Where Mula sits in the zodiac
The whole nakshatra lies in Sagittarius. In degrees, Mula stretches from 240.00 to 253.33, which reads 0°00′ Sagittarius to 13°20′ Sagittarius.
Positions are sidereal, using the Lahiri ayanamsa, about 24 degrees 13 minutes at the start of 2026. That offset is why a planet's sign in a Vedic chart is usually the sign before its Western one. Each nakshatra is exactly 13 degrees 20 minutes, since 360 divided by 27 is 13 and one third. The 27 divisions are slices of the ecliptic, not the outlines of constellations. The stars are the tail of Scorpius, the hooked line that ends at Shaula, set in a dense part of the Milky Way. On the circle it follows Jyeshtha and comes before Purva Ashadha. The signs it touches are Sagittarius.
The name Mula
Mula means 'root', the base of a plant, and also a source or origin. It is the nineteenth nakshatra and the first of Sagittarius, so the third of the three that Ketu rules.
Deity and symbol
Its deity is Nirriti, the goddess of dissolution and decay in the Vedic texts. She stands for what is loosened or taken apart so that something new can grow from the same roots.
The symbol is a bunch of roots tied together. Some lists show an elephant goad. It matches the plain meaning of the name.
Ruling planet and the Vimshottari dasha
The ruling planet of Mula is Ketu, which carries 7 years of the 120-year Vimshottari cycle.
The balance of Ketu's dasha at birth depends on where in Mula the Moon was. Early in the nakshatra most of the 7 years are left. Halfway, 3.5 are left. Near the end the next dasha begins almost at once. After Ketu the order runs Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury. The other nakshatras ruled by Ketu are Ashwini and Magha. The dasha calculator shows the balance for your own chart.
The four padas of Mula
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.
In pada 1, from 0°00′ Sagittarius to 3°20′ Sagittarius, the navamsha sign is Aries. Names for this pada begin with Ye.
Pada 2 starts at 3°20′ Sagittarius. It falls in the navamsha sign Taurus, and its naming syllable is Yo.
Pada 3: 6°40′ Sagittarius to 10°00′ Sagittarius, navamsha Gemini, syllable Bha.
The fourth pada (10°00′ Sagittarius to 13°20′ Sagittarius) belongs to Cancer in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Bhi.
The first pada of Purva Ashadha then starts at Leo. Syllables follow the commonly printed lists, and regional lists differ slightly.
Mula in the sky and in the year
Texts on choosing times for activities sort the stars into categories, and Mula is placed in the Tikshna (sharp) group. The Sun passes through it once a year: in 2026 from 16 December 2026 to 29 December 2026, by Indian time. The Moon crosses a nakshatra in about a day, between roughly 21 and 27 hours depending on how fast it is moving.
Mula beside its neighbours
No sign boundary cuts through Mula. Sagittarius holds padas 1 to 4. Years 0 to 7 of the 120-year cycle belong to Ketu, the first lord in the order. Of the three nakshatras that Ketu rules, Mula comes third around the circle.
Beside it, Jyeshtha belongs to Mercury and Purva Ashadha to Venus, so each step round the circle moves to the next lord. Jyeshtha and Mula share the Tikshna group, and Purva Ashadha is Ugra (intense). The symbols differ too: a circular amulet for Jyeshtha and a winnowing fan for Purva Ashadha, against a bunch of roots tied together here.
How to find out if your Moon is in Mula
Look at the Moon's sidereal longitude at birth. A reading from 240.00 up to 253.33 degrees means the Moon was in Mula. 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.