Krittika nakshatra (कृत्तिका)
Nakshatra 3 of 27 · Aries and Taurus · ruled by Sun
Find your birth nakshatraAbout Krittika
Sharp and purifying like a flame; honest, protective, sometimes cutting.
Krittika is the 3rd of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of the sidereal zodiac. Each nakshatra spans 13°20' of the ecliptic; Krittika begins at 26°40' Aries and ends at 10°00' Taurus. The Moon spends about a day in each nakshatra, so your birth nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. It is calculated with the sidereal (Lahiri) zodiac, which is why it can differ from Western astrology.
Krittika at a glance
| Ruling planet | Sun |
|---|---|
| Presiding deity | Agni |
| Symbol | Razor / flame |
| Gana (temperament) | Rakshasa |
| Yoni (animal) | Sheep |
| Nadi | Antya |
| Zodiac sign(s) | Aries and Taurus |
| Vimshottari dasha lord | Sun (6 years) |
The four padas of Krittika
Each nakshatra is divided into four padas of 3°20'. Every pada falls in one navamsa (D9) sign, which is used in marriage and fortune analysis.
| Pada | From – to | Rashi | Navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26°40' – 0°00' Aries | Aries | Sagittarius |
| 2 | 0°00' – 3°20' Taurus | Taurus | Capricorn |
| 3 | 3°20' – 6°40' Taurus | Taurus | Aquarius |
| 4 | 6°40' – 10°00' Taurus | Taurus | Pisces |
What the symbols mean
Deity. Agni. In Jyotish the presiding deity shows the nature of the energy a nakshatra carries and the type of worship traditionally offered for it.
Symbol. Razor / flame. The symbol is a memory image that captures the nakshatra's quality.
Gana, yoni and nadi. Krittika belongs to the Rakshasa gana, the sheep yoni and the Antya nadi. These three are among the eight factors (ashta koota) used in Kundli matching for marriage; for the full score use our Kundli matching tool.
Krittika and the Vimshottari dasha
The lord of Krittika is Sun. A person born in this nakshatra starts life in a Sun mahadasha (a 6-year period in the 120-year cycle), part of which has already passed at birth, depending on where the Moon stood inside the nakshatra. The order of dasha lords then continues with Moon, Mars and Rahu. Calculate your dasha periods free.
Remedies and worship
Traditional guidance links each nakshatra to its deity and ruling planet: prayer to Agni, and a puja or mantra for Sun, are common choices. This is a devotional tradition, not a guarantee of any result. A pandit looks at the whole chart, not the nakshatra alone, before suggesting anything. You can book an online puja or generate your free Kundli first.