Birth of Aṅgāraka

When Śiva decided to end Daksha’s yajña, a drop of his anger-sweat fell from his forehead to the earth. A terrible being came from the drop. Śiva calmed it and made it the first of the grahas, Aṅgāraka, the son of the Earth. He took the form of the planet Mars and is also called Bhaumya. The account is told in a talk between Śukrācārya and Virocana.

Śiva’s anger at Daksha’s yajña

At Daksha’s great yajña, Śiva decided to put an end to it. His anger blazed with the force of the whole world. In that great fury a single drop of sweat (sveda) fell from his forehead. It was no ordinary drop. It was tapas and tejas gathered together, the overflow of the most terrible divine energy.

The terrible being born of sweat

The drop fell to the earth. It pierced the seven pātālas one after another and then threatened to burn up the seven oceans. A being took form from it. It had many faces and many eyes, blazed like a thousand fires, and was horrible to see. With its many mouths it began to threaten all three worlds. All creation was in danger of being swallowed up. Seeing this, Śiva himself came forward to hold the being back.

Śiva gives the form of a graha

Śiva calmed the being and said to it: “You will bring peace and happiness to all. You will be the first (ādya) among all the grahas. Humans who are made glad by you will be satisfied. You will be known in the world as Aṅgāraka, the son of the Earth (Bhūmī-bidda). Your second form will live in the devaloka. Those who worship you on the caturthī (the fourth tithi) that falls on Maṅgalavāra (Tuesday) will gain unfailing āyus (long life), ārogya (health) and aiśvarya (wealth).”

When Śiva had spoken, the being grew calm. It took a form of its own choosing (kāmarūpa) and became a graha, the planet Mars.

The talk between Śukrācārya and Virocana

This account is told inside a talk between Śukrācārya and Virocana, the son of Prahlāda. Virocana saw a bright young man and laughed in wonder. The youth, the being linked with Aṅgāraka’s form, asked why he was laughing. Virocana described the great radiance he saw. He said: “Once a Śūdra who worshipped you was born as a rākshasa in another birth, through the power of your vrata (vow). Such is your tejas.”

Virocana was curious and asked Śukra to describe the vrata in full. Śukra then described the Aṅgāraka-caturthī vrata.

• It is kept when the caturthī tithi falls on Maṅgalavāra (Tuesday).
• One bathes with mṛttikā (earth) and wears a padmarāga maṇi (ruby).
• One faces north and chants:

āgnirmūrdhā divaḥ

• One does pūjā to the auspicious (maṅgala) form of Aṅgāraka with red flowers, red cloth and arghya (water offering) of red sandal water.
• One gives to a worthy brāhmaṇa a bull (kāpila), a pair of cows (go-mithuna), all household vessels, a silk bed (kauśeyaka śayyā) and other things, together with a golden image of Aṅgāraka.

If one keeps this vrata for eight Tuesdays (Aṅgārakāshṭaka), it gives beauty (rūpa), good fortune (saubhāgya) and bhakti towards Vishṇu or Śiva, birth after birth.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛshṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 24