Mars in Mrigashira Nakshatra (Mangal in मृगशिरा)

Mrigashira, the 5th of the 27 nakshatras, covers 53°20′ – 66°40′ of the sidereal zodiac, across the boundary between Taurus and Gemini. Mrigashira is ruled by Mars itself — one of the three nakshatras Mars rules, with Chitra and Dhanishta — so Mars in Mrigashira stands in its own star, and there is no second graha’s view to read at the level of the nakshatra.

Mars in Mrigashira, Pada by Pada

By rashi, Mars in Mrigashira is in a neutral sign in padas 1 and 2 (Taurus) and in an enemy's sign in padas 3 and 4 (Gemini), because Mrigashira crosses from Taurus into Gemini. By navamsa the four padas fall in Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio. Mars’s strongest navamsa in Mrigashira is pada 4 (Scorpio, in its own sign), and its weakest is pada 2 (Virgo, in an enemy's sign).

Neither Mars’s deepest exaltation (Capricorn) nor its deepest debilitation (Cancer) degree falls inside Mrigashira, and Mars’s moolatrikona lies outside it as well, so in Mrigashira the rashi and navamsa verdicts above are the whole of Mars’s dignity.

When Mars Is in Mrigashira, 2026–2028

• 24 July 2026: Mars enters Mrigashira, and leaves on 12 August 2026 — 19 days.
• 2 July 2028: Mars enters Mrigashira, and leaves on 22 July 2028 — 20 days.

Those are the two spells Mars spends in Mrigashira between 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2029, 39 days in all. Over the same span Mars stands in every one of the 27 nakshatras. The dates are days only; for Mars in Mrigashira a minute would be more precise than the ayanamsa behind it.

Inside Mrigashira: what the tables locate there for Mars

Of the 49 complete spells Mars has in the table, in any nakshatra, the shortest is 16 days and the longest 47; the Mrigashira spells, at 19 and 20 days, sit inside that range.

Mrigashira as the Setting for Mars

In the nakshatra tables Mrigashira’s deity is listed as Soma and its symbol as deer's head; its gana is Deva, and the muhurta texts put it in the Mridu class (tender). Those belong to Mrigashira whichever graha is in it, and they are read on the Mrigashira page. What changes with Mars is everything above: the dignities in Taurus and Gemini, its own lordship of Mrigashira, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Mars in Mrigashira; the house it occupies and the dasha running decide what the placement does in a chart.

Related Placements

The sign-level reading is on Mars in Taurus and Mars in Gemini; Mars in all 27 nakshatras is on the Mars nakshatra table. For the nakshatras themselves, see the 27 nakshatras guide and our Mrigashira article.

The Other Grahas in Mrigashira