Krittika Nakshatra (Karthigai): The Star of Fire
Krittika nakshatra, Karthigai in Tamil: Agni and Surya, the razor-sharp flame, the six mothers of Murugan, and the Kanjanagaram temple for the star.
· 4 min read
In short
Krittika, called Karthigai in Tamil, is presided over by Agni with Surya as its ruling planet; its symbol is a razor or flame.
The six Krittika sisters nursed the infant Murugan in the Skanda Purana, which is why the monthly Karthigai star day is kept for Murugan.
The Kathra Sundareswarar temple at Kanjanagaram is traditionally associated with Krittika nakshatra.
On the Edison train one morning, a colleague glanced at my phone and asked why the reminder said "Karthigai" every month. I had kept that star day for years, a habit carried from home, and I realised I had never once explained it to anyone, including myself. Krittika nakshatra, Karthigai in Tamil, is the star of fire, and in our family it has always belonged to Murugan.
Krittika nakshatra: fire, the Sun and a blade
Every birth star has a presiding god and an adhipati, a ruling planet, and Karthigai's pairing is almost too neat: its god is Agni, fire itself, and its planet is Surya, the Sun. It straddles two signs, its first quarter in Mesha, the ram, and the rest in Rishabha, the bull. Its symbol is a razor or a flame: the star that cuts and the star that cooks.
That double image says a lot. Fire destroys, but it also makes food edible and gold pure. Tradition describes Karthigai-born people as sharp, direct, protective of their own, and quick to clean up a mess, sometimes before anyone has asked. My mother would call that a portrait, not a prediction, and she would be right. Nobody is obliged to live up to their star.
It comes third in the sequence, after Ashwini, the star of the divine healers, and Bharani, Yama's star.
Why is Murugan so tied to Karthigai?
The Krittikas raised him. In the Skanda Purana, Murugan is born from six sparks of Shiva's third eye, nursed in the Saravana pool by the six Krittika sisters, the stars of the Pleiades, and gathered by Parvati into one child with six faces: Arumugam, Karthikeya, the son of the Krittikas. The Soorasamharam story begins there and follows him to the battle he was born for.
So the monthly Karthigai day is Murugan's day. Every month, when the Moon passes through this star, households across Tamil Nadu light lamps for him. On our video calls, my father still recites the Kanda Sashti Kavacham on those evenings, the long armour-hymn that asks the Lord to guard each part of the body, head to foot, and keeps returning to the six-syllable name, Saravanabhava. If you want to follow along, the meaning of the Kanda Sashti Kavasam takes it line by line.
I have always liked that Murugan had six mothers before he had one. Nobody raises a child alone, not even a god.
Temple, star day and a small observance
The temple the most widely shared star list gives to Karthigai is the Kathra Sundareswarar temple at Kanjanagaram, near Mayiladuthurai, a Shiva shrine that Karthigai-born people are said to find especially welcoming. Most Karthigai families I know, though, hold the Murugan temples closest: the other hill shrines of the six abodes, and the Palani Murugan temple above all, where the god stands alone with a staff.
The observance itself is small. On the monthly Karthigai day, light a lamp, ideally in the evening, and say Murugan's name. If you can, request an archana at a nearby temple, the priest chanting his names as flowers are offered. And the Karthigai that falls in your birth month is, for many Tamil families, the birthday that counts. My son has two birthdays as a result, and he has not complained once.
When my colleague asked about the reminder, I told her a shorter version of all this. She said it sounded like a monthly check-in with someone who had looked after you. That is closer to the truth than most of my explanations.
One small thing for this week
On the next Karthigai day, light one lamp before breakfast and say Murugan's name six times, once for each of the mothers who fed him. It takes less than a minute. Then think of the people who fed you, in whatever sense, before you could feed yourself. And if the Moon moves on to Rohini, the star that follows, let the lamp burn one more evening.
Questions people ask
Which temple is the Karthigai nakshatra temple?
The widely cited Tamil list of nakshatra temples names the Kathra Sundareswarar temple at Kanjanagaram, near Mayiladuthurai, as the temple traditionally associated with Karthigai, the Tamil name for Krittika. Many Karthigai-born devotees also keep a bond with Murugan temples such as Palani, because the six Krittika sisters are remembered as the foster mothers of Murugan in the Skanda Purana.
Why is the Karthigai star day important for Murugan devotees?
In the Skanda Purana, six sparks from Shiva became six babies in the Saravana pool, and the six Krittika sisters nursed them. Murugan is therefore called Karthikeya, son of the Krittikas. Each month, when the Moon passes through Karthigai, devotees light lamps, fast lightly or visit a Murugan temple. The larger Karthigai Deepam festival grows from the same star.
What are the qualities of Krittika nakshatra people?
Tradition pictures Krittika-born people as sharp, honest to the point of bluntness, protective of those in their care, and strongly driven by standards. The flame symbol suggests both warmth and a capacity to burn. Jyotish offers these as tendencies associated with the star, not fixed traits; the rest of the chart and personal effort matter far more.
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The Sunday column: festivals and rituals meeting ordinary weeks
Manikandan writes the Sunday column, where festivals and rituals meet commutes, hospital corridors and video calls with parents far away. Each piece closes with one small thing to carry into the week ahead.
