Planets (Grahas) - The Cosmic Actors

Namaste from Rajvidya AI. **Answer** In Vedic Astrology, the 'Grahas' (planets) are considered cosmic actors that profoundly influence an individual's life. There are nine such Grahas: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and the two shadow planets, Rahu and Ketu. These celestial bodies and mathematical points represent various aspects of human life and the individuals who play roles within it. **Why — from classical texts** * Vedic astrology identifies nine Grahas (planets): the Sun (Ravi), Moon (Chandra), Mars (Kuja), Mercury (Budha), Jupiter (Guru), Venus (Sukra), and Saturn (Sani), along with the two shadow planets, Rahu (Dragon's Head) and Ketu (Dragon's Tail). * The term 'planet' in Hindu Astrology encompasses any celestial body or point that possesses an attractive property, thus including the Sun (a star), the Moon (a satellite), and the mathematical nodes of Rahu and Ketu. * Planets within a birth chart are understood to represent human beings who play significant roles in an individual's life. * They are also symbolically seen as representations of Lord Vishnu's avataras, similar to how the zodiac signs (Rasis) represent His limbs. * Certain planets signify specific types of individuals; for example, Jupiter can represent a Brahmin, Venus a lady, the Sun a king or government figure, and Mercury a Baniya (merchant). * Rahu and Ketu are not physical celestial bodies but mathematical points. Their positions are calculated based on the points where the Moon's orbit around Earth intersects the Earth's orbit around the Sun. * Ancient Vedic texts, such as the Rig Veda, contain encrypted astronomical information, including the synodic and sidereal periods of the planets, indicating that the Vedic people observed and understood planetary movements. * The provided classical texts do not detail the specific speeds of each planet, the concept of retrograde motion, or the precise calculation methods for the positions of all planets beyond Rahu and Ketu.