Kṛttikā
The star cluster Kṛttikā (Tamil: கிருத்திகை) (Sanskrit: कृत्तिका, pronounced [kɽɪttɪkaː], popularly transliterated Krittika), sometimes known as Kārtikā, corresponds to the open star cluster called Pleiades in western astronomy; it is one of the clusters which makes up the constellation Taurus. In Indian astronomy and Jyotiṣa (Hindu astrology) the name literally translates to "the cutters".[1][2] It is also the name of its goddess-personification, who is a daughter of Daksha[3] and Panchajani, and thus a half-sister to Khyati. Spouse of Kṛttikā is Chandra ("moon").
In Hindu astrology, Kṛttikā is the third of the 27 nakṣatras. It is ruled by Sun. Under the traditional Hindu principle of naming individuals according to their Ascendant/Lagna nakṣatra, the following Sanskrit syllables correspond with this nakṣatra, and would belong at the beginning of the first name of an individual born under it: A (अ), I (ई), U (उ) and E (ए).
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Dennis M. Harness. The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology. Lotus Press (Twin Lakes WI, 1999.) ISBN 978-0-914955-83-2
- ^ Harness, Dennis M. (2004). The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology. Motilal Banarasidas.
- ^ Edward Moor. The Hindu Pantheon. 1864.
