Bhadra literally means auspicious or beautiful. The word Bhadra has been used in Hindu astronomy to name certain grouping of the stars. Since the Vedic times, the ecliptic path of the moon has been divided into 27 mansions, called nakshatras. There are two bhadras – Purva Bhadrapada, and Uttara Bhadrapada.
Purva means former, and pada means foot, so Purva Bhadrapada means ‘the former auspicious foot.’ It is the 25th part of the zodiac. It consists of two stars, the Alfa and Bega Pegasi, shaped like a couch. The presiding deity of this asterism is Ajaikapat, which is a form of Shiva. This asterism represents sudden anger.
The Uttara Bhadrapada, literally meaning ‘left beautiful
foot’ is the 26th division of the zodiac. It also consists of two stars
resembling a couch or a twin or a person with double face. The northern star is
gamma-Pegasi, and the other lies in the head of the Andromedae. The presiding deity
of this asterism is Ahir-Budhnya, which means the bottom snake or the serpent
of the island, a mythical deity. Symbolically, the Uttara Bhadrapada represents
the power to control anger, renunciation by leaving the power to control anger,
renunciation by leaving worldly things behind, and progress towards the
spiritual plane.
Bhadra or Bhadrapada is also the name of a month in Hindu
calendar, which is derived from the full moon occurring at or near the Purva
Bhadrapada.