Nakshatra 5 of 27 · Lahiri sidereal
Mrigashira Nakshatra
Mrigashira is nakshatra 5 of the 27, spanning 23°20′ Vrishabha to 6°40′ Mithuna of the sidereal zodiac. Its ruler is Mangal, its deity Soma, the Moon, its symbol a deer's head, and its yoni animal the Serpent.
At a glance
- Span (sidereal)
- 23°20′ Vrishabha to 6°40′ Mithuna
- Ruling planet
- Mangal · Vimshottari dasha of 7 years
- Deity
- Soma, the Moon
- Symbol
- A deer's head
- Gana
- Deva
- Yoni (animal)
- Serpent (natural enemy: Mongoose)
- Nadi
- Madhya
What Mrigashira is like
Mrigashira, ‘the deer’s head’, is the star of the searching mind. Mangal (Mars) rules it and Soma, the Moon-god and lord of the sacred drink, presides over it, a pairing of curiosity and gentleness. It spans the end of Vrishabha and the start of Mithuna, joining the sensual with the intellectual.
Born with the Moon in Mrigashira
With the Moon here you are alert, charming and always on the trail of something, a question, a place, a person. You learn by wandering. Friendships come easily; staying with one project long enough to finish it is the harder skill. Travel, research, writing and any work with fresh variety suit you.
In short: Curious and gentle — always seeking the next idea, place or person worth knowing. A useful growth area: staying with one search long enough to find what you are looking for.
Mangal rules Mrigashira, so a Moon here means birth in the Mangal mahadasha, 7 years in all. How much of it remains depends on how far the Moon had travelled through the star. The Vimshottari sequence then moves on to Rahu.
Deity and symbol
Soma, the deity of this star, is both the Moon and the sacred drink of the Vedic rites, linked with inspiration and delight. The deer, always listening for the next sound, is the gentle animal that shows how attention works.
The symbol of Mrigashira is a deer's head, and its deity is Soma, the Moon.
Padas and navamsa signs
Each nakshatra has four padas of 3°20′, one ninth of a sign each. The pada your Moon was in gives its navamsa (D9) sign. The four padas of Mrigashira are:
| Pada | Degrees | Moon sign | Navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23°20′ – 26°40′ | Vrishabha | Simha |
| 2 | 26°40′ – 30°00′ | Vrishabha | Kanya |
| 3 | 0°00′ – 3°20′ | Mithuna | Tula |
| 4 | 3°20′ – 6°40′ | Mithuna | Vrishchika |
So the first pada of Mrigashira falls in Simha navamsa and the last in Vrishchika.
Mrigashira in Kundali Milan
As a partner Mrigashira is playful and curious, and values someone who keeps conversation and new experiences alive.
In Ashtakoot matching, Mrigashira brings a Serpent yoni, Deva gana and Madhya nadi. Yoni Koota (4 points) is full when both partners share an animal and 0 when their animals are natural enemies; the Serpent’s natural enemy is the Mongoose. Nadi Koota (8 points) scores 0 when both share a nadi. These are parts of one comparison, never a verdict on a couple.
Questions people ask
Which rashi does Mrigashira nakshatra fall in?
Mrigashira spans two signs: 23°20′ Vrishabha to 6°40′ Mithuna. Which Moon sign you have depends on the pada your Moon was in at birth: padas 1–2 are in Vrishabha, and padas 3–4 in Mithuna.
Who rules Mrigashira, and which dasha does it start?
Mangal rules Mrigashira. A person born with the Moon in Mrigashira starts the Vimshottari sequence in the Mangal mahadasha (7 years in all), counted from the balance left at birth, and then moves on to Rahu.
What is the yoni of Mrigashira, and what does it mean in Kundali Milan?
The yoni of Mrigashira is the Serpent, shared with Rohini. Yoni Koota scores 4 of 4 when both partners’ animals match and 0 when they are natural enemies (Serpent and Mongoose); other pairs score between 1 and 3. In the classical texts yoni speaks of instinct and physical ease between two people; it is one of eight kootas.
Is Mrigashira a good or a bad nakshatra?
Neither. The classical texts do not rank nakshatras as good or bad for a person; each has its own character, strengths and growth areas. For Mrigashira the texts speak of curious and gentle — always seeking the next idea, place or person worth knowing. The growth area: staying with one search long enough to find what you are looking for.
How do I find my nakshatra?
Your birth nakshatra is the one the Moon was in when you were born, so it needs your date, time and place of birth. The free kundali on JYOTISH.info shows it with the pada, using the Lahiri ayanamsa. The Moon changes nakshatra about once a day, so without a birth time the nakshatra can be uncertain, and the app marks it as approximate.
What are the symbol and deity of Mrigashira?
The symbol is a deer's head, and the deity is Soma, the Moon. The classical texts link the qualities of the deity to the character of the star.
Every position on this page is calculated sidereal with the Lahiri ayanamsa from the astronomy-engine library (MIT licence). The classical texts describe tendencies; this page is for guidance and reflection, not a verdict, and no outcome is promised. How we calculate. This is the English page and the legal reference. The same page is available in Hindi. Checked October 2026.