Navagraha Shanti: A Guide to the Nine Grahas and Their Pooja

In almost every South Indian temple there is a small shrine where nine deities stand together on a raised platform, each facing its own direction. Devotees walk around them, often nine times, before going on with their day. These are the Navagrahas, the nine grahas or planetary deities of Vedic astrology (Jyotisha). Their positions at the moment of your birth form your horoscope, and their movement through the sky marks the changing seasons of a life.

The word graha means "that which grasps or holds". A graha is not simply a planet in the astronomical sense: the nine include the Sun and the Moon, which are luminaries, and Rahu and Ketu, which are the two points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's. What unites them is that each is understood to hold a particular influence over our mind, body and circumstances. Shanti means peace. A Navagraha Shanti is therefore a ritual that seeks peace and balance with all nine grahas together.

This guide explains who each graha is, the traditional correspondences taught for them, how the nine are arranged in a temple mandala, the kinds of chart indications for which an astrologer may suggest a shanti, and what happens during the pooja, step by step.

Who are the nine grahas?

The traditional order of the grahas follows the days of the week, and it is the order used in almost every pooja and stotra: Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Kuja or Mangala (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Guru or Brihaspati (Jupiter), Sukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu.

Surya and Chandra are the luminaries, often described as the soul and the mind of the horoscope. Kuja, Budha, Guru, Sukra and Shani are the five planets visible to the naked eye. Rahu and Ketu are called chaya grahas, or shadow planets. They have no physical body; they are the north and south lunar nodes, the points connected with eclipses. In the Puranic story they are the head and tail of a single being who tasted the nectar of immortality, which is why they always sit exactly opposite each other in a chart.

Jyotisha also groups grahas by temperament. Guru, Sukra, a waxing Moon and a well-associated Budha are generally treated as gentle or benefic (saumya), while Shani, Kuja, Rahu, Ketu and, to a lesser degree, Surya are treated as fierce or malefic (krura). These labels describe nature, not good and bad. A so-called malefic graha that is well placed can give discipline, courage and lasting success; a benefic that is weak may struggle to give its gifts. Shanti rituals are about balance, never about fighting a graha.

नमः सूर्याय सोमाय मङ्गलाय बुधाय च । गुरुशुक्रशनिभ्यश्च राहवे केतवे नमः ॥

namaḥ sūryāya somāya maṅgalāya budhāya ca | guru-śukra-śanibhyaś ca rāhave ketave namaḥ ||

Salutations to Surya, to Soma (the Moon), to Mangala and to Budha; to Guru, Sukra and Shani; and to Rahu and Ketu, salutations. This single verse, naming all nine grahas in their traditional order, is often recited at the end of Navagraha prayers.

What each graha signifies

Every graha is a karaka, or significator, for certain people, qualities and areas of life. The summaries below reflect widely taught Parashari tradition. An astrologer always reads them in the context of the whole chart, never in isolation.

• Surya · the SunThe soul (atma), vitality, self-confidence and authority. Signifies the father, leadership and recognition.
• Chandra · the MoonThe mind (manas), emotions, peace and nourishment. Signifies the mother, the home and public goodwill.
• Kuja · MarsCourage, energy and the will to act. Signifies siblings, land and property, and is considered in Kuja (Manglik) dosha.
• Budha · MercuryIntellect, speech, learning and trade. Signifies communication, writing, calculation and business sense.
• Guru · JupiterWisdom, dharma, faith and growth. Signifies teachers, children and blessings; regarded as the greatest benefic.
• Sukra · VenusLove, marriage, beauty and comfort. Signifies the spouse, the arts, vehicles and refined enjoyment.
• Shani · SaturnKarma, patience, endurance and justice. Signifies longevity, service, hard work and the lessons time brings.
• Rahu · north nodeDesire, ambition and the unconventional. Magnifies whatever it touches and is linked with sudden change.
• Ketu · south nodeDetachment, intuition, past karma and liberation (moksha). Signifies spiritual insight and letting go.

The traditional correspondences

Each graha is honoured with things that share its nature: a day of the week, a colour, a grain (dhanya), a gemstone (ratna) and a metal. In a Navagraha pooja these correspondences decide which grain is spread on each graha's seat in the mandala, what colour of cloth is placed there, and what is given in daanam. Together, the nine grains are known as navadhanya.

Lists differ a little between regions and pooja manuals. The weekdays, colours and gemstones above are close to universal. Grains, and especially metals, vary more: some Telugu and Tamil lists give Sukra field beans and others cowpeas, some give Kuja masoor dal instead of toor dal, and the metals given for Budha, Rahu and Ketu differ from book to book. The purohits follow the tradition of the pooja they are performing.

The Navagraha mandala

When the nine grahas are installed together, whether in a temple shrine or on the mandala drawn for a shanti pooja, each has a fixed place. In the arrangement followed in most South Indian temples, Surya stands at the centre facing east, and the other eight occupy the eight directions around him.

• Centre: Surya (Sun), facing east
• East: Sukra (Venus) · South-east: Chandra (Moon)
• South: Kuja (Mars) · South-west: Rahu
• West: Shani (Saturn) · North-west: Ketu
• North: Guru (Jupiter) · North-east: Budha (Mercury)

The direction each idol faces, and small details of the layout, differ from temple to temple, and a mandala drawn for a homam may follow its own manual, but these positions are the most widely used. Around the grahas, a full shanti also invokes each graha's adhidevata and pratyadhidevata, the presiding deities placed on either side of it and worshipped along with it. The list most often used in South Indian pooja manuals is below; some manuals differ, particularly for Guru and Rahu.

When might a chart call for Navagraha Shanti?

There is no single rule, and nothing here should be read as a diagnosis. An astrologer studies the whole chart, including the strength of each graha, the houses it rules and occupies, its associations, and the dasha (planetary period) currently running, before suggesting any remedy. Indications that commonly lead to a recommendation include:

• The Mahadasha or Antardasha of a graha that is weak or afflicted in the chart
• Several grahas under strain at the same time, where a combined remedy suits better than separate japams
• A graha that is debilitated (in its sign of weakness), combust (too close to the Sun) or placed in the 6th, 8th or 12th house
• A close association of a graha with Rahu, Ketu or Shani
• Demanding transits such as Sade Sati or Ashtama Shani, or Rahu and Ketu moving over sensitive points in the chart
• The weeks before a major life event, such as a marriage, Griha Pravesham or a new business, when a family wishes to begin with the blessings of all nine grahas

If one graha clearly stands out, a focused graha japam and daanam for that graha may be all that is advised. Navagraha Shanti is chosen when balance across all the grahas is the aim. For Shani's periods, see our guide to Sade Sati remedies; for the nodes, read about Rahu and Ketu remedies.

How a Navagraha Shanti pooja is performed

The exact sequence depends on the tradition of the purohits and on what the chart study prescribes, but a complete Navagraha Shanti generally moves through these stages.

1. 1.Muhurtham

   An auspicious date and time is chosen using the devotee's birth star and the panchangam (Hindu almanac). Amavasya, Purnima and days of significant graha transits are often preferred.

2. 2.Sankalpam

   The purohit recites the formal resolve: the time and place, the devotee's name, gotram and birth star, and the purpose of the pooja. This dedicates the whole ritual to the devotee.

3. 3.Ganapati pooja and purification

   Lord Ganapati is worshipped first to remove obstacles, followed by punyahavachanam, the sanctifying of the space and materials with water and mantras.

4. 4.Kalasha sthapana

   A consecrated pot of water (kalasha) is installed, and the sacred rivers and deities are invoked into it.

5. 5.Navagraha avahana and pooja

   The nine grahas are invoked onto the mandala, each in its direction on its own grain and cloth, together with their adhidevatas and pratyadhidevatas, and worshipped with the sixteen traditional offerings (shodashopachara).

6. 6.Graha japam

   Vedic scholars recite the mantras of the grahas, with additional japam for the grahas highlighted in the chart study.

7. 7.Navagraha homam

   Offerings are made into the sacred fire for each graha. Tradition gives each its own samidha (sacred wood): arka for Surya, palasha for Chandra, khadira for Kuja, apamarga for Budha, ashvattha for Guru, udumbara for Sukra, shami for Shani, durva for Rahu and kusha for Ketu.

8. 8.Purnahuti and aarti

   A final, complete offering (purnahuti) concludes the homam, followed by aarti and prayers for the devotee's well-being.

9. 9.Daanam

   Charitable offerings of grains, cloth and dakshina aligned with the grahas are given on the devotee's behalf. Daanam is traditionally regarded as the completion of a shanti.

At Jataka Remedies, Navagraha Shanti is performed online by default: experienced purohits conduct the pooja in your name and gotram, and updates are shared as videos on your WhatsApp until it is complete. If you would like to attend in person, you can ask for this and we will review what is possible. When the concern is the space you live or work in, around construction or a Griha Pravesham, Ashta Dikpalaka Shanti, which honours the guardians of the eight directions and includes Navagraha Shanti, may be the more suitable choice.

How to prepare

Most of the preparation is simple, and nearly all of it happens before the day of the pooja.

1. Have your chart studied. Know which grahas need attention and whether a full shanti or focused japams are advised.
2. Gather your details. The booking form asks for your email and phone, your name and surname, gender, gotram, birth star (nakshatra), your father's and mother's names, and a copy of your horoscope.
3. Write your sankalpam. In a few sincere sentences, state what you are praying for, such as peace at home, steadiness in work or good health for a parent. Our guide on how to write your sankalpam walks you through it.
4. Book and pay online. Choose the service, complete the form, upload your horoscope and pay securely through Razorpay.
5. Keep WhatsApp at hand. Videos of the pooja reach you as it progresses, until completion.

On the day of the pooja

Nothing elaborate is expected of you. Many devotees bathe early, light a lamp at the home altar, keep the day sattvic with simple vegetarian food and fewer distractions, and sit quietly for a few minutes around the time of the pooja, reciting the Navagraha verse above or simply the names of the nine grahas. If you would like to worship the Navagrahas yourself on a regular basis, the Navagraha Pooja Kit brings the essential items to your address in India.

If your chart study points to a single graha, each of the nine can also be booked individually, from Ravi japam and daanam to Ketu japam and daanam.