Punarvasu nakshatra
Updated
Punarvasu is the 7th of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of Vedic astrology. Its name is traditionally read as “return of the light”; its symbol is a bow and quiver, and its presiding deity is Aditi, mother of the gods.
- Number
- 7 of 27
- Ruling planet
- Jupiter
- Deity
- Aditi, mother of the gods
- Symbol
- A bow and quiver
- Zodiac span
- 20° Gemini – 3°20′ Cancer
- Gana
- Deva
- Yoni
- Cat
- Nadi
- Vata
- Pada navamsas
- Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer
Character and symbolism
Punarvasu is the arrow that returns to its quiver — recovery, second chances and coming home. Its classical themes are renewal, generosity and resilience.
As with everything in a chart, these are classical descriptions of a temperament, not a verdict on any person — a nakshatra is one layer of a reading, always weighed with the rest of the chart.
Where Punarvasu sits in the zodiac
Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ of the sidereal zodiac, divided into four padas (quarters) of 3°20′. Punarvasu occupies 20° Gemini – 3°20′ Cancer, bridging Gemini and Cancer. Its four padas take the navamsa signs Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer — the sub-chart positions used in the D9 (Navamsa) divisional chart.
Ruling planet and your starting dasha
Punarvasu is ruled by Jupiter, which carries a 16-year period in the Vimshottari dasha cycle. If your Moon sits in Punarvasu, Jupiter’s mahadasha is the period your life begins in, and the themes classical texts associate with Jupiter colour how this nakshatra expresses itself.
Punarvasu in marriage matching
Three of this nakshatra’s classifications feed the 36-point Guna Milan used in Kundali matching. Punarvasu belongs to the deva (divine) temperament group — read as gentle, harmonious and light in nature, which the Gana koota (6 points) compares between partners. Its yoni is the Cat, one of fourteen animal archetypes whose pairings the Yoni koota (4 points) scores for instinctive compatibility. And its nadi is Vata (air) — the Nadi koota (8 points) awards full marks only when the two nadis differ.
None of these classifications is good or bad on its own — they only ever describe a pairing, and even then they are a starting point beside the full charts.
Frequently asked
Which planet rules Punarvasu nakshatra?
Punarvasu is ruled by Jupiter. In the Vimshottari dasha system, a person born with the Moon in Punarvasu begins life in a Jupiter mahadasha of up to 16 years — how much of it remains depends on how far the Moon had moved through the nakshatra at birth.
Which rashi (sign) does Punarvasu fall in?
Punarvasu bridges two signs — it spans 20° Gemini – 3°20′ Cancer, so its four padas fall across Gemini and Cancer.
What are Punarvasu's gana, yoni and nadi?
Punarvasu is classified as Deva gana, Cat yoni and Vata nadi. These three classifications are inputs to Guna Milan marriage matching — gana compares temperament groups, yoni instinctive compatibility and nadi constitution.
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