Moon (Chandra)

Astronomical Introduction

The Moon is the Earth's satellite. Its diameter is 3,500 kilometres. It remains at a distance of roughly 400,000 kilometres from the Earth and completes one revolution around it in twenty-seven and a quarter days. In exactly the same time it also completes one rotation on its own axis, which is why only half of it is ever visible from the Earth. The Moon takes its light from the Sun and scatters it.

Puranic Account

Chandra, counted among the grahas, the nine "graspers" that act upon a birth chart, is a graha of feminine nature, the mother of the female line. If the Sun is the king, the Moon is the queen. After the Sun, it is the Moon that exerts the greatest influence on all the creatures of creation. In Jyotish, Chandra is the symbol of womanhood. In the Atharva Veda, Surya and Chandra are described as the two sons of Aditi:

tatratvā ādi rakṣatām sūryācandramasau umā (Atharva Veda 8/2/15)

"May the Sun and the Moon both protect you there."

Chandra is one of the fourteen jewels that emerged at the churning of the ocean (samudra manthan), and he is counted among the devas as well. His chariot has three wheels and is yoked with ten white horses. He is the offspring of the sage Atri; according to the Brahmanda Purana (4/35/51) he was born from the eyes of the sage Atri. By the grace of Lord Shiva he obtained the kingdom of Chandra-loka, the lunar realm.

According to the Bhagavata Purana (2/10/30, 5/22/8), Chandra is the life-breath (prana) of all living beings. He is swift-moving: in just two pakshas he completes the full circuit of the zodiac. In the view of the Vayu Purana, he is the lord of vegetation, of yajna (sacrifice), and of vrata (vows).

Daksha married his twenty-seven daughters, the nakshatras (lunar mansions), to Chandra. But Chandra loved one wife above the others, the one named Rohini; according to the Taittiriya Aranyaka (3/9), Rohini is Chandra's beloved wife. When the other wives complained of Chandra, Daksha cursed him to be afflicted with rajayakshma (consumption). Upon Chandra's earnest entreaty, and through the boon of Lord Shiva, Daksha granted him the blessing of waxing for fifteen days and waning for fifteen days.

Several stories are found about the dark mark on the Moon. In the view of the Vayu Purana (44/47), this mark looks like an arrow. By another account, the mark was the result of a curse incurred when he dallied with Tara, the wife of Guru (Brihaspati). By yet another, when Indra violated the chastity of Ahilya, Chandra assisted him; in his fury the sage Gautama hurled his water-pot and deerskin at the Moon, and these formed the marks. In another tale the mark appears in the form of a deer: when Chandra contracted rajayakshma from Daksha's curse, he carries a deer in his lap for its pacification. Some hold the mark to be the figure of a hare.

Chandra is the symbol of the manas, the mind: chandramā manaso jātaḥ, "the Moon was born of the mind." Chandra and Rohini are the parents of Budha (Mercury); in some places Tara too is named as Budha's mother.

budhaḥ saumyaḥ rauhiṇeyaḥ (Amarakosha)

"Budha is called Saumya (son of Soma) and Rauhineya (son of Rohini)."

The Person Influenced by Chandra

The Chandra-influenced person is youthful yet mature, handsome, with a rounded, soft body and a fair complexion. The hair is black and curly. He is of medium height or slightly less; the body below the navel is heavy, but not ungainly. The eyes are sweet and beautiful, like lotus petals, and the face is broad. The constitution is predominantly vata-kapha (wind and phlegm, in the Ayurvedic sense).

He is gentle, intelligent, restless, and soft-natured. Soft-spoken, he wins others over by agreeing along with what they say and giving them a mild reply. He is dear to his friends. He desires women older than himself.

If Chandra becomes afflicted, the native turns somewhat arrogant and indifferent to the pain and sorrow of others.

Influence on the Body

Chandra governs the left side of the body, the left eye, the circulation of the blood, the mind, and the heart. It directs compassion, sympathy, menstruation, peace of mind, and desires. A woman's menstrual cycle and the Moon's period of revolution around the Earth are of equal length.

Astronomical Details

Remedies

According to the Skanda Purana, by performing the Rohini-Chandra Shayana vrata (observance) one obtains the auspicious fruit of Chandra, and after death attains Chandra-loka.