Nakshatras · 14 of 27
Chitra nakshatra
The 14th lunar mansion, 23°20′ Virgo to 6°40′ Libra, ruled by Mars.
- Span
- 23°20′ Virgo to 6°40′ Libra
- Ruling planet
- Mars (Vimshottari dasha of 7 years)
- Deity
- Tvashtar (Vishvakarma)
- Symbol
- A bright jewel or pearl
- Nature
- Mridu (gentle)
- Gana
- Rakshasa (fierce)
- Yoni (animal)
- Tiger
- Nadi
- Madhya (Pitta)
The meaning of Chitra
Chitra (चित्रा) is the 14th of the 27 nakshatras. Its presiding deity is Tvashtar (Vishvakarma), the divine craftsman and architect, and its symbol is a bright jewel or pearl. In Jyotish the deity of a nakshatra is the key to its nature: what the deity does, the nakshatra does.
It is ruled by Mars, so a person whose Moon is in Chitra begins life in the Mars dasha. The other two nakshatras ruled by Mars are Mrigashira and Dhanishta; together they share something of Mars’s character.
Good for: Mridu work
In the muhurta texts Chitra is a mridu (gentle) nakshatra, favoured for friendship, the arts, music, new clothes and marriage. When the Moon passes through Chitra (about once every 27⅓ days) it is a good day for those kinds of beginnings.
The four padas
Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′. Each pada falls in a navamsa sign, and each has the traditional first syllable used for naming a child born in it.
| Pada | Sign | Navamsa | Naming syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virgo | Leo | Pe |
| 2 | Virgo | Virgo | Po |
| 3 | Libra | Libra | Ra |
| 4 | Libra | Scorpio | Ri |
In marriage matching
In guna milan, Chitra is of Rakshasa gana, tiger yoni and Madhya nadi. Two partners with the same nadi lose all eight points of nadi koota. Match two charts.
Find your birth nakshatra · Virgo (Kanya) · Chapter 5: the 27 nakshatras
Sources: Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and Phaladeepika for the signs, planets and houses; Muhurta Chintamani for the nakshatra classes and the guna milan attributes. Wording is our own.