Lord: Sun
Krittika Nakshatra Nature and Traits
A 'Mishra' (mixed/ordinary) nakshatra. Its guna is Rajo guna.
Key Significations
- Burning and purifying (the signification of Agni)
- Analysing, and cutting through problems (the signification of the blade)
- Leadership and authority
- Providing shelter and nourishment to others
- Spiritual practice, yajnas and rituals
- Being honest and direct
Though they appear outwardly as hard as a blade or a flame, within they carry a warm heart that protects others (the nourishing quality).
Positive Traits
- Leadership qualities of the highest order, and independent thinking
- Honesty that will not tolerate falsehood, and a direct manner of speaking
- A nature that guards those who take refuge with them as carefully as their own eyes
- A logical mind able to analyse any matter deeply
Negative Traits
- Uncontrollable, extreme anger and impulse
- An excessively critical tendency that looks for others' faults (speaking as though cutting with a knife)
- Obstinacy and ego
Nakshatra in its Rashi Environment
The first pada of this nakshatra falls in Mesha (Aries) and padas 2, 3 and 4 fall in Vrishabha (Taurus).
In Aries (1st pada): the sign lord is Mars and the nakshatra lord is the Sun. The two are friends. This is an extremely powerful, martial and aggressive placement. In Taurus (padas 2, 3, 4): the sign lord is Venus and the nakshatra lord is the Sun. Sun and Venus are enemies. Here there is an internal conflict between material comforts (Venus) and the thirst for spirituality and authority (the Sun), yet it gives stable wealth.
Krittika, which burns like fire in Aries, calms on entering Taurus into the fire of a cooking hearth that nourishes others.
Real-World Duties & Professions
- Chefs, and hotel or bakery businesses
- Surgeons and medical specialists (professions that use the blade)
- Army, police and defence officers
- Politicians and senior government officials
- Goldsmiths (those who melt gold) and metallurgy specialists
- Critics and auditors
Condemning what is wrong in society, providing guidance, and giving food and knowledge to all.
Administration, cooking and food-related fields, metalwork, and leadership.
Special Astrological Notes
Head, eyes, neck, throat. Prone to fevers, fire accidents and burns, throat infections and burning eyes.
Krittika has 'Antya nadi' and the yoni 'Mesha (goat)'. There is friendship with Purva Ashadha, which has the monkey yoni. Care must be taken that there is no Nadi dosha.
Suitable for fire-related activities (homas, yajnas), for beginning cooking, for resolving disputes and for cutting off bad habits. It is inauspicious for delicate work, for lending money and for starting long journeys.
Of Krittika the Brihat Jataka says "bahubhuk paradararatah tejasvi krittikasu vikhyatah" - that they are hearty eaters (lovers of food), full of lustre, and attain great fame (owing to the Sun-Venus influence, attraction towards the opposite sex tends to be strong).
The four padas of Krittika
Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ and divides into four padas of 3°20′. Each pada falls in one navamsa, whose lord colours a birth in that pada.
| Pada | Rashi and degrees | Navamsa | Navamsa lord | Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pada 1 | Aries 26°40′ – 30° | Sagittarius | Jupiter | A (ఆ) |
| Pada 2 | Taurus 0° – 3°20′ | Capricorn | Saturn | I (ఈ) |
| Pada 3 | Taurus 3°20′ – 6°40′ | Aquarius | Saturn | U (ఊ) |
| Pada 4 | Taurus 6°40′ – 10° | Pisces | Jupiter | E (ఏ) |
Naming syllables for Krittika
A child born in Krittika is traditionally named with the syllable of the birth pada: Pada 1 – A (ఆ), Pada 2 – I (ఈ), Pada 3 – U (ఊ), Pada 4 – E (ఏ).
Baby names for Krittika nakshatraKrittika nakshatra compatibility
Average Guna Melanam score out of 36 with each nakshatra, across every rashi both nakshatras' padas fall in. A real match depends on both birth charts: check one in Guna Melanam.
- Shatabhisha — 30/36
- Dhanishta — 27.9/36
- Pushya — 25.5/36
- Jyeshtha — 25.5/36
- Bharani — 24.2/36
- Uttara Ashadha — 11.5/36
- Revati — 12.5/36
- Swati — 13.5/36
