Ekanaksatra vivāha

By Swami Harshananda

Ekanaksatra vivāha literally means ‘marriage where the nakṣatra or asterism is the same’.

Significance of Marriage

Devouts consider marriage as a sanskāra or a sacrament. Hence it is more of a religious act than just a social contract. A factor to be considered before fixing a marriage between a boy and a girl is whether the horoscopes of the two are in consonance with each other.

Auspicious Nakṣatras

One of the most important considerations is the nakṣatra of birth of the two. Generally, the nakṣatras should be different. If they are the same, then they should be of the auspicious type. For instance, the nakṣatras:

1. Rohiṇī
2. Ārdrā
3. Makha
4. Viśākha
5. Puṣya
6. Śrāvaṇa
7. Revati
8. Uttarābhādrā

Inauspicious Nakṣatras

The inauspicious nakṣatras are:

1. Purvābhādra
2. Dhaniṣṭhā
3. Punarvasu
4. Kṛttikā
5. Mṛgaśira
6. Citta
7. Hasta
8. Uttara-phalgunī
9. Jyeṣṭhā
10. Purvā-ṣāḍhā
11. Uttarāṣāḍhā

Rules For Nakṣatras

Even when marriage is performed between persons having a permitted ekanakṣatra, the pādas (quarters) should be different. Violation of these rules may result in evil consequences including the death of one of the spouses.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore