Long before keepler's laws, galileian theories and huygens principles shaped the understanding of 19-21th century astronomers, sanatana dharma came forward with exquisite theories many centuries ago. One such theories is of Navagraha which is loosely translated as "9 Planets".


In dharmic cosmology, Navagraha [where Nava means 9 and Graha[ग्रह] means Taking Something, this root word form the basis of words like ग्राहक, ग्रहण ] is one of the most fundamental theories to understand the Vedic view of the cosmos. These 9 planets rules all the positive and negative influence for all creatures on Earth and other planets if they exist.

Any creature, whether human or animal is influenced by the powers of these divine planets on a day to day or minute to minute scale. These planets govern our time on earth, ,relationship compatibility, life path, mood, health, wealth and almost all human element which assist on our individual way of living.

Vedic cosmology in itself is one big study which spans decades, for this blog we will consider only Navagraha and later other topics.
Navahraha holds immense power in them but what kind of power? To understand power, we need to understand force and the most influential force which exist between planets is the Gravitatonal force. The intensity of this gravitational force or Push and Pull between planets determine the influence of a particular planet and it's dosha on each individual being.

Just as the moon's waxing and waning controls the tidal current in the oceans through it's gravitational pull, these 9 planets exert their own pull on human beings, animals and all other species which exist on earth.

These 9 planets according to Vedic Hierarchy from greatest influence to lowest are Sun[रवि], Moon[चन्द्र], Mars[मंगल], Mercury[बुधः], Jupiter[गुरु], Venus[शुक्र], Saturn[शनि], Rahu[राहु], Ketu[केतु].

All these planets affect different aspects of one's life and at different times. Any negative influence these planets have in our life are called doshas and they can affect our health, wealth, career progression and choices, life partners, luck and death. In Sanatana Dharma, a Vedanga is written to approach the studies of influence of these planets called Jyotisha-Shastra. In Jyotisha-shastra, 3 most important concepts are followed which deals with entire cosmos, these are Nakshatras[Constellation of Stars], Rashis[Zodiac] and Vastu[Directions].

The entire Brahman or 360 degree sphere is divided into 27 Nakshatra or Lunar constellations of 13 degress 20 minutes each. A collection of few nakshatras are what make up the zodiac or rashis which are 12 in total. So any Rashi will have atleast 2 nakshtras and some rashis also share 3 nakshtras.

All 9 planets revolve in this sphere in there definite times and orbits. So, one questions? How and when do these planets affect an individual being? This depends on what is called the Birth Chart or Janma Kundali of a person. Janma Kundli is designed on the basis of exact date and time a person is born, the position of the nakshatras and the area in which these 9 planets reside are what make up the janma-kundali of a person.

Let us assume that a person is born on 1 January,1997. So the person is in the Capricorn Zodiac[Makara rashi] and as the year was Venus Dominated, that person is governed by Venus or the diety of venus which is Shukra. Each and every human has a different janma-kundli as the planets keep changing their position and their subsequent nakshatra.

Each of the 9 divinely planets have a diety associated to them as this makes it easier of us to pray and honor them. Any doshas which is involved with a planet or it's maleific effects can be reduced by Homa[Yagya] or chanting Navagraha Strotam. If you have doshas for any individual planet, they can be reduced by chanting indivdual mantras associated with that particular planet.

Let us now understand the 9 planets according to their hierarchy, their associated dieties and mantras to reduce their maleific effects.

Surya
Sun is the most influential of all the Navagrahas. It is surrounded by all other grahas and in the heliocentric model of the universe, all planets revolve around it. Sun is the ruler of Leo Zodiac and is considered as lord of all planets[Grihapati]. The sun god rides a one wheeled chariot which is pulled by 7 horses, 7 horses represent 7 colors of the spectrum, 7 musical notes and 7 days of the week. These animals are controlled by the gods and through the powers of his mind, he controls the speed and direction of these horses.

The day to honor sun god is sunday, ill placement of sun god in a birth chart of a seeker can give rise to headaches,fevers,body aches and heart diseases. Surya namaskar is an excellent kriya to reduce doshas involved with surya devata.

Chandra
Moon is the second most important of all navagrahas which rules cancer zodiac , it is also called soma due to its waxing and waning phases and is seen every time in the upper body with one hand holding a lotus and other leading a chariot of 10 horses. Moon is extremely important to understand the divine feminine in a human body and no human is unaffected by it. The menstural cycle of a women is governed by the phases of the moon as moon completes a revolutions in 28 days and so does a menstural cycle. A healthy divine feminine is said to align her cycles in complete cojunction with the moon.

The day to honor moon is Monday and ill placement of moon gives a seeker diseases like urinary infections, colitis, bronchitis and abdominal problems. Conscious Chanting of associated mantras are said to reduce the doshas of the moon.

Mangala
The third graha is the Mangala or Mars, it rules the Aies and Scorpio Zodiac, it is also called Angaraka. Mangala Devata is the protector of Dharma and chieftain of the army of gods in the sky. Mangala devata has four hands were 2 hands righteously hold a mace, spear and other 2 hands are in Abhaya and Varada Mudra.

Mars rules over a human's musco-skeletal system, nose, forehead and circulatory systems. Placement of Mangala in 1st,2nd,4th,7th,8th and 12th houses causes Mangala Doshas which bring many malefic effects in human life. Conscious Chanting of associated mantras are said to reduce the doshas of the mars.

Buddha
The fourth graha is Buddha or Mercury,it rules Gemini and Virgo zodiac signs and represents Intelligence and Communication. He rides a chariot or a lion, his 3 hands hold a sword,a shield and a mace whereas the fourth hand is in Varada Mudra.

The day to honor buddha is wednesday and ill placement of buddha gives the seeker problems such as stammering,bronchitis,asthma,paralysis and brain fever. Conscious Chanting of associated mantras are said to reduce the doshas of the mercury.

Brihaspati
The fifth graha is brihaspati or Jupiter, it rules Pisces and sagittarus zodiac signs and symbolizes Knowledge,love,spirituality. Brihaspati is often called guru and is often considered as the teachers of the gods, there are many suktams in rigveda praising the prowess of brihaspati. Brihaspati is seated in a chariot and which is driven by 8 horses symbolizing 8 primary branches of learning and his 2 hands are held in Varaha Mudra.

The day to honor brihaspati is Thursday and ill placement of jupiter can cause Diabetes,piles,tumors,liver malfunction,blood cancer, gout etc. He rules over human thighs, flesh, kidney ,liver fat and major arterial systems. Conscious Chanting of associated mantras are said to reduce the doshas of the jupiter.

Shukra
The sixth navagraha is Shukra or Venus and ir ules over Taurus and Libra zodiac, it symbolizes Love and Passion. Shukra is the teachers of the asuras and author of Shukrniti or "Strategies of Shukra ". He rides a silver or golden chariot with 8 horses and his 3 hands hold a staff,a rosary, a vessel of gold and his fourth hand is in Varada Mudra.

The day to honor venus is friday, ill placement of venus in a birth chart results in eye problems, indigestion, skin rashes, pimples, impotency and Veneral diseases. Conscious Chanting of associated mantras are said to reduce the doshas of the jupiter.

Shani
The seventh graha is Shani or Saturn which is a slow moving planet, it rules over Capricorn and Aquarius Zodiacs and effect many zodiacs. Saturn is a judge, also known as god of karma. Saturn is feared by many due to his strong judgement through understanding of right from wrong. Saturn is worshipped by many hindus who practice astrology and saturn is known to influence fortunes of individuals by his position in the planetay systems. Saturn is benevolent and pleased by the hard work,dedication and effort of seeker and often bestows them with oppportunities to evolve and grow further in their prospects.

He rides a chariot, buffalo or vulture and his 3 hands graciously hold an arrow, a bow,and a spear whereas his fourth hand holds a Varada Mudra.

The day to honor saturn is Saturday and ill placement of saturn gives what is called Shani dosha which can lead to misery,grief and diseases. Many human disease are often a result of bad karma in past live which was judged by shani and needs to be balanced in this life by good karma. Conscious Chanting of associated mantras are said to reduce the doshas of the saturn.

Rahu
Rahu and Ketu are 2 parts of one asura. During samudra manthan, an asura disguised himself as a god and sat in line with them. He tricked all of them and recieved the divine nectar, as he was drinking it, lord vishnu realised him as an asura and took an enchanting avatar of Lady Mohini. Lady Mohini cut off the head of the asura who had the divine nectar in his throat thus making his head Immortal.The head became what is called Rahu and the rest of the body is Ketu.

Rahu is a shadow planet and doesn't hold a special day in the weel. He rides a dark lion and it is said he swallows the sun completely which is often called a Moon Eclipse.

Ill placement of rahu can cause many obstacles and miseries in one's life and also many severe diseases. All severe diseases are casued by ill placement of saturn,rahu and ketu. For the seekers to get relieved of diseases, all these grahas must be worshipped.

Ketu
Ketu again is a shadow planet and is usually considered as a Comet often called Dhuma Ketu. He has a body of a serpent which usually resembles the tail of a comet,hence the name. He rides a vulture and holds a mace.Ketu represents karmic collection of the seeker and both good and bad karma are recorded by ketu. It also represents supernatural influences in one's life journey and the depth of spirituality of a seeker.

Thus ends the concept of navagraha. The associated Mantras for each graha will be considerd in the next subsequent article. Chanting these mantras first things in the morning after cleaning your self internally and externally are extremely beneficial for the seeker. These mantras not only reduce the malefic effects of any planetary doshas but also calms the mind and pleases the gods.