Sun day : [Robi-bar] = Sun
Moon Day: [Som -bar, Soma = Moon god in Hinduism]
Tiw's ( Tyr, God of Mars) Day [Mangal -bar, Mangal , the god of war, and for Mars, the red planet.]
Woden or Odin's day = Wōdanaz day =German Murcury God, [Budhavãra—Budh being the planet Mercury.]
Thor's day: God of thunder =Jupiter = The Biggest Guru, Brihaspati, guru of the gods= Jupiter, Wisdom.
Frigg's (= Roman Venus) Day: Friday is Shukravar (or a derived variation of Sukravar), named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus.
The Germanic peoples adapted the system introduced by the Romans but glossed their indigenous gods over the Roman deities (with the exception of Saturday) in a process known as interpretatio germanica. The date of the introduction of this system is not known exactly, but it must have happened later than AD 200 but before the introduction of Christianity during the 6th to 7th centuries, i.e., during the final phase or soon after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.[7] This period is later than the Common Germanic stage, but still during the phase of undifferentiated West Germanic. The names of the days of the week in North Germanic languages were not calqued from Latin directly, but taken from the West Germanic names.
Surya in his chariot driven by seven horses.
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 fathers.
According to Hindu scriptures, among the more renowned progenies of Surya are Shani (Saturn), Yama(God of Death) and Karna (Mahabharatha) fame.
Invoking Gayatri Mantra or Aditya Hrudaya Mantra (Adityahridayam) are known to please the Sun God.
The grain associated with the Sun is whole wheat and the number associated to the Surya is 1.
Chandra on his chariot of antelope. A 19th century watercolour painting.
Budha with Ila
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.[11]
Budha presides over 'Budha-vaaram' or Wednesday. In modern Telugu Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada and Gujarati, Wednesday is called Budhavaaram; in Tamil and Malayalam it is Budhan.
According to Hindu scriptures, he is the guru of the Devas and the nemesis of Shukracharya, the guru of the Danavasa. He is also known Guru, the god of wisdom and eloquence, to whom various works are ascribed, such as the "atheistic" Barhaspatya sutras. Guru is usually depicted with an elephant or chariot drawn by eight horses as his vehicle. He is also depicted in a lotus flower.
His Tattva or element is Akasha or ether, and his direction is north-east. He is described of yellow or golden colour and holding a stick, a lotus and his beads. He presides over 'Guru-vaaram', Brihaspativaara or Thursday.[11]
Shukra sculpture placed in the British Museum, London.
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.[12]
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 on his mount crow.
The origin of word Shani(शनि) comes from the following: Shanaye Kramati Sa: (शनये क्रमति सः) i.e. the one who moves slowly. Shani is actually a demi-god and is a son of Surya (the Hindu Sun God) and surya's 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 presides over 'Shani-var' or Saturday.[12]
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.
There are 2 kinds of installation of the planets when arranged in this fashion, known as Agama Prathishta and Vaidika Prathishta.
In Agama Prathishta, Surya occupies the central place, Chandra on Surya's east, Budha on his south, Brihaspati on his west, Shukra on his north, Mangala on his south-east, Shani on his south-west, Rahu on north-west and Ketu in the north-east. Temples such as Suryanar temple, Tiruvidadaimarudur, Tiruvaiyaru and Tirucchirappalli follow this system.
The traditional arrangement of the Navagraha
In Vaidika Pradishta, Surya is still in the centre, but Shukra is in the east, Mangala in the south, Shani in the west, Brihaspati in the north, Chandra in the south-east, Rahu in the south-west, Ketu in the north-west and Budha in the north-east.
Other temples install the Navagrahas in other arrangements.
In Ramanathapuram district, in a place called Navapashana, nine stone slabs are worshipped as the Navagraha. In temples like Tirukuvalai and Tiruvarur, the nine planets stand in a straight line. In Thirupanjali temple, they are represented by nine holes in a stone.
The Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple boasts a unique structure wherein the nine grahas are installed in a single stone. Surya is prominently displayed in this structure with seven horses in a chariot with two wheels and a charioteer. The other eight grahas are placed in eight directions with the sun in the centre.
At Agasthiyar Temple Chennai Pondy Bazaar a totally different form of position is done with Sun at the elevated centre and the remaining planets in an octagonal structure. This is called Agasthiyar Kattu (the form promoted by Sage Agasthiya (Agastya).
Moon Day: [Som -bar, Soma = Moon god in Hinduism]
Tiw's ( Tyr, God of Mars) Day [Mangal -bar, Mangal , the god of war, and for Mars, the red planet.]
Woden or Odin's day = Wōdanaz day =German Murcury God, [Budhavãra—Budh being the planet Mercury.]
Thor's day: God of thunder =Jupiter = The Biggest Guru, Brihaspati, guru of the gods= Jupiter, Wisdom.
Frigg's (= Roman Venus) Day: Friday is Shukravar (or a derived variation of Sukravar), named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus.
| Day: | Sunday Sōl (Sun) | Monday Luna (Moon) | Tuesday Mars (Mars) | Wednesday Mercurius (Mercury) | Thursday Iuppiter (Jupiter) | Friday Venus (Venus) | Saturday Saturnus (Saturn) |
|---|
The Germanic peoples adapted the system introduced by the Romans but glossed their indigenous gods over the Roman deities (with the exception of Saturday) in a process known as interpretatio germanica. The date of the introduction of this system is not known exactly, but it must have happened later than AD 200 but before the introduction of Christianity during the 6th to 7th centuries, i.e., during the final phase or soon after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.[7] This period is later than the Common Germanic stage, but still during the phase of undifferentiated West Germanic. The names of the days of the week in North Germanic languages were not calqued from Latin directly, but taken from the West Germanic names.
- Sunday: Old English Sunnandæg (pronounced [sun.nan.dæj), meaning "sun's day." This is a translation of the Latin phrase dies Solis. English, like most of the Germanic languages, preserves the original pagan/sun associations of the day. Many other European languages, including all of the Romance languages, have changed its name to the equivalent of "the Lord's day" (based on Ecclesiastical Latin dies Dominica). In both West Germanic and North Germanic mythology the Sun is personified as a goddess, Sunna/Sól.
- Monday: Old English Mōnandæg (pronounced [mon.nan.dæj]), meaning "Moon's day." This is based on a translation of the Latin name dies lunae. In North Germanic mythology, the Moon is personified as a god, Máni.
- Tuesday: Old English Tīwesdæg (pronounced [ti.wes.dæj], meaning "Tiw's day." Tiw (Norse Týr) was a one-handed god associated with single combat and pledges in Norse mythology and also attested prominently in wider Germanic paganism. The name of the day is based on Latin dies Martis, "Day of Mars".
- Wednesday: Old English Wōdnesdæg (pronounced [woːd.nes.dæj) meaning the day of the Germanic god Wodan (known as Óðinn among the North Germanic peoples), and a prominent god of the Anglo-Saxons (and other Germanic peoples) in England until about the seventh century. It is based on Latin dies Mercurii, "Day of Mercury." The connection between Mercury and Odin is more strained than the other syncretic connections.[citation needed] The usual explanation[who?] is that both Wodan and Mercury were considered psychopomps, or guides of souls after death, in their respective mythologies; both are also associated with poetic and musical inspiration.[citation needed] The Icelandic Miðviku, German Mittwoch, Low German Middeweek and Finnish keskiviikko all mean mid-week.
- Thursday: Old English Þūnresdæg (pronounced [θuːn.res.dæj]), meaning 'Þunor's day'. Þunor means thunder or its personification, the Norse god known in Modern English as Thor. Similarly Dutch donderdag, German Donnerstag ('thunder's day'), Finnish torstai, and Scandinavian Torsdag ('Thor's day'). Thor's day corresponds to Latin dies Iovis, "day of Jupiter".
- Friday: Old English Frīgedæg (pronounced [fri.je.dæj]), meaning the day of the Norse goddess Fríge. The Norse name for the planet Venus was Friggjarstjarna, 'Frigg's star'. It is based on the Latin dies Veneris, "Day of Venus."
- Saturday: the only day of the week to retain its Roman origin in English, named after the Roman god Saturn associated with the Titan Cronus, father of Zeus and many Olympians. Its original Anglo-Saxon rendering was Sæturnesdæg (pronounced [sæ.tur.nes.dæj]). In Latin it was dies Saturni, "Day of Saturn." The Scandinavian Lørdag/Lördag deviates significantly as it has no reference to either the Norse or the Roman pantheon; it derives from old Norse laugardagr, literally "washing-day." The German Sonnabend and the Low German words Sünnavend mean "Sunday Eve", the German word Samstag derives from the name for Shabbat.
| Day: (see Irregularities) | Sunday Sunna/Sól | Monday Mona/Máni | Tuesday Tiw/Tyr | Wednesday Woden/Odin | Thursday Thunor/Thor | Friday Frige or Freya | Saturday Saturn |
|---|
Indian astrology
| Sunday Ravi (the Sun) | Monday Soma (the Moon) | Tuesday Mangala (Mars) | Wednesday Budha (Mercury) | Thursday Guru (Jupiter) | Friday Shukra (Venus) | Saturday Shani (Saturn) |
|---|
Surya[edit]
Main article: Surya
Surya (Devanagari: सूर्य, sūrya, Tamil: ஞாயிறு, ñāyiru) is the chief, the solar deity, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives Aditi,[8] 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-vaara" 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 fathers.
According to Hindu scriptures, among the more renowned progenies of Surya are Shani (Saturn), Yama(God of Death) and Karna (Mahabharatha) fame.
Invoking Gayatri Mantra or Aditya Hrudaya Mantra (Adityahridayam) are known to please the Sun God.
The grain associated with the Sun is whole wheat and the number associated to the Surya is 1.
Chandra[edit]
Main article: Chandra
Chandra (Devanagari: चन्द्र, Tamil: திங்கள், tinggaḷ) 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.[9] 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).[10] He as Soma, presides over Somavaaram or Monday. He is of Sattva Guna and represents the Mind, the Queen or Mother.Mangala[edit]
Main article: Mangala
Mangala (Devanagari: मंगल, Tamil: செவ்வாய், cevvāi) is 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 'Mangala-vaara' or Tuesday.[10] There is a famous pilgrim place Mangalanatha (in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India). People who suffer from troubles related to Mangala Graha in their horoscope visit there on Tuesday. By worshiping & satisfying Mangal Graha, devotees get blessings & mercy of Mangala Devata. Only two temples of Mangala devata in India, of which one is in Amalner(Maharashtra) and another in Vaitheeswaran Kovil, Tamil Nadu.Budha[edit]
Main article: Budha
Budha (Devanagari: बुध, Tamil: புதன், putan) is the god of the planet Mercury and the son of Chandra (the moon) with Tara (Taraka). He is also the god of merchandise 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.[11]
Budha presides over 'Budha-vaaram' or Wednesday. In modern Telugu Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada and Gujarati, Wednesday is called Budhavaaram; in Tamil and Malayalam it is Budhan.
Guru[edit]
Main article: Brihaspati
Brihaspati (Devanagari: बृहस्पति, Tamil: வியாழன், viyāzhan) is the Guru of Devas, 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. He is often known simply as "Guru".According to Hindu scriptures, he is the guru of the Devas and the nemesis of Shukracharya, the guru of the Danavasa. He is also known Guru, the god of wisdom and eloquence, to whom various works are ascribed, such as the "atheistic" Barhaspatya sutras. Guru is usually depicted with an elephant or chariot drawn by eight horses as his vehicle. He is also depicted in a lotus flower.
His Tattva or element is Akasha or ether, and his direction is north-east. He is described of yellow or golden colour and holding a stick, a lotus and his beads. He presides over 'Guru-vaaram', Brihaspativaara or Thursday.[11]
Shukra[edit]
Main article: Shukra
Shukra, Tamil: வெள்ளி, veḷḷi 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-vaara' 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.[12]
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[edit]
Main article: Shani
Shani (Devanagari: शनि, Śani, Tamil: சனி, cani, Kannada : ಶನಿ) 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. His Tattva or element is air, and his direction is west. 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. Shani is actually a demi-god and is a son of Surya (the Hindu Sun God) and surya's 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 presides over 'Shani-var' or Saturday.[12]
Rahu[edit]
Main article: Rahu
Rahu (Devanagari: राहु Tamil: இராகு, irāku) is God of the Ascending / North lunar node. Rahu is the head of the demonic snake that swallows the sun or the moon causing eclipses, according to Hindu scriptures. He is depicted in art as a dragon with no body riding a chariot drawn by eight black horses. He is a 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[edit]
Main article: Ketu
Ketu (Devanagari: केतु, Tamil: கேது, kētu) is the Lord of Descending. 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.Associated characters[edit]
Each of the graha has associations with various characters, such as colors, metals, etc. The following table gives the most important associations:| Character | Surya Deva (sun) | Chandra (Moon) | Mangala (Mars) | Budha (Mercury) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consort | Sandhya & Chaaya | Rohini | Shaktidevi | Ila |
| Color | Gold | Silver | Red | Green |
| Gender Associated | Male | Male | Male | Male |
| Element | Fire | Water | Fire | Earth |
| God | Agni | Varuna | Subramanya | Vishnu |
| Pratyadi Devataa | Rudra | Gowri | Murugan | Vishnu |
| Metal | Gold | Silver | Copper | Zinc |
| Gemstone | Ruby | Pearl/Moonstone | Red Coral | Emerald |
| Body Part | Bone | Blood | Marrow | Skin |
| Taste | Pungent | Salt | Acid | Mixed |
| Food | Wheat | Rice | Pigeon pea | Mung bean |
| Season | Summer | Winter | Summer | Autumn |
| Direction | East | North West | South | North |
| Day | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
| Tone (Svara) | Ga | Ma | Re | Sa |
| Character | Guru (Jupiter) | Shukra (Venus) | Shani (Saturn) | Rahu (north node) | Ketu (south node) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consort | Tara | Sukirthi & Urjaswathi | Neeladevi(Jestadevi) | Simhi | Chitralekha |
| Color | Yellow | White/Yellow | Black/Blue | Dark Blue | Smoky Grey |
| Gender Associated | Male | Female | Neutral | Male | Neutral |
| Element | Ether | Water | Air | Air | Earth |
| God | Indra | Indrani | Brahma | Nirriti | Ganesha |
| Pratyadi Devataa | Brahma | Indra | Yama | Durga | Chitragupta |
| Metal | Gold | Silver | Iron | Lead | Mercury |
| Gemstone | Yellow Sapphire | Diamond | Blue Sapphire | Hessonite | Cat's Eye |
| Body Part | Brain | Semen | Muscles | Head | Skin |
| Taste | Sweet | Sour | Astringent | - | - |
| Food | Chickpea | kidney beans | Sesame | Urad (bean) | Horse gram |
| Season | Winter | Spring | All Seasons | - | - |
| Direction | North East | South East | West | South West | - |
| Day | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Saturday | -Tuesday |
| Tone (Svara) | Dha | Ni | Pa | - | - |
Positioning in Hindu custom[edit]
As per Hindu customs, the Navagraha are typically placed in a single square with the Sun (Surya) in the center and the other deities surrounding Surya; no two of them are made to face each other. In South India, their images are generally found in all important Saiva temples. They are invariably placed in a separate hall, on a pedestal of about three feet in height, usually to the north-east of the sanctum sanctorum.There are 2 kinds of installation of the planets when arranged in this fashion, known as Agama Prathishta and Vaidika Prathishta.
In Agama Prathishta, Surya occupies the central place, Chandra on Surya's east, Budha on his south, Brihaspati on his west, Shukra on his north, Mangala on his south-east, Shani on his south-west, Rahu on north-west and Ketu in the north-east. Temples such as Suryanar temple, Tiruvidadaimarudur, Tiruvaiyaru and Tirucchirappalli follow this system.
 Rahu |  Shukra |  Ketu |
 Brihaspati |  Surya |  Chandra |
 Shani |  Budha |  Mangal |
Ketu | Brihaspati | Budha |
Shani | Surya | Shukra |
Rahu | Mangal | Chandra |
In Ramanathapuram district, in a place called Navapashana, nine stone slabs are worshipped as the Navagraha. In temples like Tirukuvalai and Tiruvarur, the nine planets stand in a straight line. In Thirupanjali temple, they are represented by nine holes in a stone.
The Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple boasts a unique structure wherein the nine grahas are installed in a single stone. Surya is prominently displayed in this structure with seven horses in a chariot with two wheels and a charioteer. The other eight grahas are placed in eight directions with the sun in the centre.
At Agasthiyar Temple Chennai Pondy Bazaar a totally different form of position is done with Sun at the elevated centre and the remaining planets in an octagonal structure. This is called Agasthiyar Kattu (the form promoted by Sage Agasthiya (Agastya).