The Moon in the Nakshatras

Chapter 16 · Part of our series on the Brihat Jataka of Varahamihira

In many Indian families, the first thing anyone wants to know about a newborn is the nakshatra in which the Moon stood at birth. The janma nakṣatra, the birth star, gives the child's name syllable, decides the order of the life's periods in later systems, and is taken as a first sketch of the person's nature. This chapter gives that sketch for each of the twenty-seven nakshatras.

A reminder: what a nakshatra is

As we saw in the first two articles, the zodiac is divided into twelve signs of 30 degrees. It is also divided into twenty-seven nakshatras of 13° 20′ each, beginning with Ashvini at the start of Aries. Each is named after a star or group of stars, and the Moon passes through roughly one each day.

Each nakshatra also has a presiding deity, and the old texts often call a nakshatra simply by the name of its god. This chapter does too: Ardra is "Rudra's", Ashlesha is "the serpents'", Magha is "the ancestors'", and Revati is "Pushan's".

The opening and closing verses

The chapter takes two nakshatras in each verse. It begins (16.1):

प्रियभूषणः सुरूपः सुभगो दक्षोऽश्विनीषु मतिमांश्च । कृतनिश्चयसत्यारुग्दक्षः सुखितश्च भरणीषु ॥

priyabhūṣaṇaḥ surūpaḥ subhago dakṣo 'śvinīṣu matimāṃś ca | kṛtaniścayasatyārug dakṣaḥ sukhitaś ca bharaṇīṣu ||

One born in Ashvini loves ornaments, is good-looking, well-liked, skilful and intelligent. One born in Bharani carries out what they resolve, is truthful, healthy, capable and happy.

And it ends (16.14):

वक्ता सुखी प्रजावान्जितशत्रुर्धार्मिको द्वितीयासु । सम्पूर्णाङ्गः सुभगः शूरः शुचिरर्थवान्पौष्णे ॥

vaktā sukhī prajāvān jitaśatrur dhārmiko dvitīyāsu | sampūrṇāṅgaḥ subhagaḥ śūraḥ śucir arthavān pauṣṇe ||

One born in the second of the two (Uttara Bhadrapada) is a fine speaker, happy, blessed with children, a conqueror of enemies, and righteous. One born in Pushan's nakshatra (Revati) is whole of body, well-liked, brave, pure and wealthy.

The twenty-seven birth stars

Reading the birth stars

Some of these sketches are bright, some are dark, and many are mixed. The patterns are worth noticing.

The deity often colours the nakshatra. Pushya, ruled by Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods, gives learning and devotion to dharma. Ardra, ruled by Rudra, the fierce storm god, gives a harsh nature. Ashlesha, ruled by the serpents, gives cunning. Magha, ruled by the ancestors, gives devotion to gods and forebears. Chitra, ruled by Tvashtri, the divine craftsman, gives beauty and fine adornment.

Most portraits are mixed. Mrigashira is clever but timid. Dhanishtha is generous yet keen on wealth. Punarvasu is good-natured and content, but not quick of mind and often unwell. Real people are like this, and the descriptions do not pretend otherwise.

A first sketch, not a final word

The commentators add an important qualification: these results come to pass fully only when the Moon is strong. A weak Moon gives only a faint version of her nakshatra's qualities.

The nakshatra portraits are also only one layer of the chart. The same person has a rising sign, a Moon sign, planets in houses and yogas, all of which the earlier articles described. The birth star is a first sketch of character, drawn from the Moon alone. A dark trait in a nakshatra can be outweighed by a strong, gentle chart, and a bright one can be dimmed by a harsh one.

Some scholars think this chapter and the next, on the Moon in the signs, may have been added to the book later, since Varahamihira's own count of his chapters does not quite match the text as we have it. Both chapters are part of the standard text, and they are read here as such.

Verses are from Varahamihira's Brihat Jataka, chapter 16. English renderings are our own, made from the Sanskrit and checked against the public-domain translation by N. Chidambaram Aiyar (1885; second edition 1905) and against the word-by-word analysis in Michael D. Neely's edition.