Mrigashira is the fifth nakshatra in the Vedic lunar zodiac. It stretches from 23°20′ Taurus to 6°40′ Gemini and is marked by the symbol of a deer’s head. Classical jyotisha names Soma—also called Chandra, the Moon—as its presiding deity, and describes the mansion’s shakti as Prinana Shakti, the power that nourishes and brings a sense of fulfilment to the seeker’s path.
The Mrigashira Nakshatra Mantra most often recited in household and temple practice is the short invocation Om Chandramase Namah. It is a direct salutation to the shining Moon. In the older oral streams a longer Soma verse is also kept; both forms are given below so the devotee can follow the line that their family or acharya prefers.
Those whose Moon, Lagna, or a key graha falls in Mrigashira traditionally keep this mantra in daily japa, especially on Mondays and when the Moon itself transits the nakshatra. You can confirm the birth star and pada with the free nakshatra finder before beginning a fixed count.
The Mantra Text
The compact beej form used across South Indian and North Indian lineages is:
A longer Soma verse, preserved in some temple and shanti paddhatis and often labelled the Mrigashira Gayatri in popular booklets, runs as follows:
In Tamil script the beej is written ஓம் சந்திரமஸே நம:. Pronunciation stays close to the Sanskrit; the final e of Chandramase is a short open vowel, not a long diphthong.
Meaning of the Beej Mantra
Om is the pranava, the seed-sound with which Vedic recitation commonly opens. It steadies the breath and marks the offering as sacred rather than casual speech.
Chandramase is the dative of Chandra: “to the Moon,” “to the shining one.” In the Rigvedic and later Soma literature the Moon is the vessel of amrita, the cooling nectar that steadies mind and emotion. Addressing Chandra in this case is also addressing Soma as lord of Mrigashira.
Namah is the gesture of bowing—reverence without demand. Taken together the phrase is simply “Om, salutations to the Moon.” Esoteric commentarial notes link it to Prinana Shakti: the wish that curiosity remain gentle and that the mind find contentment in what it discovers, rather than endless restlessness.
Classical Basis and Prinana Shakti
Mrigashira appears among the twenty-seven lunar mansions already in the early Vedic sky-lists. Soma hymns of the Rigveda and Yajurveda praise the deity as giver of delight, fertility of mind, and measured joy. Later jyotisha works, including the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra tradition, treat each nakshatra’s devata mantra as a means of honouring that mansion’s ruling force and of steadying grahas placed there.
Prinana Shakti—“the power to give fulfilment”—is the technical name assigned to Mrigashira in the Taittiriya and related shakha material on nakshatra powers. The deer’s head symbol underlines gentle seeking: research, travel of the mind, and the craft of finding the right word or path. Mars is the planetary ruler of the nakshatra; the Moon is its deity. Tradition therefore pairs lunar softness with martial drive, and the mantra is kept as a lunar counterweight when Mars runs hot in the chart or in dasha.
Temple practice in Tamil Nadu and Kerala still includes nakshatra shanti recitations and, where a full fire offering is chosen, a dedicated Mrigasirisha Nakshatra Homa performed on the star day or under an elected muhurta.
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Om Chandramase Namah
The Soma invocation of Mrigashira, fifth lunar mansion
- 5THnakshatra in order
- SOMApresiding deity (Chandra)
- MARSplanetary ruler
- 108beads in the mala
The Mantra Text
- ॐ चन्द्रमसे नमः — the compact beej form
- Tamil script: ஓம் சந்திரமஸே நம:
- Longer Soma verse kept in some paddhatis
- Final e of Chandramase stays short and open
Word by Word
- Om — the pranava, seed-sound of recitation
- Chandramase — dative of Chandra, to the shining one
- Namah — reverence without demand
- Together: salutations to the Moon
Who Keeps It
- Moon, Lagna or key graha in Mrigashira
- During Chandra or Mangala dasha
- When the transit Moon crosses the star
- Writers, researchers, students of mantra
Span: 23°20′ Taurus to 6°40′ Gemini · symbol, a deer's head
A devata-stuti, not a worldly petition
soma · deer · seeking
ASTROBHAVA.COMindividually performed Vedic rituals, telecast live
How Tradition Prescribes the Chant
Householders and sadhakas follow a simple paddhati. The outline below is the common South Indian household form; a guru may adjust count, mala, or sankalpa.
| Aspect | Usual practice |
|---|---|
| Time | Brahma muhurta, or moonrise on a Monday; also when the Moon occupies Mrigashira |
| Direction | Face east or north |
| Asana | Clean wool, silk, or cotton seat |
| Mala | Sphatika, pearl, or rudraksha; 108 beads |
| Count | 108 daily as the base; some keep 1,008 on the star day |
| Duration | A fixed vrata of 21, 40, or 108 consecutive days is traditional |
| Sankalpa | Name, gotra if known, and a clear, modest intention spoken once at the start |
| Close | Om Shanti Shanti Shanti and a brief thanks to Soma |
Voice stays even and unforced. A short alternate-nostril pranayama before japa is often added. Light sattvic food on the chanting days, and a small offering of water or milk left under moonlight, are customary supports rather than strict rules. For posture, breath, and mala handling in more detail, see the house guide on how to chant a mantra correctly.
Who Keeps This Mantra, and When
Classical advice points first to the native whose Janma Nakshatra is Mrigashira, or whose Lagna or a functionally important graha sits in the mansion. It is also taken up during Chandra or Mangala dasha and antardasha periods, and whenever the transit Moon moves through Mrigashira. Students of mantra, writers, researchers, and those whose work involves careful seeking often keep it as a standing practice even when the star is not the birth star.
The mantra is not a medical, legal, or financial remedy; it is a devata-stuti. Where the chart shows heavy affliction to the Moon or to Mrigashira, elders may recommend pairing japa with a nakshatra shanti or with the wider set of nakshatra homas performed by priests. A full birth chart from the free kundli tool helps place the star and the relevant dashas before any longer vrata is begun.
Amavasya and Rahu Kalam are generally avoided for a fresh sankalpa unless an acharya directs otherwise. Women in the household tradition often pause the count during the first three days of the monthly cycle and resume afterward without breaking the spirit of the vrata.
Japa and the Nakshatra Homa
Daily japa is the householder’s form. When a family wants the full Vedic fire support—especially for a child born in Mrigashira, for a name-giving, or for a shanti after a difficult Mars or Moon period—the priests perform the Mrigasirisha Nakshatra Homa with the same Soma invocation, offerings of samidha, ghee, and the nakshatra’s prescribed dravyas, and the sankalpa spoken in the devotee’s name. At AstroBhava the rite is conducted at the Yagna Ashram near Coimbatore and at the house’s associated temples, and telecast live so the family can sit with the fire from wherever they are.
Japa and homa are complementary, not substitutes. Many keep the 108-count at home on ordinary days and reserve the homa for the star day, a birthday, or the start of a new dasha. Guidance on which form fits a given chart is available through the house’s ritual desk and the free Ask Nirnaya prompt when the choice is unclear.
Questions devotees ask
Chidambaram Velayudham writes on the Nadi tradition and on the wider reading practices of the South, and fills in across the desk's other sections.