Mercury - Budha

Mercury - Budha

Budha is the adulterous son of the Moon by Tārā, wife of Jupiter.

He married Ilā who was the daughter of Manu. Manu was childless and arranged for a yajña to be performed for obtaining a son, but the priest got the mantras wrong and a daughter was born.

Mitra and Varuṇa performed a sex-change and Ilā became a boy who was named Sudyumna. Under a curse of Śiva, Sudyumna again became a woman and married Budha.

Later on she was again transformed by Vishnu into a male and had 3 sons.

Another version of the story has Ilā (Iḍā) as the eldest son of Manu who trespassed upon a grove sacred to Lord Shiva and under a curse was transformed into a woman. Due to his friends supplications Śiva and Pārvatī agreed for him to be male one month and female the next.

Mercury rules the intellect and communication skills. He rides upon a lion and holds a mace (gadā), sword (khaḍga) and a shield (Kheṭaka) and shows the Varadā- mudra or Abhayā-mudra.

The day related to Mercury is Wednesday, while the gemstone related to Mercury is emerald. Mercury rules number 5 in Indian numerology.

Budha – Mercury bīja mantra:

ॐ ब्रां ब्रीं ब्रों सः बुधाय नमः

oṁ brāṁ brīṁ broṁ saḥ budhāya namaḥ

Vedic mantra for Budha:

प्रियंगुकलिकाश्यामं रुपेणाप्रतिमं बुधम् सौम्यं सौम्यगुणोपेतं तं बुधं प्रणमाम्यहम्

priyaṁgukalikāśyāmaṁ rupeṇāpratimaṁ budham

saumyaṁ saumyaguṇopetaṁ taṁ budhaṁ praṇamāmyaham

I bow to Budha (Mercury), who is dark and black, like no other in form and appearance and is very intelligent and wise, being the son of Soma and endowed with sweet and pleasing auspicious qualities.