Nakshatra 3 of 27
Krittika nakshatra
Krittika is the 3rd of the 27 nakshatras. It spans 26°40′ of sidereal Aries to 10°00′ of sidereal Taurus, is ruled by the Sun, and its deity is Agni, fire. Its symbol is a razor or a flame, its power is to burn, and its themes are cutting through, purifying and sharp truth: warmth that can also burn.
Krittika at a glance
- Name
- Krittika, “the cutters,” the six sisters of the Pleiades
- Position
- 26°40′ Aries – 10°00′ Taurus (sidereal, Lahiri)
- Signs
- Aries and Taurus
- Ruling planet
- Sun (its Vimshottari period lasts 6 years)
- Deity
- Agni: fire itself — the mouth of the gods that eats the offering and purifies what it touches
- Symbol
- a razor or flame
- Shakti
- the power to burn (dahana)
- Themes
- cutting through, purifying, sharp truth, warmth that also burns
- Stars
- the Pleiades (brightest: Alcyone, Eta Tauri), at about 6°08′ sidereal Taurus
The stars of Krittika
Krittika is the Pleiades, the small, misty dipper of stars in Taurus that people all over the world have named, from the Seven Sisters of Greek myth to Subaru in Japan. Its brightest star, Alcyone, sits at about 6°08′ sidereal Taurus.
In the oldest Vedic lists of the mansions, Krittika comes first, not Ashwini. Scholars link that to the sky of the time: a few thousand years ago the spring equinox lay near the Pleiades. As the equinox slid backward (the same drift that now makes Western and Vedic signs differ by about 24°), the count was later restarted from Ashwini.
The deity and the story
Krittika’s deity is Agni, fire: the mouth of the gods, which eats the offering and carries it up, and which purifies whatever it touches.
The best-known story is about the six Krittika sisters, who nursed the infant Kartikeya, also called Skanda, the young war god. To feed from all six he grew six faces. He is named after them, and in South India he is still worshipped on Krittika days.
What Krittika is about
Krittika’s shakti is dahana, the power to burn. Read as a clock, it marks seasons of cutting: decisions, honest words, clearing away what doesn’t belong, and tending a fire that keeps people warm.
When the Moon sat here at birth, the old texts describe a sharp and honest mind, high standards, a protective streak (the nursing sisters) and a temper that flares and cools. The Sun rules the mansion, adding pride and a sense of purpose.
The mansion straddles two signs. Its first quarter is in Aries, fire on fire. The other three are in Taurus, where the flame is the cook’s fire rather than the warrior’s.
The four padas of Krittika
Each nakshatra splits into four quarters of 3°20′, called padas. Each pada falls in a navamsa sign (the ninth-part chart), which colors how the mansion’s theme comes out.
- Pada 1 (26°40′–30°00′ Aries, Sagittarius navamsa): fire with a cause. Courage, conviction, leading the charge.
- Pada 2 (0°00′–3°20′ Taurus, Capricorn navamsa): fire that works. Discipline, steady effort, practical results.
- Pada 3 (3°20′–6°40′ Taurus, Aquarius navamsa): fire for the group. Ideals, community, cutting through for others. The Pleiades’ brightest star sits here.
- Pada 4 (6°40′–10°00′ Taurus, Pisces navamsa): fire that nurtures. Care, feeling, the warmth of the hearth.
The Moon in Krittika
The Moon reaches its exact point of exaltation, 3° Taurus, inside Krittika. Someone born with the Moon here starts the Vimshottari periods in a Sun period, 6 years in full, the shortest of the nine.
The Moon passes through Krittika about once every 27.3 days and stays about a day. At noon UTC it is in Krittika on Oct 27, Nov 24, Dec 21 (2026), from our chart engine. To check your own birth Moon, use the nakshatra calculator.
Questions people ask
What is Krittika nakshatra known for?
Fire and sharpness. Its deity is Agni, its symbol is a razor or a flame, and its stars are the Pleiades, the six sisters who nursed the war god Kartikeya.
Which sign is Krittika in?
Both Aries and Taurus. Its first pada is 26°40′–30° sidereal Aries; the other three run from 0° to 10° sidereal Taurus.
Are the Pleiades Krittika?
Yes. Krittika is the Indian name for the Pleiades. Its brightest star, Alcyone, sits at about 6°08′ sidereal Taurus.
What is the ruling planet of Krittika?
The Sun. A person born with the Moon in Krittika begins life in a Sun period of the Vimshottari dasha.
Was your Moon in Krittika?
Twenty-Seven finds your Moon’s mansion from your birth date, time and place, then reads it to you from its old stories and talks it through. It is an AI astrologer, and it remembers what you tell it.
Twenty-Seven is an AI astrologer, not a person. It makes no predictions: in its view the planets are clocks, not controllers.