Navagraha Homa
Navagraha Homa · nava-graha homa, “the fire offering to the nine grahas”
The Navagraha Homa is the fire offering (homa) to the nine grahas (the nine planetary devatās). It is given in Chapter 164 of the Agni Purāṇa, as Pushkara taught it to Paraśurāma. The chapter names the nine grahas. For each graha it gives the mūrti (image), the metal of the image, the samidh (sacrificial wood), the havis (oblation), the food for the officiating brāhmaṇas and the dakshiṇā (gift). The Purāṇa says that the rise and fall of kings, and the creation, keeping and dissolving of the world, are all ruled by the nine grahas. So they are always worthy of pūjā.
In a later chapter Parameśvara, Bhagavān Śiva, teaching the śānti of the Aghorāstra, gives the graha-pūjā again: Ravi (the Sun) is placed in the middle and Candra and the other grahas in the eastern and other directions, and by this pūjā all the grahas give the gain that comes from the eleventh house (Chapter 321).
The nine grahas and why they are given pūjā
The nine grahas are Sūrya, Candra, Kuja (Maṅgala), Budha, Bṛhaspati (Guru), Śukra, Śani, Rāhu and Ketu.
Graha-pūjā must begin for anyone who:
- seeks Lakshmī (prosperity),
- wants śānti (peace and good fortune),
- seeks srishṭi (creation),
- seeks āyurdā (long life) or pushṭi (nourishment),
- or is about to begin an abhicāra rite, a rite against an enemy.
The Agni Purāṇa says that a person on whom a particular graha stands in a bad place, such as an inauspicious bhāva (dashṭa-sthānādi), should please that graha through this homa.
Brahmā himself gave a vara to these grahas: “Whoever worships you, them shall you worship and protect.”
Image materials and forms
The mūrtis of the nine grahas are made from these metals and materials.
| Graha | Material of the image |
|---|---|
| Sūrya | Tāmra (copper) |
| Candra | Sphaṭika (rock crystal) |
| Kuja | Rakta-candana (red sandalwood) |
| Budha | Svarṇa (gold) |
| Bṛhaspati | Svarṇa (gold) |
| Śukra | Rajata (silver) |
| Śani | Āyasa (iron) |
| Rāhu | Sīsa (lead) |
| Ketu | Sīsa (lead) |
The images may also be painted in the colour of each graha and placed on gandha-maṇḍalas (fragrant diagrams), or simply given pūjā on painted diagrams. Garments, flowers, fragrances and balis that match the colour of each graha are offered. Gugguḷu-dhūpa (incense of guggula resin) is given to all.
The Vedic mantra of each graha
The Agni Purāṇa gives the Vedic mantra for each graha for the homa. The opening words are these.
| Graha | Mantra (opening words) |
|---|---|
| Sūrya | “Ākṛshṇena…” |
| Candra | “Imaṃ de…” |
| Kuja | “Agni-r-mūrdhā devaḥ kakut…” |
| Budha | “Udbuddhasva…” |
| Bṛhaspati | “Bṛhaspate iti yadaryaḥ…” |
| Śukra | “Annāt-sruta…” |
| Śani | “Anno devī…” |
| Rāhu | “Kāṇḍāt…” |
| Ketu | “Ketuṃ kṛṇvannimaṃ…” |
The openings, read in full: Ā kṛshṇena (Sūrya), Imaṃ devā (Candra), Agnir mūrdhā divaḥ kakut (Kuja), Udbudhyasva (Budha), Bṛhaspate ati yad aryaḥ (Bṛhaspati), Annāt parisrutaḥ (Śukra), Śaṃ no devī (Śani), Kāṇḍāt (Rāhu) and Ketuṃ kṛṇvann (Ketu). To each graha a caru, a cooked oblation, is offered with its own mantra.
Samidhas: the sacred wood of each graha
Each graha is pleased with its own sacrificial wood.
| Graha | Samidh |
|---|---|
| Sūrya | Ārka (Calotropis gigantea) |
| Candra | Palāśa (Butea monosperma) |
| Kuja | Khadira (Acacia catechu) |
| Budha | Apāmārga (Achyranthes aspera) |
| Bṛhaspati | Pippala (sacred fig, Ficus religiosa) |
| Śukra | Udumbara (cluster fig, Ficus racemosa) |
| Śani | Śamī (Prosopis cineraria) |
| Rāhu | Dūrvā (Bermuda grass) |
| Ketu | Kuśa (Desmostachya bipinnata) |
For each graha, one hundred and eight or one hundred and twenty samidhas are offered, together with honey (madhu), ghee (ājya) and curd (dadhi).
Food for the officiating brāhmaṇas
Food is offered to the brāhmaṇas who stand for each graha.
| Graha | Food offered |
|---|---|
| Sūrya | Bella-annam (rice cooked with jaggery) |
| Candra | Pāyasam (milk rice pudding) |
| Kuja | Havishyam (simple pure grain) |
| Budha | Kshīra-shashṭika (shashṭika rice cooked in milk) |
| Bṛhaspati | Dadhyodanam (curd rice) |
| Śukra | Havis (clarified offering) |
| Śani | Āpūpam (sesame cakes) |
| Rāhu | Māṃsam (meat) |
| Ketu | Citrānnam (mixed rice preparation) |
The brāhmaṇas are to be honoured according to one’s śakti (means) and yathā-lābha (what one has).
Dakshiṇā for each graha
These are the gifts to be given to please each graha.
| Graha | Dakshiṇā |
|---|---|
| Sūrya | Dhenu (cow) |
| Candra | Śaṅkha (conch) |
| Kuja | Ṛshabha (bull) |
| Budha | Svarṇa (gold) |
| Bṛhaspati | Vastra (garment) |
| Śukra | Aśva (horse) |
| Śani | Kapi-dhenu (a brown cow) |
| Rāhu | Meka (goat) |
| Ketu | Not named in the text |
The graha maṇḍala in Chapter 167
Chapter 167 gives the graha-pūjā in a longer form, for the great graha-yajña with fire, in the ayuta, laksha or koṭi homas. Here the nine grahas are installed on a maṇḍala to the north-east of the homa-kuṇḍa. Their places are:
- Guru (Jupiter): north
- Budha (Mercury): north-east
- Śukra (Venus): east
- Candra (Moon): south-east
- Kuja (Mars): south
- Sūrya (Sun): centre
- Śani (Saturn): west
- Rāhu: south-west
- Ketu: north-west
Along with the grahas, the adhidevatās and pratyadhidevatās of each graha are given pūjā with Vedic bīja-aksharas (seed syllables).
The role of the grahas in the world and in human life
The Agni Purāṇa says: “The rise and fall of kings is ruled by the grahas. The creation (srishṭi) and dissolution (laya) of the world also depend upon the grahas. Therefore the grahas are always worthy of pūjā (graha-mānu cāci pūjiṃpadaginavāre).”
The graha who stands in a bad place for a particular person is the one to be pleased. By doing so, a person turns away the bad effect and gains the grace of that graha. The vara of Brahmā stands behind every graha: they protect and nourish those who offer pūjā to them.
Graha-pūjā in the Aghorāstra śānti (Chapter 321)
In the śānti-kalpa of the Aghorāstra, Parameśvara teaches that the Astra-yāga, which gives every siddhi, is done first in all rites. Then comes the graha-pūjā:
- Ravi (the Sun) is placed in the middle.
- Candra and the other grahas are placed in the eastern and the other directions, in order.
- By this graha-pūjā all the grahas give the fruit of gain (lābha) that comes from the eleventh house (ekādaśa-sthāna).
In the same teaching, ten thousand homas remove the graha-doshas, the faults that come from the grahas.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 321
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 164, 167, 321