Navagraha

Navagraha refers to the nine deities equivalent to the solar system’s stars, planets, and satellites: the Sun, the Moon, the Mars, the Mercury, the Jupiter, the Venus, the Saturn, the Rahu, and the Ketu. Navagraha is made up of nine known symbols of Hindu astrology. These symbols are comparable to the solar system’s stars, planets, and satellites. For example Suryadeva (Sun), Chandradeva (Moon), Mangaldeva (Mars), Budhadeva (Mercury), Brihaspati Deva (Jupiter), Shukradeva (Venus), and Shanideva (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu.

1. Suryadeva (Sun): Presiding deity among Navagrahas. His vehicle is a chariot drawn by seven horses. His weapons are conch, chakra, mace, and lotus. Some of his names are Suryanarayana, Aditya, Rabi, etc.

2. Chandradeva (Chandra): One of the deities of Navagraha. He ascends into the night sky on his white chariot of seven deer. He exists in the form of the crescent moon in Mahadeva’s jata.

3. Mangaldev (Mars): One of the Navagraha deities. Mars is the son of Bhumi. He is the god of war and is said to be the son of the earth (bhumi). His vehicle is the ram.

4. Budhadeva (Mercury): One of the deities of Navagraha. He is called the son of Chandra and Tara (consort of Jupiter). His four arms and his wife’s name is Ila. Mercury’s vehicle is Lion.

5. Brihaspati Deva (Brihaspati): Brihaspati, Lord of the Gods, son of Sage Angira. He did the penance of Mahadeva. Jupiter has four arms. He used to have a lotus and a rosary. His vehicle is an elephant. His wife is Tara Devi.

6. Shukradeva (Venus): Pure, clear, bright, an ancient sage and deity. Who according to Vedic mythology is the master of Asuras and Daityas. He attained the knowledge of dead Sanjeevani by doing penance of Mahadeva. His vehicle is a white horse.

7. Shanideva (Saturn): One of the deities of Navagraha, and is called Graharaja. According to astrologers, Saturn’s malefic aspect brings inauspicious results. He brings evil for evil and good for good. His wife Dhamini. He is the son of Suryadeva and Chhaya. He is four-armed. He holds a bow, arrow, trident, and mace. His vehicle is a crow or a vulture.

8. Rahu: According to Hindu astrology, it is assigned a place among Navagrahas. The moment called Rahukal (24 minutes) in daylight is considered inauspicious. Its abode is in the underworld. Its vehicle is a blue or black horse.

9. Ketu: In Vedic astrology, it is assigned a place among Navagrahas. Ketu’s abode is Asuraloka and the vehicle is Chil (a kind of bird). [Md. Shahin Alam]

Image: Navagraha, Bihar, India, 10th century CE, Schist – San Diego Museum of Art.

Image Source: wikimedia.org

What is Navagraha?