Mṛgaśiraṣa (also spelled Mārgaśīrṣa/Mṛgaśira; Devanagari: मृगशीर्ष) is the 5th
nakṣatra or ''lunar mansion'' as used in
Hindu astronomy and
astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
in the constellation
Orion. Its position is described in the
Surya Siddhānta.
The asterism’s names in various languages are:
* ta, மிருகசீரிடம்
*
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language
Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language prima ...
:Muwasirasa
* kn, ಮೃಗಶಿರ
* ml, മകയിരം
The first two ''carana/pada'' (quarters) of this nakṣatra are part of ''Vṛṣabha Rāśi'' (Devanagari: वृषभ) or ''Taurus''. The latter half of this star belong to ''Mithuna Rāśi'' (Devanagari: मिथुन) or ''Gemini'' (from 23°20’ Taurus to 6°40’ Gemini). stars in
λ,
φ1, φ2 Orionis
Etymology
The term Mṛgaśira (मृगशिर) a composite of two Sanskrit words, mṛga (मृग) meaning deer and śira (शिर) meaning head or precisely, the top of the head.
The names Mṛgaśira (मृगशिर) and Mārgaśīrṣa/Mṛgaśīrṣa (मार्गशीर्ष) are sometimes used interchangeably.
Grammatically, Mārgaśīrṣa (मार्गशीर्ष) means "of Mṛgaśira" or "related to Mṛgaśira". Thus Mṛgaśira (मृगशिर) is the correct name of the star, while Mārgaśīrṣa (मार्गशीर्ष) is the name of the month related to Mṛgaśira, i.e., the month in which moon will be in conjuncture with the Mṛgaśira nakṣatra. In Malayalam it is called Makayeeram.
Naming principles
Under the traditional Hindu principle of naming individuals according to their Ascendant/Lagna nakshatra, the following Sanskrit syllables correspond with this nakṣatra, and would belong at the beginning of a first name:
*Ve (Devanagari: वे)
*Vo (Devanagari: वो)
*Ka (Devanagari: क)
*Ki (Devanagari: कि)
Mṛgaśira nakṣatra extends from after 23°20 in Vṛṣabha Rāśi up to 6°40 in Mithuna. Star is governed by
mars and the presiding deity or God is a Soma God. Soma mean Chandra or Moon God. He holds amrita (nectar of immortality ). Symbol is
Antelope or
Deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the ...
. Rules the following parts of the body : 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.
See also
*
List of Nakshatras
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mrigashirsha
Nakshatra