As the Moon orbits around the Earth, it also crosses a part of the Sun’s orbit on regular intervals. This crossing of orbits occurs 28 times (sometimes 27 times) in a year. These 28 (or 27) cross-sections are called Nakshatras. In simple words, a Nakshatra (or a lunar mansion) is a section of the Sun’s path or the ecliptic through which the Moon passes while it orbits around Earth. There are, hence, a total of 28 Nakshtras defined in the Vedic Astrology.
In Hindu astrology, Nakshatras play a very important role. Once a child is born, they should be given an auspicious first name corresponding to the Nakshatra of the child. To derive the name one should first check and see to which nakshatra the moon is in at the moment of birth. This will give you four different sounds and you should be able to pick one sound out of that four that relates to the pada or division of the Nakshatra. Each Nakshatra has four padas and four sounds and each pada is equal width. In each nakshatra, the moon will remain for approximately one day.
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