Where Bharani sits in the zodiac
The whole nakshatra lies in Aries. In degrees, Bharani stretches from 13.33 to 26.67, which reads 13°20′ Aries to 26°40′ Aries.
All of this is sidereal. The Lahiri ayanamsa moves the zodiac back from the Western one by about 24 degrees 13 minutes in 2026, and the circle is cut into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes. The 27 divisions are slices of the ecliptic, not the outlines of constellations. The traditional star group is a small triangle of three faint stars in the constellation Aries, set between the bright head of the ram and the Pleiades. On the circle it follows Ashwini and comes before Krittika. The signs it touches are Aries.
The name Bharani
Bharani is linked to the root bhri, to carry or bear, and the name is often translated as 'the bearer'. It is the second nakshatra and lies wholly inside Aries.
Deity and symbol
Its deity is Yama, the Vedic god of the dead and keeper of dharma, the order of things. In the Rigveda Yama is the first to travel the path the departed take, and later texts make him their judge. In this setting he stands for restraint and law.
The symbol is the yoni, a traditional emblem of the womb and of bearing. It echoes the root of the name: carrying something through to its end.
Ruling planet and the Vimshottari dasha
Venus rules Bharani. That planet's dasha is 20 years long, one share of the 120 that the nine lords divide between them.
The balance of Venus's dasha at birth depends on where in Bharani the Moon was. Early in the nakshatra most of the 20 years are left. Halfway, 10 are left. Near the end the next dasha begins almost at once. After Venus the order runs Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury and Ketu. The other nakshatras ruled by Venus are Purva Phalguni and Purva Ashadha. The dasha calculator shows the balance for your own chart.
The four padas of Bharani
Each nakshatra splits into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. A pada matches one sign of the navamsha (D9) chart, and the four take four signs in a row.
The first pada (13°20′ Aries to 16°40′ Aries) belongs to Leo in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Li.
The second pada (16°40′ Aries to 20°00′ Aries) belongs to Virgo in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Lu.
In pada 3, from 20°00′ Aries to 23°20′ Aries, the navamsha sign is Libra. Names for this pada begin with Le.
In pada 4, from 23°20′ Aries to 26°40′ Aries, the navamsha sign is Scorpio. Names for this pada begin with Lo.
The first pada of Krittika then starts at Sagittarius. Syllables follow the commonly printed lists, and regional lists differ slightly.
Bharani in the sky and in the year
In the timing texts Bharani sits in the Ugra (intense) category. The Sun enters it on 28 April 2026 in 2026 and leaves on 11 May 2026 (Indian time). The Moon crosses a nakshatra in about a day, between roughly 21 and 27 hours depending on how fast it is moving.
Bharani beside its neighbours
Every pada of Bharani lies inside Aries. The Moon stays in one sign for the whole of this nakshatra. In the full Vimshottari round, Venus is second of nine, occupying years 7 to 27. The three Venus nakshatras sit 120 degrees apart, and Bharani is the first of them.
Ashwini comes just before and is ruled by Ketu. Krittika comes just after and is ruled by Sun. Ashwini is Kshipra (swift) while Bharani is Ugra (intense); Krittika is Mishra (mixed). Its neighbours carry other deities: the Ashwini Kumaras, the twin divine physicians at Ashwini, Agni, the fire god at Krittika.
How to find out if your Moon is in Bharani
To check, find where the Moon stood at your birth. Anywhere from 13°20′ Aries to 26°40′ Aries is Bharani. The Moon moves about half a degree an hour, so a birth within an hour or two of a boundary can land on either side if the time is slightly off. The nakshatra finder works it out from your date, time and place of birth.
Calculated with the Lahiri ayanamsa and whole sign houses; every setting is on the method page. Last checked 2026-10-04.