Here is something you might not have seen before in your Jyotish studies: a visual depiction of the qualities (gunas) of the nakshatras.

The material is all taken from Hart de Fouw's excellent work: Light on Life, An Introduction to the Astrology of India (particularly pages 206-214).

As one bright student told me the other day, the nakshatras are kind of like the periodic table of Jyotish. Full of story and lore, truth and the telling, myth and math, nakshatras neatly introduce us to the more Tantric webs of meaning of Nature and of the Universe.

They are parts of the 360 degree zodiac, each of the 27 nakshatras being 13 degrees and 20 minutes. The 28th that is sometimes used is abhijit, but "only occasionally, in electional astrology" and its depiction would "ruin the symmetrical distribution" as well as mess up the divine geometry inherent within. (See Light on Life.)

Numbers are a quick and easy way to label the other standard nakshatras:

  1. Aśvinī
  2. Bharaṇī
  3. Kṛttikā
  4. Rohiṇī
  5. Mṛgaśīrṣa
  6. Ārdrā
  7. Punarvasu
  8. Puṣya
  9. Āśleṣā
  10. Maghā
  11. Pūrva Phalgunī
  12. Uttara Phalgunī
  13. Hasta
  14. Citrā
  15. Svātī
  16. Viśākhā
  17. Anurādhā
  18. Jyeṣṭhā
  19. Mūla
  20. Pūrvāṣāḍhā
  21. Uttarāṣāḍhā
  22. Śravaṇa
  23. Dhaniṣṭhā
  24. Śatabhiṣā
  25. Pūrva Bhādrapadā
  26. Uttara Bhādrapadā
  27. Revatī

Abhijit is acknowledged on the wheel as a thin dashed sliver between Uttara Ashadha (21) and Shravana (22), where it actually sits.

It is my belief and motivation that, by looking at these visual diagrams, new insights will come to the student, particularly for those, like me, who are pitta and visually oriented. Here is the wheel: one wheel, thirteen layers — the twelve classifications of Light on Life and, innermost, the presiding deity of each star with its myth and its figure. Choose a layer, hover a star, click it to see all thirteen of its qualities at once. As always, contact me with any questions, comments, or observations, and I will include them here.

The Nakshatra Guṇa Wheel

27 stars · 13 layers · after Light on Life

Hover a star for its value · click it for the full card · click a legend entry to pin its members
The Nakshatra Guṇa WheelThe twenty-seven nakshatras arranged around the zodiac, coloured by the chosen classification, with thirteen inner rings showing all classifications at once.

Tattva

    The thirteen inner rings, from the outside in: Gaṇḍānta · Activity · Caste · Cycle · Direction · Gender · Doṣa · Nature · Guṇa · Yoni · Gaṇa · Tattva · Deity. The lit ring is the layer on display; click any ring to switch to it. Aśvinī begins at the top and the stars run clockwise; the outer numbers count them, the inner ring of glyphs marks the twelve rāśis.

    A key to the thirteen layers

    Gaṇḍānta the three knots
    Where a water sign ends and a fire sign begins, a rāśi boundary and a nakshatra boundary coincide: Karkaṭa→Siṃha (Āśleṣā→Maghā), Vṛścika→Dhanus (Jyeṣṭhā→Mūla) and Mīna→Meṣa (Revatī→Aśvinī). Light on Life calls this a double sandhi and finds grahas placed there weak and trouble-prone unless strengthened by remedies. The classical zone is the last pada of the water-side star and the first pada of the fire-side star, most intense within 48′ (two ghaṭikās) of the seam.Last pada of the water-side star — Āśleṣā · Jyeṣṭhā · Revatī — the sign ends in water
    First pada of the fire-side star — Maghā · Mūla · Aśvinī — the sign begins in fire
    Activity how the star pursues its aims
    How a star goes after what it wants. Active stars pursue knowledge eagerly and dynamically; passive stars are receptive — when the student is ready, the teacher appears; balanced stars hold both in proportion.Active (9): Kṛttikā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Citrā, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā
    Passive (9): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Hasta, Svātī, Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Balanced (9): Bharaṇī, Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā, Revatī
    Caste varṇa — the star's social temperament
    The star's natural propensities. Brāhmaṇa stars incline to learning, ritual and counsel; Kṣatriya to governance and protection; Vaiśya to trade; Śūdra to service and labour. Three classes stand outside the four: the servant or farmer, the butcher, and the mleccha — the outsider to the whole scheme. Kṛttikā and the three Pūrvās are Brāhmaṇa; Puṣya and the three Uttarās are Kṣatriya.Brāhmaṇa (4): Kṛttikā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Kṣatriya (4): Puṣya, Uttara Phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Vaiśya (3): Aśvinī, Punarvasu, Hasta
    Śūdra (4): Rohiṇī, Maghā, Anurādhā, Revatī
    Servant / farmer (4): Mṛgaśīrṣa, Citrā, Jyeṣṭhā, Dhaniṣṭhā
    Butcher (4): Ārdrā, Svātī, Mūla, Śatabhiṣā
    Mleccha (4): Bharaṇī, Āśleṣā, Viśākhā, Śravaṇa
    Cycle creation · maintenance · dissolution
    Every third star carries one of the three cosmic functions — sṛṣṭi (creation), sthiti (maintenance), laya or saṃhāra (dissolution). The visionary who starts things lives in creation stars, the administrator who keeps them running in maintenance stars, the strategist who dismantles what has outlived itself in dissolution stars. The pattern is exact: each group holds the three stars of three Vimśottarī lords.Creation (sṛṣṭi) (9): Aśvinī, Rohiṇī, Punarvasu, Maghā, Hasta, Viśākhā, Mūla, Śravaṇa, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Maintenance (sthiti) (9): Bharaṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Puṣya, Pūrva Phalgunī, Citrā, Anurādhā, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Dhaniṣṭhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Dissolution (laya) (9): Kṛttikā, Ārdrā, Āśleṣā, Uttara Phalgunī, Svātī, Jyeṣṭhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śatabhiṣā, Revatī
    Direction which way the star faces
    Upward-facing (ūrdhva-mukha) stars suit whatever rises — building storeys, planting trees, coronations, flight; downward-facing (adho-mukha) stars suit whatever goes below the surface — wells, foundations, mining, deep research; level-facing (tiryak-mukha) stars suit movement across the ground — journeys, roads, trading in animals. The three Uttarās look up, the three Pūrvās look down.Upward-facing (9): Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Puṣya, Uttara Phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Downward-facing (9): Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Viśākhā, Mūla, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Level-facing (9): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Punarvasu, Hasta, Citrā, Svātī, Anurādhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Revatī
    Gender male · female · neuter
    Male, female and neuter stars. In Light on Life the chief use is judging the sex of children from the stars occupied by the relevant indicators, resolved by planetary strength when they disagree. Only three stars are neuter: Mṛgaśīrṣa, Mūla and Śatabhiṣā.Male (8): Aśvinī, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Hasta, Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Female (16): Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Citrā, Svātī, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Dhaniṣṭhā, Revatī
    Neuter (3): Mṛgaśīrṣa, Mūla, Śatabhiṣā
    Doṣa vāta · pitta · kapha
    The star's constitution — the same triad that marriage-matching calls nāḍī (ādi, madhya, antya). It zig-zags around the wheel: vāta, pitta, kapha, kapha, pitta, vāta…Vāta (9): Aśvinī, Ārdrā, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Śatabhiṣā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Pitta (9): Bharaṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Puṣya, Pūrva Phalgunī, Citrā, Anurādhā, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Dhaniṣṭhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Kapha (9): Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Svātī, Viśākhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa, Revatī
    Nature the muhūrta temperaments
    The seven temperaments of muhūrta. Fixed stars for permanence; movable for travel and change; sharp (dreadful) for attack, exorcism and punishment; soft (tender) for friendship, love, ornament, music and marriage; fierce (severe) for destructive work; light (swift) for trade, healing, learning and the fine arts; and two mixed stars that are sharp and soft at once.Fixed (dhruva) (4): Rohiṇī, Uttara Phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Movable (cara) (5): Punarvasu, Svātī, Śravaṇa, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā
    Sharp (tīkṣṇa) (4): Ārdrā, Āśleṣā, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla
    Soft (mṛdu) (4): Mṛgaśīrṣa, Citrā, Anurādhā, Revatī
    Mixed (miśra) (2): Kṛttikā, Viśākhā
    Fierce (ugra) (5): Bharaṇī, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā
    Light / swift (kṣipra) (3): Aśvinī, Puṣya, Hasta
    Guṇa sattva · rajas · tamas
    Sattva, rajas and tamas as assigned in Light on Life: each star carries the guṇa of its Vimśottarī lord — Jupiter's and Mercury's stars are sāttvic, those of Venus, the Sun and the Moon rājasic, those of Mars, Saturn, Rāhu and Ketu tāmasic.Sattva (6): Punarvasu, Āśleṣā, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Revatī
    Rajas (9): Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa
    Tamas (12): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Ārdrā, Puṣya, Maghā, Citrā, Svātī, Anurādhā, Mūla, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Yoni sexual type — creature and sex
    The star's sexual type: a creature and its sex. Like creatures pair most easily — each animal has a male star and a female star (the mongoose stands alone) — while the seven natural enmities clash: horse–buffalo, elephant–lion, sheep–monkey, serpent–mongoose, dog–deer, cat–rat, cow–tiger. Hover a star to see its mate and its enemies.Horse (aśva): ♂ Aśvinī · ♀ Śatabhiṣā — enemy: buffalo
    Elephant (gaja): ♂ Bharaṇī · ♀ Revatī — enemy: lion
    Sheep (meṣa): ♂ Puṣya · ♀ Kṛttikā — enemy: monkey
    Serpent (sarpa): ♂ Rohiṇī · ♀ Mṛgaśīrṣa — enemy: mongoose
    Dog (śvāna): ♂ Mūla · ♀ Ārdrā — enemy: deer
    Cat (mārjāra): ♂ Āśleṣā · ♀ Punarvasu — enemy: rat
    Rat (mūṣaka): ♂ Maghā · ♀ Pūrva Phalgunī — enemy: cat
    Cow (go): ♂ Uttara Phalgunī · ♀ Uttara Bhādrapadā — enemy: tiger
    Buffalo (mahiṣa): ♂ Svātī · ♀ Hasta — enemy: horse
    Tiger (vyāghra): ♂ Viśākhā · ♀ Citrā — enemy: cow
    Deer (mṛga): ♂ Jyeṣṭhā · ♀ Anurādhā — enemy: dog
    Monkey (vānara): ♂ Pūrvāṣāḍhā · ♀ Śravaṇa — enemy: sheep
    Mongoose (nakula): ♂ Uttarāṣāḍhā · no female star — enemy: serpent
    Lion (siṃha): ♂ Pūrva Bhādrapadā · ♀ Dhaniṣṭhā — enemy: elephant
    Gaṇa divine · human · demonic
    Divine (deva), human (manuṣya) and demonic (rākṣasa) temperaments — the gaṇa-kūṭa of matching. Like with like is easiest; deva with rākṣasa is the classic friction.Divine (deva) (9): Aśvinī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Hasta, Svātī, Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Revatī
    Human (manuṣya) (9): Bharaṇī, Rohiṇī, Ārdrā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    Demonic (rākṣasa) (9): Kṛttikā, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Citrā, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā
    Tattva the five elements
    The five great elements in five contiguous bands of the zodiac: earth (Aśvinī–Mṛgaśīrṣa), water (Ārdrā–Pūrva Phalgunī), fire (Uttara Phalgunī–Anurādhā), air (Jyeṣṭhā–Śravaṇa), ether (Dhaniṣṭhā–Revatī). Hover a star to see which elements cooperate with it — the rules are set out below the wheel.Earth (pṛthvī) (5): Aśvinī, Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa
    Water (jala) (6): Ārdrā, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī
    Fire (agni) (6): Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Citrā, Svātī, Viśākhā, Anurādhā
    Air (vāyu) (5): Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa
    Ether (ākāśa) (5): Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā, Revatī
    Deity the presiding god and its kindred
    Every star has a presiding deity, and the list is older than any other on this wheel: it is already complete in the Taittirīya Saṃhitā (4.4.10), before there were rāśis. The colours group the gods by kindred — the solar line of Aditi and her Ādityas (whom the Mahābhārata counts as twelve, Indra, Tvaṣṭṛ, Viṣṇu and Pūṣan among them), the powers of fire and wind, the Creator with the Moon and the priest of the gods, the dead and their undoing, the serpents and the waters of the deep, and the great hosts. Hover a star for its god and its figure; click it and the card tells the myth.Ādityas and the solar line (11): Aśvinī, Punarvasu, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Citrā, Anurādhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Śravaṇa, Śatabhiṣā, Revatī
    Fire, wind and storm (4): Kṛttikā, Ārdrā, Svātī, Viśākhā
    The Creator, the Moon and the priest (3): Rohiṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Puṣya
    The dead and the undoing (3): Bharaṇī, Maghā, Mūla
    Serpents and the deep waters (4): Āśleṣā, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā
    The god-hosts (2): Uttarāṣāḍhā, Dhaniṣṭhā

    Cooperation rules for the tattvas

    Each nakshatra belongs to one of the five great elements, and the elements have manners with one another. Light on Life gives the rules; here they are, with the reasoning of the elements themselves:

    1. Fire and air cooperate. Air feeds fire; fire sets air moving.
    2. Earth and water cooperate. Water gives earth its life; earth gives water a shape to hold.
    3. Ether cooperates indiscriminately with every other tattva. It is the space in which the other four act, so it obstructs none of them.
    4. Earth does not cooperate with fire — and especially not with air. Fire scorches and cracks the earth; air scatters it.
    5. Water does not cooperate with air — and especially not with fire. Air dries water away as cloud; fire boils it off entirely.
    6. Two stars of the same tattva are kindred and cooperate as a matter of course.

    Read from the other side, the same rules say: fire does not cooperate with earth and especially not with water; air does not cooperate with water and especially not with earth. The matrix holds all twenty-five pairings — hover a cell.

    A chart example: when the lords of the 1st and the 7th cannot cooperate

    The rules become useful the moment two significators are compared. Take the lord of the 1st house (the native, the self) and the lord of the 7th (the partner, the marriage), and look at the nakshatras they occupy. When the tattva of the lagna lord's star does not cooperate with the tattva of the 7th lord's star, marriage — or happiness within it — may be obstructed, delayed, or repeatedly interrupted. When the two tattvas cooperate, the same axis flows.

    Siṃha (Leo) rises, so the Sun rules the 1st house and Saturn the 7th. Each planet is drawn in the first pada of the star you choose; the small numbers are the rāśis. Read it as one thread in the whole cloth — house placement, dignity, aspects and daśā still have their say.

    Light on Life itself illustrates the same logic between a graha's own tattva and the star it occupies: a Siṃha-rising woman whose seventh lord Saturn — an airy graha — sat in the twelfth house in watery Puṣya, air and water not cooperating, spent much of her adult life unmarried while wishing for a relationship. The first preset above puts that Saturn back in Puṣya and lets the lagna lord's fire meet it.

    Table view — all 27 nakshatras and their thirteen qualities
    #NakshatraSpanLordGaṇḍāntaActivityCasteCycleDirectionGenderDoṣaNatureGuṇaYoniGaṇaTattvaDeity
    1AśvinīMeṣa 0°00′ – 13°20′Ketufirst padaPassiveVaiśyaCreationLevel-facingMaleVātaLight / swiftTamasHorse ♂DivineEarthAśvinī Kumāras
    2BharaṇīMeṣa 13°20′ – 26°40′Venus—BalancedMlecchaMaintenanceDownward-facingFemalePittaFierceRajasElephant ♂HumanEarthYama
    3KṛttikāMeṣa 26°40′ – Vṛṣabha 10°00′Sun—ActiveBrāhmaṇaDissolutionDownward-facingFemaleKaphaMixedRajasSheep ♀DemonicEarthAgni
    4RohiṇīVṛṣabha 10°00′ – 23°20′Moon—BalancedŚūdraCreationUpward-facingFemaleKaphaFixedRajasSerpent ♂HumanEarthPrajāpati (Brahmā)
    5MṛgaśīrṣaVṛṣabha 23°20′ – Mithuna 6°40′Mars—PassiveServant / farmerMaintenanceLevel-facingNeuterPittaSoftTamasSerpent ♀DivineEarthSoma
    6ĀrdrāMithuna 6°40′ – 20°00′Rāhu—BalancedButcherDissolutionUpward-facingFemaleVātaSharpTamasDog ♀HumanWaterRudra
    7PunarvasuMithuna 20°00′ – Karkaṭa 3°20′Jupiter—PassiveVaiśyaCreationLevel-facingMaleVātaMovableSattvaCat ♀DivineWaterAditi
    8PuṣyaKarkaṭa 3°20′ – 16°40′Saturn—PassiveKṣatriyaMaintenanceUpward-facingMalePittaLight / swiftTamasSheep ♂DivineWaterBṛhaspati
    9ĀśleṣāKarkaṭa 16°40′ – 30°00′Mercurylast padaActiveMlecchaDissolutionDownward-facingFemaleKaphaSharpSattvaCat ♂DemonicWaterSarpas (the Nāgas)
    10MaghāSiṃha 0°00′ – 13°20′Ketufirst padaActiveŚūdraCreationDownward-facingFemaleKaphaFierceTamasRat ♂DemonicWaterPitṛs (the Ancestors)
    11Pūrva PhalgunīSiṃha 13°20′ – 26°40′Venus—BalancedBrāhmaṇaMaintenanceDownward-facingFemalePittaFierceRajasRat ♀HumanWaterBhaga
    12Uttara PhalgunīSiṃha 26°40′ – Kanyā 10°00′Sun—BalancedKṣatriyaDissolutionUpward-facingFemaleVātaFixedRajasCow ♂HumanFireAryaman
    13HastaKanyā 10°00′ – 23°20′Moon—PassiveVaiśyaCreationLevel-facingMaleVātaLight / swiftRajasBuffalo ♀DivineFireSavitṛ
    14CitrāKanyā 23°20′ – Tulā 6°40′Mars—ActiveServant / farmerMaintenanceLevel-facingFemalePittaSoftTamasTiger ♀DemonicFireTvaṣṭṛ (Viśvakarman)
    15SvātīTulā 6°40′ – 20°00′Rāhu—PassiveButcherDissolutionLevel-facingFemaleKaphaMovableTamasBuffalo ♂DivineFireVāyu
    16ViśākhāTulā 20°00′ – Vṛścika 3°20′Jupiter—ActiveMlecchaCreationDownward-facingFemaleKaphaMixedSattvaTiger ♂DemonicFireIndrāgni
    17AnurādhāVṛścika 3°20′ – 16°40′Saturn—PassiveŚūdraMaintenanceLevel-facingMalePittaSoftTamasDeer ♀DivineFireMitra
    18JyeṣṭhāVṛścika 16°40′ – 30°00′Mercurylast padaActiveServant / farmerDissolutionLevel-facingFemaleVātaSharpSattvaDeer ♂DemonicAirIndra
    19MūlaDhanus 0°00′ – 13°20′Ketufirst padaActiveButcherCreationDownward-facingNeuterVātaSharpTamasDog ♂DemonicAirNirṛti
    20PūrvāṣāḍhāDhanus 13°20′ – 26°40′Venus—BalancedBrāhmaṇaMaintenanceDownward-facingFemalePittaFierceRajasMonkey ♂HumanAirĀpas (the Waters)
    21UttarāṣāḍhāDhanus 26°40′ – Makara 10°00′Sun—BalancedKṣatriyaDissolutionUpward-facingFemaleKaphaFixedRajasMongoose ♂HumanAirViśvedevas
    22ŚravaṇaMakara 10°00′ – 23°20′Moon—PassiveMlecchaCreationUpward-facingMaleKaphaMovableRajasMonkey ♀DivineAirViṣṇu
    23DhaniṣṭhāMakara 23°20′ – Kumbha 6°40′Mars—ActiveServant / farmerMaintenanceUpward-facingFemalePittaMovableTamasLion ♀DemonicEtherThe eight Vasus
    24ŚatabhiṣāKumbha 6°40′ – 20°00′Rāhu—ActiveButcherDissolutionUpward-facingNeuterVātaMovableTamasHorse ♀DemonicEtherVaruṇa
    25Pūrva BhādrapadāKumbha 20°00′ – Mīna 3°20′Jupiter—PassiveBrāhmaṇaCreationDownward-facingMaleVātaFierceSattvaLion ♂HumanEtherAja Ekapāda
    26Uttara BhādrapadāMīna 3°20′ – 16°40′Saturn—BalancedKṣatriyaMaintenanceUpward-facingMalePittaFixedTamasCow ♀HumanEtherAhir Budhnya
    27RevatīMīna 16°40′ – 30°00′Mercurylast padaBalancedŚūdraDissolutionLevel-facingFemaleKaphaSoftSattvaElephant ♀DivineEtherPūṣan

    The mythic attributes and indications

    The twelve layers above are classifications; this one is a genealogy. Each nakshatra has a presiding deity (devatā), and the list is the oldest thing on this page — it is already complete in the Taittirīya Saṃhitā (4.4.10), a list that begins at Kṛttikā and ends at Bharaṇī, centuries before the twelve rāśis reached India. Three stars changed hands on the way to the jyotiṣa lists: the Saṃhitā gives Citrā, Śatabhiṣaj and Mūla to Indra, Indra and the Fathers, where the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa (3.1.1–2) and everything after give Tvaṣṭṛ, Varuṇa and Nirṛti; and the two Phalgunīs swapped Aryaman and Bhaga between the Vedic and the Purāṇic order (Nārada Purāṇa 1.56). The wheel follows the jyotiṣa list and notes the older reading on every card.

    Each star also has a figure (ākṛti) — the shape the tradition sees in it. The classical set comes from a pair of verses that K. S. Shukla attributes to the Muhūrtacintāmaṇi (2.59–60): horse’s face, yoni, razor, cart, deer’s face, gem, house, arrow, wheel, house, cot, bed, hand, pearl, coral, archway, heap of offerings, earring, lion’s tail, elephant’s tusk, cot, three feet, drum, circle, cot, pair, drum. The popular emblems beside them — the udder, the lotus, the umbrella, the fan, the fish, the teardrop, the coiled serpent — are modern (Harness, de Fouw) and are labelled so.

    The Deity ring colours the gods by kindred. That grouping is editorial, but its bones are textual: the Mahābhārata (Ādi 65–66, Ganguli) and the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (1.15) count twelve Ādityas among Aditi’s sons — Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Varuṇa, Savitṛ, Pūṣan, Tvaṣṭṛ, Viṣṇu and Indra among them — and the Aśvins are the twin sons of Vivasvat, the Sun; the eight Vasus and the Viśvedevas are the great hosts; Aja Ekapād and Ahi Budhnya are invoked together in the Ṛgveda as the powers of the deep; Yama, the Fathers and Nirṛti keep the road of the dead. One more old division is worth knowing, though it is not a ring: the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa (1.5.2.7) calls the fourteen stars from Kṛttikā to Viśākhā the deva-nakṣatras, the gods’ stars — Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Ārdrā, Punarvasu, Puṣya, Āśleṣā, Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī, Uttara Phalgunī, Hasta, Citrā, Svātī, Viśākhā — and the thirteen from Anurādhā to Bharaṇī the yama-nakṣatras, Yama’s stars — Anurādhā, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa, Dhaniṣṭhā, Śatabhiṣā, Pūrva Bhādrapadā, Uttara Bhādrapadā, Revatī, Aśvinī, Bharaṇī: the bright half of the year and the dark, as the sky stood when the Pleiades opened it.

    Below the myth, each card now carries the star’s indications — what it stands for in the world. Four of the lines are classical. Governs is Varāhamihira’s roll of the persons, trades and things under each star (Bṛhat Saṃhitā 15, the Nakṣatra-vyūha — the oldest such list, and the ancestor of every modern “professions” table). Works is the star’s class in the chapter on undertakings (Bṛhat Saṃhitā 98: fixed, sharp, severe, light, soft, mixed, moving — the same seven that colour the Nature ring) with the acts he names it for: shaving, the rites for a son, purification, ear-piercing. Body is the limb of the Nakṣatra-puruṣa, the star-man of Bṛhat Saṃhitā 105 and Matsya Purāṇa 54, whose feet are Mūla and whose hair is Ārdrā. Tree is the star’s own tree from the Nārada Purāṇa (1.56.204–210), the list every nakṣatra-vana is planted from, with the botanical identification the tradition settled on and the variants where it did not. The fifth line, In practice, is not classical: it is how the star is read at the table today — themes, occupations, places — in the manner of de Fouw and Harness, and should be taken as that.

    1Aśvinī Ashvini

    DeityAśvinī Kumāras — Aśvinau (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Aśvayujau) Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurea horse’s head (turagāsya) · popular: a horse’s head

    The Aśvins are the twin horsemen who ride ahead of the dawn and doctor the gods: they stripped the skin from old Cyavāna like a coat of mail and made him young, and gave the mare Viśpalā an iron leg. When Dadhyañc would not teach them the honey-doctrine for fear of Indra, they fitted him with a horse’s head to speak it through — the head Indra then struck off, and the figure this star still wears. ṚV 1.116.10, 1.116.15; 1.116.12, 1.117.22

    Name
    “of the horsemen”
    Governs
    keepers, dealers and masters of horses, riders, commanders of armies, physicians, servants and tradesmenBS 15.26
    Works
    a light (laghu) star — for trade, love-making, learning, ornaments, the arts and crafts, medicine, and the buying of vehicles; also named for shaving and the first haircutBS 98.9, 12
    Body
    the knees (jānunī)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    kupīlu, the poison-nut · Strychnos nux-vomica — the Purāṇa’s text reads vṛṣa, usually emended to viṣa-vṛkṣaNP 56.204
    In practice
    Beginnings, speed and rescue. Physicians, surgeons and paramedics; horse people, drivers, pilots, couriers; athletes and anyone paid for quickness. Places: hospitals, stables, racetracks, roads. The star of the first step and the quick fix.modern

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    2Bharaṇī Bharani

    DeityYama — Yama (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Apabharaṇī) The dead and the undoing

    Figurethe yoni · popular: the yoni; an elephant

    Yama, Vivasvat’s son, was the first mortal to die: he “travelled to the lofty heights,” searched out the road and “first found for us a place to dwell in,” and so became king of the fathers. Two four-eyed, brindled dogs, Saramā’s sons, guard his path. Bharaṇī, “she who bears,” carries his womb-shaped figure — the door out of one life and into the next. ṚV 10.14.1–2, 10.14.10–11

    Name
    “she who bears”, from bhṛ, to carry
    Governs
    dealers in precious stones and in pulses, eaters of flesh, the cruel and the wicked, those who delight in killing, the low-born and the weak-mindedBS 15.27
    Works
    a severe (ugra) star — for acts of disgrace and destruction, deceit, imprisonment, poison, burning and the use of weaponsBS 98.8
    Body
    the head (śiras)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    āmalakī, the emblic · Phyllanthus emblica — the printed text is corrupt here; some northern lists give bhallātaka, the marking-nutNP 56.204
    In practice
    Bearing and birthing — carrying a burden to term. Midwives and obstetricians, morticians, judges and those who impose limits; the sex trade and the arts of the body. Places: birthing rooms, cremation grounds, courts. Endings that are also beginnings.modern

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    3Kṛttikā Krittika

    DeityAgni — Agni (TS 4.4.10) — the Vedic list begins here Fire, wind and storm

    Figurea razor (kṣura) · popular: a razor; a flame

    The Kṛttikās are the Pleiades, with which the old year and the Vedic list of stars began. The Śatapatha says they were the wives of the Seven Ṛṣis, the Bears, but are kept apart from them — the ṛṣis rise in the north while the Kṛttikās never leave the east, which is why the sacred fires are laid under them. In the epic the six of them nursed the war-god Skanda, who grew six faces to drink from all six at once and took the name Kārttikeya from his nurses. ŚB 2.1.2.1–4; MBh Anuśāsana 86 (Ganguli), Vana 223–229

    Name
    “the cutters” — the Pleiades
    Governs
    white flowers, sacrificers, Brāhmaṇas, priests, astronomers and pottersBS 15.1
    Works
    a mixed (mṛdu-tīkṣṇa) star — for works of mixed characterBS 98.11
    Body
    the hips (kaṭi)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    udumbara, the cluster fig · Ficus racemosaNP 56.204
    In practice
    Cutting and cooking — the razor and the flame. Cooks, smiths, potters, barbers, surgeons; critics and editors; soldiers; anyone who purifies by heat. Places: kitchens, forges, kilns, altars. Sharpness that nurses as well as wounds.modern

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    4Rohiṇī Rohini

    DeityPrajāpati (Brahmā) — Prajāpati (TS 4.4.10) The Creator, the Moon and the priest

    Figurea cart (anas) · popular: an ox-cart; a chariot

    Prajāpati desired his own daughter — the Sky, say some, or the Dawn — and pursued her as a stag pursues a red doe; the gods made a terrible archer from their most dreadful forms, and he pierced the stag as it leapt. The doe became this star, the red one. In the Taittirīya Saṃhitā the same Prajāpati gives his daughters to King Soma, who dwells with Rohiṇī alone; the others go home in anger and the king’s evil, consumption, seizes him. AB 3.33; ŚB 1.7.4.1–3; TS 2.3.5

    Name
    “the red one, the growing one”, from ruh, to grow
    Governs
    the devout, merchants, kings and the rich, yogis, drivers, owners of cows, cattle and water-creatures, farmers, and wealth from the mountainsBS 15.2
    Works
    a fixed (dhruva) star — for coronations, rites of expiation, planting trees, founding towns, public works, sowing, and everything meant to last; also named for ear-piercingBS 98.6, 17
    Body
    the shanks (jaṅghe)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    jambu, the rose-apple · Syzygium cuminiNP 56.204
    In practice
    Growth, fertility and beauty. Farmers and gardeners, dairies, restaurateurs; artists, musicians, the fashion and luxury trades; bankers and property. Places: farms, orchards, markets, homes. The most abundant star, the Moon’s favourite.modern

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    5Mṛgaśīrṣa Mrigashirsha

    DeitySoma — Soma (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Invakā) The Creator, the Moon and the priest

    Figurea deer’s head (eṇāsya) · popular: a deer’s head

    Mṛgaśīrṣa is the head of Orion: the stag that Prajāpati became when he chased his daughter, with the three-jointed arrow of the belt already in him. Its lord is Soma, the Moon, husband of all twenty-seven daughters of Prajāpati — the husband who loved Rohiṇī, next door, too much. The root mṛg means to seek and to hunt; the deer is the seeker. AB 3.33; TS 2.3.5

    Name
    “the deer’s head” — Orion, from mṛg, to seek
    Governs
    perfumes, dress, pearls, flowers, fruits and gems; wild beasts, birds and deer; Soma-sacrificers, singers, the amorous, fine writers and paintersBS 15.3
    Works
    a soft (mṛdu) star — for friendship, union, buying clothes, making and wearing ornaments, music and every auspicious rite; also named for shaving and the first haircut, rites for a sonBS 98.10, 12, 15
    Body
    the eyes (netre)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    khadira, the cutch tree · Senegalia catechuNP 56.205
    In practice
    Seeking and searching. Researchers, explorers, scouts and journalists; perfumers, textile and jewellery trades; singers, writers, teachers of the arts. Places: forests, parks, libraries, studios. The restless deer, always one field ahead.modern

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    6Ārdrā Ardra

    DeityRudra — Rudra (TS 4.4.10) Fire, wind and storm

    Figurea gem (maṇi) · popular: a teardrop; a diamond

    Ārdrā, the moist star, is Betelgeuse on Orion’s shoulder, and its god is Rudra the Howler — in the Brāhmaṇa the hunter whose arrow pierces the stag, the god “who rules over the beasts”; his own star, Mṛgavyādha the Deer-slayer, is Sirius, standing behind Orion. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa has him born from Brahmā crying, and named Rudra because he wept — hence the teardrop. AB 3.33; ŚB 1.7.4.3; Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.8

    Name
    “the moist one”
    Governs
    killing, torture, lying, adultery, theft, cheating and slander; pulses; sorcery, black magic and exorcismBS 15.4
    Works
    a sharp (tīkṣṇa) star — for punishment, incantations, raising spirits, imprisonment, torture, and the breaking or forcing of bondsBS 98.7
    Body
    the hair (śiroruha)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    kṛṣṇa-plakṣa, “the dark fig” · Diospyros melanoxylon in the Kerala lists — identifications differ widely: red sandalwood, long pepper, agarwoodNP 56.205
    In practice
    Storms and breakthroughs. Engineers, electricians and IT; demolition, mining, weapons; crisis workers, ER staff, psychologists of grief. Places: power stations, laboratories, storm-fronts. The tear that clears the air.modern

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    7Punarvasu Punarvasu

    DeityAditi — Aditi (TS 4.4.10) Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurea house (gṛha) · popular: a bow and quiver

    Castor and Pollux make Punarvasu, “wealth again,” the return of the light, and its goddess is Aditi, the Unbound: “Aditi is the heaven, Aditi the mid-air, Aditi the mother and the father and the son.” She bore eight sons; seven she brought to the gods, and Mārtāṇḍa, the eighth, she cast away and brought back again — the Sun, who leaves and returns. The figure is a house: the place one comes home to. ṚV 1.89.10; ṚV 10.72.8–9

    Name
    “wealth again” — the return of the light
    Governs
    truthfulness, generosity, cleanliness, good descent, beauty, sense, fame and wealth; merchants in fine goods; the serviceable; painters and sculptorsBS 15.5
    Works
    a moving (cara) star — for journeys, vehicles and every work of a moving character; also named for shaving and the first haircutBS 98.11, 12
    Body
    the fingers (aṅgulyaḥ)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    vaṃśa, bamboo · Bambusa bambosNP 56.205
    In practice
    Return, renewal and second chances. Teachers, counsellors and philosophers; hoteliers, importers, transport and travel; builders of homes. Places: houses, inns, harbours, pilgrim roads. Wealth regained; the bow that is drawn again.modern

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    8Puṣya Pushya

    DeityBṛhaspati — Bṛhaspati (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Tiṣya) The Creator, the Moon and the priest

    Figurean arrow (pṛṣatka) · popular: a cow’s udder; a lotus

    Puṣya is the nourisher, and its god Bṛhaspati is the priest who speaks for the gods: “lord of the sacred word,” who with his thunderous song broke open the cave of Vala and let out the hidden cows, the light. The Saṃhitā still calls the star Tiṣya; the arrow is its classical figure and the udder the modern one — aim and nourishment. ṚV 4.50.4–5; ṚV 10.68.9

    Name
    “the nourisher”, from puṣ, to thrive; older name Tiṣya
    Governs
    barley, wheat, rice, sugar-cane and forest produce; ministers and kings; those who live by water; ascetics and the rites of sacrificeBS 15.6
    Works
    a light (laghu) star — for trade, love-making, learning, ornaments, the arts and crafts, medicine, and the buying of vehicles; also named for shaving and the first haircut, rites for a son, purification, sacred rites, austerities and the sacred thread, ear-piercingBS 98.9, 12, 15, 16, 17
    Body
    the mouth (mukha)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    pippala, the sacred fig · Ficus religiosaNP 56.205
    In practice
    Nourishment and care. Priests, teachers, doctors, nurses and nannies; dairies and bakeries; counsellors and ministers of state. Places: temples, schools, kitchens, courts. The most auspicious star for everything but marriage.modern

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    9Āśleṣā Ashlesha

    DeitySarpas (the Nāgas) — Sarpāḥ (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Āśreṣā) Serpents and the deep waters

    Figurea wheel (cakra) · popular: a coiled serpent

    Āśleṣā, the embrace, lies in the head of Hydra, and its gods are the Serpents — the Nāgas of the epic, sons of Kadrū, whose mother’s wager with Vinatā and whose curse led to Janamejaya’s great snake-sacrifice, halted only by the boy Āstīka. The tradition handles the star warily: a place of poison, binding and hidden wisdom, the coil that will not let go. MBh Ādi, Āstīka-parvan

    Name
    “the embrace”, from ā-śliṣ, to cling
    Governs
    perfumes, roots and fruits; reptiles, serpents and poison; cheats; pulses; and those skilled in medicineBS 15.7
    Works
    a sharp (tīkṣṇa) star — for punishment, incantations, raising spirits, imprisonment, torture, and the breaking or forcing of bondsBS 98.7
    Body
    the nails (nakhāḥ)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    nāga, the ironwood · Mesua ferrea — some southern lists give punnāga, Calophyllum inophyllumNP 56.206
    In practice
    Coiling and gripping. Chemists, pharmacologists and toxicologists; hypnotists, psychotherapists, tantrics; spies and negotiators; snake-handlers. Places: laboratories, cellars, sewers, secret rooms. Poison and antidote from the same fang.modern

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    10Maghā Magha

    DeityPitṛs (the Ancestors) — Pitaraḥ (TS 4.4.10) The dead and the undoing

    Figurea house (bhavana) · popular: a throne, a palanquin

    Maghā is Regulus, the Lion’s heart, and its gods are the Fathers — the ancestral dead who sit with Yama and are fed at the śrāddha. Manu says what is given under Maghā, in the rains, on the thirteenth day, when the shadow of an elephant falls east, gratifies the ancestors without end; hence the throne, the seat of inherited power. ṚV 10.14–15; Manu 3.273–274

    Name
    “the mighty, the bountiful”
    Governs
    wealth, grain and granaries; hills; religious rites; merchants; the valiant; animal food; and misogynistsBS 15.8
    Works
    a severe (ugra) star — for acts of disgrace and destruction, deceit, imprisonment, poison, burning and the use of weaponsBS 98.8
    Body
    the nose (nāsikā)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    vaṭa, the banyan · Ficus benghalensisNP 56.206
    In practice
    Lineage, throne and legacy. Executives, royalty and old families; historians, genealogists and archivists; lawyers of inheritance; ritual specialists. Places: palaces, halls, ancestral homes, cemeteries. Rank that is inherited before it is earned.modern

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    11Pūrva Phalgunī Purva Phalguni

    DeityBhaga — Aryaman (TS 4.4.10); the jyotiṣa lists give Bhaga Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurethe front legs of a bed (mañca) · popular: a swinging hammock; a fig tree

    The two Phalgunīs are one bed, and this star is its head. Bhaga is the god of the share, of good fortune and the marriage-bed — bhaga is also the word for the womb — and the wedding hymn asks that “Aryaman and Bhaga lead us.” At Dakṣa’s sacrifice the sacrificial portion was set before him and burnt out his eyes: Fortune is blind. ṚV 10.85.23, 10.85.36; ŚB 1.7.4.6

    Name
    “the former reddish one” — the front of the bed
    Governs
    dance, young women, music, painting, sculpture and trade; cotton, salt, honey and oil; the vigour of youthBS 15.9
    Works
    a severe (ugra) star — for acts of disgrace and destruction, deceit, imprisonment, poison, burning and the use of weaponsBS 98.8
    Body
    the private parts (guhya) — shared with Uttara PhalgunīBS 105.1–5
    Tree
    palāśa, the flame of the forest · Butea monospermaNP 56.206
    In practice
    Pleasure, play and procreation. Entertainers, musicians and dancers; sex therapists and marriage brokers; the wedding, cosmetics and bedding trades. Places: bedrooms, theatres, resorts. The bed, and the ease that comes with fortune.modern

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    12Uttara Phalgunī Uttara Phalguni

    DeityAryaman — Bhaga (TS 4.4.10); the jyotiṣa lists give Aryaman Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurethe back legs of a bed · popular: a bed

    Aryaman, the companion, is the Āditya of contracts, hospitality and the marriage bond; the wedding hymn walks the bride along “the path of Aryaman” and prays that he adorn the couple till old age. The bed is finished at its foot — which is why Uttara Phalgunī is the marriage star of the muhūrta lists. ṚV 10.85.23, 10.85.43

    Name
    “the latter reddish one” — the foot of the bed
    Governs
    the mild, clean, modest, generous and learned; heretics; grain-dealers; the wealthy and virtuous; the company of princesBS 15.10
    Works
    a fixed (dhruva) star — for coronations, rites of expiation, planting trees, founding towns, public works, sowing, and everything meant to lastBS 98.6
    Body
    the private parts (guhya) — shared with Pūrva PhalgunīBS 105.1–5
    Tree
    akṣa / plakṣa · Ficus lacor in most nakṣatra-vana lists — akṣa is also read as the bellerica myrobalan or the rudrākṣaNP 56.206
    In practice
    Contracts, patronage and the marriage bond. Diplomats, contract lawyers, social workers, philanthropists; heads of institutions. Places: offices, registries, banquet halls. The marriage star of the muhūrta lists; the promise kept.modern

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    13Hasta Hasta

    DeitySavitṛ — Savitṛ (TS 4.4.10) Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurea hand (kara) · popular: a hand

    Hasta is the Hand, five stars of the Crow, and its god is Savitṛ, the Sun as impeller, whom the Ṛgveda calls golden-handed. The Brāhmaṇa explains the epithet: when the gods carried the maimed sacrificial portion to him, it cut off his hands, and they gave him two of gold. ṚV 1.35.9–10, 1.22.5; Kauṣītaki Br. 6.13 (Keith; 6.10 in Weber’s numbering)

    Name
    “the hand”
    Governs
    thieves, elephant-dealers, charioteers and chief ministers; painters, merchants, dealers in pulses; the learned in śāstra; the bright of faceBS 15.11
    Works
    a light (laghu) star — for trade, love-making, learning, ornaments, the arts and crafts, medicine, and the buying of vehicles; also named for shaving and the first haircut, rites for a son, purification, sacred rites, austerities and the sacred threadBS 98.9, 12, 15, 16
    Body
    the hands (karau)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    ariṣṭa, the soap-nut · Sapindus trifoliatus — ariṣṭa is also a name of the neem; Kerala lists give the hog-plum, Maharashtra the jasmineNP 56.207
    In practice
    Skill of hand. Craftspeople, surgeons, masseurs, pianists; comedians and magicians; accountants, clerks and traders; astrologers. Places: workshops, markets, clinics. The hand that heals, steals, counts and makes.modern

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    14Citrā Chitra

    DeityTvaṣṭṛ (Viśvakarman) — Indra (TS 4.4.10); Tvaṣṭṛ from TB 3.1.1 onward Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurea pearl (mauktika) · popular: a bright jewel

    Citrā is Spica, the bright one, the picture, and its god is Tvaṣṭṛ the artificer, who fashioned Indra’s heavenly bolt and the cup of Soma, and who is asked in the conception hymn to “shape the forms” of the child in the womb. The pearl is his work: a form made perfect inside a shell. ṚV 1.32.2; ṚV 10.184.1

    Name
    “the bright, the many-coloured, the picture”
    Governs
    jewels, gems and fine cloth; writers, singers, perfumers, mathematicians, weavers, surgeons and oculists; dealers in the king’s grainBS 15.12
    Works
    a soft (mṛdu) star — for friendship, union, buying clothes, making and wearing ornaments, music and every auspicious rite; also named for shaving and the first haircut, purification, sacred rites, austerities and the sacred thread, ear-piercingBS 98.10, 12, 16, 17
    Body
    the forehead (lalāṭa)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    śrīvṛkṣa, the bilva · Aegle marmelosNP 56.207
    In practice
    Design and brilliance. Architects, designers, jewellers and photographers; surgeons and anatomists; weavers, tattooists, builders of illusions. Places: studios, showrooms, construction sites. The form made perfect, and the vanity of it.modern

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    15Svātī Swati

    DeityVāyu — Vāyu (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Niṣṭyā) Fire, wind and storm

    Figurecoral (vidruma) · popular: a young sprout swaying in the wind; a sword

    Svātī is Arcturus, standing alone far from the ecliptic — “the self-going” — and its god is the Wind, “the soul of the gods, the germ of the world,” whose voice is heard but whose form is never seen. When the gods ran a race for the first draught of Soma, Vāyu came first and Indra second; the wind is quickest of all. ṚV 10.168.4; AB 2.25

    Name
    “the self-going, the independent one” — Arcturus
    Governs
    keepers of birds, deer and horses; grain-merchants and bean-dealers; the weak and the fickle in friendship; the abstemious; skilled tradesmenBS 15.13
    Works
    a moving (cara) star — for journeys, vehicles and every work of a moving character; also named for shaving and the first haircut, purification, sacred rites, austerities and the sacred threadBS 98.11, 12, 16
    Body
    the teeth (dvijāḥ)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    arjuna · Terminalia arjunaNP 56.207
    In practice
    Independence and the free-moving wind. Traders and brokers, diplomats, pilots and aviation; wind and renewable energy; lawyers, translators; musicians of the breath. Places: markets, airports, open plains. Self-made, self-going.modern

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    16Viśākhā Vishakha

    DeityIndrāgni — Indrāgnī (TS 4.4.10) Fire, wind and storm

    Figurean archway (toraṇa) · popular: a triumphal gateway; a potter’s wheel

    Viśākhā, the forked, belongs to a pair of gods, Indra and Agni, who share whole hymns between them. In the epic, when Indra hurled his thunderbolt at the newborn Skanda, Agni’s son, it pierced his right side — and from the wound sprang a second youth, spear in hand, named Viśākha “because he was born of the piercing.” The gateway is the figure: two pillars, one arch. ṚV 1.108–109; MBh Vana 226 (Ganguli)

    Name
    “the forked, the branched”
    Governs
    trees with red flowers and red fruit; sesame, beans, cotton, black gram and chick-peas; the worshippers of Indra and AgniBS 15.14
    Works
    a mixed (mṛdu-tīkṣṇa) star — for works of mixed characterBS 98.11
    Body
    the arms (bhujau)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    vikaṅkata, the governor’s plum · Flacourtia indica — southern lists give the wood-appleNP 56.207
    In practice
    The forked road and the fixed goal. Politicians, lawyers, campaigners; military officers; devotees and zealots of every kind. Places: gateways, arches, arenas, courts. The single-minded pursuit that arrives late and wins.modern

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    17Anurādhā Anuradha

    DeityMitra — Mitra (TS 4.4.10) Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurea heap of offerings (bali) · popular: a lotus; a triumphal arch

    Anurādhā, “after Rādhā,” is the star of devotion and following, and its god is Mitra, the Friend, the Āditya of alliances: “Mitra, uttering his voice, sets men in motion; Mitra sustains the earth and heaven.” The classical figure is a heap of offerings — the friendship that is kept by what is given. ṚV 3.59.1

    Name
    “following Rādhā” — devotion, success that follows
    Governs
    the valiant; leaders of parties; those who love the company of the good; keepers of vehicles; growers of every cropBS 15.15
    Works
    a soft (mṛdu) star — for friendship, union, buying clothes, making and wearing ornaments, music and every auspicious rite; also named for purification, sacred rites, austerities and the sacred threadBS 98.10, 16
    Body
    the chest (uras)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    bakula · Mimusops elengiNP 56.208
    In practice
    Friendship, devotion and following. Counsellors, group leaders, musicians and dancers; travel agents, foreign trade; mystics and disciples. Places: ashrams, meeting rooms, foreign soil. The lotus of the heart; success through alliance.modern

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    18Jyeṣṭhā Jyeshtha

    DeityIndra — Indra (TS 4.4.10) Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurean earring (kuṇḍala) · popular: an umbrella; a circular amulet

    Jyeṣṭhā, the eldest, is Antares, the red heart of the Scorpion, and its god is Indra, the king who “slew the Dragon lying on the mountain” with the bolt that Tvaṣṭṛ fashioned and set the waters free. The earring and the parasol are the marks of sovereignty; the Mahābhārata puts Indra at the head of Aditi’s twelve sons. ṚV 1.32.1–2; MBh Ādi 65–66 (Ganguli)

    Name
    “the eldest, the chief” — Antares
    Governs
    the valiant, well-born, wealthy and famous; cheats of others’ property; lovers of travel; governors of provinces and commanders of armiesBS 15.16
    Works
    a sharp (tīkṣṇa) star — for punishment, incantations, raising spirits, imprisonment, torture, and the breaking or forcing of bonds; also named for shaving and the first haircutBS 98.7, 12
    Body
    the neck (grīvā)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    śālmalī, the silk-cotton tree · Bombax ceiba — the Purāṇa’s reading is corrupt; the chir pine and other trees are also givenNP 56.208
    In practice
    Seniority and protection. CEOs and heads of families; police, security and the military; occultists, athletes, the self-reliant. Places: control rooms, fortresses, boardrooms. The eldest, who carries the burden and the talisman.modern

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    19Mūla Mula

    DeityNirṛti — Pitaraḥ (TS 4.4.10); Nirṛti in TB 3.1.2 and after The dead and the undoing

    Figurea lion’s tail (siṃhapuccha) · popular: a bundle of roots

    Mūla is the Root, the Scorpion’s tail pointing at the centre of the galaxy, and its goddess is Nirṛti, dissolution, the undoing of order. The Ṛgveda sends her off in every verse of one hymn — “let Nirṛti depart to distant places” — and the star-offering has her go “with averted face.” What she leaves behind is the root: the beginning under the end. ṚV 10.59.1–4; TB 3.1.2

    Name
    “the root”
    Governs
    druggists; leaders of men; dealers in flowers, roots, fruits and seeds; the rich; garden workBS 15.17
    Works
    a sharp (tīkṣṇa) star — for punishment, incantations, raising spirits, imprisonment, torture, and the breaking or forcing of bonds; also named for rites for a sonBS 98.7, 15
    Body
    the feet (pādau)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    sarja, the sāl · Shorea robusta — Kerala lists give the white dammar, Vateria indicaNP 56.208
    In practice
    Roots and radical inquiry. Doctors of the root — herbalists, pharmacists, surgeons; researchers, philosophers, orators; investigators and debt-collectors. Places: forests, mines, basements, hospitals. Digging until the whole thing comes up.modern

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    20Pūrvāṣāḍhā Purva Ashadha

    DeityĀpas (the Waters) — Āpaḥ (TS 4.4.10) Serpents and the deep waters

    Figurean elephant’s tusk (gajadanta) · popular: a fan; a winnowing basket

    The two Āṣāḍhās are “the unconquered,” and this one belongs to the Waters, the divine mothers — “may the Waters, the mothers, cleanse us” — who are asked to bear every stain away. The tusk and the fan are both things that move water and air. ṚV 10.17.10; ṚV 10.9

    Name
    “the former unconquered”
    Governs
    the gentle-mannered; lovers of the sea-voyage; the truthful, clean and wealthy; earth-work; boatmen; dealers in water-fruits and flowersBS 15.18
    Works
    a severe (ugra) star — for acts of disgrace and destruction, deceit, imprisonment, poison, burning and the use of weaponsBS 98.8
    Body
    the thighs (ūrū) — shared with UttarāṣāḍhāBS 105.1–5
    Tree
    vañjula, the Indian willow · Salix tetrasperma — vañjula is also the aśoka, Saraca asocaNP 56.208
    In practice
    Invincibility through purification. Water trades — shipping, sailing, brewing; debaters, lawyers, campaigners; poets and dramatists. Places: rivers, oceans, bathhouses, parliaments. The undefeated who wins by cleansing.modern

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    21Uttarāṣāḍhā Uttara Ashadha

    DeityViśvedevas — Viśve devāḥ (TS 4.4.10) The god-hosts

    Figurean elephant’s tusk; a cot (mañcaka) · popular: an elephant’s tusk

    Uttarāṣāḍhā completes the unconquered, and its gods are the Viśvedevas, All-the-Gods together, invoked when no single power will do; the evening pressing of Soma is theirs, and the Purāṇas make them the sons of Viśvā, a daughter of Dakṣa. The tusk, shared with the star before it, is the figure: the elephant’s point, which does not break. ṚV 3.54; Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.15

    Name
    “the latter unconquered”
    Governs
    chief ministers and wrestlers; keepers of elephants and horses; the religious and the principled; soldiers; the happy and the brightBS 15.19
    Works
    a fixed (dhruva) star — for coronations, rites of expiation, planting trees, founding towns, public works, sowing, and everything meant to lastBS 98.6
    Body
    the thighs (ūrū) — shared with PūrvāṣāḍhāBS 105.1–5
    Tree
    panasa, the jackfruit · Artocarpus heterophyllusNP 56.209
    In practice
    The final victory. Statesmen, judges and reformers; wrestlers and strategists; those who finish what others start. Places: capitals, summits, elephant stables. Permanence, righteousness and the last word.modern

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    22Śravaṇa Shravana

    DeityViṣṇu — Viṣṇu (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Śroṇā) Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurethree footsteps (tricaraṇa) · popular: an ear; three footprints

    Śravaṇa is Altair, the eagle’s eye, and its god is Viṣṇu, who measured the worlds in three strides — “he within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their habitation.” The Śatapatha tells the strides as a bargain: the Asuras granted the gods only as much as Viṣṇu, who was a dwarf, could lie upon, and by him the gods won the whole earth. The three footprints are the figure. ṚV 1.154.1–2; ŚB 1.2.5.1–7

    Name
    “hearing; the ear” — older name Śroṇā
    Governs
    the cunning, active and efficient; workmen; the bold, virtuous, god-fearing and truthfulBS 15.20
    Works
    a moving (cara) star — for journeys, vehicles and every work of a moving character; also named for shaving and the first haircut, rites for a son, ear-piercingBS 98.11, 12, 15, 17
    Body
    the ears (śravaṇau)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    arka, the crown flower · Calotropis giganteaNP 56.209
    In practice
    Hearing, learning and connection. Teachers, linguists, journalists, broadcasters and audio engineers; travellers and pilgrims; counsellors who listen. Places: schools, radio stations, ears of every kind. The three footprints and the open ear.modern

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    23Dhaniṣṭhā Dhanishtha

    DeityThe eight Vasus — Vasavaḥ (TS 4.4.10, where the star is Śraviṣṭhā) The god-hosts

    Figurea drum (mṛdaṅga) · popular: a drum; a flute

    Dhaniṣṭhā, the wealthiest — once Śraviṣṭhā, the most famous — is the little Dolphin, and its gods are the eight Vasus, the Dwellers: Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Ahas, Anila, Anala, Pratyūṣa, Prabhāsa — earth, pole-star, moon, day, wind, fire, dawn and light. Cursed by Vasiṣṭha for stealing the cow Nandinī, they were born of Gaṅgā as Śāntanu’s sons; seven she drowned at birth, and the eighth, Dyaus, stayed on earth as Bhīṣma. MBh Ādi 66, 99 (Ganguli)

    Name
    “the most wealthy; the most famous” — older name Śraviṣṭhā
    Governs
    the shameless and fickle in friendship; misogynists; the generous, the rich and those free of temptationBS 15.21
    Works
    a moving (cara) star — for journeys, vehicles and every work of a moving character; also named for shaving and the first haircutBS 98.11, 12
    Body
    the back (pṛṣṭha)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    śamī · Prosopis cineraria — Kerala lists give the moringaNP 56.209
    In practice
    Wealth, rhythm and fame. Musicians and drummers, dancers; real-estate and mining; surgeons and physicians; big-group organisers. Places: concert halls, mansions, empty houses. Riches that ring hollow until the beat is found.modern

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    24Śatabhiṣā Shatabhisha

    DeityVaruṇa — Indra (TS 4.4.10); Varuṇa from TB 3.1.2 onward Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurea circle (vṛtta) · popular: an empty circle; a hundred flowers

    Śatabhiṣaj, the hundred physicians, is a hundred faint stars round λ Aquarii, and its god is Varuṇa, keeper of the cosmic waters and of the oath, thousand-eyed, whose spies see everything men do. When King Hariścandra vowed his son to Varuṇa and put off the paying, the god seized him with dropsy — the swelling belly of the broken word — and only Śunaḥśepa’s hymns loosed the noose. The empty circle is the figure: the healer’s ring, and the boundary of the law. ṚV 7.34.10; AB 7.13–18

    Name
    “having a hundred physicians”
    Governs
    fishermen; dealers in fish and hogs; washermen; dealers in wine and in birdsBS 15.22
    Works
    a moving (cara) star — for journeys, vehicles and every work of a moving character; also named for shaving and the first haircutBS 98.11, 12
    Body
    the laughter (hasita)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    kadamba · Neolamarckia cadambaNP 56.209
    In practice
    Healing and secrecy. Physicians and healers of the hundred remedies; astrologers, physicists, aviators and space; recluses, addiction workers. Places: hospitals, laboratories, distilleries, the deep sea. The empty circle that encloses everything.modern

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    25Pūrva Bhādrapadā Purva Bhadrapada

    DeityAja Ekapāda — Aja Ekapād (TS 4.4.10) Serpents and the deep waters

    Figurethe front legs of a cot (mañca) · popular: a sword; a two-faced man

    Aja Ekapād is one of the strangest gods of the Veda — the One-footed Goat, or, since aja also means unborn, the Unborn who stands on one foot: a single pillar of lightning or of sky planted between the waters and heaven, invoked in the same breath as the Serpent of the Deep. The cot’s front legs and the funeral cot are the figures: the bed one is carried out on. ṚV 7.35.13; ṚV 2.31.6, 6.50.14

    Name
    “the former auspicious feet”
    Governs
    thieves, shepherds and torturers; the wicked, mean and deceitful; neglecters of rites; those who win in a fightBS 15.23
    Works
    a severe (ugra) star — for acts of disgrace and destruction, deceit, imprisonment, poison, burning and the use of weaponsBS 98.8
    Body
    the sides (pārśve) — shared with Uttara BhādrapadāBS 105.1–5
    Tree
    cūta, the mango · Mangifera indicaNP 56.210
    In practice
    Fire, penance and the two faces. Ascetics, priests and philosophers; funeral workers; radicals and agitators; soldiers of unusual causes. Places: cremation grounds, monasteries, war rooms. The scorching step that crosses over.modern

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    26Uttara Bhādrapadā Uttara Bhadrapada

    DeityAhir Budhnya — Ahi Budhnya (TS 4.4.10) Serpents and the deep waters

    Figurea pair, twins (yamala) · popular: the back legs of a funeral cot; a serpent in the deep

    Ahi Budhnya, the Serpent of the Deep — budhna is the bottom, the foundation — is the Vedic power of the waters under the world, later counted among the Rudras: “gracious be the Dragon of the Deep, and Ocean.” The classical figure is a pair, twins; the cot’s back legs finish what Pūrva Bhādrapadā began. ṚV 7.34.17; ṚV 7.35.13, 6.50.14

    Name
    “the latter auspicious feet”
    Governs
    Brāhmaṇas and sacrificers; the generous, devout and rich; observers of vows; heretics; rulers; rice-dealersBS 15.24
    Works
    a fixed (dhruva) star — for coronations, rites of expiation, planting trees, founding towns, public works, sowing, and everything meant to lastBS 98.6
    Body
    the sides (pārśve) — shared with Pūrva BhādrapadāBS 105.1–5
    Tree
    picumanda, the neem · Azadirachta indicaNP 56.210
    In practice
    Depth, patience and the serpent asleep. Yogis, therapists and hospice workers; philanthropists; deep-sea and underground trades. Places: retreats, caves, deep water. The wisdom that comes from staying still.modern

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    27Revatī Revati

    DeityPūṣan — Pūṣan (TS 4.4.10) Ādityas and the solar line

    Figurea drum (mṛdala) · popular: a fish; a drum

    Revatī, the abundant, is the last of the twenty-seven, in the Fishes, and its god is Pūṣan the herdsman, who knows every road, finds what is lost, and guides the dead on their way. He eats karambha, curd and meal, because — the Śatapatha says — the sacrificial portion knocked out his teeth at Dakṣa’s sacrifice. He is the god of the last mile. ṚV 6.56.1, 6.54; ṚV 10.17.3–6; ŚB 1.7.4.7

    Name
    “the wealthy, the abundant”
    Governs
    water-flowers, salt, gems, conch-shells and pearls; water-creatures; fragrant flowers and perfumes; boatmenBS 15.25
    Works
    a soft (mṛdu) star — for friendship, union, buying clothes, making and wearing ornaments, music and every auspicious rite; also named for shaving and the first haircut, purification, sacred rites, austerities and the sacred thread, ear-piercingBS 98.10, 12, 16, 17
    Body
    the belly (kukṣi)BS 105.1–5
    Tree
    madhūka, the mahua · Madhuca longifoliaNP 56.210
    In practice
    Nourishing, guiding and completing. Shepherds of every kind — guides, travel workers, pilots, foster-parents; clock and calendar makers; those who work with the very young or the dying. Places: roads, ports, nurseries. The last star: the journey brought home.modern

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    A note on the lists

    The classifications follow Light on Life (pp. 206–214), cross-checked against Hank Friedman's de Fouw-based table and the classical muhūrta lists (Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi and its kin). Where the book's printed lists are incomplete or at odds with the classical ones, the wheel follows the classical reading:

    • Varṇa: Light on Life prints only three Brāhmaṇa and three Kṣatriya stars; the wheel follows the classical Muhūrta lists, in which Pūrva Phalgunī joins Kṛttikā and the Pūrvās (Brāhmaṇa) and Uttara Phalgunī joins Puṣya and the Uttarās (Kṣatriya).
    • Direction: the book's printed lists swap the two Phalgunīs and omit Śatabhiṣā; the classical lists (all three Uttarās upward, all three Pūrvās downward, Śatabhiṣā upward) are used.
    • Nature: Mṛgaśīrṣa is placed with the soft (mṛdu) stars, as in the classical lists and Friedman's table; the book's text has it among the mixed stars.
    • Doṣa: the book's kapha list runs to eight stars; Maghā, the ninth, is restored from the nāḍī sequence.
    • Yoni sexes and the seven enmities follow the classical yoni-kūṭa table; the gaṇḍānta zones (one pada, with a 48′ core) follow the classical definition.
    • Deity: the thirteenth layer is not from Light on Life. Deities follow the jyotiṣa list (Nārada Purāṇa 1.56) with the Taittirīya Saṃhitā 4.4.10 reading noted where it differs; the classical figures follow the shapes verse (Muhūrtacintāmaṇi 2.59–60, per Shukla); the six kindreds that colour the ring are an editorial grouping explained in The mythic attributes and indications. The indication lines come from Bṛhat Saṃhitā 15, 98 and 105 and Nārada Purāṇa 1.56; only the “in practice” line is modern.

    Coming soon: some sort of visual treatment for the 4 padas per nakshatra, raising the number of elements to the holy number of 108.

    Note, August 2026: the original diagrams were a PDF that did not survive the site's move; the interactive wheel above replaces them.