Positions in the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri ayanamsa.
The four padas
Each nakshatra has four quarters of 3°20′. Each pada falls in a sign of the navamsa, the ninth-part chart.
Pada 1
23°20′ Capricorn to 26°40′ Capricorn
Navamsa Leo
Pada 2
26°40′ Capricorn to 30°00′ Capricorn
Navamsa Virgo
Pada 3
0°00′ Aquarius to 3°20′ Aquarius
Navamsa Libra
Pada 4
3°20′ Aquarius to 6°40′ Aquarius
Navamsa Scorpio
Dhanishta and your dashas
If the Moon was in Dhanishta when you were born, your Vimshottari dashas start with a Mars period, which lasts 7 years in full. You start partway through it, by how far the Moon had travelled through Dhanishta.
Is Dhanishta your birth star?
Your birth star is the nakshatra the Moon was in when you were born. The Moon moves into a new one about once a day, so it takes your birth date, time and place.