Navagraha Kosa (In Two Volumes)

The ideology of the nine Plantetary deities (The Nava-Grahas) is an important one in our country. All the rituals, daily and occasional involve the propitiation of these Grahas. The volumes include all the available texts relating to the worship of the planetary deities. Mainly it includes texts of Navagraha Puja Vidhi and Graha Yoga Paddhati excepts from Popular texts like Mantra Mahodadhi and from rare texts like Vaikhanasa agama Khiladhikara and Bhrigu Samhita relating to the worship of the Nava Grahas especially of Surya.

Vidyalankara Sastra Chudamini Sangita Kalaratna Professor Saligrama Krishna Ramchandra Rao is a well known scholar who combines traditional learning with modern research. Well versed in Sanskrit Pali, Ardhmagadhi and acquainted with Tibetan and some European languages he has written extensively on Vedanta Buddhism, Janism Indian Culturem art and literature. He has written more than sixty books in Kannada a play in Sanskrit and a Pali commentary on a Buddhist classic. Among his numerous English publications are three vols. Of encyclopedia of India Iconography Tibetan Tantrik Traditional and Tibetan Meditation consciousness in Advaita and a series of six books on India temples origins of Indian thought.

The ideology of the nine planetary deities (the Nava-Grahas) is an important one in our country. All the rituals daily and occasional involve the propitiation of these Grahas. It was therefore thought desirable that the Kalpatharu Research Academy should take up the study on Navagrahas and to bring out a Visva Kosa on these Grahas. When Daivajna Sri K.N. Somayaji suggested that a research programme may be planned on the subject the requested me to undertake its preparation I readily agreed for this work as it would be useful to many.

I thank him for the opportunity and assistance be provided me to prepare this volume. Not being familiar with Astrology, I have mostly confined my attention to the details found in religious philosophical iconographic and general works in Sanskrit.

I have suggested to the Academy that a separate work may be planned to cover the Astrological aspects of the planets and their influence in the subsequent volumes.

The illustrations in the volume include some line drawings from a medieval scroll prepared by one of the palace artists of the court of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III; I am grateful to the great grandson of this artist Sri. Y.V. Subrahmanya Raju the well known painter for permission to reproduce them there are also some drawings included here prepared by the staff of the Art Design Centre (all India handicrafts and design development centre) Bangalore: I acknowledge the kind courtesy of the director of the center.

I am grateful to my friends at Indian books center Delhi for bringing out this second edition of the book.

This is a sequel to the first volume which dealt with the ideology of the nine planetary deities in the Indian context. The present volume is more practical in purpose it presents all the available texts relating to the worship of the planetary deities. Principally it includes Navagraha-puja-Vidhi (the text of the which was collected and prepared for the press by Dr. S.R.N. Murthy formerly of the Geological Survey of India) and Graha Yaga Paddhati as prevalent in south India. An illustrated account as well as propitiation of the sun god widely in practice in our country is also appended. Included here besides the surya upanisads and stotras of the grahas are excerpts from popular texts like Mantra Mahodadhi and from rare texts like Vaikha-nasa-agama Khiladhikara and Bhrgu-samhita relating to the worship of the nava grahas especially of surya.

I am thankful to Indian books center for bringing out this second edition of the book.