नक्षत्र (Nakshatra) - Lunar Mansion

Etymology and Sanskrit Roots

Nakshatra literally means a star in Sanskrit. A star is a point of cosmic light.

• “naksha” (नक्ष) meaning “to get closer”
• “tra” (त्र) meaning “to preserve”

Another interpretation links it to “na” (not) + “kṣatra” (injured, harmed), suggesting “that which cannot be injured,” symbolizing the eternal and unchanging nature of the stars.

So nakshatra also means one that never decays: their cosmic remit is to be the guardians of the soul during its journey through many human lifetimes and bring divine knowledge down to earth.

they are a group of fixed stars that are not part of the zodiac belt. they are the guardians of the soul and watch it progress through many lifetimes.

Myth of Nakshatra

They are the twenty eight wives of Soma, the Moon God. The favourite wife is Rohini. The others wives are jealous of this and complained to their father, Daksha Prajapati. Daksha cursed the Moon. This caused the Moon to die into the ocean. The wives asked the curse (shrap) to be removed. Prajapati could only modify the curse and the curse once given cannot be taken back. The modification of the curse meant the Moon has to die every month and be reborn again - his waxing and waning.

The Nakshatras