Krittika nakshatra

Krittika is the Pleiades, the bright cluster also called the Seven Sisters. In legend, the Krittikas nursed the infant Kartikeya, who takes his name from them. Its symbol is a razor or a flame and its deity is Agni, so the nakshatra is associated with cutting through, cleansing and protecting. In early Vedic lists, Krittika came first among the nakshatras.

Muhurat texts class Krittika as a mixed (mishra) star, suited to everyday work and to tasks involving fire or metal. Ruled by the Sun, it begins life in the Sun’s six-year dasha. The full moon of Kartika falls near Krittika, which gives that month its name.

Its padas give the name syllables A, I, U and E. Because the nakshatra crosses a sign boundary, two people born in Krittika can have different Moon signs: Aries for the first pada, Taurus for the other three.