Kṛttikā

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This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

The star cluster Kṛttikā, (Sanskrit: कृत्तिका, pronounced [kɹ̩t̪t̪ikɑː], popularly transliterated "Krittika") sometimes known as Kārtikā, corresponds to the open star cluster Pleiades in Indian astronomy and Jyotiṣa (Indian astrology). The name literally translates to "the cutters".^[1]

In mythology

According to Hindu mythology, the god Murugan was raised by the six sisters known as the Kṛttikā and thus came to be known as Kārtikeya (literally "Him of the Kṛttikā").

According to the Mahābhārata, Murugan was born to Agni and Svāhā, after the latter impersonated six of the seven wives of the Saptarṣi and made love to him. The Saptarshi, hearing of this incident and doubting their wives' chastity, divorced them. These wives then became the Kṛttikā.

In astrology

In Jyotiṣa, the Indian system of astrology, Kṛttikā is the third of the 27 nakṣatras. It is ruled by Kārtikeya.

Under the traditional Hindu principle of naming individuals according to their nakṣatra, the following Sanskrit syllables correspond with this nakṣatra, and would belong at the beginning of the first name of an individual born under it: A (Devanagari:अ), I (Devanagari:ई), U (Devanagari:उ) and E (Devanagari:ए).

References