The Ascendant in Mrigashira Nakshatra

A lagna in Mrigashira, the 5th nakshatra, means one of two ascendants: Taurus if the rising degree is in padas 1 and 2 or Gemini if the rising degree is in padas 3 and 4. The pada therefore decides the lagna lord, Venus for Taurus or Mercury for Gemini, before anything else in the chart is read. Mrigashira itself is ruled by Mars. Venus and Mars count each other neutral. Mercury counts Mars neutral, while Mars counts Mercury an enemy.

By sign, Mars, Mrigashira’s lord, is in a neutral sign in Taurus and in an enemy's sign in Gemini, the two signs a lagna here can be. In the navamsa each pada sets, that pada’s lagna lord is in an enemy's sign in pada 1 (Leo), debilitated in pada 2 (Virgo), in a friend's sign in pada 3 (Libra) and in a neutral sign in pada 4 (Scorpio).

How Long Mrigashira Takes to Rise

The ascendant crosses Mrigashira’s 13°20′ in 56 minutes at Delhi, 57 minutes at Kolkata, 57 minutes at Mumbai and 57 minutes at Chennai. At Delhi that makes Mrigashira the 13th-fastest of the 27. The difference between the four cities is under a minute, the 2nd-smallest of any nakshatra, and Mrigashira’s arc lies 6° from the June solstice point, which is what that figure tracks (the comparison table shows how). These are durations, not clock times. When Mrigashira actually rises depends on the date and the longitude, and a birth time a few minutes out moves the ascendant through a pada.

Minutes of rising time per pada. The navamsa column is the D-9 ascendant each pada gives: Leo (ruled by Sun) for pada 1, Virgo (ruled by Mercury) for pada 2, Libra (ruled by Venus) for pada 3 and Scorpio (ruled by Mars) for pada 4.

Related

Mrigashira as a birth (Moon) nakshatra is on the Mrigashira page; the Taurus and Gemini ascendants house by house on Taurus ascendant and Gemini ascendant. The rising times of all 27 are compared on the ascendant-by-nakshatra table. For lagna and Moon sign, see rashi and lagna and the 27 nakshatras guide. In Hindi: मृगशिरा नक्षत्र में लग्न.