Rashi 3 of 12
Mithunaమిథునం
Gemini
A dual air sign spanning Ardra — the storm, and the clearing after it.
- Ruling planet
- Mercury
- Element
- Vayu (air)
- Modality
- Dvisvabhava — dual
- Symbol
- A couple, shown with lute and mace
- Sidereal span
- 60° – 90°
- Sun crosses it
- mid-June to mid-July
About Mithuna
Mithuna runs 60° to 90° and is the first of the dual signs, which sit at the junctions of the seasons and are described as partaking of both. Ruled by Mercury, it contains Ardra entire — the nakshatra of Rudra and the storm, whose symbol is a teardrop — and the greater part of Punarvasu, whose name means 'good again'. That sequence, storm followed by restoration, sits inside this one rashi.
Nakshatras in this rashi
Mrigashira padas 3-4, Ardra, Punarvasu padas 1-3
Where it appears in the panchangam
The sun's entry into Mithuna coincides with the monsoon reaching most of the subcontinent, and Ardra Pravesham — his entry into the Ardra nakshatra within it — is watched as the traditional marker of the rains arriving.
Janma rashi
Your janma rashi is the rashi the moon occupied at the moment you were born — not the sun, which is what a western star sign uses. This is why the two frequently disagree, and why someone told they are a Leo in a newspaper may be a Karka by Indian reckoning. The janma rashi is what a family uses for naming, for annual rituals, and for matching in the traditional systems.