Modern Facts of the Nine Planets

Budhan is emotional, joyful, and artistic and is considered the sport loving prince of the assembly of gods. He is intellectually brilliant and usually comparisons are made with his 1Otdligence. He is supposedly neither a man nor a woman (because of a curse).

Budhan is a picture of beauty wearing an yellow dress; his face has a golden complexion. His mount IS a lion (his flag, too, has a lion). He
displays the usual signs of bravery and power in his four hands. On his right his Adidevata, Vishnu is in all his splendour; on his left, the Pratidevata, Narayana, is with sage Brihu's palm leaf manuscript. Below, on his right, are shown his two zodiac signs--Kanya (Virgo) and Mithuna (Gemini).

Mercury is the messenger of the Roman gods. Snakes entwined 10 his staff protect him. Science knows Mercury as a hot and cold planet with temperatures reaching 427 degrees Centigrade at its equator at high noon and minus 183 degrees at the shaded surface!

According to Hindu mythology, Budhan was born to Moon and Tara (the wife of Brahaspati-Jupiter).

Man/Woman Life

One of the fascinating tales involving Budhan has to do with King Ilan. Any male human or animal that entered Sukumaravanam was transformed into the female of the species. King Ilan, who went of!- a hunt there, duly got changed into a woman, Ilai. Somehow he got Ambika, the originator of the curse, to modify it. So he was alternately man (Ilan) or woman (Ilai) every other month. Budhan (who for this tale was considered to be neither man nor woman) came to this forest and duly fell in love with Ilai.

They live as a man and woman every other month because Ilai changes sex every month! As a result of various prayers Budhan gets a boon and Ilai gets to be a man again all the time.

Budhan is considered to be a reincarnation of Vishnu. He is reputed to have gone to the Himalayas, built his own abode and learnt various arts and holy texts by himself.

He did penance and was rewarded and became one of the planets. it is said that in Varanasi (Benaras), one of the idols he set up is still there!

Muthuswamy Dikshithar, in his Navagraha composition on Budhan, described him as one worshipped by the devas. It is said that devotional prayers to him will grant abilities to become a great poet. He IS associated with great intellect