Budha

Budha graha

Mercury

Iconography of Budha

Affiliation| Graha, Deva
Abode| Budhaloka
Planet| Mercury
Day| Wednesday
Number| Five (5)
Mount| Lion or chariot hauled by eight horses of deep yellow colour
Personal information
Parents| Mother: Tara (wife of Brihaspati)
Father: Somaa.k. (Chandra)
Consort| Ila[1]
Children| Pururavas (Son)

Budha graha (Sanskrit: बुध) is a Sanskrit word that connotes the planet Mercury.[1] Budha, in puranic Hindu mythology, is also a deity.[2]

He is also known as Saumya (Sanskrit: सौम्य, lit. son of Moon), Rauhineya and Tunga.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Planet
* 2 Mythology
* 3 Calendar and Hindu astrology
* 4 Iconography
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 Further reading
* 8 External links

## Planet

Budha as a planet appears in various Hindu astronomical texts in Sanskrit, such as the 5th century Aryabhatiya by Aryabhatta, the 6th century Romaka by Latadeva and Panca Siddhantika by Varahamihira, the 7th century Khandakhadyaka by Brahmagupta and the 8th century Sisyadhivrddida by Lalla.[3][4] These texts present Budha as one of the planets and estimate the characteristics of the respective planetary motion.[3] Other texts such as Surya Siddhanta dated to have been complete sometime between the 5th century and 10th century present their chapters on various planets with deity mythologies.[3]

The manuscripts of these texts exist in slightly different versions, present Budha's motion in the skies, but vary in their data, suggesting that the text were open and revised over their lives. The texts slightly disagree in their data, in their measurements of Budha's revolutions, apogee, epicycles, nodal longitudes, orbital inclination, and other parameters.[5] For example, both Khandakhadyaka and Surya Siddhanta of Varaha state that Budha completes 17,937,000 revolutions on its own axis every 4,320,000 years, and had an apogee (aphelia) of 220 degrees in 499 CE; while another manuscript of Surya Siddhanta increases the revolutions by 60 to 17,937,060, and the apogee to 220 degrees and 26 seconds.[6]

The 1st millennium CE Hindu scholars had estimated the time it took for sidereal revolutions of each planet including Budha, from their astronomical studies, with slightly different results:[7]

Sanskrit texts: How many days for Budha (Mercury) to complete its orbit?  Source  | Estimated time per sidereal revolution[7]

|

Surya Siddhanta | 87 days, 23 hours, 16 minutes, 22.3 seconds
Siddhanta Shiromani | 87 days, 23 hours, 16 minutes, 41.5 seconds
Ptolemy | 87 days, 23 hours, 16 minutes, 42.9 seconds
20th century calculations  | 87 days, 23 hours, 15 minutes, 43.9 seconds

## Mythology

Budha appears as a deity in Indian texts, often as the son of Soma (moon god, Chandra) and Tara (wife of Brihaspati, Jupiter god). The mythology of Budha as a deity is not consistent in Hindu Puranas, and he alternatively is described as the son of goddess Rohini and god Soma.[2]

One of the earliest mentions of Budha as a celestial body appears in the Vedic text Pancavimsa Brahmana, and it appears in other ancient texts such as the Shatapatha Brahmana as well, but not in the context of astrology. In the ancient texts, Budha is linked to three steps of the Hindu god Vishnu.[2]

## Calendar and Hindu astrology

Budha is the root of the word 'Budhavara' or Wednesday in the Hindu calendar.[1] The word "Wednesday" in the Greco-Roman and other Indo-European calendars is also dedicated to planet Mercury ("day of Woden or Oden"). Budha is part of the Navagraha in Hindu zodiac system, considered benevolent, associated with an agile mind and memory. The zodiac and naming system of Hindu astrology, with Budha as Mercury, likely developed in the centuries after the arrival of Greek astrology with Alexander the Great,[8][9][10] their zodiac signs being nearly identical.[11][12]

Budha is also the root for name for the week day in many other Indian languages. In modern Hindi, Oriya, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Urdu, Kannada and Gujarati, Wednesday is called Budhavara; Tamil: Budhan kizhamai; Malayalam: Budhanazhcha; Thai: Wan Phut (วันพุธ).[citation needed]

## Iconography

Budha's iconography, according to Roshen Dalal, is as a benevolent[13] but a minor male deity with light yellow colored body (or green), draped into yellow clothes, with a chariot made of air and fire, drawn by eight wind horses. He is also represented holding a scimitar, a club and a shield, riding a winged lion in Bhudhan Temple. In other illustrations, he rides a lion and has four arms.[1]

Budha is not etymologically, mythologically or otherwise related to Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, though some careless textual claims to this link have occasionally appeared, according to Patrick Gray.[14]

## See also

* Days of the week

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&pg=PA88.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Terry Mahoney (2013). Mercury. Springer Science. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-4614-7951-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=iC65BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA2.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ebenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta. ed. Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. vii–xi. ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=W0Uo_-_iizwC.
4. ↑ Bina Chatterjee (1970) (in Sanskrit). The Khandakhadyaka (an astronomical treatise) of Brahmagupta: with the commentary of Bhattotpala. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 59–64. OCLC 463213346. https://books.google.com/books?id=WKOtRmgr1nkC.
5. ↑ Ebenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta. ed. Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. ix-xi. ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=W0Uo_-_iizwC.
6. ↑ Ebenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta. ed. Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. ix-x. ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=W0Uo_-_iizwC.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ebenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta. ed. Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. 26-27. ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=W0Uo_-_iizwC.
8. ↑ Yukio Ohashi 1999, pp. 719–721.
9. ↑ Pingree 1973, pp. 2–3.
10. ↑ Erik Gregersen (2011). The Britannica Guide to the History of Mathematics. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-61530-127-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=qZ3zVmLUcjcC.
11. ↑ James Lochtefeld (2002), "Jyotisha" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing, ISBN:0-8239-2287-1, pages 326–327
12. ↑ Nicholas Campion (2012). Astrology and Cosmology in the World’s Religions. New York University Press. pp. 110–111. ISBN 978-0-8147-0842-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=MxSr1NT3BLoC.
13. ↑ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC.
14. ↑ Patrick Gray (2015). Varieties of Religious Invention: Founders and Their Functions in History. Oxford University Press. pp. 46 footnote 19. ISBN 978-0-19-935972-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=oHM_CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA46.

## Further reading

* Svoboda, Robert. The Greatness of Saturn: A Therapeutic Myth. Lotus Press, 1997. ISBN:0-940985-62-4
* Pingree, David (1973). "The Mesopotamian Origin of Early Indian Mathematical Astronomy". Journal for the History of Astronomy (SAGE) 4 (1). doi:10.1177/002182867300400102. Bibcode: 1973JHA.....4....1P.
* Pingree, David (1981). Jyotihśāstra : Astral and Mathematical Literature. Otto Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3447021654.
* Yukio Ohashi (1999). Johannes Andersen. ed. Highlights of Astronomy, Volume 11B. Springer Science. ISBN 978-0-7923-5556-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=gQYscrT0fgQC.

## External links

* v
* t
* e

Hindu astrology

Nakshatras|

* Ashvinī
* Bharanī
* Kṛttikā
* Rohinī
* Mrigashīrsha
* Ārdrā
* Punarvasu
* Pushya
* Āshleshā
* Maghā
* Pūrva Phalgunī
* Uttara Phalgunī
* Hasta
* Chitrā
* Svātī
* Vishākhā
* Anurādhā
* Jyeshtha
* Mūla
* Pūrva Ashādhā
* Uttara Ashādhā
* Shravana
* Dhanishta
* Shatabhisha
* Pūrva Bhādrapadā
* Uttara Bhādrapadā
* Revatī

Rāśi|

* Meṣa
* Vṛṣabha
* Mithuna
* Karkaṭa
* Siṃha
* Kanyā
* Tulā
* Vṛścika
* Dhanus
* Makara
* Kumbha
* Mīna

Navagraha|

* Surya
* Chandra
* Mangala
* Budha
* Bṛhaspati
* Shukra
* Shani
* Rahu
* Ketu

Other concepts|

* Astrological aspects
* Avastha
* Atmakaraka
* Ayanamsa
* Bhāva
* Choghadiya
* Daśās
* Drekkana
* Dwadasama
* Gandanta
* Garbhadhan
* Karmasthana
* Lagna
* Maraka
* Muntha
* Navamsa
* Nadi astrology
* Panchangam
* Panjika
* Planetary dispositors
* Rashmi
* Science and Astrology
* Sarvatobhadra Chakra
* Trikonasthanas
* Upachayasthanas
* Yoga-karakas
* Vakri grahas

Yogas|

* Adhi yoga
* Akhanda Samrajya yoga
* Balarishta
* Bandhana yoga
* Chamara yoga
* Dainya yoga
* Daridra yoga
* Dhana yoga
* Kahala yoga
* Kemadruma yoga
* Nabhasa yoga
* Neechabhanga Raja yoga
* Panch Mahapurusha yoga
* Parajata yoga
* Parijata yoga
* Preshya yoga
* Raja yoga
* Sanyasa yoga
* Viparita Raja yoga
* Yoga

Scriptures|

* Brihat Jataka
* Bhavartha Ratnakara
* Chamatkara Chintamani
* Dasadhyayi
* Garga Hora
* Hora Ratna
* Hora Sara
* Jataka Parijata
* Jaimini Sutras
* Jatakalankara
* Jataka Parijata
* Jataka Bharanam
* Jataka Tattva
* Laghu Parashari
* Mansagari
* Prasna Tantra
* Prasna Marga
* Phaladeepika
* Skanda Hora
* Sanketa Nidhi
* Sarvartha Chintamani
* Tajika Neelakanthi

Ancient Rishis/Astrologers|

* Bhrigu
* Jaimini
* Mantreswara
* Neelakantha
* Parasara
* Vaidyanatha Dikshita
* Varahamihira

* v
* t
* e

Hindu deities and texts

Gods|

* Trimurti
* Brahma
* Vishnu
* Rama
* Krishna
* more avatars
* Shiva
* Ganesha
* Kartikeya
* Hanuman
* Indra
* Surya
* Agni
* Varuna
* Vayu
* Kamadeva
* Yamaraj
* more

Goddesses|

* Tridevi
* Saraswati
* Lakshmi
* Sita
* Radha
* Parvati
* Sati
* Kali
* Adi Parashakti
* Mahavidya
* Durga
* Shakti
* Navadurga
* Matrikas
* more

Other deities|

* Asuras
* Rakshasas
* Yakshas
* Vahanas

Texts|

* Vedas
* Rig
* Sama
* Yajur
* Atharva
* Upanishads
* Puranas
* Ramayana
* Mahabharata
* Bhagavad Gita
* Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
* more

* Hinduism
* Hindu mythology

0.00

(0 votes)

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Astronomy:Budha&oldid=3712170"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template