Story Of Budh (Planet Mercury) - The Third Navagraha

Navagraha are the nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. This video will narrate to you the various aspects and stories associated with the third of the Navagraha, Buddha. To know more about the other planets of Navagraha, watch the playlist linked in the comments below. Buddha is the Navagraha deity that rules the planet which is closest to the sun in the solar system, the Mercury. Wednesday, also known as Buddhavar, is dedicated to this planet. Buddha or Mercury is depicted having four hands, bearing a sword, a thal, a gada in his three hands and the fourth hand in a varamudra position. Lord Buddha 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. Buddha's mother, Tara, was married to Brihaspati but the biological father of Buddha is Chandra. The story behind the birth of Buddha goes as follows. Once Chandra decided to perform the greatest of Yagyas, Rajasuya Yagya. Chandra requested the Devaguru, 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 Devaguru'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. It also explains why Buddha is not friendly with the moon in astrology. For this reason, when Buddha is conjunct with moon in the birth chart is said to be disturbing and discriminating. There is a story on how Mercury or Buddha became genderless. Growing up, when Buddha 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. Buddha meditated upon Lord Narayana and did severe penance to receive his blessings. Having been blessed by Narayana, he grew up to be a wise and handsome man filled with radiance. One day, an Apsara descended from the heavens and spotted Buddha and fell in love with him. She was ready to give away herself to him. Buddha, 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 the Apsara's proposal. This angered the Apsara and she cursed Buddha that he would be transformed into a eunuch. This explained Buddha's role as the go-between one's emotional mind and higher mind. He occupies the middle ground, the discriminating, practical, worldly intellect. Buddha is often depicted as a deity with green skin, holding a mace, a shield, in three of his four arms. The ambiguous gender identity of the green-skinned deity is also in a way reflected in their choice of vahana. Buddha rides a yali, which is a combination of a beast-like animal with parts of an elephant, lion, horse and sometimes a bird. The theme of fluidity and ambiguity is also maintained with Buddha's consort, Ila, a gender-fluid goddess who transitions into a man from a woman and vice-versa after every month. Mercury or Buddha 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 of our solar system. Buddha rules education, writers, lecturers, artists, teachers, traders and businessmen. It rules intelligence, speech, self-confidence, humor, wit, astrology, mathematics and short journeys.