Ashvini
1st lunar mansion of Hindu astrology
Ashvini (अश्विनी, IAST: aśvinī) is the first nakshatra (lunar mansion) in Indian astronomy, having a spread from 0°-0'-0" to 13°-20'. It corresponds to the head of Aries, including the stars β and γ Arietis, and possibly also α Arietis in the oldest versions of the asterism. Ashvini literally means "twin horse-man"; it is depicted as a horse's head and represents twin physician gods, the Ashvins. The name aśvinī is used by Varāhamihira (6th century). The older name of the asterism, found in the Atharvaveda (AVS 19.7; in the dual) and in Pāṇini (4.3.36), was aśvayúja, "harnessing horses". This nakshatra belongs to Mesha Rasi.
01Astrology
Ashvini is ruled by Ketu, the descending lunar node. In electional astrology, Ashvini is classified as a small constellation, meaning that it is believed to be advantageous to begin works of a precise or delicate nature while the moon is in Ashvini. Ashvini is ruled by the Ashvinas, the heavenly twin brother gods who served as physicians to the gods and goddesses. Ashvini is represented by the bee hive.
Traditional Indian names are determined by which pada (quarter) of a nakshatra the Ascendant was in at the time of birth. In the case of Ashvini, the given name would begin with the following syllables: Chu, Che, Cho, La.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Ashvini”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Aries constellation map.svg by Aries constellation map.png: Torsten Bronger derivative work: Kxx, CC BY-SA 3.0
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