Nakshatra 3 of 27
Karthigai (Krittika)
bright, determined and outspoken, the star of fire and of clear sight
The star in short
- Where it sits
- 26°40′ Mesham to 10°00′ Rishabam
- Lord
- Suriyan (Sun) · a 6-year mahadasha
- Gana
- Rakshasa (fierce, assertive)
- Yoni
- the female Sheep
- Rajju
- Nabhi (navel) — third of the five, read for children
- Nadi
- Antya (kapha)
- Known for
- sharpness
- Shared star
- shareable, better when the padas differ
- Vedha
- Visakam — the stars held to obstruct this one
Its four padas
Each pada is 3°20′. Nine padas fill a rasi, so a star either sits in one sign or straddles two.
| Pada | Rasi | Degrees | Syllables | Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesham | 26°40′ to 30°00′ | A அ | 16 names |
| 2 | Rishabam | 0°00′ to 3°20′ | E ஈ | 16 names |
| 3 | Rishabam | 3°20′ to 6°40′ | U உ | 16 names |
| 4 | Rishabam | 6°40′ to 10°00′ | Ea ஏ | 10 names · few settled names |
A child is named from the syllable of the pada the Moon stood in at birth. The whole table, with the names and their meanings, is on the baby names page.
Which stars match Karthigai in Mesham
Computed, not tabulated: the ten Tamil poruthams and the 36 guna run for all 27 stars against Karthigai in Mesham, with this star taken as the groom's side.
Of 36 star-and-rasi combinations, 13 match well, 8 are borderline, 3 are poor and 12 fail Rajju or Vedha outright.
| Best matches | Rasi | 10 porutham | 36 guna |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettai Jyeshtha | Viruchigam | 8 of 10 | 23.5 of 36 |
| Ayilyam Ashlesha | Kadagam | 8 of 10 | 21.5 of 36 |
| Pooram Purva Phalguni | Simmam | 7.5 of 10 | 18 of 36 |
| Magam Magha | Simmam | 7.5 of 10 | 14.5 of 36 |
| Chithirai Chitra | Thulam | 6.5 of 10 | 28.5 of 36 |
| Swathi Swati | Thulam | 6.5 of 10 | 17.5 of 36 |
| Worst matches | Rasi | 10 porutham | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uthiradam Uttara Ashadha | Magaram | 3.5 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Poorattathi Purva Bhadrapada | Kumbam | 3.5 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Poorattathi Purva Bhadrapada | Meenam | 4 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Uthiram Uttara Phalguni | Kanni | 4 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Karthigai Krittika | Rishabam | 4 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Uthiradam Uttara Ashadha | Dhanusu | 5 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
The ten checks are not symmetric — Dina counts from the bride's star to the groom's, and the Tamil vasya table is read from the bride's rasi — so the list from the other side is a different list, and a real pair is checked both ways with both birth times.
Which stars match Karthigai in Rishabam
Computed, not tabulated: the ten Tamil poruthams and the 36 guna run for all 27 stars against Karthigai in Rishabam, with this star taken as the groom's side.
Of 36 star-and-rasi combinations, 15 match well, 5 are borderline, 4 are poor and 12 fail Rajju or Vedha outright.
| Best matches | Rasi | 10 porutham | 36 guna |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettai Jyeshtha | Viruchigam | 8 of 10 | 28.5 of 36 |
| Chithirai Chitra | Kanni | 8 of 10 | 23.5 of 36 |
| Hastham Hasta | Kanni | 8 of 10 | 22 of 36 |
| Ayilyam Ashlesha | Kadagam | 7.5 of 10 | 18 of 36 |
| Mirugasirisham Mrigashira | Rishabam | 7 of 10 | 27.5 of 36 |
| Avittam Dhanishta | Magaram | 7 of 10 | 23.5 of 36 |
| Worst matches | Rasi | 10 porutham | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poorattathi Purva Bhadrapada | Meenam | 3.5 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Uthiradam Uttara Ashadha | Dhanusu | 4 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Karthigai Krittika | Mesham | 4 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Poorattathi Purva Bhadrapada | Kumbam | 4 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Uthiradam Uttara Ashadha | Magaram | 5 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
| Punarpoosam Punarvasu | Mithunam | 5 of 10 | Rejected: Rajju fails |
The ten checks are not symmetric — Dina counts from the bride's star to the groom's, and the Tamil vasya table is read from the bride's rasi — so the list from the other side is a different list, and a real pair is checked both ways with both birth times.
Its dasha, and the parihaaram for its lord
Everything here belongs to Suriyan, the star's ruling graha, and is the same table the remedy pages read.
- Dasha
- A child born under Karthigai begins life in a Suriyan mahadasha of 6 years, the part of it still to run decided by how far the Moon had gone through the star. Work out the periods.
- Day
- Sunday
- Colour
- Red and copper
- Gem
- Ruby (Manikkam) — the wearing rules
- Mantra
- Aditya Hridayam; Surya gayatri (Om Bhaskaraya Vidmahe Mahadyutikaraya Dhimahi Tanno Adityah Prachodayat) — the texts
- Fasting
- Sunday (Ravivara vratam), taking food once after sunset
Where it is worshipped
- Suryanar Koil Aduthurai, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu · the Navagraha sthalam for Suriyan
- Arunachaleswarar Temple Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
- Thiruvathigai Veerattaneswarar Temple Panruti, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu
- Brihadeeswarar Temple (Peruvudaiyar Koil) Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
- Gangaikonda Cholapuram Brihadeeswarar Temple Jayankondam, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu
- Vedagiriswarar Temple, Thirukazhukundram Thirukazhukundram, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu
21 temples in the gazetteer are kept for Suriyan; the ones near you are on the temples page. Parihaaram is traditional practice, offered for devotion and peace of mind; it is not a guaranteed cure of any condition. Temple hours change with festivals and the season, so check before travelling.
The name
The same star in every script this app carries.
- English Karthigai
- தமிழ் கார்த்திகை
- తెలుగు కృత్తిక
- ಕನ್ನಡ ಕೃತ್ತಿಕಾ
- മലയാളം കാർത്തിക
- हिन्दी कृत्तिका
- বাংলা কৃত্তিকা
- ગુજરાતી કૃત્તિકા
- ଓଡ଼ିଆ କୃତ୍ତିକା
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਤਿਕਾ
- සිංහල කැති
Also written Krittika. The glossary's entry for Karthigai lists the other spellings a family may have been given.