The 27 nakshatras
Mrigashira nakshatra मृगशिरा
Star 5 of 27, ruled by Mars, watched over by Soma, the searching Moon. Its symbol is the head of a deer.
The essentials
Mrigashira spans 23°20' Taurus to 6°40' Gemini. Dasha lord Mars (7 years). Deity Soma, the searching Moon. Gana Deva, yoni serpent, nadi Madhya (Pitta). Naming syllables वे, वो, का, की. A birth Moon here makes Mrigashira your janma nakshatra and opens your Vimshottari timeline in a Mars period.
The four padas
| Pada | Span | Navāṁśa | Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pada 1 | 23°20' Taurus to 26°40' Taurus | Leo navāṁśa | वे |
| Pada 2 | 26°40' Taurus to 0°00' Gemini | Virgo navāṁśa | वो |
| Pada 3 | 0°00' Gemini to 3°20' Gemini | Libra navāṁśa | का |
| Pada 4 | 3°20' Gemini to 6°40' Gemini | Scorpio navāṁśa | की |
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 Mrigashira
Mrigashira is the seeker's star. Its people are gentle hunters of ideas, places, and people, restless until the next question opens. They make fine researchers and travellers, and they must learn that some answers only arrive when one sits still.
Mrigashira in kundli matching
A Deva gana star of the serpent yoni, sharing its animal with Rohini. 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 Mrigashira, 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 Mrigashira fall?
23°20' Taurus to 6°40' Gemini, in four padas of 3°20' each. The table above names each pada's navāṁśa.
Which dasha starts for Mrigashira 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?
वे, वो, का, की, one for each pada.