Everything about Chandra totally explained
» This article is about the Hindu moon deity. For other uses, see Chandra (disambiguation).
In
Hinduism,
Chandra (lit. "shining) is a
lunar deity and a
Graha. Chandra is also identified with the
Vedic Lunar deity Soma (lit. "juice"). The Soma name refers particularly to the juice of sap in the plants and thus makes the Moon the lord of plants and vegetation. He is described as young, beautiful, fair; two-armed and having in his hands a club and a lotus. He rides his
chariot (the
moon) across the sky every night, pulled by ten white horses or an antelope. Although the antelope is the animal most commonly depicted with Him in iconography, the rabbit is also particularly sacred to him and all rabbits are under his protection. He is connected with
dew, and as such, is one of the gods of fertility. He is also called
Rajanipati(lord of the night) and Kshuparaka (one who illuminates the night),
Indu (lit. The bright drop). He as Soma, presides over
Somvar or Monday.
He is the father of
Budha, (planet
Mercury) the mother being
Tara (Taraka). He is also married to
Rohini,
Anuradha and
Bharani, who are the 27
Nakshatras (constellations) and daughters of
Daksha.
Legends
In one legend, Chandra is the son of Rishi
Atri and
Anasuya. In another legend, Chandra is considered the son of the ocean as he was one of the 14 Ratnas (Jewels) that emerged from the ocean during
Samudra manthan. He was gifted,by the
Devas and
Asuras, to God
Shiva, who wears the crescent moon on his head.
Legend has it that Daksha was livid with Chandra for being partial to one of his daughters Rohini and ignoring his other daughters and hence cursed him to lose all his lustre.Chandra then invoked Lord
Shiva at the Prabhas tirth who abated the effect of the curse to the extent that Chandra's powers would wane and wax periodically every 14 days.
(External Link
). Chandra built the
Somnath Temple with gold at Prabhas in honour of Shiva or Somnath(Master of Moon ).
In another story, Chandra is said to have married Twenty Seven of
Daksha's daughters, but favored one (
Rohini) in particular, neglecting his other wives. This angered Daksha who cursed Chandra to wither away and die. The daughters of Daksha intervened and made Chandra's death periodic.
According to the Puranas, Chandra carried
Tara (who was the second wife of Hindu God
Brihaspati, God of planet Jupiter) off, which led to a great war between the
Devas and the
Asuras. Chandra, who was infatuated by her beauty, refused to return Tara back. Ultimately,
Brahma put an end to the war and restored Tara, but she was delivered of a child which she declared to be the son of Chandra, and it was named
Budha (God of Mercury).
Other uses
Chandra is also the word in
Sanskrit,
Hindi and other
Indian languages for
moon. It is the middle name of the Hindu god
Rama. This word is named after Nisha Chandra. Chandra Shekara literally refers to the 'Person who wears the moon' which links to
Lord Shiva in Hindu Mythology. It is directed as both evil and good, as it could mean 'Queen of the Moon' or 'Demon of the moon'. It is also a common Indian name, both male and female.
In astrology
In
Vedic astrology Chandra represents brain and mind, emotions, sensitivity, softness, imagination, queen and mother. Chandra rules over the sign Karka (Cancer), while he's exalted in Vrishabha (Taurus) and in his fall in Vrishchika (Scorpio). The bright moon is considered a benefic of the highest order, while the dark moon is considered a malefic. Chandra is lord of three
nakshatras or lunar mansions:
Rohini,
Hasta and
Shravana. Chandra has the following associations: the color white, the metal silver and the gemstones pearl and moonstone. His element is water, direction is north-west and season is winter. The Food Grain associated with him (One of Nava Dhanyas) is Rice.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chandra'.
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