Mrigashira nakshatra: rashi, padas and the name syllable

What Mrigashira nakshatra is

The Moon's path around the zodiac is divided into twenty-seven equal parts; Mrigashira nakshatra is one of them. It occupies Vrishabha 23°20' to Mithuna 6°40', and like every nakshatra it spans thirteen degrees and twenty minutes of arc.

In the traditional panchang this nakshatra's ruling planet is Mars, its deity Soma and its symbol a deer's head. That information comes from the panchang tradition — it is a matter of faith, and it is given here exactly as the tradition gives it.

This nakshatra is split between two rashis — Vrishabha (Taurus) and Mithuna (Gemini). Which is why knowing the nakshatra alone is not enough: without knowing the pada, the rashi cannot be settled.

The four padas, their rashi and the name syllable

Every nakshatra divides into four equal quarters called padas. Which syllable the baby's name traditionally starts with is decided by the pada:

First pada — syllable Ve — rashi Vrishabha (Taurus)

Second pada — syllable Vo — rashi Vrishabha (Taurus)

Third pada — syllable Ka — rashi Mithuna (Gemini)

Fourth pada — syllable Ki — rashi Mithuna (Gemini)

Which pada the baby was born in is decided by the time of birth. Use our birth star calculator to work it out.

Is this your baby's nakshatra?

The nakshatra changes roughly once a day — the Moon takes about twenty-four and a half hours to cross one. So the date alone is not enough; a baby born in the morning and one born that night can have different nakshatras.

Our birth star calculator takes the date and time of birth and gives the nakshatra, pada, rashi and name syllable. It also shows exactly when that nakshatra begins and ends — so you can check it against the family panchang.

An honest note about the name

Ve, Vo, Ka, Ki — these are the syllables of this nakshatra's four padas. Naming the baby with a name that starts on the birth pada's syllable is a tradition many families follow.

But there is no rule that the name must start with this syllable. It is a tradition, not a law. Many families keep the nakshatra syllable for the pet name at home and choose the school name freely — both are done, and both are fine.

We are preparing a verified list of names starting with these syllables, with meanings checked. It will appear here when it is ready — better than padding this page with an unchecked list now.