Mrigashira nakshatra
Mrigashira is the fifth nakshatra, spanning 23°20′ Taurus to 6°40′ Gemini. Ruled by Mars with Soma, the Moon god, as its deity, its symbol is a deer’s head: a soft star of searching and curiosity.
Also known as: Mrigasira, Mrigashirsha, Mrugashira, Makayiram, Mirugaseeridam, Mrigshira
Mrigashira means ‘deer’s head’, and the deer, gentle and alert, is its symbol. Its deity is Soma, the Moon as giver of nectar, and its stars mark the head of Orion. The nakshatra straddles two signs: its first two padas lie in Taurus and the last two in Gemini, so people born in it can have either Moon sign.
Mrigashira is one of the four soft (mridu) nakshatras, favoured for friendly and graceful beginnings: weddings, new clothes and jewellery, music and the arts. It is on the classical lists for marriage, griha pravesh and naming ceremonies. Ruled by Mars, it begins life in Mars’s seven-year dasha.
Its padas give the name syllables Ve, Vo, Ka and Ki. The month of Margashirsha takes its name from this star, because that month’s full moon falls near it. The deer’s restlessness is sometimes read as indecision; tradition sees it more kindly, as a love of seeking and learning.