Lord Mangala | Mangal Deva

Mangal Deva

Mangal is described as the God of War in religious texts and is also called the Commander of the Planets. According to Vedic astrology, planet Mars affects the liver, blood cells and digestive system. Mangal Deva is also popular by the names of Angaraka and Bhauma, Kuja and Chevai. Mangal is the lord of the zodiac signs Aries and Scorpio and is also the lord of Mrigashira, Chitra and Dhanishtha Nakshatra. Mangal Rules Tuesday in Saptavars. The Mahadasha of Mangal lasts for 7 years.

Blood, blood colour, brass metal, coral, muscles and bone marrow etc. are affected by Mars. Mangaldeva has authority over the fire element, south direction and summer season. Mars is also considered to have an influence on qualities like physical energy, self-confidence and ego, strength, anger, impulsiveness and bravery etc. The reason for the famous Mangal Dosh in astrology is also considered to be the special positions of the Mangal in the horoscope.

Mangal Origin

It is described in the Avantika Khanda of Skanda Purana that, once upon a time, Andhakasura took over the world of gods. Due to the boon received from Lord Shiva, no god was able to kill him. Devraj Indra was also distraught due to the atrocities of Andhakasura. Then the gods went to Mount Kailash and praised Lord Shiva with great devotion.

Hearing the prayer of all the deities, Lord Shiva assured all. After this, a fierce battle took place between Lord Shiva and Andhakasura. During the war, due to anger and rage, three drops of sweat suddenly dropped from Lord Shiva's forehead on the earth. Through these drops the Goddess Bhumi gave birth to a very beautiful and charming child. That child had four arms and was red in complexion. Goddess Bhumi nurtured this son.

Being the son of Goddess Bhumi, he became famous by the name of Bhauma. According to religious scriptures, the place where the drops of sweat of Lord Shiva had fallen is Ujjain, the city of Mahakala. The Brahmins praised Mangal by the names Angaraka, Raktaksha and Shivputra etc. and established him among the planets, after which Brahma ji established the excellent Shivalinga named Mangaleshwar at the same place.

After some age, Mangal reached Kashi. He performed rigorous penance for Lord Shiva continuously for many years in Kashi. Lord Shiva was pleased and granted Mangal Loka to Bhauma. Mangal was situated at a higher place than Venus. Lord Shiva adorned the Bhuma at the place of planate Mars among the planets revolving around the Sun. At present, the place where Mangal was born is popularly known as Mangal Nath Temple and is situated in Ujjain. Mangal Deva is worshiped here to pacify Mangal Dosha.

Mangal Origin Story

According to Brahmavaivarta Purana, at the time of Varaha incarnation, the brightness of Lord Vishnu was more than crores of suns. To fulfill the wishes of the Bhumi Devi, God appeared in his charming form and resided with Goddess Bhumi at an unknown place for a year. Thereafter, Mangal was born from the Goddess Bhumi.

According to the story of Devi Bhagwat Purana, Lord Vishnu took the incarnation of Varaha for the purpose of killing the demon named Hiranyaksha. At the time when Lord Varaha returned to his world after killing Hiranyaksha, Bhumi Devi expressed her desire to have a son from him. To fulfill the wish of Bhumi Devi, Lord Varaha lived with Bhumi Devi for some time. After Goddess Prithvi gave birth to a son, Lord Varaha returned to Vaikuntha.

Mangal Family

In religious texts, Goddess Jwalini has been described as the wife of Mangal Deva. Mangal is said to be unmarried and bachelor by some scholars. Lord Shiva is the father of Mangal Deva and Goddess Bhumi is his mother. Narakasura, Ganesha, Karthikeya, Ayyappa, Jalandhar, Andhakasura, and Sukesh are the stepbrothers of Mangal Deva and Ashok Sundari, Manasa, and Jyoti are his stepsisters.

Mangal Iconography

In religious texts, Mangal Deva is shown as having blood like complexion in four-armed form. He is shown holding a trident, a mace, a lotus and a spear or prong in his four arms. In some other pictures related to Mangal, he is shown holding a trident and a mace in two hands and the other two hands are shown in Varad and Abhaya posture. In the scriptures, there is a description of Sheep as the vehicle of Mangal.

Importance of Mangal in Astrology

In Vedic Astrology, Mangal i.e. Mars is classified as a male planet. Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Mercury are considered as the friendly planets of Mars. Venus and Saturn are planets unaffected by Mars. Mars is considered exalted in Capricorn and debilitated in Cancer. If the planet Mars is present in the ascendant, fourth house, seventh house, eighth and twelfth house of a person's horoscope, the person suffers from Mangal Dosha. In this condition, the person is said to be Mangalika and it is suggested to marry him only with a person having Mangal Dosha. Worship of Lord Hanuman mitigates the ill effects of planet Mars. The Maha Dasha of Mangal lasts for 7 years.

According to Samudrika Shastra, the Mangal Parvat surrounds the base of the Budha Parvat and the space between the Hridaya and Mastishk Rekha along with the lateral part of the hand. The lines drawn on Mangal Parvat are called Mangal Rekha. The Mangal Rekha passes through the initial part of the Jeevan Rekha and moves upwards towards Shukra Parvat. The number of these Rekha i.e. lines can be more than one.

According to Numerology, Mangal represents number 9. If the person is born on 9, 18, 27 of any months then his Mulanka will be 9 and Mulanka lord will be Mangal.

Mangal Mantra

Samanya Mantra-

Beeja Mantra-

Mangal Gayatri Mantra-

Mangal Festival-

• Bada Mangal or Budhwa Mangal
• Angaraki Chaturthi

Famous Mangal Temples

• Mangal Graha Temple, Amalner Maharashtra
• Mangalnath Temple, Ujjain Madhya Pradesh
• Mangaleshwar Temple, Gwalior Madhya Pradesh