नक्षत्राणि

The Aśvinī twins are the divine healers of the Ṛg-Veda, riding a golden chariot drawn by horses. They restore youth to the aged sage Cyavana, heal wounds on the battlefield, and bring swift solutions to seemingly impossible problems.

• ·good for travel and journeys
• ·good for healing rituals and medicines
• ·good for starting new ventures
• ·good for buying horses and vehicles

Bharaṇī is ruled by Yama, the lord of dharma and death. It represents the womb that bears, the discipline that constrains, and the cycle of restraint from which transformation is born. The śāstra-s call it the field where karma is weighed.

• ·good for completions and endings
• ·good for letting go of attachments
• ·avoid for travel and new ventures
• ·avoid for marriage and auspicious beginnings

Kṛttikā are the six celestial mothers (Pleiades) who nursed Kārttikeya, the warrior-son of Śiva. Ruled by Agni, this nakṣatra is the razor's edge — it cuts away what is impure and reveals what is true.

• ·good for fire ceremonies and yajña
• ·good for purification and cleansing rituals
• ·good for cutting away the obsolete
• ·avoid for soft beginnings and gentle work

Rohiṇī is the favourite wife of Candra (the Moon), and the only star Candra slows to gaze upon. Ruled by Brahmā / Prajāpati, it is the seat of growth, fertility, and creation itself — the field where all that is sown takes root.

• ·good for marriage and weddings
• ·good for planting, gardening, and agriculture
• ·good for housewarming and foundation rituals
• ·good for artistic and creative work

Mṛgaśīrṣa means 'deer's head' — Prajāpati assumed this form to pursue Rohiṇī, and Rudra's arrow froze the chase in the sky. Ruled by Soma, it is the seeker's nakṣatra, ever curious, ever in motion.

• ·good for searching and exploration
• ·good for travel and pilgrimage
• ·good for music and gentle arts
• ·avoid for fixed commitments and contracts

Ārdrā means 'the wet one' — ruled by Rudra, the cosmic storm-deity. It is the teardrop nakṣatra: where the old world dissolves so the new may emerge. The first monsoon belongs to Ārdrā.

• ·good for destruction of the obsolete
• ·good for research and deep enquiry
• ·good for invoking Śiva and Rudra
• ·avoid for marriage, travel, and new ventures

Punarvasu means 'the return of the light' — ruled by Aditi, mother of the Ādityas. It is the nakṣatra of renewal, of coming home, of the prodigal restored. Rāma was born under Punarvasu.

• ·good for return journeys and reunions
• ·good for housewarming and re-occupation
• ·good for restoration and repair
• ·good for spiritual study and Vedānta

Puṣya is the most auspicious of all 27 — ruled by Bṛhaspati, guru of the devas. The name means 'to nourish'. Even on a Saturday, Puṣya cannot be eclipsed; it is the one nakṣatra in which no inauspicious muhūrta exists.

• ·good for ALL auspicious work
• ·good for buying gold, vehicles, property
• ·good for starting business and ventures
• ·the only nakṣatra exempt from muhūrta-doṣa

Āśleṣā means 'the embrace' — ruled by the Nāgas, the serpent-deities who guard the kuṇḍalinī and the deepest secrets. It is the nakṣatra of mesmerism, hypnosis, and that which coils beneath the surface.

• ·good for tantra and esoteric practice
• ·good for poison-handling and snake-rituals
• ·good for psychological depth work
• ·avoid for marriage, travel, and contracts

Maghā is the throne of the Pitṛs (ancestors) — ruled by the lineage of forefathers. It is the nakṣatra of inherited power, royal lineage, and the debt owed to those who came before. The Mahālaya Pakṣa belongs to Maghā.

• ·good for pitṛ-tarpaṇa and ancestor offerings
• ·good for assuming royal or hereditary roles
• ·good for legacy work and inheritance
• ·avoid for new beginnings disconnected from lineage

Pūrva Phalgunī is ruled by Bhaga, the Āditya of marital union, prosperity, and delight. It is the front-legs of the cosmic bed — the nakṣatra of pleasure, leisure, and the sweet rest that follows fruitful labour.

• ·good for marriage and romantic union
• ·good for celebrations and feasts
• ·good for the arts, music, and dance
• ·avoid for travel and heavy labour

Uttara Phalgunī is ruled by Aryaman, the Āditya of contracts, friendships, and noble agreements. It is the back-legs of the cosmic bed — the nakṣatra of commitment, of vows kept, of the long marriage that endures.

• ·good for marriage and binding contracts
• ·good for forming partnerships
• ·good for housewarming and stable settlement
• ·good for legal and formal agreements

Hasta means 'the hand' — ruled by Savitṛ, the solar deity of skilful action. It is the nakṣatra of craft, dexterity, manifestation, and that which is held in the palm. The Gāyatrī mantra invokes Savitṛ.

• ·good for handcraft, art, and manual skill
• ·good for trade and commerce
• ·good for healing through touch (cikitsā)
• ·good for starting practical projects

Citrā means 'the bright jewel' — ruled by Tvaṣṭṛ / Viśvakarmā, the divine architect of the gods. It is the nakṣatra of design, beauty, ornament, and the well-formed structure. Its yogatāra is Spica (Citrā), one of the brightest stars in the sky.

• ·good for architecture and design
• ·good for making jewelry and ornaments
• ·good for tailoring and fashion work
• ·good for buying clothes and beautiful objects

Svātī is ruled by Vāyu, the wind-deity. It is the young, independent plant — flexible, self-going, prized for its freedom. The pearl forms in the oyster on Svātī. It is the nakṣatra of self-determination.

• ·good for travel and movement
• ·good for buying or starting independent ventures
• ·good for trade and exchange
• ·avoid for fixed structures and heavy foundations

Viśākhā is ruled by Indra-Agni jointly — the king of devas and the cosmic fire. It is the triumphal arch, the nakṣatra of focused will, of the goal pursued until won. Indra used Viśākhā to slay Vṛtra.

• ·good for goal-setting and decisive action
• ·good for warriors, athletes, and competitive work
• ·good for performing yajña with Indra-Agni
• ·avoid for marriage (sharp, contentious energy)

Anurādhā is ruled by Mitra, the Āditya of friendship, alliance, and devotional companionship. It is the lotus nakṣatra — softly fragrant, drawing friends and allies, prospering through cooperation rather than conquest.

• ·good for forming friendships and alliances
• ·good for devotional practice and bhakti
• ·good for travel with companions
• ·good for diplomatic and reconciliation work

Jyeṣṭhā means 'the eldest' — ruled by Indra, king of the devas. It is the umbrella or earring of authority, the nakṣatra of the senior-most, of hard-won kingship. Its yogatāra is Antares, the heart of Scorpio.

• ·good for assuming command and leadership
• ·good for occult practices and protection rituals
• ·good for asserting seniority and authority
• ·avoid for marriage, travel, and gentle beginnings

Mūla means 'the root' — ruled by Nirṛti, the goddess of dissolution and decay. It is the nakṣatra of foundational excavation, of pulling up what has died, of investigative truth. The galactic centre lies near Mūla.

• ·good for research and root-cause investigation
• ·good for spiritual renunciation (saṃnyāsa)
• ·good for uprooting the obsolete
• ·avoid for marriage, travel, and new beginnings

Pūrva Aṣāḍhā means 'the invincible early one' — ruled by the Āpaḥ, the cosmic waters. It is the fan or winnowing basket: separating wheat from chaff, the nakṣatra of cleansing victory, of declaring intent before the campaign.

• ·good for declarations and ceremonial vows
• ·good for water-rituals and abhiṣeka
• ·good for beginning a long campaign
• ·good for purification and cleansing

Uttara Aṣāḍhā means 'the invincible later one' — ruled by the Viśvedevāḥ, the collective universal deities. It is the elephant's tusk, the nakṣatra of the final, settling victory — the campaign won and the dharma established.

• ·good for completing long campaigns
• ·good for formal coronations and titles
• ·good for marriage and binding contracts
• ·good for housewarming and settled foundations

Śravaṇa means 'the listening one' — ruled by Viṣṇu, the cosmic preserver. The three footprints (Viṣṇu's three strides) and the listening ear: it is the nakṣatra of hearing the Veda, of receiving instruction, of the disciple ready to learn.

• ·good for Vedic study and śravaṇa-manana
• ·good for receiving initiation (dīkṣā)
• ·good for travel and pilgrimage
• ·good for music, recitation, and oratory

Dhaniṣṭhā means 'the wealthiest' — ruled by the eight Vasus, the deities of elemental abundance. It is the drum (damaru) nakṣatra, the rhythmic beat that marshals wealth, that calls dancers and warriors alike to coordinated motion.

• ·good for accumulating wealth and starting businesses
• ·good for music, dance, and percussion
• ·good for group coordination and team work
• ·avoid for marriage (Mars-ruled tension)

Śatabhiṣā means 'the hundred healers' — ruled by Varuṇa, lord of the cosmic ocean and cosmic order. It is the empty circle nakṣatra — vast, mysterious, healing through unseen means. It is also the nakṣatra of seclusion and esoteric medicine.

• ·good for healing chronic diseases
• ·good for esoteric and mystical work
• ·good for retreat and seclusion
• ·avoid for marriage and social ventures

Pūrva Bhādrapadā is ruled by Aja Ekapāda, the one-footed goat — a fierce form of Rudra. It is the front legs of the funeral cot, the nakṣatra of intense austerity, of the upward fire that consumes ego, of the heat that purifies before passage.

• ·good for tapas and ascetic practice
• ·good for fire ceremonies and yajña
• ·good for cremation rites
• ·avoid for marriage, travel, and pleasure

Uttara Bhādrapadā is ruled by Ahir Budhnya, the serpent of the cosmic depths — a benevolent kuṇḍalinī form. It is the back legs of the funeral cot, the nakṣatra of restful completion, of deep yogic stability, of the calm that follows fierce ascent.

• ·good for deep yoga and meditation
• ·good for completing long undertakings
• ·good for housewarming and stable foundations
• ·good for marriage to a steadfast partner

Revatī is the last of the 27 — ruled by Pūṣan, the shepherd-deity who guides cattle, travellers, and departing souls. It is the fish nakṣatra, swimming in the final cosmic waters, the nakṣatra of safe completion and gentle transition.

• ·good for travel and safe passage
• ·good for marriage and joyful completion
• ·good for guiding souls and end-of-life rites
• ·good for fostering animals and children