NAKṢATRA 05 / 27 · 53°20′00″–66°40′00″ · 4 PĀDAS
मृगशीर्ष · Mṛgaśīrṣa
Mrigashira. The 5th of the 27 lunar mansions, ruled by Maṅgala, with presiding deity Soma and the symbol of a deer-head. Each nakṣatra spans 13°20′, divided into four pādas of 3°20′ each.
Classical structure
- position → 5th of the 27 nakṣatras, spanning 53°20′00″–66°40′00″ of the sidereal ecliptic.
- pādas → four quarters of 3°20′ each (the 4 navāṃśa pādas; 108 pādas across all 27).
- vimśottarī lord → Maṅgala — seeds the Vimśottarī daśā sequence for a Moon in this nakṣatra.
- gaṇa → देव · deva
- nāḍī → मध्य · madhya
- yogatāra (junction star) → λ Orionis (Meissa) vmag 3.39
Arc · pāda · lord · Tier-S (iii) period-derivation. Deity · symbol · gaṇa · nāḍī · yogatāra · Tier-W (vii) classical provenance.
Rāśi placement
2¼ mansions per sign- वृष Taurus (pādas 1–2)
- मिथुन Gemini (pādas 3–4)
Deity & tradition
Tier-W (vii) provenanceआह्वानम् · INVOCATION
ॐ सोमाय नमः · पञ्चमं नक्षत्रम्।
Salutations to Soma, the fifth nakṣatra — the deer-headed wanderer.
कथा · STORY
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.
मुहूर्त-योग्यता · TRADITIONAL MUHŪRTA USES
- good for searching and exploration
- good for travel and pilgrimage
- good for music and gentle arts
- avoid for fixed commitments and contracts
Deity stories and muhūrta uses are cultural provenance — honored as tradition, not algebraically derived and not a prediction.
COMPUTE · YOUR CHART
Is your Moon in Mrigashira?
Moon within ~1′ of NASA/JPL Horizons · your janma-nakṣatra and pāda computed from birth date, time and place.
The twenty-seven mansions
- अश्विनीAshwini
- भरणीBharani
- कृत्तिकाKrittika
- रोहिणीRohini
- आर्द्राArdra
- पुनर्वसुPunarvasu
- पुष्यPushya
- आश्लेषाAshlesha
- मघाMagha
- पूर्वफल्गुनीPurvaphalguni
- उत्तरफल्गुनीUttaraphalguni
- हस्तHasta
- चित्राChitra
- स्वातीSwati
- विशाखाVishakha
- अनुराधाAnuradha
- ज्येष्ठाJyeshtha
- मूलMula
- पूर्वाषाढाPurvashadha
- उत्तराषाढाUttarashadha
- श्रवणShravana
- धनिष्ठाDhanishtha
- शतभिषाShatabhisha
- पूर्वभाद्रपदाPurvabhadrapada
- उत्तरभाद्रपदाUttarabhadrapada
- रेवतीRevati
27 nakṣatras × 13°20′ · Tier-S (iii) arc-derivation. Deity · gaṇa · nāḍī · Tier-W (vii) provenance (BPHS Ch. 14 · Bṛhat-Saṃhitā Ch. 9).