Navagraha: The Nine Planets in Hinduism, Their Mantras, Days and Gemstones

Navagraha (नवग्रह, “nine grahas”) are the nine celestial deities of Hindu worship and Vedic astrology: Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangala (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), and the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu. Each has a day, colour, gemstone, grain and mantra, and they are worshipped together for balance and well-being.

Most Shiva temples in South India have a small Navagraha shrine where the nine figures stand on a platform, each facing a different direction so that no two look at one another. Devotees walk around it, often nine times, before or after the main darshan.

What “graha” means

Graha comes from the Sanskrit root grah, “to seize” or “to grasp”. A graha is not simply a planet in the modern sense but anything in the sky believed to “take hold” of human life. That is why the list includes the Sun and Moon, which are not planets, and Rahu and Ketu, which are not physical bodies at all but the two points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic — the places where eclipses occur. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, unknown to classical astronomy, are not included.

The nine grahas at a glance

Graha	Planet	Day	Colour	Gemstone	Grain
Surya	Sun	Sunday	Red, copper	Ruby (manikya)	Wheat
Chandra	Moon	Monday	White	Pearl (moti)	Rice
Mangala	Mars	Tuesday	Red	Red coral (moonga)	Toor dal (red gram)
Budha	Mercury	Wednesday	Green	Emerald (panna)	Moong (green gram)
Brihaspati	Jupiter	Thursday	Yellow	Yellow sapphire (pukhraj)	Chana (Bengal gram)
Shukra	Venus	Friday	White	Diamond (heera)	White beans
Shani	Saturn	Saturday	Black, dark blue	Blue sapphire (neelam)	Black sesame
Rahu	North lunar node	—	Smoky, dark	Hessonite (gomed)	Urad (black gram)
Ketu	South lunar node	—	Grey, multicoloured	Cat’s eye (lehsunia)	Horse gram (kulthi)

The grains together are the navadhanya, offered in Navagraha puja; the gems together form the navaratna. The exact grain and colour for Shukra, Rahu and Ketu vary between regional traditions.

Who each graha is

• Surya — the Sun, source of life, light and authority; son of Kashyapa and Aditi. He rides a chariot of seven horses. See the Surya mantra.
• Chandra — the Moon, ruler of the mind and emotions, who waxes and wanes because of Daksha’s curse. See the Chandra mantra.
• Mangala — Mars, associated with courage, land and energy; in many accounts a son of Bhumi, the Earth. See the Mangal mantra.
• Budha — Mercury, son of Chandra, governing intellect, speech and trade. Its mantra is the Budh mantra.
• Brihaspati — Jupiter, the guru of the gods, giver of wisdom and dharma. His mantra is the Guru Brihaspati mantra.
• Shukra — Venus, guru of the asuras, associated with beauty, comfort and art. His mantra is the Shukra mantra.
• Shani — Saturn, son of Surya and Chhaya, the slow, strict teacher of discipline and karma. See the Shani mantra.
• Rahu — the head of the asura Svarbhanu, who drank the nectar of immortality at the churning of the ocean and was beheaded by Vishnu’s discus. See the Rahu mantra.
• Ketu — the headless body of the same asura, linked to detachment and liberation. Its mantra is the Ketu mantra.

The story of Rahu and Ketu is told in the account of the Samudra Manthan: because the Sun and Moon exposed Svarbhanu, Rahu is said to “swallow” them during eclipses.

Navagraha Stotra

The most widely recited prayer to all nine is the Navagraha Stotra traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa. Its first verse, to the Sun, is:

Japākusuma saṅkāśaṁ kāśyapeyaṁ mahādyutim | Tamorim sarvapāpaghnaṁ praṇato’smi divākaram ||

“I bow to Divakara, the Sun, radiant like the hibiscus flower, son of Kashyapa, of great brilliance, enemy of darkness and destroyer of all sins.”

There is one verse for each graha, and a closing verse (phala-shruti) on the benefits of recitation. A simple alternative is to chant “Om Suryaya Namah”, “Om Chandraya Namah” and so on for all nine, using the names in the table above. Many people recite it 108 times on a mala on the graha’s weekday.

How the Navagraha are worshipped

1. At a temple shrine. Walk around the Navagraha platform clockwise, usually nine times, and offer a lamp of sesame oil (especially on Saturdays for Shani).
2. On the graha’s day. Many people honour one graha on its weekday: fasting or wearing white for Chandra on Mondays, yellow and chana dal offerings for Guru on Thursdays.
3. Navagraha puja at home. Arrange nine small heaps of the navadhanya on a cloth, with a lamp, flowers and a kalash. Chant the stotra or each graha’s mantra.
4. Navagraha Shanti. A fuller homa performed by priests, often during Griha Pravesh, weddings, or when a horoscope is believed to show a difficult period.

The nine Navagraha temples of Tamil Nadu

Near Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur region stands a famous circuit of nine temples, each dedicated to one graha (most are Shiva temples where the graha has a special shrine). Pilgrims often visit all nine in one or two days.

Graha	Temple	Place
Surya	Suryanar Kovil	Near Aduthurai
Chandra	Kailasanathar Temple	Thingalur
Mangala	Vaitheeswaran Koil	Near Sirkazhi
Budha	Swetharanyeswarar Temple	Thiruvenkadu
Guru	Apatsahayesvarar Temple	Alangudi
Shukra	Agniswarar Temple	Kanjanur
Shani	Dharbaranyeswarar Temple	Thirunallar (Karaikal)
Rahu	Naganathaswamy Temple	Thirunageswaram
Ketu	Naganathaswamy Temple	Keezhperumpallam

A balanced view of astrology

In Jyotisha, the positions of the grahas at birth are read as signs of tendencies and periods in a person’s life. Many families consult astrologers before weddings and other major events, and gemstone and mantra “remedies” are popular. These are matters of faith and tradition: there is no scientific evidence that planetary positions shape personality or events, and expensive gemstones are not required for devotion. The Gita’s teaching on karma — that one’s own actions shape one’s life — sits at the heart of how many teachers frame graha worship: as a prompt for steadiness and right effort rather than fear.