| Brihaspati | |
|---|---|
Guru of the Devas God of Jupiter | |
| Member ofNavagraha | |
 Depiction of Brihaspati from the 1842 bookThe Complete Hindoo Pantheon by E. A. Rodrigues | |
| Devanagari | बृहस्पति |
| Affiliation | Deva,Navagraha |
| Abode | Svarga |
| Planet | Jupiter |
| Mantra | Om Brihaspataye Namaha |
| Day | Thursday |
| Color | Yellow |
| Number | Three (3) |
| Mount | chariot drawn by eight white horses |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort | Subhal,Tara,[1] Mammata |
| Children | Bhanumati, Raka, Archishmati, Mahamati, Mahishmati, Sinivali and Habishmati from SubhaKesari, Kushadhvaja,Kacha, another 4 sons and Romashaa from Tara;Bharadvaja and Revati from Mammata |
Brihaspati (Sanskrit:बृहस्पति,IAST:Bṛhaspati) is aHindu god. In the ancientVedic scriptures, Brihaspati is associated withfire, and the word also refers to a god who counsels thedevas anddevis (gods and goddesses).[2][3][4] In some later texts, the word refers to the largest planet of theSolar System,Jupiter, and the deity is associated with the planet as aNavagraha.[2][5]
Brihaspati appears in theRigveda (pre-1000 BCE), such as in the dedications to him in the hymn 50 of Book 4;[6] he is described as a sage born from the first great light, the one who drove away darkness, is bright and pure, and carries a special bow whose string isRta or "cosmic order" (basis ofdharma).[5][7] His knowledge and character is revered, and he is consideredGuru (teacher) by all theDevas.[2] In the Vedic literature and other ancient texts, sage Brihaspati is also called by other names such as Bramanaspati, Purohita, Angirasa (son ofAngiras) andVyasa;[3] he is sometimes identified with godAgni (fire). His wife isTara (or goddess who personifies the stars in the sky).[5]
The reverence for sage Brihaspati endured through the medieval period, and one of the manyDharmasastras was named after him.[8][9][10] While the manuscripts ofBrihaspati Smriti (Bṛhaspatismṛti) have not survived into the modern era, its verses were cited in other Indian texts. Scholars have made an effort to extract these cited verses, thus creating a modern reconstruction of Bṛhaspatismriti.[11] Jolly and Aiyangar have gathered some 2,400 verses of the lost Bṛhaspatismṛti text in this manner.[11] Brihaspati Smriti was likely a larger and more comprehensive text thanManusmriti,[11] and the available evidence suggests that the discussion of the judicial process and jurisprudence in Brihaspati Smriti was often cited.[12][13]
Brihaspati sutras, also called theBarhaspatya sutras, is an ancient Sanskrit text named after its author Brihaspati, known for its theories of materialism and anti-theism.[14][15] Its tenets are at the foundation of theCharvaka school of non-orthodox Indian philosophy.[16][17]
Some older scholars suggest thatBrihaspati sutras were named after the Brihaspati in the Vedas in order to accord the texts greater credibility, but other scholars dispute this theory because the text rejects the Vedic gods.[18]
Brihaspati as a planet (Jupiter) appears in various Hindu astronomical texts inSanskrit, such as the 5th centuryAryabhatiya byAryabhata, the 6th centuryRomaka by Latadeva andPanca Siddhantika by Varahamihira, the 7th centuryKhandakhadyaka by Brahmagupta and the 8th centurySisyadhivrddida by Lalla.[19] These texts present Brihaspati as one of the planets and estimate the characteristics of the respective planetary motion.[19] Other texts such asSurya Siddhanta dated to have been complete sometime between the 5th century and 10th century present their chapters on various planets with deity mythologies.[19]
The manuscripts of these texts exist in slightly different versions, present Brihaspati's motion in the skies, but vary in their data, suggesting that the text were open and revised over their lives.[20] The texts slightly disagree in their data, in their measurements of Brihaspati's revolutions, apogee, epicycles, nodal longitudes, orbital inclination, and other parameters.[21][22] For example, bothKhandakhadyaka andSurya Siddhanta of Varaha state that Brihaspati completes 364,220 revolutions every 4,320,000 earth years, an Epicycle of Apsis as 32 degrees, and had an apogee (aphelia) of 160 degrees in 499 CE; while another manuscript ofSurya Siddhanta accepts the revolutions to be 364,220, but revises the apogee to 171 degrees and 16 seconds and the Epicycle slightly.[23]
The 1st millennium CE Hindu scholars had estimated the time it took for sidereal revolutions of each planet including Brihaspati, from their astronomical studies, with slightly different results:[24]
| Source | Estimated time per sidereal revolution[24] |
| Surya Siddhanta | 4,332 days, 7 hours, 41 minutes, 44.4 seconds |
| Ptolemy | 4,332 days, 18 hours, 9 minutes, 10.5 seconds |
| Siddhanta Shiromani | 4,332 days, 5 hours, 45 minutes, 43.7 seconds |
| 20th century calculations | 4,332 days, 14 hours, 2 minutes, 8.6 seconds |
In medieval mythologies particularly those associated withHindu astrology, Brihaspati has a second meaning and refers toJupiter.[5][2] It became the root of the word 'Brihaspativara' orThursday in the Hindu calendar.[5] Brihaspati as Jupiter is part of theNavagraha in the Hindu zodiac system, considered auspicious and benevolent. The word "Thursday" in the Greco-Roman and other Indo-European calendars is also dedicated to the planet Jupiter (god of sky and thunder).[25][26][27] Their zodiac signs being nearly identical.
Jyotisha is Hindu astrology, which entails concept ofNakshatra (see alsoList of Natchathara temples),Navagraha (see alsoList of Navagraha temples andSaptarishi included in thelist of Hindu deities whosededicated temples are found at variousHindu pilgrimage sites to which Hindus take pilgrimageyatra. One of the most famous temples of Brihaspati is situated in Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu State.[citation needed])
The icon of Brihaspati makes his body golden, with his legs striped blue and his head covered with a halo of moon and stars.[3] He holds different items depending on the region. In parts of South Asia he holds a container containing soma, sometimes with a tamedtiger.[3] Elsewhere, his icon carries astick, alotus andbeads.[28][full citation needed] Brihaspati was married to Tara. In some medieval mythologies, Tara was abducted byChandra with whom she bore a son,Budha (Mercury).[29]
Thursday is considered to be the dedicated day for Brihaspati. According to Hindu mythology, praying to Brihaspati on Thursday provides astrological benefits.[30]
Quote: These atheistical doctrines existed from the earliest times as their traces are visible even in the Rigveda in some hymns of which Prof Max Muller pointed out the curious traces of an incipient scepticism. (...) Two things are therefore clear that the Brihaspatya tenets also called Charvaka tenets are of a very old standing..."
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