For many Indian families, making the baby's kundali is one of the first things after birth: it gives the child's rashi, nakshatra, the traditional first letter for the name, and the dasha the child is born into. This guide explains which birth details to record, how to generate a newborn's birth chart free, and what to look at first, with a real example chart and the full naming-syllable table.
Make your baby's kundali now. Enter the date, time and place of birth in the free Kundli calculator. You'll get the Lagna, Rashi, Nakshatra, D1/D9/D10 charts and the dasha from birth. No sign-up, and nothing is stored.
Step 1: record the birth details accurately
You need three things:
- Date of birth.
- Time of birth, as exact as possible. Use the time on the hospital record. Traditionally it's the moment of the first cry or breath. A few minutes matter: the Lagna changes about every 2 hours and the D9 chart about every 13 minutes, so write it down to the minute.
- Place of birth: the city or town where the baby was born (not where the family lives).
Write these down in one place; you'll use them for every reading later in life.
Step 2: generate the kundali
Enter the details in a Vedic kundli calculator. The first lines to note are:
- Lagna: the rising sign, the baby's 1st house.
- Rashi: the Moon sign. This is the sign used for the child's rashifal and, later, for kundli matching.
- Nakshatra and pada: the Moon's lunar mansion and which quarter of it. This gives the naming syllable.
- Dasha balance at birth: which Vimshottari Mahadasha the baby is born in and how long it lasts.
Step 3: the naming letter (nama akshar)
By tradition, a child's name starts with the syllable linked to the Moon's nakshatra pada at birth. Each of the 27 nakshatras has four padas, so there are 108 syllables:
| Nakshatra | Pada 1 | Pada 2 | Pada 3 | Pada 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashwini | Chu | Che | Cho | La |
| Bharani | Li | Lu | Le | Lo |
| Krittika | A | I | U | E |
| Rohini | O | Va | Vi | Vu |
| Mrigashira | Ve | Vo | Ka | Ki |
| Ardra | Ku | Gha | Na | Chha |
| Punarvasu | Ke | Ko | Ha | Hi |
| Pushya | Hu | He | Ho | Da |
| Ashlesha | Di | Du | De | Do |
| Magha | Ma | Mi | Mu | Me |
| Purva Phalguni | Mo | Ta | Ti | Tu |
| Uttara Phalguni | Te | To | Pa | Pi |
| Hasta | Pu | Sha | Na | Tha |
| Chitra | Pe | Po | Ra | Ri |
| Swati | Ru | Re | Ro | Ta |
| Vishakha | Ti | Tu | Te | To |
| Anuradha | Na | Ni | Nu | Ne |
| Jyeshtha | No | Ya | Yi | Yu |
| Mula | Ye | Yo | Bha | Bhi |
| Purva Ashadha | Bhu | Dha | Pha | Dha |
| Uttara Ashadha | Bhe | Bho | Ja | Ji |
| Shravana | Khi | Khu | Khe | Kho |
| Dhanishta | Ga | Gi | Gu | Ge |
| Shatabhisha | Go | Sa | Si | Su |
| Purva Bhadrapada | Se | So | Da | Di |
| Uttara Bhadrapada | Du | Tha | Jha | Na |
| Revati | De | Do | Cha | Chi |
Some families use the nakshatra syllable for a private "naming-ceremony" name and choose any name for daily use. Others pick from the whole rashi's syllables (see 12 Rashi Names in English and Hindi). Both are traditional.
How to find the pada: each nakshatra spans 13°20', and each pada 3°20'. If your calculator shows the Moon's degree but not the pada, work out how far the Moon is into its nakshatra and divide by 3°20'.
A worked example
A real chart from NavAstro's calculator, for an example birth (not a real baby): 15 September 2026, 10:25 am, Pune.
- Lagna: Libra.
- Rashi: Libra (Tula). The Moon is at 17.5° Libra.
- Nakshatra: Swati, which spans 6°40' to 20°00' Libra. The Moon is 10°50' into it, which falls in pada 4 (16°40'–20°00').
- Naming syllable: Swati pada 4 = "Ta", so names starting with Ta (Tanvi, Tarun, Tara…).
- Dasha at birth: Swati is ruled by Rahu, so the baby is born in the Rahu Mahadasha, which runs until 24 August 2030. Then come Jupiter (16 years), Saturn (19 years) and Mercury (17 years).
- Notable placements: Venus in its own sign in the Lagna and Jupiter exalted in the 10th house form Malavya and Hamsa yogas. See Yoga in Kundli.
Gand Mool nakshatras
Six nakshatras sit at the junction of a water sign and a fire sign: Ashwini, Ashlesha, Magha, Jyeshtha, Mula and Revati. A birth with the Moon in one of these is called a Gand Mool birth, and many families perform a Gand Mool shanti puja around the 27th day, when the Moon returns to the same nakshatra. It's a tradition of care, not a prediction of harm; about two births in nine fall in these nakshatras.
What not to do with a newborn's chart
- Don't make predictions about health or longevity from a baby's chart. Classical texts themselves warn against judging longevity in the first years.
- Don't panic over a "dosha". Manglik dosha, Gand Mool and similar labels are common and are read in context, many years later, if at all.
- Don't change the recorded birth time to get a "better" chart. The real time is the useful one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a kundali for a newborn baby? Record the exact date, time and place of birth, then enter them in a free kundli calculator. Note the Lagna, Rashi, Nakshatra and pada, and the dasha at birth.
Which time should I use: the delivery time or the first cry? Traditionally the first cry or first breath. In practice, the time on the hospital record is what most families use; they're usually within a minute or two.
How do I find my baby's name letter? Find the Moon's nakshatra and pada in the kundli, then look up the syllable in the table above.
Is the baby's rashi the same as its sun sign? No. The rashi is the Moon sign. It changes every 2¼ days, while the Sun sign changes once a month.
Related reading: Find Your Moon Sign · 12 Rashi Names in English and Hindi · How to Read a Kundali · Make the chart in the free Kundli calculator
This article is for general information about Vedic astrology. It is not medical or professional advice.