Zoroastrian link to Bharani Nakshatra
Bharani is one of the twenty-seven Nakshatras, the equal division segments of the sky. Secondly, Hindu astronomers used the arc portion of Nakshatras along the ecliptic to track planetary movements. Thirdly, every Nakshatra arc has a fixed anchor point. These points are prominent stars. Astronomers used these to monitor the relative location of a planet within a Nakshatra arc. The anchor star of Bharani is Arietis 41. Its name in Avestan is “Upa-Paoiri”. Surprisingly, the Vedic people called Bharani “Apa Bharani.” The strange coincidence does not stop here. Let us understand the Zoroastrian link to the Bharani Nakshatra and its ruler Yama. Upa-Paoiri is associated with a Yazata. The Avestan word Yazata has several meanings. Indeed, one of them refers to a departed spirit. Coincidentally, the ruler of Apa Bharani Nakshatra is Yama. Secondly, Yama is the ruler of ancestral beings. Certainly, Nakshatras have a religious meaning in the Vedic tradition. However, they were equally crucial to Vedic astronomy for over