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sarabhanga
23 July 2007, 11:38 PM
Lagadha’s Rgvedavedangajyotisa lists the Nakshatra Lords as follows:

agniḥ prajāpatiḥ somo rudro'ditirbṛhaspatiḥ |
sarpāśca pitaraścaiva bhagaścaivāryamāpi ca || 25 ||
savitā tvaṣṭātha vāyuścendrāgnī mitra eva ca |
indro nirṛtirāpo vai viśvedevāstathaiva ca || 26 ||
viṣnurvasavo varuṇo'ja ekapāttathaiva ca |
ahirbudhnyastathā pūṣāśvinau yama eva ca || 27 ||

And the Rgvedavedangajyotisa also includes this peculiar shloka:

jau drā gaḥ kheśve'hīro ṣācinmūṣaṇyaḥ sūmādhāṇaḥ |
re mṛghāḥ svā'pojaḥ kṛṣyoha jyeṣṭhā ityṛkṣā liṅgaiḥ || 14 ||

“This is the RkSAH liÑgaiH (lunar mansions by characteristic signs)”, and it lists the following 27 syllables:

jau drA gaH khe shve ahiH ro SA cit mU Sa NyaH sU mA dhA NaH
re mR ghAH svA ApaH ajaH kR Syo ha jye SThA

Beginning with the ashvinau in ashvayujau nakshatra, we find the first lingam (jau). And then counting forward five mansions, to rudra in ArdrA, we find the next lingam (drA). And by repeating the process all 27 nakshatras are recalled in their natural order.

1. agni ~ kRttikA
2. prajApati ~ rohiNI
3. soma ~ mRgashIrSa
4. rudra ~ ArdrA
5. aditi ~ punarvasU
6. bRhaspati ~ tiSyaH or puSyaH
7. sarpa ~ AshreSA
8. pitR ~ maghAH
9. bhagaH ~ phalgunI
10. aryamA ~ phalgunI
11. savitA ~ hasta
12. tvaSTA ~ citrA
13. vAyu ~ svAtI
14. indrAgni ~ vishAkhe
15. mitra ~ anUrAdhA
16. indra ~ jyeSThA
17. nirRti ~ mUla
18. ApaH ~ ASADhA
19. vishvedeva ~ ASADhA
20. viSNu ~ shravaNaH
21. vasu ~ shraviSThA
22. varuNa ~ shatabhiSaj
23. ajaH-ekapAt ~ proSThapada
24. ahiH-budhniya ~ proSThapada
25. pUSA ~ revatI
26. ashvinau ~ ashvayujau
27. yama ~ bharaNyaH

See: EJVS 6(2) (http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs0602/ejvs0602.txt)