Nakshatras

Punarvasu nakshatra

Punarvasu is the seventh nakshatra: from 20° Gemini to 3°20′ Cancer. It is ruled by Jupiter and its deity is Aditi, the boundless mother of the gods. “Good again”: a nakshatra of return and renewal.

Updated 2026-10-17

Don't know your nakshatra? Find it with the calculator

Number	7 / 27
Span (sidereal)	Gemini 20°00′ – Cancer 3°20′
Ruler	Jupiter (Guru)
Deity	Aditi, mother of the gods
Symbol	a quiver of arrows
Gana (temperament)	Deva (divine)
Yoni (animal)	Cat
Nadi	Adi (Vata)

The nature of Punarvasu

Punarvasu means “the return of the light” or “good again”. After Ardra's storm comes a clear sky. Its deity Aditi is infinite space and a mother's generosity. Its symbol is a quiver: arrows come back and can be shot again. It is the nakshatra of second chances, of the home one returns to, and of simple wisdom.

The Moon in Punarvasu

People with the Moon in Punarvasu are usually kind and optimistic, do not hold grudges and find it easy to start again. Many have a taste for philosophy, teaching and travel, along with a need for home and family. Their material needs are modest: “enough” matters more to them than “more”. The last pada, in Cancer where Jupiter is exalted, is especially gentle and caring.

The dasha sequence begins with Jupiter (16 years).

Emotionally, Punarvasu needs a safe home base to return to; with it, it is optimistic and generous. Loss of that base unsettles it deeply. What helps: a stable home routine, a teacher or tradition to lean on, and trusting that a fresh start is always possible. These are traditional tendencies, not a verdict; the full chart matters.

The four padas

Each pada is 3°20′ and falls in its own navamsha (D9) sign. The syllable is the traditional first sound of a name for a child born with the Moon in that pada.
Pada	Span (sidereal)	Navamsha sign	Name syllable
1	Gemini 20°00′ – 23°20′	Aries (Mesha)	Ke
2	Gemini 23°20′ – 26°40′	Taurus (Vrishabha)	Ko
3	Gemini 26°40′ – 30°00′	Gemini (Mithuna)	Ha
4	Cancer 0°00′ – 3°20′	Cancer (Karka)	Hi

Pada 1 (Aries navamsha, syllable Ke) in Gemini: energetic, adventurous, ready to start again. Pada 2 (Taurus, Ko) in Gemini: practical, fond of home and comfort. Pada 3 (Gemini, Ha) is vargottama: the most intellectual, talkative and versatile. Pada 4 (Cancer, Hi) lies in Cancer and is also vargottama: nurturing, devotional, a home-maker; Jupiter here is in its sign of exaltation.

Two vargottama padas make Punarvasu one of the nakshatras where the rashi and navamsha speak with one voice.

Punarvasu in the classical texts

The Taittiriya Brahmana gives Punarvasu to Aditi, the boundless mother of the gods. Later authors read its gift (shakti) as the power to gain substance, to make good again what was lost. Brihat Samhita (chapter 98) counts Punarvasu among the movable (chara, chala) nakshatras, with Swati, Shravana, Dhanishta and Shatabhisha: for journeys, vehicles, gardens and new movement. In Vimshottari it belongs to Jupiter, so a Punarvasu Moon begins life in a sixteen-year Jupiter period.

The Ramayana gives Rama's birth in Punarvasu, which links this nakshatra with dharma that returns after exile, the hero who comes home.

Punarvasu in relationships

In love, Punarvasu is kind, forgiving and loyal; it values home and companionship more than drama and is good at starting again after a quarrel. Its risk is giving too many second chances. A partner who is honest and shares its values brings out its warmth.

For matching, Punarvasu is deva gana, cat yoni and Adi nadi. Its yoni twin is Ashlesha; the cat's classical enemy is the rat (Magha, Purva Phalguni). Two Adi nadi charts lose the nadi points. The compatibility calculator gives any pair.

Work and strengths

Strengths: optimism, teaching, adaptability and the ability to restore and repair. Good fields: teaching and counselling, writing and publishing, travel and hospitality, real estate and home services, restoration, spiritual work.

Jupiter as ruler gives wisdom and good will; Mercury, the sign lord for three padas, gives communication. Punarvasu often returns to a field it left and does better the second time; it needs work that feels meaningful.

What Punarvasu is good for

Punarvasu is a “movable” (chara) nakshatra: good for travel, moving house, buying a vehicle, starting study and returning to interrupted projects.

The ascendant and planets in Punarvasu

An ascendant in Punarvasu gives an open, kind face and a reassuring presence. Jupiter in Punarvasu's last pada enters Cancer, its sign of exaltation; its deepest exaltation, 5° Cancer, lies in Pushya. In the Gemini padas, traditional readings associate Jupiter with teaching and writing. Mercury in the Gemini padas, its own sign, makes a good communicator. The Moon in the Cancer pada is in its own sign: a caring nature. Saturn in Punarvasu learns that repetition brings mastery.

During Jupiter's dasha Punarvasu themes of learning, home and second chances come forward.

Remedies and practice

Punarvasu's practice is renewal. Tradition suggests honouring Aditi with a name mantra such as “Om Aditaye namah”, caring for one's mother and for mothers in need, and returning to a teacher or a practice one has dropped. For the ruling graha, Jupiter, the classical mantra is on our mantras page; Thursdays are traditional for it. Giving books, food or shelter to travellers fits this nakshatra of homecoming. The days of the Moon's passage through Punarvasu suit travel and restarting projects. A gemstone is a classical upaya too: the tradition chooses it from the whole chart (functional benefics, the running dasha), with mantra and charity as the foundation; practices are optional and do not guarantee outcomes. For context, see remedies (upayas).

Punarvasu: compatibility with every nakshatra

Ashtakuta (36 gunas) for the Moon nakshatras of the couple, out of 36. A range means the score depends on the pada; 18 and above is the classical minimum for marriage. A real match also weighs Mangal dosha and both full charts.
Name	If you are the woman	If you are the man
Ashwini	18.5–21.5	17.5–22.5
Bharani	26.5–29.5	24.5–29.5
Krittika	18–23.5	18–25.5
Rohini	23–25	21–25
Mrigashira	17.5–31.5	18.5–31.5
Ardra	12–26	12–25
Punarvasu	14–28	14–28
Pushya	21–34	20–34
Ashlesha	15.5–28.5	15.5–29.5
Magha	16.5–21.5	18.5–21.5
Purva Phalguni	22.5–27.5	22.5–25.5
Uttara Phalguni	16.5–24.5	16.5–22.5
Hasta	17.5–24.5	18.5–23.5
Chitra	18–25.5	19.5–25.5
Swati	26.5–27	27–27.5
Vishakha	13.5–20	13.5–21.5
Anuradha	21.5–27	20.5–26
Jyeshtha	6–11.5	6–11.5
Mula	7.5–14	9.5–14
Purva Ashadha	23.5–27.5	23.5–25.5
Uttara Ashadha	22.5–26.5	21–26
Shravana	23.5–28	22.5–29
Dhanishta	11–20	13–22
Shatabhisha	5.5–12	7.5–13
Purva Bhadrapada	10.5–18.5	10.5–16.5
Uttara Bhadrapada	26–27.5	25–25.5
Revati	24.5–26	24.5–25

Questions

Which sign is Punarvasu in?

Padas 1–3 are in Gemini (20°–30°), pada 4 in Cancer (0°–3°20′).

What is Punarvasu's gana?

Deva. Yoni the cat (female), nadi Adi.

Is Punarvasu good for moving house?

Yes, as a movable nakshatra it suits moves and journeys. The final choice of day comes from the full panchang and the chart.

Was Rama born in Punarvasu?

Yes, the Ramayana gives Punarvasu as Rama's birth nakshatra, on the Navami of Chaitra.

What is Punarvasu’s shakti in later interpretations?

Later authors read it as the power to regain substance and restore what was lost.

Is your Moon in Punarvasu? Check it in your chart

Don't know your nakshatra? Find it with the calculator

Free

Chart calculator

Lagna, planets by sign and house, nakshatras and dashas — in a minute, no sign-up.

Calculate my chart — free

PDF · pay at once

Complete Natal Chart

Your whole chart in one document of 60–100 pages — to read, reread and share with people close to you.

Character, work, relationships, health, money
A Vedic interpretation of current and coming periods
An audio edition if you like

1499 ⭐

Buy

You pay with Telegram Stars right after the form; the PDF arrives in the chat.