Nakshatra
Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra: Aja Ekapād and Jupiter
Purva Bhadrapada (Pūrva Bhādrapadā) is the twenty-fifth nakshatra, from 20°00' sidereal Aquarius to 3°20' Pisces. Padas 1 to 3 are in Aquarius and pada 4 in Pisces. Its deity is Aja Ekapād, the one-footed goat, and its Vimshottari lord is Jupiter. Classical muhurta classes it as ugra, or fierce.
Draft · specialist source review requested
This is one of the stranger corners of the nakshatra system. The deity is a one-footed goat that hardly appears anywhere else in Vedic literature, and the symbol is half of a funeral cot. I would rather admit the strangeness than smooth it over.
| Fact | Purva Bhadrapada |
|---|---|
| Number | 25 of 27 |
| IAST spelling | Pūrva Bhādrapadā |
| Deity | Aja Ekapād |
| Vimshottari lord | Jupiter |
| Symbol (commonly given) | Front legs of a funeral cot, or a two-faced figure |
| Sidereal span | 20°00' Aquarius-3°20' Pisces |
| Rashi | Kumbha (padas 1-3), Meena (pada 4) |
| Muhurta class | Ugra (fierce) |
The one-footed goat
Aja Ekapād is Pūrva Bhādrapadā's deity in the Bṛhat Saṃhitā sequence.[32] The name means "the unborn one-footed" or "one-footed goat." Scholars have read him as lightning striking the earth, or as a pillar holding up the sky. Later writers connect him with Rudra. A funeral cot is about transition, and the two-faced figure some lists give instead looks both ways at once. Intensity and a split between worldly and otherworldly concerns are the themes that come out of all this.
Prompts at the edge
- What do you take seriously that most people around you treat lightly?
- Where do two parts of you want different things?
- What have you let end recently, and what did it leave room for?
How to read Vedic astrology chart?
Start with three things: the ascendant (lagna), the Moon's sign (rashi) and the Moon's nakshatra. Then see which planets sit in which houses and which dasha period is running. Charts are drawn in North or South Indian style, but both show the same sidereal positions. If your chart is tropical, recompute it first; the nakshatra calculator gives your sidereal Moon, and sidereal explains why.
| Pada | Sidereal span | Navamsa sign |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20°00'-23°20' Aquarius | Aries |
| 2 | 23°20'-26°40' Aquarius | Taurus |
| 3 | 26°40'-30°00' Aquarius | Gemini |
| 4 | 0°00'-3°20' Pisces | Cancer |
Muhurta uses
Bṛhat Saṃhitā lists the three Pūrvas with Bharaṇī and Maghā as ugra (fierce), for destruction, ruin, deceit, binding, poison, burning and striking with weapons.[32] That is the text's list. This site does not suggest harmful acts. Modern muhurta practice tends to use fierce days for endings, clearing and hard conversations, and practical deadlines come first.
The verse text is on the Purva Bhadrapada mantra page. Shatabhisha comes before it and Uttara Bhadrapada after.
Source review
Aja Ekapād as deity (verses 4-5) and the ugra list (verse 8) are from Bṛhat Saṃhitā chapter 97 in the Sanskrit edition, numbered 98 in the English translation.[32] The scholarly readings of Aja Ekapād, the English glosses, the symbol and the prompts are editorial.
Common questions
Who is the lord of Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra?
Jupiter, in the Vimshottari dasha scheme. Punarvasu and Vishakha share that lord.
What rashi is Purva Bhadrapada?
Kumbha (sidereal Aquarius) for padas 1 to 3, and Meena (sidereal Pisces) for pada 4.
Are Purvabhadra and Poorattathi the same nakshatra?
Yes. Purvabhadra is a common short form, and Poorattathi is the Tamil name.
Keep going
- All 27 nakshatras
- Purva Bhadrapada mantra
- Shatabhisha nakshatra
- Uttara Bhadrapada nakshatra
- Pisces zodiac sign
Updated 2026-10-12. Traditional interpretations are not predictions.
Sources: [32] https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/brihat-samhita-sanskrit/d/doc1218130.html
Vedic lens
What does the Vedic lens add?
Purva Bhadrapada is lunar mansion 25 in the standard 27-part sidereal sequence. Its span is 13 degrees and 20 arcminutes, divided into four padas of 3 degrees and 20 arcminutes. A Moon placement should be calculated in a named ayanamsa before applying a natal interpretation.
In Vimshottari, its starting lord is Jupiter. The fraction of the mansion still ahead of the Moon determines the remaining balance of that first major period. This does not mean everyone with a Purva Bhadrapada Moon begins life with a complete Jupiter period.
Natal meaning and electional timing answer different questions. A birth placement is not a recommendation to schedule every important activity under the same mansion. Check the current tithi, local time, and the practical deadline separately. Our editorial prompt is to compare one familiar response with a concrete alternative before making a decision; that is a reflection exercise, not a translated classical prediction.
Explore the yoga patterns, major and subperiods, and house-lord connections behind this reading.
How we calculate
Is astrology a guarantee of what will happen?
No. These calculations locate celestial bodies; astrology is a reflection and timing tradition, not evidence of guaranteed health, financial or relationship outcomes.
How are these results calculated?
Positions come from Astronomy Engine, an open-source astronomy library, and are checked against Swiss Ephemeris in our methodology tests. Western readings use the tropical zodiac; Vedic readings subtract the Lahiri ayanamsa. Terms are defined in the glossary.
Next: compare your birth chart, see today's sky, or make a private vision board.