Navagraha

Graha (from Sanskrit ग्रह gráha -- seizing, laying hold of, holding) is a 'cosmic influencer' on the living beings of mother Bhumidevi (earth). In Hindu Astrology, the Navagraha (Sanskrit: नवग्रह, nine planets or nine realms) are some of these major influencers.

"The Sanskrit word captures the idea that these nine grahas are living energies which put out waves of energy. These waves of energy affect our awareness. ... this indicates ... the active power of these celestial energies to seize our consciousness when we come under their influence or to take hold of what we focus on."

Accordingly to some, Grahas are the "markers of influence", that point out the karmic influence on the behavior of living beings. They themselves are not causative elements but can be compared to traffic signs.

Unfortunately, the term Graha was linked to the term "planet" of our solar system, as five members of Navagraha (the nine grahas) happen to be planets; but the Surya (sun), Chandra (moon), Rahu (north or ascending lunar node) and Ketu (south or descending lunar node) are not "planets" according to modern astronomy. This misconception is sometimes used as arguments against the validity of astrology. However, a fact common to all the navagraha is that they have relative movement with respect to the background of fixed stars in the zodiac.

"Graha" is sometimes also translated as "celestial body", but Rahu and Ketu are not celestial bodies either, but are only positions in the lunar path. A third translation is celestial god or demi-god, but again, Rahu and Ketu are demonic Asuras , not benign deities like Devas. Thus the term 'graha' in this contexts applies to the nine (9) planetary or cosmic deities, spirits, spiritual beings-entities, etc. The term however mostly refers to any spirit(ual) force in general.

Indeed, according to the astrological treatise Prasna Marga there are many other spiritual entities called grahas or spirits. All (excepting the navgrahas) are said to have been born of the anger of Lord Shiva or Rudra. Most grahas are generally malefic in nature but there are a few that may be good. . The book called The Puranic Encyclopedia, under the heading 'Graha Pinda', gives a list of such grahas (spirits or spiritual entities, etc), that are said to afflict children, etc. Also in the same book in various places the names of spirits (grahas) are given, like 'Skhanda graha' that is said to cause miscarriage(s),

Connections to energies/mantras

Reports of psychics / energy readers affirm that Grahas are causing direct energy influence upon the auras (energy bodies) and minds of beings connected to the Earth (like humans, animals, plants etc.) Each Graha carries a specific energy quality, which is described in an allegorical form through its mythological and astrological references. "... cosmic energy we always receive contains different energies coming from different celestial bodies..." The energies of the Grahas are getting connected in a specific way to the individual auras of humans at the time they take their first breath in a given nativity. These energy connections remain with the natives of Earth as long as their current body lives. "... The nine planets are transmitters of universal, archetypal energy. The qualities of each planet help to maintain the overall balance of polarities in both the macrocosmic and the microcosmic universe - as above, so below..." Earth (as an independent energy entity) and its rotation around its axis is an important mediator and deciding factor of how these influences are carried out upon the beings, who are the children of Earth. See more in the Jyotisha Bhavas (also as a section under Hindu Astrology) . Humans are also capable to tune themselves to the chosen energy of a specific Graha through Samyama with that Graha or its presiding deity. The effects of worship of specific deities are manifested accordingly to the layout of their relative energies in a given nativity of a worshipper in question. "... When we repeatedly utter a Mantra we are tuning to a particular frequency and this frequency establishes a contact with the cosmic energy and drags it into our body and surroundings..."

The idea of planets, stars and other celestial bodies being the living energy entities influencing the other beings of the Universe has cross-references in many ancient cultures and had become the background of numerous modern fiction works (like Solaris by Stanisław Lem, see also the movie with the same title).

Worship

Main article: Navagraha temples

The Navagraha are personified as celestial beings and worshipped as deities.

The worship of Sun (the king of the Grahas) as a personified being is common for most of ancient religions and spiritual traditions, Hinduism being a bright example of it. Many of classical Jyotisha scriptures (like Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, Kalyana Varma's Saravali etc. etc.) start with an invocation of Sun-God (Surya). Other Grahas are commonly considered to be the living members of Surya's court and are being addressed personally in order to gain help in their respective areas of influence.

In several parts of India, there are clusters of Navagraha temples. One such cluster is near the town of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu; another temple is in Guwahati, Assam.

Surya

Main article: Surya

Surya (Devanagari: सूर्य, sūrya) is the chief solar deity SUN, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wife Aditi, of Indra, or of Dyaus Pitar (depending by the versions). He has hair and arms of gold. His chariot is pulled by seven horses, which represent the seven chakras. He presides as "Ravi" over "Ravi-war" or Sunday.

In Hindu religious literature, Surya is notably mentioned as the visible form of God that one can see every day. Furthermore, Shaivites and Vaishnavas often regard Surya as an aspect of Shiva and Vishnu, respectively. For example, the sun is called Surya Narayana by Vaishnavas. In Shaivite theology, Surya is said to be one of eight forms of Shiva, named the Astamurti.

He is said to be of Sattva Guna and represents the Soul,the King, highly placed persons or Father.

Chandra

Main article: Chandra

Chandra (Devanagari: चंद्र ) is a lunar deity. Chandra (moon) is also known as Soma and identified with the Vedic Lunar deity Soma. He is described as young, beautiful, fair; two-armed and having in his hands a club and a lotus. He rides his chariot (the moon) across the sky every night, pulled by ten white horses or an antelope. He is connected with dew, and as such, is one of the gods of fertility. He is also called Nishadipati (Nisha=night; Adipathi=Lord) and Kshuparaka (one who illuminates the night). He as Soma, presides over Somvarm or Monday. He is of Sattva Guna and represents the Mind, the Queen or Mother.

He is married to daughters of Daksha Prajapathi. He has therefore 27 wives, representing twenty seven Nakshatras (constellations). Budha (the planet Mercury) was born to Soma and Taraka.

Mangala

Main article: Mangala

Mangala (Devanagari: मंगल) is the god of Mars, the red planet. Mars is also called Angaraka ('one who is red in colour') or Bhauma ('son of Bhumi') in Sanskrit. He is the god of war and is celibate. He is considered the son of Prithvi or Bhumi, the Earth Goddess. He is the owner of the Aries and Scorpio signs, and a teacher of the occult sciences (Ruchaka Mahapurusha Yoga). He is of Tamas Guna in nature and represents Energetic action, confidence and ego.

He is painted red or flame colour, four-armed, carrying a trident, club, lotus and a spear. His Vahana (mount) is a ram. He presides over 'Mangal-war' or Tuesday.

Budha

Main article: Budha

Budha (Devanagari: बुध ) is the god of the planet Mercury and the son of Chandra (the moon) with Tara (Taraka). He is also the god of merchandize and protector of Merchants. He is of Rajas Guna and represents Communication.

He is represented as being mild, eloquent and of greenish colour. He is represented holding a scimitar, a club and a shield, riding a winged lion in Ramghur temple. In other illustrations , he holds a sceptre and lotus and rides a carpet or an eagle or a chariot drawn by lions..

Budha presides over 'Budh-war' or Wednesday. In modern Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi,Kannada and Gujarati, Wednesday is called Budhvara; in Tamil and Malayalam it is Budhan.

Brihaspati

Main article: Brihaspati

Brihaspati(Devanagari: बृहस्पति ) is the name of a Vedic deity, personification of piety and religion, the chief offerer of prayers and sacrifices, represented as the Purohita of the gods with whom he intercedes for men. He is the Lord of planet Jupiter. He is of Sattva Guna and represents knowledge and teaching.

In later Hindu mythology, he is the guru of the Devas and the arch-nemesis of Shukracharya, the guru of the Danavas. He is also known Guru, the god of wisdom and eloquence, to whom various works are ascribed, such as the "atheistic" Barhaspatya sutras.

He is described of yellow or golden colour and holding a stick, a lotus and his beads. He presides over 'Guru-war' or Thursday.

Shukra

Main article: Shukra

Shukra (Devanagari: शुक्र ), the Sanskrit for "clear, pure" or "brightness, clearness", is the name the son of Bhrigu and Ushana, and preceptor of the Daityas, and the guru of the Asuras, identified with the planet Venus (with honorific, शुक्राचार्य Shukracharya). He presides over 'Shukra-war' or Friday. He is Rajas in nature and represents wealth, pleasure and reproduction.

He is of white complexion, middle-aged and of agreeable countenance. He is described variously mounted, on a camel or a horse or a crocodile. He holds a stick, beads and a lotus and sometimes a bow and arrow.

In Astrology, there is a dasha or planetary period known as Shukra Dasha which remains active in a person's horoscope for 20 years. This dasha is believed to give more wealth, fortune and luxury to one's living if a person has Shukra positioned well in his horoscope as well as Shukra being an important benefic planet in his/her horoscope.

Shani

Main article: Shani

Shani (Devanagari: शनि, Śani) is one of the nine primary celestial beings in Hindu astrology (that is, Vedic astrology). Shani is embodied in the planet Saturn. Shani is the Lord of Saturday. He is Tamas in nature and represents learning the hard way, Career and Longevity.

The origin of word Shani(शनि) comes from the following: Shanaye Kramati Sa: (शनये क्रमति सः) i.e. the one who moves slowly. Saturn takes about 30 years to revolve around the Sun, thus it moves slowly compared to other planets, thus the Sanskrit name शनि. Shani is actually a demi-god and is a son of Surya (the Hindu Sun God) and his wife Chhaya. It is said that when he opened his eyes as a baby for the very first time, the sun went into an eclipse, which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts (horoscope).

He is depicted dark in colour, clothed in black; holding a sword, arrows and two daggers and variously mounted on a black crow or a raven. He is depicted at other times as ugly, old, lame and having long hair, teeth and nails. He presides over 'Shani-war' or Saturday.

Rahu

Main article: Rahu

Rahu(Devanagari: राहु ) is God of the Ascending / North lunar node. Rahu is the Head of Demon Snake that swallows the sun or the moon causing eclipses according to Hindu mythology. He is depicted in art as a dragon with no body riding a chariot drawn by eight black horses. He is an Tamas Asura who does his best to plunge any area of one's life he controls into chaos. The rahu kala is considered inauspicious.

According to legend, during the Samudra manthan, the asura Rahu drank some of the divine nectar. But before the nectar could pass his throat, Mohini (the female avatar of Vishnu) cut off his head. The head, however, remained immortal and is called Rahu , while the rest of the body became Ketu. It is believed that this immortal head occasionally swallows the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. Then, the sun or moon passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse.

Ketu

Main article: Ketu (mythology)

Ketu (Devanagari: केतु) is the Lord of Descending/South lunar node. Ketu is generally referred to as a "shadow" planet. He is considered as Tail of the Demon Snake. It is believed to have a tremendous impact on human lives and also the whole creation. In some special circumstances it helps someone achieve the zenith of fame. He is Tamas in nature and represents supernatural influences.

Astronomically, Ketu and Rahu denote the points of intersection of the paths of the Sun and the Moon as they move on the celestial sphere. Therefore, Rahu and Ketu are respectively called the north and the south lunar nodes. The fact that eclipses occur when Sun and Moon are at one of these points gives rise to the mythology of the swallowing of the Sun by the Moon.

Associated characters

Each of the graha has associations with various characters, such as colors, metals, etc. The following table gives the most important associations:

Character	Surya Dev (sun)	Chandra (Moon)	Mangala (Mars)	Budha (Mercury)
Color	Copper	White	Red	Green
Gender Associated	Male	Male	Male	Neutral
Element	Fire	Water	Fire	Earth
God	Agni	Varuna	Subramanya	Vishnu
Metal	Gold/Brass	Silver	Brass	Brass
Gemstone	Ruby	Moonstone/Pearl	Red Coral	Emerald
Body Part	Bone	Blood	Marrow	Skin
Taste	Pungent	Salt	Acid	Mixed
Food	Wheat	Paddy Rice	Lentil	Greengram
Season	Summer	Winter	Summer	Autumn
Direction	East	North West	South	North
Day	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday

Character	Guru (Jupiter)	Shukra (Venus)	Shani (Saturn)	Rahu (north node)	Ketu (south node)
Color	Gold	White/Yellow	Black/Blue	Smoky	Smoky
Gender Associated	Male	Female	Neutral	-	-
Element	Ether	Water	Air	Air	Earth
God	Indra	Indrani	Brahma	Nirriti	Ganesha
Metal	Gold	Silver	Iron	Lead	Lead
Gemstone	Yellow Sapphire	Diamond	Blue Sapphire	Hessonite	Cat's Eye
Body Part	Brain	Semen	Muscles	-	-
Taste	Sweet	Sour	Astringent	-	-
Food	Bengalgram	Beans	Sesame	-	-
Season	Winter	Spring	All Seasons	-	-
Direction	North East	South East	West	South West	-
Day	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	-	-

External links

• Pictures and Information about the Grahas
• Graha-s