Rohiṇī is the Moon’s own nakṣatra — not merely in the sense of rulership, but in deep mythological fact. The Vedic literature tells of Soma (the Moon) who had twenty-seven wives (the nakṣatras), but whose love for Rohiṇī was so exclusive that he neglected the others. The star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), bright and red in the Pleiades cluster, is identified with Rohiṇī — a star of remarkable beauty and fertility. Occupying 10°00’ to 23°20’ of Vṛṣabha, Rohiṇī is a nakṣatra of growth, sensory delight, material prosperity, and exceptional creative power.
Presided over by Prajāpati — the cosmic creator, the lord of progeny — Rohiṇī is the nakṣatra of manifestation in the physical world. Everything that flourishes in matter — crops, children, art, commerce, beauty — comes under its domain. Parāśara describes those born under Rohiṇī as exceptionally attractive, skilled in the arts, fond of luxury and refinement, truthful (a characteristic emphasized repeatedly in the classical texts), and gifted with persuasive speech. The Moon here is exalted (the exaltation point is 3° Taurus/Vṛṣabha, which falls in Rohiṇī’s territory) — making this the nakṣatra where lunar energy reaches its greatest expression.
The Rohiṇī personality is fundamentally Taurean in quality: patient, sensory-oriented, attached to beauty and comfort, and extraordinarily persistent. What distinguishes Rohiṇī from simple Taurus energy is the Moon’s exaltation quality — a heightened sensitivity, an artistic receptivity, and often a magnetic quality that draws others irresistibly. The dark side of this beauty is possessiveness: Rohiṇī natives can become deeply attached to people, places, and things, and the classical texts warn of a capacity for jealousy and a tendency to compare themselves with others in matters of status and beauty.
Professionally, Rohiṇī is associated with all arts involving beauty and creation: painting, music, dance, cooking, fashion, architecture, agriculture, and any trade involving commodities, luxury goods, or land. The ox cart symbol speaks to commerce and the movement of goods; the temple symbol speaks to devotion and sacred aesthetics. Rohiṇī natives often succeed in business precisely because they understand desire — they know what people want, because they feel it themselves so acutely. Varāhamihira notes that those born under Rohiṇī are “truthful, pure, stable in mind and body, and comfortable in their circumstances.”
The four pādas of Rohiṇī span Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer navāṁśas. The Aries navāṁśa pāda (first) gives additional drive and pioneering quality to the usually steady Rohiṇī. The Cancer pāda (fourth) deepens emotional sensitivity and nurturing capacity considerably. Rohiṇī is classified as a sthira (fixed) nakṣatra, auspicious for establishing permanent foundations: planting trees, building homes, initiating long-term investments, performing coronations, and all activities meant to endure. The association with the full Moon, with the beloved, and with creative abundance makes Rohiṇī one of the most celebrated nakṣatras in the entire classical tradition.