SURYA: The Sun-god (Aditya), celebrated even in the Rgvedic hymns, has been worshipped for health and prosperity since very ancient times. He is personified in a human form with four hands, holding a lotus in one, and with another holding the reins of his seven-horsed chariot. The remaining two hands make the abhaya and vara mudra respectively. Books on astrology describe him as a brahmana or Kshatriya by caste, born in the Kalinga country and red-complexioned. The dhyana shloka of Surya too describes him as red-complexioned (rakta-varna), and youthful.
CHANDRA: Moon, the planet (satellite) is celebrated as the child of the ocean, lord of plants, source of cool, nectar-like rays of light (sudhanshu), and one of the twin visible representatives of divinity (the other being the sun). The crescent moon adorns his forehead, as illustrated here.
The Padma-purana (Svarga-khnada) contains an account of Chandra having married the twenty-seven daughters of Daksha, but was exclusively in love with one of them, Rohini. Incensed by the complaint of his other daughters, Daksha cursed Chandra to be afflicted with consumptive disease (kshaya). Later, the curse was modified that during one fortnight in the month, he would wane and during the other wax.
An account in the Kashi-khanda tells of Chandra having performed a penance in Avimukta-kshetra, for which Shiva rewarded him with a place on his own head. Shiva thenceforth came to be known as Chandra-shekhara.
He is shown here with four arms riding a deer. Three of his hands hold a lotus, trident and discuss (chakra) respectively. The fourth makes the vara mudra.
MANGAL: The planet Mars (Mangala), after whom Tuesday is named in India, is one of the nine planets extensively worshipped. He rides a goat, and frequents forests. He is especially powerful during afternoons. He is fond of bitter or pungent taste. He resides in the southern direction; he belongs to the warrior-caste (kshatriya), and his personality is dominated by tamo-guna. He is worshipped for the elimination of diseases and for getting rid of indebtness. He is four-armed, Three of his hands carry the mace, trident, and a noose respectively. the fourth makes the vara mudra.
BUDDHA: The fourth in the group of nine grahas, Buddha (Mercury) is sometimes known as 'the lord of the planets' (grahapati). He is the son of Chandra and Tara. He was once transformed into a woman when he entered the forbidden kumara-vana; hence he is called 'stri-graha' (feminine planet). He is auspicious and pacific in nature. He is yellow in complexion. He is four-armed and carries a trident, a piece of cloth and a lotus in three of them. The fourth makes the vara mudra. He rides upon a lion.
BRIHASPATI: Also known as Guru (Jupiter), he is reputed as the preceptor of the gods. He is represented with four hands, in which he carries a mace, conch-shell, and piece of cloth respectively. The fourth makes the boon-granting gesture. His body color is given as golden-yellow, and he rides an elephant.
SHUKRA: He is regarded as the preceptor of the demons (asuras), even as Brihaspati is of the gods. He is four-armed. In his hands are seen a lotus, mace and the gestures of boon-granting and fearlessness respectively. He rides upon a horse.
SHANI: He is the son of Surya and chayya (sun and shadow). He represents the tamoguna. He is valorous in nature, and is said to be cruel (krura-drishti). He is four-armed. In his hands are seen a mace, lotus and the gestures of fearlessness and boon-granting.
KETU: Ketu is regarded as the body of another planet, Rahu. It is generally malefic in its influence. Three of his hands hold a mace, sickle and a severed head respectively. The fourth makes the gesture of boon-granting. He rides a serpent.
RAHU: Meaning 'the seizer', Rahu is so called because he is believed to be responsible for the eclipse of the sun and the moon, and is described as the beginning of an occultation or obscuration.
Rahu disguised himself as a god, when Vishnu as Mohini was distributing nectar (soma) to the gods on the occasion of the churning of the milky ocean (samudra-manthana). He received the nectar from Vishnu's hands and was sipping it, when Surya and Chandra (sun and moon) saw through his guile and revealed his identity to Vishnu. Vishnu at once cut off Rahu's head. But the nectar having reached the neck made the head immortal, and his head flew into the atmosphere and remained there as a planet. (Bhagvata, 8,9).
Another account makes Rahu assume the form of a serpent and lick the drops of nectar that had fallen on the grass. When Vishnu severed his head with his discuss, the head became known as Rahu and the tail Ketu.
The image of Rahu consists mainly of a severed head, surmounting a half-moo, and riding upon a lion.
This description by Nitin Kumar, Executive Editor, Exotic India.
References:
Rao, S.K. Ramachandra. Navagraha-Kosha (2 vols.), Bangalore: Kalpatharu Research Academy, 1995.
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