Talk:Candra
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Candra literally means ‘one who delights or shines’.
Candra as per Ṛgveda[edit]
- The deity who presides over the moon is called ‘Soma,’ ‘Indu’ or ‘Candra’. The entire ninth maṇḍala of the Ṛgveda is devoted to his praise.
- He is the presiding deity of the soma creeper.
- The juice of this creeper is often used in sacrifices as oblation and also partaken by the participants.
- Sometimes he is identified with the Supreme God.
- He is said to cure the mortals of their diseases and lead them to immortal blissful worlds.
- He rules over the mind and activates our speech. Hence he is sometimes called ‘Vācaspati’ or the ‘Lord of speech'.
- The Puruṣasukta of the Ṛgveda declares that Candra was born out of the mind of the Supreme Being.
Candra as per Mythology[edit]
- In the mythological literature, his birth is described variously as the embodiment of the brilliant light that emerged from the eyes of the sage Atri, as the son of Dharma-prajāpati or as rising out of the ocean of milk when it was being churned.
- Śiva wore him as his diadem.
- The 27 constellations of stars like Rohiṇī are described as his wives.
- His waxing and waning are due to a curse he got from his father-in-law, Dakṣa.
- His eclipse is due to his being swallowed by the demon Rāhu.
- He has special power over the vegetation on this earth.
- He is full of amṛta or nectar. That is why the gods drink him.
- He is replenished by the offerings in the sacrifices.
- He is the originator of the Candravamśa or the Lunar dynasty of which Śrī Kṛṣṇa was the last member.
Candra as per Astrology[edit]
Works on astrology consider him as one of the Navagrahas or nine planets, with a beneficial influence.
Iconographic representation of Candra[edit]
Iconographically, he is represented with a face and two hands holding lotuses, sitting in a chariot of two or three wheels and drawn by ten horses.
Candra as per Yoga and Tantra[edit]
In the works on Yoga and tantras, Candra is described as the ‘moon of mystery,’ full of nectar, existing just below the middle of the sahasrāra. By contemplating on him the yogi becomes fit to be adored by the world. Connection between the phases of the moon and the condition of mental patients has long been recognized by the works on health and sickness.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore