Where Purva Phalguni sits in the zodiac
Start the count at 13°20′ Leo (133.33 degrees) and Purva Phalguni runs to 26°40′ Leo (146.67 degrees). The whole nakshatra lies in Leo.
Here the zodiac is sidereal, shifted from the Western one by the Lahiri ayanamsa (about 24 degrees 13 minutes in early 2026). Every one of the 27 nakshatras is 13 degrees 20 minutes wide, an exact third-based fraction of the circle. The 27 divisions are slices of the ecliptic, not the outlines of constellations. The traditional stars are two in the hindquarters of Leo, on the lion's back. They sit between Regulus and Denebola. On the circle it follows Magha and comes before Uttara Phalguni. The signs it touches are Leo.
The name Purva Phalguni
Phalguni is the name of a pair of nakshatras and of the spring month of Phalguna, whose full Moon falls near them. Purva means 'former', so the name is 'the former Phalguni', the first of the pair. It is the eleventh nakshatra.
Deity and symbol
Its deity is Bhaga, a Vedic god of shares and of what is given out fairly. In tradition he is counted among the Adityas, and the word bhaga lives on in everyday Sanskrit as a word for portion.
The symbol is the front legs of a bed, or a hammock. Its twin, Uttara Phalguni, has the back legs, so together they make one bed.
Ruling planet and the Vimshottari dasha
Every nakshatra has a Vimshottari ruling planet, and the nine planets take their turns three times in all around the circle of 27. Purva Phalguni belongs to Venus, whose full dasha lasts 20 years.
Born with the Moon in Purva Phalguni, a person starts in Venus's period. How much of the 20 years is left follows the Moon's progress: nearly all of it at the start, 10 years at the centre, almost none at the finish. After Venus the order runs Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury and Ketu. The other nakshatras ruled by Venus are Bharani and Purva Ashadha. The dasha calculator shows the balance for your own chart.
The four padas of Purva Phalguni
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′ Leo to 16°40′ Leo) belongs to Leo in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Mo.
In pada 2, from 16°40′ Leo to 20°00′ Leo, the navamsha sign is Virgo. Names for this pada begin with Ta.
Pada 3 starts at 20°00′ Leo. It falls in the navamsha sign Libra, and its naming syllable is Ti.
Pada 4: 23°20′ Leo to 26°40′ Leo, navamsha Scorpio, syllable Tu.
The first pada of Uttara Phalguni then starts at Sagittarius. Syllables follow the commonly printed lists, and regional lists differ slightly.
Purva Phalguni in the sky and in the year
In the timing texts Purva Phalguni sits in the Ugra (intense) category. The Sun enters it on 31 August 2026 in 2026 and leaves on 13 September 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.
Purva Phalguni beside its neighbours
All four padas of Purva Phalguni sit in Leo, so the sign never changes while the Moon crosses it. Years 7 to 27 of the 120-year cycle belong to Venus, the second lord in the order. Of the three nakshatras that Venus rules, Purva Phalguni comes second around the circle.
Magha comes just before and is ruled by Ketu. Uttara Phalguni comes just after and is ruled by Sun. Magha and Purva Phalguni share the Ugra group; Uttara Phalguni is Dhruva (fixed). The deities also change. Magha has the Pitris, the ancestors, and Uttara Phalguni has Aryaman, a god of agreements.
How to find out if your Moon is in Purva Phalguni
To check, find where the Moon stood at your birth. Anywhere from 13°20′ Leo to 26°40′ Leo is Purva Phalguni. 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.