Navagraha

All About Navagraha

The Hindu texts refer to the Navagraha quite often. You might observe Hindu folklore making special offerings to these Navagraha in order to attain respite from the tough times in their lives.

Through this post I make an attempt to explore what the Navagrahas are and what role they play in human life.

Meaning of the Word

The word Navagraha is a sanskrit word.
Nava or Nav means  the number 9
Graha means Planets

Usage

While speaking Navagraha are most commonly referred to as masculine (male) planetary energies. e.g.:

1) You can pacify the Navagraha by making the offerings ....

2)  Lord Shani might bring you well being .....

Sometimes they are also referred to as simple planetary objects.
e.g.: Shani Graha is not in an optimal position as per your horoscope.

What are the Navagrahas

The 9 planetary forces are mentioned in the tables below.

Name of Graha	Planet	Day of Week attributed
Surya	Sun	Sunday
Chandra	Moon	Monday
Mangal	Mars	Tuesday
Budha	Mercury	Wednesday
Guru / Brihaspati	Jupiter	Thursday
Shukra	Venus	Friday
Shani	Saturn	Saturday
Rahu	North Lunar Node	Saturday
Ketu	South Lunar Node	Tuesday