Nakshatras · 5 of 27
Mrigashira nakshatra
The 5th lunar mansion, 23°20′ Taurus to 6°40′ Gemini, ruled by Mars.
- Span
- 23°20′ Taurus to 6°40′ Gemini
- Ruling planet
- Mars (Vimshottari dasha of 7 years)
- Deity
- Soma
- Symbol
- A deer’s head
- Nature
- Mridu (gentle)
- Gana
- Deva (godly)
- Yoni (animal)
- Serpent
- Nadi
- Madhya (Pitta)
The meaning of Mrigashira
Mrigashira (मृगशिरा) is the 5th of the 27 nakshatras. Its presiding deity is Soma, the Moon god, lord of the sacred drink and of delight, and its symbol is a deer’s head. 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 Mrigashira begins life in the Mars dasha. The other two nakshatras ruled by Mars are Chitra and Dhanishta; together they share something of Mars’s character.
Good for: Mridu work
In the muhurta texts Mrigashira is a mridu (gentle) nakshatra, favoured for friendship, the arts, music, new clothes and marriage. When the Moon passes through Mrigashira (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 | Taurus | Leo | Ve |
| 2 | Taurus | Virgo | Vo |
| 3 | Gemini | Libra | Ka |
| 4 | Gemini | Scorpio | Ki |
In marriage matching
In guna milan, Mrigashira is of Deva gana, serpent yoni and Madhya nadi. Two partners with the same nadi lose all eight points of nadi koota. Match two charts.
Find your birth nakshatra · Taurus (Vrishabha) · 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.