Do you know what are Navagrahas?
Small Hint, They are not the 9 planets of our solar system you were taught in your science class.
This article is not a discussion on any scientific facts or reasons. The sole purpose of this article is to clear the misconception to anyone who is reading this article and to bring an awareness that, Navagrahas are not the 9 planets of our solar system. The 9 planets we were taught in science lectures and the Navagrahas mentioned in the Vedas are not the exact same planets.
What are Navagrahas ?
Navagrahas is a Sanskrit word which means Nava (Nine), Grahas (Planets). As per the Hindu Astrology, These Navagrahas includes only 5 of the 9 planets we know from our solar system. Here is the list of those as per Hindu Astrology –
- Suryan (Ravi ) (The Sun)
- Chandran (Soma) (The Moon)
- Mangala (Mangal) (Planet Mars)
- Budhan (Budha) (Planet Mercury)
- Brihaspati (Guru ) (Planet Jupiter)
- Shukra (Planet Venus)
- Shani (Planet Saturn)
- Rahu (Solar Eclipse)
- Ketu (Lunar Ecllipse)
While SUN & MOON are not planets, Rahu & Ketu are eclipses that are formed. Earth was not even mentioned in this list of 9 planets which is a strange thing.
What does Navagrahas represent ?
The list consists of 5 Planets along with Sun & Moon which are considered gods as per Hinduism and the remaining two, Rahu & Ketu, are considered as demons. The eclipses formed while Sun, Moon & Earth appear in the same path are Solar eclipse & lunar Eclipse. Depending on their position in the planetary system and their association with the remaining deities, they are considered to be auspicious or inauspicious.
The 7 planets / gods corresponds with the names of 7 days of a week as per hindu calendar.
1. Ravi – Sunday
2. Soma – Monday
3. Mangala – Tuesday
4. Budha – Wednesday
5. Guru – Thursday
6. Shukra – Friday
7. Shani – Saturday
I hope the information I’ve shared in this article is useful for you. Since I’m trying to keep this post simple and informational, I’m not diving into in-depth details. However, please do let me know in the comments section if you think more information is needed on this topic.
The purpose of this blog is to talk about the facts, righteous meaning and scientific reasons behind Indian culture & traditions. With this article, I hope I cleared a misconception a lot of people are still having. Please do let me know your thoughts in the comments section and also let me know your suggestions for new articles & topics.
Thanks for the informational post. Why earth is not considered as planet in navgrahs. And what are rahu Ketu. They are not any planets in our solar system.