Mrigashira


Mṛgaśirā is the 5th nakṣatra or lunar mansion as used in Hindu astronomy and astrology, in the constellation Orion. It corresponds to the stars λ, φ1, and φ2 Orionis. Its position is described in the Surya Siddhānta.
The asterism's names in various languages are:
  • Sinhalese: මුවසිරස
The first two pada of this nakṣatra are part of Vṛṣabha Rāśi, which is Taurus. The latter two pada of this star belong to Mithuna Rāśi, which is Gemini.

Etymology

The term Mṛgaśira means "the deer's head"; it is a composite of two Sanskrit words, mṛga meaning deer and śira meaning head or precisely, the top of the head.
The names Mṛgaśira and Mārgaśīrṣa/Mṛgaśīrṣa are sometimes used interchangeably. Grammatically, Mārgaśīrṣa means "of Mṛgaśira" or "related to Mṛgaśira". Thus Mṛgaśira is the correct name of the asterism, while Mārgaśīrṣa is the name of the month related to Mṛgaśira, i.e., the month in which the Moon is in conjunction with the Mṛgaśira nakṣatra. In Malayalam it is called Makayeeram.

Naming principles

Under the traditional Hindu principle of naming individuals according to their nakṣatras, the following Sanskrit syllables correspond with this nakṣatra, and would belong at the beginning of a first name:
  • Ve
  • Vo
  • Ka
  • Ki
Mṛgaśira nakṣatra extends from after 23°20' in Vṛṣabha Rāśi up to 6°40' in Mithuna. This Star is ruled by Mangala and the presiding deity is Chandra, the Moon God. He holds Amrita and his mount is a chariot drawn by horses. He rules the following parts of the human body: the face, chin, cheeks, larynx, palate, throat, vocal chord, arms, shoulders, thymus gland, upper ribs.
The word mṛga represents forests, gardens, a search, a seeking to find, to roam about in forests and a hunter, to seek to blaze the trail, a guide and preceptor. Mṛgaśirṣa is partly in Vṛṣabha and partly in Mithuna. It conveys the ideas of searching for beautiful faces, visit or request a girl in marriage. People born in this nakṣatra have a strong body and moderate complexion.