What Krittika nakshatra is
Krittika is the 3th of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions the Moon passes through as it circles the zodiac. Its name means “The cutter, the one who burns”, its symbol is the razor, flame, and its presiding deity is Agni. In one line, Krittika is about sharp purifying fire that cuts to the truth.
Every nakshatra is exactly 13 degrees 20 minutes wide, one twenty-seventh of the 360 degree circle. Krittika occupies 26°40' Aries to 10°00' Taurus, which places it in Mesha (Aries) and Vrishabha (Taurus).
Nakshatras matter more than signs for prediction. Your janma nakshatra, the one the Moon occupied at your birth, sets your entire Vimshottari dasha sequence, and four of the eight Ashtakoot kootas used in marriage matching are calculated from it rather than from the rashi. A rashi is 30 degrees wide; a nakshatra is less than half that, and a pada is a quarter again.
The four padas of Krittika
Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. The pada decides your navamsa (D9) sign, which is the chart used to judge marriage and the real strength of a graha. Two people born in Krittika with different padas can read very differently.
| Pada | Degrees | Rashi | Navamsa (D9) sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pada 1 | 26°40' to 0°00' Aries | Mesha | Dhanu (Sagittarius), ruled by Jupiter |
| Pada 2 | 0°00' to 3°20' Taurus | Vrishabha | Makara (Capricorn), ruled by Saturn |
| Pada 3 | 3°20' to 6°40' Taurus | Vrishabha | Kumbha (Aquarius), ruled by Saturn |
| Pada 4 | 6°40' to 10°00' Taurus | Vrishabha | Meena (Pisces), ruled by Jupiter |
The navamsa lord of your pada adds a second layer to the nakshatra’s character. A Krittika native in pada 1 carries a Dhanu navamsa flavour, while pada 4 carries Meena. See the navamsa chart guide for how the D9 is read.
Sun, the ruling graha and dasha lord
Sun rules Krittika. This is the most practical fact on this page, because it means anyone born in Krittika begins life in a Sun mahadasha, which runs for 6 years in the Vimshottari cycle. How much of that period is left at birth depends on how far the Moon had already travelled through the nakshatra.
Sun signifies the soul, authority and vital life-force. It is exalted in Aries and debilitated in Libra. Where Sun sits in your chart, and how dignified it is, therefore shapes both the nakshatra’s expression and the opening chapter of your life.
The deity Agni is not decoration either. In Jyotish the deity describes the nakshatra’s function, the kind of work it does in a chart, and it is read alongside the symbol (razor, flame) when interpreting the star’s deeper motivation.
Krittika personality
Krittika natives are direct, ambitious and protective, with a critical eye that separates the real from the false. Their fiery drive burns away impurity in themselves and their work.
Strengths
- Determination
- Honesty
- Protective loyalty
- Discernment
Challenges
- Sharp temper
- Impatience with weakness
- Bluntness
The classical advice for Krittika: Aim the critical fire outward at problems, not inward at yourself.
These traits are clearest when Krittika is your janma nakshatra, meaning your Moon sits here. When the lagna or another graha falls in Krittika, the star colours that part of the chart instead of the whole personality.
Career for Krittika natives
Thrives in the military, cooking, criticism, teaching, surgery and leadership roles.
Read this as an aptitude rather than a job list. Actual profession is judged from the 10th house, its lord and the dasha in force, with the nakshatra of the 10th lord adding the flavour. The career and 10th house guide sets out the full method.
Krittika in marriage matching: gana, yoni and nadi
Four of the eight Ashtakoot kootas are read from the nakshatra, not the rashi. These are Krittika’s fixed values:
| Attribute | Krittika | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Gana | Rakshasa | Temperament, a fierce, willful temperament with strong drive and independence. Worth 6 points in Guna Milan. |
| Yoni | Sheep | Physical and instinctive compatibility. Worth 4 points. |
| Nadi | Antya | Kapha (water) constitution, steady and enduring. Worth 8 points, the heaviest koota of all. |
| Dasha lord | Sun | Sets the Vimshottari sequence and the Tara koota count. |
Nadi is the one to know about. A Nadi dosha occurs when both partners share the same nadi, and it costs all 8 points, the single largest deduction in the 36 point system. It has classical cancellations, so it is not an automatic refusal, but it is the reason two otherwise compatible charts can score poorly.
How to find your own nakshatra
Your janma nakshatra is decided by the exact longitude of the Moon at your birth, so it needs a real calculation rather than a date lookup. The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, which means it crosses roughly one nakshatra per day and can change star within hours of your birth time.
Once you have it, three things follow immediately: the dasha you were born into, your pada and therefore your navamsa sign, and four of the eight kootas for any match. The janma nakshatra guide explains what to do with each of them.
Generate your free Janma Kundali to see your nakshatra, its pada, and the exact dasha balance you started life with.
See your Krittika nakshatra placements in your own kundali
The chart above is the Kaal Purush concept, the textbook placement. Your real janma kundali is unique. Generate yours free to see exactly which house your Krittika nakshatra placements activates for you, how strong it is by sign and dignity, and when its results unfold through your Vimshottari dasha. Then ask our AI Jyotish anything, in plain language, grounded in your own chart with citations from the classical texts.
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