Krittika

 ( Taurus ) 

The star cluster Sanskrit: कृत्तिका, pronounced , popularly transliterated Krittika), sometimes known as Kārtikā, corresponds to the open cluster called Pleiades in western astronomy; it is one of the clusters which makes up the constellation Taurus. In Indian astronomy and (Hindu astrology) the name literally translates to "the cutters".Dennis M. Harness. The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology. Lotus Press (Twin Lakes WI, 1999.)

It is also the name of its Hindu deities-personification, who is a daughter of DakshaEdward Moor. The Hindu Pantheon. 1864. 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.The Sacred Books of the Hindus, Vol 21, Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vidyaranya, p29, The Panini Office (Bhuvaneswari Asrama), 1918.

In Hindu astrology, is the third of the 27 s. It is ruled by Sun. Under the traditional Hindu principle of naming individuals according to their Ascendant/Lagna , the following Sanskrit syllables correspond with this , 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).

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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.Macdonell, Arthur A. (1897). Vedic Mythology. Grundriss der Indo-Arischen Philologie und Altertumskunde. ISBN 978-8120800720.Hopkins, Edward Washburn (1915). Epic Mythology. Strassburg: K.J. Trübner. ISBN 978-8120810422.

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See also

• List of Nakshatras
• Pleione

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