JoanneMoffit at 02:12, 6 February 2026

2026-02-06T02:12:19Z

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{{Short description|3rd lunar mansion of Hindu astrology}}
{{Other uses|Kritika (disambiguation)}}
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}
[[File:Taurus constellation map.svg|thumb|Map of [[Taurus (constellation)|Taurus]] showing Krittika (Pleiades)]]
{{Nakshatras}}
'''''{{IAST|Kṛttikā}}''''' ([[Sanskrit]]: कृत्तिका, pronounced {{IPA|sa|kr̩ttɪkaː|}}, popularly [[Devanagari transliteration|transliterated]] '''Krittika'''), sometimes known as '''Kārtikā''', is the third of the 27 {{IAST|[[nakṣatra]]}}s ([[lunar mansions]]) in [[Indian astronomy]]. It corresponds to the [[open cluster|open star cluster]] called the [[Pleiades]] in Western [[astronomy]]; it is in the constellation [[Taurus (constellation)|Taurus]]. The name {{IAST|Kṛttikā}} literally translates to "the cutters".<ref>Dennis M. Harness. ''The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology.'' Lotus Press (Twin Lakes WI, 1999.) {{ISBN|978-0-914955-83-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Harness |first=Dennis M. |title=The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=16KCUhgCQHMC&pg=PA13|publisher=Motilal Banarasidas|year=2004|isbn=9788120820685 }}</ref>

It is also the name of its [[Hindu deities|goddess]]-personification, who is a daughter of [[Daksha]]<ref>Edward Moor. ''The Hindu Pantheon''. 1864.</ref> and [[Panchajani]], and thus a half-sister to [[Khyati]]. Spouse of Kṛttikā is [[Chandra]] ("moon").

Alternative accounts suggest that Kritika was the name of six celestial women. The '''six Krittikas''' who raised the Hindu God [[Kartikeya]] are Śiva, Sambhūti, Prīti, Sannati, Anasūya and Kṣamā.<ref>The Sacred Books of the Hindus, Vol 21, Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vidyaranya, p29, The Panini Office (Bhuvaneswari Asrama), 1918.</ref>

In [[Hindu astrology]] ({{IAST|[[Jyotiṣa]]}}), {{IAST|Kṛttikā}} is ruled by the Sun. Under the traditional Hindu principle of naming individuals according to their Ascendant/Lagna {{IAST|nakṣatra}}, the following [[Sanskrit]] syllables correspond with this {{IAST|nakṣatra}}, and would belong at the beginning of the first name of an individual born under it: A (अ), I (ई), U (उ) and E (ए).{{cn|date=December 2025}}

== Cultural and mythological significance ==
In Vedic literature and Hindu mythology, the Krittika are known as the six mothers or nursemaids of the war god [[Kartikeya]] (also known as Skanda or Murugan), who was nurtured by them after being born from the sparks of Lord Shiva’s third eye. The Krittika are identified with the Pleiades star cluster, and their names are often listed as Śiva, Sambhūti, Prīti, Sannati, Anasūya, and Kṣamā in various texts. They are revered as embodiments of maternal care and protective fierceness. In the [[Rigveda]] and later scriptures, the Krittika are associated with fire rituals ([[Agnihotra]]) and purification rites, symbolizing the transformative power of heat and flame. The lunar mansion of Krittika was also significant in Vedic astronomy as the original starting point of the zodiac in some ancient systems.<ref>Macdonell, Arthur A. (1897). ''Vedic Mythology''. Grundriss der Indo-Arischen Philologie und Altertumskunde. ISBN 978-8120800720.</ref><ref>Hopkins, Edward Washburn (1915). ''Epic Mythology''. Strassburg: K.J. Trübner. ISBN 978-8120810422.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Nakshatras]]
*[[Pleione (mythology)|Pleione]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |title=Kṛttika (कृत्तिका) |url=https://ase.exopla.net/index.php/Krittika |website=All Skies Encyclopaedia |publisher=[[IAU Working Group on Star Names]] |access-date=18 December 2025}}

{{Jyotish Vidya}}
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[[Category:Taurus (constellation)]]
[[Category:Nakshatra]]
[[Category:Daughters of Daksha]]
[[Category:Pleiades]]

Krittika - Revision history

JoanneMoffit at 02:12, 6 February 2026