Which planet rules Krittika nakshatra?

Sun is the Vimshottari dasha lord of Krittika. This is distinct from the lord of the sign it falls in — a nakshatra can span two signs, and its dasha lord is fixed by its position in the 27-nakshatra cycle, not by the sign.

What is a nakshatra pada?

Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′. The pada determines which sign the Moon occupies in the Navamsa (D9) chart, which is why it matters for marriage readings and for naming. Krittika's four padas cover 26°40′ Aries–10°00′ Taurus.

Krittika Nakshatra

कृत्तिका

What is Krittika nakshatra?

Krittika (कृत्तिका) is the 3rd of the 27 nakshatras, spanning 26°40′ Aries–10°00′ Taurus. Its Vimshottari lord is Sun, its presiding deity is Agni, and its symbol is a razor or a flame. A Moon in Krittika at birth means the Vimshottari dasha sequence begins with Sun.

The character of Krittika

Krittika is the cutting nakshatra — fire that separates what is useful from what is not. Its classical character is sharpness, honesty that does not soften itself, and a capacity to burn through.

Associated with criticism, cooking and fire-related work, surgery, and any discipline that requires cutting away.

Like every nakshatra, Krittika spans exactly 13°20′ and divides into four padas of 3°20′. The pada the Moon occupies refines the reading considerably — it determines the Navamsa sign, which is why a birth time accurate to within a few hours matters for anything built on the pada rather than on the nakshatra alone.

Naming syllables of Krittika

Each of Krittika's four padas carries its own naming syllable: pada 1 (Aries) — अ (A); pada 2 (Taurus) — ई (Ee); pada 3 (Taurus) — उ (U); pada 4 (Taurus) — ए (E).

In the naming tradition a child born with the Moon in Krittika is given a name beginning with the syllable of the Moon's pada, so knowing the nakshatra narrows the choice to A, Ee, U, E and the pada, which changes every 3°20′, picks one. The syllables are from Drik Panchang's nakshatra-pada swar table, spelled as in our Baby Name report.

How this nakshatra is used in a reading

The Moon's nakshatra is the single most consequential placement in a Vedic chart, because it fixes the Vimshottari dasha sequence for the whole of life. A Moon in Krittika means the Sun mahadasha is the one running at birth, with however much of its 6 years remained at that moment, and every subsequent period follows in fixed order from there.

Nakshatras are also used for compatibility — the gana (Rakshasa), yoni (Sheep (female)) and nadi (Antya) listed above are three of the eight kootas in Ashtakoot guna milan. Nadi carries the highest weight of the eight at 8 points, which is why nadi dosha is checked so carefully in matching.

Common questions

Which planet rules Krittika nakshatra?: Sun is the Vimshottari dasha lord of Krittika. This is distinct from the lord of the sign it falls in — a nakshatra can span two signs, and its dasha lord is fixed by its position in the 27-nakshatra cycle, not by the sign.
What is a nakshatra pada?: Each nakshatra divides into four padas of 3°20′. The pada determines which sign the Moon occupies in the Navamsa (D9) chart, which is why it matters for marriage readings and for naming. Krittika's four padas cover 26°40′ Aries–10°00′ Taurus.