta temperaments
    The seven temperaments of muhūrta. Fixed stars for permanence; movable for travel and change; sharp (dreadful) for attack, exorcism and punishment; soft (tender) for friendship, love, ornament, music and marriage; fierce (severe) for destructive work; light (swift) for trade, healing, learning and the fine arts; and two mixed stars that are sharp and soft at once.Fixed (dhruva) (4): Rohiṇī, Uttara Phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Movable (cara) (5): Punarvasu, Svātī, Śravaṇa, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā
    Sharp (tīkṣṇa) (4): Ārdrā, Āśleṣā, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla
    Soft (mṛdu) (4): Mṛgaśīrṣa, Citrā, Anurādhā, Revatī
    Mixed (miśra) (2): Kṛttikā, Viśākhā
    Fierce (ugra) (5): Bharaṇī, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Light / swift (kṣipra) (3): Aśvinī, Puṣya, Hasta
    Guṇa sattva · rajas · tamas
    Sattva, rajas and tamas as assigned in Light on Life: each star carries the guṇa of its Vimśottarī lord — Jupiter's and Mercury's stars are sāttvic, those of Venus, the Sun and the Moon rājasic, those of Mars, Saturn, Rāhu and Ketu tāmasic.Sattva (6): Punarvasu, Āśleṣā, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Revatī
    Rajas (9): Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa
    Tamas (12): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Ārdrā, Puṣya, Maghā, Citrā, Svātī, Anurādhā, Mūla, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Yoni sexual type — creature and sex
    The star's sexual type: a creature and its sex. Like creatures pair most easily — each animal has a male star and a female star (the mongoose stands alone) — while the seven natural enmities clash: horse–buffalo, elephant–lion, sheep–monkey, serpent–mongoose, dog–deer, cat–rat, cow–tiger. Hover a star to see its mate and its enemies.Horse (aśva): ♂ Aśvinī · ♀ Śatabhiṣā — enemy: buffalo
    Elephant (gaja): ♂ Bharaṇī · ♀ Revatī — enemy: lion
    Sheep (meṣa): ♂ Puṣya · ♀ Kṛttikā — enemy: monkey
    Serpent (sarpa): ♂ Rohiṇī · ♀ Mṛgaśīrṣa — enemy: mongoose
    Dog (śvāna): ♂ Mūla · ♀ Ārdrā — enemy: deer
    Cat (mārjāra): ♂ Āśleṣā · ♀ Punarvasu — enemy: rat
    Rat (mūṣaka): ♂ Maghā · ♀ Pūrva Phalgunī — enemy: cat
    Cow (go): ♂ Uttara Phalgunī · ♀ Uttara Bhādrapadā — enemy: tiger
    Buffalo (mahiṣa): ♂ Svātī · ♀ Hasta — enemy: horse
    Tiger (vyāghra): ♂ Viśākhā · ♀ Citrā — enemy: cow
    Deer (mṛga): ♂ Jyeṣṭhā · ♀ Anurādhā — enemy: dog
    Monkey (vānara): ♂ Pūrvāṣāḍhā · ♀ Śravaṇa — enemy: sheep
    Mongoose (nakula): ♂ Uttarāṣāḍhā · no female star — enemy: serpent
    Lion (siṃha): ♂ Pūrva Bhādrapadā · ♀ Dhaniṣṭhā — enemy: elephant
    Gaṇa divine · human · demonic
    Divine (deva), human (manuṣya) and demonic (rākṣasa) temperaments — the gaṇa-kūṭa of matching. Like with like is easiest; deva with rākṣasa is the classic friction.Divine (deva) (9): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Hasta, Svātī, Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Revatī
    Human (manuṣya) (9): Bharaṇī, Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Demonic (rākṣasa) (9): Kṛttikā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Citrā, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā
    Tattva the five elements
    The five great elements in five contiguous bands of the zodiac: earth (Aśvinī–Mṛgaśīrṣa), water (Ārdrā–Pūrva Phalgunī), fire (Uttara Phalgunī–Anurādhā), air (Jyeṣṭhā–Śravaṇa), ether (Dhaniṣṭhā–Revatī). Hover a star to see which elements cooperate with it — the rules are set out below the wheel.Earth (pṛthvī) (5): Aśvinī, Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa
    Water (jala) (6): Ārdrā, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī
    Fire (agni) (6): Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Citrā, Svātī, Viśākhā, Anurādhā
    Air (vāyu) (5): Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa
    Ether (ākāśa) (5): Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā, Revatī

    Cooperation rules for the tattvas

    Each nakshatra belongs to one of the five great elements, and the elements have manners with one another. Light on Life gives the rules; here they are, with the reasoning of the elements themselves:

    1. Fire and air cooperate. Air feeds fire; fire sets air moving.
    2. Earth and water cooperate. Water gives earth its life; earth gives water a shape to hold.
    3. Ether cooperates indiscriminately with every other tattva. It is the space in which the other four act, so it obstructs none of them.
    4. Earth does not cooperate with fire — and especially not with air. Fire scorches and cracks the earth; air scatters it.
    5. Water does not cooperate with air — and especially not with fire. Air dries water away as cloud; fire boils it off entirely.
    6. Two stars of the same tattva are kindred and cooperate as a matter of course.

    Read from the other side, the same rules say: fire does not cooperate with earth and especially not with water; air does not cooperate with water and especially not with earth. The matrix holds all twenty-five pairings — hover a cell.

    A chart example: when the lords of the 1st and the 7th cannot cooperate

    The rules become useful the moment two significators are compared. Take the lord of the 1st house (the native, the self) and the lord of the 7th (the partner, the marriage), and look at the nakshatras they occupy. When the tattva of the lagna lord's star does not cooperate with the tattva of the 7th lord's star, marriage — or happiness within it — may be obstructed, delayed, or repeatedly interrupted. When the two tattvas cooperate, the same axis flows.

    Siṃha (Leo) rises, so the Sun rules the 1st house and Saturn the 7th. Each planet is drawn in the first pada of the star you choose; the small numbers are the rāśis. Read it as one thread in the whole cloth — house placement, dignity, aspects and daśā still have their say.

    Light on Life itself illustrates the same logic between a graha's own tattva and the star it occupies: a Siṃha-rising woman whose seventh lord Saturn — an airy graha — sat in the twelfth house in watery Puṣya, air and water not cooperating, spent much of her adult life unmarried while wishing for a relationship. The first preset above puts that Saturn back in Puṣya and lets the lagna lord's fire meet it.

    Table view — all 27 nakshatras and their twelve qualities
    #NakshatraSpanLordGaṇḍāntaActivityCasteCycleDirectionGenderDoṣaNatureGuṇaYoniGaṇaTattva
    1AśvinīMeṣa 0°00′ – 13°20′Ketufirst padaPassiveVaiśyaCreationLevel-facingMaleVātaLight / swiftTamasHorse ♂DivineEarth
    2BharaṇīMeṣa 13°20′ – 26°40′Venus—BalancedMlecchaMaintenanceDownward-facingFemalePittaFierceRajasElephant ♂HumanEarth
    3KṛttikāMeṣa 26°40′ – Vṛṣabha 10°00′Sun—ActiveBrāhmaṇaDissolutionDownward-facingFemaleKaphaMixedRajasSheep ♀DemonicEarth
    4RohiṇīVṛṣabha 10°00′ – 23°20′Moon—BalancedŚūdraCreationUpward-facingFemaleKaphaFixedRajasSerpent ♂HumanEarth
    5MṛgaśīrṣaVṛṣabha 23°20′ – Mithuna 6°40′Mars—PassiveServant / farmerMaintenanceLevel-facingNeuterPittaSoftTamasSerpent ♀DivineEarth
    6ĀrdrāMithuna 6°40′ – 20°00′Rāhu—BalancedButcherDissolutionUpward-facingFemaleVātaSharpTamasDog ♀HumanWater
    7PunarvasuMithuna 20°00′ – Karkaṭa 3°20′Jupiter—PassiveVaiśyaCreationLevel-facingMaleVātaMovableSattvaCat ♀DivineWater
    8PuṣyaKarkaṭa 3°20′ – 16°40′Saturn—PassiveKṣatriyaMaintenanceUpward-facingMalePittaLight / swiftTamasSheep ♂DivineWater
    9ĀśleṣāKarkaṭa 16°40′ – 30°00′Mercurylast padaActiveMlecchaDissolutionDownward-facingFemaleKaphaSharpSattvaCat ♂DemonicWater
    10MaghāSiṃha 0°00′ – 13°20′Ketufirst padaActiveŚūdraCreationDownward-facingFemaleKaphaFierceTamasRat ♂DemonicWater
    11Pūrva PhalgunīSiṃha 13°20′ – 26°40′Venus—BalancedBrāhmaṇaMaintenanceDownward-facingFemalePittaFierceRajasRat ♀HumanWater
    12Uttara PhalgunīSiṃha 26°40′ – Kanyā 10°00′Sun—BalancedKṣatriyaDissolutionUpward-facingFemaleVātaFixedRajasCow ♂HumanFire
    13HastaKanyā 10°00′ – 23°20′Moon—PassiveVaiśyaCreationLevel-facingMaleVātaLight / swiftRajasBuffalo ♀DivineFire
    14CitrāKanyā 23°20′ – Tulā 6°40′Mars—ActiveServant / farmerMaintenanceLevel-facingFemalePittaSoftTamasTiger ♀DemonicFire
    15SvātīTulā 6°40′ – 20°00′Rāhu—PassiveButcherDissolutionLevel-facingFemaleKaphaMovableTamasBuffalo ♂DivineFire
    16ViśākhāTulā 20°00′ – Vṛścika 3°20′Jupiter—ActiveMlecchaCreationDownward-facingFemaleKaphaMixedSattvaTiger ♂DemonicFire
    17AnurādhāVṛścika 3°20′ – 16°40′Saturn—PassiveŚūdraMaintenanceLevel-facingMalePittaSoftTamasDeer ♀DivineFire
    18JyeṣṭhāVṛścika 16°40′ – 30°00′Mercurylast padaActiveServant / farmerDissolutionLevel-facingFemaleVātaSharpSattvaDeer ♂DemonicAir
    19MūlaDhanus 0°00′ – 13°20′Ketufirst padaActiveButcherCreationDownward-facingNeuterVātaSharpTamasDog ♂DemonicAir
    20PūrvāṣāḍhāDhanus 13°20′ – 26°40′Venus—BalancedBrāhmaṇaMaintenanceDownward-facingFemalePittaFierceRajasMonkey ♂HumanAir
    21UttarāṣāḍhāDhanus 26°40′ – Makara 10°00′Sun—BalancedKṣatriyaDissolutionUpward-facingFemaleKaphaFixedRajasMongoose ♂HumanAir
    22ŚravaṇaMakara 10°00′ – 23°20′Moon—PassiveMlecchaCreationUpward-facingMaleKaphaMovableRajasMonkey ♀DivineAir
    23DhaniṣṭhāMakara 23°20′ – Kumbha 6°40′Mars—ActiveServant / farmerMaintenanceUpward-facingFemalePittaMovableTamasLion ♀DemonicEther
    24ŚatabhiṣāKumbha 6°40′ – 20°00′Rāhu—ActiveButcherDissolutionUpward-facingNeuterVātaMovableTamasHorse ♀DemonicEther
    25Pūrva BhādrapadāKumbha 20°00′ – Mīna 3°20′Jupiter—PassiveBrāhmaṇaCreationDownward-facingMaleVātaFierceSattvaLion ♂HumanEther
    26Uttara BhādrapadāMīna 3°20′ – 16°40′Saturn—BalancedKṣatriyaMaintenanceUpward-facingMalePittaFixedTamasCow ♀HumanEther
    27RevatīMīna 16°40′ – 30°00′Mercurylast padaBalancedŚūdraDissolutionLevel-facingFemaleKaphaSoftSattvaElephant ♀DivineEther

    A note on the lists

    The classifications follow Light on Life (pp. 206–214), cross-checked against Hank Friedman's de Fouw-based table and the classical muhūrta lists (Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi and its kin). Where the book's printed lists are incomplete or at odds with the classical ones, the wheel follows the classical reading:

    • Varṇa: Light on Life prints only three Brāhmaṇa and three Kṣatriya stars; the wheel follows the classical Muhūrta lists, in which Pūrva Phalgunī joins Kṛttikā and the Pūrvās (Brāhmaṇa) and Uttara Phalgunī joins Puṣya and the Uttarās (Kṣatriya).
    • Direction: the book's printed lists swap the two Phalgunīs and omit Śatabhiṣā; the classical lists (all three Uttarās upward, all three Pūrvās downward, Śatabhiṣā upward) are used.
    • Nature: Mṛgaśīrṣa is placed with the soft (mṛdu) stars, as in the classical lists and Friedman's table; the book's text has it among the mixed stars.
    • Doṣa: the book's kapha list runs to eight stars; Maghā, the ninth, is restored from the nāḍī sequence.
    • Yoni sexes and the seven enmities follow the classical yoni-kūṭa table; the gaṇḍānta zones (one pada, with a 48′ core) follow the classical definition.

    Coming soon: some sort of visual treatment for the 4 padas per nakshatra, raising the number of elements to the holy number of 108.

    Note, August 2026: the original diagrams were a PDF that did not survive the site's move; the interactive wheel above replaces them.