Krittika nakshatra
Updated
Krittika is the 3rd of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of Vedic astrology. Its name is traditionally read as “the cutter”; its symbol is a blade or flame, and its presiding deity is Agni, the fire god.
- Number
- 3 of 27
- Ruling planet
- Sun
- Deity
- Agni, the fire god
- Symbol
- A blade or flame
- Zodiac span
- 26°40′ Aries – 10° Taurus
- Gana
- Rakshasa
- Yoni
- Sheep
- Nadi
- Kapha
- Pada navamsas
- Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
Character and symbolism
Krittika cuts through — its razor symbol and fire deity describe sharpness, purification and the burning away of what is false. Classical texts read it as exacting and direct.
As with everything in a chart, these are classical descriptions of a temperament, not a verdict on any person — a nakshatra is one layer of a reading, always weighed with the rest of the chart.
Where Krittika sits in the zodiac
Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ of the sidereal zodiac, divided into four padas (quarters) of 3°20′. Krittika occupies 26°40′ Aries – 10° Taurus, bridging Aries and Taurus. Its four padas take the navamsa signs Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces — the sub-chart positions used in the D9 (Navamsa) divisional chart.
Ruling planet and your starting dasha
Krittika is ruled by Sun, which carries a 6-year period in the Vimshottari dasha cycle. If your Moon sits in Krittika, Sun’s mahadasha is the period your life begins in, and the themes classical texts associate with Sun colour how this nakshatra expresses itself.
Krittika in marriage matching
Three of this nakshatra’s classifications feed the 36-point Guna Milan used in Kundali matching. Krittika belongs to the rakshasa temperament group — read as intense, independent and strong-willed (a classification, not a judgement), which the Gana koota (6 points) compares between partners. Its yoni is the Sheep, one of fourteen animal archetypes whose pairings the Yoni koota (4 points) scores for instinctive compatibility. And its nadi is Kapha (phlegm) — the Nadi koota (8 points) awards full marks only when the two nadis differ.
None of these classifications is good or bad on its own — they only ever describe a pairing, and even then they are a starting point beside the full charts.
Frequently asked
Which planet rules Krittika nakshatra?
Krittika is ruled by Sun. In the Vimshottari dasha system, a person born with the Moon in Krittika begins life in a Sun mahadasha of up to 6 years — how much of it remains depends on how far the Moon had moved through the nakshatra at birth.
Which rashi (sign) does Krittika fall in?
Krittika bridges two signs — it spans 26°40′ Aries – 10° Taurus, so its four padas fall across Aries and Taurus.
What are Krittika's gana, yoni and nadi?
Krittika is classified as Rakshasa gana, Sheep yoni and Kapha nadi. These three classifications are inputs to Guna Milan marriage matching — gana compares temperament groups, yoni instinctive compatibility and nadi constitution.
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