Mrigashira nakshatra (मृगशिरा)
Nakshatra 5 of 27 · Taurus and Gemini · ruled by Mars
Find your birth nakshatraAbout Mrigashira
Searching and gentle; curious minds always following a scent.
Mrigashira is the 5th of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of the sidereal zodiac. Each nakshatra spans 13°20' of the ecliptic; Mrigashira begins at 23°20' Taurus and ends at 6°40' Gemini. 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.
Mrigashira at a glance
| Ruling planet | Mars |
|---|---|
| Presiding deity | Soma |
| Symbol | Deer's head |
| Gana (temperament) | Deva |
| Yoni (animal) | Serpent |
| Nadi | Madhya |
| Zodiac sign(s) | Taurus and Gemini |
| Vimshottari dasha lord | Mars (7 years) |
The four padas of Mrigashira
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 | 23°20' – 26°40' Taurus | Taurus | Leo |
| 2 | 26°40' – 0°00' Taurus | Taurus | Virgo |
| 3 | 0°00' – 3°20' Gemini | Gemini | Libra |
| 4 | 3°20' – 6°40' Gemini | Gemini | Scorpio |
What the symbols mean
Deity. Soma. In Jyotish the presiding deity shows the nature of the energy a nakshatra carries and the type of worship traditionally offered for it.
Symbol. Deer's head. The symbol is a memory image that captures the nakshatra's quality.
Gana, yoni and nadi. Mrigashira belongs to the Deva gana, the serpent yoni and the Madhya 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.
Mrigashira and the Vimshottari dasha
The lord of Mrigashira is Mars. A person born in this nakshatra starts life in a Mars mahadasha (a 7-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 Rahu, Jupiter and Saturn. Calculate your dasha periods free.
Remedies and worship
Traditional guidance links each nakshatra to its deity and ruling planet: prayer to Soma, and a puja or mantra for Mars, 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.