| Mangala | |
|---|---|
God of the planet Mars[1] | |
| Member ofNavagraha | |
 Mangala riding on his mountram | |
| Devanagari | मंगल |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Mangala |
| Affiliation | Graha,Deva,Vaishnavism |
| Abode | Mangalaloka |
| Planet | Mars |
| Mantra | Om Mangala Devaya Namah |
| Day | Tuesday |
| Colour | Red |
| Number | 9, 18, and 27 |
| Mount | Ram |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort | Jwalini[2][3] |
Mangala (Sanskrit:मङ्गल,IAST:Maṅgala) is the personification, as well as the name for the planetMars, inHindu literature.[4] Also known asLohita (lit. 'the red one'),[5] he is the deity of anger, aggression, as well as war.[4] According toVaishnavism, he is the son ofBhumi, the earth goddess, andVishnu, born when the latter raised her from the depths of the primordial waters in hisVaraha avatar.[4][6] According toShaivism, he was born from the godShiva through a drop of his blood or sweat.[7]
Mars (Mangala) is also called:
He is painted red or flame colour, four-armed, carrying a trident (Sanskrit:trishūla),mace (Sanskrit:gadā), lotus (Sanskrit:Padma), and a spear (Sanskrit:shūla). His mount (Sanskrit:vahana) is a ram. He presides overTuesday.[10]
Mangala appears in the narrative of the Varaha avatar of Vishnu. When the king of theasuras,Hiranyaksha, abducts the goddess of the earth, Bhumi, Vishnu assumes his third avatar, and descends upon the earth to rescue her. Observing that the asura had dragged her deep within theprimordial waters, he catches the goddess with his tusks, and successfully slays the asura, restoring her to her rightful place in the cosmos. As she rises, Vishnu realises that Bhumi is, in fact, an aspect of his consort,Lakshmi,[11] and proceeds to sport with her, and from this union is born Mangala, meaning the auspicious one.[12]
According toShaivism, once whenShiva was engrossed in meditation on Mount Kailash, three drops of perspiration from his forehead fell on Earth. From those drops was born a beautiful infant with a reddish complexion and four arms. Shiva handed the child to Mother Earth for upbringing. Brought up by Bhumi, the child was named Bhauma.[13]
The wordMangala is ancient, first appearing in theRigveda (2nd millennium BCE), and mentioned by grammarian Patanjali (~2nd century BCE), but not as an astrological term, rather to mean "auspicious-successful" (siddha) structure in literary arts. Panini too mentions it in verse I.3.1 in a similar context.[14] In theVedic texts, states Christopher Minkowski, there is no mention of auspicious rituals, or auspicious start or timing of a ritual, rather the "mangala" as auspicious practices likely emerged in the Indian traditions during the medieval era (after mid 1st millennium CE), thereafter found in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.[15] The ritualisticMimamsa school of Hinduism did not include anymangala (auspicious) verses, related to plane "Mangala" in any of its text throughout the 1st millennium CE.[15]
TheMarkandeya Purana contains the astrologicalMangala Kavacha Stotram, which includes a prayer to be recited to Mangala for seeking protection.[16]
Jyotisha, the tradition of Hindu astrology, includes Mangala in the concept ofNakshatra (see alsoList of Nakshathra temples),Navagraha (see alsoList of Navagraha temples), andSaptarishi. He is included in thelist of Hindu deities, whosededicated temples are found at variousHindu pilgrimage sites, to which Hindus perform their pilgrimage, calledyatra.
Mangala, as a planet, 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 byBrahmagupta and the 8th centurySisyadhivrddida by Lalla.[17] These texts present Mangala as one of the planets and estimate the characteristics of the respective planetary motion.[17] 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.[17]
The manuscripts of these texts exist in slightly different versions, present Mangala's motion in the skies, but vary in their data, suggesting that the text were open and revised over their lives.[18][19][20]
The 1st millennium CE Hindu scholars had estimated the time it took for sidereal revolutions of each planet including Mangala, from their astronomical studies, with slightly different results:[21]
| Source | Estimated time per sidereal revolution[21] |
| Surya Siddhanta | 686 days, 23 hours, 56 minutes, 23.5 seconds |
| Siddhanta Shiromani | 686 days, 23 hours, 57 minutes, 1.5 seconds |
| Ptolemy | 686 days, 23 hours, 31 minutes, 56.1 seconds |
| 20th century calculations | 686 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes, 41.4 seconds |
Mangala is the root of the word 'Mangalavara' orTuesday in the Hindu calendar.[4] The wordमंगल also means "auspicious" but the planetमंगल is considered malefic.
Similarly, the names of Tuesday in other Indo-European languages are often derived from the Roman godMars,[22] (such as theLatin wordMartis "Tuesday") or a god ascribed with similar characteristics. The root of the English word Tuesday, for instance, is the oldGermanic god of war and victory,Tīw, also known as Týr.[23]
Mangala is part of theNavagraha in Hindu zodiac system. The role and importance of the Navagraha developed over time with various influences. The earliest work of astrology recorded in India is theVedanga Jyotisha which began to be compiled in the 14th century BCE.
Deifying planetary bodies and their astrological significance occurred as early as theVedic period and was recorded in theVedas. Theclassical planets, including Mars, were referenced in theAtharvaveda from the second millennium BCE. The Navagraha was furthered by additional contributions fromWestern Asia, includingZoroastrian andHellenistic influences. TheYavanajataka, or 'Science of theYavanas', was written by theIndo-Greek named "Yavanesvara" ("Lord of the Greeks") under the rule of theWestern Kshatrapa kingRudrakarman I. The Yavanajataka written in 120 CE is often attributed to standardizing Indian astrology. The Navagraha would further develop and culminate in theShaka era with theSaka, or Scythian, people. Additionally the contributions by the Saka people would be the basis of theIndian national calendar, which is also called the Saka calendar.
aṅgāraka 126 aṅgāraka '(hypothetical) red like embers', masculine 'charcoal'. 2. masculine 'the planet Mars'. [áṅgāra -- ]1. Pali aṅgāraka -- 'red like charcoal'; Sanskrit aṅārī 2. Pali aṅgāraka -- masculine 'Mars'; Sanskrit aṅāro masculineTuesday.
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