Lord Chandra | Chandra Deva

Chandra Deva

Lord Chandra is one of the most popular deities in Hinduism. Lord Chandra is also known as Rohininatha, Atriputra, Soma, Anusuyanandana and Mayanka. According to religious texts, Lord Chandra resides in Chandra Loka. In the astrological scriptures, describing the moon, it is said: Chandrama Manaso Jatah, that is, the moon is the cause of the mind.

Doing Chandropasna i.e. moon worship prevents mental problems and increases self-strength. According to Hindu scriptures, when sinful deeds were increasing at night, Lord Brahma assumed the form of the Chandra to stop them. Chandra is also the presiding deity of the water element.

Chandra Deva Origin

Once Tridevi i.e. Goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati became egotistical about their Satitva. They became proud that there were no Sati, i.e. pious women like them in the entire creation. At one time, the great devotee of Lord Vishnu, Devarshi Narada, visited there. Devarshi Narada felt pride in the Satitva of the three goddesses. Devarshi Narada told Tridevi about Maharishi Atri's wife Anusuya and her Satitva. Hearing the praise of Anusuya's Satitva from Devarshi Narada, the ego of those three goddesses was greatly offended.

The Tridevi asked their husbands, the Trideva i.e. Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha to test Anusuya's Satitva. At first, the three gods refused to do so, but to allay the pride in the minds of the three goddesses, Tridevas finally accepted their request. The Tridevas appeared at the same time in the Ashrama of Maharishi Atri. The purpose of the Tridevas was to test and break Anusuya's Satitva. First, the three gods disguised themselves as saints then reached the Ashram of Rishi Atri and asked Anusuya to give them food. At that time, Rishi Atri had gone out for some work.

Shri Anasuya welcomed the saints with respect. When it was time for meal, the Tridevas in the guise of saints told Anusuya that they would only accept food if she served it unclothed. Because of the fear of disrespect of the saints who came to the door, Anusuya accepted the request of the saints. Anusuya took Charanodaka, that is holy water of the lotus feet of Maharishi Atri and remembered her husband in mind and said, "If I have never seen any other man as I see my husband, if I have not considered any god-like my husband, If I am always absorbed in the worship of my husband with my mind, words and deeds, then may these three immediately become infants by the influence of my Satitva." Then he sprinkled the water on the three gods.

Under the influence of that divine Charanodaka and the chastity of Shri Anusuya Ji, the three gods were transformed into small Infants. As infants, the Tridevas began to play in the lap of Mother Anusuya. Then Anusuya fed him milk and rice. The Tridevas had spent a long time in the Ashrama of Anusuya and even after the delay, the three gods did not return to their abode, so the Tridevi went to the Ashrama of Maharishi Atri in search of them. The Tridevi, namely Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati, requested Goddess Anusuya to restore their husbands to their former forms. Anusuya and her husband accepted the request of the Tridevi but, Anusuya said, "I nourished these three gods a son; therefore, they must stay near me in any form." Accepting the words of Anusuya, the three gods placed their incarnations in the form of Dattatreya, Durvasa and the Moon in her womb. When the right time came, Lord Vishnu took the form of Dattatreya, Lord Brahma took the form of Chandra and Lord Shiva took the form of Durvasa from the womb of Anusuya.

Chandra Deva Family

According to the religious texts, the marriage of the Moon is Rohini, Revati, Kritika, Mrigasira, Adra, Punarvasu, Sunnita, Pushya Ashlesha, Megha, Swati, Chitra, Phalguni, Hasta, Radha, Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshta, Mula, Ashadh, Abhijeet, Shravan, Sarvistha, Satabhishaka, Proshtapada, Ashvayuja and Bharani were born with the twenty-seven daughters of Prajapati Daksha. But of all the wives, Rohini is the most dear to the Moon and is described as his chief wife. Maharishi Atri is the father of Chandradeva and Goddess Anusuya is his mother. Lord Dattatreya, and Rishi Durvasa are the brothers of Chandradeva. The Moon has children named Varchus and Budha. Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna and Subhadra of the Mahabharata period, is an incarnation of Varchas, son of the Lord Chandra.

Chandra Deva Iconogrpahy

The Chandra is represented with four arms and in white complexation. He holds Kalasha, Padam and Gada in his three arms and his fourth arm is in Varada Mudra. The moon god rides a chariot, pulled by Deer. The Chandra Deva is always portrayed with a calm and cool expression. In the Vedas, the moon is referred to as the left eye of the Cosmic Being.

The Importance of the Chandra in Astrology

According to the Vedic Astrology, the Chandra is considered to be a female planet. In Bhachakra, the Chandra is the lord of Cancer. The Chandra is the lord of Rohini, Hasta and Shravana Nakshatra. Astrologers consider the Chandra to be the factor planet of mind, mother, morale, left eye and chest. If the Chandra is unfavourable in the birth chart, it may cause memory issues, heart problems, insomnia, mental stress, emotional imbalance, colds, epilepsy, madness and lung diseases. The Maha Dasha of the Chandra lasts for 10 years.

According to the Samudrika Shastra, the place below the Buddha Parvata on the left side above the wrist in the palm is called the Chandra Parvata. The lines formed on Chandra Parvata are called the Chandra Rekha or the Antah Prerna Rekha. These lines are observed to find out about the mind, temperament, financial situation and accidents in the life of a person.

According to Numerology, the Moon affects Number 2. If a person is born on the 2, 11, 20, 29 of any month, his birth number will be 2 and the root lord will be the Chandra i.e. Moon.

Chandra Mantras

Samanya Mantra-

Beeja Mantra-

Chandra Gayatri Mantra-

Chandra Festivals

• Purnima Dates
• Sakat Chauth
• Ganesha Chaturthi

Famous Chandra Temple

• Chandra Chudeshwar Temple, Tamil Nadu
• Thingalur Chandra Bagwan Temple, Tamil Nadu