Grāhaka's Name and Nature

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namaste
　
I wrote on a different post:

sura सुर- divinity , deity ; also a symbol for 33 - as we know of the 33 devatā; also the Sun (surya)
sūra सूर - a wise or learned man; at its root sū is an inciter; this too (sūra) is considered the Sun, sūrya. This name is also of Kuntī ( due to her marriage to the Sun).
surā सुरा- is to distill and is not connected with devatā-s.

Perhaps looking at each grāhaka's¹ name may yield some insights into their nature:

Sun or sūrya सूर्य
sūra is the sun. If we consider it as sūra+ ya it is the sun (sūra) + mover (ya). This su means excellent , right , virtuous , beautiful , rightly , much , greatly , easily , willingly , quickly, to go and to move. It also means to possess supremacy, as the Sun is Supreme amongst the graha-s.
Yet what of sū सू? It means to grant or bestow. What is on this earth that is not bestowed by the Sun?

Since we have considered su as easy, beautiful, excellent, much, etc. We can apply it ( some what) to the śukra.

Venus or śukra शुक्र
śukra means bright , resplendent , clean, pure; it is also the essence of anything and associated with ojas¹, semen and the 'seed' of animals.
Śukra is śu + kra. Śu means quickly , swiftly + kra ( or kāra) which is making , doing , working , a maker , doer.
Hence śukra, the one that is bright, and a swift mover ( in the sky). Yet śukra is also associated with beauty from su, one of the verbal roots mentioned before.

Some other words that sometimes are associated with ( but are not) śukra.

• sukara means easy, easy to be done .
• śūkāra - that act of startling

Since we are talking of brightness, lets extend this to the moon.

Moon or candra चन्द्र
candra चन्द्र- glittering, shining; having the brilliancy or hue; a lovely or agreeable phenomenon of any kind. Note that 'ca' is pronounced cha like in church. This ca means pure. It also means moving to and fro.
We see this applies to the moon, as its purity ( white) that waxes and wanes ( moves to and fro) from new moon (amāvāsya) to full moon (pūrnīmā)¹ .

Some times people consider candra as caṇḍī (Chandi or caNDi) चण्डि.
This caṇḍī is defined as a passionate woman; also a female attendant of durgā¹ (some call umā). Yet can चन् ( recall 'ca' is pronounced 'cha') is rooted in 'kan' which means to shine, as this brings up back to candra चन्द्र- glittering, shining. Yet this 'kan' also means to please, delight, to enjoy and to be satisfied with.

The moon is associated with mother , the one who delights, nurtures, pleases. And the moon is associated with mind and emotions
that looks to be delighted and become pleased.

Lets stop here and do a few more names in the next post.

praṇām

words

• grāhaka ग्राहक- one who seizes or takes captive ; from grāha ग्रह- seizing , laying hold of , holding i.e. a grāhaka ~seizes~ or influences the circumstances of the native. This is done via the tattva they manage and control.
• ojas ओजस्- bodily strength , vigor , energy , ability , power; splendor, luster
• More on new moon and full moon here on this HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3354
• durgā is also known as durgatināśinī or durgati+nā+śinī - the one that removes (na) the race (śinī) from misfortune , distress , poverty (durgati)

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namaste

Jupiter or bṛhaspati बृहस्पति also known ( more popularly) as guru गुरु
bṛhaspati bṛ́has-páti बृहस्पति bráhmanas-páti - lord of prayer , chief offerer of prayer and yajya (worship). We may also see this written as vṛhhaspati where the bṛh and vṛh sound is quite close.

He is brahmaṇas-pati as mentioned, 'lord of prayer or devotion' . He is the chief offerer of prayers and sacrifices , and therefore represents the brahmin order; also the purohita (appointed, one holding a charge or commission ) of the devatā with whom he intercedes for men, just as brahmin-s (possessing sacred knowledge).
Yet we know Jupiter too as guru. Guru गुरु is defined as heavy , weighty , great , large. We know from astronomy that Jupiter is the largest planet. It also infers the importance of the one with substantial knowledge.

We know that guru also is the spiritual teacher, preceptor, respectable, wise, realized and knowledgeable. Some like to look at guru as gu + ru. This 'gu' is rooted in 'ga' - to go after, to pursue. It also means to come into any state or condition. So we can see the connection to guru - the one to pursue, but he/she is the one that leads the individual to that state ( the pursuit) or condition of mokṣa¹. This 'ga' also means a path, and to come to an end…the end is mokṣa.

Now what of this 'ru' ? It is to make a sound, to roar, also to sing, even to hum. This 'ru' also means to break to pieces, to shatter.
We now can see that this 'ru' is to shatter ignorance - some say shatter the ego or the small self ( i or me).


praṇām


words
mokṣa मोक्ष - emancipation , liberation , release from worldly (mundane) existence

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namaste

Saturn or śanaiscara, śani शनि
Consider śanaiscara :
This śanais शनैस् means quietly , softly , gently , gradually. So we have śanais as gradually, softly + cara चर moving, walking , wondering. Hence śani is considered śanaye kramati sa - the one possessing or containing ~ with the attribute~ (sa) who moves or preceeds ( krama) slowly (śani), quietly (śanais).

We know it takes śani some 29.7 years to make one complete trip around sūrya, his father - hence the slow moving one. From this we can deduce he owns the last day of the week ( slowest or arriving last).
He is high in patience, as patience comes with time and steadiness. This patience and steadiness gives way to being deliberate and purposeful. From this we can also see perseverance in difficult times. From this steadiness, one can groom devotion (bhakti).

Many fear śani for the wrong reasons (IMHO). More on śanaiscara at this hdf post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2941

praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namaste

Mars or maṅgal मण्गल् or maṅgala मङ्गल
Verbally rooted in maṅg meaning happiness , felicity , welfare, bliss; maṅgala is anything auspicious or tending to a lucky issue.

This maṅgala is also another name for agni. And another name for agni found in the the ṛg veda 1.1.6 is añgiras¹ which is flaming or glowing.
With this flaming or glowing ( heat, fire, luminosity) Mars is also called aṅgāraka अङ्गारक. This is heated (glowing) charcoal.
Mars is also known as kuja कुज- 'ku' कु is earth + 'ja' ज which means connected to or belonging to; Hence kuja कुज - born of the earth, or son of the earth.

Mars is also considered skanda स्कन्द the General of the devatā. He is the son of śiva and leads the army against the enemies of the devatā;
What I find interesting (too) is skanda is another name of Sanatkumāra¹ ('always a youth'). Some say it differently, that Sanatkumāra is a Skanda, but we can leave that for a different time.


Skanda is he who attacks the enemy of ignorance (the knots of the heart). It is he ( says the Chāndogya Upaniṣad) that brought wisdom and insight to Nārada.


praṇām


words

• Sanatkumāra सनत्कुमार - one of the 4 sons of brahmā ; sanat + kumāra; sanat = 'ever' + kumāra - 'a boy, youth' .
• aṅgiras - a noun for agni; We also know aṅgiras as a ṛṣi , author of many hymns in the ṛg veda; he is said by some to have been born from brahmā's mouth , and to have been the husband of smṛti , of śraddhā , of two daughters of maitreya , of several daughters of dakṣa.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namaste

Mercury or budha बुध
budha means intelligent , clever , wise , it means awaking. Budha is considered the son of soma (moon). If budha is the son of soma, he then can be called :

• saumya सौम्य- 'resembling the moon' i.e. placid , gentle , mild
• saumāyana सौमायन - which is sauma or belonging or related to soma + ayana which is going, path, way. Hence saumāyana is belonging to the pathway of soma i.e. budha.

Some write budha as buddha बुद्ध. This buddha means awakened or awake. Yet we are now talking of the Buddha (circa 500 BC), a fully enlightened man who has achieved perfect knowledge of the truth and thereby liberated. Many know of him as Gautama, yet this is the race ( gotra¹ - lineage) to which his family belonged. His father ( as I understand it and read) was śuddhodana, of the śākya family , being the rāja of that district , and his mother , māyā-devī , being the daughter of rāja su-prabuddha. Siddhārtha Gautama belonged to the kṣatriya caste¹. Siddhārtha Gautama's original name was śākya-muni (sage of the śākya-s) or śākya-siṃha ( or lion of the śākya-s) hence śākya was his family name as I look to my reference material¹.


The point to be made is budha (Mercury) has this quality of wakefulness, intelligence, wisdom ~awaking~ that fully blossomed in the buddha , Siddhārtha Gautama, śākya-muni.

If we look at budha (Mercury) we see 'bud'. This 'bud' बुद् is to perceive, learn. And 'budh' बुध् is to perceive, notice, learn , understand , become or be aware of or acquainted with. We can see how Mercury then is an integral part of learning and expansion as it is the fundamental quality found in learning i.e. perception and awareness.


praṇām

words

• gotra गोत्र- family , race , lineage from the root trai protection or shelter for cows , cow-pen , cow-shed , stable for cattle , stable
• reference book - M.Monier-Williams Reference Dictionary 2002 edition; additional reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namaste


ketu केतु and rahu राहु - the two lunar nodes ( south and north)

ketu केतु
is the decending node (south) ; ketu means bright appearance , clearness , brightness 'rays of light' ; intellect , judgement , discernment .
How is it associated with intellect? Because the word is rooted in cit चित् to perceive , fix the mind upon , attend to , be attentive , observe , take notice of.
Ketu is the kāraka� of mokṣa, liberator from the world. That is, he has no head - no mind for worldly pursuits i.e. non-attachment.
Ketu is a kāraka of intelligence, non-attachment, keen and deep insights, psychic abilities. When ketu is blemished, then derangement is possible.

rāhu राहु
is the ascending note ( north); rahu means 'the seizer' ; What does he seize? The luminaries during an eclipse.
rāhu is rooted in rabh रभ्- to desire vehemently to act rashly ; we will see this as we define rāhu's kāraka traits.
Rāhu is a kāraka or indicator of worldly activities i.e. fame, greed, manipulation, obsessive-compulsive behavior.
When rāhu is blemished then one may endure mass disease, dementia and inertia. Because of rāhu's compulsiveness rahu is known for its instance of actions and effects, randomness, uncontrolled growth, actions without wisdom or understanding. This is where one finds troubles, 'why did I do that!' or ' I don't believe what just occurred'.

It is said when rāhu's influences are used the right way, Rāhu can be instrumental in strengthening one's power and converting even the strongest enemy ( and traits) into a friend.

Now there is a story in the purāṇa-s� of rāhu drinking amṛta� ( nectar for immortality) at the Churning of the Ocean - called samudra manthan�.
This story can be found in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. The question for us is comprehension and wisdom ( or symbolism , saṃketa) the story offers. Perhaps we can address this at a different time.

praṇām

words

• kāraka कारक- as a noun - 'instrumental in bringing about the action' ; in general , making or doing. In this conversation it is the grāhaka� ( the ~planet~) as one who produces, creates or influences a condition to unfold. Sanjay Rath is sympathetic to the notion of influences vs. directly controls on how the graha-s function.
• samudra manthan:
  • samudra समुद्र(ocean or sea) - "gathering together of waters " , " the aerial waters " , " atmospheric ocean or sky"
  • manthan or mantha मन्थ- churning or stirring.
• amṛta अमृत(some write amrita) - immortal , imperishable; world of immortality , heaven , eternity i.e. final emancipation
• purāṇa पुराण- belonging to ancient or olden times , ancient , old : there are considered 18 principle purāṇas grouped in 3 divisions:
  
  • rājasa, exalting brahmā
  • sāttvika, exalting viṣṇu
  • tāmasa, exalting śiva
• saṃketa संकेत- a hint , allusion , preconcerted sign or signal or gesture

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

Namaste

We have reviewed the 9 grāhaka above.
Yet what of this word grāhaka? We have these definitions:

• grāhaka ग्राहक - one who seizes or takes captive from;
• grāha ग्रह- seizing , laying hold of , holding i.e. a grāhaka ~seizes~ or influences the circumstances of the native. This is done via the tattva they manage and control.
• grāha ग्राह - a rapacious animal living in fresh or sea water; any large fish or marine animal i.e. crocodile, shark, serpent, alligator, or hippopotamus
• gṛhya गृह्य- 'seizing by' ;

Yet this word graha ग्रह is another name for the seizer (eclipser) rāhu ; it also is a name for nine, indicating the 9 ~plants~. This word can be used for anyting seized i.e. ones spoils , accumluations or as pirates used to call it 'booty', from their seizing other ships.

It is also a name for a crocodile (grāha). Why so? what does a crocodile do? it graps or seizes (gṛhya�) its prey, or grasps for its defense.
The key to this conversation is found in the root in grah ग्रह् to be grasped or taken; that of the grāhaka-s influence or the clutches ( gṛhya - seizing ) of the crocodile, shark, serpent, or alligator.


praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

Namaste

lagna लग्न ( the 'a' sounds like the a in 'but' , hense lugna) is the ascendent.
The word lagna means adhered , adhering or clinging to , attached to , sticking or remaining in , fixed on , intent on , clasping , touching , following closely.

So what is this 'attached to' ? It is that moment when something is born ( a person, an event, a thing) and the zodiacal location/position on the eastern horizon. That is, the point of contact or intersection point where the horizon intersects the ecliptic (the path of the planets).
The lagna of this event - my typing this sentence occurred at 10� 36' 38" Cancer. This was its birth on the 3rd of June at 9:12 AM i.e. it is attached to this time and astronomical location.

Now the lagna is also the whole sign this event occurs in.In the example just given, the specical location was given e.g. 10� 36' 38" Cancer. Yet the sign (rāśi) of Cancer is now considered the 1st house (bhava).

Lagna लग्न can also mean the following:

• one who has entered on a course of action
• meeting, intersecting , cutting consumed by
• immediately ensuing
• a moment or time fixed upon as auspicious (lucky) for beginning an action
• a bard or minstrel who awakes the king in the morning

praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
namaste

　

Perhaps looking at each grāhaka's name may yield some insights into their nature:

Sun or sūrya सूर्य
sūra is the sun. If we consider it as sūra+ ya it is the sun (sūra) + mover (ya). This su means excellent , right , virtuous , beautiful , rightly , much , greatly , easily , willingly , quickly, to go and to move. It also means to possess supremacy, as the Sun is Supreme amongst the graha-s.
Yet what of sū सू? It means to grant or bestow. What is on this earth that is not bestowed by the Sun?

Since we have considered su as easy,beautiful, excellent, much, etc.

I thought to add just a few more ideas to this post. I have mentioned 'su' above. I take note that sura = divinity. Just as a+sura = not divinity, as the asura-s regarded as the children of diti. From sura we arrive again at sūrya. Yet there is more to digest here.

Sura no doubt is divinity but also a form of fire. We get here via su + ra. We know some of the definitions of 'su' from above, yet we add in 'ra'. This 'ra' is fire/heat. We see then su+ra is that which grants and bestows (su) heat/fire (ra) - the sun. It is also worth mentioning that surāṇāṃ is the son of tapas. How many posts have we connected tapa with fire, to one's practice ? This is a most noble alignment of tapas to sura = sūrya , as the sun is the natural kāraka of ātman. And one way to ātman is via tapas.

There is more to this as we need to see how savitṛ, sāvitrī and possibly sāraḥ may fit into this point of view. We will take a look in the next post.

iti śivaṁ

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
namaste

There is more to this as we need to see how savitṛ, sāvitrī and possibly sāraḥ may fit into this point of view

What is the difference between between savitṛ & sūrya ? Some say savitṛ is the divine influence and vivifying power of the sun , while sūrya is more of the concrete entity we visually see. It would be mis-leading to call the planet sun 'graha' , as the sun is the ambassador of the idea of 'graha' - that which binds or holds.

We know of savitṛ's praise found in our gāyatrī hymm. Sāvitrī is a decendent of savitṛ�. When in masculine format (sāvitr�) we once again find it connected to agni ('ra' from the post above). Wherein we are informed sūrya is in the heavens and on earth we have him as agni. Hence many of the homa-s and havan-s are agni-centric as essentially all comes from the sun and returns to the sun. The homa-s are sun-centric at its core as the sun is repsonsible for all.

But what of this notion of sāraḥ ? It is sā +ra . We find that sā is rooted √ in san which = giving , bestowing , granting. We have seen this definition from the post above for 'sa'. We know 'ra' is connected with fire/heat and therefore agni.
Yet it is a interesting thing that sāraḥ has a few meanings… one that fits is 'the essence or marrow of anything'. It applies nicely to both savitṛ and sūrya - as they are the essence of all that exists not only on this earth, but within creation. Nothing can exist without energy (sakti) and Being (savitṛ or śiva).

I also take note of some interesting names…such as sarasvatī and that if sūrat (some spell sūrata). We can see the influence of sa+ ra and sū + ra . It clearly suggests by deduction these phonemes (syllables of saṃskṛta�) are connected with the sun, savitṛ, and agni.

We know of sarasvatī as that devatā of eloquence and learning, knowledge & wisdom. She is also connected with well formed speech.
Sūrata - means calm, tranquil. well disposed towards , compassionate .
These qualities then must be connected with the fundamental values of savitṛ & sūrya and agni.

A wealth of information comes to us when we look at sarasvatī like this: sa+ra+sva+tī and as sa+ras+vatī. And if we look at sūrata in these two formats: sū+rata and sū+ra+ta. We will address these if there is interest.

Yet there is something that is not discussed and is rarely known by most. That sūrya is connected with the sūrya nāḍī within us, and this is connected to gaṅgā (sometimes mentioned as jahnāvyā) , connected to knowledge (j�āna) and the veda, and connected to yaj�opavīta� or sacred thread. We find the connection with savitṛ to j�āna to the sacred thread.
How is this so ?
　

iti śivaṁ

words
　

• savitṛ - some say the sun before rising is called savitṛ , and after rising till its setting sūrya ;
• saṃskṛta - refined , adorned , ornamented , polished , highly elaborated; applied to highly wrought speech - the language of saṃskṛt
• yaj�opavīta worn by the twice-borns; the sacred thread is worn over the left shoulder and hanging down under the right ,
  yet changes from right to left for specific rituals. It too goes by a few names:
  • upanayan-saṃskāra - upanaya = initiation, bringing near ; the ceremony to install the thread onto the person ( a male).
  • yāgasūtra - the thread
  • vītasūtra - the thread
  • upavīta can be the thread and / or the process that installs the thread on the person for the 1st time.