Mrigashira, the initiator of Martian energy, is represented in the celestial firmament by a bright star and three not so bright stars in the constellation of Orion. These stars are known in modern astronomy as Р/2-Orionis, P/J-Orionis, Р/4-Orion/slk Gamma-Orionis(Belfatrirf). Bellatrix is the bright star among them, with a visual magnitude of 1.66. It is easy to locate, as Orion is one of the most prominent and easily noticeable constellations in the night sky. Bellatrix is the bright star at the top right hand corner of Orion, while the three faint stars can be seen aligned in a bowlike formation a little away on the right hand side of Bellatrix. The ancient vedic seers however saw these stars to be forming a deer's head and we would soon know «why».
«Mrigashira» translates into — the «Deer's Head». One can immediately see the correlation between the shape formed by its stars and its name. The legend behind this name is dealt with later in the Esoteric Section. One can also make an obvious inference that this asterism's nature and quality should be akin to that of a deer. Its other names — Saumya meaning «benevolent» or relating to Soma (Divine Nectar), Arghayani meaning «start of the year», Chandra meaning Moon and Udupa, which also is another name for Moon; each reveal a part of Mrigashira's functioning, as will shall discover in the course of our exploration.
Its main symbol is a Deer. Some scholars choose to have a deer's head as its symbol, as is literally apparent from its name. The association with a deer makes this nakshatra possess all deer like qualities such as timidity, lightness, fragility, fickleness, wandering etc. The deer is seen as a primarily lunar animal. In all ancient Vedic texts, deers are associated with gentle aspects of nature and often play major roles in romantic lores. Deers are portrayed as elusive, magical, divine and enchanting creatures.
In the Vedic epic of Ramayana, it was a magical deer (actually a demon posing as a deer), that caught Site's attention; and her craving to possess it resulted in the disruption of her and Rama's marital felicity. This is the reason why Mrigashira is associated with problems in married life through illusion, undue suspicion or plain misunderstanding. The readers can refer to the Ramayana for the complete story. There are other legends associated with the deer aspect of this nakshatra. We will cover the most important among them in the Esoteric Section.
Deers have a constant searching and seeking quality about them, which forms the essence of this nakshatra. As most hunters know, deers often roam around predictable trails. Thus this nakshatra is related to all types of defined travel by road, air etc. Deers more often than not like to be in scenic habitats. Similarly this nakshatra feels comfortable only in scenic surroundings.
Its alternative symbol is a 'pot full of Soma'. Soma is the preferred drink of the gods. It is a kind of celestial nectar associated with the Moon. In fact Soma is one of the Sanskrit names of the Moon. As we shall discover later, Moon has a strong connection with this nakshatra.
The main deity of this nakshatra is the Moon. All the primary qualities of the Moon-inconstancy, fickleness, changeability, tenderness, persuasiveness, gentleness, sensuality, perceptivity — apply to this nakshatra.
This nakshatra relates the most to the «Soma» aspect of Moon. Moon is known by many names, each reflecting a different aspect of its functioning. As we discussed earlier, Soma represents the nectar aspect of Moon. Moon is the ruler of all kinds of fluids on the material as well as astral plane. Fluids in turn are the essence of life, which we can observe through the functioning of our own bodies. As we know our physical bodies are comprised of more than 60% water and are biologically alive only because of the circulation of vital juices. The physical counterpart of mind, the brain, is also dependant upon the transmission and interaction of fluids for its functioning. Moon, in its Soma aspect, is related to this essential lifeforce on the physical, mental, etheric and astral plane. This nakshatra thus relates to our life force and vitality through the presence and circulation of these vital fluids.
Moon relates to the feminine aspect of nature, a fact which connects this nakshatra directly to the feminine goddess energy. Ancient vedic seers saw this nakshatra as a seat of Shakh (the primordial goddess energy). In fact, Раrvati, the wife of Shiva and one of the-three main representatives of universal Goddess energy, is the main presiding deity of this nakshatra. It is her own personal nakshatra, as can be gauged from the fact that ancient texts say that her Moon is in Mrigashira. All her qualities like benevolence, charm, changeability, compassion, playfulness and joyousness are relayed through this nakshatra. Her timidity and gentleness is not to be confused with cowardice, as she can be very strong, unyielding and wrathful if necessary. Her fierce forms like Durga and Kail illustrate this fact. Most scholars usually neglect the fixed, strong willed and wrathful aspect of this nakshatra. The name «Parvati» translates into «she who has many parts». This translation exemplifies the multifarious, multifaceted persona of Mrigashira.
Moon in its Soma aspect, is an indulgent character with hundreds of romantic liaisons. He is often seen getting into trouble due to his affairs with other's wives. According to one very famous legend, Mercury was produced out of the union of Moon with Jupiter's wife, Тага. In a way this story can be seen as the birth of intellect (Mercury), as a result of the union of mind and wisdom. Intellect is a more conscious force, which governs over the largely unconscious mind. In the universal scheme of things, mind couldn't have just been by itself without a governing faculty for long.
The essence of the nature and functioning of Mrigashira can be summed up by one word — «searching». This searching can have any level or aspect to it — it can relate to Mrigashira's ruling deity Parvati searching for her perfect spouse; a spiritual aspirant searching for true knowledge; or a soul searching for new mental, emotional or physical experiences.
Mrigashira is the most curious amongst all nakshatras and thus makes one seek new areas of experience. This aspect of Mrigashira is very similar to that of the planet Rahu. This seeking brings contentment, fulfillment and enlightenment only when it is in keeping with one's life purpose. In other cases, it only brings about temporary satisfaction, which usually gives way to sorrow and disillusionment.
This seeking quality, however, makes Mrigashira natives good at artistic pursuits of all types. On a higher level, Mrigashira may allow one to find one's life path or destiny and on a lower level, it can just make one prance about like a deer from one transitory experience to the next. This is akin to a person in a desert chasing one mirage after the other. This negative quality gives rise to many other negative traits like fickleness, inconstancy and superficiality. Mrigashira natives often have to learn to stick at a thing until some sort of completion is achieved.
The whole emphasis of Mrigashira is on the mental rather than the physical. Mrigashira natives usually have great dexterity of mind, which gives them the ability to grasp various subjects with effortless ease. They have a great capacity for all types of mental work, but they often stretch themselves, and as a result suffer from mental and nervous exhaustion. They usually need a lot of clean air and physical exercise like walking to balance their mental energy. Alot of Mrigashira types are prone to physical lethargy, which besides making them functionally useless, makes them susceptible to physical ailments.
Mrigashira natives are usually thinly built with youthful delicate features; a smiley, jovial and lightheaded disposition; and warm, gentle manners. They are the restless type and may appear as flaky or fidgety to others. They usually convey a sense of fragility through their appearance and mannerisms. Their mind is always roaming about, which in many cases takes the form of daydreaming. They are charming, spontaneous, enthusiastic types who enjoy meeting and relating with people. They are good,conversationalists, advisors and enjoy all vocal activities like talking and singing. They have a poetic soul and enjoy beauty in both spoken and written forms of communication. They are natural satirists and have a strong sense of humour which comes about due to their varied experiences. Despite their conversational skill and sociability, they are naturally shy. Their shyness has to do with their inherent timidity. They don't like confrontations and therefore are very cautious regarding whom they mingle with.
They love life and know how to suck delight out of it, just like gods take delight out of drinking soma (celestial nectar). A honey bee buzzing about sucking juice from different flowers, sums up Mrigashira's functioning in this regard. Mrigashira natives are often quite whimsical in their approach, just like a honey bee would choose not to suck juice from a particular flower for no apparent rhyme or reason. Mrigashira craves excitement in all its mild and benevolent forms and is not prone to go to self-destructive extremes like cruel nakshatras.
Mrigashira natives often display a highly suspicious nature. This comes about due to their high alertness levels and their ability to sense danger, just like deer or stags do in their forest environment. This suspicious nature is especially troublesome in regards to marital felicity. Like all the nakshatras ruled by Mars, Mrigashira promotes domestic bickerings due to suspicion and an inability to be attentive to their partner's needs. Their partners usually get more attached to them than they do. Mrigashira is a part bohemian nakshatra and doesn't like restricting its affections to one person. Those having a strong influence of this nakshatra in their charts, usually experience marital disharmony in one form or the other. However if both partners give each other enough space, Mrigashira through its lovingness and delightfulness, promotes profound marital stability like that of Parvati and Shiva.
Since Mrigashira signals the arrival of Mercurial energy through beginning the sign Gemini, it is the place where discrimination is born. It is also the first nakshatra where conclusions are drawn and fixed opinions are formed as a result of experiences. Mrigashira, despite its lightness, is a very fixed nakshatra when it comes to attitudes and opinions. It will never back down in any civilized argument.
In its highest functioning, Mrigashira makes one very conscious of their life path and purpose. The whole point of this nakshatra is to make one go through a variety of experiences, for finding one's true path in life. For example, if one was born to be a singer, one may dabble around with a lot of other things like painting, writing, or just plain nine to five jobs before their true niche is discovered. In the case of highly evolved souls, the varied experiences generated through the energy of this nakshatra, all fit a definite and singular purpose, while in the case of younger less evolved souls, these experiences are an endless maze without a final destination.
In the universal scheme of things, Mrigashira relates to «prinana shakti» or the power to give fulfillment. Its symbolism has extension above and weaving below. This is obviously a representation of fabric undergoing the weaving process. If we take this fabric to be the fabric of life, then Mrigashira is the structure and principles which create beauty in the chaotic process which is life.
It is a Passive nakshatra. Its passivity relates to a strong awareness of others. Mrigashira usually doesn't have the spotlight on itself and has its attention concentrated on the outside. In a way it is a passive nakshatra in relation to the dynamics of the self.
It belongs to the Farmer caste. In ancient times Mrigashira was often related to artisans, agricultural workers and community in general.
It is a Neutral nakshatra. Mrigashira is basically a hermaphrodite energy and has the ability to function both as a male or female. This dual functioning is clear from its ruling deities Moon and Parvati. Moon is seen as a male deity by the Vedic seers while Parvati is the female companion of Shiva.
Eyes and Eyebrows are the body parts related to this nakshatra.
It is a primarily «Pitta» (fiery) nakshatra. This stems from the fact that it is the birthplace of Martian energy. Mars as we know is a primarily Pitta planet. One must however keep in mind that Mrigashira's fiery quality is not fierce or hurtful. It can be related to the fire which cooks our food, or the digestive fire which digests the food in our stomach, but not the cremation pyre fire which burns our bodies.
Its range is the arc between south west and north west.
The first pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Leo navamsa and is ruled by Sun. This pada relates to the fixed and unyielding side of Mrigashira, which however has the ability to express its experiences through creative and artistic activities.
The second pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Virgo Navamsa ruled by Mercury. This pada represents the discriminatory, calculative, satirical and humorous side of Mrigashira. The conversational acumen and the strong mental ability of Mrigashira is more evident here. The fusing of the planetary energies of Mercury and Venus takes place here in such a way that the more grounded practical side of Mrigashira is expressed.
The third pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Libra Navamsa ruled by Venus. This is the first pada of Mrigashira which falls in the sign Gemini. The emphasis here is on sociability and a penchant for exploring the mental side of all types of relationships. Just like the previous pada, a fusing of Mercurial and Venusian energies takes place here, but on a whole, this pada is more airy in comparison to the previous pada; and thus cannot give strong material results.
The fourth pada or quarter of this asterism falls in Scorpio Navamsa ruled by Mars. This pada relates to the intellectual, argumentative, suspicious, flaky and whimsical part of this nakshatra. This pada is not as superficial as the previous Libra pada, but tends to over-intellectualize matters, rather than getting to the root of anything. Most of the negative qualities of Mrigashira find expression through this pada. It can function wisely only in evolved souls and thereto through proper guidance.
Artists of all types; Singers and Musicians; Painters; Poets; Linguists; Romantic Novelists; Writers; Thinkers and Seekers; Gemstone dealers; Dealers in Earth related products; Those involved in the Textile 8t Garment Industry; Fashion Designers and Trendsetters; Veterinarians;AII professions dealing with animals as pets; Salespersons of all kinds; Advertising agencies; Administrators; Landscapers; Farmers and Gardeners; Forestry workers; Real Estate developers; Map makers and Navigators; Travellers and Explorers; Psychics and Astrologers; Teachers especially those dealing with beginners; Artisans and Clerks; Commentators.
Forests, Fields and Meadows; Deer Parks; Villages and Small Towns; Bedrooms; Playgrounds; Nurseries; Nursery Schools; Recreation rooms; Entertainment places of all kinds; Streets, Footpaths and Roads; Lawns and Gardens; Forest trails; Art and Music studios; Small shops; Markets and other sales places; Astrological and Psychic institutions; All places connected with the above professions.
It is supposed to be a Tamasic (inert) nakshatra. This however shouldn't be taken in any negative sense, as it is basically a divine nakshatra (see Gana). It is associated with tamas because of its association with the tamasic planet Mars. The basic significations of Mars were seen as tamasic by the ancient Vedic seers. The «I can't get no satisfaction» aspect of Mrigashira is what makes it tamasic. However this nakshatra will behave in a predominantly tamasic way only if predominantly tamasic planets like Rahu, Mars and Saturn inhabit it.
It is the last among the nakshatras whose dominant element is Earth. This basically relates to this nakshatra's capacity for producing quick results on the material plane.
It is seen by the ancient seers as a Divine/Deva nakshatra. It relates more to the beings on the astral plane then us humans. This classification reflects upon the refinement oriented focus of Mrigashira.
It is a Level nakshatra. This reiterates the fact that Mrigashira is not an extreme energy and stays within limits. It is always trying to achieve a balance between expansion and contraction.
It is a Mr/du(soft, mild and tender) nakshatra. This is pretty evident from the fact that Mrigashira is most suitable for seeking and enjoying pleasure on all planes of existence. Its pursuit of knowledge also takes place in an easygoing, enjoyable fashion.
It relates to the first half of trie lunar month of Margashirsha. This month usually corresponds to the month of December in the solar calendar. This month is also known as Arghayana because of Mrigashira's alternative name Arghayani. It refers to an era when this month denoted the start of the year. In the present age the lunar month of Chaitra represents the start of the year.
Mrigashira is also related to the Panchami (5th tithi or day) of the waxing and waning phases of the Moon's monthly cycle.
Generally favourable for all lighthearted activities; Especially good for travel, exploring nature, sightseeing; Sexual activity; All types of artistic work; Healing and rejuvenation practices; Commencing educational ventures; Excellent for socializing; Changing residence; Good for all activities requiring communication; Good for setting up altars, religious items and performing spiritual initiations; Good for advertising and sales activitiy; Taking a new name.
Unfavourable for marriage ceremonies (Vedic texts reveal that Shiva married Parvati when Moon was transitting through this nakshatra, and consequently their marriage went through many upheavals); Bad for hard and harsh actions of any kind; Not favourable for confrontations or making longterm important decisions of a serious nature.
The main planetary influences affecting this nakshatra are Mars, Venus and Mercury. Mars is the main ruling planet of Mrigashira. In fact as we mentioned earlier, martjan energy comes into being through Mrigashira. Mars is the source, which provides energy for Mrigashira's «search». Mars here acts as an impulse planet, which encapsulates all the meanings associated with the word «desire».
We have already seen in the discussions on previous nakshatras, how the original creative fires (represented by the sign Aries), solidify into the earth element (represented by the sign Taurus). In Mrigashira, these creative fires, which are now encased in an earthy, material sheath, try and mobilize matter. One way to understand this is to take a look at how modern day automobiles function. The average car is a heavy, metallic object, which is incapable of moving on its own, and its movement is only possible due to the fire/spark based internal combustion engines. In the same way, the martian energy here, becomes the force that drives matter, thus instilling a sort of life into it.
Mrigashira forms a bridge between Taurus and Gemini, and consequently relates to the fusing of Mercurial and Venusian energies. It is interesting to note that besides C7?/anda(14ttl nakshatra) and Dhanishtha (23rd nakshatra), Mrigashira is the only nakshatra, which lies equally divided among two signs. Mrigashira has thus a strong sense of duality about it as it tries to resolve the conflict between earth and air, two naturally incompatible elements. Venus relates to the more earthy, Taurus part of this nakshatra, while Mercury relates to the airy Gemini part of this nakshatra. All the desirable qualities of Mrigashira like its artistic abilities and zest for life, abiility to find the true life path or purpose, all come about only when the energies of Mercury and Venus are properly merged.
Planetary conjunctions like Mars/Mercury, Mercury/Venus, Mars/Venus and Mars/Mercury/Venus carry energies similar to Mrigashira. The presence of Mars or Saturn in this nakshatra is usually not auspicious for marital felicity. Both of them however can give good material results in the Taurus part of Mrigashira. In fact barring Jupiter, all other planets can usually give good material results in the Taurus part.
The first pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Ve» as in Vela.
The second pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Vo» as in Vocal.
The third pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Ka» as in Katherine.
The fourth pada or quarter of this asterism corresponds to «Kee» as in Keanu.
In the Sanskrit alphabet Mrigashira corresponds to «Em» and consequently its mantra is «Om Em».
Its sexual animal is a Serpent. Mrigashira is one of the experts in lovemaking. In all ancient cultures snakes or snakelike beings have been regarded as symbols of sexual potency and are seen as adepts at the art of sexual union. It is most compatible with the other serpent nakshatra Rohini.
The most ancient tale relating to the formation of this nakshatra goes thus: «Brahma, the creator among the trinity, became obsessed with his own daughter Rohini'(Brahma as we know is in a very funny position as every woman is his daughter). He was chasing Rohini in the form of a deer. Shiva, the destroyer among the trinity, cut the deer's head off with an arrow and thus the deer head's stars of Mrigashira came into being.»
If one looks at the relative placements of Rohini, Mrigashira and Ardra (the nakshatra which is supposed to be the residence of Shiva), the story immediately makes sense. The deer head of Mrigashira faces Rohini in the night sky.
The constellation of Orion as a whole has always been regarded as an Archer. There are hundreds of tales of Parvati watching on as Shiva used his archery skills to kill demons or demonic cities, or the head of Brahma as we saw in the above mentioned story.
The fact that Mrigashira is supposed to be Parvati's abode, makes sense as it gives Parvati the right vantage point to observe Shiva's adventures in his Rudraform. Also the fact that Mrigashira can be seen either as a deer's head or an arched bow, reveals the dual functioning of this nakshatra as both the hunter and the hunted.
In all ancient cultures, Orion was supposed to be the abode of Prajipati. Prajipatis are the progenitors of all kinds of species inhabiting the universe. In this sense Brahma is the original Prajipati. This fact in the above mentioned story establishes a strong connection between Brahma and that portion of the celestial sky. Brahma however seems to have shifted his abode to the neighbouring Rohini. Please refer to the Ruling Deity section of Rohini.
Mrigashira relates to the point where curiosity is born in the process of creation. From a material point of view, we can see that all motion in the physical universe, even on an atomic level is dependant upon a physical quantity known as heat. Since Mrigashira is the initiator of Martian energy, it relates to the point in time where the temperature of the universe reaches the appropriate value for life to flourish. Heat and motion are the primary aspects of the planet Mars and they have their roots in this nakshatra.
This nakshatra is related to the Sage Pulasthya, one of the seven celestial sages looking after the affairs of our galaxy. The name of this sage translates into «having smooth hair». One can immediately see that Pulasthya has a strong connection with the soft, refined aspect of Mrigashira.