Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( sa, नव "nine") and ''graha'' ( sa, ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). Note that the Earth, Uranus,

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

and Pluto are excluded from the Navagraha,. However, the Sun is part of the Navagraha. In astrology, the term ''planet'' originally applied only to the five planets visible to the naked eye and excluded Earth. The term was later broadened, particularly in the Middle Ages, to include the sun and the moon (sometimes referred to as "lights"), making a total of seven planets. The seven days of the week in the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

also correspond with the

seven classical planets In classical antiquity, the seven classical planets or seven luminaries are the seven moving astronomical objects in the sky visible to the naked eye: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The word ''planet'' comes from ...

, and are named accordingly in most languages of the Indian subcontinent. Most Hindu temples around the world have a designated place dedicated to Navagraha worship.

Planets, celestial bodies and lunar nodes

Carnatic music

Muthuswami Dikshitar, a Carnatic music composer from southern India composed the

Navagraha Kritis The Navagraha Kritis are a set of nine songs composed by Muttuswāmi Dīkshitar, a great composer of Carnātic Music (Classical music of South India). Each song is a prayer to one of the nine Navagrahās ("planets" of Hindu mythology). The so ...

in praise of the nine ''grahas''. Each song is a prayer to one of the nine planets. The

sahitya Sahitya literally means literature in Sanskrit. It is also used to refer to the lyrics of a Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South ...

(lyrics) of the songs reflect a profound knowledge of the mantra and

jyotisha Jyotisha or Jyotishya (from Sanskrit ', from ' “light, heavenly body" and ''ish'' - from Isvara or God) is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. It is one ...

sastras.

Notes

Hindu astronomy Technical factors of Hindu astrology {{Myth-stub

Planets, celestial bodies and lunar nodes

Carnatic music

See also

Notes