The 27 nakshatras
Chitra nakshatra चित्रा
Star 14 of 27, ruled by Mars, watched over by Tvashtar, the celestial architect. Its symbol is a bright jewel.
The essentials
Chitra spans 23°20' Virgo to 6°40' Libra. Dasha lord Mars (7 years). Deity Tvashtar, the celestial architect. Gana Rakshasa, yoni tiger, nadi Madhya (Pitta). Naming syllables पे, पो, रा, री. A birth Moon here makes Chitra your janma nakshatra and opens your Vimshottari timeline in a Mars period.
The four padas
| Pada | Span | Navāṁśa | Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pada 1 | 23°20' Virgo to 26°40' Virgo | Leo navāṁśa | पे |
| Pada 2 | 26°40' Virgo to 0°00' Libra | Virgo navāṁśa | पो |
| Pada 3 | 0°00' Libra to 3°20' Libra | Libra navāṁśa | रा |
| Pada 4 | 3°20' Libra to 6°40' Libra | Scorpio navāṁśa | री |
Each pada colours the star through its navāṁśa sign, which is why two people of the same nakshatra can wear it differently. The syllable of the birth pada is the one tradition offers at a naming ceremony.
The character of Chitra
Chitra builds beautiful things and knows it. Its people carry a designer's eye and an engineer's hand, and they polish whatever carries their name. The star's test is caring as much for the unseen joints as for the visible shine.
Chitra in kundli matching
A Rakshasa gana star of the tiger yoni, sharing its animal with Vishakha. In Ashtakoota matching, the gana enters the six point Gana test, the yoni its four point test of instinctive accord, and the nadi the heaviest test of all at eight points, where two identical nadis score nothing. None of these verdicts stands alone, and the full milan arithmetic weighs all eight kutas before anything is concluded.
Your dasha begins with Mars
Born under Chitra, your Vimshottari sequence opens in a Mars mahadasha, and the balance left at birth depends on the Moon's exact degree within the star. The dasha guide explains the whole 120 year wheel. A computed chart names your current period to the day.
Common questions
Where does Chitra fall?
23°20' Virgo to 6°40' Libra, in four padas of 3°20' each. The table above names each pada's navāṁśa.
Which dasha starts for Chitra births?
Mars's, up to 7 years, scaled by how far the Moon had walked through the star at birth.
What are the naming syllables?
पे, पो, रा, री, one for each pada.