Pāda (Caraṇa)

A pāda ('foot, quarter') or caraṇa is one quarter of a nakshatra, 3°20′ of arc; the 108 pādas of the zodiac correspond one-to-one with the 108 navāṃśas. Each pāda is linked to a syllable, tabulated in the avakahaḍā cakra, which is traditionally used to choose the first sound of a name. The pāda also fixes the navāṃśa sign of the Moon and of the other grahas.