Vedic Rashi Calculator
Calculate your Vedic astrology moon sign (Rashi) and approximate Nakshatra from your birth date and time.
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How to use this calculator
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Enter your birth date, then the hour and minute converted to UTC (the tool has no time-zone field).
- 2
The calculator uses the sidereal zodiac (Vedic system) which differs from the tropical Western zodiac by approximately 23–24 degrees.
- 3
Your Rashi is the sign the Moon was in at birth — the most important sign in Vedic astrology.
- 4
For a complete Vedic chart (Kundli), use a dedicated Jyotish software with your precise birth location.
Frequently asked questions
Does the calculator use the sidereal or the tropical zodiac?
Sidereal. It computes the Moon’s tropical longitude and subtracts the Lahiri ayanamsa, which the code sets at 23.853 degrees in the year 2000 and increases by about 0.014 degrees a year. That is roughly 23.7 degrees for a 1990 birth and 24.2 degrees for 2026. Other ayanamsas such as Raman or KP exist and can move a Moon near a boundary into the neighbouring sign.
What time zone and place does it assume?
None. The hour and minute are used as UTC, and the birthplace is not asked for. If you were born in India at 06:30 IST, enter 01:00, since IST is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of UTC. The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, so a 5.5-hour error shifts it by roughly 3 degrees, which is enough to change the Nakshatra and occasionally the Rashi.
How precise is the Moon position?
It uses a short series of periodic terms for the Moon’s longitude, accurate to about half a degree. That is good enough for the Rashi unless the Moon is within roughly half a degree of a sign boundary. It is not a full ephemeris, and it uses no planet other than the Moon.
How is the Nakshatra determined?
The sidereal zodiac is divided into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes, starting with Ashwini at the beginning of Mesha, and the Moon’s position selects one. The result is marked approximate because of the time-zone and accuracy limits above. Padas, the four quarters of a Nakshatra, are not shown.
Why does my Rashi differ from my Western moon sign?
Because the two zodiacs are about 24 degrees apart at present. For 1990-06-15 at 12:00 UTC the tropical Moon is in Pisces on this site’s moon sign calculator, but the Rashi here is Kumbha (Aquarius). Over many dates the sidereal sign differs from the tropical one roughly four times in five.
Can I enter midnight?
Yes. Hours from 0 to 23 and minutes from 0 to 59 are accepted, with out-of-range values clamped to those limits. For 1990-06-15 the 00:00 entry gives Shatabhisha and the 12:00 entry Purva Bhadrapada, both in Kumbha.
What is shown beyond the Rashi?
The Rashi lord, element, movable, fixed or dual quality, and a few trait words come from a fixed list for each of the twelve signs. The tool does not produce a Lagna, planetary positions, dashas, matching scores or a Kundli, and Vedic astrology is a traditional belief system that has not been scientifically validated. It predicts nothing.
Vedic Rashi calculator: sidereal Moon sign and Nakshatra from date and time
From Moon position to Rashi
The calculator turns the birth date and time into a moment in UTC, works out where the Moon sat on the tropical zodiac, and subtracts the Lahiri ayanamsa to move to the sidereal zodiac used in Jyotish. The result is a number between 0 and 360 degrees. Dividing by 30 gives the Rashi, starting with Mesha at 0 degrees, and dividing by 13 degrees 20 minutes gives the Nakshatra. Because the Moon covers about 13 degrees a day, the time field matters far more here than it does for a Sun-sign tool.
The twelve Rashis as the tool defines them
Each Rashi spans 30 degrees of the sidereal zodiac and carries a lord, an element and a movable, fixed or dual quality taken from a fixed list. The ranges below are in sidereal degrees, so they do not match calendar months or the tropical signs, and a Rashi spans two and a quarter Nakshatras.
| Rashi | Sidereal range | Lord | Element | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesha (Aries) | 0° – 30° | Mars | Fire | Movable |
| Vrishabha (Taurus) | 30° – 60° | Venus | Earth | Fixed |
| Mithuna (Gemini) | 60° – 90° | Mercury | Air | Dual |
| Karka (Cancer) | 90° – 120° | Moon | Water | Movable |
| Simha (Leo) | 120° – 150° | Sun | Fire | Fixed |
| Kanya (Virgo) | 150° – 180° | Mercury | Earth | Dual |
| Tula (Libra) | 180° – 210° | Venus | Air | Movable |
| Vrishchika (Scorpio) | 210° – 240° | Mars | Water | Fixed |
| Dhanus (Sagittarius) | 240° – 270° | Jupiter | Fire | Dual |
| Makara (Capricorn) | 270° – 300° | Saturn | Earth | Movable |
| Kumbha (Aquarius) | 300° – 330° | Saturn | Air | Fixed |
| Meena (Pisces) | 330° – 360° | Jupiter | Water | Dual |
Worked examples: how the hour changes the answer
The first three rows keep the date at 15 June 1990 and move the hour. The Rashi stays Kumbha but the Nakshatra moves from Shatabhisha at midnight to Purva Bhadrapada by noon, since the Moon covers about half a Nakshatra in twelve hours. One day later at noon the Moon has entered Meena. The last two rows come from other dates, 3 November 1985 at 06:30 and 3 November 2026 at 23:00.
| Date | UTC time | Rashi | Nakshatra |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-15 | 00:00 | Kumbha (Aquarius) | Shatabhisha |
| 1990-06-15 | 12:00 | Kumbha (Aquarius) | Purva Bhadrapada |
| 1990-06-16 | 12:00 | Meena (Pisces) | Uttara Bhadrapada |
| 1985-11-03 | 06:30 | Mithuna (Gemini) | Ardra |
| 2026-11-03 | 23:00 | Simha (Leo) | Purva Phalguni |
Sidereal versus tropical, and why the signs shift
The tropical zodiac is tied to the March equinox and the sidereal zodiac to the stars. The equinox slides slowly westward against the stars, which creates the ayanamsa gap of about 24 degrees today. Subtracting it moves most Moon positions back by almost a whole sign. For 15 June 1990 at 12:00 the tropical Moon is in Pisces while the Rashi is Kumbha, one sign earlier. Different schools use slightly different ayanamsa values, so a Moon close to a boundary may appear in different Rashis on different software.
Entering the time and reading the result
Use UTC for the hour and minute, since the tool has no time-zone field, and note that a birthplace is never used. The output is a lookup for one point: the Moon’s sidereal position. Jyotish is a traditional belief system and has not been scientifically validated, so the Rashi, lord and trait words are cultural associations, not predictions. Anything beyond that, such as the Lagna or the planetary periods, needs a full Kundli program.
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Results are estimates for informational purposes only and do not constitute professional financial, medical, legal, or technical advice. Read full disclaimer →