Krittika Nakshatra

Passionate Initiator / Discerning Leader

krittika nakshatra - knife — 📷 Zoran Borojevic on Unsplash

The third Nakshatra in this series is Krittika. In Classical Vedic astrology, Krittika was considered the first Nakshatra. But, let’s not worry about the mechanics of that or the technical reasons as to why that was. At least for now!

The Basics

📷 Numerology Sign by Flickr, Licensed under Creative Commons

Unlike the previous two Nakshatras we looked at, Krittika lies in Aries and Taurus. To be specific, 26°40' Aries — 10°00' Taurus (sidereal). This means, depending on your Moon’s exact degree, you could either be an Aries or Taurus. It goes without saying that Krittika placed in Aries manifests quite differently from Krittika in Taurus.

The Myth

batu caves - krittika nakshatra — 📷 Danu Vino: Batu Caves, Malaysia.

There are multiple myths associated with Krittika. One of the primary ones is connected to the demon Taraka, and Kartikeya, the warrior god.

The myth goes like this:

The demon Taraka was blessed by Brahma, the creator. Brahma’s blessing said that only a seven day old son of Shiva could kill him.

Meanwhile, Shiva was in his ascetic form, meditating in the Himalayas with no intention of having a son. Since Shiva had no intention of procreating, gods plotted to get his semen by sending Kamadeva, the god of love and desire. When the gods finally got his semen, Agni (god of Fire) carried it to the earth. His seed was then incubated by six Krittikas (divorced wives of sages) and they gave birth to six sons.

These six babies were then embraced by Parvathi, Shiva’s wife. Her embrace resulted in these six babies becoming one, with six heads and twelve arms. He then came to be known as Kartikeya.

Kartikeya, the warrior god, destroyed the demon Taraka when he was just seven days old.

For longer versions of this myth, read Vic DiCara’s ‘27 Stars, 27 Gods: The Astrological Mythology of Ancient India’ and Komilla Sutton’s ‘The Nakshatras’.

Symbolism

Krit means ‘to cut or divide’, and tika means ‘to challenge’. So the word Krittika means ‘to challenge, cut, divide, split apart, etc’. Because of this, Krittika is symbolized by sharp objects like knives, blades, or razors. For this reason, Krittika is also associated with being critical.

From the myth we already discussed earlier, several other associations can be made with symbols present there as well.

Agni (Fire) — Since Shiva’s seed was carried to the earth by Agni, the god of fire, the nature of Krittika is also associated with the nature of fire. Think of the times in which these myths were constructed. Fire played a prominent role. Fire went before groups as they went out at night. Fire went before the ancient military, paving the path for the soldiers. Fire had to be kindled first before ceremonies or rituals. In the ancient world, fire played a key role in initiating, whether it be wars, group progressions, rituals, or ceremonies. In step with this Krittika, is also known as the initiator or catalyst.
Mars — Kartikeya, the warrior god, is the child born to the Krittikas (the ‘divorced’ wives of the sages) and Shiva, via Agni (god of fire). For this reason, Kartikeya is also known as the ‘child of fire’, as well as the ‘warrior god’, and is associated with Mars.

Rulerships

Now that we have looked at the myth and the symbolisms of Krittika, let’s move on to discussing rulerships.

Since Krittika spans both Aries and Taurus, we need to look at two sets of rulerships. One for the Aries section, and the other for the Taurus section.

Let’s follow the same line of thinking we used in the previous two posts. As we know by now, there are two things we need to consider when we talk about rulerships.

Rulership of the Nakshatra itself — Krittika is ruled by the Sun. Sun signifies strength, leadership, authority, vitality, and ambition. It can be warm and fierce. The sun is vital for our survival, but only at a distance. If you get too close or too much of the sun, you get burned.

Rulership of the Zodiac Sign where the Nakshatra is placed in —

If placed in Aries — The first three quarters of Krittika lie in the zodiac sign of Aries. Aries is ruled by Mars. Mars is associated with courage, bravery, action, energy, and war.
If placed in Taurus — The last quarter of Krittika lies in Taurus. Taurus is ruled by Venus. Venus is usually associated with material wealth, prosperity, sexuality, potency, pleasure, beauty, and luxury.

Putting it All Together

Now that we have looked at the myth, symbolisms, and rulerships, let’s put it all together to understand how Krittika could manifest.

To re-cap, Krittika is

#1 — associated with Agni, the god of fire — signifying initiating, being a catalyst.
#2 — associated with Kartikeya, the warrior god — signifying passion, defense, and destruction.
#3 — associated with blades, knives, and anything sharp — separating, cutting, challenging, sharpness, and criticism.
#4 — associated with the Sun — authority, leadership, strength, vitality, and ambition.
#5 — associated with Mars (if placed in Aries) — courage, bravery, action, energy, and war.
#6 — associated with Venus (if placed in Taurus) — wealth, prosperity, sexuality, potency, pleasure, beauty, and luxury.

What could it look like if the moon is placed in Krittika, in Aries?

As the moon signifies one’s inner world, mind, and emotions, Moon in Krittika in Aries can make one a critical thinker, sometimes to the point of being overly critical. If unchecked, their passion for what they care about can make them aggressive in their delivery. These are the type of people you would want around when there needs to be inspiration and energy but don’t want to be around when gentleness and sympathy are needed. They will be ‘warriors’ who can speak out and create change, but not the ones who can empathize and be gentle with their words. They are great initiators and catalysts for change. Softness is not their strong suit.

This is because the fire of the Sun combined with the fire and passion of Mars in Aries, can make their energy too much in some situations, but welcome in others.

If we are to imagine a formula for how this could show, it would look something like this:

📷 Moon — https://unsplash.com/@peterlaster / Mars — https://unsplash.com/@lucarueegg / Sun — https://unsplash.com/@3dparadise / Illustration: Nakshatra Project

What could it look like if the moon is placed in Krittika, in Taurus?

When placed in Taurus, needless to say, Krittika will take on the qualities of Taurus, and have a more Venusian influence. While Krittika by nature is critical, how that criticality will be delivered will look very different when compared to how it manifests Aries. As we saw, Krittika in Aries can be a harsh critic. While Krittika in Taurus can manifest as a critic nevertheless, it will be more diplomatic in its delivery. This is because the harshness of Sun’s fire, will be somewhat quenched by the diplomacy and balance of Venus.

If we are to illustrate this, it will appear to be something along these lines:

📷 Moon — https://unsplash.com/@peterlaster / Mars — https://unsplash.com/@lucarueegg / Venus — https://unsplash.com/@simonppt /// Illustration: Nakshatra Project

How is this useful anyway?

Krittika Nakshatra gives the determination and tenacity to achieve greatness. It can make you an initiator and a catalyst in your surroundings. Your inherent nature can easily see what needs to be improved in any given setting and can be an asset to any organization. However, what you might need to work on is how to harness that energy to deliver your observation with kindness, and not harshness.

In relationships, this can manifest as a tendency to be negative and ‘nit picky’ towards your partner. Working on your communication of delivering what you observe non-violently can be helpful in sustaining your relationships.

A Quick Example

Now that we have gone over some primary traits of Krittika, let’s take a look at a birth chart as an example:

A quick disclaimer: This is a general analysis. While this can give you some pointers in understanding yourself, it’s important to remember you need to consider the entire chart for a holistic understanding.

📷 Chart generated using: Cosmic Insights

This is an example of a chart that shows the Moon placed in Taurus, in Krittika Nakshatra, in the 11th house.

Generally speaking, this person would be:

Intelligent, has leadership qualities, determined, has a strong sense of purpose, and critical.
Since the Moon is placed in the 11th house of Community, Social Networks, and Long Term Desires, they would likely be involved in some form of philanthropy and would be driven towards their desires and goals.
Since the ruler of Taurus is Venus, and Venus is placed in the 9th House of Philosophy and Travel and is also closely associated with Mercury in the same house, along with the Sun, the ruler of Krittika, they would likely be a traveler, and interested in other cultures and philosophies.
Considering all these, as well as the placement of Rahu and Mars in the 10 House of Public Sphere, this is likely someone who is an artist and a public figure, who is also known for their involvement in philanthropy. They would likely be known for being outspoken about social issues.