Navagraha is the nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology, this article will narrate to you the various aspects and stories associated with the third of the Navagraha ‘Budh’. Budh is the Navagraha deity that rules the planet which is closest to the sun in the solar system Mercury. Wednesday, also known as Budhvar, is dedicated to this planet.
1. Budhdev
Budh or Mercury is depicted as having four hands bearing a sword, a Thaal, a Gadda in his three hands, and the fourth hand in a Varmudra position. Lord Budh has a golden crown on his head and wears ornaments of yellow flowers and yellow clothes. He is the most intelligent planet of all and he removes all the obstacles of those who worship him. As far as possible he causes no inauspicious events, but rather creates prosperity for everyone.
2. Budh’s Birth
Budh’s mother Tara was married to Brihaspati, but his biological father is Chandra. The story behind the birth of Budh goes as follows: once Chandra decided to perform the greatest of Yagyas, Rajasuya Yagya. Chandra requested the Deva guru Brihaspati to preside as the main priest to perform the Yagya. Due to some reason, Brihaspati could not make it and asked his wife Tara to preside over the Yagya, as the Yagya was progressing. Chandra began to attain a more beautiful form.
His divine beauty kept increasing to such an extent that all the apsaras and including the deva guru’s wife, Tara, began to fall for Chandra’s beauty, Tara returned home pregnant and everybody questioned whose child was in her womb. Tara revealed that the child in her womb is of Chandra, the moon god listening to this Brihaspati, was infuriated and cursed the child that he would be an androgynous being meaning one who is genderless.
3. Budh and his father Chandra
It also explains why Budh is not friendly with the moon in astrology. For this reason, when Budh is conjunct with the moon in the birth chart it is said to disturbing and discriminating. There is a story on how Mercury or Budh became genderless growing up when Budh heard about the story behind his birth and how he was not a legitimate child he grieved for a while about his misfortune. He then decided to leave home and went to the Himalayas to meditate and live there Budh meditated upon lord Narayan and did severe penance to receive his blessings. Having been blessed by Narayan, he grew up to be a wise and handsome man filled with radiance.
One day an apsara descended from the heavens and spotted Budh and fell in love with him. She was ready to give away herself to him. Budh remembering his own story of how such indulgences result in illegitimate children was very firm in his mind that he will not commit the same mistake as his father Chandra. Thus, he turned down Apsara’s proposal.
4. Apsara Cursed Budh
This angered the Apsara and she cursed Budh that he be transformed into a ******. This explained Budh’s role as the go-between one’s emotional, mind and higher mind. He occupies the middle ground. The discriminating practical worldly intellect Budh is often depicted as a deity with green skin holding a mace and a shield in three of his forearms. The ambiguous gender identity of the green skin deity is also in a way reflected in their choice of Vahana, Budh rides a Yaali which is a combination of a beast-like animal with parts of an elephant, lion, horse, and sometimes a bird.
5. Budh’s Intellect
The theme of fluidity and ambiguity is also maintained with Budh’s consort Ela, a gender-fluid goddess who transitions into a man from a woman and vice versa after every month. Mercury or Budh is the planet of intellect and communication. It can be seen in the morning and evening as a shining star following the sun and sometimes even during the day because of its power of radiation.
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system, Budh rules, education, writers, lecturers, artists, teachers, traders, and businessmen. It rules intelligence, speech, self-confidence, humor, wit, astrology, mathematics, and short journeys.