Talk:Bṛhaspati
Bṛhaspati literally means ‘Lord of prayer’.
Bṛhaspati is a name that is often mentioned in the scriptures right from the Ṛgveda to the purāṇas and the dharmaśāstras. There are several Bṛhaspatis which are divine and human.
Bṛhaspati as per Ṛgveda[edit]
In the Ṛgveda, he is described as the Lord of prayers and is identified with Brahmaṇaspati.[1] He is considered as a devatā or a god. Gaṇapati is the later paurāṇic deity said to have his origin in Bṛhaspati-Brahmaṇaspati.
Bṛhaspati as per Purāṇas[edit]
During the period of the epics and the purāṇas he is described as a sage Bṛhaspati, the son of Aṅgīrasa. He was highly learned man with wisdom and an expertise in the performance of rituals. All the gods under the leadership of Devendra chose him as their guru or preceptor. Śukrācārya, the preceptor of the asuras or demons was his rival. Tārā was his wife. His son was Budha. Budha is one of the planets. He has many exploits attributed to him such as:
- Saving the worlds by assuming the form of Agni or fire
- Saving the honor of Śacīdevī, the consort of Devendra, from being forced by the king Nahuṣa
- Surreptitiously acquiring the knowledge of the rejuvenation of the dead through his son Kaca
- Misleading the asuras when Śukrācārya was away
- etc.
Bṛhaspati as a Deity of Planet Jupitor[edit]
Bṛhaspati is the presiding deity of the planet called Guru or Jupiter. He gives beneficial results. In the works on iconography he is described as:
- A minor deity with splendid appearance
- With rosary or with four arms
- Carrying a daṇḍa (staff) and a kamaṇḍalu (water-pot)
- Seated on a chariot drawn by eight horses
Bṛhaspati as an Atheist[edit]
Sometimes, Bṛhaspati is mentioned as the originator of atheism. This may have been based on the myth of him once disguising himself as Śukrācārya and teaching atheism and materialism to the asuras to mislead them!
Bṛhaspati as a Writer[edit]
There is one more Bṛhaspati, the writer of a dharmaśāstra, or arthaśāstra. Kauṭilya (300 B.C.) has quoted several verses from his work. He has compressed the work on dharma, artha and kāma composed originally by Brahmā into 3000 chapters.
Bṛhaspati as per the Mahābhārata[edit]
The Mahābhārata also gives a hint of Bṛhaspati. The Vanaparva of the Mahābhārata speaks of a work called Brhaspatiniti. This Bṛhaspati is said to have advised the kings about the acquisition of only two vidyās
- Vartā - Agriculture, trade and commerce
- Daṇḍanīti - Statecraft including the laws governing crime and punishment as also the science of war
References[edit]
- ↑ Ṛgveda 2.23.1
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore