Navagraha: The Nine Grahas

Sun, Moon, five planets and the shadow grahas Rahu and Ketu, with Vyasa's hymn

The Navagraha are the nine 'grahas' honoured in Hindu tradition: Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, and the two lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu. They give their names to the weekdays, are worshipped together in temple shrines, and are invoked through hymns such as the Navagraha Stotram attributed to Vyasa.

Navagraha: The Nine Grahas — Navagraha panel, Bihar, 10th century, San Diego Museum of Art; photo by Daderot, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons) Wikimedia Commons

Who the Navagraha are

Graha does not quite mean 'planet'. The Sanskrit word comes from a root meaning 'to seize' or 'to grasp', and a graha is something that takes hold of, or influences, life on earth. The nine grahas are the Sun and Moon, the five planets visible to the naked eye (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn), and Rahu and Ketu, which are not physical bodies at all but the two points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's. Eclipses happen at these points, and so Rahu and Ketu are called chhaya grahas, 'shadow grahas'.

In devotional tradition each graha is a deity with a form, a vehicle, a colour and a story. In Jyotisha, the traditional astrology, their positions at birth and their movements through the sky are read as influences on a person's life. Families often perform Navagraha puja or graha-shanti at weddings, griha pravesh and other samskaras so that all nine are honoured. Here we present this as the tradition understands it: an act of reverence and prayer, not a forecast.

The nine grahas

The seven grahas from the Sun to Saturn give their names to the days of the week, from Ravivar to Shanivar. Rahu and Ketu have no weekday of their own.

Surya (Sun): Ravi, Aditya. Sunday. Soul, vitality and kingship in tradition; at the centre of the Navagraha mandapa.
Chandra (Moon): Soma. Monday. Mind and emotion; worn on Shiva's crown.
Mangala (Mars): Bhauma, Kuja, 'son of the Earth'. Tuesday. Courage and energy; shown red, holding a spear.
Budha (Mercury): Saumya. Wednesday. Intellect and speech; son of the Moon in Puranic genealogy.
Brihaspati / Guru (Jupiter): Thursday. Teacher of the devas; wisdom, dharma and blessings in tradition.
Shukra (Venus): Bhargava. Friday. Teacher of the asuras, master of the Sanjivani lore; arts, beauty and comfort.
Shani (Saturn): Shanaishchara, 'the slow mover'. Saturday. Son of Surya and Chhaya; discipline, justice and karma.
Rahu: A chhaya graha (shadow planet): the Moon's ascending node, where eclipses happen. Shown as a severed head.
Ketu: A chhaya graha: the Moon's descending node. Shown as a headless body with a serpent's tail.

Rahu, Ketu and the churning of the ocean

The best-known story of Rahu and Ketu comes from the Puranic account of the churning of the ocean of milk (Samudra Manthan). When the amrita, the nectar of immortality, emerged, Vishnu in the form of Mohini began serving it to the gods. The asura Svarbhanu disguised himself and slipped in among them, but the Sun and the Moon recognised him. Before the nectar could pass his throat, Vishnu severed his head with the Sudarshana chakra. Having tasted amrita, both parts lived on: the head as Rahu and the body as Ketu. Their enmity with the Sun and Moon is the traditional explanation of eclipses, when Rahu is said to 'swallow' them for a while.

The Navagraha Stotram preserves this picture: Rahu is 'half-bodied' and 'the crusher of the Moon and Sun', born of Simhika, Svarbhanu's mother.

The Navagraha Stotram

The most widely recited hymn to the nine grahas is the Navagraha Stotram that begins 'Japakusuma sankasham'. Its closing lines name Vyasa as its author. It has one verse for each graha, in the traditional order Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu and Ketu, and each verse paints a short portrait: the colour, the parentage and the role of that graha. Many devotees recite it daily, or on the weekday of a particular graha. The text below follows the edition on sanskritdocuments.org.

जपाकुसुमसंकाशं काश्यपेयं महाद्युतिम् । तमोऽरिं सर्वपापघ्नं प्रणतोऽस्मि दिवाकरम् ॥ १॥
japākusumasaṃkāśaṃ kāśyapeyaṃ mahādyutim | tamo'riṃ sarvapāpaghnaṃ praṇato'smi divākaram || 1 ||
Meaning: Surya (Sun): I bow to Divakara, the maker of day, red like the japa (hibiscus) flower, son of Kashyapa, of great radiance, enemy of darkness and destroyer of all sins.
दधिशङ्खतुषाराभं क्षीरोदार्णवसंभवम् । नमामि शशिनं सोमं शम्भोर्मुकुटभूषणम् ॥ २॥
dadhiśaṅkhatuṣārābhaṃ kṣīrodārṇavasaṃbhavam | namāmi śaśinaṃ somaṃ śambhor mukuṭabhūṣaṇam || 2 ||
Meaning: Chandra (Moon): I bow to Soma, the hare-marked Moon, white as curd, conch and frost, born of the ocean of milk, the ornament on Shambhu's crown.
धरणीगर्भसंभूतं विद्युत्कान्तिसमप्रभम् । कुमारं शक्तिहस्तं तं मङ्गलं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥ ३॥
dharaṇīgarbhasaṃbhūtaṃ vidyutkāntisamaprabham | kumāraṃ śaktihastaṃ taṃ maṅgalaṃ praṇamāmy aham || 3 ||
Meaning: Mangala (Mars): I bow to Mangala, born from the womb of the Earth, shining like lightning, the youth who holds a spear.
प्रियङ्गुकलिकाश्यामं रूपेणाप्रतिमं बुधम् । सौम्यं सौम्यगुणोपेतं तं बुधं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥ ४॥
priyaṅgukalikāśyāmaṃ rūpeṇāpratimaṃ budham | saumyaṃ saumyaguṇopetaṃ taṃ budhaṃ praṇamāmy aham || 4 ||
Meaning: Budha (Mercury): I bow to Budha, dark like the bud of the priyangu, of matchless beauty, gentle and endowed with gentle qualities.
देवानां च ऋषीणां च गुरुं काञ्चनसंनिभम् । बुद्धिभूतं त्रिलोकेशं तं नमामि बृहस्पतिम् ॥ ५॥
devānāṃ ca ṛṣīṇāṃ ca guruṃ kāñcanasaṃnibham | buddhibhūtaṃ trilokeśaṃ taṃ namāmi bṛhaspatim || 5 ||
Meaning: Brihaspati (Jupiter): I bow to Brihaspati, teacher of the gods and the sages, golden in hue, wisdom itself, lord of the three worlds.
हिमकुन्दमृणालाभं दैत्यानां परमं गुरुम् । सर्वशास्त्रप्रवक्तारं भार्गवं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥ ६॥
himakundamṛṇālābhaṃ daityānāṃ paramaṃ gurum | sarvaśāstrapravaktāraṃ bhārgavaṃ praṇamāmy aham || 6 ||
Meaning: Shukra (Venus): I bow to Bhargava (Shukra), white as snow, jasmine and lotus fibre, supreme teacher of the Daityas, expounder of all the shastras.
नीलांजनसमाभासं रविपुत्रं यमाग्रजम् । छायामार्तण्डसंभूतं तं नमामि शनैश्चरम् ॥ ७॥
nīlāñjanasamābhāsaṃ raviputraṃ yamāgrajam | chāyāmārtaṇḍasaṃbhūtaṃ taṃ namāmi śanaiścaram || 7 ||
Meaning: Shani (Saturn): I bow to Shanaishchara, the slow-moving one, dark as blue-black collyrium, son of Ravi and elder brother of Yama, born of Chhaya and the Sun.
अर्धकायं महावीर्यं चन्द्रादित्यविमर्दनम् । सिंहिकागर्भसंभूतं तं राहुं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥ ८॥
ardhakāyaṃ mahāvīryaṃ candrādityavimardanam | siṃhikāgarbhasaṃbhūtaṃ taṃ rāhuṃ praṇamāmy aham || 8 ||
Meaning: Rahu: I bow to Rahu, who has half a body, of great might, who eclipses the Moon and the Sun, born from the womb of Simhika.
पलाशपुष्पसंकाशं तारकाग्रहमस्तकम् । रौद्रं रौद्रात्मकं घोरं तं केतुं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥ ९॥
palāśapuṣpasaṃkāśaṃ tārakāgrahamastakam | raudraṃ raudrātmakaṃ ghoraṃ taṃ ketuṃ praṇamāmy aham || 9 ||
Meaning: Ketu: I bow to Ketu, red like the palash flower, the head among stars and planets, fierce, of fierce nature and awe-inspiring.
इति व्यासमुखोद्गीतं यः पठेत्सुसमाहितः । दिवा वा यदि वा रात्रौ विघ्नशान्तिर्भविष्यति ॥ १०॥
iti vyāsamukhodgītaṃ yaḥ paṭhet susamāhitaḥ | divā vā yadi vā rātrau vighnaśāntir bhaviṣyati || 10 ||
Meaning: Phalashruti: Whoever recites with a collected mind this hymn sung by Vyasa, by day or by night, will find obstacles calmed. (This is the hymn's own traditional statement of its merit.)

A morning prayer to the grahas

Another verse loved in many homes appears in the Vamana Purana as part of a morning prayer (suprabhatam). It asks the three great gods and the grahas from the Sun to Saturn to make the day begin well. Many families recite it on waking.

ब्रह्मा मुरारिस्त्रिपुरान्तकारी भानुः शशी भूमिसुतो बुधश्च। गुरुश्च शुक्रः सह भानुजेन कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम्।। १४.२३
brahmā murāris tripurāntakārī bhānuḥ śaśī bhūmisuto budhaś ca | guruś ca śukraḥ saha bhānujena kurvantu sarve mama suprabhātam || 14.23 ||
Meaning: May Brahma, Murari (Vishnu) and the destroyer of Tripura (Shiva), the Sun, the Moon, the son of the Earth (Mars) and Mercury, Jupiter and Venus together with the son of the Sun (Saturn), all make my morning auspicious. (Vamana Purana 14.23)

Navagraha in temples

Most temples in India, especially Shiva temples, have a Navagraha shrine. In the common arrangement, Surya stands at the centre with the other eight around him, each facing a different direction so that no two grahas face each other. Devotees walk around the shrine clockwise, usually nine times, and offer lamps, flowers or grains. In many South Indian Shaiva temples the nine stand instead in a single row facing the main sanctum.

The Kaveri delta of Tamil Nadu has a celebrated circuit of nine temples within about 100 km of Kumbakonam, each associated with one graha. Pilgrims often visit all nine in a single journey. The present stone structures of these temples largely date from the medieval Chola period.

History: from the Vedas to the nine

Scholars trace the Navagraha as a group to a gradual development. The Rigveda and Atharvaveda honour the Sun, the Moon and the stars, but do not name a set of nine planetary deities. The Chandogya Upanishad mentions Rahu in connection with eclipses. The five planets and the seven-day week became established in Indian astronomy in the early centuries CE, a period of contact with Hellenistic and Babylonian astronomy, and by around the 8th–9th century CE Rahu and Ketu were firmly established as shadow grahas. Carved Navagraha panels from medieval India, such as the 10th-century Bihar panel pictured here, show all nine as a set of deities.

For this puja and path

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Questions pilgrims ask

What are the names of the Navagraha?

Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangala (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Brihaspati or Guru (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu.

Which is the Navagraha mantra?

The best-known is the Navagraha Stotram beginning 'Japakusuma sankasham kashyapeyam mahadyutim', attributed to Vyasa, with one verse per graha. The full Sanskrit text with meaning is given above.

Are Rahu and Ketu real planets?

No. They are the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the Sun's apparent path, where eclipses occur. Tradition calls them chhaya grahas, shadow grahas.

How should Navagraha be circumambulated in a temple?

Devotees usually walk clockwise around the Navagraha shrine, often nine times, offering a lamp or flowers. Local temple custom may differ, so follow the priest's guidance.

Which day is for which graha?

Sunday for Surya, Monday for Chandra, Tuesday for Mangala, Wednesday for Budha, Thursday for Brihaspati, Friday for Shukra and Saturday for Shani. Rahu and Ketu have no weekday.

Sources

Last researched: 2026-10-29

Navagraha: The Nine Grahas

✺Who the Navagraha are

✺The nine grahas

✺Rahu, Ketu and the churning of the ocean

✺The Navagraha Stotram

✺A morning prayer to the grahas

✺Navagraha in temples

✺History: from the Vedas to the nine