Garga Jyotishī

Garga, simply known as Garga, Sanskrit: गर्ग, Telugu: గర్గుడు, Hindi: गर्ग.

Garga has other meanings too: see all meanings of Garga.

Garga Jyotishī is an astronomer-ṛshi who appears at the wedding of Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī in the Pārvatī Khaṇḍa of the Śiva Purāṇa. He announces the pāṇigrahaṇa muhūrta. This is the exact auspicious moment for Bhagavān Śiva to take Pārvatī’s hand in the wedding rite.

At the wedding of Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī

The time came for the wedding at the palace of Himavān. All the first rites were done. Pārvatī had been dressed in divine garments and jewels, and Bhagavān Śiva had entered the antaḥpura (the inner rooms of the palace). Viśvakarman had built the wedding maṇḍapa (hall) on a vast scale, and it was full of the assembled devas, ṛshis and divine beings.

The pāṇigrahaṇa (taking of the hand) is the central act of a Vedic wedding. The groom takes the bride’s hand with sacred Vedic mantras, and this joins them as husband and wife. For this act to fall at the most auspicious time, the muhūrta (the exact moment) had to be fixed by the highest authority in jyotisha (the science of the stars and time).

Garga Jyotishī was the one called to do this. He is named as the foremost master of astronomical calculation among those present. He worked out the position of the stars and planets and the tithi (lunar day). Then he announced the exact pāṇigrahaṇa muhūrta for the wedding of Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī.

After his announcement, Bhagavān Śiva took Pārvatī’s hand with the proper Vedic mantras. The moment of their union was fixed by jyotisha, even though this was the wedding of Parameśvara.

Sources

• Śiva Purāṇa, Pārvatī Khaṇḍa (Rudra Saṃhitā), Chapter 47